”Well, I truly do appreciate you agreeing to meet with us on this fine day!”
The moment Tory Old stepped off the carriage that had arrived early in the morning, he hurried over, wiping his brow as he greeted Kyle.
He was the same middle-aged man Kyle had spoken with at Aile’s birthday gathering.
He still sported that round, pot-bellied frame, making Kyle worry that Layla might be heavy too. But Flare had mentioned that Layla was actually so thin she seemed frail. Still, that was six years ago, so who knew how she had grown since then.
”Not at all. Truthfully, my wife wished to see you all again as well…”
Kyle felt a bit awkward bringing up his wife right before starting a marriage interview, but Tory didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Then again, the man was actively offering his daughter as a concubine to a married lord, so he had likely made his peace with the arrangement long ago.
The Old family lacked the wealth and power of House Regal, ruling a small territory roughly the same size as Kyle’s-perhaps even a bit smaller.
Only a single carriage arrived, accompanied by just one guard.
Tory stepped out first while Layla remained inside, hidden from view. But as Tory and Kyle chatted, a young woman who looked like Layla’s attendant stepped down, leaning back inside to whisper to the passenger.
The maid wore a plain, long dress with almost no frills or ornament. She was tall, featuring droopy eyes, bright chestnut hair tied in short pigtails, and a pair of round glasses. She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties, but what drew Kyle’s eyes immediately was her chest.
Yeah. You know. She was incredibly well-endowed.
Taris’s uniform boasted endless frills and lace, complete with a fitted apron and a skirt that stopped right at her knees. So in terms of build, face, and attire, this newcomer was pretty much the exact opposite of Taris.
”My lady Layla, pray awaken yourself this instant. If you do not descend at once, the gracious hosts shall be left waiting upon us, indeed…”
Kyle caught her soft, drawn-out voice drifting from the vehicle, wondering if Layla had been sleeping the whole way. The countryside was quiet and the scenery rarely changed, so he could understand the urge. But sleeping through such a bumpy ride proved she either had nerves of steel or was remarkably relaxed. Either way, Kyle was starting to feel a little uneasy.
Flare, Martha, Taris, and Kyle stood in a proper line to welcome their guests, their eyes locked on the carriage door. The first thing to appear was a shock of bright white hair, catching the morning sunlight and shimmering like spun silver.
Layla Old stepped down looking thoroughly travel-sick and slouched over, relying heavily on her maid for support. She carried the energy of someone with low blood pressure dragging herself out of bed. The moment her feet touched the ground, she stretched her arms wide, letting out a huge yawn.
Her expression was purely innocent, just like a small child’s. She looked nothing like the terrifying rumors Kyle had heard-no signs of cursed eyes, sinister hexes, or dark luck.
Yet it was true that she possessed a pale, ghostly frame alongside those otherworldly eyes and hair. Looking strictly at her appearance, she did seem almost supernatural.
If he had to compare her to something, she carried the vibe of a snow spirit or a pale phantom, though she seemed far too bright and spacey to be any sort of scary monster.
If anything, with that mysterious presence, she felt more like a gentle white serpent spirit.
”Layla! Pray adjust your posture this instant! I offer my deepest apologies-the poor girl is simply exhausted from our long journey, most regrettably.”
”Oh, it’s completely fine. Why don’t we start with some warm tea so everyone can rest first? We can talk properly after that.”
Kyle offered the suggestion while watching Layla, who was visibly drifting back to sleep.
Layla was short and remarkably thin, looking as though a strong wind might snap her. She was quite underdeveloped too-her chest was even smaller than Taris’s. Yet her face was stunningly beautiful in an ethereal way, making Kyle wonder why anyone would actively avoid her.
Perhaps her presence was simply too strange, making people feel uncomfortable around her…
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder-first a vampire queen, then a beautiful zombie, and now a girl who reminded him of a white serpent? Why did every woman around him have to give off such non-human energy?
”Oh, indeed, I shall gladly render my assistance as well!”
Layla’s attendant-the droopy-eyed girl-spoke up eagerly in response to Kyle’s offer.
She appeared nervous and flustered, her timid nature shining through instantly. Though tall, she gave off the helpless energy of a small animal. Add in the glasses and her impressive figure… yeah, not bad at all. Kyle kept his thoughts to himself, nodding in silent approval while crossing his arms.
Every woman in his life up to this point had been fiercely strong-willed-completely independent, highly opinionated, and always taking charge. Seeing someone so visibly shy and unable to assert herself felt surprisingly refreshing.
”Oh, thank you. You’re Layla’s lady-in-waiting, right? What’s your name?”
”N-No cap, I’m Mei! I’m lowkey serving as Lady Layla’s main attendant, for real.”
”Got it. So, Mei, here’s the plan… Taris usually stays close to Flare, right? So go ahead and ask Martha-the older servant standing over there-for whatever you need.”
”Bet, sounds like a plan~”
With that same relaxed tone, she gave Layla a quick “You got this, Layla!” before jogging right over to Martha.
”If’n you’ll follow me, child, I reckon we can get things sorted out right quick in the kitchen,” Martha said with old-fashioned rural warmth, guiding Mei toward the pantry.
”Right this way, if you please. Allow me to escort you within.”
Having managed a similar visit with Flare’s family before, Kyle felt far less nervous guiding the Olds inside this time.
Besides, dealing with Tory wasn’t like dealing with Jack-he didn’t have to worry about getting executed if he made a minor mistake.
Not that Flare’s father was actually a monster-Kyle had just built that scary image in his head. Jack was actually a fantastic father-in-law.
The servants served light snacks and warm tea, but Layla kept nodding off right in her seat. She managed to answer Flare’s question-“It has been quite some time; do you perchance still recall my face?”-with a faint “Indeed, I remember..,” but sleep was clearly winning the battle.
