Even without traveling to the Royal Capital, those who remained would still hold the New Year's party.
This year, representing the Wellrod family, Lucia stood on a slightly raised platform to give the New Year's greeting.
Isaac stood beside her.
"Happy New Year. We've prepared various dishes and treats, so please enjoy yourselves. I pray that the new year will be wonderful for everyone. Cheers!"
Following Lucia's lead, the attendees echoed the toast.
Though Melinda's faction held the upper hand, no one would dare criticize a New Year's greeting.
Everyone responded politely.
With a relieved expression, Lucia descended the platform with Isaac.
It was then that Isaac spoke.
"Mother, thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you. Speaking in front of people always makes me nervous," she replied.
Lucia drained her champagne glass and placed it on the tray held by a maid.
She was quiet by nature, not the type to lead others, and was tense from giving a speech in front of a crowd.
At times like this, she thought, I envy people like Melinda, who can act so confident.
"You are his mother, after all. You should get used to this," said Karen, Lucia's sister-in-law.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"When he grows a little older, Isaac will draw more attention. And you, as his mother, will too."
Though Nathan was Melinda's favored child, he was truly the one destined to become head of the family.
Moreover, Isaac's intelligence was far beyond that of a typical four-year-old.
There was no doubt that next year he would attract attention in the Royal Capital.
When that happened, Lucia, his mother, would also be in the spotlight.
Karen chuckled mischievously at her sister-in-law.
"Oh, sister-in-law, you're so mean," Lucia said, though her face smiled.
They had always been close, and raising children together had deepened their bond.
In some ways, she might even be closer to Karen than to her own brother, Andy.
"Isaac, good work. Your greetings are done. Go play in the Child room."
"You don't have to join the greeting rounds?" Isaac asked, slightly dissatisfied.
It was a rare chance to meet the other children who stayed behind, and he didn't want to miss it.
"It's fine. Besides, Nathan isn't here right now. Go make friends with the boys," Lucia said, gently stroking his hair.
Children over five had gone to the Royal Capital, while those four and under remained here.
This included boys Isaac's age who followed Nathan.
Because of parents hoping to curry favor with Nathan, the likely heir, and pressure from Melinda, who disliked Lucia, Isaac had no same-age, same-gender friends.
Even if ages differed slightly, parents often encouraged their children to befriend Nathan's companions.
Being close to the future head's inner circle could mean advancement.
Meanwhile, parents kept their daughters away from Nathan, knowing they couldn't become his wife.
Randolph and Lucia's marriage was highly unusual.
Nathan, descended from both the Wellrod and Wilmente Marquis families, could easily marry someone from a family of equal status.
So parents felt it safer to pair their children with Isaac as a backup.
To Melinda, Isaac was a thorn in her side.
But someone taking him as a husband might earn her favor or allow her to claim Wellrod blood.
Pairing daughters with Nathan seemed riskier than letting them befriend Isaac.
This was why Isaac mostly had girl friends.
However, Lucia wasn't pushing him to make allies for the succession.
She genuinely worried that he had no male friends.
"Understood. I'll go then."
Honestly, spending time with girls like Tiffany and Lisa was fun.
Even if others called him a lolicon, he enjoyed being surrounded by cute girls.
Yet sometimes, he longed for male friends to joke and act silly with.
Isaac didn't want to waste his mother's concern.
(Where is this...?)
The Child room, set up so adults could enjoy the party, resembled a battlefield.
Children screamed high-pitched laughter like they were losing their minds.
Some cried, missing their parents.
Others fought for some reason.
Meanwhile, the staff ran between them like medics.
Some faces were unfamiliar—likely helpers, not just Marquis servants.
Since being reborn as Isaac, he had only interacted with quiet girls like Tiffany.
Seeing so many truly rambunctious children gave him a headache.
"Isaac—"
Tiffany spotted him and waved as he entered, accompanied by a few other girls.
Isaac headed toward them first.
"Hey, everyone. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year!"
After exchanging greetings, Isaac looked at them all.
"You all look cute as always, but dressed up, you're even more adorable."
"Really? Thank you!"
"My dad bought me this hair ornament."
They began showing off their favorite parts of their outfits, excited to talk about party clothes they rarely wore.
(Heh, how charming.)
In his previous life, Isaac had never seriously said "cute" to girls.
