He even said I had been crying my eyes out.
Hearing this from Mr. Callet, my dad’s jaw stiffened.
It was the expression he made when he was holding back anger.
“Are you mad at Berry?”
“No. At myself.”
“Really? Cheer up! I even got pocket money from Grandfather!”
Trying to lighten the mood, I proudly held out my “loot” with both hands.
“Ta-da!”
It was a thousand-kona bill.
“…You received that as pocket money?”
“Yes!”
“…..……”
Dad and Mr. Callet’s eyes lost their sparkle.
They had the same look in their eyes as when I had just received pocket money from Grandfather.
“A thousand Kona…? The allowance I got from Count Travel is a thousand Kona…?”
“My goodness. You’re not even trying to hide your high standards anymore. Do you even know how terrifying money is? You should be grateful for even the smallest amount. Now that I think about it, you didn’t even say thank you.”
“…Thank you for giving me a thousand Kona…”
I was feeling down, unable to grasp the sheer amount of my allowance, when my grandfather suddenly made a surprising proposal.
“Do I gain a thousand Kona every time Grandfather puts his hand on my head? With no limit? Why?!”
“Your head is quite peculiar. When I rest my hand on it, my thoughts become clearer.”
So my head was actually some kind of brain booster for Grandfather?!
“Therefore, it’s only fair that I pay for it. If someone provides something useful, they should receive compensation. In any situation.”
“Ohhh…!”
Every time my grandfather placed his hand on my head, I would get a thousand kona.
It wasn’t just a one-time allowance—this was an ongoing source of income!
Now I wouldn’t have to worry about snacks anymore!
“I’ll save up money and buy snacks for Dad and Mr. Callet!”
I grinned widely while holding the thousand Kona bill.
My dad and Mr. Callet watched me in silence for a moment before both of them pressed their hands to their foreheads at the same time.
“Callet, take Berry to the Stone House.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Aren’t you coming too, Dad?”
“…I have some business to take care of.”
***
Rumors had already spread throughout Count Travel’s estate that I was being scolded by my grandfather for failing my test.
When I arrived back at the Stone House with Mr. Callet, Sherry and Anne were waiting for me outside the entrance.
Theon and Jeffrey were there as well.
“Miss, were you crying…?”
“No!”
“Berry, your eyes are red like a rabbit’s!”
“I-I’ll bring a cold towel!”
Seeing the traces of tears still on my face, Sherry, Jeffrey, and Anne were flustered.
Meanwhile, Theon remained calm as ever. As expected, a future Grand Master was different—
Clank.
Theon picked up the sword he had propped against the wall and strode forward with firm steps. As he passed by me, I quickly asked,
“Theon? Where are you going?”
“To find the person who made you cry.”
“There’s no such person.”
I had cried on my own, out of fear when my grandfather found out. That was the truth.
But Theon didn’t stop walking.
“There must be someone in the main house.”
“Why are you taking a sword?! M-Mr. Callet!”
Theon was already nearing the gate of the annex.
Hearing my cry for help, Mr. Callet stopped Theon.
“…………”
Theon looked up at him.
Mr. Callet whispered something to him, and the two of them locked eyes for a few seconds. Then, Theon nodded and obediently returned to the Stone House.
“You’re not going, right?”
“I decided to go next time.”
“Next time?”
What did he and Mr. Callet talk about?
“Why?”
“…….…”
Theon kept his mouth shut.
Still, this was much better than him storming into the main house with a sword.
I gave up on questioning him and instead relayed my dad’s message to Sherry.
“Dad said we should have something delicious today!”
“Of course! Do you have anything in mind?”
“The cream stew and meatballs we had last time!”
Hearing that, Sherry confidently replied,
“I’ll make them taste amazing.”
Since I had to eat dinner with Dad, I decided to take a bath first.
Soaking in the warm water, I could feel the tension from today melting away.
“Ahh, this feels nice.”
Anne, who was wetting my hair with water, chuckled and asked,
“Where did you learn to say things like that? That’s something adults say.”
“Really? Maybe I’m all grown up now!”
I lifted my right hand from the water and spread my fingers wide in front of me.
‘Am I bigger than I was a month ago?’
