Chapter – 06
“…That’s an interesting point of view, I suppose.”
“Wha? What is…?”
Instead of answering, he just ruffled my hair wildly.
*Pfft.*
As I was distracted by the hair tickling my face, I heard his playful voice.
“Well, now, what to do with this naughty uncle?”
“B-But Mr. Meloni is a *good* uncle, pfft, good!”
Finally, the hand tousling my hair stopped.
D-Did I manage to calm him down?
I smoothed down my disheveled hair and glanced up at the uncle.
Through the strands of hair obscuring my vision, I caught a glimpse of Mr. Oliver’s face.
But.
‘…His expression looks strange again.’
He had a somewhat dazed look.
However, when I brushed the hair out of my eyes and looked again, it was his usual face.
‘What was that? Was it just my imagination?’
Just as I was tilting my head in confusion.
“Huh? Wha-?”
My body floated up into the air, my short limbs dangling. Mr. Oliver had picked me up and tucked me under his arm.
“…U-Uncle?”
“Yeah, Marshmallow.”
Marshmallow? Is that… me?
It was an absurd nickname, but it was better than Mud Monster or Little Ghost.
Well, nicknames are a sign of familiarity too…
Meanwhile, the uncle started striding forward. He stopped in front of Ricky’s room.
‘I think we got here in like, five steps.’
I distinctly remember huffing and puffing all the way here…
‘Is this the difference leg length makes?’
Mr. Oliver set me down on the floor, where I was squirming with a sense of relative deprivation.
He then bent down to meet my eye level.
“Marshmallow.”
“Yes?”
“Open aaah~.”
“Open aaah~?”
I opened my mouth as instructed, and something popped inside.
I blinked and rolled the object around in my mouth with my tongue.
‘Gasp, this is…’
It’s candy!
I absolutely adore sweet foods, but since it’s a luxury, I never dared to covet it. When you’re struggling to get by day-to-day, how could you even think of candy?
The only candy I’d ever had before was some scraps thrown to me by a noble who took pity on me while I was begging.
‘It was just mere crumbs…’
Compared to that, this candy was a large, round hard candy.
“It’s delishoush…”
The fantastically sweet flavor made my body shiver slightly, and Mr. Oliver let out a small laugh.
“You keep the blanket, Marshmallow.”
“To me?”
“Don’t give it to me, just use it yourself.”
“B-But it’s a gifft…!”
*Gulp.*
My pronunciation was already bad, but with the candy in my mouth, it became even more slurred.
*Gulp, gulp.*
Swallowing the flowing saliva, I hurriedly tried to unwrap the blanket from myself.
But.
‘Why won’t it come off?’
Because I had wrapped it around myself so tightly, the blanket wouldn’t come off easily.
As I was wriggling around on my own, I heard a mutter from above.
“Ah, so it was a cocoon.”
No, it’s not that, I told you it’s a gift!
But I didn’t have the presence of mind to correct him.
“Just a moment!”
I cried out urgently, putting all my energy into trying to free myself from the blanket. It seemed faster to just take it off like clothes.
“Urgh.”
Although I grunted as the blanket got caught on my head at the last moment-.
“Done!”
I finally succeeded in getting out of the blanket.
However.
“…He’s gone.”
Mr. Oliver was already nowhere to be seen.
* * *
An empty room.
A diagonal, cracked fissure had appeared in the space that once held nothing.
And from within it, a long leg suddenly jutted out.
“…*Pfft.*”
It was Oliver, no, Contiе, covering his mouth with his hand.
Having returned to his room, he leaned against the wall and let out a hearty laugh.
The image of the white-haired child surfaced in his mind.
The way she, after successfully wriggling out of the blanket on her own, proudly puffed out her chest, and then…
“…He’s gone.”
…the way she looked at the empty spot and muttered dejectedly.
Her face was still covered haphazardly with strands of white hair, like the traces of a fierce battle.
“Really now…”
It was fun.
It had been so long since he had laughed so purely.
His life had always been tedious and boring.
Since childhood.
