This idea had come to Lehende in a flash of inspiration as a father who sensed his precious daughter might be letting in a draft.
No matter what the consequences were, as long as it worked, that was enough.
Fleur's expression nearly cracked, but years of strict upbringing kept her from pouting or complaining in front of outsiders. All she could do was glare at her unreliable father with quiet resentment.
From time to time, she shot pleading looks at her mother, hoping her gentle, virtuous mother wouldn't join her father in this madness.
Madame Delacour, however, though baffled by what had gotten into her husband, had just been through danger herself. She chose to go along with him, leaving everything in his hands.
She trusted that he would not joke about something meaningless.
Seeing that the matter was all but settled, Leonard, the other party involved, could no longer remain silent.
He broke the tension, trying to lighten the mood...
Then he looked at Fleur.
"Come on, good niece. Call me Uncle."
Fleur's temples throbbed, and her back teeth ground audibly.
"You… hello… Leonard… Uncle!"
She enunciated each word slowly, and somehow managed to pack killing intent into a simple greeting.
"Ah, what a good girl."
Leonard answered cheerfully. At this point, just this bit of entertainment alone made rescuing them feel worthwhile.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. For some reason, Claudia, who had left abruptly earlier, reappeared at the entrance.
She walked in carefully, carrying a tray. On it were several slices of cake Leonard had bought before, along with an exquisite teapot and matching cups.
Leonard paused when he saw them.
He recognized the tea set. It had been bought by his cheap father, though it had sat in a corner gathering dust ever since.
Every time Londo saw it, he would grumble that it was neither practical nor impressive, then toss it back into the storage room.
To be fair, the set was quite elegant and clearly not cheap. His cheap old dad had probably bought it to mend the father-son relationship.
As for the result... Leonard had no clear memory, but it was obvious Londo never gave his cheap old dad a pleasant face. Otherwise, the set would not have been left to rot in a corner.
He hadn't expected Claudia to dig it out, let alone clean it until it shone.
No wonder she had been gone so long. She had likely spent all that time washing this tea set.
And the cake... Leonard had bought it for Claudia. She had planned to eat it tonight, yet she was willing to share it with the guests.
That caught him completely off guard.
"Dear guests, please have some tea."
Claudia set the tray down on the tea table, pouring with gentle, careful movements before offering the cups to the Delacour family.
"Leonard, you should have some tea too."
She poured him a cup as well and thoughtfully placed it in his hands.
"Did Midgard teach you this too?" Leonard asked quietly.
"No. Big sister didn't teach me this," Claudia said with a sweet smile. "But I read in books that when guests visit, you should serve them tea and snacks. Did Claudia do it right?"
"You did wonderfully. More than enough."
Leonard sighed and gently patted her little head in encouragement.
In the end, Claudia was the most well-mannered person in this household. It was almost ridiculous.
Londo had not socialized in years. He looked down on Muggles, so Muggles never came to visit, and wizards would not call on a Squib. Naturally, he had long forgotten any sense of hospitality.
As for Leonard, he had not even thought about it, and no one reminded him. He had simply sat there chatting with guests like an idiot without even preparing tea.
Fortunately, Claudia was there.
She was practically a little angel.
After handing out the tea, she thoughtfully distributed the cake as well, making sure Lehende, Madame Delacour, Fleur, and Gabrielle each received a slice.
Leonard noticed Claudia's eyes kept lingering on the cake. She clearly wanted it badly, yet she restrained herself and gave it to the guests instead.
It was hard not to feel a pang in his heart.
"Sister, this is for you."
Claudia handed a slice to Fleur. Facing Claudia's flawless, almost unreal beauty, Fleur found herself incapable of feeling even a trace of jealousy.
Even the anger she felt toward her unreliable father softened.
It felt like standing before something pure and cleansing.
Claudia then handed cake to Gabrielle.
"Thank you, pretty sister," Gabrielle said with a bright smile.
Claudia tilted her head slightly, finding the title interesting, and smiled back.
"You're welcome."
Leonard cleared his throat.
"Gabrielle, I think it would be more appropriate to call her Aunt."
He spoke lightly, thinking a bit of teasing would not hurt.
Gabrielle blinked, startled, and looked at Leonard.
Beside her, Fleur's temper, which had just settled, flared up again.
Wasn't he deliberately bringing up the sore spot?
Lehende lowered his head and focused on eating cake and drinking tea, suddenly very interested in his plate. His instincts told him to stay out of it.
A father's authority did not carry much weight in front of his precious daughter.
Just as Leonard was chuckling, thinking he had the upper hand, he saw Gabrielle lean close and whisper something into Fleur's ear.
The two of them glanced at him from time to time.
A bad feeling crept over Leonard. It felt like someone was plotting against him.
Then Fleur's expression changed.
The grinding hostility vanished, replaced by a gentle, sweet smile.
That smile made Leonard uneasy.
"Dear Uncle Leonard," Fleur said in a voice so sugary it made one's teeth ache, "since this is our first meeting, what kind of welcome gift does Uncle plan to give me?"
"Pfft!"
Lehende burst out laughing. Fortunately, his mouth had been empty, or it would have been terribly rude.
He quickly covered his face, trying to hide it, but the twitching corners of his mouth betrayed him.
Leonard froze.
He looked at Lehende for help, only to find the culprit secretly enjoying the show.
No one was going to save him.
The one who tied the knot had to untie it.
Leonard sighed.
"What do you think I should give you?"
"Oh? So Uncle Leonard doesn't have any ideas of his own?" Fleur said in mock surprise, her eyes full of smug delight.