Chapter 40 What, Those Two?
The teachers, who could not know what was going on in Killion’s head, were busy praising his dazzling appearance.
“I… never seen a nobleman so close before, but are all noblemen so handsome?”
“Oh, Miss Lucy, you’re in trouble! Our headmaster is a nobleman, too.”
“Oh, right! Our headmistress is a baroness, too, so… are all high noblemen so handsome?”
Even though he was sitting hunched over, the extraordinary aura emanating from Killion’s entire body was still there.
This was a man who had been born and raised to be noble, and had eventually risen to the highest position of nobility. A man who had never, and would never, stoop to please anyone.
One of the teachers, who had been glancing in Killion’s direction the entire time, cocked his head and asked.
“By the way, don’t you think the Duke and Jediel look alike?”
“Let’s see… Oh my God, yes, they do look alike!”
“A… that’s just because they’re both handsome, isn’t it, and our Jediel is one of them?”
The teachers were busy analyzing Killion and Jediel’s faces, rolling their eyes intently.
“Hmm… the hair color is different, but we have the same big, clear eyes, the same blue color, and the same big nose!”
“Strange. If a stranger saw them, he would think they were father and son.”
The teachers in the room gasped in surprise.
“Oh, sir, you’ll get in trouble if you say something like that! Nobles are sensitive about such matters, and you might get caught.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I take back what I said earlier! Anyway, you’re both so handsome! Maybe that’s why you look a bit alike.”
The director, who must have heard the teachers’ chatter, entered with a tray of food, sat down in front of Killion and said loudly, laughing hysterically.
“Now that I see it, His Excellency the Duke is handsome, and our Jediel is also handsome, so I think the two of you look alike, good, good!”
Everyone sitting at the same table reacted to the headmaster words.
“I look like Mr Killion, with such a handsome man? Wow…! What’s with the Duke, anyway?”
“Do Jediel and I look alike, I never thought of it that way, but do we really… look alike?”
“What? His Excellency the Duke and that kid? Where did you get… Ah… the resemblance in the eyes and…”
Jediel was delighted at the director words, Killion looked puzzled, and Windler was stunned, searching the two men’s faces alternately as if looking for the wrong picture.
***
After lunch, it was time to play ball.
“The children need time outside in the sun to burn off some energy.”
The director dutifully explained to Killion, who stood beside him.
But Killion wasn’t really listening. He was too busy following Jediel with his gaze.
‘Oh… you shouldn’t hold it like that! You should hold it a little more sideways… Yes! Oh, no!’
Jediel was a bit smaller than the rest of his friends, and his feet were slow and clumsy.
As a result, he often tripped over his feet and was unable to catch the ball that was thrown at him.
Killion was looking at Jediel with a pitying gaze as he struggled with the ball, when his eyes locked with him.
The child smiled sweetly and waved both hands at Killion. Killion waved back.
Just then, a ball came flying towards Jediel.
“Jediel, the ball! Dodge!”
Killion shouted in surprise, but it was too late.
He spun to dodge the flying ball, only to trip over his own foot and fall hard. His knee buckled and blood pooled in the wound.
“Ah… hurt…”
The pain was so intense that he felt like tears were going to come out of his eyes, but he held them back. He didn’t want to cry when Killion was watching.
Killion came running up to him, panting.
“Jediel, are you okay?”
“Yes…”
The child nodded and tried to smile, but it wasn’t easy. Killion’s brow furrowed deeply as he checked his injured knee.
“That’s a bad cut! Ah… that must hurt a lot.”
At Killion’s concern, Jediel burst into tears.
Tears cascaded down her tiny face. Panicking, Killion quickly scooped Jediel up in a hug and started walking away.
“Where’s the infirmary?”
“This way.”
Windler, standing beside him, held out his hand to Killion.
It was a signal to hand the child over to him, but Killion ignored it and kept walking.
Thump, thump, thump, Killion’s heart raced. He was afraid he was badly injured, afraid he would have a big scar, afraid he had broken his heart.
At that moment, in Kilion’s strong arms, Jediel blushed. He was embarrassed to have cried in front of Mr Killion.
