Even when my mind was in a chaos, I still tried to keep my smile on the surface.

And what's with that, why did Clyde and Nicole have such a high impression of me?

If anything, I hated my old self. There were many things I wanted to change, but I couldn't.

Since I thought about myself like that, how could they view me that highly?

...Still, there were people who envied me back then, too.

"Oh... That's too bad you can't see her..."

"Yep, that's why I get curious when they mentioned you resembled her. But, I was disappointed..."

"..."

Aaah, this child took after Nicole in personality, I think... No, I saw Clyde's personality in him too, but this straightforwardness... was totally Nicole's.

I wished he could be more considerate though...

Then again, he was named after Reinst, and as Reinst, my EQ was so bad that I wasn't considerate towards most people, too, so...

...Clyde, Nicole, perhaps you picked a bad name for your son... And I'm sorry for bearing a part of responsibility for it! (T__T)

"Well, I am not your aunt! I might resemble her in some ways, but we're different people, so..."

I turned speechless after realizing what I just said.

I am not your aunt.

Technically, what I said was true—everything was true. But deep down, I knew I was definitely Reinst, so I was his aunt in some sense... but here, my words contradicted that.

It's like... I'm telling myself that I'm not Reinst.

It felt weird upon realizing this.

"...Hm, I see...," Reinell put his hand on his chin, as if he was pondering over something.

Eeeh, you're just a child, stop acting all clever like this—wait, the Loera clan members are known to be intelligent people, and he will most likely be the next head—so...

"Hey, big sis! I have a riddle for you!" Reinell—okay, addressing him as Reinell made me feel itchy, so I'll just call him with Ein or Eine—Ein suddenly changed the topic while smiling with his whole face—whoa, really, he looked completely like an angel like this!

"A riddle? Sure?"

"So, you are someone who wants to start a workshop and is hiring people to assist you while you are working. Two applicants come to apply for the job, and you have to pick one. The first one is a person who has studied in the field that's needed for your workshop and so, he is quite experienced with this kind of job already. The second one is a person who has no prior knowledge, but is willing to learn for the job. Which one will you hire? Pick the best one for long-term investment!"

"........."

...WHAT.

THIS CHILD?! WHAT KIND OF RIDDLE IS THAT?!

How did he learn of such a riddle anyway?

Oh wait, this is the Loera family's kid we're talking about!

The Loera clan is very talented and likes to dive into the economy world—which is why their territory is so wealthy... so, their kids were educated as such?

Still, it is something that requires only logic, so yeah...

I tried to ponder a bit before finally answering...

It was a tough one, as I thought both choices would have their own pro and contra, but still...

"I will hire the second one, the one who has no prior knowledge, but is willing to learn."

Upon hearing my answer, Ein's expression changed. It was evident that he was so surprised to hear my answer.

"Why?"

"Uhmmm well... We are hiring people to help us while we work, right? Having someone who's already an expert in the field and who has experience might be good, but... that person would have developed his own way of work, right? If his way of doing things is different from how I want it, or if he suddenly argues with my opinion... it will make the work harder... While it might be good in terms of efficiency as we don't need to train and educate him anymore, but it might not be good in the long go."

"Meanwhile, the second person is like a blank sheet of paper that we can write anything we want. We can build this person to match the way we work. While it might be hard in the beginning as we have to train and educate him, but it will bear fruits in the long go. His workstyle will match us more, and since we educate him from zero, we will most likely have similar thought process... Oh, and debt of gratitude! This person will be more loyal as he saw that we were willing to instruct him!"

Yup, we're just hiring assistant in this scenario, so we don't necessarily need a person who's already an expert. We only need a person that can be compatible with the way we work.

...Actually, I answered like that because in the past, I used to hate being in a teamwork with specific people—mainly others with similar skills or knowledge as me, but with different views, as we would argue... Meanwhile when I was teamed with not-top-ranking students but good-hearted ones, I was able to direct them to my liking.

An assistant was similar to team mates, right?

Well, I wasn't sure if that was the right answer, but I gave a reasonable explanation, right?

At least, even if I got it wrong, I won't be viewed as dumb.

"...Whoa!"

Suddenly, Ein's eyes sparkled.

...what?

"I changed my mind about you, big sis! Now I totally get why Mum and Dad saw you differently! It was a riddle that Mum and Dad asked me before—quite recently. I chose the wrong answer because I thought hiring the first person would be more efficient. Mum and Dad told me almost the exact same answer as you did!"

...Uh, bingo? So... I guessed correctly?

Clyde, Nicole, why did you riddle your child with this kind of thing—ah, the Loera's way, I guess...

When I was living as Reinst, I was already trained and learned in the ways of swordsmanship, and now, as Lyra—Mom and Dad would teach me some magic, so...

For a child of Loera family, they tried to teach them logical thinking or reasoning... or business strategy like this? ...Perhaps.

Among the four ducal houses of Riviera, the one with the least combat prowess was the Loera clan, after all. However, their excellence in other area (their heads) might make up for it. It was something that the other ducal houses didn't possess, so I guess they were special in that way.

"How did you even think of that? Awesome!"

While I was still speechless, this little dev—nah, this cute "nephew" of mine continued to praise me.

...Seems like I managed to change this child's opinion of me?

Well, this doesn't feel so bad!

But... I couldn't say that he only lacked experience, thus he couldn't think of the right answer, right? ...Ah, well, I'm technically older than him, but only by 2 years...

"Uhm... Just by experience and... what little knowledge I have?" I tilted my head, a little bit unsure.

"Cool! Teach me, big sis!"

"...Huh?"

"Teach me the secret to how you can think like that!"

"Uhm..."

How the heck am I supposed to teach something like that?

Also, it was nothing but a simple answer, so why did he suddenly become... like—this attached to me? Why did he suddenly like me?

Was it because I answered it exactly like how his parents did?

Or was it that and his parents' bias towards me?

"Hmm, I'm not sure how I can teach you anything, so let me think about it."

"Promiseeee?"

"Yeah! We may not be able to meet that often, but I will tell you when I meet you again, after I figure that out."

"...Okay!"

Right, right~

We don't have much opportunity to meet, so why bother worrying about it too much?

He's just a kid, so let's just give this answer for now~

...I feel bad for being sly in front of this kid, though, hohoho!

"The king and the crown prince have arrived—"

As soon as the announcement echoed within the hall, everyone was in an uproar and I could see people making way for the king and the crown prince.

Hmmm, Leticia and the queen didn't come?

Ah well, we're talking about Leticia here, the queen might be accompanying her because she was still too small to come to parties like this.

Anyway, what's with the royal family being late to noble parties?!

...Then again, the king must be busy with lots of things... sorry for being inconsiderate!

After their grand entrance, the king and the crown prince—Titus-sama and Luca went to greet the star of the party—Ein.

It was also the first time for Ein to see both the king and the crown prince—the most influential figures in this country.

I could see him being more tense, yet he still managed to remember his etiquette as he introduced himself to them.

Ah, speaking of which, I made sure to move out of the way—to let Ein, Clyde, and Nicole talk with King Titus and Luca. It was like they were introducing their own sons to each other.

Nothing was wrong with this, as Ein would most likely be the next head of the Loera clan, so he must get acquainted to Luca, and likewise for Luca.

And just like that, I was saved from having to deal with my nephew~!