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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: A Matter of Perception
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Even though Kivrin woke up early, he held my hand until I was awake.
Mera informed me that the high priests had come at dawn.
She said they’d been pestering to be let in for a full two hours.
“They said they’d wait and see if we’d turn away His Holiness himself. How rude. To deliberately come during the castle’s busiest time of day.”
Mera huffed, unable to contain her anger.
“Did they think we would continue to be deferential? Not a chance. I despise the Temple. To ignore a ducal family that even the Imperial Family defers to… they will absolutely pay for this.”
“…”
In the end, Mera clenched her fists.
Both Mera and I knew the reason the Temple could ignore the ducal family.
“Hmph! No matter how much the Temple interferes, our Young Lord will grow up healthy!”
I agree with that!
There was a bit of a commotion, but the afternoon was relaxed.
While Kivrin was in his lessons, I had tea time with Rose in the garden.
Rose, as if determined to be a delinquent nanny, was sprawled carelessly on the grass.
I was alternating between spreading jam and cream on my scone.
It was a rather peaceful time, but suddenly Rose screamed and shot up.
“Agh!”
“What, what’s wrong?!”
A monster? The kind that preys on people?
Rose’s face was pale.
Rose, horrified, pointed to a spot.
“There’s a b-bug!”
“…”
…Are you kidding me?
“I’m telling you, there’s a bug! Let’s run!”
What is he even saying?
I caught the bug and flicked it away.
Rose, who had hidden behind me in that short time, asked cautiously.
“Is it gone?”
“You made a monster disappear, so why are you scared of a bug?”
“They’re gross!”
A non-human being who clings to a ten-year-old because he’s scared of a bug is even grosser.
Rose flinched when I glared at him.
“A-ahem, you’re more impressive than I thought.”
So he does feel embarrassed…
I sat back down at the table.
Rose opened his mouth.
“Are you crazy? You’re going to eat with the hand that just touched a bug? Go disinfect it, quick!”
“…”
I hate this guy…
Instead of finishing my scone, I leaned back heavily in my chair.
“Any of the other servants could have caught a bug. What’s so impressive about it?”
Well, I lived in an eco-friendly ecosystem where spiders and centipedes coexisted.
Rose pouted.
“How would I know if the other servants do that? I don’t even talk to them.”
Huh?
“I thought you were friendly with them? Everyone seems to have a good opinion of you.”
“That’s because I used a spell to make them feel a sense of familiarity. It also helped the Young Lord feel less scared.”
“A spell?”
“Let me be clear, it has no side effects, and it’s not brainwashing. It’s just a way for a being like me to blend in with humans without feeling out of place.”
He was one incomprehensible being.
One moment he was telling me to get lost, and the next he was practically dying to confess he wasn’t human.
Is he letting his guard down because I’m ten?
Or… is he hoping I’ll be scared?
Wow, he has no shame.
My guess was right. Rose was watching my face intently.
“But you’re not scared of me? I told you I used a spell, but your reaction is so lukewarm. Is it because I excluded the Duke and Duchess from the spell? I just went easy on them, you know.”
“Fine. I’m scared of you.”
“If you’re scared, why do you have that look on your face?”
I replied sullenly.
“This is just the face I make when I’m scared. More importantly, you’re not human, are you?”
“…H-how did you know?”
“…”
I pressed my lips together to swallow a sigh.
—Then are the monsters not wary of you because you’re not human?
—Well…
He gave me all the hints himself!
“I asked how you knew.”
I answered in a monotone voice, as if reading from a textbook.
“Humans can’t perform amazing feats like you. They can’t make monsters disappear or use spells.”
Rose immediately started nodding.
“Ah, that’s true. I am pretty amazing.”
“…”
Ha, I almost snorted…
I guess I had too grand of an illusion about non-human beings.
Rose was just… not human, and that was it.
Somehow, I doubt the spell he cast on the ducal staff has a very long duration…
Unaware of my thoughts, Rose grinned.
“Don’t be so scared. I still want you to leave the duchy, but I won’t kill you, so don’t worry.”
“It’s not that I was worried…”
Rose patted my head.
“Of course, I’d appreciate it if you kept my secret. It’s a pain to cast the spell again.”
