A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 167: Invitation
The morning after Whitney gave his permission for Cecil to invite her friends.
“Brother!”
“...Hm?”
As always, Cecil barged into the office, but then she suddenly paused, glancing around in confusion.
“What’s with your face today?”
“...What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re not doing that creepy smile you usually do.”
Just as she pointed out, Whitney wasn’t wearing his usual unsettling grin today.
Instead, dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and a look of sheer exhaustion was plastered across his face.
“Haha...”
“Are you sick or something? What’s wrong with you today?”
“...It’s nothing.”
“You don’t look ‘nothing.’”
Cecil scrutinized his complexion with concern, then tilted her head.
“You know, usually you’re more... sinister?”
“......”
“I-I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just... there’s always been a vibe, I guess...”
To be fair, she wasn’t wrong.
Since she could remember—probably since she was five—Whitney had always worn a smile that was just... off.
Chilling, even.
So the expression he was showing her now—while perfectly normal to any regular person—was so out of place on Whitney that it was almost disturbing.
Anyone who knew him well would probably assume something was seriously wrong if Whitney ever wore a normal, exhausted expression like this.
“Anyway, why are you here?”
“Oh, right... um, I came to tell you—my friends just arrived.”
“...Ah.”
“I figured I should at least let you know.”
Cecil continued cautiously, watching Whitney’s face for any reaction, but she flinched slightly when he suddenly smiled.
“If they’re your friends, I’ll be happy to welcome them.”
“R-Really?”
“Bring them in. Go ahead first, I’ll follow soon.”
But this time, the reason she flinched wasn’t his usual menacing aura.
‘What’s wrong with him today?’
The smile Whitney gave her wasn’t twisted or calculated—it was genuine. Like a real older brother who cared deeply for his little sister.
“...Did I do something wrong?”
“Hm?”
“No, never mind...”
Even in a normal family, this would’ve been a strangely affectionate expression. But coming from Whitney, it was even weirder.
To Cecil, her brother was someone who always smiled—but in a way that sent chills down your spine.
This gentle, warm smile was something she hadn’t seen in years.
“You’re acting so different today...”
“Cecil.”
At that, Whitney gave her the familiar smile she’d grown up with—the one that was more like him.
“You’ll always be my beloved little sister.”
That finally seemed to reassure her, and Cecil smiled back, pleased.
“Hehe.”
She scratched her head, then quickly turned to leave.
“Okay, I’ll go bring them in!”
Once the door closed behind her, silence filled the room.
“...Hahaha.”
Whitney chuckled softly to himself for a moment.
“......Haa.”
But then he ran both hands through his hair with a sigh and muttered in a hoarse voice,
“Saintess, you’re absolutely sure about what you said, right?”
From behind his shoulder, a tiny spider slowly crawled into view.
—Why would I lie at this point?
His expression darkened further at the response.
—The current generation’s Hero is none other than Cecil Ringaarden. Your sister. Did you really not know?
They say people come to resemble those they love.
His hands trembled faintly, much like his fiancée, Meredia, might in a moment of dread.
“...Why Cecil, of all people?”
Hestia’s voice came again, relayed through the spider.
—Beats me. I’m not entirely sure either...
“......”
—Seems like a twist of fate, really. Nothing else to call it.
***
Meanwhile, in the front courtyard of the Ringaarden estate.
“This... this is Cecil’s house?”
“Wow... It’s like the kind of noble house I’ve only imagined.”
“Yup. A perfect textbook noble mansion.”
Cecil’s friends, gathered in a huddle, looked around with wide, sparkling eyes, murmuring among themselves.
“Hmph. You’re all impressed by this level of estate?”
One exception stood out.
Adel Felgrave, daughter of the Marquis of Felgrave, stood apart with an arrogant expression.
“My father’s Mage Tower is about twenty times this size, you know?”
“R-Really?”
“And if you include the surrounding facilities, it’s more like fifty!”
“W-Wow...”
Awkward smiles broke out as her boast echoed through the group. Her words weren’t exactly warmly received.
‘Why is she even here...?’
‘Yeah, seriously?’
‘I thought she and Cecil hated each other...’
In their minds, Cecil and Adel weren’t just rivals—they were known to be full-blown enemies.
And yet, for some reason, she’d been included in the invitation.
So they’d had no choice but to endure her endless bragging and condescension all the way here.
Of course, none of them dared say anything openly.
Most of Cecil’s friends were either commoners or lower-ranked nobles. Adel, the daughter of the Tower Lord, was practically royalty to them.
Even Cecil herself was technically far above them as a count’s daughter, but she was so kind-hearted that no one minded.
