~Chapter 25~
“Grand Duke?”
At some point, the Grand Duke was standing right behind me, his eyes blazing.
“That damn Leviathan…”
Huh? Out of nowhere?
“Rubian, did His Grace not even give you any pocket money?”
Even Sir Leon bent one knee to ask me.
What on earth were they talking about?
I had no idea that the thought I’d sighed out had slipped into words, and I just stared blankly at the two men losing their minds.
“What do you want?! Huh?”
“Pardon?”
“What do you want so badly that you look so downcast? Tell me right now!”
The Grand Duke pounded his chest and roared.
S-Something I want?
“Hurry and say it, Rubian. That’s an order from your senior.”
Why was Sir Leon like this too?
Just then, the shop door creaked open, and a familiar face stepped in.
“Keep your voice down. They can hear you all the way outside. Embarrassing, really.”
“Uncle!”
Overjoyed, I ran straight to him.
Uncle Leviathan rested a hand on my head.
Wearing light armor from a trip to the knights, he looked as dashing as ever.
“I heard you were nearby, so I came to check… What trouble have you caused this time?”
“I didn’t cause any trouble!”
Really—I hadn’t yet!
When I grinned up at him, his eyes narrowed slightly.
“Your Grace.”
Sir Leon ground his teeth as he greeted him.
It almost sounded like, “Y-your Graceeee…”
“…? Your eyes look a little insolent, Leon.”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
Uncle tilted his head.
Then, a fist like a lump of iron came flying—but of course, he dodged it easily.
“You bastard!”
“What now?”
“You haven’t even given the kid pocket money? What have you been doing?”
Silence.
“…What?”
A reply finally came back, like from a broken doll.
“She has something she wants, but says she can’t buy it because she doesn’t have money! She’s been fretting over it!”
Thump, thump—the Grand Duke was the one stomping his feet.
“No, um, that’s… not exactly…”
Of course, there was something I wanted.
But how did they even know?!
“Ah, my blood pressure…”
The Grand Duke clutched the back of his neck, staggering.
“Is it true?”
Uncle crouched down to look me straight in the eye.
“Was there something you wanted?”
His face looked almost pleased. I suddenly felt shy and hesitated.
“I… I do want something, but it’s not like I urgently need it right now…”
“Tell me. What is it?”
“Um…”
“Ruby.”
At the urging tone, I had no choice but to raise a finger.
Six eyes inside the shop followed my fingertip in unison.
“That one… over here…”
I shyly pointed to one side of a shelf.
“…all the way to there?”
My fingertip moved long across the display.
If I could have them all, why not…?
“….”
Uncle stayed silent for a moment.
Was I being too greedy?
“No, actually, just this one—”
“Call the owner.”
Suddenly, Uncle straightened up.
“Yes, sir!” Sir Leon moved like lightning. The Grand Duke scratched his chest, muttering about feeling itchy.
Soon, the shop owner, back from an errand, rushed in. Uncle said to his face—
“I’m buying this shop. Name your price.”
“Y-Your Grace?”
“I have no hobby of buying cheap trinkets. Ask high.”
Wait… what?
I went in as a customer and came out as the owner…
“….”
Rustle. I stared blankly at the paper in my bag.
The shop deed that had been shoved into my hands.
“Are you sure it’s fine if I just send one crate of the purple magic stones to the castle?”
“Oh, yes.”
The shop’s former owner asked me, and I answered absentmindedly.
By sheer happenstance, I now had the right to dispose of the magic stones as I pleased—something even Uncle couldn’t interfere with.
“I didn’t know you liked decorative stones.”
“Haha… they’re pretty…”
‘I only wanted the purple magic stones!’
Of course, I wouldn’t have minded having green, red, or even blue stones while I was at it.
‘Sigh, can’t be helped.’
Refusing a gift would be rude, after all.
So I had to sign the papers.
Since I had no intention of touching the other stones, I only asked for some of the purple ones from the storeroom to be sent.
“Such a small appetite!”
The Grand Duke clicked his tongue beside me.
Uncle, meanwhile, was instructing the former owner on various things—
Only send stones without any harmful energy, package them so the child could open them easily, and so on…
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I left Uncle and Sir Leon inside and stepped out.
“Is there anywhere else you want to stop by?”
The Grand Duke followed and asked.
“Well, actually…”
That’s when it happened.
“Ha ha! Grandpa, that tickles!”
With a cheerful laugh, a small cart rolled toward us.
On the driver’s seat sat a kind-looking merchant and a boy who seemed to be his grandson.
“Hey now, don’t play with the reins—”
At that moment, the boy yanked the reins hard. The cart, which had been going straight, lurched.
“Careful!”
The cart veered out of control.
Startled, the Grand Duke pulled me toward him.
Even in such a sudden moment, I thought he’d have no trouble holding me up—
Because… the Grand Duke was bigger and sturdier than a mountain range.
But unexpectedly, his large body swayed weakly.
“Grand Duke!”
“Ugh.”
Thud. In the end, we both rolled onto the ground.
“Oh my, are you alright?! I’m so sorry! Oh no, what do I do?!”
The merchant rushed over in a panic after stopping the cart.
“Child! Are you alright?”
On the dirt ground, the Grand Duke quickly turned to check on me. I’d landed on my backside, but since he’d shielded me, I wasn’t badly hurt.
“I was startled, but I’m fine.”
I calmly dusted myself off and stood up.
“More importantly, are you—”
“This damned…”
His hand clenched the dirt tightly. A bulging vein stood out on his flushed forehead.
“This damned body…”
His jaw tightened hard.
“What happened?”
Uncle came out from the shop.
He took in the scene quickly—the Grand Duke on the ground, me standing awkwardly beside him, the sweating merchant apologizing, and the frightened, tearful boy.
“Leon.”
Sir Leon, who’d been with Uncle, immediately stepped forward to handle the merchant and clear the area.
“Father, let’s get you—”
“Just take care of the kid!”
The Grand Duke stood abruptly. His broad shoulders heaved, and his body trembled faintly.
“I’m going back!”
The massive figure stormed off. I stood there, staring blankly at his retreating back.
“Uncle, I think the Grand Duke’s mad…”
A warm hand rested gently on my head.
“He’s not mad at you, so don’t worry. Are you alright?”
“Mm-hmm. Just got my clothes a bit dirty.”
“Let’s go. You said you had clothes on order.”
“Well, yes, but…”
My gaze kept drifting toward the spot where the Grand Duke had disappeared.
He hadn’t met my eyes.
“This damned body…”
As if he were a sinner.
My chest felt heavy.
