Caught off-guard by the child’s stealthy appearance, the young woman nearly jumped in her own chair. However, she composed herself right after. Although the child’s gaze was intense, like a tiger protecting its territory, the face bearing it was very young, no more than seven years old. It was a small boy with silver hair that matched the duke’s, dressed in somber and sophisticated, yet still playful attire.

Never dropping his hard, stone-faced expression, the boy attempted to slink away; however, Gerhilt quickly gave chase after him. “Oh no you don’t! You were told not to bother the poor girl, weren’t you? Come back and say you’re sorry—and that goes for all three of you! I know you’re here!”

Not a minute later, she returned with a trio of disgruntled children—two boys and one girl—all trudging behind her. All with the same fine clothes, silver hair, and fuchsia eyes. They were different ages though; Ione could tell that much at a glance. The duke’s children? Perhaps, although she thought he would’ve had to have been fairly young to sire all three. 

 Although the girl and older boy were better at hiding their emotions, none of them looked exactly thrilled to see her. There was curiosity, but also a stern wariness in their eyes. Still, Ione felt greatly relieved by the likelihood that the gazes she felt pinned to her back all this while might've belonged to them.

The eldest child must've been around twelve years old. He wore glasses and had a lanky figure, though Ione suspected it was thanks to him being at that odd, ever-changing age. He looked healthy and well-kept, his hair cut to a medium length and neatly slicked back. 

The girl seemed closer in age to the youngest. She wore a lacy pinafore with a delicate, pale blue dress underneath. Her locks were cropped in a bob cut partially drawn back with a small bow. Her cheeks were round and soft in a way that reminded Ione of a hamster's, especially when she pouted. These were not children to fear, no matter how fearsome they tried to seem.

"We're waiting now!" said Gerhilt when none of the children had spoken a word after a full minute. She placed her hands impatiently on her hips.

Contrary to the chief maid's wishes, the smaller of the two boys faced Ione and demanded, "Who are you?"

Gerhilt balked at the rude behavior, but the young woman didn't mind. "Ione. Ione Tait," she answered with a light smile. "I'm a guest of the duke's. He saved my life."

Hearing this, their hard expressions faltered a bit. After a moment, the girl tiptoed forward to examine the wheelchair up-close. She placed a hand on one of the armrests, then looked down at Ione's feet. Her gaze soon settled on the cast poking out from under the young woman's dress. "Did you hurt yourself?" the girl asked.

"I had a bad fall," she explained, choosing to leave out the grim details, "What are your names?"

“I’m Kenna.”

Ione waited for either of the two boys to answer next; however, they were less eager to volunteer even that small amount of information. Shuffling from foot to foot, the youngest of the pair eventually snatched Kenna by the wrist and took off as suddenly as they had arrived, making a face before speeding out into the hall. Flustered at being left behind in the worsening situation, but also unwilling to give in, the oldest child chased after them—excusing himself with a quick bow.

Gerhilt once more yelled after them. She attempted to stop them a second time, but they slipped through her fingers. She sighed, “Otto and Maverick are their names… I’m sorry about them, dear. They’re never good with strangers.”

Again, Ione paid it no mind. She was the one intruding, not the other way around. It was only natural for them to investigate her abrupt appearance in their home.

She voiced an earlier question, “Are they the duke’s children?”

“His Grace sponsors them. There’s a third boy, Ronny. He’s away for his studies right now, so I’m not sure if he’ll be back in time for you to meet him.”

In that case, was silver hair simply an added trait of anyone with fuchsia eyes? While such genes weren’t passed down from a specific lineage, as was the case with diamond eyes, they were still pretty rare. It made sense if Duke Omens was sponsoring the children for whatever abilities they possessed as a result.

Ione found herself holding back a chuckle, “Caring for four children is no easy task. I thought you said it was too quiet here for your liking.”

“It is far too quiet,” she echoed, “They’re good children, don’t misunderstand, but they sneak around like little mice. When they do cause trouble, you’ll only learn about it all too late.”