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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Seeing Pink
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"Pink?"
Nibelria tilted her head back.
Her round blue eyes reflected Muniel's kind smile upside down.
"When Azel was locked in the warehouse, you said you saw pink, remember?"
"Yeah. But now I can't see it."
Nibelria straightened her head and pressed her temples firmly with her fingers.
"After Grandma pressed like this, it disappeared."
"That's a relief."
"Do I have to see it?"
"It's fine if you don't."
Muniel, having roughly dried her hair, picked up the comb.
Nibelria began playing house by herself, fiddling the Wolf doll this way and that.
Muttering to herself, deep in her little role-play.
"Nini."
Muniel called her once more.
"Then, have you seen pink anywhere else?"
"The poison mushroom color?"
"Yeah."
"Um..."
The Wolf doll's arm waggled up and down.
"I have."
The arm pointed out the window.
"Uncle, Al, and Rubens."
She remembered the pink crudely smeared all over the Degladis family members' bodies.
"And Arep too."
"Is it still on them now?"
"No."
Nibelria stroked the Wolf doll's head.
"It went away after I called their names."
But if asked who had been painted with the most pink, it was Arep.
She had checked the Magic Tower Lord and Della too, but after pressing her temples and turning into a genius, she said it no longer appeared.
"Nini thought it was that thing, you know, when other people do it, everyone copies them..."
"A trend?"
"Yeah. That's what I thought."
"What do you think when you see pink?"
"It's kinda gross? Not pretty?"
"Yeah..."
Thud.
Muniel glanced down at what had bumped her chest and smiled brightly.
Nibelria, who had powered through the entire day without even a nap, had finally dozed off.
Even her soft, steady breaths came out with pluck.
"She really should eat dinner before bed."
Fortunately, there was still a little time before dinner.
Muniel finished combing the sleeping Nibelria's hair, dried it one more time with care, and tucked her into bed.
The Dayamor Family always headed down to their estate every summer.
They'd stay there, resting easy until the heat eased a bit, then return around early autumn.
But this year, with the pharmaceutical company launch and other headaches keeping everyone swamped, the trip to the estate got scrapped.
On top of that, the fact that the Evil Dragon Ater was holed up in the mansion played a big role too.
They couldn't just keep it secret forever— the staff might end up suffering for it—so they spun a tale that the black lizard gifted by the Magic Tower was wandering around.
And they instructed everyone to always move in pairs or more, and run like hell if they spotted the lizard.
"...So, looks like we're stuck in the capital this year."
Kaleo delivered the decision to the kids with an apologetic look.
The children were deeply disappointed.
Solles especially seemed bummed out.
"I wanted to show Arep the estate..."
"If you guys don't go, Letitia will be disappointed too. She's waiting back at the estate."
"Exactly..."
Solles answered on reflex, then caught himself.
Thankfully, the only one who picked up on his slip was Kaleo.
He winked conspiratorially and pressed a finger to his lips. Solles nodded with an embarrassed grin.
"...Letitia?"
Arep tilted his head at the unfamiliar name. Nibelria helpfully explained who Titi was.
"Nini's friend."
Arep's eyes went wide.
"Why?"
"Not a subordinate?"
Whenever Nibelria introduced anyone, she always called them her subordinate.
Adults included. Majia, Della—they were all Nibelria's underlings.
This was the first time the word "friend" had come up.
"Yeah. Nini's friend."
Nibelria answered readily.
"She used to be Nini's subordinate, but I changed her to a friend."
"Letitia is the young lady of the Pretor Viscount Family, loyal vassals to the Dayamors."
The Dayamors, a meritorious house, had long been out of power and short on funds.
Over time, their vassal families had scattered like fallen leaves.
But one held on till the end: the Pretors.
And now, with the Dayamors miraculously thriving, the Pretors were enjoying an unprecedented golden age alongside them.
"She's a good kid, cool too. You'll get along great with her, Arep."
"But she has to like Nini more. Got it?"
Nibelria issued a preemptive warning, just in case.
"Cheat, and you're in trouble!"
"Uh, sure."
Arep nodded along, not fully grasping it.
No matter who Letitia was, there was no way she'd like her as much as Nibelria.
