Chapter 05: Is This a Parenting Story or Something?
At last, Ashel clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
“I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but let’s just play along for now. If I keep asking why, he’ll definitely get mad.”
Truthfully, Ashel still hadn’t quite figured out what Istin was aiming for. But he could at least guess that Istin wanted to pretend to be a servant.
And Istin, for his part, still wasn’t thrilled with Ashel.
“‘Servant’ again? Did he even understand what I meant properly?”
Had it been any guard other than Ashel, they might have quickly picked up on the act and played along more naturally.
Of all people, why did it have to be Ashel who found him first?
“Anyway, Sir Ashel, go inform the butler and the other guards that I’ve returned. Make sure you pass along everything you just ‘understood’ as well. Got it?”
“Yes, understood! But wait… who’s the young lady next to you?”
Just as he turned to leave with a firm nod, Ashel finally noticed the girl standing beside Istin.
She looked so scruffy, he almost mistook her for a beggar.
But her bright and carefree demeanor didn’t match that of a beggar at all.
“Oh! I’m Miela!”
The girl raised her hand high as she introduced herself, her brown eyes shining like polished chestnuts.
Honestly, Istin didn’t dislike the sparkle in her eyes. But he also had a strong premonition that if Miela kept talking, it might lead to some catastrophic misunderstanding in front of Ashel.
So before Miela could say more, Istin stepped forward and explained.
“Hoo… Actually, I went down to the village and ended up fainting.”
“You… you fainted?! Gasp!”
Ashel clapped his thick hand over his mouth in shock. If news of the young master’s unsanctioned outing and collapse were to reach the Duke he served…
Just the thought was terrifying!
“Frozen salary, vacation revoked, demotion…”
The future played out vividly in his mind, filled with reprimands and lost privileges.
“Yes. On that day, Miela looked after me. She even helped me back here. I’m extremely grateful to her.”
“Oh dear, you… no, our dear servant’s savior! I didn’t recognize your importance—please forgive me!”
With Istin’s explanation, Ashel’s attitude toward Miela changed dramatically. He now vaguely understood why Istin had chosen to play the role of a servant.
His lord had instructed them to ensure the young master’s identity remained hidden during his recuperation.
And now, seeing a girl easily three or four times smaller than him being bowed to so respectfully by a burly knight, Miela grew flustered.
“Ah, no! I’m not a savior or anything like that! I really didn’t do much. I just saw him collapsed, so I brought him inside the house and laid him down…”
Miela waved her hands frantically, but Istin gave her a wry smile.
“No need to be modest. Without your help, I might’ve died, you know.”
“…!”
Miela’s cheeks turned bright red, like a ripe strawberry, at Istin’s sincere gratitude.
“So she wears her heart on her sleeve. Interesting.”
Watching her, Istin found himself thinking:
“She’s kind of… cute.”
He wasn’t even aware that the thought had slipped in.
“Damn it, what the hell am I thinking?!”
The realization hit him a second later, and his face flushed red—just like Miela’s.
“Are you still feeling unwell? Your face seems flushed…”
Ever oblivious, Sir Ashel reached out to check on him.
Istin quickly turned his head away and tried to act nonchalant. But his stuttering betrayed him.
“I-it’s fine. A-anyway, I plan to reward Miela personally.”
“Ah, that’s why you brought her to the villa!”
“Well, that’s part of it.”
He thought Ashel was a complete idiot, but apparently the man had sharp instincts in the weirdest places.
Brushing it off, Istin grabbed the hand of the dazed Miela beside him.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“W-wait. Am I even allowed in a place like this? What if I get kicked out?”
Seeing her so flustered, Istin paused to think. How should he explain?
“It’s fine. The master already gave permission.”
Even with that vague answer, Miela hesitated at the doorway, fidgeting nervously.
“Um… by ‘master,’ you mean the person you serve, right, Titi?”
“Yeah. A young lord around my age. But he’s sick and can’t leave his room. You’ll never run into him. Ever.”
To nip any curiosity about the “fake young master” in the bud, Istin cut her off at the root.
But Miela’s concern wasn’t about the fake young master.
“Oh wow, a little kid like you taking care of a sick master? That’s incredible! Isn’t it hard?”
“…I’m not a little kid.”
Istin snapped back at her word choice. But Miela only shrugged as if she were stating plain facts.
“But you said you were seven, right? That makes you a kid.”
“By that logic, ten-year-olds are kids too.”
“Either way, I’m older than you. I worry, you know?”
“Hmph. No need to worry.”
His annoyance melted at the single word—worry.
Still, the words “I’m actually two years older than you!” hovered at the tip of his tongue.
Meanwhile, Sir Ashel, watching their childish argument from the side, tilted his head.
“That’s strange. Why is the young master acting like this?”
To be fair, today had been full of surprises.
Sure, he had to hide his identity, but playing a seven-year-old servant? Bringing a scruffy girl into the villa just because she helped him?
But the most shocking part was this: Istin, who usually avoided kids his age because he claimed they weren’t on his level, was now arguing and joking like one of them.
“I never thought I’d see something like this in my life…”
Out of nowhere, Ashel recalled the day he swore loyalty to Duke Valruar as a knight. The duke had seemed like a human fortress—flawless.
“Not a single flaw. Truly someone worthy of my loyalty.”
But sometimes he wondered—had the duke always been that perfect? Even as a teenager? Or only after becoming an adult?
That question was answered the moment he met the duke’s son, Istin.
“He’s the spitting image of His Grace. Of course the duke must’ve been mature even as a child.”
While other babies were giggling or wailing, young Lord Istin, as Valruar’s heir, had always been calm and composed.
To see that Istin now playing and arguing like a normal kid?
For Ashel, it was utterly mind-blowing.
“To think I’d witness this day…! Ahhh!”
Clutching his chest with emotion, Ashel’s eyes welled up as he fell into his own state of reverent awe.
“What are you babbling about, Sir Ashel?”
Istin frowned as if he’d just seen something he shouldn’t. Ashel broke into a cold sweat and scrambled to explain.
“Ah, it’s nothing! Just… I was suddenly overwhelmed with indescribable joy! Please, pay me no mind. Haha…”
“You’re so weird.”
Istin clicked his tongue and turned away. Meanwhile, having overheard their conversation, Miela began to think.
“Istin said he isn’t of high status, but… that feels like a lie.”
Her brown eyes swirled with thought as she tried to piece things together.
“Because that knight guy is super strong and impressive, but even he’s flustered in front of Istin.”
Miela, as it turned out, wasn’t so clueless after all. She had a decent amount of intuition.
Which led her to a rather… creative conclusion.
“That must be it! Being a servant must be, like, a super important and cool job!”
Surely there was a reason even the knight respectfully called Istin “sir servant.”
And so, the misunderstanding between Miela and Istin only deepened further.
