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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Lessons and Rewards
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From today, Mabel was scheduled to study with Sigmund for two hours every day.
As professor and assistant, this was natural, but the problem was that Mabel couldn't read or write.
Therefore, Mabel had to start with learning letters, never mind alchemy or anything else.
“The script used in our Greenhurst Empire consists of 21 consonants and 5 vowels, making a total of 26 characters…”
Seated, Mabel diligently nodded, listening intently to Sigmund's lecture.
“Alright, now try writing it there.”
“Yes!”
Mabel, answering spiritedly, awkwardly gripped the pen.
She filled the lined paper, which was designed to make learning letters easier, with wobbly characters.
This paper for learning letters had been made by Dane.
“If you need more, please let me know anytime, Young Lady!”
And Dane was still prostrate on the floor, drawing lines on paper.
The reason he was on the floor was that the desk Mabel was currently sitting at belonged to Dane.
Sigmund's office didn't yet have a desk and chair for Mabel.
Yet, they couldn't possibly make a growing child study on an uncomfortable sofa.
Thus, the matter was settled with Dane working on the floor.
It was all the same anyway, as they'd piled cushions high on the chair to match her eye-level.
“Uh-huh, it's alright! So please don't overdo it…”
Mabel, filling the paper with characters so wobbly they could have been drawings, glanced sideways.
She was clearly bothered by the adult whose seat she had taken being on the floor.
At that, Sigmund blocked Mabel's view with something like a sturdy folder.
“As I said before, Mabel, what should you be focusing on?”
“Qu-quickly learning the letters!”
“Exactly. So don't worry about Dane and hurry up and finish writing the letters.”
“O-okay…”
Mabel refocused on learning the letters.
‘If I memorize them quickly, Mister Dane can get back to his seat!’
Somehow, it felt like Dane was being held hostage, but wasn't a good outcome all that mattered?
Thanks to this, Mabel memorized all 26 characters used in the Greenhurst Empire in just one hour.
“Let's see… Hmm, exactly one hour?”
Sigmund, having checked her pop quiz, confirmed the time.
Dane, who had been prostrate on the floor making letter-learning paper for the entire hour, suddenly lifted his head.
“To be precise, it was 30 minutes. She studied for 10 minutes, rested for 10 minutes, studied for 10 minutes, rested for 10 minutes, and so on!”
Mabel was only 8 years old; there was no way she could study for a full hour straight.
Having lived only in a cramped room, Mabel's stamina couldn't possibly keep up either.
“Wow, to learn all the letters in just 30 minutes! You're truly amazing, Young Lady!”
Dane clapped enthusiastically, praising her.
“The other two took a full two hours, isn't she a true genius?!”
Dane's glasses sparkled as he asked Sigmund.
‘Not his eyes, but his glasses are shining…?’
Mabel, thinking idly, tilted her head slightly.
‘But two people?’
Just then, she recalled the two empty seats at every meal.
However, Mabel's thoughts didn't linger.
While Mabel was trapped in Dane's prison of praise, Sigmund returned with something he'd received from outside.
“Here, a reward for your perfect score.”
It was none other than a crispy, fluffy cream puff!
“Wow…!”
Mabel's face brightened considerably at the sight of the cream puff.
Mabel had thoroughly enjoyed the cream puff served as dessert last night.
However, the cream puff from yesterday was as big as Mabel's face, making it a bit difficult to eat.
She'd gotten it all over herself, and the cream inside kept oozing out.
“They're tiny!”
But what Sigmund handed her now was small, making it easy for Mabel to eat.
Excited, Mabel clenched her hands, even smaller than the cream puff, and her eyes sparkled.
“Yes, tiny, just like you?”
“Huh? I'm not *that* small!”
Mabel glared playfully but quickly took the cream puff.
If you looked closely, the tiny thing had plenty to say.
Sigmund chuckled and brought her milk, saying she might choke.
“Jacques said to keep up the good work. It seems he was impressed by how deliciously you ate yesterday, even taking mine.”
Mabel, who had just picked up the cream puff on top of the plate, flinched.
“I-I didn't take it from you. The Head of Household just gave it to me, didn't you?”
Sigmund, seeing Mabel happily eating even as she got it all over herself and spilled it, offered her his own dessert plate.