“Power and ability come with commensurate responsibility. It means that you, young master, being far superior to others, must bear more duties than anyone else.”
Whether the words he’d heard until his ears were calloused held any truth or not.
As he grew older, the tedious and boring things only increased.
To the point where he could no longer feel the difference between life and death.
So, around the time he was thinking he might as well just die.
“Contiе, come here!”
He met Rabella.
The person who made his life colorful. The one who made him realize joy-.
‘…Oh.’
His face stiffened grimly as he unconsciously recalled the woman once again.
A dry laugh skimmed over his cold, lifeless expression.
‘Right. It’s been four years.’
Since he last felt that something was enjoyable.
Four years ago, after Rabella’s death.
His endless tedium had begun anew.
Contiе, his face sunken, tossed a candy into his mouth.
*Clatter.*
In the silence, only the sound of the candy clicking against his teeth echoed quietly.
* * *
After my masterstroke bribery operation ended in failure, I was briefly disheartened.
‘…Why do all my plans seem to fail?’
Of course, I was only disheartened for a very short while.
About a day?
With no way of knowing when Brume de la Sha might close its doors, I had no time to sulk.
‘If bribery doesn’t work, let’s go with the ‘family’ tactic!’
What is the meaning of ‘family’?
Doesn’t it mean people who eat meals at the same table?
‘That means sharing meals is important, right?’
Yes, exactly, of course.
So last night, I left a note in front of Uncle Oliver’s door.
<Let’s have lunch together tomorrow. I’ll be waiting in the dining hall.>
As expected, I’m thorough.
“You can’t sit there!”
I giggled and stopped Ricky, who had arrived with a tray and was about to sit down naturally in the seat opposite me.
“I can’t sit here?”
“Nope. This seat has an owner.”
“An owner? It wouldn’t be Jeanne noona…”
Ricky side-eyed Jeanne noona, who was sitting next to me. Soon, his face gradually turned pale.
“Don’t tell me, Lord Oliver… no, Mr. Oliver?”
“Yep.”
“…Do you like him that much?”
“Yep. I do.”
At my answer without hesitation, Ricky blinked rapidly. Soon, a narrowed gaze was directed at me.
“But I’m a little hurt, you know?”
Hurt?
“You little rascal. You’ve been with me for over two years, but it seems like you like Mr. Oliver, who hasn’t even been here that long, more?”
Oh. I was at a loss for words and just blinked.
For once, his words hit the mark.
‘Well… he might have a point.’
But honestly, if I had to choose between Ricky and Uncle Oliver-.
‘For now, I still like Ricky more.’
Of course, I like Uncle Oliver too.
Even though I’m approaching him with the ulterior motive of going to a nice orphanage, setting that aside, I still wanted to become close with Uncle Oliver.
For some reason, I’d grown fond of him unusually quickly.
‘But it’s really strange.’
Clearly, he’s a completely different person from me, so why do I feel this sense of affection and familiarity?
‘Well, maybe because we’ve had various incidents while trying to get closer?’
As my thoughts drifted off track, I pressed my lips together firmly. Jeanne noona chimed in.
“You’re making Meloni uncomfortable, Ricky. It’s good that Meloni has made a new friend, what’s wrong with that?”
“Hic hic. Noona, you just hate me.”
“Oh my. How old are you, our Ricky?”
“Twenty years old!”
As Ricky proudly made a V-sign with his hands on either side of his face, Noona and I burst out laughing.
A sudden feeling of sadness welled up inside me.
‘I suppose there isn’t much time left for moments like these.’
These happy times in my little paradise.
‘…Right. That’s why I need to brace myself and try harder!’
Today, I’ll casually bring up the topic of the orphanage with Uncle Oliver.
It’s about time to start broaching the subject.
‘Hmm, I should even share my special carrot with him.’
It’s absolutely not because I don’t want to eat it.
Just as I was psyching myself up alone.
“How amusing. Who would pay attention to a little brat like you?”
A sneering voice stabbed at my ears.
‘This voice is…’
I flinched and turned my head towards the direction of the voice.
