Direct rip from SB again. This time, I did a "Karin-Dere" snip, where Karin was a tsundere mother. If you've read her Side stories, you'd know just how tsundere and adorable she was when she was Louise's age.

THERE. DONE.

It... it's not like I want you to enjoy it or anything!

~.o.~

Karin-dere - What if Karin kept her tsun-dere attitude and was Dere-Dere for her kids... (Warning, modified personalities, as if you couldn't already tell... and some original lines)

~.o.~

"Your mother is kind of ... special." - Princess Henrietta de Tristain, Age 5.

~.o.~

Once again the youngest Valliere found her cheeks ravaged by Elanore's hands, protesting every tug and pull as she tried to wrest away from her sister's grip.

"Really, you're doing such selfish things! War? What would you do there? Good things? How do you think Mother would react to the news!"

At that, Louise suddenly stopped protesting her eldest sister's ministrations, and the hold upon her cheeks loosened.

"... how bad is it? Soft... or Hard?" she asked somberly.

The blank look she received only served to fuel her new-found panic and trepidation.

Despite their mother's Legendary stoicism and self-control, the immediate and royal families knew better. Once past the hard shell of rules and regulations, an even stronger personality hid. Yet it was fickle in its existence. The three daughters, being witness to this personality the most, knew what to call the two ways this "inner Karin" presented herself: "Soft", and "Hard".

For the girls, at least, "Hard" was far more easy to deal with than "Soft". Pity for Cattleya, the middle sister who had to live in the estate the whole time, whose illness unfortunately always managed to bypass all defenses and bring out the "Soft" side...

But even if they knew which side to expect, they also knew not to plan so far ahead, as "Soft" and "hard" could switch back and forth at a moment's notice. Truly, they had the most terrifying mother.

~.0.~

It was midnight by the time they arrived at the Valliere estate, the group of five were walking through the ornate halls of the Valliere. In the carriage before arrival, the three sisters informed the two outsiders that everything they saw or would see should be kept the utmost secret. That warning fell on deaf ears as they reached the estate as the two commoners were amazed at the majesty of the place.

And the talking owl, but surely it was a mage's familiar, right?

As maids, butlers, and other servants greeted the beloved daughters, Siesta was taken away by the head maid to be shown her quarters for the stay. Louise glared at Saito one last time to try to impress the gravity of the situation. Of course, it was weakened by the constant trembling and even-paler complexion of his master.

The doors opened in front of him and once again Saito marveled in the richness of the Vallieres. Even more mind-boggling was the fact that Louise always emphasized modest spending as the Valliere way, that her family was proud not to be as wasteful and opulent as others and valued function over form. From the way she spoke of it, Saito felt that Louise was disappointed in that state of things, but here in the dining room of the manor, he couldn't understand it.

This was modest spending?

"Mother... we have returned just now." Eléonore said; Duchess de La Vallière nodded.

At the head of the table, the Duchess Valliere sat. In front of a table filled with food on what Saito could recognize as flame-enchanted serving-ware, her presence was formidable. Forget Elanore, the Mother projected a sense of true power. And this was just for a late-night dinner with family. The way she felt like a predator, stalking the room even with her eyes closed truly unsettled Saito.

That was not say she was not beautiful, she was. Though she appeared sharp, one could clearly see the gentle curves, fair skin, and other attractive features her daughters inherited from her. But on this matriarch, each feature only added to the sense of intimidation.

The three sisters were seated, and Saito stood behind the youngest, against the wall. "The proper place" for him, an elderly butler told the boy. Then, to his amazement, most of the servants filed out of the hall, leaving only the eldest butler, a maid Saito suspected of being the Head Maid, and a few attendants.

The tension was palatable, each sister refusing to make eye contact with each other or their mother. Each began to eat from the small set of assembled dishes, as the attendants began to bring more food from the kitchen.

It was a very opulent meal, with food outshining that of even the academy. Yet ever so often, Saito would see a simple dish in an extravagant platter or bowl, like those already on the table when the meal began, contrasting with the magnificently plated dishes on simple plates. The only sounds coming from the dining room were the sounds of silver forks and knives.

Seemingly emboldened by the silence (or just pushed past her breaking point, Louise spoke. "M-mother-sama."

But it was not the Duchess who responded, but her eldest sister. "Mother-sama! Tell Louise! This foolish child said that she wants to go to a war!"

Bam! – Frustration clearly evident, Louise stood up.

"I am not a fool! Why am I a fool for applying to Her Majesty's military forces?"

"Aren't you a girl? War is men's business!"

"That's a very old-fashioned way of thinking! This is now an age when women and men are given equal positions! If positions were only given to boys in the Academy, even you, older sister, would not be able to become a chief researcher at the Academy!"

Eléonore shook her head in amazement.

"Do you know what kind of place a battlefield is? It is not where woman and children like you should go."

"But Her Majesty trusts me…"

"You are trusted? You – the 'Zero'?"

