Chapter 36
Uncle, Sir, Brother
“…General Rakalt.”
Rakalt murmured.
So, he wasn’t okay.
Adelen barely suppressed a burst of laughter that almost escaped.
“General Rakalt, yes.”
Even Adelen thought it was the perfect title.
It wasn’t “Master” or “Hey,” so the remaining titles were “Uncle,” “Sir,” or “Brother.”
If all of them were used, it would be a big problem.
Adelen’s task list grew by one more item.
The “Happy Birthday” song, and now, “General Rakalt.”
“Little one, from now on, it’s not ‘Hey,’ it’s ‘General Rakalt.'”
“Uh?”
“Ra-Kal-T General.”
“Akatu!”
“…I think it’s somewhat similar…?”
Adelen tilted her head and clicked her tongue.
Maybe it was because the little one learned quickly, but Adelen wished he’d pick up words just as fast.
And, she hoped he would learn to address the Master a bit sooner. That way, the Master might feel more affection for the little one.
“Alright, little one. Try saying ‘General Rakalt.’ General Rakalt.”
“Akatu, Appa, Appa…?”
“No, not ‘Appa.’ …Huh?”
“Appa?”
Adelen’s heart froze.
No, that was going too far. Adelen gasped and vigorously shook her head.
“No, no. Rakalt, Rakalt, Rakalt!”
Desperately trying to emphasize, Adelen kept calling the Master’s name, but at some point, she realized.
Wasn’t she just carelessly calling the Master’s name out loud?
“…M-Master, I was trying to teach the little one…”
Adelen, pale and flustered, hurriedly tried to explain.
Rakalt wasn’t particularly angry about it. In fact, he had another thought.
“It might be better if you change how you address the Master.”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
“Because you’ll be attending social events with me from now on, and everyone there addresses the Master like that.”
“Oh… but I still follow the Master, right?”
Wasn’t it common to address people as “Young Lady,” “Young Master,” or “Madam” as well?
“You don’t need to publicize that you’re a servant everywhere.”
“Oh…”
If that’s the reason…
If you’re a servant, many people treat you rudely, as though you were everyone’s slave.
When I went out to shop in servant clothes, there was always at least one person who treated me as if I were their servant.
It would probably be worse if I were noble.
I could endure being treated poorly myself, but it wouldn’t be acceptable if the little one was also looked down upon because of it.
“So, how should I address you?”
“By name.”
“By name… you mean, ‘Rakalt-nim’?”
“Rakalt-nim.”
There was an unfamiliar resonance in his own name.
It was completely different from the way his parents or the king had called him. It felt different from when those sly, socialite young ladies spoke his name as well.
None of their utterances ever reached his heart.
But strangely, Adelen’s voice seemed to resonate deeply in his chest, as if it spread all the way down to the very core of him when he inhaled.
“…It’s fine.”
With Rakalt’s permission, Adelen smiled and practiced calling again.
“Rakalt-nim.”
A short smile briefly appeared on Rakalt’s face, as if in response.
“Yes.”
And though he knew it was just practice, he replied.
Adelen did everything earnestly.
For someone without a foundation, diligence was an essential virtue to succeed.
So, whether it was calming the baby’s cries, feeding him, putting him to sleep, playing with him, or preparing for the king’s birthday party, Adelen always did her best.
However, just because you try doesn’t mean things go well.
“Alright, little one. Try repeating after me: ‘Birthday, congratulations.'”
“Uh?”
“….”
Adelen slumped, frustrated by the little one’s slow learning pace.
At first, she had plenty of time, but now she was starting to feel the pressure.
The party date was fast approaching, but the little one could barely repeat a few words.
She never realized that “Happy Birthday” would be so difficult. It made her think again.
“Adieu, ball, ball!”
“Yes, the ball…”
“Yellow ball!”
The little one’s favorite yellow ball.
The things Adelen had taught weren’t being said, but the things she hadn’t taught were coming out perfectly.
“Our yellow ball and happy birthday. Looks like the yellow ball is having a birthday! Yay, congratulations!”
Adelen tried every possible approach.
But it didn’t work.
The world before her went dark.
It was fine if it was just teaching words, even if it took a little longer. But this time, there could be no delay.
It was the King’s solemn order, but there was also the issue of the little one’s honor and the Master’s dignity.
People would already be looking at him coldly because he was the prince of an enemy kingdom.
But if he couldn’t even speak properly? If he looked clumsy?
There would be far more people mocking him than there would be people thinking he was cute. That was something she couldn’t allow.
Our little one is definitely not a fool!
Our little one is a genius!
“Little one, you must never be treated like a fool. So, we must do this. Now, try repeating after me. ‘Birthday…'”
“Coong!”
“The ball later!”
“Adieu! Coong!”
There were two things that grew alongside the baby’s physical abilities. One was his body itself, and the other was his stubbornness.
He was so stubborn that once he fixated on something, he would become like a leech, refusing to let go.
As a servant, she felt like she should comply with whatever the little one wanted, but it often went too far and she ended up having to shout, “Stop!”
The little one’s favorite game was, of course, playing with a ball. Next in line were things like throwing wooden blocks or hitting games, but there was an issue with Adelen being able to join in.
If Adelen played along, it could lead to an accident where she’d end up bedridden the next day, with the Master, butler, and even the knights involved in a big mess.
Adelen shook her head firmly.
“Not now, little one.”
“Heing, coong!”
When things didn’t go his way, the little one tried to attack with tears.
Now, he had even learned how to fake cry. He knew just what the most terrifying attack was.
The reason he couldn’t play with the ball today was simple: there was no ball.
The speed at which the balls were breaking had increased with each passing day, and now the speed at which they were being replaced couldn’t keep up.
There were no balls in stock at home because they were still in production.
“Coong!”
“Ugh, hmm…”
The crisis of a flood of tears was looming. Adelen looked around, wondering if there was no alternative. Then she spotted a piece of paper lying around in the corner.
“How about we catch bugs instead of playing with the ball?”
“Buh?”
“Yes! Let’s catch bugs! Sounds good, right? I’ll go bring it!”
The bug-catching game had come from an idea one day when, while airing out the room, the little one had caught a bug with his bare hands.
The little one had been so excited, slapping the floor with his tiny palms to catch the jumping bugs. He had even forgotten about the ball while playing.
So, instead of real bugs, Adelen threw a piece of paper with a drawing of a bug on it. There was string tied to the end, and when pulled, it bounced up and down.
“Sjoa! Buh!”
“Do you like it? Oh my, you’re liking it! Amazing! Now, let’s do the birthday celebration…”
“Buh!”
“Yes…”
At this point, wasn’t the little one just not interested in the birthday celebration?
Though he was pretending, maybe he was actually a genius, fully aware of his situation and the fact that the one who needed to be celebrated was the King.
That couldn’t be true, but the little one hadn’t learned that phrase yet, which made Adelen frustrated, and all kinds of thoughts crossed her mind.
“Alright, shall we start?”
“Buh!”
Adelen threw the piece of paper with enthusiasm. The little one squealed and dove after it.
“Now, this time it’s a red bug!”
Since she was already making it, Adelen drew different types of bugs on the paper. Though it was the same paper, she hoped that a slight difference on each side would make it more interesting, keeping the little one entertained for a little longer.
Adelen didn’t know much about bugs herself, so she had received help from a knight who liked bugs to make the paper pieces.
“Bagangna-ge-jeom-ba-gi-sa-ddeum-beu!”
But then, the little one shouted a word that Adelen had never heard
***
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