/
Two days later, Kassel, who could no longer delay the schedule, prepared to send Aika to the Duke’s residence.
“Peanut.”
“Uncle, how many will you be gone?”
“I’ll either come late or early, if you listen to my words carefully.”
“You’re lying. How can Uncle watch me from there? How far is it, you know?”
“Uncle can see you.”
“Where is there that kind of thing!”
Aika’s cheeks swelled up.
Kassel pricked the white cheek as if he was pressing well-swollen dough.
“Here it is. So, listen to your grandpa. I’ll be back soon.”
“…Yep!”
Today, Aika behaved obediently.
It wasn’t like he wanted her to hold on to her again like last time, but Kassel didn’t put Aika down while holding her for a long time out of vain regret.
“Uncle.”
“Why.”
“…Nothing.”
It’s not that it’s not, but more than anything, the kid was a bit strange today.
If he said she was going to her grandfather, she would have to go on a rampage, yet she clearly seemed to be struggling.
Stop trying to say what she has to say, over and over again.
Maybe she’s doing this because she couldn’t tell him that she secretly hid Leto’s documents a while ago.
Or because she wants to go somewhere he can’t take her.
However, the road was quite dangerous, so he couldn’t take the child with him.
This time too, he will get the job done before coming back.
“Get on.”
Kassel eventually got Aika into the carriage first.
“Is Uncle also going to Grandpa’s?”
She climbed into the chair with her knees, and Kassell followed suit and slumped into the chair after seeing Aika nestled inside the carriage.
Aika’s eyes widened.
“Uncle’s going with you because I don’t want you to cry over me again and turn into a soaked peanut.”
“Hihi.”
Then Aika grinned.
***
The whole time I rode in the carriage to Grandpa’s house, my mind was filled with thoughts of going to the Imperial Palace.
It reminded me of something I had to do while Uncle was gone.
It was a golden opportunity.
In fact, Serpens helped.
[I have to go see Lepus.]
[Just go-ing.]
[Uncle would scold me, telling me I can’t go to the Imperial Palace. He said he would hang me from the window.]
[Then you can go without your uncle knowing-ing.]
[Gasp. When I go to Grandpa’s!]
[Ding dong deng.]
That’s how it happened.
Uncle growls and gets angry at the mere mention of the syllable ‘Imp’ in the Imperial Palace, so I have no choice but to follow Grandpa!
I had a mountain of questions to ask Lepus, but I was sad that I couldn’t keep looking for it.
Uncle said it was up to me how long it would take, but Gerard hinted at a week or so.
“Uncle, can we come to my house when you come back?”
“Your house?”
“Yes, my house.”
I had been waiting until now for the promise Uncle had made the other day to take me.
I waited enough to ask Zenda to mark it on my calendar every day.
Uncle was still as if thinking for a moment, then he nodded his head as he tousled my hair.
The two pigtails that Zenda had tied up prettily at best were getting tangled.
“Ugh.”
“We’ll go, well.”
“Whoa! Really, can we?”
“So, listen to me carefully.”
My gosh! Uncle had to come late for me to keep going to the Imperial Palace, and Uncle had to come early for us to go to my house.
Then I should wish Uncle to come early, but I shouldn’t wish him to come early. Unbelievable.
“Aika.”
“Huh?”
“…No.”
Uncle kept calling me and talking to me repeatedly.
He did the same over dinner yesterday.
I thought he would get scolded for hiding Leto’s document, but that wasn’t the case either.
Anyway, we should catch the bad culprit soon.
The fact that the culprit who tried to harm Leto and Grandpa is the same means that that person knows Grandpa and Leto.
Then Grandpa might know that guy too.
I must find them.
***
“Our princess, my baby!”
“Grandpwa!”
“Your tongue got cut out again.”
Uncle sneered at me from behind.
Either way, I ran over and hugged Grandpa tightly.
“Uncle took me here!”
“Yeah, he should do it right. My princess, have you eaten?”
“Yes, I ate this much! What about Grandpa?”
“This grandpa ate too. What shall we do while our princess is here? Shall we go to the toy store together?”
“Grandpa, then go…”
“Go what.”
I shuddered at the eerie voice behind me.
