Kiverin was already awake, but he kept holding my hand until I woke up.
Mera informed me that the high priests had been visiting since dawn.
Apparently, they spent two whole hours begging to be let in.
“They even said, ‘Let’s see if you’ll slam the door in His Holiness’s face when he arrives.’ How rude. And to come at the busiest time of the morning on purpose.”
Mera fumed with frustration.
“They must’ve thought we’d just keep acting all submissive. Not a chance. I really hate the temple. They may be ignoring the Duke’s family now, but they’ll get what’s coming to them.”
“……”
Finally, Mera clenched her fists.
We both knew why the temple felt they could disregard the Duke’s household.
“Hmph! No matter what the temple tries, our young lord will grow up healthy!”
I wholeheartedly agree with that!
Despite the earlier commotion, the afternoon was rather relaxing.
While Kiverin was in class, I enjoyed some tea time with Rose in the garden.
Rose, who seemed to have fully embraced the role of a lazy nanny, sprawled out on the grass.
I was switching between spreading jam and cream on my scone when Rose suddenly screamed and shot up.
“Ahhh!”
“W-What happened?!”
A monster? One of those that feed on humans?
Rose’s face had turned pale.
He pointed at a spot with a horrified expression.
“T-There! A bug!”
“……”
… Are you kidding me?
“There’s a bug! We need to run!”
What the hell is he on about?
I grabbed the bug and tossed it away.
From behind me, Rose cautiously asked, “Is it gone?”
“You’ve made monsters disappear, so why are you scared of a bug?”
“They’re gross!”
Honestly, a non-human creature clinging to a ten-year-old because of a bug is far more disturbing.
When I narrowed my eyes at him, Rose flinched.
“Ahem, you’re more impressive than I thought.”
As if he wasn’t embarrassed…
I sat back down at the table.
Rose’s jaw dropped.
“Are you seriously going to eat with the hand that just touched a bug? Go disinfect it right now!”
“……”
I don’t like him…
Instead of finishing my scone, I leaned back into the chair.
“Any of the other servants could’ve caught the bug, so what’s the big deal?”
I mean, I grew up in an eco-friendly environment full of spiders and centipedes, so…
Rose pouted.
“How would I know what the other servants do? I don’t even talk to them.”
Huh?
“You’re not close with them? They all seem to think highly of you.”
“Well, yeah. That’s because I used a charm to make them feel friendly toward me. It also helps them feel less scared of the young lord.”
“A charm?”
“Just so you know, it has no side effects, and it’s not brainwashing or anything. It’s just a way for someone like me to blend in among humans without standing out.”
What a strange creature he is.
One minute, he’s telling me to get lost, and the next, he’s practically confessing that he’s not human.
Maybe it’s because I’m ten, so he’s letting his guard down?
Or does he actually want me to be scared?
Wow, no shame at all.
My guess was spot on. Rose was studying my face closely.
“So, you’re not afraid of me? Even though I said I used a charm, you’re not really reacting. Is it because I left the Duke and Duchess out of it? That was just me being nice.”
“Okay. You’re scary.”
“If you’re scared, why does your face look like that?”
I responded with a deadpan expression.
“This is just how I look when I’m scared. By the way, you’re not human, right?”
“…H-How did you know?”
“……”
I bit my lip to keep from sighing.
—So you’re not human, which is why monsters don’t target you?
—Well…
He gave me all the hints himself!
“How did you figure it out?”
I replied in the flattest tone possible.
“Humans can’t do the things you can. They can’t make monsters disappear or use charms.”
Rose nodded immediately.
“Oh, that’s true. I am pretty amazing.”
“……”
Wow, I almost laughed out loud.
I had way too high expectations for non-human creatures.
Rose is just… not human, and that’s it.
I’m betting that charm he cast on the Duke’s staff doesn’t even last long…
Completely unaware of my thoughts, Rose flashed a grin.
“Don’t worry. I still want you out of the Duke’s house, but I won’t kill you, so relax.”
“Uh, I wasn’t exactly worried about that…”
Rose patted my head.
“Of course, I’d appreciate it if you kept my secret. It’s a pain to cast the charm again.”
I swatted his hand away like shooing a fly.
