It was a classic kid’s letter—no greetings, just the main point scribbled down in a rush.
The messy handwriting, which could barely be called letters and looked more like wriggling worms, stood out clearly.
But to Adrian, the fact that Mabel had written the letter herself was already moving.
Mabel.
Sabina’s younger cousin.
Though she didn’t resemble Sabina in looks at all, her signature pouty expression was oddly similar.
And despite being a young child, who usually would be shy around strangers…
“She was very affectionate toward me.”
Maybe that’s why Adrian felt drawn to Mabel, too.
She felt inexplicably familiar—comforting, even.
“Wait… isn’t Mabel only six years old?”
And yet she wrote such a coherent letter?
Sure, Sabina probably helped her a bit, but even so…
“…Could it be? Is our Mabel a genius?”
Adrian murmured in a daze.
The sudden comment confused the attendant waiting beside him, who glanced at Adrian in surprise.
“Excuse me?”
“No, never mind.”
Adrian shook his head and read the letter again.
Mabel probably didn’t send it on her own. Sabina must’ve allowed it.
Which meant, perhaps…
“Sabina’s heart has softened… just a little?”
A gentle smile touched his lips, which had been set firmly for so long.
“Good.”
Up until now, he hadn’t felt he deserved to see Sabina.
Because he hadn’t figured out why she had been forced to live such a difficult life.
But now, he was starting to grasp the situation.
“Just need to dig a little deeper.”
Adrian folded the letter carefully and tucked it into his inner pocket before springing to his feet.
“I think I’ll head out.”
“Huh? Right now, sir?”
“Yes. Prepare the carriage, would you?”
Adrian flashed a light smile.
Finally, he felt he had a good reason to see Sabina again.
—
With the arrival of a new steward, a supply wagon packed with all kinds of goods rolled in.
It was so full that both my sister and I widened our eyes in surprise at the stacked crates.
“This must be thanks to Adrian, right?”
But there was still no word from Adrian himself.
My sister’s expression only grew darker.
She didn’t say anything, but it was obvious she was worried about him.
And as time passed, the number of things Sabina accidentally broke grew.
Plates shattered during washing, spilled salt containers, ink-stained documents…
It was getting to the point where I worried she might accidentally destroy everything in the house.
That’s when—
“Hello, Sabina!”
Adrian suddenly showed up at our house.
“Adrian!”
I dashed out to greet him with a bounce.
“Hey, hey! Did you see my letter?”
He laughed softly as he scooped me up into his arms.
“Yes. You wrote it very smartly.”
Yes! My letter worked!
I beamed proudly.
Does this mean our household items can finally stop being in danger?
“…Lord Adrian?”
Sabina came out belatedly, blinking in surprise.
Adrian scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Sorry, Sabina. I haven’t been in touch lately, have I?”
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
She raised her chin and replied coolly.
“Whether or not you contact me has nothing to do with me.”
“Oh? That’s a relief, then.”
Adrian laughed awkwardly again.
“It’s just that… last time, things got a bit awkward between us. I was worried you might’ve taken it to heart.”
Sabina frowned and looked him straight in the eye.
“Why would I care what Lord Adrian thinks? I would never do that.”
“Uh… Sabina?”
“Lord Adrian, you seem to have a very strong sense of self. It’s good to have confidence, of course, but jumping to conclusions about other people’s thoughts is—”
I stared at her awkwardly.
Uh, sis? You’re talking a bit too much…
Don’t you know strong denial usually means strong affirmation?
“All right, all right! I’m sorry!”
Adrian finally raised both hands in surrender.
Only then did Sabina calm down slightly and asked with a straight face:
“So, what brings you here?”
“Oh, that.”
Adrian glanced at me and then smiled brightly as he made a suggestion.
“How about a picnic?”
“A picnic?”
I perked up my ears.
He nodded quickly.
“Yeah, it seems like you two are always cooped up at home. I thought a change of scenery might be nice.”
“Well… I don’t really like crowded places.”
Sabina didn’t look too pleased.
But Adrian had already anticipated that.
“Ah, don’t worry about that.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a private location—one of the duke’s family estates by a lake.”
Wait, a lake?
I raised both arms excitedly.
“I wanna go! I wanna see the lake!”
If I wanted them to get closer, I had to find ways to get them alone together.
And this was the perfect chance—Adrian was trying to spend time with my sister!
“I can’t let this opportunity slip.”
I turned to look at Sabina, eyes gleaming.
If she said no again, I was fully prepared to beg.
“…Fine.”
“Huh? I really want to go—wait, what?”
She agreed that easily?
I blinked at Sabina in surprise.
At the same time, she turned her head away sharply.
“It’s not like I want to go.”
“…Huh?”
“But since our little Mabel wants to go so badly, I can’t ignore that as your sister.”
Her ears were bright red as she said it.
Oh, right.
Even in our past life, she always blushed in front of Adrian.
I don’t know why, but… doesn’t that mean things are starting to warm up like before?
“Great, great. Sounds good.”
Adrian, still a little confused, smiled good-naturedly.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Is there anything I need to prepare?”
“Don’t worry.”
He shook his head lightly.
“I suggested the outing, so of course I’ve taken care of everything.”
“Well, if that’s the case…”
Sabina relented and gently took my hand.
“Let’s go, Mabel.”
“Okay!”
I eagerly grabbed her hand back.
But… this felt like a missed opportunity.
“My goal is to get them even closer!”
So, shamelessly, I held out my other hand to Adrian too.
“Will you hold my hand too, Oppa?”
“Of course.”
He smiled with his eyes and took my hand.
Just then—
“…”
“…”
My sister and Adrian locked eyes.
And for a split second, the air felt oddly heavy…
But.
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
That strange feeling disappeared completely.
“Weird. Was that just my imagination?”
Still puzzled, I glanced up at Adrian out of the corner of my eye.
“Come to think of it, Oppa…”
My eyes sparkled.
“Was he being considerate of my sister on purpose?”
Even his suggestion for a picnic felt that way.
Something must’ve happened between them recently.
Spending time together could naturally clear up any tension.
And the choice of the lake was perfect, too.
Since Sabina didn’t like crowds, he’d picked a quiet, private spot.
Realizing all that made me feel so warm and happy inside.
“It’s not just me—someone else cherishes my sister, too.”
That thought alone was incredibly comforting.
I smiled brightly.
“Oppa really is a good person.”
—