Tory kept nudging her with his elbow in a panic, while Mei offered her cup after cup of tea, trying her best to wake her up. Yet Layla just stared blankly ahead as if severely jet-lagged, acting like a sleepy child.
”Well, she must be exhausted from the road. How about this-let her take a nice warm bath, get a good nap, and then we can have a real conversation over dinner. If you don’t have urgent business tomorrow, you’re more than welcome to stay the night. That way Flare can catch up with her properly too…”
Winter had arrived and the air was getting chilly, which meant the fishing bookings had slowed down. Kyle was honestly pretty free, so hosting them overnight wasn’t a problem at all.
Besides, Tory would get a much better feel for Quinta by staying overnight rather than just talking for a few hours.
”Ah, truly? You display such immense generosity… I must offer my humblest apologies. Layla remains rather immature for her age… having lived away from high society, she is far more carefree than other young ladies…”
”Don’t worry about it at all. We’ll show her to a room so she can rest. In the meantime, if you’re not too tired, Tory, I could give you a quick tour of Quinta.”
Basically, Kyle was proposing to leave Layla in the care of Flare and her maid, while he showed Tory around the local businesses and town. Tory had likely researched the area already, but seeing things in person was a whole different experience.
”I… I understand! Such an offer sparks great interest, and I accept with deep gratitude. You are far too kind to us.”
Tory pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He seemed genuinely thankful, acting like nothing more than a worried father. If he had some evil scheme to use his daughter to take over Quinta, Kyle figured he would have picked up on something suspicious by now. Instead, Tory just seemed like a good dad who wanted his daughter to be happy.
They strolled down the harbor street, grabbed lunch at the Leaping Fish Diner, and spent the afternoon visiting the shop of the mage Fidek, where Kyle showed off the casting fishing gear they had been producing since autumn.
”Cor, blimey, guv’nor! You won’t find better craftsmanship than this in all the realm, I tell ya what!” Fidek barked out, proudly displaying a freshly polished reel. “Top-notch stuff, bargain price, proper quality gear!”
Meanwhile, back at the estate, Flare was looking after Layla. By dinner time, Layla would be fully rested after a nice long nap.
”My word, that carriage ride felt impossibly smooth! And I have never heard of a lord investing such serious effort into Magicraft technology. Everything in your land goes far beyond the norm-in a wonderful way, of course!”
Tory couldn’t hide his amazement, especially regarding Kyle’s heavy investment in Magicraft development. It made sense-most people viewed Magicraft tools as overly expensive novelties with little practical use, treating them as mere toys for wealthy nobles or retired lords.
”I mean, if we can lower the costs, a lot of these tools could make everyday life much easier. But yeah, existing tools already get the job done, so I understand why people think it’s unnecessary.”
For example, regular lamps could easily replace magical lanterns. But for Kyle, who had been reincarnated from a modern world where electric lights were everywhere, the low tech level here was just too frustrating to ignore. People born in this world simply couldn’t relate to that feeling.
”Tell me… Kyle, here in Quinta, is there truly so little bias against mages who study Magicraft?”
”Yeah, none at all. That’s actually why Fidek moved his workshop here in the first place. Plus, it’s pretty common knowledge that I’m obsessed with Magicraft tools myself. Compared to other lands, people are way more accepting of it here. It’s not like every commoner uses them, but in our territory, mages are viewed just like any other craftsmen-like carpenters or blacksmiths. People just think of them as ‘those guys who build weird gadgets.’ I’ve never once heard of Fidek getting turned away at local shops.”
”I see…”
Mages extracted a special energy called Arcanos from magic stones to crystallize it-acting essentially like alchemists or scientists. But ordinary people didn’t understand the process, so in many places, mages were treated as dangerous creeps, shady cultists, or outright scammers.
Regions with large populations of devout Aten worshippers were especially hostile toward them. But around here, the locals worshipped the sea god far more than the sun god, thanks to the coastal lifestyle.
Because of the bustling harbor, locals were used to seeing strange faces and new ideas, so they didn’t cling as tightly to old traditions. That was just the nature of Quinta. It was the reason nobody gave Kyle a hard time when he tinkered with Magicraft as a child-even if they rolled their eyes at him occasionally.
Yet Tory kept staring at Kyle with a heavy, serious look, even as they chatted casually.
He suddenly paused, his face turning dead serious like a man about to share a world-shaking secret. “Kyle, I shall speak with my daughter during dinner tonight, but there is something vital I must share with you beforehand… It concerns those very ‘mages’ we were just discussing…”
Kyle, however, completely missed the serious mood, wondering if Tory knew a group of chased-out mages he could hire. He actually started getting excited at the thought.
”Oh, sure, I’m all ears! Man, I rarely get to talk about this stuff-this is great!” he replied, completely without a care in the world.
Trivia:
- Kyle’s casual observation about Layla’s appearance—comparing her to a snow woman, banshee, and white snake spirit—foreshadows that her “cursed” reputation might stem from her supernatural beauty rather than any actual malice, creating dramatic irony since he’s already attracted to otherworldly women.
- The detailed description of Mei as the polar opposite of Taris (tall vs. petite, plain uniform vs. frilly, droopy eyes vs. sharp, huge chest vs. small) suggests the author is deliberately contrasting servant archetypes to highlight the diversity within Kyle’s expanding household.
- Tory’s sudden serious shift when mentioning mages, combined with his earlier nervous sweating, implies the Old family’s connection to magic is the real reason he’s seeking a marriage alliance with Kyle—not just territorial politics, but possibly protection or refuge for his daughter from magical persecution.