~Chapter 15~
So, he could hear everything.
I felt a little embarrassed, so I pretended I didn’t hear.
“Where’s Father?”
Void asked as he sat down.
“He said he has a lot of documents to look over.”
“Oh, I see.”
He replied like he didn’t expect much.
But by now, it was obvious.
Void asked about Uncle at every mealtime.
Even though he knew Uncle wouldn’t appear, he still hoped—just in case.
‘Hmm…’
I held my spoon in my mouth and stared at Void.
No matter how I looked, he seemed like someone who wanted to eat with Uncle.
‘Wait, come to think of it, I haven’t had a single meal with Uncle since I came here, either.’
Could it be that Uncle purposely left so we could eat together?
I fiddled with a small hairpin.
“Hey, Hazel.”
I whispered, covering my mouth with a big piece of bread.
“Yes, Lady Rubian.”
“…?”
Surprisingly, Hazel had the skill to whisper without moving her lips.
Keeping a calm face, I asked.
“Is Uncle avoiding eating with Void on purpose?”
Hazel paused slightly.
That’s a yes.
“…No. The Lord is really busy today.”
“Today?”
“Well, to be honest, it’s rare for the two of them to eat together. Over the past few years, the Lord has hardly stayed in the castle, and… when Young Master Void was little, he was very afraid of the Lord.”
“Oh, I heard about that.”
“He would get indigestion every time they ate together… so it just became a habit.”
Hmm. I took a small bite of the bread crust. It was crispy.
“Void was that scared of Uncle?”
“When the young masters first came to the castle… the Lord was in a very bad state. So much that no one could approach him.”
Ah. That must have been when he lost his baby and fell into despair.
I remembered Uncle Leviathan’s past.
‘He wandered for years, I think.’
When grief is too big, sometimes you can’t see anything around you.
“Maybe they got off on the wrong foot from the start. Of course, he always regrets it now…”
Hazel muttered softly, then suddenly seemed to realize what she was saying. “Oh my, what am I saying?” She quickly lifted her head.
“Sorry, I interrupted your meal, didn’t I?”
“No, it’s fine.”
So this was the situation—
A father who felt sorry for not treating his son well in the past, now being overly careful.
And a son who didn’t want to upset the father he respected.
‘But how long will they keep going like this?’
I poked a piece of meat Void had cut and put it in my mouth.
Chew, chew.
The juice spread in my mouth and melted—it was the finest meat I’d ever tasted.
“Rubian, you should eat the bell peppers too.”
“Mmm…”
Lost in thought, I answered vaguely and pushed the chopped bell peppers off my plate.
“…”
Of course, I didn’t notice the young master’s shocked expression at my unheard-of table manners.
Chew, chew, gulp.
“Hey.”
When I looked up, Void was staring at me with a slightly sour face.
‘Oh no, look at that. He looks a little sad…’
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should get involved.
It was their family matter—was it right for me to interfere?
Besides, in the original story, their relationship improved slowly over time anyway. Even without me.
But… I fiddled with my hairpin again.
‘Still, I’m grateful to both of them…’
Maybe I could give them a little push.
“How about I ask Uncle to eat with us from now on?”
Clang—Void dropped his cutlery.
“Huh?”
“Why? You don’t like that?”
“No, I do… like it.”
“Are you still scared of Uncle?”
“Of course not!”
Right, considering how much he likes the Hero cards.
Void scratched his cheek shyly.
“Now I understand that what happened before was because Father went through something bad… Of course, I’d like to eat with him now.”
“You’d like to, but?”
“It’s just… it feels a bit awkward to bring it up now.”
Ah. I narrowed my eyes.
“So you need an excuse?”
“Well, it’s not exactly that… He might find it bothersome…”
“Hmm.”
I thought about how to help while Void dug himself deeper.
Then I noticed servants walking busily outside the dining room, carrying piles of documents. Probably heading to Uncle’s office.
The corners of my lips lifted.
“Hey, Void.”
“Yeah?”
“I have a good idea.”
When I smiled with sparkling eyes, Void flinched slightly.
What’s with my little sister… she looks like a bit of a devil.
I thought I heard him mutter something like that—
But whatever.
