— Hello, Olivia! — The woman and I hug tightly and even kiss each other, on the cheek, as is the French custom. Having finished the magician's greeting, I turn my gaze to the blonde baby standing next to Olivia. — And who is this little girl? — The girl answered my open smile with a slightly uncertain but sincere smile, while constantly looking at the woman.
— May I present Rosa Maria Massenet, my youngest daughter. — The woman placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and pushed her forward slightly, causing the blonde girl to make a decent bow and smile shyly.
— Pleased to meet you, Mademoiselle. — I bowed slightly in my own way. — I am sure that when your time comes, neither your mother nor your sister will be able to outshine your beauty! — I tried to speak pompously, but I did not hide a slight smile, so the girl smiled back, only more openly than before. However, I did not like how "scratched" Olivia's emotions were. — Olivia, I'm glad you're here, but to my deepest regret I can't give you all my time — there are so many things to do that you could be split into a dozen clones. If you have come to see where you will be staying this summer, my household will show you the estate, the guesthouses, and the surrounding area.
— I assure you that even though we have only recently begun to improve this land, there are already some interesting things here and you will not be bored. — I stopped for a moment to pick up a small earth spirit from the ground that looked like a gerbil. Until the moment I touched the spirit, it remained invisible to the rest of the people — such creatures have such a peculiarity, but in the next moment I was literally flooded with the joy of a girl and something like a woman. I stroked the brown fur on the flexible back, the elongated head with long pointed ears, the long tail with a tassel, knelt down and handed the peaceful creature to the girl. Rose stroked the fluffy creature gently and then, with a look of permission, took it in her arms. Gently and carefully, caringly and lovingly. A broad smile never left the pretty face of the little gifted one.
— All sorts of wonderful creatures come to my land from all over the world. Muggles poison everything around them and there's nowhere for the little ones to go. — Rose looked up at me with an interested expression, but continued to pet the animal. — Sometimes I wonder what interesting creatures wander into the fire. — I winked, causing another smile. — Shall I get someone to show you around?
— If it's not too much trouble, it should be an adult who can keep an eye on Rosa, she's going through a period of frequent spontaneous emissions... — I nodded to the woman, clearly catching her hints and emotions.
— I understand. We'll find someone.
I met my guests literally on the doorstep: I had just returned by car from the local authorities, who had been insisting on a personal meeting for some time, and who had demanded that their assistants meet me in person, and Olivia and her youngest daughter appeared at the entrance to the estate. By the way, I thought for a while that she only had one daughter, because the woman only talked about Rose.
So we talked during a leisurely walk to the house, for the last few days had been surprisingly beautiful, without rain, fog, or the eternal dome of heavy clouds, and even from the sea there was a breeze, but not as cold as it had been all winter. The sun had dried the muddy slush, so it was a pleasure to walk and breathe the fresh, warm air.
I could have called Momo before I reached the house, because this whole area had been under the power of the spirit for some time, and I had felt the attention of the zashikiwarashi from the moment I set foot on my land. It wasn't annoying or overly attentive, the girl just "turned in my direction to see out of the corner of her eye and hear if I was calling her" — it's hard to explain in Muggle language, because spiritual things are emotions and feelings, whole images that are difficult and time-consuming to put into words.
I wasn't in a hurry to get rid of the girl, though — children are very sensitive, and here was a little future wizard, so she'd know right away that something was wrong. Since Olivia didn't want to talk openly, we'd have to play along.
When I got home, I quickly reacquainted everyone with everyone else and then sent them out for a walk — the weather was wonderful, the snow had long since melted, the mud had dried, not without the help of magic, of course, and as I'd told Olivia and Rose, miracles literally come to my land of their own accord. It didn't take long to convince anyone.
Hermione's parents immediately swaddled their daughter, taking a heavy volume with them, and the wise Kiriko, having correctly understood my views, took an active part in the excitement by going for a walk. So in an hour, a considerable number of them had gone for a walk where construction was not in progress, and only a few remained in the house — me, Olivia, Afiri and Lizzie.
My blonde had done something "lavish and grandiose" yesterday, so when she came home she fell asleep on the couch and slept through the night, and today she rarely left the nest, complaining of sore feet. Momo, being a caring hostess, offered her help — foot ointment — but Lizzie refused because of the pungent smell. So now she suffers.
Of course we settled in the living room. There was only one living room in the house, and it was reserved for family and close friends, but for business meetings there were a few offices decorated in a strictly business style. When everyone was comfortably seated and I threw my tired legs on my lap, a brazen but her own blonde, Momo, had just finished arranging tea and sweets.
— Thank you for not asking questions in front of Rose. — The woman looked me in the eyes very seriously and even made something like a bow, but without getting up from her chair.
— No problem. — I nodded and smiled, tickling the girl's feet. We wrestled playfully for a few minutes while the tea cooled a bit. — Now come on, tell me your problem. Great tea, Momo-chan! Thank you! — The girl just smiled contentedly at my words and went back to the kitchen.
— I understand that it's not your problem, Mr. Hoshino, and I agree to any payment... — Unfortunately, Olivia's serious attitude could not be disturbed.
— We agreed to call each other by our first names, why are you doing this? — A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
— This woman understands her position and respects the person she trusts to help her. It's natural. It's the right thing to do. — Junko entered the living room.
While she took another chair and Momo served her tea, I thought about the fact that it was not so difficult to find more wrong words for this situation. There were plenty of possibilities if you wanted to. But to combine in one sentence all the things that are clear to everyone, but everyone is willing to perceive the situation differently than Junko, as well as to catch the characteristic accents — that's either a gift, or "bitch" bone, or "luck".
I'm leaning towards the second option: the woman, despite all her advantages, grew up in a large clan with a bunch of servants and younger ones, and even years of captivity couldn't wash away the "attitude". Junko feels like a mistress among the "common people", this stage of pure-blooded British snobbery, twisted, but, as they say about eggs and their profile?