The use of the private island of Argo, belonging to Orion Trewin from birth, was included in the deal between Echal and Vethela in order to facilitate peace. And though things had gone south now that Vethela had once again failed to protect the Akahito family, resulting in the death of their matriarch, the island's use was still used to throw the family reunion, despite the loss.

Eloise's death was not yet made aware to the public, but it certainly was another deficit in terms of the political situation between the superpowers. But, still, the reunion was not just a party. It was a way to show the strength and wealth of the ancient noble family not only to others but to the family to keep them in line. Besides that, it was to officially announce Enmei as a member of the family.

(Y/n) arranged everything for Kazuya and Haru, letting them have time to grieve. She spent her time on the island, putting everything into place along with the servants the palace spared for them. The royal servants were experienced, sure, but they still needed her input on everything, including place settings, flowers, and even the chandeliers. Even if everything was already arranged by her and Sona weeks prior, they still insisted she look over every little thing. It was exhausting.

When it was time for the party to start, she was finally released, but only to get ready. She probably should have been excited. Then again, even if not for what had happened to Eloise, she was hardly happy to be the hostess for a great number of self-important assholes. Still, Kazuya needed her, so she had to do it for him. After she had put on her dress and done her hair, wearing some simple but elegant jewelry, she did the same for Bastien.

The poor toddler had glued himself to her since she'd rescued him. He'd even slept with her, let alone getting dressed and eating. Still, he put on the tiniest smile when he noticed they were in matching colors. All branches of the Akahito family were given a particular color and a flower. She had hoped Eloise would like the theme of flowers, but now it seemed all but useless. She doubted Kazuya would show his face either, prompting her to frown.

"Do you get a flower, too?" the brunette mumbled, pointing to the jade-color oslamir flower on his breast pocket.

"Mm, do you want to match?"

The boy nodded shyly, moving in to lay his head on her lap. He had become quiet since the abduction, asking for more affection than usual. Of course, that was to be expected. She felt his pain. Even though he would never know it, she had been locked up in a similar cell for a year. Monsters of all kinds would peek through the bars, threatening her death or pain or a kind of affection they thought she should beg for. Like her, Bastien probably thought no one would come for him. The only difference was that no one really did come for her whereas she spared that same fate for the toddler. She must have been barely older than him, too. A sigh.

"Put it on me?"

Bastien glanced up somberly, reaching for another oslamir and placing it in her hair. It took him a few attempts to position it just right, but he finally wiggled it in, staring at her with his mouth open for a while. She pushed a stray strand of hair from his face but he misinterpreted it and squeezed her arm, pressing his chubby cheek against her hand. Interestingly, he didn't let go, protesting greatly like a fussy baby.

"It's going to be okay," she assured him, loosening his gentle grip on her to pick him up softly, "No one is going to ever touch you again."

"No one...?"

"That's right. Your brother and I will protect you."

"You and Haru?"

"Yes."

"...okay."

"Do you want to go have fun? I made lots of fun things for you to do. There's a scavenger hunt and art. I also hired some people to bring some exotic animals for you all to pet."

"Only with you," A pause as the boy tucked himself into her neck, "I'll only do it with you."

The girl chuckled, albeit sadly, telling him they could do whatever he wanted. But it was only when Haru entered the room did he lift his head. He wiggled, letting her know he wanted to be set down. Nonetheless, he was afraid, if he suddenly stopped touching her, he would disappear into a cell again. As a result, the boy was quick to hold her hand, using his other hand to hold Haru's. He then looked up at the both of them before bringing their hands to his heart, tearing up a bit. The boy then mumbled "(Y/n) and Haru" under his breath.

Haru hadn't necessarily dressed up. At least, he didn't do so in the way he usually did. This time, he was wearing a typical suit, not too pleased about it. The dark green Echali suit was handsome on him, but she liked the jade undershirt he wore. It complimented his left eye. She reached out with her free hand to caress just below it, the male leaning into her touch. He, like Bastien, had said very few words after his mother's death.

"Here," she mumbled, tucking another oslamir flower into his breast pocket, "Every branch family will have their own. This is for the main branch. But you don't have to wear it if you don't want - "

"No," he hummed, glancing at the matching flower on both Bastien and (Y/n), "I like it."

The three of them then moved to the entrance of the ballroom. Though the dancing would be there, most of the party would be done in the stunning and expansive garden that the island had. Nonetheless, all the guests came in on an individual boat to represent the families. The more important and influential branch families arrived first, followed by the ones that had blood connections but were not considered either trait. Nonetheless, Haru, Bastien, and her remained at the entrance of the ballroom to greet them all.