Mabel said she was fine, but Sigmund insisted she eat it, saying it was alright.
“Yes, you were already drooling, so I just gave it to you.”
Indeed, saliva was dripping from Mabel's mouth as she refused.
Having no retort, an embarrassed Mabel merely pouted her lower lip.
Instead, holding the cream puff she was about to gobble down, she slid down from her seat.
“Wait, that's dangerous!”
A surprised Sigmund rushed over and quickly caught Mabel.
The adult-sized chair was already high, and cushions had been piled up even higher to match her eye-level with the desk.
But Mabel, who had intended to slide down like a slide using the cushions to protect her bottom, widened her eyes.
“Oh, I-I thought I wouldn't get hurt if I came down like this…”
“Still, it's dangerous. I would have helped you down if you'd asked, why did you do that?”
Sigmund gently chided her.
On second thought, he was right.
Sigmund had helped her up, so he surely would have helped her down if she'd asked.
However, Mabel wasn't used to saying 'help me'.
Because she had never said it once when she lived at the Ducal Residence.
That's why, even when climbing onto the high cushions on the chair, she'd tried to wiggle her bottom up by herself, grunting with effort.
“Uh, um…”
As Mabel hesitated, Sigmund inwardly swallowed a sigh.
He recalled Mabel's situation, where she wouldn't have been accustomed to asking for 'help'.
“From now on, call an adult. It's dangerous, you know.”
“O-okay…”
But what if I bother them? Is it really alright?
The clear thought was evident from the crown of Mabel's head as she hung it sadly.
Sigmund cleared his throat with a 'hem'.
“And it's for the adults.”
“For the adults?”
“Yes. Because here, there are only people who want to help you.”
Sigmund, having placed Mabel on the floor, met her gaze and asked,
“You'll grant the adults' wish, won't you?”
“…Yes!”
She didn't know why, but if that's truly how it was!
Mabel nodded.
And where Mabel went after coming down to the floor was none other than in front of Dane.
“Mister, please eat this while you work!”
She wanted to give a cream puff to Dane, who had given up his seat for her and was drawing lines on paper on the floor.
“Huh? M-me… to me?”
Dane, who had been sitting on the floor, watching Sigmund and Mabel with satisfaction, was startled.
He was so surprised that he literally jumped up from his sitting position, making his glasses bounce.
“H-huh…!”
Dane repeatedly clenched and unclenched his trembling hands, as if he couldn't possibly believe it.
Why is he like that?
“Do you… not like cream puffs?”
Mabel tilted her head, asking worriedly.
Slightly arched eyebrows, rapidly blinking round eyes, and even a head tilt – all of it!
“Gasp.”
Crack.
Mabel was so cute that Dane's glasses cracked.
“Oh?! Mister's glasses!”
A few glass shards flew, but fortunately, Mabel was safe.
This was thanks to Sigmund, who had quickly rushed over and pulled Mabel away.
“Change your glasses, quickly. The child might get hurt.”
“Ah, yes!”
Dane quickly took out a new pair of glasses and put them on.
Mabel looked at Dane, worried.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, I'm fine. I have several spare pairs of glasses. I'm more worried about whether Young Lady got hurt by the flying glass shards.”
But I was worried about his eyes, not his glasses…
Dane, who had been rambling on and on about his worries for Mabel, cleared his throat.
“But can I really accept this?”
“The cream puff? Yes!”
Mabel smiled brightly, urging him to take it quickly.
Even her slightly visible front teeth were as cute as a rabbit's.
“H-h-huh, th-thank you… I'll treasure it as my lifelong heirloom… *sniffle*… so cute…”
Dane, stifling a sob, held the small cream puff with both hands.
No matter how small it was, the cream puff that had filled Mabel's hands looked as tiny as a tangerine in Dane's.
“Right? It's a really cute cream puff!”
“No, not the cream puff, *gasp*…”
It's cute how she doesn't even know how cute she is!
Dane decided to spray the cream puff with preservative and keep it forever.
And then.
“Mabel.”
“Yes?”
It was when Mabel, having given a cream puff to Dane, had sat down with Sigmund's help and taken a bite of her own.
Sigmund asked.
“What about me?”
With an incredibly disappointed expression.
