Chapter 9. Proper Discipline
Fortunately, it seemed like my bluff had worked for now, but even in this situation, Rikael was glaring at me, his eyes narrowing sharply.
“Hmm. W-well. I shall take my leave now, huff… shh… rest well.”
The Grand Duke, who had kept his lips tightly shut like a pursed-mouth doll, muttered the word ‘rest’ and fled the scene.
The attending physician insisted that I needed rest and took the remaining people with him.
Once everyone had left, leaving only Lisa and Casey behind, I collapsed onto the bed.
Pouring all my remaining energy into an intense performance had drained me completely. I still hadn’t gotten used to the body of a five-year-old, as soft and fluffy as a stuffed animal.
But at least I had survived the crisis and escaped death in this tiny body.
On top of that, I had demonstrated my bravery for everyone to see—and as a bonus, I had been called cute.
Now, if I could just win over Prince Rikael, I might even secure a place in this Grand Duke’s household.
Heh heh heh. Satisfied, I pulled the blanket over my face with a smile.
I was relieved. As long as I could stay in this Northern Grand Duke’s estate without being cast out, that was enough for me.
To be honest, this world was a complete mess.
The Marquis of Baluja, Ramel’s uncle, and the High Priest had practically taken over everything.
Even the High Priest’s staff, supposedly imbued with divine power, was a fake. He was capturing demonic creatures and experimenting on them in a bid to become immortal—it was absolute chaos.
On top of that, Roella’s uncle, Viscount Nopert, was no less of a villain.
But whatever. They could do as they pleased, as long as they didn’t drag me into it.
If they left me alone, I wouldn’t interfere either.
I didn’t care if the High Priest destroyed this world or not, I just wanted to be left alone.
All I wanted was to head north, serve as a soldier, and do my duty.
Luckily, this Grand Duke’s household had no interest in central politics, making it the perfect place for me.
With that thought in mind, I drifted off to sleep—and in my dreams, I saw my past self as Jung Yoon-seo.
‘Captain, I confessed to you, so why won’t you answer me?’
‘I already did. I told you I don’t like you.’
There had been a junior cadet at the military academy who used to follow me around, claiming to like me.
But why was he appearing in my dreams now?
‘I just can’t believe that you actually dislike me.’
‘I do. I don’t like kids. I’m telling you I don’t like you, so why on earth do you like me?’
‘I like everything about you. No reason needed.’
‘Fine, then just name one thing. If I like your answer, I’ll consider it.’
‘If I have to pick one… your clueless charm?’
Back then, I had kicked him in the shin for saying that.
‘Clueless charm’? What kind of soldier has something like that? It was ridiculous.
‘Urgh… If I can add one more, I also like how fierce you are.’
‘Shut up!’
It was just a dream, but the memories flashing through my mind were real.
I had rejected him so coldly back then, but now I regretted it.
If I hadn’t, maybe I could have at least experienced a romance before I died.
Seeing his face in my dream filled me with nostalgia.
The moments we spent training together, building our camaraderie…
I missed them. So much it hurt.
***
“Why do you keep smiling?”
“When did I…”
The Grand Duke bristled and turned to glare at Marquis Kones, who stood beside him.
The chief aide turned his head away, suppressing a small smile.
Ever since returning from meeting Ludia, the Grand Duke’s lips had been slightly upturned.
When he had first heard about the engagement, he had been furious that the marriage was with a lowly noble house in name only.
He had declared that he would never accept a child from such a place as his granddaughter-in-law and had made sure everyone knew it.
That was why the Northern family had initially looked down on the child. The Grand Duke’s outrage had been well known.
But after meeting the little one in person, something had changed.
A mere five-year-old child had shown such remarkable bravery—it was understandable that he was intrigued.
Even so, seeing him smile like that was unexpected.
“How is the Marquis of Chavez doing?”
“He’s deeply reflecting on his actions. When do you plan to release him…?”
The Grand Duke ground his teeth in frustration. The fact that a snake had infiltrated as his secretary and made it this far infuriated him.
“He deserves death.”
Marquis Kones flinched and looked down, coughing lightly.
This was the time to change the subject.
