Episode 10
“Ah… Actually, the thing is…”
Just as I was pondering how to come up with an excuse, the secretary stepped forward with a businesslike smile.
“You must be an acquaintance of Alec Valt, correct? I came at the request of a relative of his. I work for the Duke of Wintervalt.”
“D-Duke of Wintervalt?”
“Yes. Just in case something happens to Alec Valt, his relatives have arranged to take care of the children, so I’m here to take them.”
“R-Relatives? But Alec said he was a complete orphan with no parents or siblings. Who exactly are these relatives?”
At the mention of him having no parents or siblings, the secretary gave a loud cough.
“It’s difficult to give specific details… but you just need to know that it’s someone who works for the Duke of Wintervalt.”
“Someone who works for… the Duke?”
Mrs. Masha furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of the conversation.
I had a good guess as to what she was thinking. She probably considered Alec’s relative to be a mere servant of the mansion.
‘Well, technically, the duke is also someone who works in the ducal household, so it’s not entirely wrong.’
“But why didn’t they come themselves and send a secretary like you…?”
“They’re extremely busy and asked me to come on their behalf. We’re quite… close, as fellow workers.”
That last sentence was uttered with visible difficulty, as if the speaker was breaking out in hives.
“Ah, so it’s the gardener!”
Mrs. Masha clapped her hands together.
“Right! Gardeners are always busiest this time of year.”
“Hahaha…”
I turned to Mrs. Masha.
“Auntie, what he’s saying is true. I actually learned from my father that we have relatives. So, Theo and I will go to their home.”
“Lirin…”
Tears welled up in Mrs. Masha’s eyes once again.
She had been raising two children all by herself while taking care of her ill husband.
Even as we left the temple, she promised to buy new socks and shoes for Theo and me.
In the empire, it was customary to give socks or shoes as a gift when adopting children, symbolizing the act of nurturing their wounded, bare feet with love and warmth.
‘For her to say she’ll take us in without hesitation—it’s so touching.’
I embraced her in a long, deep hug.
“I’m so happy you said you’d buy us shoes. Thank you for everything, Mrs. Masha!”
Of course, there was something I couldn’t tell her.
‘I’ll return to Green Gables soon with my resurrected father! That’s why I brought the appearance-changing magic tool!’
With that in mind, it didn’t feel like a permanent farewell, so I didn’t shed any tears.
***
Inside the Winterbalt Ducal Mansion, in the study.
Kalec felt an intense gaze on him.
“……”
“……”
He ignored it.
But the gaze persisted.
In fact, there were two.
“……”
He tried to ignore it again, but…
Thud.
He finally set down the documents he had been pretending to read. In truth, he hadn’t taken in a single word.
“What do you want?”
He spoke irritably toward the two heads peeking through the gap in the office door.
“Um…”
A head with fluffy pink hair tilted slightly in confusion.
“When did you say we could come in?”
A sparrow-like voice, which had no place in this ducal mansion, tickled his ears.
“-Sir?”
Lirin quickly switched to a polite tone, grinning bashfully.
He had heard that Ruska had brought the child. He had even seen the carriage arrive.
He had intended to delay the meeting, since he had work to do. But apparently, she couldn’t hold back and had come all the way to his office.
Glancing over, he noticed she had brought her accomplice along.
A round, plump little bundle was staring blankly at him. Kalec, picking up the papers again, spoke coldly.
“If you brought the ring, come in. If not, leave.”
“Yay! Daddy!”
The door swung open wide.
Behind the child who came rushing in, the attendants were pale with fear.
Their faces practically screamed, ‘We’re dead.’ After all, no one dared to enter the lord’s office like this.
‘Just look.’
Even full-grown adults were afraid of him.
And this tiny thing that barely reached his waist was the bravest?
“I missed you!”
“Didn’t I say to come in if you had the ring? Why are you here without it?”
“Huh…? All I heard was to come in.”
“Now you’re openly lying.”
The child’s back was empty.
He had heard that, upon arriving at the mansion, she had immediately asked for a personal storage box with a lock. She was as meticulous as they come.
“Heh.”
Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle.
The piercing green eyes, clear as polished glass, were staring right at him.
Kalec felt a faint headache from an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
‘How is she recovering so quickly?’
It wasn’t long ago that she was sobbing her heart out at the temple.
If he hadn’t been spying, he would have never known that she cried so sorrowfully.
Are kids normally like this?
“……”
With no other choice, he moved to the sofa set up in one corner of the office and sat down.
Lirin naturally moved to sit beside Kalec, but then she realized something and instead moved to sit across from him. She even carefully seated her younger sibling, as small as a bean, next to her.
“Kid, what do you want from me?”
Kalec asked, his voice sounding unusually weary.
“I just want to help you find your memories of Father.”
“And what exactly do you gain from that?”
“There’s no gain. It’s just something I wish for…”
Her lips, which had been slightly protruding, mumbled quietly.
“Is it strange to wish for a sick family member to get better?”
“……”
Kalec was strangely at a loss for words for a moment.
The child was wearing an old navy blue dress. Her shoes and bag didn’t seem to be in great condition either.
Moreover, her pink hair, though tied up somehow, was still a mess. It looked like the type that would easily get tangled, with fine strands and a naturally unruly texture.
It would certainly require some skilled hands to manage that hair.
‘Was I… incompetent?’
How could I have let her wear such rags?
Dirty shoes.
Dirty clothes.
Dirty hair.
‘If I was going to buy her something, couldn’t I have gotten something a little more luxurious? Was I that stingy at 22?’
The Kalec of 27, who had no idea that this was the best dress available in the village of Lepi, spat on his own face.
“All I want is to live with Father again. Like before.”
And yet, how odd.
The little one claimed she missed that shabby life. It was a strange feeling.
“Besides, I’m pretty useful! I’m really strong and capable, so I can do anything!”
“Like a piece of candy would be useful.”
Kalec muttered, and Lirin snapped back sharply, “It’s not candy!”
He leaned back lazily into the sofa and then suddenly gave a cold smile.
“So, what abilities do you claim to have? What… are you proposing to become my personal maid?”
It was a sarcastic comment, and he meant it. He didn’t care if she burst into tears.
“Wow, I can really be your personal maid…?”
But she didn’t take it that way.
Her eyes sparkled, shining as if she couldn’t be more thrilled.
‘What is this?’
I, Kalec Wintervalt, have never lost a verbal battle in my life.
Yet, for some reason, I keep feeling like I’m losing in front of this kid.
‘Well… maybe as Mother said, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep her by my side for a while.’
Just a short while ago, Eliza had sought Kalec out and said:
“Kalec, think about it carefully. Would you have raised that child in the mountains for no reason?”*l
“What do you mean by that?”
“Five years ago, you were desperate to revive the divine tree of this ducal house… the sacred tree.”
The sacred tree protected by the four ducal houses of the empire.
Yes.
The head of Wintervalt had the duty to protect that tree.
But for the past few years, the tree of Wintervalt had been withering.
This was closely tied to the fate of the family, so Kalec had been searching tirelessly for a solution.
“So, are you saying I raised that child… to use her for the benefit of the Wintervalt house? Out of necessity?”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
