Chapter 18 - The Little one and the Duke, the Daughter and the Father

Perhaps because Henriette couldn't decide her name, he was more likely to just call her "little one".

It was her seventh year living without a name anyway, so she wasn't particularly uncomfortable.

Still, he seems to be constantly trying to name her, and it wasn't much of a bother because she was still calling him "the Duke" instead of "father."

"All set!"

And today, she finally finished the painting she had been holding on to for days.

It's not perfect, but it's a great effort in the hands of a seven-year-old. It took three days just to paint Henriette's self-portrait.

'I'll never let you say it's terrible this time!'

Of course she won't deliver it herself.

This picture was a decoy.

"This, give it to the Duke."

"Won't the lady deliver it to him yourself?"

"Woong. I- I'm shy…"

In fact, it was a lie that I was ashamed

I just made up an excuse to run away today, as well as hoping that the maids wouldn't tell him.

It's time for lunch.

I also said I'd go to the garden today alone, and then went outside.

Even if I go alone, there was a magic Henriette put on me, so I don't have to worry about getting lost, and other servants will be watching, so the maids decided to wait for me freely.

The remaining maids in the room peered at the lady's paintings and chattered.

"Oh, look at this. She improved! Do you think she wants me to buy her paint next time, not crayons? I'm glad I bought it for her."

"Didn't I come up with the idea of the Crayons first?"

"But I'm the one who got the paper! I'll buy some paint for my lady."

"I already bought it for her."

"C- cheap···!"

The maids began speculating, citing each other's exploits.

After dissuading them in moderation, Peina looked into the lady's painting.

Then there was a knock.

The maids stopped making a hasty noise and opened the door. Their Master came to the room in person to take his daughter without fail today.

Henriette entered the room and looked inside.

"Where's the little one?"

"She went out to play in the garden. She asked me to deliver this to the Master instead."

Peina politely handed over the painting she was holding to Henriette and added,

"she said she was embarrassed and couldn't deliver it to you in person. Maybe that's why she's avoiding you."

Henriette looked at the painting on paper with a nonchalant look, and made a face.

"That's an excuse, she ran away today, just like yesterday."

The maids hardened their shoulders.

For a moment, they forgot that their Master was like a monster.

"Why did she run away? It's a shame that she'd been caught by me twice already."

"She's at a very shy age. Maybe that's why she's gone this time."

Peina answered desperately, but their Master looked back into the painting in his hand without saying a word.

The painting with colorful crayons was delicate for a seven-year-old.

Even if it is not yet comparable to the skills of adults, you will surely see the light of day if you sharpen and polish this talent until she grows up.

Henriette looked into it for a long time, then spat it out.

"That's too much."

The maids began glancing at Henriette. Nevertheless, his eyes were fixed on the painting.

"My eyebrows are too thick and my nose is too high. The face line is too thin. The eyelashes are long ·····."

At least in the eyes of the maids, it was a painting that tried as hard as possible to portray the best handsome man with the skill of a child.

As expected, it wasn't like that in the eyes of a picky Master.

Peina looked up a little more courageously, and saw.

"… In the eyes of a child, do I look like this?"

I'm sure he's making a good impression, but his smile hangs softly around his mouth.

Henriette didn't tell his aide to set the painting aside this time.

And then he got curious.

Why did the kid run away?

There should have been a reason. He walked right out of the room.

"Get the dessert ready. I'll look for the kid."

First of all, it will be a priority to find the child.

Henriette headed alone to the castle's garden, leaving behind all the knights and servants who followed him.

The maids became talkative when he left. 'I think Master has definitely changed.'

***

Lulu lala. I was humming across the hall. The destination was the garden.

I felt very good, maybe because I finished the painting.

Is it because the maids have been praising my paintings lately? I was getting more confident.

Will I become a renowned painter in this life?

Of course, painting costs a lot of money, and I don't know if Henriette will support me there.

Later, at the awakening ceremony, I even thought that I would like to be protected by an art guardian.

So, wouldn't it be ok to ask him to support me with a peace of mind?

'Turns out, the third child in this house is out of town for an awakening. What kind of protection did he get?'

Before long, I remembered Henriette's three sons returning to the castle.

As in the original, he and his sons don't get along very well.

So, even though the sons had time to return, they didn't even stop by their parents' house, but I heard from the maids that they will return to the castle this year.

They said they knew Henriette was alive and not dead.

But I didn't know if they all knew I existed.

'Oh, I'm suddenly worried.'

In the original work, the three brothers were dirty, fierce, and vicious.

As they were villains in the original, as were the Duke of Wensgrey.

By the way, won't I be bullied when they come back?

The original male and female leads suffered greatly from the three. The three brothers chewed on both just because they looked hateful to them.

As expected, I set it up wrong. Thinking so, I slowed down, and suddenly I heard a voice behind my back.

-Lady, where are you going today?