She did notice that, the later the arrival - the lower their position in the family - the more they gaped at the decorations and luxury of the party. The first few even seemed to be appalled, as if they expected her to coat the walls in diamonds. Their discontent was clear. When they noticed Kazuya wasn't there, they made no attempt to shake her hand or otherwise address her. She supposed it was a silver lining, considering it might give her whatever inane disease such people had.

Nonetheless, it was when the more removed guests started entering did she hear compliment after compliment. They weren't fake either. Or, at least, the majority of them were not. On the contrary, they were just overjoyed to be included, let alone in the face of the most exclusive party in the world. Still, even accepting their thanks was exhausting, along with the smiling she had to do.

At some point, everyone had already been greeted, at which Bastien tugged her to the animals she promised him. He hesitantly let go of his brother, knowing he wasn't all that fond of them, but he was adamant about (Y/n) picking him up. The toddler didn't even want to be set down to mingle with the children his age. In fact, though she was surprised they weren't trying to keep up their noble appearances, the other Akahito kids viewed Bastien as completely different. At first, she thought it was because he was the official heir to the main branch (as per Haru's request).

"...half...," was what she heard some of the other children murmur.

Immediately, she pinpointed the brat who had said it. She didn't know what "half" they were referring to when they were talking about the boy. It could have been that he was half Athainian and half Echali. It could also have been that he was the child of a noble and a child of a former servant. Perhaps it could have been something about Haru, too.

Either way, she grabbed at the kid and looked for the flower they wore. The orange begonia gave away what family they were from, letting her make a mental note. But, first, she shoved them, warning them to open their mouths again. Bastien cuddled a little closer to her, too. He was grateful. For him, she was his protector, the (h/c) haired girl ready to take down a group of elite soldiers or a mean kid.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tapping at him when they entered the pen, "I couldn't get any koalas. They're not exactly cuddly. But I did make sure they brought some... gwu - gwunwee."

The brunette, visibly confused by what she was trying to say, moved to look at whatever she was pointing to. When one of the exotic animal handlers held up a tree frog, the boy shook (Y/n), demanding her excitement, too. He even, finally, gave a smile, reaching out for the frog. The woman put it gently in his hands and instructed him to pet with two fingers and not to grab at him if he tried to jump. But the toddler was gentle with all living things, so he had no problem following the rules.

"Grenouille," he mumbled, correcting the girl's faulty pronunciation, "Grenouille."

"Yes," she chuckled, "A croa croa."

"Croa croa," the boy repeated, giving a chirp of excitement when the frog bounced away.

"What else do you want to see?"

Bastien frowned and flopped his head back onto her shoulder. With his tight hug, she guessed he didn't have it in him to keep having fun. It might have been the people, but it was a bit disheartening. Usually, he would have played with the animals until he passed out with them. Still, if he wanted to leave, she would respect that. The girl asked him if he wanted to try the other activities she planned for him, but he just shook his head, declining each and every one of them until she made one suggestion in particular.

"Do you want to help me do the adult stuff?"

"Mm," he hummed, bumping his forehead against hers affectionately, "I want to help."

"I know. That's because you're a good boy. But, correct me on my Echali pronunciation again and you will no longer be a good boy."

Bastien giggled quietly for just a short duration. He learned fairly quickly how to help (Y/n) be a hostess. When someone tried to initiate a conversation with her, asking for her hand and kissing it, the brunette held out his hand for the same treatment. And though no one ever did it, she gave him a kiss so he wouldn't feel left out. Even when she would talk to the guests, answering any questions they had or engaging in small talk, he would nod and throw in "that's right" to assure everyone that she was very credible.

To the girl's surprise, Haru was speaking with others, too. Though he had a deadpan look on his face and clearly hated the interactions, he was doing his best. The man he was speaking to at that point in time was a somewhat intimidating man. He was tall and well-defined, drawing attention to him above the others around him. His nice suit and expensive-looking wife also did that.

She recognized the man as Haru's sponsoree, Okabe Akahito. He was in charge of running the most prestigious university the Akahito family owned. Apparently, Haru had chosen him by throwing darts at a board. The dart just happened to land on his picture. Curious, the girl walked over to them, Bastien wiggling again to be set down. Yet again did he take her hand and then his brother's, glancing up curiously at them.

"And you must be Haru's soon-to-be wife," the man smiled, bowing at the waist respectfully, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

The man reached out to kiss the back of her hand, merely as a formality. But it was no surprise that Haru disliked that, enough for him to shove the man away with a frown. Nonetheless, Okabe shrugged it off, not even flinching. He merely laughed and mumbled something meaningless about how she was loved. Nonetheless, Haru was not pleased and the younger girl was smart enough to know he was making things up.

