“Big Brother, who are these people?”

I tried to keep my voice low but audible. Also, if I’m this close, the vertical rolls can’t get close to Big Brother, either!

Alexei raised the edge of his mouth in amusement.

“This is Ishdol, head of the Count family of Novadine, and Miss Keira from one of the branch families, you know.”

“Oh, my… that is unfortunate.”

Ekaterina sighs behind her fan. I tried to convey my point without being too obvious about it.

“I’m sorry to hear that a member of the Yurinova family, even if only from a side branch, does not even know how to address the head of the main family and has the audacity to call him by his name without permission.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. It’s just that, as duchess and mistress of Yurinova, it’s unforgivable that you weren’t even greeted.”

At that point, we stared down at the Novadine father and daughter. It was not a look of disdain, but rather a look of condescension.

Vertical Rolls was staring at us. And the cronies were scared, or rather, blushing because Big Brother was too good-looking?

Vertical Roll, there was no point in getting close to your father with a puffed up face. My Big Brother and your father are as different in many ways as Mount Everest and Mount Temporal in Osaka (Altitude difference of about 4 meters) from each other (according to my company’s comparison).

The father, Count Novadine, seemed to flinch for a moment when he was looked down upon by the good-looking siblings.

But then he smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“This is…my apologies, Your Highness. But please understand, as a close friend of Lord Alexandre, I am trying to play the role of your father figure to the best of my ability.”

Ekaterina pondered.

Wow, this guy was super fishy.

“Young Lady Ekaterina, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry that I could not greet you at your mother’s funeral. You have become beautiful, just like your mother. But your mother was a bit more patient and the epitome of a lady.”

The words caught me by surprise; I could hear the contempt not only for Ekaterina, but for my mother as well.

This guy…he must have been taking advantage of my mother’s meekness to become a pawn of the Old Hag, to bully her.

“Lord Alexandre was a man of deep friendships and did not treat his subordinates with disrespect. He called me his brother and told me to consider the ducal residence my home. I hope to continue to cherish that friendship.”

Novadine mentioned their father’s name as if to introduce himself, but Alexei cut him off.

“I will never let you do what my father did. If you consider my father’s house your home, go to the mausoleum and live there.”

“Nah…”

The harsh words, as one would expect, leave Novadine crestfallen.

The entourage, including Novak and Aaron, as well as Rozen and the other knights of the Order of the Knights, had appeared and surrounded the duke and his siblings as if to protect them.

“…Oh, you are from the Viscount’s family, Novak.”

Novadine called out to Novak in a stiff voice, probably out of rivalry as members of the same branch of the family. Novadine’s back was also solidly guarded by several nobles who appeared to be of a lower rank.

Count Ishdol Novadine. I had actually heard this name from Big Brother on board the fast boat.

Being a count family, they have the highest status among the branch families. That was why he called himself the first head of the branch family, but he was not currently playing any role in the family.

He was one of our father’s best friends (self-proclaimed) and a close associate of the former duke, or rather, a playmate of his since he was young. It was said that he used to go back and forth between the imperial capital and the duke’s territory, messing around with father in the imperial capital and doing whatever he wanted in the territory under father’s authority.

In other words, this was a meeting of the new and old powers of the dukedom.