Chapter 31 Children’s Society (2)
“Princess Lysianthus?”
Cassis looked surprised for the first time after hearing Derek’s words. The beautiful blue irises sparkled like glass beads.
‘Huh.’
Derek, who noticed that his younger brother was interested, instantly became proud. The boy continued to speak proudly, sticking out his bulging belly.
“Yeah! It’s totally awesome, right?”
“That’s right.”
Cassis obediently agreed.
Among the three boys of the Marquis, the Duke of Lysianthus was quite an interesting subject. It was because of his mother, Hazel.
Cassis recalled the day when her mother and brothers were huddled together and fell asleep.
“Mom, Mom. I can’t sleep. Can you tell me a funny story?”
“Brother Alan, be quiet. If you don’t, the sleepiness you were feeling will disappear.”
“Huh! How can it disappear when I can’t sleep in the first place? Cassis, you’re an idiot?”
“I guess you’re an idiot.”
The Marchioness sighed at the quarrel between the second and third.
She had no choice but to start talking.
“Then, I’ll tell you about the most interesting person Mom has ever met in her life.”
“Wow! Who is it?”
“Duchess Lysianthus.”
“Ohh!”
Even to the children of the Marquis, the story of the only Duke in the kingdom was quite interesting.
She told her sons about how the Duchess decorated the debutante banquet hall with star candy before she got married. How fantastic and beautiful it was.
Derek grabbed his mother’s finger with a flushed face.
“Does she have a child?”
“… Yes.”
“Now?”
“She doesn’t have one now. She’s dead.”
The Marchioness light brown eyes were filled with sadness. Cassis, who saw the scene from the front, was shocked.
It was rare for his mother, who was always noble, to express her sorrow so openly.
“As you know, the Duke Lysianthus has no successor right now.”
Cassis carefully asked, examining his mother’s face.
“What would have happened if the Duchess’ child had lived?”
“She would have been the only princess of the Dukedom.”
“Princess!”
The word princess sounded cool, so Alan clenched his chubby fists and shouted.
“I want to be a princess too!”
“Alan, you idiot. How can you be a princess when you’re a man?”
“Why? I want to be a princess too!”
“Then you’re going to wear a dress with lots of lace like a girl? Then I won’t play with you anymore.”
“You’re so mean!”
Alan puffed out his cheeks, then stuck out his red tongue with a mischievous expression.
“Eat this!”
“Alan, you…!”
“Enough, both of you.”
The Marchioness gave a stern order to her sons’ childish fight.
“It’s time to go to bed. If you fight any longer, I’ll send you back to your rooms.”
“Tsk.”
“Huh.”
Derek and Alan glared at each other and turned around.
However, both boys wanted to sleep with their mother today.
After that, the boys who had been squirming with their eyes closed fell into deep sleep one by one, and the story of that day seemed to die down.
However, since that day, the story of the ‘Little Princess Who Might Have Been Alive’ that the Marchioness had told them often became a topic of conversation among the three boys.
This was because all of the boys had met the Duke of Lysianthus.
A big, scary-looking man.
The ruler of the South.
The only Duke of the kingdom.
“The Duke’s daughter, I’m so curious.”
Derek said to Cassis, who was lost in thought.
Cassis frowned, interrupted by his recollection. He ran a hand through his soft silver hair and retorted.
“But my mother said the princess was dead, so it’s odd that she’s suddenly showing up.”
“Why? Maybe she wasn’t one.”
“That’s…”
Cassis was about to say that it was still strange, but she soon realized that Derek had a point.
Didn’t the Marquis Hyacinth have three sons? It wouldn’t have been strange if the Duke had another daughter.
Derek’s brown eyes sparkled.
“What would she look like?”
“I don’t know.”
Cassis said in a blunt tone. He added.
“If she resembles the Duke, she must be much taller and scarier than us.”
“Wow…”
Derek opened his mouth as if to let his imagination run wild, following Cassis’ words.
“A girl who resembles the Duke…. Hmm… She might be scary….”
The image of the little princess appeared in Derek’s mind.
Pitch-black hair. Blood-red irises.
A much larger body than her peers and a fierce impression. Even a blunt personality.
“Ugh?”
Wait, wait, this is too scary.
Derek shuddered.
Cassis looked at his brother with pitiful eyes and asked.
“How old is she?”
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know anything?”
“What? How dare you say that to your brother!”
“You’re only three years older than him anyway.”
Cassis snickered.
Derek couldn’t help but pull at his annoying younger brother’s cheek.
“Wha ar you doing? This is it. (What are you doing? Let go of this.)”
