Ch#121
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'......I ended up coming in without thinking.'
Sitting at the parlor table, Selina crossed her arms.
Before her eyes, the girl who had opened the door moments ago was making a fuss with her family—or whatever they were.
"Hey, Veil oppa. Tie said we have to greet the front house and next door."
"What greeting? This whole street is full of nobles, you know?"
"Even if they're nobles, we still have to greet them. That's why a friend came to visit here."
"No, what if they hate us? They get creeped out when people like us visit and shake off their shoes at the entrance steps, tap tap—that's how people here are."
"......Why shake off the entrance steps? Because of dust?"
"Ha, what I'm saying is."
Selina let out a sigh at the conversation that lacked context, meaning, or value.
Soon, all six pairs of eyes turned toward her.
Selina shook her head and lifted her gaze.
"What kind of rudeness is this, bringing a guest into the parlor and then this?"
At her words, everyone looked flustered.
But soon, the slender, pretty-faced one asked the burly man.
"Uh, what is it, Basto. Do you know noble etiquette? Like how to receive guests or something."
"No idea."
"What about you, Raoul and Enzo?"
"In this situation, it's proper for only the representative to stay while everyone else leaves."
"Representative? What's that?"
"Well, the de facto owner of the house, I suppose. Usually it's the head of the family......"
"We don't have a head of the family."
"But we do have a Captain, right......?"
All eyes turned to Tie at once.
As Tie looked puzzled, Veil spoke up.
"Kiddo. Can you handle receiving a guest?"
"Huh? Tie alone......?"
Veil glanced at Selina before whispering into Tie's ear.
"Yeah. She's a kid just like you. Just chat with her a bit. We can't just chase her out anyway."
"But......"
"She came from the front house, and from how she talks, she's no ordinary kid? She's a noble. We have to put up a decent front before sending her off."
Tie swallowed hard and stared at Selina again.
Pretty and neat outfit.
Hair neatly tied back without a single stray strand.
And finally, a composed expression with perfect posture.
"Then we'll go? Come out when you're done talking, got it?"
In the meantime, the members filed out of the parlor.
Tie blankly stared at Raoul waving as if to say do your best.
Now only Tie and Selina remained in the parlor.
After a brief silence, Selina spoke first.
"......I'm Selina Belmore. I live in the mansion across the street under my mother's name."
Tie nodded hurriedly.
"Y-Yeah!"
"What is the young lady's name?"
But soon enough, she had to look flustered again.
It was because she had no idea who this 'young lady' Selina kept calling was.
But if you don't know something, the best thing is to ask!
Tie bravely raised one hand.
"B-But Tie has a question! What's a young lady?"
Selina's brow furrowed.
But Tie bravely pressed on with her question.
"Tie isn't a young lady, Tie is Kim Astie. Why do you keep calling Tie a young lady?"
Selina's lips parted blankly.
But the child quickly regained her composure and answered with a troubled face.
"Young lady is a title of respect formerly used only for daughters of nobles or high families."
"Gasp, a title......"
"But nowadays, it's used for all noble women of dignity and etiquette. Like how I called you 'young lady' out of courtesy."
Tie scrunched her brow.
'So......'
Young lady was like the '-nim' honorific used in Korea.
The thing kids like Hyunwoo added after nicknames in games like Spirit Raising Stars or Marvel Craft on tablets.
Thinking of it that way, Selina's difficult words translated like game chat.
'R u nim? This mansion owner. R u nim?'
'Greeting guests is owner's job. U came out so ur owner?'
'Such aggressive Marvel Craft speech......!'
Of course, that wasn't the important part.
'Here they add young lady instead of -nim, politely!'
Tie straightened her posture.
And said bravely.
"Selina young lady was asking Tie's name."
Selina's expression soured.
But Tie smiled brightly and continued.
"Tie's name is Tie! Originally Kim Astie, but everyone calls Tie, Tie. How old is Selina young lady?"
Selina unwittingly leaned back a bit.
'What is this, really......'
She had already realized the kid before her wasn't a noble.
But it wasn't like she came from some other world alone.
How could someone be this ignorant of manners?
On top of that, this Tie kid was using 'young lady' in such a weird way.
It was oddly infuriating, to the point where it might be better not to use it at all.
Of course, Astie had no idea of Selina's thoughts.
"Hey, Tie is four years old. Does Selina young lady like fairies by any chance?"
Selina stiffened at Tie's sudden move to stand up.
Tie ignored it and ran to the door, grabbing her unit uniform from the coat rack.
Returning to the sofa, Tie proudly showed off the Tani Pang embroidery to Selina.
"Here!"
Selina's furrowed brow parted into a wide 'O'.
'......Wow.'
The fairy in the embroidery was unlike any toy she'd ever seen on the market.
Striking pink that caught the eye immediately.
Sparkling eyes and a round face to boot.
Selina hesitantly asked.
"......This is a fairy?"
"Yeah!"
Tie went further and handed her unit uniform to Selina.
"You know, in a few nights, the painter's coming to draw thirty or forty more Pangs in Tie's room."
"......In the bedroom, these fairies?"
"Yeah! And Aunt Marshal said she'll put tons on Tie's clothes too."
Selina swallowed hard.
Then she examined the fairy on the unit uniform more closely.
"Th-Then, maybe......"
But Selina, about to say something, quickly shut her mouth.
'Almost fell for it.'
She had nearly asked if they could put this fairy on her own pajamas too.
But that would be utterly disgraceful.
Especially for a five-year-old noble young lady.
Regaining her composure, Selina hurriedly set down Astie's unit uniform.
"I-I didn't come to see fairies."
"Huh? Then?"
"I came because I was curious about the rude neighbors who moved in and didn't even greet once."
Selina stood up abruptly.
"B-But now that I've heard your name, that's enough. I have a schedule at the Imperial Tutorial Institute, so I'll be going."
Tie blankly watched Selina hurriedly leave the parlor.
'Wow...... Imperial Tutorial Institute!'
Selina really seemed like a noble child.
Neat steps and precise pronunciation too.
But there was something strange.
"But why is she walking around alone......?"
Actually, since last night, the front gate outside the garden had been locked.
Yet Selina had knocked on the entrance door.
She had climbed over the fence alone and knocked.
"Doing that without an adult is super dangerous......"
It was then.
"Kiddo! She's gone! We pretended not to notice and just came out?"
The members burst in.
"Captain. What did that young lady say? She looked serious."
But Tie couldn't answer the barrage of questions.
'Did Selina see Tie yesterday by any chance?'
Did she climb the fence today because she wanted to play with Tie?
'But she goes to the Institute too, does Selina have no friends?'
As she thought that.
Ding-a-ling-
The bell hanging on one wall of the parlor rang.
It was a device that chimed when a guest at the front gate pulled it.
Tie jumped up.
"Selina must be back!"
But when she crossed the garden happily and reached the front gate.
It wasn't Selina standing there.
"Pardon the intrusion. I'm Leonardo Lumenen. I've come from the Valentis household to escort......"
"Eh? Bird poop uncle?"
Tie's mouth fell open upon seeing him.
The man who had been pooped on in front of the reward bureau.
The one Tie had lent her handkerchief to,
was standing there with a luxurious carriage and numerous people behind him.