"I'm very impressed with how you've arranged the party," the man grinned, raising a glass to her, "These reunions are always impressive beyond belief, but to see someone truly capture the essence of the Akahito family is praise-worthy. You've even thought of things for the children. I'm sure the young master was delighted."

Bastien frowned and tried to avoid the man's gaze, scooting closer to the girl. He must have known who the man was, considering he reported directly to Haru. Still, he clearly sensed his ambition. It was not a good kind of ambition either, closer to greed and envy than a desire to work towards his own individual advancement. She was proud of him for picking that up, giving him a smile to let him know.

"Don't talk to him," Haru warned, "He's my brother."

"Apologies. I only wanted to pay due reverence to the next patriarch of the Akahito family."

"Don't."

"Understood. Then, I hear Miss Shiratori works closely with Kazuya. You would not believe the things I've heard from him. He values your contributions greatly. In fact, the amount of excitement about your new project has warranted in an explosive opening week. I actually invested myself, so I am quite pleased with the results."

Of course he was. Because of her, he was making passive money by merely throwing in a few spare thousand he had lying around. However, she knew many other Akahito family members had also invested, because, either way, it was a win-win. She noticed that they all had invested with only a few thousand, nothing like the outside investors she had who allocated hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

If she succeeded, they would get passive money through her efforts and brag to Kazuya and Haru that they supported her in exchange for favor. However, if she failed, no doubt they would use the excuse of their squandered money to hold it over her. They might even demand she was unfit for the position Kazuya gave her or argue against her marriage into the family. No matter what, they were winning, so, of course he was bragging.

"Any plans for other projects? I would love to be the first to throw my hat in the ring."

"You'll have to ask Kazuya," she hummed, "I'm not independent from his decisions. Speaking of Kazuya, I'll have to check up on him."

The girl was quick to leave the interaction, Bastien choosing to follow her. A few others tried to stop her, either to get on her good side (as someone in the good graces of Kazuya) or to have a word with Bastien. Some even brought gifts for him. Ever since he had been declared as the official heir, people chose to take their chances on him instead of Haru. After all, a toddler was easier to persuade than an irritated young adult. All they really needed was an impressive gift and a sweet tone.

Unfortunately for them, Bastien was glued to (Y/n)'s side. He refused to stop and talk to anybody. Instead, he kept pace with her, following along loyally. Even when he heard someone mention the word "koala", he merely paused for a moment before scurrying to catch up with the girl. He never let go of her hand, and if he was concerned about someone getting close to him, he scooted closer to her.

Before they even moved into the bedroom where Kazuya was supposed to be getting ready, he stepped out on the staircase. Everyone fell into a lull, all staring at him in awe. The man was beside Enmei, of whom, obviously, no one recognized. They theorized, whispering quietly their guesses as to whom he could be. But, once again, they shushed when the man moved to beckon the younger girl over.

She picked up Bastien to speed up the process, Haru joining her on the stairs. At that point, Haru had little to no energy to care about Enmei's presence. Though he had never liked him, the main reason he had despised him was because he had to share his mother with someone he didn't know. But now Eloise was dead. So Enmei was simply a lingering figment of her existence, one that the brunette acknowledged but not respectfully. Suffice to say, he did not try and murder him on sight anymore. That was the best it was going to get for Enmei. With Bastien, he might have better luck.

A pedestal was placed on the meeting of the grand staircase. It was then that Akahito servants carried out a highly guarded safe. Kazuya opened it, carefully setting it down on the pedestal and opening it. Everyone started murmuring, but she didn't understand until she peeked over the man's shoulder. Apparently, it was the family register. Any children that were born into the Akahito family - main branch or otherwise - would be handwritten in the historical book by the patriarch of the family.

Kazuya started making a very low-energy speech to the family. Still suffering from his wife's demise, there were bags under his eyes. He had probably been crying prior to coming out. To help, the younger girl moved to hold his hand in an attempt to comfort him. Though it probably wasn't proper or ritualistic or anything, when he finished his speech, he gave a grateful smile to her, placing a kiss on her forehead and mumbling his thanks.

"Now, in accordance with our family traditions," the man paused, "All of the new children of the Akahito family will be written in our family register, starting with those closest to the main branch. As usual, when I call your child's name, step forward and receive a gift. What is not usual, however, is that, starting from this year, to those who have made achievements even without the Akahito name, I will enter into the register."

There was disharmony in the crowd. Within the family, adoption or re-marriages were frowned upon. That was a part of being in the eldest surviving noble family in the world. Only those born from first marriages of descendants of the Akahito family in notable branches were written in the register. Step-children, adopted children, and bastard children were not recognized by the family. However, it was a rule Kazuya had long wanted to change, and with Enmei's appearance, he now had recourse to do so.

