Someone Else's Child

She had promised Ogesha readily enough, but once she returned to her room and looked at the gorgeous young lady's dress, Lux could no longer keep smiling.

Remembering her mother's reminders, the little princess of the Crown Guard family finally scrunched up her face. A banquet, socializing, etiquette!

Help!

There was no doubt about it: Lux was a kind, well-behaved girl, and she was more than happy to be polite and obedient if it meant putting a grateful smile on her exhausted parents' faces.

But that didn't mean she herself wanted to be a prim and proper little girl who followed every rule of etiquette.

In fact, Karya had already realized that Lux was naturally quite lively, with boundless energy and not a trace of demureness. Only a child like that could awaken an astonishing talent for Light Magic in Demacia, where magic was suppressed.

Making a child like her maintain the stiff manners of the nobility and wear a mask around other people was, to Lux, nothing short of torture.

And she would have to keep up that noble act with Karya prompting her, which meant she'd have to divide her attention...

Tsk, tsk, poor thing. Just thinking about it was enough to make you feel sorry for her.

So, even though he knew it was mean, the scoundrel couldn't help chuckling. Lux tore off her pained expression and clenched her fists.

"Karya! Stop laughing!" Lux gritted out. "Help me figure out what to do tomorrow—aaah! Just thinking about maintaining my noble-lady act all day while you chatter in my ear makes my face and legs go numb!"

"It's a noble's duty, Lux. You know that." Even though Lux was practically on the verge of a meltdown, Karya's voice was still openly teasing. "Our little princess has to dress like a real princess and behave like one, too. You should be thankful that a girl of nine and a half doesn't have to wear high heels, or you'd be twice as miserable!"

"Wait, Karya, how do you know high heels are painful?" Lux had finally found something to use against him. "Don't tell me... you've worn them?!"

"Setaqa said so." Karya sounded innocent. "Even the Ascended Empress Wu couldn't stand them. What do you think?"

Karya's words took some of the wind out of Lux's sails. She had attended noble banquets and events before, but she'd always sat at the children's table, where she could run around and play to her heart's content.

But this time, her mother had said she would be attending her first social event as a young noblewoman.

"Please, Karya, help me!"

Teasing aside, once Karya had laughed enough, he gave Lux a genuinely useful suggestion.

"If you really find it too much trouble to maintain noble etiquette, I suggest you spend plenty of time tomorrow talking to the little girl the Buweier family adopted. I know a thing or two about Ionia. If you can get along with her, you'll make a perfect impression even if you don't keep up your manners every second."

"Would that really work?" Lux blinked. After thinking it over for a moment, her worry turned to delight. "That makes sense... Then tell me about Ionia! What kind of country is it? I asked Uncle Xin Zhao before, but he wouldn't tell me anything!"

"Ionia? It's a country even older than Shurima, the Land of the Newborn and the Source of Magic Power... Look at how eagerly you're listening. If you paid this much attention during my lessons, you might already be learning to cast spells. We'll cancel tonight's study session, and I'll tell you a little about Ionia!"

"Haha, I knew Teacher Karya cared about me the most!"

"But tomorrow's study session is still on. After the banquet, I'll test you on what I teach you today. I hope you don't forget too much over the next two days—"

"Aaah! Karya is a big meanie! You rotten scoundrel!"

"..."

"..."

The next morning, Lux got up early and looked to be in excellent spirits.

Thanks to Karya's "cram session," it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Lux was now one of the people in the entire Demacian Imperial Capital who knew the most about Ionia.

Karya hadn't had much time to teach her, and most of the information was hopelessly outdated. Still, compared to the other nobles, who knew Ionia by name and little else, Lux could already be called an "Ionia expert."

The adoption ceremony was to be held in the morning. After doing a few simple stretches and eating a little, Lux bathed and changed before riding in a carriage emblazoned with the Crown Guard family crest to the Buweier estate.

After presenting her invitation, she followed a servant into the lavish estate, which covered an astonishing amount of land.

Along the way, the ladies and young women from the various families greeted Lux of their own accord. With Karya's guidance, Lux responded to each of them with flawless poise. She didn't seem like a novice attending her first event as a young lady at all. If anything, she was more composed than the seasoned socialites.

So, even before the ceremony had officially begun, quite a few people were already quietly comparing Lux to their own children.