Louise wanted to retort, to tell the truth that she should not, could not... and would not. She would not betray Henrietta like that, even if it meant there were no claims she could make to prove her side. Yet salvation came from the most unlikely of places.

"Eat, Eléonore."

"B-but Mother-sama..."

"Eat."

One command, Extra frosty, coming right up.

The two quarreling daughters immediately returned to their food. Moments later a familiar, yet completely alien voice was heard.

"well... how is it?"

Saito did a double take. Who said that? Judging by the reactions of everyone at the table it was...

Suddenly, the Japanese teen was very aware of a cute female in the room, with a gentle blush and unsure smile, and all the right features sitting at the head... of … the…

What.

Louise's mother cannot be this... this... Saito quickly grabbed hold of himself, and thanked whatever Kami were looking out for him that he was standing behind his master, completely out of sight. He dodged punishment for now, but how did such an intimidating woman become so... so...

Cattleya was the first to respond. "The Meal was excellent, I especially liked the Pain Perdu, it was delicious and creamy, did you make it, Honored Mother?"

Seemingly taken aback by the praise, the Duchess Valliere's blush deepened. "It... it's not like I made it especially for you or anything! I.. I just thought Chef Blancie could use the help. I … I had time on my hands, anyway. The three of you came so late!"

The other two daughters seemed disgruntled by the antics, but added their two cents in nonetheless.

"Is... Is this Albion's famous Decade Aged Cheddar on the Rarebit?" Elanore asked, clearly in wonder, after taking a bite out of a piece of toast with a barely-yellow sauce enrobing its surface. From his vantage point, Saito could not understand how a simple peice of toast seemed so... luxurious with such a simple sprinkling of fragrant green herbs on top of that platform of crispy and gooey goodness.

While the Duchess sat back, clearly pleased at the observation, the butler answered the Valliere heir's question. "Yes, Milady. The Duchess made sure to fetch some-"

"Amie!" came a sharp, scandalized tone, cutting short the butler, now known to be Amie's, explanation.

If any of the three daughters wanted to know more, none spoke up, as they just turned back to their food and enjoyed the meal. This temporary lull finally allowed the blush upon the duchess's face to subside, and all remnants of tension left the room as a sense of tranquil happiness perfused through the dining hall.

It was not until dessert did Louise have her turn to gasp in surprise at the dish.

"Cookberry Pie! But they're not in season! How did we get enough berries?"

Louise dug into her pie, not waiting for a response, but Saito could see the happy glint in her Mother's eyes.

"See Louise, isn't this better than going to silly war? Stop this foolishness, and stay!" Until Elanore spoke, that is.

Turning away from her beloved dessert, a flaky crust filled with barely-tart sweet cookberries, partially gellied under a rich-buttery crust, the youngest Valliere joined the verbal Jousting once again.

"The crown has recognized my competence, I've even obtained the rank of Chevalier! I-"

"Don't lie, how would you, a failure-"

"Enough"

The tension was once again back. Where once was a loving and fun mother once again seemed to be carved from stone. The sharp undertone of the remark left the two quarreling siblings speechless and deflated, all while making them feel ashamed of what they had done.

"I will NOT let an argument disrupt the meal I cooked. We can discuss it all tomorrow, when the Duke comes back."

With that, the three sisters and mother relapsed into silence, finished off the meal, and left. The attendants and Maids filed in and began cleaning up.

"Oh, the poor lady..."

Intrigued by the butler's remark, Saito pressed him for more information. "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"Ah! Lady Louise's... familiar, correct?" a short nod from Saito. "Ah, so it is fine to tell you. You see, you weren't here to witness it, but Milady the duchess was up since before dawn trying to cook a meal for her daughters, she was so excited that they were coming back! And once she finished, she waited patiently throughout the day, skipping dinner so that she could eat with her daughters. For pretty much the whole day she spent alongside us servants in the Kitchen or the Dining Hall, all to prepare her daughter's favorite dishes."

"Favorite dishes?"

The butler brightened at Saito's question. "Yes! If you'd notice, at the start was Cattleya's Pain Perdu, something the Duchess began preparing two nights ago, a recipe Milady has perfected as it is the middle daughter's breakfast of choice since she was little. Next was Elanore's beloved Rarebit, made with "soft bread" and much butter, along with cheese made by an Albion craftsman. And last, for dessert, was Cookberry pie, a pie invented by Milady herself, made from the Cookberry bushes surrounding the back pavilion where the three daughters of the house loved to play when younger..."

The Butler proceeded to ramble on and on, even as a maid took pity upon the Familiar of the Zero and showed him to his room.

~ENDSNIP~

... Gddmt, do you know how freaking annoying trying to characterize a house full of Tsundere is?

Well, this one's more of a set-up snip, and I hope i was able to get across the Dere-Dere side of Karin. I'm going to make another one that takes place after this later, I hope. It'll be more like the one I did before, in post