~ Chapter 16: The no-good aunt ~
As days came to pass, it was finally time for me and Cassandra to meet our famous no-good aunt, or how our father used to describe her: a high-spirited adventurer with a tendency to attract trouble.
Even our slave maid, Luthecia avoided my gaze when I asked her if she knew this strange person. Our aunt's reputation and impression of her was getting worse by the minute. My sister, on the other hand, was listening with big eyes as if they were talking about some great hero.
Seeing her like this, I thought Please don't make her your role model! Please! Your big brother begs you not to do it!
I had a really bad feeling about this upcoming meeting.
“Oh! She's here!” mother said as she picked me up in her arms.
Cassandra refused to be carried by father, so she toddled after us. Between the two of us, she had the best balance, while I had great falling techniques.
As we stepped outside of our house, we saw a typical carriage pulled by horses as it approached and ultimately came to a stop in front of us. The animals let out a neigh, and the driver pulled the reins to calm them down.
The reason why mother knew it was our aunt and not someone else was because we were already expecting her to arrive either today or tomorrow. Nobody else had a reason to drop by and if a messenger arrived from Briston, they would have used a carriage pulled by a crystal instead of a horse.
The door was opened from inside, and a big woman stepped out.
Please allow me to describe her better: taller than a bear; more muscles than my father and his guard combined; breasts as big as basketballs; two long swords sheathed on her back; long flowing chestnut hair; and a face almost identical to mother's.
My whole mind shattered like fragile glass when I saw her, while Cassandra's eyes sparkled like priceless gems.
Well, she wasn't really over-muscular for her size, it was just that... well... her biceps were as big as me. She was frightening.
“Little sister!” mother shouted.
“Melissa!” the giant shouted back with a girlish voice.
Huh? What? How... just what? How? I was struggling to understand what was happening around me.
Besides, SHE was the LITTLE sister? Just... how?
“Hm? Are these two cuties your children?” she asked as she looked at us.
“Yes. The little boy is Leonidas, and the shy one behind me is Cassandra.” mother replied.
Hearing that, I blinked surprised.
Huh? Shy one? Who? Cassandra?! I was confused by the sudden remark, but when I saw her hiding behind mother's dress and looking up at us with upturned eyes, only one word crossed my mind: C-Cute!
Yup! The usually curious bundle of energy was acting shy!
This was a world premiere, a sensational phenomenon!
Then, with her cheeks turned red, she peeked from behind mother and spoke in a very low and cute voice: “Aunty... is beautiful...”
WHO?! That ogre?! I cracked on the inside.
I realized at that moment that my little sister's sense of beauty was not a normal one. It definitely wasn't anywhere near what I had expected it to be!
Our mother was beautiful, cute, and wore elegant dresses, not to mention the fact that she often spoke in a refined and polite way with everyone around her. She was an example of a noble lady with a kind heart, who could often be found enjoying her afternoon tea on the veranda. That was the sort of existence our mother was.
On the other side... we had the barbarian-looking woman from a certain demon-filled game. Comparing the two of them was absurd, but to make matters worse, the latter was the LITTLE sister.
Ha~ Maybe I was the one with a misplaced common sense and a mind filled with all sort of prejudices?
But... but... having a cute little sister who loved cute, fluffy, and cuddly things... that was the deal I made with the gods, right? Then how? HOW did it end up like this?!
While I was having a mental breakdown, mother could only show a wry smile as Cassandra was lifted up and tossed several meters up high in the air by our... aunt.
Oh, and father already fainted after the first toss. Luthecia was helping him out.