“U-Uncle.”
Unbeknownst to me, my head turned back, creak.
“Go what.”
“…No, that.”
“It won’t be going to the Imperial Palace.”
Uncle asked, raising his eyebrows crookedly.
He even crossed his arms with his eyes telling me to speak.
I shook my head as my cheeks dropped.
As expected, Uncle is too quick-witted.
W-What should I say?
As I turned my eyes, I could see Uncle’s golden eyes.
“Go… ooolden carriage!”
“What?”
“Golden carriage! Grandpa’s golden carriage!”
I just answered casually.
“A golden carriage? Yes, the family carriage is a bit dark. This old man was careless. I’ll prepare a golden carriage tomorrow. My princess, is there anything else you want?”
It’s not, though…
I don’t want a golden carriage, though…
I hated the golden necklace, but I hated the golden carriage even more.
But Uncle was glaring at me, so I had no choice but to shout that we must make a golden carriage.
***
Uncle really left me for the March of Leguier.
Actually, I also wanted to see Cartiers.
But I had something to do here, so I decided to put up with it.
Because Zenda is by my side too!
And from today, the day after I slept at Grandpa’s, I had to take classes with the teachers I greeted at Uncle’s.
I heard that the Imperial Language teacher, whom I hadn’t seen before, was coming today.
“Hello, Madam Lemonica.”
As I had learned from the first greeting, I held the dress in my hands, crossed one of my feet, and bowed my back to greet Viscountess Lemonica.
“Nice to meet you again, Lady Aika. I’ve taught you once, and you’re really good at it.”
“Thank you!”
Viscountess Lemonica was a very nice person.
As her name suggests, she always had her lemon blonde hair tied down and rolled up like an onion net.
Viscountess Lemonica’s light green eyes, with a hint of brown, were as warm as her voice.
“Then, shall we learn something else today?”
“Yes!”
“Now, this time, it’s a greeting method that can be used when meeting a friend. Just follow along slowly.”
“Yeeees!”
She taught me each posture and if I said it was a little difficult, I was able to take a break right away.
“A little lighter.”
“L-Like this?”
“Great. The dress is over here.”
“Here….”
And she told me to always ask if there was anything difficult, and she even stood behind me, held my hand, and taught me how to posture.
“Good job. You learn really fast. Now then, shall we go at once?”
The other teachers were all nice when I first greeted them, so soon I was sure that my Imperial Language teacher would be nice too.
In the afternoon, the Imperial Language teacher really came.
It was the new teacher, instead of Professor Boville, who was supposed to come, I heard.
“Hello, I’m Belfoy Logis, who will be in charge of the Miss’ Imperial Language education from today. Feel free to call me Logis.”
Teacher Logis had her hair styled with her bangs-less, middle-parted, wavy brown hair down to a bob.
There was a small dot on the right side of her nose on her pointed chin.
Every time Teacher Logis moved, her hair floated and it seemed as if it would fly away at any moment.
“Hello, Teacher Logis. I’m Aika de Valliot!”
I took out the book Teacher Logis had brought.
“First of all, today we will have time to find out how far you have learned.”
“Yes!”
“Could you write the Imperial language, even a bit?”
“Yes! I know how to write a little bit!”
“Then, shall we use a word you know? It can be one letter.”
“Yeees!”
I took out the notebook and pencil that Zenda had prepared in advance.
I opened my notebook and started writing down the letters I knew on the white and clean paper.
Write Mom’s name, Grandpa’s name, also Uncle’s name.
“Hmm. What else?”
…I was about to write the name Russphe.
It’s because I forgot what the last letter of Russphe’s name was.
Russphe would be really sad if he found out.
I guess I’ll ask Grandpa as soon as today’s class is over.
Write Zenda, Gerard, Leto, and Grandma Sophie’s names.
I also wrote down the food I ate yesterday.
“Write my name too-ing.”
I heard Ser’s voice in my ears.
I tried to ignore it, but then I felt like it would complain later that I didn’t write it, so I only wrote ‘Ser’.
And last!
I was contemplating writing down the most difficult words as a stroke of conversion, but Ser tapped me on the cheek from the side.
“Look at him for a while-ing.”
Hm?