“I’ll keep your secret. So, did you use that charm to disguise your gender too?”
Rose gave me a confused look.
“Disguise my gender? Since the day I became the young lord’s nanny, I’ve always appeared as a human female.”
What?
I rubbed my eyes.
Standing in front of me was still a muscular, handsome blond man who looked like a Greek statue.
Wait, wait. So it’s really just my eyes that are the problem?
“I mean, I don’t have a gender, so it doesn’t matter anyway. But why the sudden question about my gender? How do I look to you?”
“……”
“Go on, tell me.”
Rose’s gaze turned sharp.
It was a completely different vibe from when he pressed me about not being human.
His normally flowing golden hair suddenly crackled with static.
“Well, um…”
“Answer me properly. There’s no way, but… could it be, I…”
Desperate for help, I frantically scanned the area.
Just then, Kiverin appeared in my line of sight, walking toward us.
“Young Lord!”
Saved!
I almost jumped into Kiverin’s arms.
Kiverin, who caught me, spoke in a slightly bewildered voice.
“Uh, all of today’s lessons are over. It’s… getting colder, so we’ve decided to pause sword training for a while.”
“…Sword training?”
I tilted my head, confused, even though I had already checked Kiverin’s schedule.
It only said ‘training,’ so I thought it was just some light exercise.
“Well… my father *is* a swordmaster…”
While glancing at Rose, I reached out and touched Kiverin’s hand.
“But your fingers are so soft…”
His hands were long and beautiful, with no calluses at all—just some burn scars.
Hmph.
Rose, who is supposed to be a supernatural being, can’t even catch a bug or heal a burn? And he had the nerve to try and scare me?
Almost as if he could hear my thoughts, Rose crossed his arms.
“You’re giving me a very suspicious look, you know that?”
“……”
I avoided Rose’s gaze.
I should probably keep a low profile for the next few days.
—
That evening, I sneaked into the artifact storage room while Kiverin wasn’t looking.
Emil was on duty today.
“Hello, Emil.”
“Good evening, young lady. What brings you here today?”
I asked, just to be sure.
“I wanted to ask you something. Is it difficult to heal wounds with magic?”
Emil gave the expected answer.
“Well, magic can help with recovery to some extent, but it’s not as effective as receiving treatment from a priest.”
“……”
As I thought.
*Sigh.*
I let out a deep sigh, and Emil glanced me up and down.
“Are you injured?”
“It’s not me, it’s the young lord. I was looking for a way to heal the burn on his hand.”
Even though it wasn’t his fault, Emil looked apologetic.
“Ah, I’ve offered to help him a few times, but he’s always refused. I wouldn’t mind using my magic on our future master, not one bit.”
Why did Kiverin refuse?
I thought for a moment, then took out the bandage I’d packed in my bag.
“Could you infuse this with magic for me? I’ll try persuading him.”
“That would be wonderful for me.”
While Emil was imbuing the bandage with magic, I brought up a second concern.
“Hey, Emil.”
He smiled kindly.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Such a kind wizard.
I double-checked the locked door to make sure Rose couldn’t overhear, then lowered my voice.
“Have you ever seen something that other people couldn’t see? Like, if something looked like strawberries to others, but only you saw grapes…?”
Emil shrugged casually.
“Well, if I did see something like that, I’d probably hypnotize myself and say, ‘No, that’s a strawberry.’ In the dark city, loose-tongued people ended up with their heads rolling around like kids’ toys, you know.”
“……”
What do you mean, heads rolling around…?
I was left speechless, my mouth hanging open.
“But does the young lady have any reason to hide it like I would? You could just tell the lady of the house, right?”
“Tell my mother?”
That was an unexpected response.
Emil raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding my surprise.
“I’m sure the lady of the house is mindful of even the smallest thing you eat. I’m holed up in my little room, and even I know how she rejected the head chef’s meal plans for you so many times that it could fill a whole book. Before this expedition, she gave very specific instructions, too.”
“……”
“And if it’s too hard to talk to her, there’s always the young lord. He’d be thrilled if you confided in him. He’s always praising you, you know.”
I slowly processed Emil’s words.
Right. There’s no reason for me to struggle with this alone.
