Chapter 34
Children’s Social Gathering (4)
“So, you’re seven… Wait, what did you say?”
Cassius, who had been contentedly assuming the role of a caretaker for a much younger child, froze in disbelief at Bonita’s exclamation.
He muttered again, “Seven? Not four?”
Still stuck halfway through the fence, Allen yelled, “Cassius, you idiot! Does she look four to you? At least six, for crying out loud!”
“But she’s so tiny!” Cassius stared at Bonita, his confusion unabated.
To be fair, all three Hyacinth brothers were unusually large for their age, making Bonita’s petite frame seem even smaller.
However, Cassius’s contemplation didn’t last long because Allen began screaming.
“Hey! Don’t just stand there—help me get out! I’m stuck!”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Cassius grumbled.
“Can’t you ever stay put, brother? Why’d you crawl in there in the first place?”
“Hmph. Maybe you’re just weak.”
“Weak? You’re the one stuck in a hole like an idiot.”
“Ugh…”
Completely trapped, Allen had no comeback and fell silent.
Bonita’s wide eyes darted between them.
Cassius knelt by the loose board and began fiddling with it. He turned to Bonita.
“Hey.”
“Uh, yes?”
“Hold his legs for me. He keeps squirming, and it’s making this harder.”
“You called me an idiot just now!” Allen snapped.
“Well, you’re acting like one,” Cassius replied coldly.
Just as he was about to pass Allen’s legs to Bonita, Cassius paused.
“Wait.”
“…Huh? Why?”
“On second thought, I can handle this myself.”
She’s too small to hold Allen’s legs, Cassius reasoned.
Allen was big for his age, already developing some muscle from his early sword training.
Cassius sighed and grabbed both of Allen’s legs tightly.
“Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts! Cassius!”
“Be quiet,” Cassius muttered through gritted teeth, his face flushed from the effort.
“Ow! I said—”
POP!
Before Allen could finish yelling, a satisfying sound marked his release.
“Oof…” Allen groaned, clutching his side.
“Seriously! Couldn’t you have been more careful pulling me out?”
“Hmph.”
Cassius, his face still red from exertion, quickly composed himself and shot his brother a dismissive look.
He turned to Bonita.
“Right, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Cassius Hyacinth of the Marquisate. And this guy… well, you don’t need to know about him.”
“Hey!” Allen yelled, glaring.
Cassius plugged his ears and sighed.
“Can’t you speak without shouting? What’s wrong with you?”
“You’re the one being infuriating!”
“That’s my line.”
Crackle!
The tension between the brothers was palpable, but Cassius broke it first, lowering his voice in an attempt to regain composure.
“Ahem. My apologies for showing such an undignified side of myself… uh, Lady.”
“Ugh. Gross. You’re acting like you’re seventeen or something,” Allen teased.
“Shut up.”
Cassius flushed slightly, embarrassed by his own words.
Turning back to Bonita, he asked, “You said your name is Bonita, right? I didn’t catch your family name. Which house are you from?”
“House?” Bonita hesitated, then realized what he meant. With a brighter tone, she answered,
“I’m Bonita Lysianthus!”
“What?”
“What?!”
The two brothers, who had been arguing moments ago, shouted in unison.
They exchanged startled looks before simultaneously rushing toward Bonita.
“Are you serious? You’re the young lady of the Duchy? That’s so cool!”
“You’re Lady Lysianthus? But you don’t look anything like His Grace! Is that even genetically… wait, well, I don’t look much like my dad either, but—”
“Hey, hey! What’s the Duke like at home? Our dad’s super strict outside, but at home, he’s—”
Bonita’s head spun as the two boys peppered her with questions. Even Cassius, who had seemed calm earlier, was now visibly excited. Instinctively, Bonita began to back away.
And then—
“Ah!”
Thud.
Her heel caught on a rock, and she fell backward.
The brothers’ expressions immediately turned grim.
“Are you okay?!” Allen rushed forward, panicked.
“Ahhh, falling on your backside hurts so much! What should we do? Should we call a doctor?!”
“What? No, I’m fine,” Bonita reassured him, waving her hands.
“Fine? That’s impossible!”
“Exactly,” Cassius agreed.
“Someone your size could easily break a bone from a fall like that. We should inform your parents right away.”
Allen nodded vigorously but then tilted his head.
“Wait, Cassius, what’s a broken bone?”
“It’s when a bone fractures, you moron.”
“I told you not to call me a moron!”
“Is now the time to argue?!”
“Oh.”
Startled by Cassius’s rare raised voice, Allen’s face fell.
