Chapter 13
“You want to try it on your clothes? You don’t need the fingerless gloves?”
Elber nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course, I like the gloves too! But I have plenty already. So there’s no need to exchange it. Just pin the brooch for me.”
“If I pin the brooch, it’s not really your gift anymore.”
“…Well, the thing is…”
Elber fidgeted with his hands for a while before he finally spoke.
“I just want to remember… that I now have a little sister who gives me gifts.”
Elber’s face turned bright red as he finished. It made me embarrassed too.
I quickly picked up the brooch. Let’s just get this over with!
By the way, this brooch feels really nice to the touch. Is this real rabbit fur? The amber-colored bead eyes are cute, too.
Soon, a white bunny was pinned to the chest of his sky-blue blouse. Is that good enough, little lord?
“All done?”
“Yeah.”
Elber nodded like crazy.
“Yeah, it’s perfect.”
“Then I’ll take it off.”
“Wait.”
He grabbed my hand as if to stop me. His eyes were still fixed on the bunny hanging from his clothes.
He stared at it for a long time.
“…Okay, it’s fine now.”
Looks like he finally had enough time to admire it.
“I don’t need any other presents. This is more than enough.”
“What do you mean, more than enough?”
“…I like rabbits.”
Well, that’s new information. Should I believe him?
“Sol, you don’t believe me, do you?”
Wow, this kid has scary intuition!
“N-no…”
“Rabbits are really cute! I like how their fur is all fluffy. I also like how they look so gentle but never listen to what others say.”
“Alright, alright! Who’s saying otherwise? You love rabbits!”
“…And also.”
Elber covered his face with the empty gift box and said in a slightly trembling voice.
“You’re kinda cute too… So it suits you.”
“…Huh?”
“Th-that’s all!”
With a scream-like outburst, Elber ran out of my room. His loud footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Oh dear… is having a younger sibling really that exciting? You’re even cuter acting like that.
…But Elber. The truth is, I’m actually an adult.
My conscience gave me a little stab.
After changing out of the expensive clothes the Duke had bought me, I wondered where I should keep the rabbit brooch and ended up placing it beside my pillow.
When I lay down in bed, the first thing I saw was the sky-blue canopy draped elegantly above me. Next, the soft white wallpaper embossed with thorny vines.
A wardrobe big enough to fit all the kids from the orphanage room I used to share…
Things I’d never even dreamed of having.
“Maybe this is all just a dream…”
The Duke’s bed was wide and fluffy, like a cloud. A world away from the cramped mattress I used to sleep on.
But I curled up tightly, like a stray cat hiding from human touch. No, that sounds too cute for someone like me. I’m more like a caterpillar hiding from a magpie.
Let’s remember—I’m not cute. I’m not lovable. Before I was possessed, no one—not even one person except the orphanage director—ever loved me.
Sure, I’m lucky enough to have the appearance of a child now, but the Duke already said I seemed “too grown-up” and is wary of me. Elber will eventually notice that something’s off too.
I shouldn’t get my hopes up.
…I’m used to living without a family anyway. I don’t want to be abandoned again because I let myself hope.
Hugging the blanket tightly, my eyelids slowly grew heavy.
As I drifted off to sleep, I found myself thinking about the warmth I felt when the Duke held me.
The next morning.
I woke up and immediately checked my surroundings, just in case the Duke had sold me off while I was asleep. Fortunately, I was still on the Duke’s bed. And my body was intact.
In the pretty mirror, I saw a little girl with black hair and amber eyes. Maybe because I ate well and slept soundly, I looked a bit cuter than usual today.
That’s when Linda entered the room.
“Oh my, young lady. You’re up early! Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I slept really well!”
“Hehe, that’s a relief. Let’s wash up and go have breakfast together, okay?”
In Linda’s arms were a steaming washbasin and a small towel.
Wash together?
“Don’t tell me you’re going to wash me…?”
“Of course I will! I always wash the young masters and ladies myself—”
“I-I’m not a little kid!”
…In my panic, I said the most childlike thing ever. Linda’s cheekbones rose high with a grin.
“Hehehe, yes, yes. I know you’re not a little kid.”
“N-no, I really mean it!”
“Close your eyes now. The Duke himself asked me to make sure you get properly washed!”
That’s a lie. I used to say stuff like that when I took care of the kids in the orphanage too. But I didn’t have a solid excuse to refuse, so I just let her do it.
What kind of luxury is this at my age… At least she didn’t say, “Now blow your nose!” That would’ve been too much.
Soon after, Linda led me down to the dining room. At a table as big as the roof of a tour bus, only three people were seated.
Benen looked surprised when I greeted him.
“Oh… you’re here.”
Did you think the empty seat was for the ancestral shrine?
Meanwhile, Elber suddenly downed the green juice in front of him in one gulp. What’s up with him?
Benen chuckled.
“This guy was whining earlier about how he hates kale juice. But I guess he’s too embarrassed to complain in front of you—”
“I-I drank it, okay?!”
