Chapter 12. The Rice Cake Chronicles
“Honestly, you’re confused too, aren’t you? Suddenly getting engaged like that. It was probably something the Count ordered, so you had no choice, but it must be overwhelming for you too.”
“…”
“That’s why you suddenly seem kind of crazy.”
He stared at me with a meaningful expression. His eyes were sharp and piercing.
‘How could he be so serious while turning his fiancée into a lunatic? Isn’t that a bit too mature for a nine-year-old?’
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“It could be from the mental shock. You should get a proper check-up with your physician. When people go mad, they stop fearing things. Maybe that’s why you’re not afraid of snakes anymore?”
“What are you talking about? I can totally handle snakes, okay? I’ve never been scared of snakes or anything like that!”
But… was that really all? Were all those crazy things I said before considered just that—nonsense?
If so, then maybe I should just go ahead and lock in the ‘crazy’ persona.
I twirled my long hair around my finger and giggled like a madwoman.
“Hey, kid! Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Wrong idea about what?”
“You surviving that snake attack that day—that was pure luck. And luck like that doesn’t come around twice. So don’t go acting cocky.”
Ah, so that was what this was about. I nodded obediently.
His tone was harsh, so it was hard to read his intentions, but I figured I could interpret it as concern.
If he was worried, couldn’t he just say he was worried? Wouldn’t that be so much easier?
‘Judging from how he talks, he doesn’t seem completely cold on the inside…’
Ah! Could this be the beginning for him too?
Like that phase male leads in transmigration novels go through, when they fall in love but are still in denial.
How fortunate that something so hopeful might be happening to me too. Maybe if he realizes it early, I won’t have to suffer as much.
“Hey, do you know what ‘denial phase’ is?”
“Do I need to know that?”
“Well, not necessarily, but…”
Then again, even if I explain it, he won’t get it. During the denial phase, all you do is deny anyway. They say rushing a meal only gives you indigestion.
If it’s a process we have to go through, then I shouldn’t be impatient.
“I just… I think it’d be nice if we were honest with each other. So we don’t have any regrets later.”
“…”
“Do you want a candy? I brought one for you. The Grand Duke gave it to me only, you know. But if you want one, I’ll specially give just one to you.”
As soon as I finished, Rikael turned around and walked away without a word. A chilly wind seemed to blow in the space he left behind.
‘Yeah. No way you’d eat candy. I didn’t expect you to take it anyway.’
I was just using it as an excuse so we, as a future couple, could see each other again.
Satisfied that we’d made a little progress today, I turned to leave.
“‘Thalute!’”
“‘Thalute!’”
I suddenly heard a lisped version of a salute from behind me. Cherto and Arthur, instead of following Rikael, were mimicking my salute with grins on their faces.
“What? Even if I say ‘Thalute,’ you knights should say ‘s’alute’ (salute) properly.”
Why were they copying my lisp too?
“Thalute!”
“Thalute!”
Despite all my efforts to teach them, the knights didn’t change. Their cheerful smiles showed they didn’t understand the seriousness of the issue at all.
Something about this gave me a bad feeling, but I ignored the ominous vibe.
“Little miss, are you feeling alright?”
“Shouldn’t you rest a bit more? Walking around already might be too much.”
“Still, I never imagined our little lady would be so brave.”
“My thoughts exactly. Even the snake looked shocked. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Ah… that was only because I cursed at it…
I didn’t bother explaining. The two knights looking down at me already had… let’s say, sparkling eyes, filled with something like awe.
Well, it’s not every day a five-year-old faces off with a snake like that.
It was a bit satisfying to have shown off my value, but maybe because of that lingering sense of foreboding, I couldn’t be entirely happy.
***
A strange little kid had come.
How did she know such weird and complicated words? They were far beyond what a five-year-old should know.
Rikael hadn’t been able to turn the page of his book for a while.
This library held over ten thousand books. He’d been reading them whenever he had time, but there was still so much more to read.
What really got to him was that while talking with Ludia, he realized there were words he didn’t know.
That stung his pride. And the fact that she could already read completely fluently was shocking enough.
Still, surely her dictation skills weren’t better than his?