“I have informed the Imperial Palace that you will not be available to meet this time. As for your departure to the North, it is scheduled as planned—”
“Wait.”
The Grand Duke interrupted, his voice low.
Lacing his fingers together, he stared at the edge of his desk, deep in thought.
“Contact the Imperial Palace and tell them I will meet His Majesty.”
“…Pardon? All of a sudden?”
“They’ve been asking for a meeting for a while, so I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to grant them one. But have them come here instead. And while they’re at it, tell them to bring Crown Prince Leo, Prince Ramel, and even the princess. It’ll be a good opportunity for our children to meet them.”
The Marquis narrowed his eyes at the Grand Duke’s sudden change of plans.
The Imperial Palace had scheduled the meeting for three days later, the very day they had originally planned to return north.
“…Then, when do you plan to head back north?”
“Anytime is fine. What’s the rush?”
Marquis Kones rubbed his ears as if he had misheard.
The Grand Duke, who always had a mountain of work and rarely left the North—and even when he did, hurried back—was not the type to say something like this.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. I’m serious. What are you standing around for? Hurry and send someone to the Imperial Palace.”
“Understood, Your Grace!”
After the marquis left, the smile on the Grand Duke’s face slowly faded. He leaned back deeply into his chair and closed his eyes.
It was difficult to tell someone was of the serpent race unless they pulled down their lower lip. Though, of course, there were always some whose disguises were imperfect.
Still, for a mere five-year-old like Ludia to recognize that—now, that was strange.
And there was something else odd.
The snake had deliberately absorbed his sword energy to avoid killing the child, despite knowing full well that it would take damage.
A creature of that level would have found it effortless to abandon the child and escape. It was only speculation, but something about the situation was off.
Had the snake also sensed that there was something special about the child?
Was she exceptionally intelligent, gifted, or did she have some kind of insight that allowed her to see through things?
If not one of those three, then perhaps she had some unknown ability that no one else was aware of.
The Grand Duke wanted to spend more time here and learn more about Ludia. That was the real reason he had decided to stay in the capital.
***
What was the Duke doing?
Even the Grand Duke and Rikael, though his gaze hadn’t been particularly friendly, had come to check on me. But the Duke, the only person who had truly been on my side, hadn’t visited.
I felt a little hurt, but knowing his current situation, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand.
After lying in bed for two whole days, I finally sat up. I couldn’t stand being still any longer.
The moment I got up, Lisa rushed over in a panic.
“Young Miss, why are you getting up?”
“I wanth to see the shun.”
“They said you still need to rest. Please lie back down a little longer. The Duke visited and specifically told us to make sure you stay in bed and be careful.”
Huh? The Duke came?
“The Duke wash here?”
“Yes. He came yesterday while you were sleeping and watched over you for a long time. He also made sure to tell us to take good care of you.”
“I shee.”
Why did he always visit when I was asleep?
Still, my earlier disappointment quickly disappeared, replaced by a warm feeling.
I threw off the blanket and hopped off the bed.
“Look! I’m fine, right? I just want to go for a short walk.”
“If you must, then I’ll come with you. The Duke told us not to leave you alone.”
Lisa added that in a calm tone.
Unlike Casey, who had obviously changed in how he treated me, there was something different about Lisa.
She was friendly without overstepping any boundaries, neither too stiff nor overly casual.
I felt comfortable around her.
“Okay.”
The fresh air immediately lifted my mood as Lisa and I stepped outside.
As I enjoyed the sunlight for the first time in a while, we strolled past the central garden, where the autumn flowers were in full bloom.
Then, from somewhere nearby, I heard loud laughter and the voice of a young boy.
“Hahaha! A fool who got caught by a snake!”
“Haha! What an idiot!”
…Excuse me? Were they talking about me?
I turned toward the voices and saw a group of children laughing at me.
They seemed to be the children of the Grand Duke’s nephews.
Looking more closely, I spotted Andy among them.
Up until now, no one who had dared to spout nonsense at me had gotten away with it unscathed.
And these brats wouldn’t be an exception.
“Hey! You lot, come here right now.”
It was time for some proper discipline.
