Kunpeng’s massive wings stretched against the velvet night sky, gliding through starlight. The air was cool and crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine as forests rolled far below.
Lisa pressed her face against the feathered edge of the Kunpeng, eyes sparkling like gems."Woooaaahhh! We’re flying so high! Look! Look! It’s like ants down there!"
"Sit properly," Selena muttered, her hand shooting out to grab Lisa’s collar before she tipped over. She yanked her back with the sharp efficiency of a long-suffering older sister.
anwhile, Aurelia and Lilliane sat close together behind them, their hair whipping lightly in the wind as they whispered and laughed, the kind of soft, conspiratorial giggles that made Kyle glance over suspiciously now and then.
Luca sat cross-legged with his sabers resting beside him, his gaze calm as he enjoyed the night air. Kyle, on the other hand, sat stiffly, arms folded so tightly across his chest that his shoulders were hunched, lips pressed into a line. He looked like he’d bitten into a sour fruit.
Finally, he broke the silence. "How much longer till we reach?"
"At this speed?" Luca tilted his head, eyes half-closed. "We’ll arrive when the first ray of dawn hits."
Kyle nodded once, then smirked faintly. "This is my first ti visiting your ho. Honestly... I’m kind of excited."
"Sa here," Luca replied casually.
Kyle’s head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing.
"...Heh? What do you an sa here? It’s your ho."
Caught, Luca scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "Ah, well... it’s nothing."
But his thoughts betrayed him. Since I ca to this world, this is the first ti I’m visiting ho. I wonder... will it still feel like ho?
Kyle didn’t buy it, but he let it slide with a dramatic huff. Luca leaned closer, his tone shifting.
"Alright, enough playing around. Why are you really here?"
Kyle stiffened, his expression crumpling into tragedy. He turned his whole body toward Luca, lowering his head as if the weight of the world rested on him.
"...I won’t hide it from you, brother-in-law."
Luca arched a brow. "Here we go."
Kyle jabbed a finger toward Aurelia, who was busy chatting and didn’t notice. His face twisted with frustration.
"Do you see her? She just decided she was going to your ho. Didn’t ask , didn’t ask anyone—just declared it!"
Luca tilted his head. "...That sounds like her."
Kyle pressed a palm to his forehead, groaning dramatically.
"And then! My grandfather finds out. Do you know what that old fossil said? He looks at and goes—" Kyle hunched over, putting on a raspy, quavering voice— "’Follow her! Don’t let that evil brat lay a hand on my granddaughter!’"
"...Evil brat?" Luca muttered, pointing at himself.
Kyle seized his wrist, shaking it for emphasis, his voice cracking.
"Yes! You! , the loyal grandson, gets told to watch over her and keep you in check, as if I’d just sit here while you—ugh!"
He yanked his hand back and buried his face in his palms. "I refused, of course! I told him no. I said I wouldn’t degrade myself like that!"
"And then?" Luca asked, lips twitching.
Kyle peeked out between his fingers, his eyes watery with indignation. "...And then he beat up until I said yes."
Luca blinked. "...You’re serious?"
Kyle sat up straight, chest puffing as if confessing to a cri. His voice trembled.
"My own grandfather! He didn’t even care what I thought! Do you know what that feels like?!"
He grabbed Luca’s shoulders and shook him violently.
"Do you know what it’s like to be the heir to a great house and still have zero say in anything?! I’m not even a person to them—I’m just a... a glorified babysitter!"
Luca steadied him by the wrists, sighing. "There, there." He patted Kyle’s arm like soothing a tantrum-throwing child. "At least you get a free ride on a Kunpeng out of it."
Kyle froze, then let out a strangled laugh that quickly turned into a wail. "That’s not the point! Why doesn’t anyone listen to ?!" His voice cracked as his bottom lip wobbled. "I’m the young master! I should be respected! Instead, I’m here—" he flung himself sideways and landed against Luca’s shoulder with a loud thud "—treated like so pitiful side character!"
Luca stared down at him, expression flat. "...Are you done?"