He crouched down in front of Bonita with an apologetic expression.
“What should we do? Should I carry you?”
“Hey!” Bonita protested.
At that moment, Bonita, who had been quietly listening to the two boys fuss over her, shouted:
“I’m not hurt at all!”
“Huh? That can’t be true.”
“It’s true. Look!”
To prove her point, Bonita stood up and stomped her feet lightly.
Her backside throbbed slightly from the fall, but she decided to endure it. If she let it show now, the troublesome boys might insist on carrying her off somewhere, and she wasn’t about to let that happen.
For most seven-year-olds, it might have been difficult to fake being fine, but not for Bonita.
She was used to enduring things—pain, emotions, all of it.
“Hmm, doesn’t look like anything’s broken,” Cassius noted.
“Ugh, really? That’s it?”
Still unconvinced, Allen began circling Bonita like a curious puppy.
Watching him, Bonita was reminded of Coco, the large chocolate-colored dog who used to live near her home.
Coco looks just like him…
Allen’s milk-chocolate hair, gentle eyes, and eager expression strengthened the resemblance.
“Eek!”
“Hold still! What if you have a scrape or something?”
Bonita squeaked as Allen leaned in to inspect her more closely. For a moment, she even thought he might try to sniff her.
A few minutes later:
“Yup, you’re fine! Phew, what a relief!” Allen announced proudly after his thorough inspection.
Cassius muttered, “All you did was circle around her. Stop acting like you accomplished something.”
“What?!”
As Allen turned to argue, Bonita thought of something else.
A cat?
Unlike Coco, who always greeted her warmly, there had been a white cat named Sasha that lived nearby, who always kept its distance and meowed aloofly whenever they crossed paths.
Now that she looked closely, Cassius’s clean silver hair and sharp blue eyes reminded her of Sasha.
Of course, comparing people to animals was impolite…
But they really do look alike!
And imagining it wasn’t a crime.
Bonita couldn’t help but picture Allen with floppy puppy ears and Cassius flicking a sleek cat’s tail, which made her giggle.
Both boys stared at her blankly.
Allen turned red and demanded, “Wh-what’s so funny all of a sudden?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry…”
“But when you laugh, you look kind of—”
“Brother, stop bothering her,” Cassius cut him off sharply.
With his neutral expression restored, he gestured to Bonita.
“Forget my silly brother. Let’s head to the playroom. We’re supposed to stay there while the social gathering is going on.”
“Okay.”
Bonita nodded. After all, Aria had told her to go to the playroom earlier.
As Bonita began following Cassius, Allen, left standing behind them, shouted:
“Hey! Wait for me!”
*****
Bonita gazed at the boy walking steadily ahead of her.
Eight years old? Or maybe nine?
He seemed a bit older than her, and despite his aloof demeanor, Cassius reminded her of a cat, making him somewhat endearing.
Watching his silver hair sway lightly as he walked, Bonita’s hand twitched involuntarily. She had never seen hair that looked so soft before.
It’s so pretty.
She thought it might look even prettier if it were grown out longer.
As she pondered this, Cassius seemed to sense her gaze and turned around.
“What? Do you need something?”
Bonita hesitated for a moment.
Cassius seemed prickly, as shown during his argument with Allen earlier. And boys his age often got upset if you called them “pretty.”
After some deliberation, she simply shook her head.
Cassius’s blue eyes lingered on her briefly before he replied curtly, “…Fine, if it’s nothing.”
Then, he turned back around with a quick tilt of his head.
Allen, walking beside Bonita, tapped her on the shoulder.
“Hey, Lady Lysianthus, just ignore him. He’s always like that—totally annoying.”
“A-annoying?”
“Yeah. Acts like he’s the smartest person in the world.”
Cassius’s ears twitched as he overheard this.
“I can hear you, you know,” he called back.
“I wanted you to hear!” Allen retorted, sticking out his tongue.
Cassius’s face tightened in irritation as he turned back to glare at his brother.
Just then—
“Oh!”
Something caught Bonita’s eye.
“A house,” she murmured.
As she said, past the small forest of trees within the marquisate grounds, an open lawn stretched wide before them.
In the middle of the grass stood a colorful little house, vivid against the green backdrop.
A breeze swept through from the direction of the house, carrying a sweet aroma toward the three children.
Bonita sniffed the air, her eyes widening in surprise.
Noticing her reaction, Allen’s lips curved into a playful grin.
“Hey, do you know what that is?”
“What is it?”
At Bonita’s question, Allen puffed up his chest proudly and shrugged his shoulders with a smirk.
“It’s a candy house!“