He'd been too embarrassed.
But this life was different.
Considering their ages, they were like his relatives' children.
Saying they were cute was natural.
The only difference now was that he could actually do it without fear.
Whether he could genuinely say it someday remained to be seen.
"Is he... actually a girl? He always plays with girls," came a voice from behind.
Turning, Isaac saw five boys, Nathan's followers, all four years old like him.
They were the age he could have befriended.
Yet their expressions mocked him rather than welcoming friendship.
(Oh, right. Back then, boys thought playing with girls was sissy...)
It wasn't their fault.
It was human nature to follow such trends.
(But—minus one point.)
Isaac mentally docked points from the rude children.
Children could be forgiven for small offenses.
After all, he was already mentally adult.
So he intended to overlook typical childish behavior.
But there was a limit.
Those who accumulated too many minus points would be future targets for punishment.
He was a strangely petty man in some ways.
"Then, let's play together. What games do you play with my elder brother?"
Yet he also wanted to show his authority.
He didn't get angry at what the boys said; instead, he tried to include them in play.
He wanted to seem mature, even if it was just for show.
"We play tag and duel games with Nathan-sama. You, who only play with girls, couldn't do that, right?"
He sounded unnecessarily proud.
Their parents probably taught them, Nathan is great. Obey him.
So they concluded:
"Nathan is great = Isaac is not"
"Being Nathan's friend = superior to Isaac"
A shallow, childish way of thinking.
Even if succession went to Nathan, Isaac, as a Marquis child, could not be inferior.
Randolph would simply correct it lightly, but if Morgan found out, parents would be severely scolded.
Though Isaac had no intention of tattling.
"Honestly, if they're going to act like that, it's better to turn it into motivation—'I'll crush them on my own when the time comes.'"
"Yeah. You can't really be rough with girls anyway. My elder brother isn't here, so let's play together."
"I don't want Nathan-sama to find out. He'd hate it."
"And besides, I can't play with someone who only plays with girls."
Isaac understood why they didn't want Nathan to dislike them, but he had his doubts about the second reason—refusing to play with boys who also spent time with girls.
(You guys... in ten years, you'll be worried about girls' reactions anyway...)
Even if children played separately by gender in Early Childhood, by adolescence, they would start noticing girls.
By then, regretting not being friends with girls from a young age would be too late.
――A sweet, tender romance with a childhood friend.
They had no idea they were breaking those event flags.
Even if Isaac wanted to explain it, they were real children.
Trying to teach them the importance of these "event flags" would likely be meaningless.
From an outside perspective, it was such a waste.
"Ah, that's a shame. Well then, if my elder brother ever says it's okay, go ahead. Meanwhile, why don't you talk to the kids who are crying because they're away from their parents? It's better to have someone with you than be alone. No fighting or teasing, alright? Being Nathan's friend makes that easy, right?"
Isaac didn't feel defeated by his inability to make friends.
Instead, he chose to use the situation to his advantage and change it.
"Of course. Let's go," he said.
Hearing "Being Nathan's friend makes it easy," even children with nothing else to hold onto could hardly argue back.
They scattered, retreating like fleeing prey.
"Isaac, are you okay?"
Tiffany called to him.
She understood, in a way, the difference between male friends and female friends.
She worried he might feel lonely.
"I'm fine. But hey, let's play with the little kids too. Maybe we'll make some new friends."
Last year, Isaac had spent time in a different room with Tiffany and the others, so he hadn't noticed that children under three were also brought to this room.
Instead of leaving it all to the servants, he thought that approaching the younger kids himself and with peers close in age might help calm them down a little.
"Yeah, you're right. We're the oldest here, after all."
All the older children had gone to the Royal Capital.
Tiffany and the others seemed to understand that the four-year-olds had to step up.
Seeing children trying to act grown-up was heartwarming.
Then, watching Tiffany, one question arose in his mind.
(A sweet childhood romance... If I were to have one, it'd probably be with Tiffany. ...She should have a fiancé. So would such an event even happen? Or would I end up as her fiancé?)
On the official records, no character like "Isaac Wellrod" existed.
――What impact would his very existence have on those around him?
He had never considered this before.
But once the question entered his mind, it refused to leave.
Notes:
• Ran - She is a gentle orphan, appeared as Mobu's close friend, surviving the demon attack in their secret hideout.