I looked back, shaking my shoulders in surprise. But no one was there.

I could feel the color disappearing from my face at once.

I forgot, ghost servants live in this castle.

-She's surprised when you talk to her all of a sudden.

-But she's been going around alone a lot these days, so…

-Don't be afraid, miss. We're just trying to help out. Where were you going?

No matter how tenderly asked, a ghost was a ghost.

Only dreary voices were ringing in the deserted hallway.

"Y- you don't have to know!"

I shouted and ran off in a hurry.

Then I thought they wouldn't follow me any more than they did in the magic workshop, but the voices of ghosts are coming right next to me running!

-If you run like that, you'll fall!

-It's dangerous!

"No, don't come! Argh!"

In disarray, I ran down the stairs two steps at a time.

-Lady, you'll get hurt if you go like that!

-Miss, please go down one step at a time!

The voices of the ghosts hurried past the porch and out of the garden.

The sweat fell down my chin. I couldn't breathe anymore, stopped and gasped, but a cold wind mixed with snow crystals blew.

-Miss, are you hurt anywhere?

-It was dangerous. If you run like that, you'll get hurt.

While breathing, the ghosts continued to talk busily.

I think they're worried about me, but I still can't stand them.

"Go away, go away!"

As I tried to run away in any direction stumbling, the voices of ghosts were mixed up behind my back again.

-Miss! No!

-Don't go there, lady! Lady!

-Don't go that way!

This time, there were more intense voices than when I ran down the stairs two steps each.

I stopped a few steps in surprise at their cry, and then I looked right ahead.

There was just a big apple tree standing there.

"What, what's dangerous?"

Don't tell me apple trees are dangerous.

I asked that because I had a question, and somehow the voices of the ghosts answering came a little farther away than just now.

– Lady, there is something dangerous there. Stay away from it. Please…

-Lady, go back.

-Let's go. Let's go. please

I can't see anything. What is there?

On the contrary, I pulled my head out and looked toward the apple tree.

"Oh, dear."

The wind that is rushing in is somehow chilly.

The voices of the ghosts suddenly snapped.

"Are you lost again?"

What was heard this time was clearly a voice with a clear outline.

I hurried to look around for him, and suddenly I looked up on the apple tree and saw two long legs hanging.

I slowly raised my eyes along it.

Black shirt and a thin ribbon. Black hair fluttering as if it had been cut off from the ears. And

Black eyes shining red.

The eyes folded fondly, smiling, the disparate, pretty boy sat gently like a butterfly on a thick branch.

It was the boy then.

As I looked up with a puzzled face, he took a bite of the apple he was holding in one hand.

"… I'm not lost."

"Oh, that's a relief."

He replied with a grin. I swallowed my saliva.

I forgot to stop by the kitchen on the first floor and just came back, so I was hungry.

Forgetting to feel a little ashamed, I stretched out my arms at him.

"I'd like one, too."

"This apple tree is mine?"

That was an unexpected answer. Why is that yours?

"T- there's no such thing. It's ·····."

That's for the Duke.

Oh, but something's a little off to say this.

The boy tilted his upper body under the branch and laughed.

"Whose is this?"

"Uh······, well, the Duke's."

"Yes, what does the Duke have to do with me?"

I was speechless for a moment.

I don't think it would suit a seven-year-old girl's tone to say "blood," and the words "family" or "father" still didn't stick to my mouth.

"W- why is that your tree?"

"I know the Duke of Wensgrey better than you do, so that's my tree. More than that, don't you need an apology?"

Growl.

My stomach is ringing again.

You were kind last time, but why are you being so mean this time? Is that revenge to me for being brazen then?

Eventually, I frowned and shouted.

"That's not yours… my dad! It's my dad's!"

"Hmm."

The boy narrowed his eyes, smiled, and gave a subtle nasal voice.

Looking at me huffing with rage, he soon said, stretching his upper body a little more.

"Would you like to stretch your skirt out and come three steps closer?"

As he said, I took three steps, holding the tip of the skirt with my hands and lifting it up, and the apple fell off from the top.

All the apples in the skirt width were big and appetizing.

"Wow!"

After bending over, pouring the apples in the skirt onto the floor, holding them in my arms and wiping them off with my sleeves, it gave a radiant glow.

Excitedly, I raised my head again and threw my eyes at the apple tree.

I tried to thank him, but the boy looking down at me asked me first, squinting his eyes.

"If the Duke were your father, what a great name would you receive?"

Sounds like sarcasm for some reason, is it my illusion?

"I don't have a name yet."

I held the apple I had received in my arms, answered succinctly, and bit one, the fragrant nectar filled my mouth.

The inside of my cheeks are sweet. But the boy who was looking at me somehow frowned a little.

"You're seven and you still don't have a name? Oh, your father doesn't love you very much, does he?"

I don't know why you're asking in such a rude manner. I was a little offended and spat out reflexively.

"What's your name?"