#.05
***
Had I known I’d meet all three male leads at once, I wouldn’t have begged to go out and play this morning out of boredom.
Even though our neighborhood is located in a bustling area, it’s not a place where male leads appear en masse like this.
“Something came up, so I arrived earlier than planned. But why are you two here in Trovancha so soon?”
“We came a few days early to do some sightseeing.”
“Oh, well, enjoy your meal, then.”
François Cassel, who was about to pass by coldly, noticed me staring at him with my mouth wide open.
“Hello, little lady.”
“…Hic!”
I am genuinely terrified of François Cassel.
In the original story, he not only imprisoned the heroine in a tower but also forced me, a captive brought to the empire, to serve as her maid in that same tower.
Worse, when the heroine refused to eat properly, he made me ingest a poison that would kill me painfully unless I took the antidote regularly.
He only gave me enough antidote for half a day when the heroine ate her meals.
The heroine, to save innocent me, had to force herself to eat while feeling nauseous.
“H-H-Hello.”
My shoulders shrank involuntarily.
I set down my fork and clung to my older sister’s hem, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
“Hello, nice to meet you.”
My older sister greeted François Castel warmly.
“You seem to know our youngest?”
“The youngest? So, you’re her sister? That means you’re related to Emilia Berchio?”
“Emilia is my twin sister. We don’t look alike, do we? I hear that often. Hohoho. But how do you know Liliana?”
“U-unnie…”
I tugged lightly at my older sister’s hem, signaling her to stop.
My sister, already slightly tense, hid her caution behind a polite smile.
François Cassel casually sat at our table.
Marius watched us with curiosity, and Leopold’s gaze was fixed on me.
“Didn’t Emilia tell you? She signed a contract with me regarding her youngest sibling’s health.”
“A contract? What kind of contract?”
“Well, it’s not something I can casually disclose.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll have to ask Emilia about it.”
Even though the conversation ended, François Cassel didn’t leave his seat.
Since he was alone, it seemed like he intended to join us.
Based on his original character, he wasn’t someone who took interest in others. Was it because the other male leads were here?
“So, how do you three know each other?”
“We know each other professionally.”
“I see. Youngest, hurry up and eat your meal.”
My older sister quickly handed me the fork, urging me to eat.
I glanced at François Cassel before forcing myself to start eating.
Although the children’s set meal was usually my favorite, my mouth felt dry due to the tension, and I had no appetite.
François Cassel watched me intently.
Noticing his gaze, my older sister spoke up.
“Our youngest is cute, isn’t she?”
“She’s adorable. When she grows up, she’ll make all the boys in the neighborhood cry.”
“That’s right…! When I grow up, I’ll become the strongest in the neighborhood and make everyone cry!”
At my words, Marius, who had been quietly eating, burst out laughing.
Although he covered his mouth with his hand, I found it disgusting and glared at him.
“Ew, uncle. Gross.”
“Pfft, strongest in the neighborhood? Little one, your fists are no bigger than beans.”
“They’re not bean fists!”
“They are bean fists.”
“No, they’re not! I’ll have hammer fists!”
Why does the emperor always tease me whenever he sees me?
Pouting, I glared at him, but Leopold interrupted.
“If you finish all your food, you’ll get hammer fists.”
At that, I hurriedly stuffed food into my mouth.
François Cassel smiled faintly as he watched me.
“What do you want to be when you grow up, little one?”
Ugh, calling me little one. I’m six years old, practically grown up.
“I want to be like my sister.”
“Which sister? The older one here?”
My older sister’s eyes sparkled. Her gaze was sharp and eager.
Of course, she’s kind, beautiful, confident, and strong, but for me, my eldest sister was always number one.
“Well… What about you, mister? What do you want to be?”
“I’m not a mister. They might be, but I’m an older brother to you.”
Drawing a line between himself and Marius and Leopold, François Castel twirled his pasta with a fork and continued.
“Your sister?”
“Regina. Regina Berchio.”
“Ms. Regina, make sure to talk to Emilia when you get home. Since it seems you’re the guardians, it might cause trouble if Emilia made decisions on her own.”
“Hm, all right, Mr. François.”
Something about my older sister’s smile seemed off.
Though it was as radiant as always, I, as her family, could tell she was furious.
‘Emilia’s doomed now…’
I focused so much on reading my older sister’s mood that I didn’t even realize whether the food went into my mouth or my nose.
***
“Ugh…”
When I opened my eyes, I was on Leopold’s back.
Thinking about how this happened, I recalled the events from a few hours ago.
After finishing our meal at the restaurant, François Cassel left for some work, and we went to a nearby beach.
I ran around on the sand, playing, and eventually sat next to Marius.
Marius was sipping grape juice, which looked incredibly delicious.
“Do you want some?”
