Chapter 17
“Huh? Ah, saving Dio? Hehe, of course I remember. You were wearing a mask back then. But your eyes are the same. Although… your hair was blond at the time, wasn’t it?”
It seemed that children’s memories could sometimes surpass those of adults.
As Eden blinked in surprise, Dioana grinned brightly and said,
“I know. It’s a secret.”
“…Lady Dioana.”
“But now you need to dye it. My aunt’s a bit slow. The inner part of your hair’s turned blond, Puppy.”
Only then did Eden hurriedly touch his hair, making Dioana burst into laughter.
“I like Puppy. And Puppy likes me too, right?”
“Of course. Thanks to you, Lady Dioana, I can be here.”
“But you like my aunt more than me, don’t you, Puppy?”
“…What?”
“Hehe, I know everything~”
“…Sorry, what?”
Just as Eden started to get nervous, wondering if Sir Russell had told Dioana something—
“You fell for my aunt at first sight, didn’t you? That’s why you followed her here.”
“Ah…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. You can tell me everything. I’m your owner, after all. So, tell me. You fell for my aunt, right?”
Eden seemed to think for a moment, then gave a small smile and nodded.
Dioana clapped her hands in excitement.
“Puppy and my aunt are perfect together. I secretly took a peek at all the men who might become my uncle, and none of them were any good. Not one. Their faces didn’t impress me at all. They all seemed like they only cared about my aunt’s money.”
“But Lady Dioana, they’re all nobles. Compared to them, a former slave like me might look like I’m the one after Her Grace’s wealth.”
He wondered if saying that would frighten her.
Eden instantly regretted his words, but her response was completely unexpected.
“Nope! I can tell. You know, all those other uncles only looked at my aunt’s boobs. Or they stared around the castle. But Puppy always looks her in the eyes when he talks.”
There had only ever been two types of men who came seeking to marry someone from House Steren:
Those with lustful eyes enchanted by Daphne’s curvaceous beauty, or those with greedy eyes fixated on the massive Steren estate, the endless wealth, and the immense power that came with being the Duke of the Northern Territory.
Even Dioana had been able to see that.
“I noticed it, too. There’s no way my aunt didn’t. That’s why she turned them all down.”
“Well, honestly, there’s no way Her Grace couldn’t get married. She just chose not to.”
“Right? Right? You really get it, Puppy! So from now on, don’t worry, okay?”
Eden tilted his head, clearly not understanding what she meant by that sudden assurance.
Dioana puffed out her chest and thumped her left side proudly with a tiny fist.
“Just trust me, Puppy.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll make sure you and my aunt end up together. I have a plan.”
“No, that’s really not necessary…”
“Why not? Don’t you trust me? My aunt loves me the most in the world. She listens to everything I say. And I’m not just going to force you two to date or anything. I’ll just help a bit. Whether you fall in love is up to you two.”
Her oddly mature statement made Eden wonder if she was on her second life or something.
“Master… just how do you know all these methods?”
“Kids these days study everything in advance. Even stuff like this.”
When he looked at her with admiration, Dioana’s nose twitched with pride.
Her “studying” came from romance novels, which were explosively popular among noblewomen.
They were originally meant for adult women, but sometimes versions came out that were suitable for general audiences.
Dioana first came across one thanks to her maids. They had been secretly reading them when she caught them.
She had been waiting for the right moment to use the word “confiscate” she’d recently learned, and that day, the opportunity finally came.
“I won’t tell my aunt. But I’m confiscating this.”
That was how the romance novels ended up in her hands. And unfortunately, Dioana was a very curious child.
In fact, among children of noble families her age, romance novels were wildly popular.
Daphne had been worried her niece might get hooked on silly stories and dream of unrealistic love, so she only ever brought in fairy tales or classic literature.
“Romance novels? Those are all fantasies, Dioana. Forbidden love, star-crossed lovers—that’s all nonsense.”
“But Mommy and Daddy loved each other!”
“That’s because I made it—ah, oops. Reality and fantasy are different. I’ll buy you one when you’re older. You’re too young now!”
“Aaaaagh!”
“Hey now. Those novels might give kids the wrong ideas about love.”
That might’ve been true, but as luck would have it, the romance novel Dioana confiscated was an absolute revelation.
It wasn’t about some hero or prince rescuing a princess locked in a tower—it was real adult love!
Whenever there was a word she didn’t understand, she’d ask the maids.
At first, they said, “This isn’t right,” but eventually they, too, were charmed by the power of romance novels.
To their credit, they only gave Dioana relatively innocent and wholesome stories.
Recently, Dioana’s favorite among them was Love Beyond Social Class.
She had never liked any of the men who came to propose to Daphne.
As mentioned, even a child could see the hunger in their eyes.
They’d grovel in front of Daphne, but behind her back, they’d insult her—saying her gaze was too fierce, her personality too strong, her tone too cold, her figure too indecent.
They’d say things like: “She’s not dumb for someone so pretty,” or “She’s not that ugly for someone so witty.”
Their words weren’t just barbed—they were swords.
To Dioana, they sounded like animals. No, worse than animals! Even her family’s hunting dogs were more dignified.
Hmph! I heard everything you said behind her back. No way I’m letting men like that take my Daphne! I’ll choose her husband myself!
She might’ve been only seven, but clever Dioana already understood that respect was nowhere to be found in this world.
My aunt is perfect in every way. So why can’t she find someone worthy of her?
So one day, she asked:
“Auntie, why aren’t you married? Are all the uncles no good?”
“Yeah. None of them impress me. I’ll just live with you forever.”
“But Auntie, you like pretty men.”
“Wha—what do you mean, I like pretty men?!”
“I like pretty boys too! That’s why I wanna marry Pierre. He’s kind, polite, and pretty. He listens to me and smiles a lot. Don’t you have someone like Pierre around you? His family isn’t as big as ours, but so what? I’ll be the duchess someday.”
“Hmm… you’re right. There’s no one like Pierre.”
“Do you care about family background too, Auntie?”
“My, my. You’re asking such grown-up questions today. Honestly? I don’t really want someone from a higher-ranking family.”
“The old men all say you should marry the crown prince or another duke.”
“Old folks never hold their tongue around kids, huh? I don’t think like that. I have plenty of money and power and can maintain it myself.”
“Then you’d prefer someone like Pierre—handsome and kind—even if he’s not rich, right?”
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
Dioana had long had a crush on a boy named Pierre.
He was the son of a wealthy merchant—not even close to the grandeur of House Steren, but still well-off.
Just like adults had their social circles, so did children. That’s where she met Pierre. He was quiet, gentle, smiled often, and most importantly—very, very pretty.
Long ago, the former duchess once told Dioana,
“You take after your mother. You’re hopeless when it comes to handsome men. Haha.”
Her aunt was just like her!
Now that she had a grasp of Daphne’s type, all she had to do was find someone who fit.
The only problem was that her legs were short, and she was too small to travel around the empire looking for one.
And her aunt would never let her go looking for a husband candidate on her own.
God, please make the perfect man for my aunt fall from the sky. I’m too young to go find him myself…
The next morning after that shameless prayer…
Dioana overheard Lockhart talking in secret. Some man had fallen from the sky. Right off the wall of the massive Steren castle.
A man had literally fallen from the sky!
Her prayer had been answered!
“He’s so handsome! Hey, what’s your name, mister?”
