Meeting III

At the face of Count Orpheus's sudden question, Regis remained nervous.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about… M-Mister Fiollo really saved us from the gobli—"

"Enough."

A strong pressure suddenly weighed down on Regis and Pandora, forcibly making them lower their heads.

"Do you really think that I'm a fool? I know what kind of person Fiollo is. I know that he won't save anyone's asses. In fact, I'll believe it more if he fed you to the goblins himself."

'Damn, what kind of person was he really?' 

Regis cursed in his mind as he remembered Fiollo's gentle expression when he first approached them.

Nevertheless, he didn't waste any time and responded, "I-it's true that Mister Fiollo saved us… but it was under a certain condition."

The pressure "made" him grit his teeth, resulting in him stuttering as he spoke.

"Oho? And what condition is that?"

Count Orpheus raised his brow in interest as he asked.

Regis gasped for breath for a few seconds before recovering his composure and responding.

"Huff… Mister Fiollo saved us because he took a fancy to my sister and wanted her to be his personal maid…"

Count Orpheus's eyes widened slightly as he glanced at the girl beside the boy.

He then nodded and said, "Hmm, that's indeed something that Fiollo would do…"

Meanwhile, Pandora's head was thinking of countless things as she heard Regis's words, 'I wonder what Brother's plans are…'

Even with his spontaneous words, she had not doubted him for even a second.

'Looks like it worked…'

Regis heaved an inward sigh of relief as he saw the Count's change in expression.

In order to salvage the situation, he decided to take a gamble and assume Fiollo's personality based on the comments he heard from the count.

Fortunately, it seemed to have worked since he surmised that Fiollo was a hedonistic man.

"...but what about you?"

"Pardon?"

Regis raised his brow in surprise as he heard the Count's words.

"I mean, if Fiollo wanted that girl to be his personal maid, then what about you? What use will I have for you??"

The Count spoke as if he was stating the obvious.

Regis knew where he was getting at.

It essentially meant that even if they were willing to let Pandora stay in the manor, he would not be able to do the same.

Thus, he quickly bowed and said with a respectful voice, "I am willing to do anything the Count asks of me."

"Oho? What do you mean by anything?" The Count smirked.

"I meant what I said, Sir."

Regis replied, still bowing.

The Count's smirk widened, "Well, there's something that I need some help with…"

Regis raised his head with a hopeful expression, "I'll help with it, Sir! I just want to be with my sister sometimes, you don't even need to give me a salary as I owe my life to Mister Fiollo!"

"Very well. Maids!" The count nodded in satisfaction before calling out loud.

Creak—

The door opened as a woman in a maid uniform entered the room.

She then bowed towards the Count.

"Prepare a room for this young lady right here. Also, give her a tour of the manor. From today onwards, she'll be living with us."

The Count said as he pointed towards Pandora.

"Understood, Sir." The maid promptly replied.

"Little girl, you can go on and follow the head maid. You can ask anything you want of them. And if they ever make you uncomfortable, you can just tell me, okay?"

The Count showed a friendly smile on his face, the wrinkles on his face appearing.

This made him seem like a caring father in the eyes of the two children in front of him.

Of course it wasn't like Regis and Pandora were going to blindly believe what he was showing.

Still, they didn't show their suspicion on their faces.

Pandora only silently looked at Regis with a worried expression, "How about you, Brother?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll see you later, okay?"

Regis smiled gently as he caressed her head, "Be a good girl and don't make their heads ache, understand?"

The Count also added as he lightly chuckled, "Don't worry, little girl. I will take care of your brother."

Pandora bit her lips with a hesitant expression before standing up and bowing towards the Count.

"Thank you very much, Count Orpheus!"

She then glanced at Regis, "Bye, Brother! Visit me later!" Then she went with the head maid and left the room.

As he saw the door shut, Regis looked respectfully at the Count, "Count Orpheus, about the thing you needed help with…?"

"You're quite straightforward, huh? I like that about you."

"I just don't waste more of your precious time."

Count Orpheus grinned at his words, "Well, you seem to have quite the good head on your shoulders too."

"As for the thing I need help with, it's nothing too complex, really. Since I'm quite busy, I will let the guards explain and guide you to the place. Will that be okay?"

"Of course, Sir." Regis readily bowed in agreement.

"Guards!" 

The Count's dignified voice sounded once again.

Regis wore a curious expression on his face as he waited.

Creak—

"Yes, Sir?"

The guard answered in a respectful voice.

"Guide this kid to that area. He will be helping us complete that."

The guard fell silent for a moment before bowing, "Understood, Sir! I will do as you said!"

However, this didn't escape Regis's eyes.

'Something is wrong.'

Nevertheless, it was too late as the guard approached him.

He could only stand up and bow towards the Count in gratitude, "Thank you for your kindness, Sir! I'll surely help you!!"

"Yes, I believe in you." Count Orpheus smiled as he nodded in acknowledgement.

Regis then went with the guards and exited the room, leaving Count Orpheus by himself.

"Fiollo, that bastard. He really couldn't get his hands off of even a little girl, huh?" Count Orpheus's eyes shone with disdain.

"Well, it's a pity that we're off by a single sacrifice. Kidnapping children will be extremely risky at this point…"

"...Anyways, Fiollo will surely get tired of that little girl quickly. So I can just sacrifice her by then."

Count Orpheus muttered to himself as he caressed a picture frame in his hands.

***

"Mister Guard, where are we going?"

Regus asked curiously as he felt something about the route they were taking.

However, the guard only remained silent.

Even though he was feeling something amiss, Regis didn't make any rash actions.

Instead, he obediently followed the guard.

'Let's see what you have in store for me, Count Orpheus.'