Family at Last
Nina's dream had never changed.
Not before she left the orphanage, and not after she'd been lucky enough to become a maid in a count's household.
She had always, always wanted a family.
She'd been abandoned at the gates of an orphanage with no known birthplace, no surname, no story behind her — so all the headmistress could give her was a name. Supposedly, the only thing wrapped up with her in that white swaddling cloth had been a slip of paper with a single name written on it.
The war had ended not long before, and the orphanage was overflowing with children who had lost their parents, while households willing to adopt were few and far between. With everyone bracing for the possibility that war might erupt again at any moment and force them to flee, it could hardly have been otherwise.
In the end, most of the children had to strike out on their own the moment they turned fifteen. Nina had been one of them.
Even so, thanks to a memory and a knack for learning things so sharp they bordered on uncanny, she'd managed to pick up odd jobs all over the shopping district. The Kingdom of Ilite, where she lived, didn't even grant commoners the right to sit for the civil service examinations, so steady, respectable work was out of reach. Many nations had won their freedom after the war, and in those countries anyone could find employment regardless of birth — but Nina had neither the money nor the courage to leave Ilite.
It was pure luck that the owner of an inn where she often worked happened to be friendly with the head housekeeper of a certain count's family, and recommended Nina for a maid's position there.
And so two years had passed since she began serving at the count's estate.
It was wonderful, of course — food, shelter, and safety all settled, with pay on top of it — but the longer she worked there, the more she ached for the family she had never known.
"Mother! Father! Look at this! I did it — balancing a book on my head, riding a unicycle, AND lifting a plate with a fork, all at the same time!"
"Goodness, David. You'll be a student at the Academy soon enough, you know. The childish antics end today, I'm afraid."
"Heh heh, that's my boy. Good balance — takes after me."
The count's family was close-knit and brimming with warmth, and to Nina, who had none of her own, it was the envy of envies and a quiet loneliness all its own.
Right up until the day she discovered she had a real family after all — the very girl who had prayed to the moon every night to let her meet them — Nina envied the young master of the count's estate.
More than the fact that he was entering the Academy.
More than the mountain of congratulatory gifts he'd received to mark the occasion.
More even than the thrill of nailing that difficult lifelong party trick he'd practiced since childhood.
What she envied most was this: having a family beside you to share your joy with.
The young master, flinging off his unicycle and throwing himself into the countess's arms, looked happier than anyone in the world.
Nina had dreamed of that scene a thousand times, and believed it was one she could never, ever have.
Then one day, a gentleman arrived at the count's estate bearing a will — the last testament of Nina's grandmother, Rikita Bones.
From that day on, Nina's life turned entirely upside down.
I had a family all along!
That single fact alone was enough to wash away every ounce of the hardship and loneliness she'd carried for years.
Things like this are supposed to happen to the protagonist of a novel — how on earth did they happen to me, a perpetual background extra?
Stepping into the townhouse parlor, Nina did her best to calm her hammering heart. But standing there, face to face with her "family," she found she couldn't settle down no matter how hard she tried.
"Welcome, dear."
"We've been waiting for you."
They greeted her with such warm smiles that it only made her heart pound harder.
Rubbing her flushed cheeks, Nina took the hem of her apron in one hand and bowed politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Nina."
Then — oh, dear — she smiled bashfully, a hand rising to her cheek.
"Ah — though I suppose it's 'Nina Bones' now."
She couldn't count how many times she had said that name out loud inside the carriage on the way here. To think the day had come when she would introduce herself as "Nina Bones" in front of her family, in front of the other "Boneses" — she felt as though she might simply float away.
Was this what it felt like to be adopted?
No. It couldn't be.
I wasn't adopted — I came home! I returned to my real family's arms!
She was biting back the urge to scream and bounce around the room when a man with neatly combed dark brown hair stepped forward first, offering his hand.
"Chayson Bones. I'm your uncle."
"M-my uncle...!"
Before Nina had even finished being moved, a woman with auburn curls swept gracefully to one side approached with a beautiful smile.
"I am Natalisha Bones. Younger sister to your uncle Chayson here. Which makes me your aunt, dear."
"My aunt...!"
Next came a woman with ash-brown hair twisted up into a quick knot.
"Welcome. I'm Katahari Bones. I suppose that makes me your big sister, huh? Well — your cousin. Your older cousin."
"My sister...!"
And finally, a man with long, braided greenish-brown hair offered his greeting as well.
"Pleased. Katahari's younger brother, Exi Bones. Your older cousin."
"My brother...!"
Nina shook hands with all four of them in turn, beaming.
"This is wonderful. We all have pink eyes!"
A brief silence swept through the parlor.
The four people surrounding Nina exchanged glances at lightning speed.
Why on earth would she bring up eye color?
