-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Hungry Wolf
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nibelria, oblivious to the deep wounds she'd inflicted on the maids, headed to the dining room for breakfast.
The servants were bustling about from early morning.
As she watched them, Dether's explanation floated above Nibelria's head.
"A guest is coming today."
"A guest?"
"Duke Degladis is paying a visit."
"What's that?"
"The duke who lives across from us. The neighbor uncle right next door—remember him?"
But Nibelria didn't remember.
Instead, her attention was drawn to the servants polishing the mansion more diligently than usual to prepare for the guest.
"Dether, can I pay off my debt now?"
"We agreed you'd do it after breakfast. Otherwise, you'll get arrested for violating child labor laws again."
"Nini knows the law. It's super hard and annoying and tough..."
Last winter, Nibelria had skipped breakfast to run errands and ended up confined for child labor violations.
And Kaleo, who had sent her on those errands, got locked up right alongside her.
Muniel and Seletrina, on their way to the dining room, had witnessed that horrific scene of overwork and managed to deliver justice.
"Nini only counted to five and came out, but Daddy was in there a long time?"
"The master, who was so impressive in his youth, became a very amusing person after you were born, miss."
"Daddy's super fun! Nini likes it!"
The whole family was gathered in the dining room when she arrived.
"Wow!"
Nibelria plopped down in her seat with a beaming smile.
There was always an empty chair at breakfast. But today, for some reason, everyone was there.
Before the meal began, Ardores, seated at the head of the table, spoke up.
"We have a guest coming this morning."
"Nini heard already. Dether told me."
"I see. Then you'll greet them nicely, right?"
"Yeah!"
Nibelria nodded solemnly, her face set in a determined expression that said to leave it to her.
"Nini has a busy day ahead, huh?"
Seletrina wiped the jam from around Nibelria's mouth and said.
"Gotta greet the guest and pay off the debt."
"Only three left now!"
She spread out five tiny fingers.
"...Oops."
Nibelria checked her own fingers and quickly folded two back down.
Thanks to her diligent work over the past few days, only three blank spots remained on the debt deduction certificate.
After finishing breakfast, Nibelria immediately started her labor to pay off her debt. The guest had long since been forgotten.
She brought the newspaper to her dad, and divided up the stack of letters the butler had sorted for her grandparents.
Pasting the sticker Ardores gave her onto the certificate, Nibelria grinned broadly.
"One left now."
"You've been working hard."
"Nini wants more errands!"
"What to do? There are no more chores to give you."
Ardores chuckled softly as he checked the letters.
Having lost her tasks, Nibelria hurriedly explained what she could do.
"If Grandpa gets sick, Nini will call the doctor. Give sticker."
"...Don't say scary things. Getting sick at my age means hopping on the express carriage to heaven."
"Nini knows heaven. Sounds awesome. When we going?"
"We're not going."
Unable to listen any longer, Ardores scooped up his granddaughter. Far from startled, Nibelria giggled in delight.
"So spirited from the morning."
Muniel watched the tender moment between grandfather and granddaughter with a happy smile.
Standing up, she glanced out the window for a moment. Beyond the glass, with a clear view of the garden, a familiar carriage pulled in.
"...Shall we go out now?"
A pleased smile lit up Muniel's face.
"The guest is here."
A massive carriage drawn by no fewer than six large black horses came to a stop.
The horses, having traveled far, tapped their hooves on the ground.
"Wow."
Nibelria's mouth fell open wide.
Solles quietly took his little sister's hand beside him. It was to prevent her from dashing out.
Soon, someone stepped down from the carriage.
He was an incredibly handsome man. His tall stature and stern demeanor created an aura that made him hard to approach.
Especially his impeccably neat attire without a single wrinkle and perfectly groomed hair accentuated his cold impression.
But to Nini, he was just a stranger.
The child hid behind Solles's back.
"Nini, it's okay. It's the duke. Don't you remember?"
"The duke?"
"Uncle Kalarop. Father's closest friend. The family living right in front of our house."
"......"
Just as a vague memory surfaced at those words...
Another person stepped down from the carriage.
"...Huh?"
Duke Degladis had children around the same age as Solles and Nibelria.
