Phew, of course. Letting out a hollow chuckle, I pulled the book away.
“It’s all right, Rose. Don’t worry about it. I was just asking.”
“…I’m sorry. Rose doesn’t really understand what it means.”
“I said it’s fine! Honestly, I don’t understand it either. Who knows what really happens when someone commits fraud—”
“Yeah. Rose only knows that ‘priority shall be given to the restitution of debt to the victim, but if the suspect shows no intent to pay, assets shall be seized through the intervention of the district court.’”
“…R-Rose?”
“That’s really all I know. Mmh. I’m saw-ree.”
Seeing Rose pout so dejectedly, my lips clamped shut on their own.
What in the world is happening? Looking down at the page, I released the breath I had been holding. Right, of course that was all she knew. Because that was where this page cut off!
“Ah…”
A sudden cold sweat trickled down my back. If I asked myself why I hadn't realized this until now, all I had ever really done for Rose was feed her, put her to bed, and dress her. Too busy scrambling just to make a living, I had only repeated those three tasks endlessly, leaving no chance to discover whatever other talents she possessed.
…No wonder. She did pick up the alphabet extraordinarily fast. I had simply thought she was clever, never imagining it went this far. Whether she merely had an exceptional memory or something far greater was something I would have to investigate, but at least one thing was crystal clear. …Our Rose had been cursed with terrible parents, and I had been blessed with an unimaginably wonderful little sister.
“Ro-o-ose! Come here, my precious treasure!”
“Yeah, unnie!”
Beaming brightly, she threw her arms around me, and I buried my face in her hair, overwhelmed with emotion.
“Oh, what am I going to do with you?”
I had thought she was already doing her part just by growing up healthy and adorable, yet Rose constantly brought me joy beyond my wildest dreams. It felt like raising a duck just because it was cute, only to find it laying golden eggs every day.
“Unnie, does that mean I get to stay here now?”
“Of course! I’ll make sure of it! I won’t let anyone utter a single word against it!”
I boasted boldly, wondering what could possibly stop me now. A mere NPC was on the verge of picking up the legendary Dragon Sword—of course my confidence was soaring! Conquering the world might be a stretch, but taking down one beastly guy seemed entirely within reach.
Now, wait a second.
What if I supported this child thoroughly from now on?
What if she entered the finest academy and got scouted directly into the Platinum Guild upon graduation?
What if she rocketed through the ranks to become the head, and immediately parachuted me, her dear sister, into a cozy honorary director position?
And what if I was posted to an overseas branch in Aren or Pelona, where a younger, handsome recruit aggressively pursued me—and that recruit just so happened to be royalty in disguise?
“Ah…”
All right, let’s stop right there. Reaching the dizzying pinnacle of my spiraling delusions, a shudder ran through me. Just like that, half of my all-in bet on the wasteland alimony was transferred over to Rose. In this world or any other, a diversified portfolio was always the way to go!
◇ ◆ ◇
“…It didn’t seem to us that she would draw much attention in the castle either, Your Highness.”
“Indeed. The young lady is so very tiny, after all.”
“And she’s quite adorable, so… well, what I mean to say is—”
“Mind your manners before His Highness, all of you.”
“…Lord Count.”
“Out, everyone. At once!”
Unable to watch the knights buzzing about the hall any longer, Count Hellas chased them all out. Even as he did, he glared sternly at the twin brothers, Devon and Aiden, who were attempting to make one last plea.
“…Phew.”
Having finally ushered them out, the count turned around to see Grand Duke Valencia already facing the window. After a brief silence, the count stepped forward slowly to stand behind him.
“They are all rather softhearted deep down, aren’t they? It has been such a long time since anyone saw a child around here, and the little lady doesn't seem the least bit fussy, so it's natural they find themselves stealing a glance.”
“…You speak as if you aren't doing the exact same thing, Count.”
Kiers, who had been staring quietly out the window, finally turned his head. At the faint smile playing at the corners of his lips, the count relaxed and let out a long breath.
“To be fair, Your Highness was rather harsh as well.”
“In what way? By pushing ruthlessly to throw out that little child?”
Seeing the count stand upright, unable to deny it, Kiers turned around completely. Before the count, at least, there was no need to hide anything, nor would any pretense succeed.
“Why do you think I won’t throw her out?”
“If Your Highness had truly intended to from the beginning, you would never have summoned them here in the first place.”
“…”
“Why on earth did you do it?”
It was a question packed with multiple layers of meaning, yet Kiers did not press him to elaborate. The two understood each other well enough for that.
