The tearful reunion was prolonged a bit further by the appearance of Jane’s father, who emerged from the house with a halting step.

Holding his hip in an awkward pose, he soon followed the same emotional protocol as the others.

Surprise, hugs, and lots of crying.

Beautiful, truly beautiful.

But…It was a tad bit lengthy.

I understood that there was nothing to do as it was a family reunion after a long time. The issue was that the three of us were standing there, awkwardly watching the three of them go through their emotional moments.

We couldn’t just barge in and join the crying, nor could we simply return to the carriage and sit down.

I released Aidan’s hand and wiped mine on my skirt.

Ah, my hands are sweaty.

It was only after Jane’s father paused to wipe his nose and caught my eye that they seemed to notice our presence.

With wide eyes, he nudged Jane and asked in a cautious tone.

“But Jane… who are these people?”

At her father’s question, Jane, still sniffling, looked up. Our eyes met, and I gave a gentle wave.

Hello, Jane. I’m right here.

With a bizarre noise and gaping mouth, it seemed she had been so engrossed in the reunion that she’d completely forgotten us.

Well, that’s understandable.

When you’re focused on one thing, it’s easy to become oblivious to your surroundings.

Our Jane… so focused.

I nodded to myself with that thought. When Jane saw me nod, she quickly came back to her senses and almost screamed.

“Oh my! Look at me… I’m so scattered! I’m so sorry, miss. Our miss here has legs as delicate as paper soaked in water…”

Paper soaked in water? What an odd way to describe someone.

I glanced down at my legs hidden under a dress. The yellow dress today seemed almost paper-like.

“Miss, you mean…?”

Jane’s father, clutching his hip, was the one who spoke. Despite her parents’ faces paling, Jane answered with a bright and strong voice.

“Mom, Dad, this is the lady I serve. Miss, these are my parents.”

The word ‘lady’ instantly drained the remaining color from their faces. In such a small village, encountering a noble, especially from one of the highest-ranking noble families, their reaction was understandable. After all, the first noble they saw was like an imaginary animal. Even more so as I was their daughter’s employer.

Jane’s introduction seemed to disrupt the warmth of the family reunion.

Family disruption… well, not quite.

While I felt sorry for disrupting this warm family scene, my legs couldn’t help but cheer quietly. Good intentions with uncooperative legs.

“A lady of…the Duchy? My goodness, to keep such an esteemed guest standing here… I am truly, truly sorry.”

His voice trembled. It was almost as if he was about to kneel right there. I smiled as warmly as I could and waved my hands dismissively.

To see Jane’s dear parents bowing deeply would be too much of an awkward sight.

Moreover, we were the unannounced visitors. As sudden as the travel plans were, it was inevitable, but we were still uninvited guests.

The uninvited guest shouldn’t cause inconvenience to the host.

“It’s alright. Seeing all of you together was quite pleasant.”

“But…”

“It was truly delightful. Jane is very special to me, so waiting a bit was merely a pleasure. Besides, we are the ones who appeared suddenly.”

As I smiled and nodded, a blush spread across their pale faces.

The mother, tears welling in her eyes, bowed deeply.

“Really, thank you. Thank you so much for your fondness for our Jane.”

“We are forever indebted. Thank you so much.”

At the doorstep past them and looking our way, Jane’s lips curled into a broad smile.

And just like that, Jane’s smile emitted a soft muffled tone.

‘Thank you, Miss.’

Her lip movements were oddly clear.

We proceeded into Jane’s home. The interior, much like its exterior, was quaintly charming.

Of course, living in a palace-like mansion made almost any house look quaint to me, but this house had a particularly tranquil and welcoming feel….

It was rather like Jane herself.

As I slowly explored the house, Jane introduced her parents to Ian and Aiden.

“This is Sir Aiden, the Duchy’s exclusive wizard, and this is Priest Ian, the Duchy’s exclusive priest.”

The introductions of such esteemed guests further unsettled her parents.

A Duchy’s lady, a wizard, and a priest. It must be an unimaginable combination to them.

Sweating profusely, their greeting was as awkward as a new intern summoned to meet the CEO and then introduced to other major executives on their first day.

Wow, it must be absolutely dreadful.

As I empathized with their overwhelming feelings, voices of children suddenly sounded.

“Sister Jane…?”

“Sister Jane…?”

This house was full of surprises.

The voices came from a small room beyond the kitchen. Two children, appearing to be about nine and eleven, peered out timidly.

“Gianna! Julian!”

Joy filled Jane’s eyes as she saw the children.