Even though he was tired from sword training, he decided he’d stay up late and read more books.
But no matter how hard he stared at the pages, he couldn’t focus. The words Ludia had used were still floating around in his head.
“Namja is man, bulgongpyeong means unfair, bulhamni is irrational, and halmeoni is… grandmother.”1You can already guess that these are the sounds of the Korean words and their meanings.
But there were still words he couldn’t make sense of.
Like gochujang (red pepper paste), seobang (husband), and…
“What is itteokbujeon-gi supposed to mean?” 2That word means ‘denial phase’ from the fl previous conversation, but he doesn’t know 🤣
At first, he thought it might be a book. He searched the library for a long time, but no such book existed.
Could it be the biography of someone named Itteokbu? 3The funny thing is that ‘Itteokbu’ means ‘this rice cake’ literally, thus the title 🤣
Rikael turned to Lucas, who was sitting across from him reading a book, and asked,
“Lucas, is there a biography of someone named Itteokbu?”
“Itteokbu? Who?”
“I thought maybe it’s some famous hero or great figure I just haven’t heard of.”
“Hmm… I’ve never heard that name before either. But the book you’re reading today is a bit surprising.”
Rikael was currently reading a difficult dictionary.
Lucas tilted his head, confused. As Rikael’s guard, he had to stay with him until he went to bed. But even though it was late, Rikael continued to read.
What was most strange was that he wasn’t reading a book about war, as he usually did, but a dictionary.
A dictionary is something you use occasionally for reference when you don’t know a word…
“I feel like my vocabulary’s lacking.”
“You already surpass most adults, young master.”
“Well, of course I do. But still, I have to work harder.”
Rikael renewed his determination and resumed reading the dictionary.
Whether it’s speech or anything else, he couldn’t afford to fall behind Ludia.
That brat was just so unpredictable the more he saw of her. And what was truly absurd… was the candy.
After training, when he returned, Andy was out wandering around the central garden.
He had one lollipop in each hand, bragging that ‘His sister in-law had given them to him.’
‘Sister in-law gave me candy. Only me. Not you.’
That kid could barely speak properly, but boy, was he loud. The nearby maids all heard him and burst into laughter.
I mean, she said she’d give me one specially—and yet she gave some to Andy too? Two, even! How can someone be so two-faced…?
***
Late at night, after returning to his room, Rikael wrote in his training journal.
Date Xxx.
My sword aura keeps scattering. That’s never happened before.
Lucas says my swordsmanship’s gotten rougher, too.
I need more focused training.
That brat definitely went a little crazy from the sudden engagement. When someone goes mad, they lose their fear and get braver.
So maybe that’s why she wasn’t scared of the snake at that moment.
Maybe if I hit her on the back of the head, the shock would bring her back to her senses?
Or… the front of the head?
Ah! But then her face would be ruined. And her face is the only decent thing she has going for her.
***
Beasts and magical creatures become more active at night. Their self-healing abilities kick in, and their attacks become more powerful.
Marquis Baluja met the gaze of a giant snake that was breathing heavily.
“Garte, are you feeling better now?”
“You’re making a fuss over nothing. I’ll be able to shift back into human form in a few days.”
The deep cave was damp and eerie. In the marquis’s hand was a glowing magical artifact. Made from a grade-2 magic stone, it shone even brighter than a torch.
Without that light, it would’ve been hard for the marquis to see Garte’s true form. He’d heard the creature had been cut in two, but now even the tail had completely regenerated.
It was clearly an exceptional specimen, far superior to other members of the serpent clan.
“You probably didn’t have enough time to properly spy on the Duke of Arcades’s condition. Rumor has it he lives like a man who’s given up on the world, constantly drunk. But you couldn’t confirm it?”
“I don’t know about the Duke, but the Archduke is no joke. If you want to make any move, you’d have to kill the Archduke first. But is that even possible?”
Garte hissed with his double tongue, mocking him.
“Did you see the Duke’s eldest son too?”
“Briefly, from afar. His aura is no joke. With proper training, he might even surpass the Archduke.”
The marquis’s expression darkened.
That cursed Arcades family… He was sick and tired of them.