So Solles naturally assumed the duke's sons had come along.
But the child who alighted was a skinny blond boy. The duke's sons all had black hair like their father.
'Who is he?'
As his head tilted in confusion, Nibelria suddenly bolted forward.
"Nini!"
The startled Solles shouted.
The adults, surprised by Nibelria's sudden action, rushed to grab her, but only the hem of her fluttering dress brushed their fingertips.
Nibelria, quick as a cat, stopped right in front of the skinny boy who had just gotten out of the carriage.
She panted, catching her excited breath.
The boy stared at her in surprise.
He had clear skin and wore fairly neat clothes. His distinct features promised a bright future.
Especially his red eyes gleamed like precious winter berries.
But he was so gaunt that pity struck first before admiration.
"......"
The boy blinked his large eyes slowly, looking bewildered.
He had never seen such a pretty child in his life. He instinctively knew what they meant by "doll-like."
Snow-white silver hair piled like fluffy snow, eyes like the blue sky with drifting clouds, and chubby cheeks from eating and sleeping well.
"......"
"......"
The strange standoff between the two children dragged on for quite a while.
The watching adults held their breath as well. Dether in particular rubbed her sweaty palms vigorously on her maid apron.
Then, Nibelria spoke first.
"Wolf."
"......"
"Tummy not growling? Hungry?"
"...Hungry."
The boy clapped a hand over his mouth.
Though he was from an orphanage where he hadn't eaten or learned properly, he could tell the girl before him was a young lady of very high status.
To speak so casually to such a person.
Fortunately, the adults didn't point out the boy's rudeness. They simply watched the two children gazing at each other in that odd atmosphere.
Duke Degladis, who was closest and watching, was surprised for a different reason.
'He can talk.'
At Muniel and Ardores's request, he had personally fetched the boy from the orphanage.
He had barely seen the boy speak the whole way, so he had even doubted if he could talk properly.
"Hehe!"
Nibelria grinned.
"Not eating again, huh? You can't do that. Gotta eat to get strong!"
"......"
"C'mon, let's go! Nini was gonna give Wolf..."
Chattering away in confusion, Nibelria suddenly fell silent.
The child's upturned lips drooped in an instant, and tears welled up in her eyes, soon rolling down her cheeks.
Her trembling chin slowly parted...
"...Waaah!"
A loud wail erupted.
"Waaah! Waaaaah!"
Nibelria cried as if she were out of breath.
It was utterly out of nowhere, and the boy, seeing her sobbing right in front of him, froze like a statue.
His heart pounded with anxiety.
The watching adults hurried to soothe Nibelria. But the child's cries wouldn't stop easily.
Moreover, Nibelria had somehow grabbed the boy's loose sleeve and wouldn't let go.
"This is embarrassing."
Kaleo scooped up the boy. Being held by an adult for the first time, the boy was carried along with Nibelria to her bedroom.
"Waaaaah! Waaah!"
"Why is our Nini crying all of a sudden, huh?"
Seletrina held her endlessly weeping daughter and kept coaxing her.
Nibelria finally stopped crying bit by bit and fell asleep as she was. Seletrina placed a hand on her daughter's sweat-drenched forehead. She had a slight fever.
Only then did the boy regain his freedom.
Stepping out of the room, he felt a little dizzy. Too much had happened in such a short time. He couldn't even process it all.
'Why did she cry when she saw me?'
She called me Wolf?
Why did she ask if I was hungry?
The boy understood nothing.
But he didn't dislike the way Nibelria had smiled at him or the hand that clutched his sleeve so tightly. That much, he was sure of.
"You must be startled."
Kaleo, who had brought the boy out, apologized once more.
An adult apologizing to him—the boy was surprised again.
In his life, short as it was, this was the most polite speech an eight-year-old boy could remember.
The man called the duke who had brought him here had been kind enough. But not this gentle.
"Nini is my daughter. She's a bit quirky, but a good kid. I hope you don't hate her too much."
"......"
"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself."
Kaleo knelt down to his level.
"My name is Kaleo. What's your name?"
"......"
The boy couldn't say a word.
"......"
Because he had no name to introduce.