As soon as she called out their names, the once cautious kids burst through the door and ran toward us.

“Sister!”

“Sister!”

This was Part 2 of ‘A Heartfelt Family,’ truly a touching series.

Ah, such a series that will make your nose bleed.

As the children clung to Jane in delight, their glances briefly hardened upon seeing me. I discreetly waved, causing the girl to quickly look away, slightly hurt.

“Sister… let’s go play over there…okay?”

“Yes, Sister, let’s go over there…”

Perhaps Jane’s younger siblings seemed a bit unsettled by the presence of strangers. They clung to Jane’s arm, and soon suggested heading elsewhere, even tugging persistently at her.

Despite the lovely children’s efforts at pulling her away, Jane remained unmoved.

It may be because her years of rigorous service as a maid had built her muscles too strong for pre-teens to pull.

Planted firmly on the ground, Jane winced slightly under the pull of the children that whined and pulled at her. She cast a glance my way. What, looking for approval again? When have I ever held someone back from leaving?

I waved my hand dismissively, signaling it was fine.

I’m not one to fuss over formalities, nor am I cruel enough to deny Jane some playful time with her siblings, especially when she hadn’t visited home in a long while.

“Go on, Jane.”

“But…”

“It’s fine, really. The kids are excited, and you won’t be here long. You should play with them while you can.”

Jane bit her lip. Her eyes brimmed as if she’d just found a 100-year-old rare wild ginseng.

“Thank you, lady. Then… Mom, Dad, please take care of the lady for me.”

As if I was a six-year-old child needing supervision.

Yet, Jane continued to shout to take care of me as she let herself be dragged away by the children.

Over and over, embarrassingly so.

I cleared my throat and casually took a seat at the dining table.

Given I was ‘asked to’ I can at least sit on a chair. My legs were practically begging for a break.

As I settled, Aiden joined me at the table. Jane’s parents hovered awkwardly until I motioned for them to sit as well.

It almost felt impudent, the roles of host and guest reversing.

They sat, faces pale. I clearly burdened them though I didn’t intend to.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

“Oh… yes, thank you.”

They obeyed the commands to relax, despite still looking quite uneasy.

Oh dear, my apologies.

I looked away, thinking it best for everyone if I pretended not to notice.

As I looked away, someone standing idly caught my eye.

It was Priest Ian.

He occupied a seat next to me. He seemed lost in thought, staring blankly at something, not moving an inch.

What was it? What caught his attention that he looked so spaced out?

I slowly turned my head to follow Ian’s gaze.

And there…there was Jane, gently stroking her siblings’ faces with a bright smile. Hmm.

“You should join them, Priest.”

It looked like he wanted to join in the fun. Differing from my casual suggestion, Ian shuddered slightly in surprise.

“What?”

“Yes, go play with Jane and the kids.”

“Ah… but… my face might scare the children…”

Despite his body language screaming he wanted to go, his words were not as honest.

Well, that’s Priest Ian’s charm, isn’t it? And how scary could Ian’s face really be, no matter how scary he was?

Sure, he might look a bit like the Demon King in the Demon Castle, but…

The key here is that he was a handsome Demon King.

If he was just a Demon King, some might hesitate, but a handsome one? There’d be volunteers rushing to join him in his castle. Does that mean a change of faith then?

I recall reading somewhere that children instinctively like good-looking people. It’s a tragically funny instinct.

I shrugged reassuringly and then turned to shout at the kids.

“Kids! Why don’t you play with this big brother, too? His hands can even light up!”

“Wow…”

The children’s eyes sparkled as they looked at Ian.

If I were a kid, I’d think someone whose hands could light up was pretty cool, too.

Why not? They’re still at the age when glowing hands are fascinating. It’s only when they’re older that money appearing from hands becomes more appealing….

As the kids beamed at him, Ian scratched his nose awkwardly.

It seemed like the kids’ warm reception comforted him, but he still hesitated. Ian always did have an unusual amount of fear for someone his age.

I nudged Ian. His gaze flickered toward me briefly from the children.

With a solemn face, I whispered to him,

“Go on, show them some light. Go and demonstrate the dignity of the Duchy’s priest.”

Ah, our priest can even emit light from his hands. Does your house have something like this?

Ian’s face became serious.

The phrase ‘the dignity of the Duchy’s priest’ seemed to have sparked a resolution in him.

With a serious look, Ian nodded, took a deep breath, and started walking to the children.

His back, as he walked away, looked like that of a hero entering the Demon Castle.

Really, who approaches playing with kids with such solemnity?

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