Chapter 21 Letter from the Grandparents

The morning had been peaceful. Getting woken up by his new personal maid, Amy, was great.

He sat lazily across one of the estate lounges, half-reading a book while Ambrosia and Lisa occupied the opposite sofa. Ambrosia was enthusiastically explaining a scene from a romance novel while Lisa listened with serious concentration, as though listening to the most interesting story ever written.

Roland entered quietly.

“Young Master.”

Amos slowly lowered his book.

“That tone concerns me.”

Roland walked over, carrying a silver tray with a single envelope on it. The seal was dark crimson wax stamped with the crest of the Kyros main family—not the current one, but an older version. Amos froze on the spot.

“Ah, shoooooooot.”

Ambrosia blinked.

“What is it?”

Roland handed over the letter carefully.

“A message arrived this morning.”

Amos stared at the seal for several seconds before finally taking it.

“I was hoping they forgot I existed.”

“You are their only grandchild for a while, of course they will remember you.”

“That sounds wholesome.”

Lisa tilted her head curiously.

“Who sent it?”

Amos looked mildly pained.

“My grandparents.”

Ambrosia blinked rapidly. “Grandparents?”

“Yes.”

“We have grandparents?”

“That is generally how families function, yes.”

“That is not what I meant!”

Amos broke the seal lazily and unfolded the letter, his expression gradually shifted while reading.

Roland watched quietly.

“Lord and Lady Kyros requested your presence.”

Amos groaned. “They used the word ‘requested.’”

“That sounds normal.”

“No, Ambrosia. That means ‘appear immediately before we drag you there personally.’”

Lisa looked slightly nervous.

“Are they really that strict?”

Amos thought for a moment.

“Not really.”

Roland sighed fondly.

“The former Lord and Lady Kyros are a very passionate individual.”

“That is one way to describe them,” Amos muttered.

Ambrosia leaned forward immediately.

“I’ve never met them yet.”

“Yes.”

“Why not?”Amos glanced out the window, his gaze drifting past the estate to the far-off edges of Kyros territory.

“They left years ago.”

The room grew a little quieter, and Lisa spoke in a gentle tone.

“Why?”

Amos tapped the letter lightly against the table.

“Near the end of grandfather’s rule, there were… disagreements.”

“That is very vague.”

“Because the situation was really complicated.”

Roland nodded slowly.

“The former Lord Kyros voluntarily stepped down early and entered self-imposed exile with his wife.”

“Exile?” Ambrosia repeated in shock.

“A dramatic noble term,” Amos corrected lazily. “They basically retired to the countryside near the outer territory.”

“Why?”

“Politics I guess.”

Ambrosia immediately looked suspicious.

“That sounds terrible.”

“It was.”

That answer somehow revealed absolutely nothing while also sounding completely truthful.

Lisa looked toward the letter.

“What does it say?”

Amos sighed once more before reading aloud.

“To our irresponsible grandson who stopped visiting for about three years without explanation.”

Ambrosia let out an immediate snort. Roland slowly closed his eyes, while Amos kept reading, his discomfort plain to see.

"You’ve managed to ignore every invitation we’ve sent so far, and we’re starting to think you’re avoiding us on purpose. If that’s the case, your grandmother is quite offended—so much so that she’s threatened to travel to the estate herself. For the sake of the territory, grandpa strongly advises against letting that happen."

Amos lowered the paper. “Ugh.”

Ambrosia was already laughing.

“Grandmother sounds scary.”  

“She’s not. She’s actually really kind, as long as it’s not about something she’s truly passionate.”  

“Like what?”  

“Dancing. Manners. Cooking. Presentation. Etiquette. Fashion. Appearances. Social behavior. Proper posture. Noble conduct.”

Roland looked oddly proud.

“The former Lady Kyros remains quite the remarkable woman.”

Amos continued reading.