"Starting with Enmei Akahito," he announced, the grey-haired male pausing in confusion before the man gently nudged him forward, "Adopted son of Eloise and Kazuya Akahito. Please stamp your fingerprint on the register."

The Akahito servants helped guide the male to dip his finger into the green ink before he pushed his thumb onto the column with the name Kazuya had written for him. All the while, people argued, shouting at the man not to allow it. They claimed, even if he was the patriarch, he had no authority to make the decisions on the register. But Kazuya was done with it all. He did not feel the need to be nice anymore. Not to them. Not without Eloise.

"I am the chosen patriarch of this family from my mother before me and her father before her, and so-on and so forth. None of you were chosen to lead. I am the patriarch, of which you must recognize and remain humble in the face of. If you wish to argue with my decision, I will and can remove you from the register. Understood?"

There was still discontent, but now it was much quieter. No one was going to challenge him because, by law, he was the patriarch, and by tradition, he was the same. If they wanted the ability to suck up to him to get good positions in life and benefits, they had no choice but to do as he said. For better or for worse, the power of the patriarch/matriarch in the Akahito family was absolute. In Kazuya's case, many otherwise erased by tradition viewed it as for the better, all of them at a loss for words as he called their names, including:

"Kenko Akahito; son of Tsumugi Hayashi and step-son of Minato Akahito by marriage. Please stamp your fingerprint on the register."

All the children called were given gifts and congratulated by Kazuya. Then he went on to welcome the newly born children as was the standard. And though many wanted the opportunity to speak to the patriarch, the man could not stand the party any longer. He chose to flee to the small garden the (h/c) haired girl had originally planned for him and his wife. But now it was empty, filled with all of Eloise's favorite things, now including Kazuya, himself.

The younger girl spent her time performing the rest of her duties as hostess, speaking and smiling and even dancing. (Bastien had wanted to try, but he soon felt dizzy and took her off of the dance floor). Many offered her congratulations for her relationship with Haru. After seeing how Kazuya leaned on her in his grief, she now became all the more valuable. Enmei was subject to the same treatment with the exception of the higher ranking families who turned their nose up at him. Regrettably, they chose to come to her, instead.

It was all going well, relatively speaking. But then they had an uninvited guest. Despite the fact that it was not a favor but a political step towards peace to lend the island to the Akahito family, Orion had chosen to visit. He came into the ballroom with a curious look on his face, giving a shy greeting to anyone that he passed. Like the (h/c) haired girl, the other Akahito family members were uncertain if they were offended at his presence or honored.

The boy took his time glancing around, somewhat fascinated at how beautiful the room had been made up. He didn't seem to note that he, too, had contributed to the appearance of the area. Unlike everyone else, he was dressed in white; a stark Vethelan contrast to the largely Echali style (because he was not invited). And, just the same, unlike everyone else, he did not wear an assigned color (mostly - in order to emphasize - because he was not invited). Next to the colors like green, red, yellow, blue, etc., he wore white. And though he had a flower on him, it was not an Echali flower like everyone else's (again, largely in part because he was not, in fact, at all, in any way, invited).

When he caught a glimpse of the older girl, he smiled brightly and climbed the stairs, making everyone rethink his visit. The upper balcony was only for the use of the main branch of the family, of which Orion was not a part of. If he were engaged to any of Kazuya's sons, it might have been a different story. However, he was not, so his presence on the balcony, regardless of the ownership of the island and the mansion on it, was insulting and disrespectful.

"I finally got a break, so I thought I would come visit," the orange-haired male smiled, pausing as he examined the green flower in the girl's hair, "Oh, what a pretty flower. What's it called?"

"Oslamir," Bastien mumbled, petting the flower with pride.

Orion took a moment to further observe the thing. He noticed that she and Bastien were matching, yes, but he also noticed Haru had the same flower. Curious, he then made a connection when he saw Enmei with the flower. Suddenly, to him, the flower was not so pretty. He frowned, reaching out to take it from her hair. She didn't react but Bastien did, quick to steal it back from the prince. The toddler also reacted when the older male put the Ezdan flower in her hair instead.

"No," he mumbled, reaching out to remove it only for Orion to push his hand away, "N-No."

"But I think this flower is prettier on Miss Shiratori. What do you think?"

Again, everyone glanced up at the top of the stairs. Once again, eyes were fixated on the Vethelan, the disrespect more noticeable now despite the subtly underlying meaning. In essence, he had declared war against the Akahito family. Despite the fact many were not fond of the (h/c) haired girl, the fact nonetheless remained that she was to be a part of their family. But Orion putting his family's flower on her and removing Haru's showed his intent. And though she managed to resolve the situation, ushering him away quickly, the damage remained. War was inevitable.