“Mom says that the older brother originally had a purpose to educate his younger brother.”
“It’s no purpos, it duty. Ar yo idiot? (It’s not purpose, it’s duty. Are you an idiot brother?)”
Cassis waved his short arms in annoyance after saying that.
However, for children under the age of ten, even a one-year age gap is very big.
No matter how hard Cassis tried, he couldn’t keep up with the strength of ten-year-old Derek.
“Eeee! (Let go of this!)”
“Haha.”
“Ah, really! Yu! (Oh, really! You!)”
The one who saved Cassis from the bullying was the Marquis’ maid who was passing through the hallway carrying a bunch of blankets.
“Oh my, Master Derek!”
“Huh.. Anna!”
Derek, who had been teasing Cassis, let go with a stinging expression. Cassis rubbed his flushed cheek nervously.
“Master, you’re teasing Master Cassis again?”
“Oh, teasing? I was just playing with my little brother who looked bored.”
“He’s lying, Anna.”
Cassis quickly interjected.
“Look at my cheek. My brother pinched it and it turned out like this.”
“Oh my.”
Anna was surprised and ran to Cassis.
“Oh my. I guess he pinched it hard. It’s really red.”
“Right? So tell my brother to go to his room quickly.”
“What? I don’t like it! It’s so boring to be alone in the room!”
Derek shouted with a frustrated face.
But Anna smiled and knelt in front of Derek.
“Master Derek.”
“Uh, yeah?”
He could feel the pressure from her smiling face.
Derek sweated profusely.
“The Marchioness told me not to let you go out! Come back to the room with me. Okay?”
“Can’t I, can’t I just stay here?”
“No.”
“Ugh…”
In the end, Derek was held by Anna’s hand and trudged back to his room.
Even as he walked, he kept looking at Cassis, feeling very foolish.
Cassis picked up the book he was reading with a relieved expression.
“It’s a little quiet now.”
Tuk.
The bookshelf flipped over.
Cassis, who had been quietly closing the door and fiddling with the paper, suddenly looked out the window and muttered.
“I wonder what she looks like…”
He pretended not to care much in front of Derek, but he couldn’t help it.
* * *
A carriage with the Duke Lysianthus symbol glided to a stop in front of the Marquis.
Because of the social gathering, carriages of various families were lined up in front of the Marquis of Hyacinth, but the symbol of the Duke’s family stood out.
“I’ll help you get out, Lady Hilton.”
“Oh, thank you.”
A knight guarding the Marquis’ door extended his hand.
A long, white hand stretched out from the carriage. Next was a blond man with swaying hair.
“Thank you.”
“It was just something I had to do.”
The middle-aged knight looked pleased at the polite greeting of the noble lady.
“Bonita, come this way.”
“Yes.”
A small voice was heard from inside the carriage. The knight’s eyes widened as he looked at Aria.
“Shit.”
Oh my.
The knight instinctively covered his mouth when he saw Bonita in Aria’s arms.
Bonita’s round and gentle eyes blinked. The little girl, who looked like a baby rabbit, stared at him intently and then said.
“Hello, sir.”
“Ah, ah. Hello, lady.”
Thanks to that, the knight answered half a beat late. It was because he was somewhat taken aback.
But… But!
‘She’s so cute!’
The knight, who was also a father, liked children from the beginning. Especially when she reminded him of his ten-year-old daughter at home.
He smiled broadly and waved at Bonita.
“I hope you have fun today, little lady.”
“… Yes!”
She’s cute!
The little girl replied with a giggle.
The knight took the noblewoman’s hand and followed Bonita with wistful eyes as she walked away.
But the knight didn’t know.
What was the little girl he was looking at with happy eyes saying right now?
“Mom.”
“Huh?”
“That old man seems to be in a good mood.”
“Yes. Why do you think Bonita?”
Aria asked with anticipation.
Cute answers that a child would give came to mind.
Like he got candy, or he likes children, or any other cute and adorable answers.
But Bonita gave an answer that was completely different from what Aria had expected.
“I guess he get extra pay.”
“… Huh?”
Uh, huh?
Aria’s brain stopped.
She blinked in embarrassment, and Bonita said with a serious face.
“Mom was always very happy when you got an extra allowance. You would buy meat every time. So I like extra allowance.”
“That’s, I see.”
Aria answered in a subtle tone.
The corners of her lips twitched awkwardly.
It was fortunate that Bonita couldn’t see her expression.
“Does Mom like extra pay, too?”
However, Aria thought with a blank expression at the direct hit that followed.
‘I should be careful what I say in front of Bonita.’
Children really were quick learners.