“We’ve heard some rumors. Apparently, you’ve been sneaking out quite a bit over the past three years. Grandpa laughed for a good fifteen minutes about it, but Grandma wasn’t amused. Bring Ambrosia—she’s family, and we’re long overdue for introductions. You’ll be here within this month. This isn’t up for negotiation.”

"If you continue ignoring your grandparents, I shall personally travel to the capital and embarrass you publicly."

Love,

Your kind grandmother. Maria.

Your grandmother is serious.

Come visit. —Axios.

Ambrosia looked stunned.

“They specifically mentioned me?”

“Yes.”

“They know about me?”

Amos blinked.

“Ambrosia, you are literally part of the main Kyros family.”

“Right.”

It still clearly felt strange to her sometimes. Roland smiled gently.

“The former Lord and Lady Kyros wished to meet you for many years. It's simply a shame they can't travel here due to their exile”

Lisa hesitated quietly.

“What about me?”

Amos looked toward her immediately.

“You are obviously coming too.”

“Really?”

“Grandma would murder me if I abandoned a girl at the estate.”

“That feels oddly sweet,” Lisa admitted.

“That's my grandma.”

Ambrosia suddenly looked excited.

“We are going on a trip?”

“Yes.”

“To the countryside?”

“Yes.”

“To meet our grandparents?”

“Yes.”Ambrosia flashed a bright grin.  

“This should be fun.”  

Amos glanced up at the ceiling.  

“For you two, maybe.”  

Ambrosia immediately pointed at him.

“You are definitely overreacting.”

“I am not.”

“You literally sounded afraid.”

“I am being cautious.”

“You’re scared.”

“I am not.”

Lisa tilted her head slightly. Roland gave a quiet cough.

“The former Lord and Lady Kyros are quite fond of Young Master Amos.”

“That is exactly the problem,” Amos muttered.

Ambrosia blinked.

“That sounds backwards.”

“You don’t understand.”

Amos folded the letter carefully before leaning back into the sofa with the expression of a man recalling traumatic memories.

“My grandma once forced me to eat more than I could because I looked too small.”

“Forced?” Lisa repeated quietly.

“It gets worse.”

“There’s more?”

“My grandpa encouraged her.”

“That sounds sweet.”

“He laughed while I suffered.”

“That also sounds sweet.”

Amos looked betrayed by the household once again.

“You people have abandoned me.”

Roland ignored him smoothly.

“The carriage can be prepared within the hour.”

“Good.”

Amos immediately stood.

“We leave as soon as possible.”

Ambrosia blinked.

“That quickly?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because if we delay, grandma might decide to come here herself.”

A brief silence followed.

Then even Roland’s expression became slightly more serious.

“That would certainly become troublesome.”

Lisa looked confused.

“Is she really that teriffying?”

Amos stared at her.

“Lisa.”

“Yes?”

“She once made MY FATHER give up.”

Ambrosia’s eyes widened.

“Father?”

“Yes.”

“The Duke? …That’s terrifying.”

“Correct.”

Roland coughed lightly into his hand.

“I want to meet them even more now.”

“You say that because you are not the target.”

“I think grandmother will like me.”

“She absolutely will.”

“And grandfather?”

“He will spoil you immediately.”

Ambrosia puffed her chest proudly.

“As expected.”

Lisa hesitated quietly beside her.

“What if they don’t like me?”

Amos immediately looked toward her.

“They’ll adore you.”

“Really?”

“My grandmother collects strays.”

“That sounds oddly rude.”

“It is.”

Roland nodded after a brief pause.

“The former Lady Kyros is very compassionate woman.”

“Brother.”

“What.”

“You were spoiled a lot as a child, weren’t you?”

“No. I did not.”

“You absolutely did.”

Amos clicked his tongue.

Roland straightened slightly afterward.

“I shall inform the servants to prepare for departure.”

As Roland quietly left to prepare the estate for travel, Amos glanced once more toward the old crimson seal in his hand.

“Yeah,” he muttered quietly to himself.

It was probably time to go visit them.