018
“Hiicc.”
I was so surprised to learn that Lina could shout that loudly for the first time.
I wasn’t scared, but I was so startled that I started hiccupping.
“Hiicc! Hiicc!”
As I hiccuped so hard that my whole body shook, Lina quickly hugged me and patted my back.
“It’s okay, Miss. You must have been really startled, right?”
“Ha, look at you fussing over a lowly-born child.”
“Watch your mouth. No matter how much Lady Matilda is Angela’s tutor, I won’t tolerate this a third time.”
Oh, why won’t these hiccups stop?
The Spirit Kings were also fuming with sparkling letters, and Lina was snorting furiously.
If only these hiccups would stop, then I could make peace!
Worried, I covered my mouth with both hands.
“Matilda, you know.”
“Yes, our most precious Miss Angela.”
“That girl has the same hairstyle as me. I hate it. Tell her to undo it.”
Huh?
“Hurry. I want to be the only one with this hairstyle today.”
“…….?”
I looked at Angela with wide eyes, wondering if she was really saying such a mean thing.
However, Angela stood firm.
‘I already apologized twice for bumping into you and even tried to dust off your clothes.’
But Angela and Matilda refused everything.
Then why should I undo my hair? Lina worked so hard to tie it up for me this morning.
“You heard that, right? The gracious Miss will forgive you if you untie those shabby pigtails. Do it now.”
[The Fire Spirit King ‘■■■■■’ rebukes, saying such demands are unreasonable.]
[The Earth Spirit King ‘■’ supports you, saying you look good with pigtails.]
[The Emotion Spirit King ‘■■■’ advises you not to lose in a power struggle.]
It’s been a while since I’ve heard from the Emotion Spirit King!
As I calmly read the words to soothe my bewildered mind, the Water Spirit King appeared next.
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ warns that if you bow down any further, then Lina, the admiral, will bow down as well.]
No way, I hate that even more!
After hearing the advice from the Spirit Kings, I made up my mind.
I would never untie my hair!
“No way.”
While nestled in Lina’s arms, I turned my head away sharply.
“No, I’m going to keep my pigtails. Hmph.”
[The Earth Spirit King ‘■’ praises you for doing the right thing.]
[All the Spirit Kings present in the room are observing the situation.]
See, I have Lina, and I have the Spirit Kings.
So I’m not scared at all.
“Matilda, that girl isn’t listening to me. What should I do…?”
“She’s just acting like that because she’s uneducated, Miss Angela. Don’t mind her.”
Matilda glanced at me while consoling Angela. Then she smirked, but it didn’t feel like a pleasant one.
‘Huh? Lina is trembling.’
Moreover, her face turned bright red.
Oh no, she seems really angry.
Thinking quickly, I opened my mouth as calmly as possible.
“My Teacher is Mr. Cedric, you know.”
“What?”
“He taught me well. I learned well.”
I was never uneducated.
Even my kindergarten teacher taught me very well.
“No way… Could it be that she’s already being taught at the successor’s training center?”
Matilda’s voice trembled slightly.
At that moment, Lina stopped trembling.
“Yes. Our Miss Shupetty even meets with the family head personally. Can Miss Angela even get near the family head?”
“T-That’s…!”
“Miss Shupetty is an ‘awakened one.’ I heard Miss Angela hasn’t even attained a ‘bijou’ yet. Is that still the case?”
Lina’s shoulders seemed to perk up for some reason.
Looking back and forth between the fuming Matilda and the tearful Angela, I tilted my head.
“So, Angela isn’t an awakened one?”
“……..!”
“Oh, I see, she isn’t. I’m sorry.”
It’s great to be awakened because you have a partner and other benefits.
‘Oh, come to think of it, I’ve never seen Angela during class!’
Matilda was a tutor, wasn’t she?
Then do non-awakened friends take separate classes?
“Matilda, my clothes are dirty and I don’t like my hair anymore because of that girl. I don’t want to see Grandfather. I want to go to my room.”
Angela whimpered, grabbing Matilda’s skirt.
Matilda began to console Angela, while Lina snorted loudly and brushed past them.
It felt like a little whirlwind had just blown by.
***
Today, I wore a light blue dress.
It had little jellyfish embroidered all over, which I absolutely loved.
I even had a jellyfish hairpin!
“What about Brother Elzen?”
“Elzen is sick, so he couldn’t attend the family dinner. The energy from other awakened beings accelerates the progression of his illness.”
“Oh, I see.”
I wanted to see the handsome Brother again.
Since our first meeting, I had visited the library multiple times, but Brother Elzen was nowhere to be seen.
I thought I would meet him today.
“Then, what about Brother Mikard?”
“Mikard is still on his way back, so he won’t be able to make it today.”
“Haaa.”
I have two brothers, but I can’t see either of them!
I felt a little disappointed.
“Blue Crab.”
“Yes?”
The Admiral called me when I looked a bit down.
“Look here.”
“……?”
The Admiral, who had his hands behind his back for a while, seemed like he was about to give me something.
‘Ah, is it Chuu’s snack?’
But we are about to go eat dinner soon.
As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, the Admiral seemed uncomfortable and fidgeted.
“I’ve prepared a gift.”
“A gift for Chuu?!”
“Yes. I’m not sure if you’ll like it, but… I heard you don’t have any dolls.”
Come to think of it, I didn’t have a stuffed animal. I did have favorite foods, though.
Even at kindergarten, while my friends carried dolls around, I was never that interested in them.
‘But still… it would be nice to have one!’
If it’s just for me, it would feel a bit different.
Filled with anticipation, my eyes sparkled.
“What kind of doll is it?”
“It’s a seal.”
“A seal!”
I had never seen one in real life, but I knew what it was from picture books.
I got so excited that I couldn’t help but bounce up and down.
“Here it is.”
“A pink seal!”
The doll was incredibly soft.
Hugging it tightly with both arms, I beamed with joy.
“It smells nice, too. It’s the best!”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! It’s the best!”
The Admiral’s lips twitched as he watched me.
“Alright then. Let’s go eat. You can take it with you.”
“Hehehe!”
I enjoyed listening to the music box lullaby last night, and now I had a doll, too.
It felt like my heart was filled with candy, making a rustling sound.
Feeling delighted, I bounced up and down again.
“I heard you ran into Angela today.”
“Yes.”
“Well done. In the future, never apologize or bow your head easily, no matter where you are. If someone questions your birth, shout that your father is the Admiral of Pashayen.”
Even to the point of shouting…?
I scratched my cheek and then chuckled.
Honestly, until the Admiral brought it up, I had completely forgotten about Angela.
‘That’s right, she does exist.’
[The Spirit King of Water, ‘■■■■’, says, My dear, having no impact is also a good thing…, but…]
[The Spirit King of Fire, ‘■■■■■’, supports you, saying, It’s okay to forget about unimportant things.]
As the sparkling letters disappeared, my vision cleared.
“Naval Admiral Diagon Pashayen and Shupetty Pashayen have arrived!”
The servant standing in front of the large doors announced loudly, and the doors swung open.
And then… I couldn’t help but drool.
“Wow… is this heaven?”
“Indeed, such an observation suits you well. Eat to your heart’s content.”
The long dining table was completely filled with food. Although there were many people present, I hardly noticed them.
“Come here, my fourth child.”
“Father.”
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s start the meal.”
Hearing my grandfather’s words, I took a seat next to the Admiral.
And a little while later…
I couldn’t help but look up because I felt someone persistently staring at me.