But aside from that, he felt so good in his arms. It smelled nice, and it felt wide and firm. It was definitely different from his mum’s soft and fluffy hug, but it was still nice.
Before he knew it, they were at the infirmary.
He had stopped crying, but there were still tears streaking his long eyelashes. Killion wiped his tears away and spoke softly to him.
“You must be in a lot of pain, but you’ve been so brave. Now the school nurse will make sure you don’t get sick.”
“Okay.”
The school nurse treated the child’s knee with skilful hands. She cleaned the wound with a clean towel, disinfected it, and applied medicine.
The head nurse began her explanation with a tone of pride.
“Our school nurse has a background in nursing at a general practice. But most childcare centres don’t have a school nurse, and I think this is something we need to improve, because the children are often sick and often injured.”
The aides dutifully wrote down the director’s explanation, but Killion was not really listening. His mind was filled with worry about Jediel.
But there was one eye that took note of Killion’s serious expression, and it was Windler’s.
‘Jediel, who is that child, and why does the Duke care so much about him? He can’t be related, can he be an acquaintance? Maybe… maybe… maybe…!’
And then the thoughts started to run away. It was a ridiculous assumption, but it also sounded very plausible.
‘No way… Jediel, did you ask me to set up this kindergarten because of this child, Your Excellency? Heh… No way… And if so, why on earth…?’
It was a pretty convincing assumption. It seemed to be true. Windler felt a little proud that he had discovered Killion’s secret.
***
After ball time, it was time for snacks and naps.
“When they’ve had enough energy, they need to replenish it with another snack and rest.”
The director continued to explain. But the only people listening were his aides.
Killion was nowhere to be seen.
“Where has His Excellency gone?”
The director asked, and the aides shook their heads.
At the same time, Kilion was out in the garden with Jediel, sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree, drinking strawberry milk.
Kilion wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief.
“I tried not to cry, but the tears came.”
Jediel said, his lips pouting in a sullen expression. Killion shook his head slowly and chuckled.
“If it hurts, you cry. If it brings tears to your eyes, you cry. It’s not a bad thing to cry, and it’s much better to let the tears flow than to hold them in.”
“But… crying is for kids. Grown-ups don’t cry. I don’t want to be a kid. I want to be a grown-up.”
It was so cute to hear a little kid refer to himself as an adult that Killion felt like laughing, but he held it in. It didn’t seem polite to laugh out loud in the middle of a serious conversation.
“Adults cry like children when they’re sick, there’s no one in the world who doesn’t.”
“Do you cry too?”
“Yes, I cry.”
Jediel’s eyes widened in surprise at Killion’s answer, and he asked again.
“When you’re sick?”
“Yes. I cry when I’m sick, and I cry when I’m sad, and I cry… when I miss someone terribly.”
Killion stared at Jediel and thought of his brother, who looked so much like the child.
It was then. A ball in the corner of the field rolled across the field in the wind.
Killion quickly picked it up.
“Do you want to play ball, just us?”
“…”
Jediel hesitated for a moment.
He wasn’t sure, afraid he wouldn’t catch the ball properly, afraid he’d fall again.
‘But… I want to play with you!’
Jediel nodded vigorously. He immediately got into a ready position.
“Firstly, it’s important not to be afraid of the ball! You must never take your eyes off it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Killion tossed the ball slowly and gently towards Jediel. The child stared at it wide-eyed, then leapt up and caught it.
“Wow, I got it!”
Jediel jumped up and down with excitement.
“Okay, now it’s your turn, Jediel. I want you to stand right facing you and throw it with both hands as hard as you can. Can you do it?”
“Yes!”
Jediel did as Killion instructed, standing up straight and throwing the ball hard with both hands. It was a little weak, but the ball flew in a straight line and landed in Killion’s arms.
“Oh, that’s pretty good, huh, Jediel?”
“Hehe…”
The confident kid beamed, and the two of them played ball for a while.
In the distance, a watchful eye watched the affectionate ball game, and it was Windler. His face showed the complexity of his thoughts.
‘What the… are they doing, those two?’