I shooed his hand away as if swatting a fly.
“I’ll keep your secret. So, did you use that spell to disguise your gender too?”
Rose looked puzzled.
“Disguise my gender? From the day I became the Young Lord’s nanny until now, I’ve been in the form of a human female.”
Huh.
I rubbed my eyes.
A handsome, muscular, blond man who looked like a Greek statue was still standing there.
Uh, uhh, so is there really something wrong with my eyes?
“It’s all meaningless anyway since I’m genderless. But why the sudden question about gender? How do I look to you?”
“…”
“Tell me.”
Rose’s gaze changed completely.
It was on a completely different level from when he’d pressed me about how I knew he wasn’t human.
Sparks seemed to crackle through his blond hair, which usually just waved gently.
“Well…”
“Answer me properly. It’s impossible, but maybe, just maybe I…”
I desperately looked around for help.
Just then, Kivrin, who was walking toward us, came into view.
“Young Lord!”
I’m saved!
I practically threw myself into Kivrin’s arms.
Kivrin, catching me, spoke in a bewildered voice.
“Oh, my lessons for today are all finished. It’s… getting colder, so we’ve decided to take a break from swordsmanship training for a while.”
“…You were having swordsmanship training?”
Having checked Kivrin’s schedule beforehand, I tilted my head.
It was just written as ‘training,’ so I thought it was light physical conditioning.
“Well… Father is a swordmaster…?”
While keeping an eye on Rose, I touched Kivrin’s hand.
“But your fingers are so soft…”
His hands were long and pretty, without a single callus.
There was only the burn scar.
Hmph.
Rose is a non-human being, yet he can’t catch a bug or heal a burn?
And he tried to scare me?
As if he could hear my thoughts, Rose crossed his arms.
“You keep looking at me with a very strange expression. You know that’s suspicious, right?”
“…”
I avoided Rose’s gaze.
I’ll have to lay low for a few days.
* * *
That evening, I visited the artifact storage room without Kivrin’s knowledge.
Emil was on duty today.
“Hello, Emil.”
“Hello, Little Madam. What brings you here today?”
I asked to confirm something.
“I have something to ask you, Emil. Is it difficult to heal wounds with magic?”
Emil gave the answer I expected.
“Well, it can help with recovery to some extent, but it’s not as effective as being treated by a priest.”
“…”
I knew it.
As I let out a heavy sigh, Emil looked me over from head to toe.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“Not me, the Young Lord. I was looking for a way to heal the burn on his hand.”
Though it wasn’t his fault, Emil looked apologetic.
“Ah. I offered to help several times, but he firmly refused. I wouldn’t mind at all dedicating my mana to my future master.”
Why did Kivrin refuse?
After thinking for a moment, I took out the bandages I had packed in my handbag.
“Can you imbue these with mana? I’ll try to convince him, too.”
“I would be grateful if you did.”
While Emil generously imbued the bandages with mana, I brought up my second concern.
“You know, Emil.”
He said with a smile.
“Please, ask me anything you’re curious about.”
He was a kind magician.
Wary that Rose might be listening, I double-checked the tightly locked door and lowered my voice.
“Have you ever seen something that other people can’t see? Or, for example, something that looks like a strawberry to others, but only looks like a grape to you…?”
Emil shrugged lightly.
“Well, even if I did see something like that, I would have hypnotized myself into believing it was a strawberry, not a grape. In the Dark City, the heads of loose-lipped people rolled around like children’s toys.”
“…”
What rolled around like what…?
I was speechless, my mouth hanging open.
“But does the Little Madam have a reason to hide it like I did? You can just tell the Duchess.”
“To Mother?”
That was an unexpected answer.
Instead, Emil raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t understand why I was surprised.
“Even I, cooped up in my little room, know that the Duchess fusses over every single thing the Little Madam eats. You could probably make a whole book out of the menus the chef prepared for you that got rejected. She gave special instructions before she left for this subjugation, too.”
“…”
“Besides, if you’re hesitant to tell the Duchess, there’s always the Young Lord. He would be thrilled if you confided in him. He’s always singing your praises.”
I slowly mulled over Emil’s words.
That’s right. There’s no need to struggle with this all by myself, is there?