Knock, knock.
I knocked on the heavy office door.
“Come in.”
A low voice.
When I carefully entered, Uncle was sitting at his desk.
His silhouette, with the sun at his back, looked huge. Beside him, a table full of coffee cups and the remains of quick meals.
Ah, I could feel it—
The smell of an overworked office worker.
“Leave the documents there and… What’s all this… Wait, what are you doing here?”
He was flipping through something, then looked up at me with surprise.
“Excuse me, sir.”
“What?”
I bowed 90 degrees. Uncle frowned like he was looking at some strange creature.
Ignoring that, I walked over.
I placed the paper I was holding on top of the messy stack of documents.
“What’s this?”
“Please review this, Duke!”
“…Huh?”
He looked at me with disbelief.
He picked up the paper covered in messy handwriting.
“A report?”
“Yes!”
Well… to be exact, it was an approval form.
“…We plan to hold a welcome party, so please sign?”
His reluctant voice came out, and I straightened my back, nodding along.
“What’s this supposed to mean?”
“It means exactly what it says.”
I spoke shyly, like a rookie handing their first form to a department head.
“I’m planning a welcome party. Location: central dining room!”
“…?”
“Please check the item list here and sign.”
Have you ever heard of a self-planned welcome party?
“You really do all sorts of things…”
Uncle snorted in disbelief.
“You’re not going to approve it?”
“Of course I will.”
Scribble—he signed without hesitation. Perfect.
I gripped the returned paper tightly.
When I grinned, Uncle—now leaning on his chin—also smirked.
“Then I’ll see you at dinner!”
“Ah, I’m busy so—”
“You have to come, Duke. You signed.”
“…Huh?”
He sat up straight.
I pointed to the tiny line at the bottom.
“If you read here… it’s also an invitation. Signing means you agree to attend.”
See? You should always read before you sign, Uncle.
Leaving the Duke blinking in confusion, I waved.
“See you later, Uncle!”
Click—the door closed neatly.
Outside, Void was waiting.
He looked a little nervous.
“Did it work?”
“Of course.”
We leaned together and giggled.
It started small, but somehow the whole castle got excited.
“Move aside, everyone!”
“Hey, that decoration fell off!”
“Well, of course, we’ve never hung things like this before!”
“Glue! Bring more glue!”
The tall maids, the servants, the attendants—everyone was running around.
“Where are the gardeners? I told them to bring more flowers, and they’re still not here!”
“I’m going to kick their butts myself!”
I sat in the dining room, watching blankly.
The once-barren room was now full of colorful flowers and decorations.
‘I could do it quickly with magic…’
But of course, I couldn’t use magic.
Besides, Hazel told me my job was to just sit here. So I was sitting.
“Everyone’s so motivated.”
I had just wanted to prepare some food and eat together… but it felt like things had gotten bigger.
“Lady Rubian.”
A gentle voice spoke.
When I turned, I saw a smiling middle-aged woman—the castle’s chef.
“I came to ask what kind of cake you like.”
“Cake?”
“Yes. I need to choose the cream.”
I tilted my head.
“But… isn’t this party for Uncle’s return?”
The answer came from the other side.
“It’s your welcome party too.”
Void was right next to me, stacking cards.
“Huh? Wasn’t that just the excuse?”
If I had called it a party for Uncle’s return, he wouldn’t have agreed.
But Void looked like he’d overheard something he shouldn’t have.
“So you want me left out?”
“Well, not exactly…”
I blinked, unable to think of what to say. The chef spoke again.
“Now, could you tell me what kind of cream you like?”
What kind? As if I had a preference.
“I… don’t really know much about cake! Anything is fine.”
In both my previous and current life, I hadn’t eaten much cake. You need experience to have preferences.
“Oh.”
For a second, the chef’s eyes widened at my answer, but she quickly smiled warmly again.
“That happens. Then… how about my special cream? I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“Yes, that sounds good!”
‘Special,’ huh? I was kind of looking forward to it.
The chef also asked about foods I couldn’t eat and textures I liked, then left.
After that, many people came and went.
The wide dining room quickly became dazzling. Like a real party hall!