"No!" Kyle sniffled, glaring upward with watery eyes. "My life is a tragedy, brother-in-law. Tragedy!"
"Cheer up," Luca said, patting his head like a puppy. "At least you’re not the ’evil brat.’ That title’s mine."
Kyle froze, then groaned into Luca’s sleeve. "Don’t joke about it! If Grandfather saw us sitting this close, he’d throw into the sea!"
"Relax. If he throws you, I’ll... probably fish you out."
Kyle’s head snapped up, eyes wide. "Probably?! What kind of brother-in-law says that?!"
Their bickering carried loud enough that Selena pinched the bridge of her nose. She turned, eyes narrowed.
"Could you two stop acting like children for five minutes?"
Both of them froze, then exchanged a look before pointing at each other in unison.
"He started it."
And just like that...
The horizon bled with streaks of orange and pink as dawn awakened the world. The Kunpeng’s vast wings beat against the cool morning air before it descended in a sweeping arc. With a low rush of wind, it landed gracefully on the sprawling courtyard of a grand estate.
Before them stretched a mansion of polished stone and dark timber, its tall windows catching the first rays of sunlight. The front was frad by marble pillars and balconies wrapped in ivy, while fountains sparkled in the courtyard, scattering prisms of light into the air. For a lower noble family’s ho, it radiated elegance and quiet dignity, far beyond what most expected.
Luca dismounted first, his boots clicking against the stone path. His lips curved in the faintest smile. So this is... ho. A place familiar yet foreign—he had never truly experienced it since coming to this world.
Behind him, Kyle let out a low whistle. "For a ’lower noble,’ this is... way too fancy."
Selena adjusted her cloak, her cool eyes scanning the mansion’s lines with restrained approval. Aurelia, anwhile, observed with a soft smile, though her athyst eyes held a knowing glint. Lilliane stood very still, trying not to look too out of place, while Lisa’s mouth ford a straight line as if afraid of what’s to co.
As Luca raised his hand, Kunpeng let out a low call before vanishing into his beast space in a shimr of light. Lisa yelped at the sudden disappearance, then quickly darted behind Aurelia’s skirt. She clung there tightly, peeking out with wide eyes—partly from surprise, partly from nerves. After all, she had run away from this very ho to follow Luca to the academy. Now, standing in its courtyard again, her courage seed to waver. Aurelia only chuckled softly, resting a hand on the little girl’s head to comfort her.
Then, from the mansion’s entrance, they appeared—rows of neatly dressed maids and butlers forming a line, bowing in practiced unison. At their head stood a woman with dark hair cascading like silk, her poise graceful, her presence commanding without effort. Her eyes—sharp yet warm—locked onto Luca imdiately.
"Welco ho, Son." Her voice carried across the courtyard, steady and refined.
"Mother..." Luca murmured.
Selene Von Valentine stepped forward, her heels clicking against the polished stone. Her gaze swept over her son from head to toe, sharp as a jeweler inspecting a priceless diamond for flaws. She reached out, brushing her hand along his shoulder, then tugging at his sleeve, as if ensuring he bore no hidden injuries.
Luca held her gaze, steady but gentle. "I’m fine now, Mother."
Selene’s lips pressed together, the tension in her shoulders loosening at his reassurance. Finally, she allowed herself a quiet breath and softened her eyes.
Only then did she turn to the group behind him. Her gaze lingered on each of them—Aurelia’s composed stance, Selena’s icy calm, Kyle’s awkward grin, Lilliane’s nervous fidgeting, and Lisa clinging stubbornly to Aurelia’s skirt as if hiding behind a shield.
Her brows lifted ever so slightly in surprise. Then a smile—gentle, elegant, but touched with curiosity—spread across her face.
"This is the first ti you’ve brought friends ho, Luca."
The maids exchanged small glances of intrigue while Selene clasped her hands together, her tone carrying a quiet warmth.
"Won’t you introduce to them?"
The courtyard stilled, the first rays of the sun bathing them all in golden light, as everyone felt the weight of being under the matriarch’s graceful yet piercing gaze.
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