“Haa, but this mansion’s hospitality is seriously lacking.”
The uncomfortable silence was broken by Adel again, who narrowed her eyes in displeasure.
“At this time, the maids should have already come out to escort us.”
“R-Really?”
“If they were working at the Mage Tower, they’d be disciplined. I suppose the Ringaarden household runs a bit... loose.”
“Ah, look!”
But her whining was cut short when someone appeared from the mansion and began walking their way.
“Cecil!”
“Cecil!”
Cecil emerged from the house, waving excitedly as she approached.
“Hey, everyone!”
“Wow, it’s been so long!”
“It’s only been two days since break started.”
“Still, hehe.”
Her friends ran over with open arms, hugging her with cheerful smiles. Adel glanced sideways at the scene, then turned her head with a small pout.
“...Hmph.”
It wasn’t jealousy.
Not because none of her “friends” ever greeted her with such pure, honest smiles.
She was just... a little envious of the smiling Cecil. That was all.
“Looks like here in the Ringaarden house, the masters come out to greet guests instead of the servants?”
And so, instead of saying what she really meant to say, Adel blurted out something entirely different.
“You there. Don’t you know this is a serious breach of etiquette for nobles?”
“...Huh? Is °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° it?”
Cecil’s friends exchanged uneasy glances, but Cecil’s expression was oddly neutral.
“‘Is it?’ isn’t the right response. This is a matter of proper form—”
“But you’re my friend, aren’t you, Adel? So I don’t think it matters.”
“...Huh? That’s not—!”
Adel flinched at that and nearly snapped back, but ended up falling silent.
“Hmph. Whatever.”
She turned away again, her face slightly red.
‘Wait... maybe they really are friends...?’
‘Who knew Miss High-and-Mighty had a side like that...’
‘Actually, that was kinda... cute?’
As Cecil’s friends watched this scene unfold, they began trading glances and whispering among themselves.
Then—
“Ah!”
Adel, who had been trying to look elsewhere, suddenly jolted as her body twitched.
It was like she’d been magnetically drawn to something.
“......!”
A moment later, she clasped her hands together and started smiling like an idiot.
“......!?”
Startled by this sudden change, Cecil and her friends followed her line of sight.
“Ah.”
Only Cecil, among them, sighed and touched her forehead, as if she’d figured it out.
“Hello, everyone.”
Whitney Ringaarden had stepped out with the mansion’s maids, arriving to greet Cecil’s guests.
***
To be honest, my head was a mess after what the Saintess had just told me. But still—what’s done is done. First things first, I had guests to greet.
“Ah... hello.”
“N-Nice to meet you...”
I led the staff out to greet Cecil’s friends, but their response was... less than enthusiastic.
‘Are they nervous?’
Well, they’re just kids. Maybe I shouldn’t have come out with the full entourage.
“Welcome to House Ringaarden, everyone.”
Still, kids tend to open up if you're just a little kind. No need to worry too much.
“Even though we're a Count’s house, we’re very small, so... please don’t feel pressured. Make yourselves at home—”
“......Huh.”
That’s when I noticed them.
Among the girls gathered around Cecil were a few boys, standing slightly apart, casting nervous glances.
“...Boys?”
The moment I muttered that under my breath, the entire courtyard froze.
‘So there are boys among Cecil’s friends?’
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve noticed the tension and adjusted my tone. But the realization that my precious little sister had brought boys home completely scrambled my judgment.
—Goooooo...
And apparently, I accidentally let a bit of my gray-tinted white magic leak out. The same magic I’d been trying so hard to keep restrained lately.
“Wh-What was that chill...?”
“H-Hiiik...”
The boys’ expressions turned pale instantly.
That reaction pretty much confirmed it.
“Cecil, who are those boys back there?”
“Hm? They’re close friends.”
“You mean... close, like you always hang out?”
“What? Why are you being weird?”
Trying to keep my smile intact, I asked her calmly. But when she responded so casually, I couldn’t quite stop my smile from twitching.
“Everyone, would you come talk with me for a moment?”
Boys that age don’t just hang around girls like Cecil. Especially not when Cecil is literally the most beautiful girl at the Academy.
I could see right through their wolfish intentions.
“W-What do you want to talk about...?”
“I-I just remembered something I left behind—!”
Just as I was about to lose it completely—
“Um, excuse me.”
Someone tapped my side, and a familiar voice followed.
“...It’s been a while.”
“......”
“Do you... remember my name?”
Turning my head, I barely managed to hold on to my sanity and force my smile back into place.
“Miss Adel Felgrave, was it?”
“Yes!”
Whatever else happened, it was time to recruit the key piece of the plan.
