As I stood there, stunned and surprised, a child approached me and said, “Sorry. I meant to throw it that way, but it ended up over here. I guess a stone accidentally got mixed in while I was packing the snow.”
However, the expression on the child’s face was not apologetic at all. Instead, they were smiling with their lips crookedly turned up.
Moreover, that child wasn’t even on the opposing team. They were one of my teammates who had deliberately thrown snow at me, and with a stone mixed in.
“You won’t break the oath we made earlier, did you?”
The other children also came close to me.
“You swore in the name of your family and the Grand Duke, right?”
As I continued to blink in confusion, the children seemed to think they had completely won, and one by one, they began to leave, brushing off their hands. The tall child was the last to leave and said to me, “Just so you know, we have no intention of serving you as the Grand Duke.”
Ah, that was the reason.
It was then that I realized where the malice the kids had shown me had begun.
I covered the wound on my forehead and returned to my room. Looking in the mirror, I saw that my forehead was slightly torn, but it wasn’t a severe injury. The bleeding had stopped at some point, so I just dampened a handkerchief to wipe it away.
If I left it like this, it would heal on its own. Plus, if I covered it with my hair, it wouldn’t be visible.
I gripped the handkerchief in my hand and slumped down onto a chair. It soon dawned on me that I was in shock.
Yeah, I’m pretty shocked right now. But why am I shocked? It’s not like I’ve never met strange kids like that before.
It seems that this is the first time I’ve encountered such insidious malice.
With Ledo, he attacked me just because I was there, rather than out of malice. And in the case of the prince, he openly expressed his negative feelings towards me first. So there was no reason to be hurt. I also had no intention of getting close to them in the first place.
But this time is different. I approached those kids with goodwill, but they harbored ill intentions towards me. They didn’t want to serve me as the Grand Duke. I don’t know what the issue is between my mother’s status and my gender, but anyway, those kids really dislike me.
Yeah, if I am disliked by someone, there’s nothing I can do about it. It can’t be helped.
I let out a shallow sigh. In about a week, the wound would heal to some extent. Even if it was just a playful oath, I didn’t want to inform my parents about this.
After briefly putting away the blood-stained handkerchief, I gritted my teeth and held it tightly.
It’s true that you can’t help it if people dislike you. But I couldn’t forgive those brats for hurting others just for that reason.
‘Next time, you should bring your opponent down in a graceful manner.’
Suddenly, my dad’s words came to mind.
Yes, just as Dad said, I won’t resort to hitting them this time. I don’t know if this is truly a graceful method, but I will teach those kids without laying a finger on them.
Hey kids, I said I wouldn’t tell Dad, but I never said I wouldn’t do anything.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The next morning, I placed a stone the size of my fist on the dining table. Unlike last night, I ate alone for breakfast, so the only people who could see the stone were the servants.
As the maidservants attended to my meal, one of them cautiously approached after gauging my mood and said, “I apologize. My lady, would you like me to move the stone elsewhere while you eat?”
Since I had been waiting for that question, I smiled and replied, “No, it’s a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yeah, I received a gift from my friends yesterday. So I’m planning to return the favor in kind.”
I gently stroked the stone with my small hand.
“From today on, I’m going to carry this stone with me every day. I’ll even hold it close to my heart while I sleep. And I’m going to hit the very first friend I meet on the head with this stone. It’s only fair that way.”
Thud!
The servant standing next to me dropped the napkin he was holding.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
After apologizing several times, he hurriedly replaced it with a new napkin. She then glanced at me as if she were looking at a crazy person.
Well, I don’t care. I was planning to slowly reveal my true colors anyway.
As I looked around at the maidservants, all of whom were clearly flustered like her, I pointed to one with braided hair.
“You!”
“Me?!”
She was so surprised by my sudden call that she nearly fainted.
“W-What is it…?”
Cecile was a maid who always wore her hair in braids in the original story. Aside from being very talkative, she didn’t have a particularly bad personality.
“You can take the day off today.”
“…Huh?”
“You look really tired. Work is hard, right? I’ll allow you to rest today.”
If I just let Cecile go free, it wouldn’t take long for news of my words to reach the children through the other servants.
“T-Thank you! Milady!”
Cecile was overjoyed by the unexpected day off. Meanwhile, the other maidservants looked at her with eyes full of envy.
I could easily predict the children’s reactions upon hearing the rumors. First, they would be surprised and try to avoid me at all costs. The psychological difference between everyone being a target and just one person being a target is immense. In this case, they would hope to avoid being caught themselves.
But how long can you all avoid me?
For now, it was important to make them come to me willingly. That way, I would have the upper hand.
I lifted the corners of my lips and smiled quietly.
If you thought I would be intimidated by your joint attack, you’re mistaken, little ones. It would be better for you to apologize and seek my forgiveness as soon as possible.
The reason I was going this far was simple. If I couldn’t subdue them now while they were still children, it would be even more impossible later when they became adults.
If that happens, I’ll have to let go of the position of Grand Duke. How could someone who can’t even control a subordinate stand in such a place?
“Clear all the plates. And Anna, stay.”
After finishing the meal, I said while wiping my mouth with a napkin. I smiled at Anna, who had a look of apprehension on her face.
“Could you show me around the Grand Duke’s residence? I haven’t had the chance to see it yet.”
At that, Anna relaxed her tense expression and let out a sigh of relief.
“Yes, milady!”
With Anna as my guide, I explored various parts of the castle: the reception room, the small library, and the room my mother used.
Even though it had been six years since my mother left this place, I was told that the room remained just as it was. My father had specifically ordered that nothing be touched.
I stood for a long time in that small but cozy room. I could almost see my mother waiting there, trapped in that small space for my father to return. It made me feel a bit melancholic.
You must have felt so lonely. In a place like this, among people like these. All alone, without anyone to rely on.
As I lingered in my mother’s room, Anna began to look anxious.
“Milady, there are many other places to see. Would you like to visit somewhere else?”
“Yeah, okay.”
I followed Anna’s urging without further comment and stepped outside. Yes, I had many things to do today.
“I want to see Dad’s room and Grandma’s room too.”
“That’s not allowed, milady.”
“Why not?”
When I asked the innocent question with a very childlike expression, Anna seemed to relax a bit and smile.
“That’s because there are very important things there. Not just anyone can enter.”
“Then how can I get in there?”
“Well, you would need to ask His Grace the Grand Duke or Countess Portman.”
“Is there no other way? Can’t Anna go into Grandma’s room?”
“I can only go in when I’m cleaning.”
“Aha, so Anna cleans Grandma’s room? That’s impressive!”
A proud smile briefly appeared on Anna’s face.
“Yes, it’s something the countess doesn’t entrust to just anyone, but she entrusted it to me. She trusts me.”
“That’s great.”
“Really?”
I smiled brightly.
“No, it’s nothing.”
I pointed to the garden outside.
“Anna, let’s go see the garden!”
I pulled Anna’s hand. As Anna skipped along with me, the passing maids chuckled softly and shouted,
“Lady, be careful not to trip!”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
I led Anna to a large oak tree. There, Anna took a moment to catch her breath.
“Milady, there’s nothing here…”
“But look at this magnificent tree!”
I patted the trunk of the oak tree with my hand.
“Is there another tree like this one?”
“No, there’s only this oak tree.”
“Then this must be the spot!”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Anna tilted her head in confusion. I smiled innocently and said,
“I mean the place where you secretly buried it.”
“…Huh?”
Anna looked as if she had heard something strange. No, she had heard it correctly, but her expression showed that she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“You buried it here after stealing it. My mom’s bracelet.”