Then, a hand twice the size of mine gently touched mine in the air.
“That’s an adult’s hand.”
“You still have more growing to do. Your hand is smaller than Jeffrey’s.”
Anne playfully squeezed my hand before lowering it back into the water.
“Now, I’ll shampoo your hair. If the bubbles get in your eyes, it’ll sting, so make sure to keep them shut tight!”
“Hmm.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. Anne’s gentle massage felt so refreshing.
Grandfather said that touching my head helped him think better—was this what he meant?
As if my thoughts were flowing more smoothly, everything that had happened today replayed in my mind.
‘Who could it be? The person who killed the other me?’
I had never heard that voice before.
If it wasn’t memorable, I might have naturally forgotten it. But it was so chilling that it made me want to scream.
A voice that felt like tiny claws scratching directly against my eardrum.
‘Someone the other me had never met?’
If that were the case, there was no point in overthinking it now. I just needed to remember anyone with a distinctive voice from now on.
But first, I needed to enjoy this warm bath!
“This feels gooood…”
“Ah! You can’t open your eyes yet!”
“O-Okay!”
I tightly shut my eyes again.
***
By the time my hair was completely dry, Dad had returned to the Stone House.
“I’ll do it. You can go.”
“Master Reytan, you will?”
“It’s fine. Go ahead.”
“…Alright! Here’s a fresh towel!”
After Anne left, Dad picked up a soft towel and sat on the chair behind me.
Our eyes met through the vanity mirror, and he chuckled.
“Your hair’s already dry, Miss.”
“Oh my, Sir Reytan the Hairdresser has arrived.”
“Yes, how would you like your hair styled today? Any special requests?”
“The usual, please.”
It had been a while since Dad last did my hair, so I was excited.
I kicked my legs happily while sitting on the chair.
“That’s expensive. Five ‘I love you’s.”
“Oh? Then lend me your ear for a moment.”
Dad leaned his ear toward me.
I quickly covered my mouth with both hands to keep the words from escaping, then whispered into his ear.
I love you—five times.
Dad’s eyes crinkled with a smile.
“Paying in advance? What a generous customer. Berry, did you even take a breath?”
“Nope.”
Dad skillfully gathered my hair into a ponytail, leaving just the right amount of loose strands for a perfect style.
Then, he shared some great news.
“You won’t have to do extra assignments from Madam Freya anymore.”
“Really?! Is that why you stayed at the main house? Is it really okay?”
My eyes widened.
I had been struggling with the increasing amount of assignments, and now I didn’t have to do them anymore?
Dad nodded.
“I told them I’d take responsibility for teaching you anything you still need to learn. They agreed.”
“Wow…!”
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Dad patted my head and said,
“You must have really hated it.”
“It’s not that I hated it… It was just boring because I already knew everything.”
“The amount of work seemed quite a lot. You were doing that every day? I didn’t realize… I’m sorry.”
“Huh? Why are you apologizing, Dad?”
Madam Freya was the one who gave me the assignments.
Confused by his sudden apology, I got off the chair and stood in front of Dad.
He crouched down to meet my eye level.
“Berryberry, the reason I asked you to hide how talented you are was to protect you.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“So, if something like this happens again—if an unreasonable amount of studying is forced on you, or if any of the adults try to scold you—”
“And then?”
“Tell them you’ll report it to me.”
“Huh?”
Did he really think I was the kind of kid who tattled on people?
I thought he was joking, but Dad’s blue eyes were completely serious as he looked at me.
Oh? Wait a minute… This was…
“Dad, you feel really guilty, don’t you? Is it because Grandfather scolded me? Do you think it’s because you told me to hide how talented I am?”
“…Yeah.”
This was my chance.
Dad seemed to notice the sparkle in my eyes because his expression subtly changed.
“Then, as an apology, will you grant me any request?”
“Tell me what it is first.”
“But it’s an apology! If you say no, I’ll be sad.”
Dad let out a small sigh.
***
Investment is about knowing when to strike.
That was a quote from 101 Investment Strategies to Dominate the Market, one of Grandma Marshall’s prized books.
‘So that means now is the perfect time!’
Inside a moving carriage, I grinned as I gazed out the window at the passing scenery.
