Chapter 31: Keal is coming

The elderly butler, seeing that Young Miss Seraphina had taken matters into her own hands, gracefully bowed and excused himself, leaving the two children to their own devices.

Thus began the grand tour of the Sterling Grand Manor, led by none other than the young miss herself.

Seraphina eagerly guided Ethan through the sprawling estate, her steps light and full of energy.

She showed him the magnificent inner courtyard, the towering west wing library, and the vast, sunlit balcony overlooking the private practice arenas.

Yet, as they walked side by side down the polished marble corridors, it became blatantly obvious that the tour was just an excuse.

Seraphina kept finding reasons to shorten the physical distance between them. Every few steps, she would "accidentally" trip a little or brush her shoulder against his, or lean in close to point out a particular painting, her luminous emerald eyes darting sideways to check his reaction.

As they paused in front of a massive, gilded portrait of Lady Rose, Seraphina stepped just a fraction of an inch away, her arm lightly pressing against Ethan’s.

"My mother spends a lot of time in the eastern parlor dealing with business," Seraphina explained, though her voice dropped to a slightly distracted hum. She looked down at Ethan, tilting her head with a cute, probing expression.

"You know... out of everyone who arrived today, you’re the only one I actually wanted to show around. Do you... find this place too big, Ethan? Or... a little lonely without your usual surroundings?"

Ethan looked down at her, a quiet, amused smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Deciding to have a little fun with her clumsy attempts at getting closer, he leaned in a bit, matching her curious tone.

"Lonely? Not really," Ethan replied, deadpanning with a completely straight face. "Though if you keep walking into my shoulder every three seconds like a heat-seeking missile, I’m going to start charging a toll fee for personal traffic control."

Seraphina blinked, caught completely off guard. A bright, sudden flush of pink rushed up her cheeks. She quickly hopped half a step back, flustered as she waved her hands defensively.

"I-I am not walking into you on purpose!" she protested, her voice jumping an octave in sheer embarrassment while she puffed out her cheeks in an adorable pout. "The floor in this hallway is just... uneven! Yes, the builders did a terrible job!"

Ethan couldn’t help the small, genuine chuckle that escaped his lips at her childish excuse. "Ah, of course. My apologies. The evil, uneven hallway floor strikes again," he teased smoothly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Seeing him laugh, Seraphina crossed her arms, though a reluctant smile started creeping onto her own face. She muttered under her breath, "You’re really annoying, you know that?"

"Well," Ethan replied, flashing a light, easygoing grin as he walked ahead, "someone has to keep this giant, boring manor lively."

A soft, genuine smile spread across Seraphina’s face. She quietly thought to herself—Ethan, in all of my past hundred lifetimes, you were always surrounded by struggles and hardships. This time, I will do everything in my power to keep you smiling. If there was ever any true happiness in any of my past lives, it was only because you stood by me. Otherwise, those lives were bound to be ruined anyway.

After that, Ethan continued showing her the various parts of the grand manor.

Slowly, night began to fall. As the darkness deepened, Arthur stepped out of his room as well. Wandering down the corridor, he suddenly spotted Seraphina standing quite close to Ethan, causing him to pause and hide slightly.

Stepping forward, he asked with a trace of surprise, "Brother, were you both wandering around the manor this late at night?"

Ethan turned around and replied naturally, "Ah, just taking a little walk."

Arthur’s gaze landed on the close proximity between Seraphina and Ethan. Feeling a bit awkward, he asked, "Brother, won’t you introduce me to Mrs... I mean, to her?"

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Internally, he really didn’t want to bring this up just yet, but he still said in a flat tone, "This is my fiancée, Seraphina."

Seraphina blinked and looked at Ethan. "You already knew I was your fiancée?"

Ethan replied calmly, "Your mother told me."

Hearing this, Seraphina grew slightly flustered and stammered, "Then you should have told me sooner! I was acting all friendly, pretending like I didn’t know anything, just so I could surprise you later with the fact that I’m your fiancée!"

Ethan raised a single eyebrow and asked, "Why on earth were you acting like that?"

Seraphina caught herself, "Obviously, to make a good impression..." She cut herself off mid-sentence, quickly recovering with, "I mean... just to check out what kind of person my future fiancé is!"

Arthur stood nearby, listening to their conversation in silence. Though this sight wasn’t quite as jarring as seeing Alina and Ethan close together earlier, it still felt a bit strange to him.

Just then, the voice of a butler echoed down the corridor, announcing that dinner was ready.

The dining hall was magnificent and lavish. A long, polished mahogany table groaned under the weight of various exquisite dishes—roasted silk-wind beef, crispy honey-glazed fowl, fresh magical fruit salads, steaming bowls of creamy mushroom soup, and crystal bottles of fine magic wine.

During dinner, as everyone was enjoying the meal, Lady Rose set down her wine glass and said with a warm smile, "Children, both Seraphina and Lumian attend the kingdom’s most prestigious academy—the Aurelia Royal Magic Academy. I am planning to enroll both of you into that very same school as well."

Hearing this, Ethan and Arthur’s eyes lit up. Arthur asked enthusiastically, "Really? Isn’t that the most popular academy in the entire kingdom?"

Rose chuckled softly and replied, "Indeed. If you truly have talent there, through hard work, you can even break through to a Rank-2 Mage by the age of ten."

She went on to mention a few more details and rules regarding the academy. Then, shifting the mood to a more reassuring tone, Rose added, "By the way, if you two are still feeling scared or worried about your father and that killer, you can put your minds completely at ease. As long as I am present in this manor, no killer would ever dare think of harming you."

The mention of his father brought fresh tears to Arthur’s eyes, his throat tightening up. Ethan immediately leaned over, placing a comforting hand on his younger brother’s shoulder to soothe him.

"Mother" Seraphina asked in a somewhat solemn voice,"About that concubine my father had... her son, Keal. Is he really coming back here to live again? Are you planning to bring him here tomorrow?"

Rose nodded.

"Yes. I’ve decided to adopt him. After all, he is my husband’s son. Even though he isn’t related to me by blood, he should still have some potential. Who knows? He might even possess some hidden talent or a special physique."

Seraphina looked at her with concern.

"But Mother, what if he doesn’t treat you well? You’re bringing him here against his will."

Rose smiled calmly.

"You don’t need to worry about him. I’ll handle everything."

Ethan had been listening to their entire conversation.

He already knew why Seraphina didn’t want Keal to come here.

In his previous life, Keal had ruined my and her life.

There was no reason to believe that he would suddenly become a good person in this life.

But she doesn’t need to worry too much.

If Keal tries to do anything bad this time...

I’ll deal with him.