“Well… curiosity, perhaps?”
Pondering the thought, Kiers knitted his brow, seemingly finding his own answer quite curious.
He could not recall how long it had been since he last felt fascinated by anything. To him, the world had always been a matter of course, never an object of wonder or questioning. When he was torn from his mother at birth and confined, when he was shoved relentlessly into the bloodbath of battle, and even when blades were drawn against him from every direction the moment he returned from war—everything was merely taken for granted. He had simply accepted it as the destiny dealt to the second prince of the Empire and the sworn enemy of the Emperor.
“Anyone can see it's a lost cause, yet watching her drag it forward by any means is intriguing. Most people would have given up right there. She did the same that day, and now…”
“…That day?”
“Never mind. Besides, she doesn't strike me as the type to leave quietly just because she's told to.”
Recalling how she had glared up at him moments ago with bright, defiant eyes, Kiers offered an enigmatic smile.
“I've spent over a decade on the battlefield, after all. Let’s just say it's fascinating to see something truly alive after such a long time.”
“Still, Your Highness.”
“What is it? Were you not the very person who arranged this marriage for me, Count?”
Noticing the count's sudden hesitation, Kiers leveled a piercing gaze at him. Hellas was the one who had adamantly recommended this path, claiming that, alongside ‘that,’ it was the best way to escape the imperial family's vigilance entirely.
“Submit the report on her father and family background the moment it arrives.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Issuing an order he would have handled regardless was a clear dismissal. Understanding the intent, the count began to leave, only to pause and pick up something from the table.
“Hmm… She must have left this behind in her hurry.”
The count's composed demeanor had already begun to crumble. Stealing a glance at the Grand Duke, he let out a needless dry cough.
“Ahem, the lady… well, I am not certain if I may call her that yet, but the little lady appears to take after her elder sister remarkably.”
“They are sisters, after all.”
“Even between sisters, it is rare to resemble each other so closely. At any rate, she was exceedingly small, and… quite so.”
That ‘quite so’ carried a multitude of unspoken sentiments.
Under Kiers’s skeptical sidelong glance, the count pushed up his silver-rimmed spectacles as if trying to deny it. Then, with a subtle look of reproach, he gently chided Kiers for his indifference.
“Your Highness may not care for such things, but the young lady was playing so delightfully on her own without shedding a single tear. She dragged over that chair over there, and—”
“It was the chair next to it.”
“…Pardon?”
“Enough. If you have finished, take your leave.”
In the count's eyes, seeing Kiers—who never rushed anything—so determinedly ushering him out was far more astonishing than the sugar-spun little lady herself.
Carefully, he brushed the dust from Rose’s doll.
“Then I shall take my leave. I will return this to her on my way out.”
“Wait.”
“Yes? Is something the matter?”
The count’s expression wavered again when Kiers stopped him right after ordering him away. Facing the count, whose eagerness to bolt out the door was glaringly obvious, Kiers shook his head coldly.
“Leave it. Whoever needs it will come looking for it.”
“B-but it is hardly any trouble at all—”
“You are my chief advisor and the practical ruler of the North, are you not? Running errands to return a child’s toy is hardly fitting for your station.”
“Ah… yes, Your Highness.”
Faced with Kiers’s unyielding tone, the count had no choice but to set the rabbit doll down. Reluctance practically dripped from his lingering hands, but he could not disobey his master’s command. Regaining the dignified composure of the Grand Duke’s advisor, he closed the door behind him and departed, leaving the massive hall in profound silence.
Step, step. Walking forward to the table, Kiers cast his gaze downward. Watching the worn doll—the sort of thing he never imagined he would lay eyes on in his lifetime—the curve of his lips softened imperceptibly.
◇ ◆ ◇
Having wrested permission for Rose to stay—half-coerced though it was—my heart felt considerably lighter. While Kiers could change his mind and kick her out at any moment, at the very least I no longer had to keep Rose hidden away in a box. Watching her toddle faithfully behind me wherever I went brought an instant smile to my face. I should have done this from the start.
The moment we stepped outside, I took her tiny hand, and Rose bounced happily on her heels. But there was another reason she loved our walks so much.
“Unnie, look at this! It’s candy!”
“Hm?”
“Candy fell on the ground again! Look how much there is!”
Spotting the sweets dropped along the garden path, Rose hopped around in pure excitement. Feigning total ignorance, I matched her astonishment with dramatic flair.
“You’re right! Look at all this candy lying around again!”
I said it as loudly as I could—just loud enough for the knights hiding behind the trees to hear.