Elber’s face turned red. So cute.
Just as I was enjoying his cuteness a bit more, the final boss—the Duke—spoke in his cold voice.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I really did!”
“That’s good. Starting today, as a lady of House Schlayger, you’ll be expected to carry yourself with proper decorum.”
Gulp. I swallowed hard.
“After breakfast, you’ll receive etiquette training. If you have questions, ask your brothers or Linda. If it’s something you must ask me, you may come to my office.”
So basically: Don’t come unless it’s urgent. Got it. I won’t bother you.
As I pouted slightly to myself, the Duke suddenly said something unexpected.
“Sol, you remember what I told you yesterday about being my daughter, don’t you?”
“Huh? Oh—”
You should’ve kept it short if you wanted me to remember…
Ah, wait. If it’s about that “as my daughter” talk, then…
…Oh right! The gift! Yesterday, when he gave me the cuff buttons, he said he couldn’t be indebted and would give me a gift too.
“Yes, I remember!”
“Until I call for you, you’ll receive etiquette lessons in the second-floor classroom. Lady Gracia will be your teacher. She also taught your brothers.”
“Understood! I’ll wait and study hard, Your Grace!”
I answered with a bright smile.
…But.
When he mentioned “Lady Gracia,” both Benen and Elber’s faces briefly twisted in discomfort. That left a strange feeling of unease in my heart.
Soon enough, I understood why.
After breakfast, I went up to the second-floor classroom, where a middle-aged woman with platinum blonde hair in a braid greeted me.
“Welcome. I am Viscountess Gracia. You may call me Madam Gracia.”
“Yes, Madam Gracia. I look forward to learning from you.”
“Hmph.”
Gracia looked me up and down.
“You seem quite mature for your age. I heard you were in an institution?”
“Yes. I was in a northern orphanage.”
“Which noble house sponsored it?”
“I’m not sure, but priests came every month.”
“You mean it was under the temple, not a noble family?”
Gracia made a face like she had just stepped in something gross. Looks like orphanages here are ranked by who backs them.
It’s true I came from a bottom-tier place, but that look on her face was still insulting.
Gracia lifted her chin arrogantly.
“I heard you’re ten. What have you learned so far?”
Learned? That’s a vague question. Is there some universal curriculum in this world?
I paused just a moment, but her voice turned cold.
“Sol, are we having a conversation or not? Stammering like that is what five-year-olds do. Are you ignoring me?”
You have to stop talking for me to answer, lady. I can already tell what kind of person you are—and I don’t feel like answering nicely.
“Funny you ask. I was wondering the same thing. When someone asks ‘what have you learned,’ they usually specify what subject, don’t they?”
“…Excuse me?”
“And just so you know, five-year-olds actually speak pretty clearly. Otherwise, adults just laugh them off.”
“Sol…”
“If you’re going to call my name, please say why. Otherwise, you just look like an adult trying to scold a child with nothing to say—kind of pathetic, really.”
“Sol!”
“Yes, just like that!”
Gracia slammed the table and shot to her feet. Wow, such elegant manners. She was trembling with anger.
“What kind of child…! Do you have no respect for your teacher?”
“Well, I haven’t been taught anything by you yet, so I can’t even be sure you are one. For all I know, you’re just here to beat a drum on the desk.”
“…”
Her face turned crimson. Hmm, did I go too far?
But I’m not going to sit here and be belittled by someone who basically says “I’m going to make your life miserable” right from the start.
She stormed out of her chair.
“I cannot teach a child like you! You should be grateful just to be given a second chance at life, yet you can’t even let go of your pathetic past!”
“…”
“I’ll report to the Duke that you’re unwilling to adapt! Maybe then you’ll realize how valuable the opportunity you’ve been given is.”
“…”
“You’ve thrown away your chance to become a better person! No one will want to teach you now!”
Opportunity, opportunity, opportunity. She keeps repeating it. I do admire her consistency in trying to talk down to me.
“Ah, yes. But if that’s the case… why haven’t you gone to the Duke yet?”
This time, Gracia was speechless. She was walking really slowly, as if waiting for me to stop her.
The Schlayger Dukedom is massively powerful. Being the etiquette tutor here isn’t a job you give up easily.
“Not going?”
“Ugh…”
“Madam Gracia, take a moment to cool off and think like an adult.”
“W-what?”
“Let’s say you report this. Do you really think it’ll be easier for His Grace to disown me and adopt a new child, or to replace a teacher?”
“…”
“His Grace picked you, so I’m assuming you’re at least competent. Can we skip the power play and just focus on you doing your job as a teacher?”
She clenched her teeth in frustration. But she wasn’t stupid enough to storm out of the room. After taking a few deep breaths, her flushed face finally regained its color.
“…Sol, how old are you really?”
I answered proudly.
“The world’s cutest ten-year-old.”
“…”
I don’t even feel guilty pretending to be cute in front of you.