Has she noticed the pink contact lenses? Is she making a sly jab at us?
Instinctive detection of something suspicious? Truly the flesh and blood of Rikita.
Perhaps she merely suspects. Still. Remarkable.
It was the kind of thing that would flash past an ordinary person without a second thought. But Nina, who had earned her keep doing every sort of odd job since childhood and developed a sharp sense for reading the room, knew instantly that she had blundered — and swept a quick look over the four of them.
Come to think of it, they were dressed head to toe in black, with black ornaments to match.
"Oh! I'm so, so sorry. The thought of finally having a family went straight to my head, and I completely forgot myself...!"
With both hands clasped tight at her chest, Nina bowed her head deeply.
"Please accept my condolences for your loss. I have no memory of her myself, but Uncle, Aunt, Sister, Brother — you all spent time with her, so she must have been very precious to you."
"Ah."
A dazed groan escaped Exi, who had been listening in silence, unable to tell where any of this was going. Then, quite suddenly, he buried his face in his hands and began to sob.
"S-she was... she truly was a wonderful woman. Hhh... hnngh."
"...Mmph."
Before anyone knew it, the rest of the family had donned grief-stricken expressions as well, dabbing at their eyes or bowing their heads.
Nina had been consumed with curiosity about her grandmother the entire carriage ride over — what she looked like, what kind of eyes she had, what sort of life she had lived. But she'd been so swept up in the excitement of meeting her family that she'd momentarily forgotten all of it, and the shame of that weighed on her now.
Even if I never knew her, she's the one who left me this enormous inheritance...
As Nina wilted, shoulders sagging, her aunt Natalisha wrapped an arm around her back.
"But if it weren't for your grandmother, we would never have found each other like this. And that makes me truly happy, dear."
"Me too! I'm so, so happy!"
"Nina, come and sit with us."
"...!"
Come and sit with us. Such a family thing to say. Eyes gone wide and round, Nina let Katahari guide her to the sofa.
"You've had a long journey, so let's have a little something together first. The kitchen's preparing a proper feast for dinner."
"Yes. S-Sister!"
Antique teacups and a plate of cookies sat on the table.
Tea time with my family!
The stiffness slowly melting from her face, Nina chatted away softly with her new family. The fragrant tea warmed her chest from the inside, and the sweet cookies kept a smile hovering at the corners of her mouth.
By the time her cup had been refilled twice more and the cookie plate had all but emptied, Nina — already settled comfortably into her place among them — finally brought out a question she had carried with her since her orphanage days.
"How did I come to be separated from my family in the first place?"
Chayson nodded slowly, as if he had expected the question, and spoke up.
"Your mother went missing during a trip through Ilite, and we never saw her again. None of us knew she was carrying a child — or that you'd ever been born."
"Goodness..."
As Nina breathed out her dismay, Natalisha gave a small sigh.
"Right up until her passing, your grandmother searched everywhere for her daughter... for your mother. And that is how she found you, dear."
"Then my mother, she..."
"Her health must have failed her. She passed not long after you were born."
"Oh..."
On some level, Nina had already prepared herself for her parents' deaths. Of course they hadn't come looking for her even after she'd grown old enough to leave the orphanage.
Truthfully, back in those days, she had refused to believe she'd been abandoned and had simply assumed they had passed away — anything rather than think they'd left her behind on purpose.
When Nina's expression began to cloud over, Exi changed the subject.
"You made it home safe. You won't be separated from family again."
"That's right. And relax, will you? This is your house — do whatever you like. Is there anything you've been wanting to do?"
Katahari slid the cookie plate toward her as she asked, and Nina pondered the question for a moment before lifting her head.
"Now that you mention it — ever since my orphanage days, there's been something I've always wanted to do if I ever got a family."
In that instant, four pairs of eyes crossed paths in swift, silent exchange.
Has she already awakened to the romance of explosives?
Marksmanship, surely.
If she's Rikita's granddaughter — restraining multiple opponents with a single rope, no doubt.
Poison. It is poison.
"Umm..."
Nina said it with a shy little smile.
"I want to learn how to ride a bicycle. A two-wheeler."
Silence settled over the room. At last, Natalisha narrowed her eyes and asked carefully,
"You simply wish to ride a bicycle? Or is there... something else you'd like to do alongside it?"
"Something else? Well, it'd be great if I could do other things while riding, wouldn't it?"
Thud.
Exi, jolted by her sunny answer, kicked the leg of the table outright.
Impressive. She's already coveting assassination techniques performed from a moving bicycle.
The family who had welcomed Nina so warmly all shared the same thought as the Masters' warnings echoed through their minds.
Rikita's granddaughter. She certainly plays the innocent, darling little thing — for now. As if we'd be fool enough to let our guard down for it.