Nibelria beamed at his answer.
Arep smiled faintly in return, caught up in her grin.
"He's already wrapped around her finger."
Kaleo's face lit up with paternal pride: That's my girl.
"Still, it's summer, and the weather's cooled off nicely..."
Too nice to waste doing nothing, so Kaleo suggested a family camping trip in the woods to the kids.
"Solles, you went with Grandma and Grandpa in the spring, right?"
"Yeah! It was so fun!"
"Exactly. This time, let's do it as our whole family. If the woods don't work out, we can pitch tents in the garden."
The kids' eyes sparkled at Kaleo's promise of special memories, nodding eagerly.
Gathered in Solles's room, the three chattered excitedly about what they'd do on the trip.
"The woods are full of weird animals and plants. Bring binoculars, and you can spot stuff from afar."
"I liked picking fruit. And the walks."
"Nini pick fruit too! And see flowers!"
"You know how to make flower crowns? Grandpa taught me. I'll show you later."
What to play with.
How to explore.
The kids' hearts were already in the forest.
"Solles-hyung."
Arep spoke up.
"The other day, when we visited the Degladis mansion."
"Yeah."
"Al and Rubens said they missed seeing you."
"I missed them too."
"Gifts, give gifts."
Nibelria mumbled around a chocolate cookie snack.
"Go forest, find gifts for Al and Rubens."
"That's a great idea."
With a loose plan in place, the kids now shared snacks amiably.
Nibelria's mouth was instantly smeared with cookie crumbs and milk. Her hands were soaked too.
"Do Al and Rubens go somewhere like us too?"
Arep asked, wiping Nibelria's hands with a handkerchief.
"Probably back to the Degladis estate again?"
Solles nodded lightly.
"Because their estate has..."
"You sure you don't want to come along?"
Kalarop asked Rima one more time.
This made it his thirteenth such question.
"Yes! Rima's okay staying!"
And Rima gave the same answer for the thirteenth time: she'd stay at the mansion.
Just like last winter and spring, Kalarop planned to head to the estate this summer with his sons.
And he intended to bring Rima, his little charge, along.
The Degladis estate was quite a trek from the capital.
A round trip meant being away for over a month easy, and he couldn't leave Rima alone in the city that long.
"Duke-nim."
Kalarop's eye twitched faintly.
Her pronunciation's gotten worse than before.
Rima's speech would improve a bit, only to backslide.
Time to get her a proper doctor...
As he pondered gravely, Rima repeated her resolution for the twelfth time.
She dropped her gaze just a touch.
Clasped her hands in front of her chest.
"Last winter Rima was lonely too, so I stayed in my room reading books and stuff..."
"......"
Kalarop nearly blurted, What did she just say? but swallowed it.
Thankfully, he had solid parenting experience.
Recalling his own kids' baby babble, he pieced it together.
"Won't you get lonely and bored? You sure?"
"Yes!"
"...Alright."
Kalarop relented to her wishes in the end.
Maybe she's still awkward around the boys.
He could see it too.
Rima not meshing well with his sons.
It wasn't outright exclusion.
The kids greeted each other when they crossed paths, and Rubens often invited her to play.
But Rima turned down every offer. Eventually, even Rubens stopped asking.
Is it because she's a girl?
Yet she got along fine with the neighbor girl, Nibelria.
In fact, Al and Rubens were the ones begging to play with her again.
"So, have a safe trip!"
Rima bobbed a polite bow.
"Rima."
"Yes!"
"When we get back..."
"When you back?"
"...Never mind."
Kalarop couldn't bring himself to say, let's get that speech of yours fixed.
The head maid and other staff will be here, so she should be fine.
A few days later.
The Degladis household departed for their summer getaway.
Left alone in the mansion, Rima waved off their carriage before heading to her room.
"Whew..."
The moment she was by herself, she rolled her eyes in disappointment and let out a deep sigh.
"They actually left when I told them to?"
But she soon shrugged with a smirk.
"Whatever. It'll bite them in the ass later anyway."
One family regret arc, done and dusted.
"They'll regret it eventually and treat me extra nice, right? Just wait'll you see how hard I play coy then."