“Yeah… I love grape juice too…”
“If you admit I’m better-looking than Leopold, I’ll give you a sip.”
“But that’s a lie… My sisters told me not to lie.”
I turned my head sharply, trying to look away from the tempting juice. My throat gulped involuntarily.
“Haha! Then I’ll just give you a sip.”
“No thanks. I don’t accept pity.”
Imitating my older sister, I raised my chin and huffed.
But the grape juice seemed to float above my head, teasing me.
“Haha! She called it pity!”
Marius was suppressing his laughter by covering his mouth.
In the distance, my older sister was strolling along the sandy beach with Leopold side by side.
The two looked truly well-matched.
My sister, with her characteristic sociability, was constantly chatting with Leopold.
The waves kept coming in and receding repeatedly.
Swoosh. The sound of the waves felt like a lullaby, and suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Let’s rest a little until my sister gets back.’
I flopped down on the sandy beach.
Though my sisters had told me not to lie down anywhere, the sand was so fine and soft that it felt incredibly comfortable.
That was my last memory.
‘Huh! I drooled!’
When I regained consciousness, I saw a round stain of drool on Leopold’s back.
I wanted to see what expression Leopold was making, but since I was being carried on his back, it was impossible to see.
Feeling guilty, I scrubbed the drool mark with my hand, but it only seemed to make the smell more noticeable.
‘What should I do? He wouldn’t get mad because it’s disgusting, would he?’
I pressed my sleeve firmly against his back, trying to absorb the drool into my clothes, but that didn’t work either.
‘Ugh, what now? He’s not François Cassel, so surely Leopold won’t get angry, right?’
As I racked my brain, Leopold slightly turned his head and spoke to me.
“Are you bored?”
“Huh?”
It seemed like he thought I was pressing his back repeatedly to play a prank.
“Our youngest is awake. Mr. Leopold, you can put Liliana down now; it must be tiring.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“She must be heavy.”
“Not at all; she’s so light it’s worrying. I have a cousin around her age, and their weights are completely different.”
“Sorry, sir.”
Unable to ignore the drool mark spreading on his back, I confessed and apologized.
“For what?”
Wait, does he not know I drooled? In that case, it’s better to just act like nothing happened, right?
“Oh, nothing. Never mind.”
When I tried to stifle my laughter, I heard a faint chuckle from beside me.
I quickly turned my head to see Marius wearing an expression that said he knew everything.
Ugh. Even the emperor doesn’t miss anything.
Feeling exposed, I buried my face into Leopold’s back just as my older sister’s voice rang out.
“We’re here. From here on, we’ll walk the rest of the way ourselves.”
“I’ll escort you to the front of your house.”
“No, it’s fine. Since it’s a house where only women live, my sisters and I would feel uncomfortable if you come too close.”
“Ah, I see. I wasn’t considerate enough.”
Leopold put me down.
Having been so high up that I could see my sister’s head clearly, suddenly being back on the ground felt strange.
The air up there had been so refreshing…
“So… Miss Regina, could you perhaps guide me again another day?”
Leopold, uncharacteristically tense, made the request, while Marius let out a sharp whistle from beside him.
At that, Leopold’s neck turned even redder.
Realizing that Marius was teasing him, I subtly stepped on his foot.
Though I applied some weight, it didn’t seem to hurt him at all.
Instead of showing any sign of pain, he simply used his large hand to ruffle my hair into a mess.
“Stop it!”
“Stop it.”
“Don’t mimic me!”
“Don’t mimic me.”
“You…!”
Frustrated, I decided to leave Leopold and my sister to their conversation and lunged to grab Marius’s hand to bite it.
But Marius easily caught my hand and effortlessly lifted me off the ground.
My feet dangled like I was hanging from a pull-up bar.
“Put me down!”
I twisted my body in fear of my feet being off the ground, but Marius didn’t let go.
This is really… am I just being completely made fun of here?
“Sir! You’re so annoying!”
“Who’s the most handsome?”
“Not you! You’re a goat-pig!”
“There’s no such thing as a goat-pig.”
“You’re a lizard!”
“Do you even know what a lizard is?”
“Of course, I do! Do you think I wouldn’t?”
“Wow, not bad for a little kid.”
“I’m not a little kid!”
“Anyone who denies being a little kid is definitely a little kid.”
“I… I… waaaah!”
Unable to hold back my frustration, I burst into tears.
Oh, come on. This is so unfair! I’m so upset!
“…Ah, the youngest is crying. I’d better go. Let’s meet again in three days at 2 PM at the café from today.”
My unnie quickly wrapped up the situation and took me, still crying, back home.
She kept trying to console me.
But as soon as my anger subsided, the irritation of having lost to such a childish Marius rose again, and I ended up crying all over.
It was truly a day when nothing seemed to go my way.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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