And the verdict was... their children couldn't measure up.

Under normal circumstances, a nine-year-old child—even a precocious little girl—couldn't possibly use the perfect form of address, etiquette, and gestures for every person she met like Lux did. Nor could she identify every family's crest and coat of arms at a glance. Her manners went far beyond what anyone could call "precocious."

So, after seeing Lux, many people couldn't help murmuring in admiration, "As expected of the Crown Guard family's princess!"

Lux heard the praise, which was partly deliberate and partly heartfelt, and her cheeks turned a little red. She knew very well that Karya was the one responsible.

After making a flawless first impression, Lux had become someone else's child.

Then, just as she was about to thank Karya, he scolded her.

"Don't try to flash that silly grin. You'll undo all your hard work! Now, turn sixty degrees to the left. The Lightshield family's envoy is here. Although Jiawen III hasn't come in person, he sent the royal seal, so you need to greet him!"

Karya's merciless scolding made her fresh gratitude vanish in an instant. Lux kept her perfect smile, but inwardly she huffed, You think you're so clever!

The next moment, still maintaining her flawless manners, Lux headed toward the Lightshield envoy.

The Lightshield family's envoy, bearing the royal seal, had clearly timed his arrival to be the last.

After he had received greetings from the various noble families, the time for the ceremony arrived.

As the bells rang, the entire banquet hall fell silent.

On the second-floor balcony, the curtains of the arched doorway parted. Mr. and Mrs. Buweier stepped out with smiles, followed by their daughter, Kahina. Behind Kahina, she led a timid little girl by the hand.

She had long, ice-blue hair and wore a sky-blue dress. She looked gentle and sweet.

Kahina held one of the little girl's hands. In the other, she clutched a large instrument tightly. When they came through the curtains and she saw the crowd of nobles gathered outside, her cheeks flushed red. Even so, she followed Demacian etiquette and bowed to everyone.

The banquet hall erupted in applause.

When the applause finally died down, Mr. Buweier, who stood at the front beaming with pride, cleared his throat and loudly introduced the newest member of his family.

From Mr. Buweier's introduction, Lux learned that the sweet little girl was named Sona. She was a few months younger than Lux and came from an orphanage in Galin Province, Ionia. She was a very gentle and lovable girl.

Unfortunately, she had been unable to speak since birth. She could understand what people said, but she couldn't talk.

As for the instrument she kept holding close, it had been found with her at the orphanage. According to Mr. Buweier, it was an ancient instrument that had been her constant companion, so she always held on to it.

The nobles present said they could understand.

Adoptees at the ceremony were supposed to carry the family's ceremonial object. Given that the little girl came from Ionia, carrying an ancient instrument... was acceptable enough, they supposed!

After Mr. Buweier finished his introduction, a highly respected bishop from the Illuminators came up to the second-floor balcony.

The bishop personally baptized Sona. Then, in the presence of all the nobles, he asked in a clear voice:

"Mr. Barret Buweier, head of the Buweier family, are you willing to welcome Miss Sona into the Buweier family, treat her as family, and grant her the honor of the Buweier name?"

"I am!"

"Miss Sona, from Ionia, are you willing to join the Buweier family, become one of its members, and uphold the Buweier family's honor?"

Sona nodded.

With both sides' consent, the bishop picked up a seal that had already been carved with Sona's name. With his other hand, he raised the parchment bearing the Buweier family tree and stamped Sona's name beneath Barret Buweier's.

And so, in front of everyone, Sona received a surname for the first time: Buweier.

From that moment on, she was Sona Buweier!

The applause rang out again. Blushing, Sona descended the spiral staircase to the first floor, where everyone in the hall welcomed her.

She looked terribly shy and tried several times to lower her head, but in the end, she kept smiling and returned the greetings of everyone who offered their congratulations with awkward but proper manners.

It was then that Lux finally realized she had a very awkward problem.

Sona couldn't speak. How was Lux supposed to get along with her?

If she couldn't use this approach to complete her mission, would she have to grit her teeth and endure the entire tediously long banquet?

At that moment, Lux froze. Just thinking about having to stay in this stiff, formal environment until evening made her legs ache in anticipation.

With no other choice, Lux kept her smile in place while frantically calling for backup.

"Karya, Karya! The plan won't work! Use that unbeatable ancient wisdom of yours and think of something, quick!"