Chapter 10

He approached Sephiel with heavy steps.

 

“Don’t hit me!”

 

A voice narrowly bursted out.

 

A sense of frustration spread over Elton’s face, who came running late. Erga handed the dagger to Elton and beckoned.

 

“Drag it to the main building.”

 

 

***

 

 

‘But this isn’t it?!’

 

Sephiel felt her body trembling out of fear.

 

She was literally lifted alone, caught, and taken into the castle, just like prey.

 

 

[Anyone who goes against the will of our Grand Duchy’s Dragons will be severely punished. So you have to be careful.]

 

 

Marie’s reminder sounded like an echo from afar.

 

It was like meeting a tiger while trying to avoid Lotto.

 

“I thought it was prey and almost shot it.”

 

“….”

 

“How do you all actually work?”

 

Erga asked as if he was dumbfounded.

 

“Please do not be too scary, Little Young Lord. She’s still young.”

 

‘No, I am the same age as him though.’

 

Sephiel was dumbfounded and wanted to cry.

 

Erga stared at such Sephiel. At the shining golden eyes, fear slowly crawled up Sephiel’s spine.

 

“How do I usually handle the prey, Elton?”

 

“Take off the hide and hang it.”

 

“He-heu!”

 

Sephiel covered her mouth and flinched.

 

‘No, don’t. If I scream, I might really die in his hands.’

 

Elton carefully said while looking at Sephiel.

 

“However, Little Young Lord, this person is not prey, but Little Young Lord’s marriage partner.”

 

Thump.

 

At that time, someone rushed into the hall with a loud noise.

 

It was Marie who came running, gasping breathlessly.

 

“Isn’t it your job to take care of this? Marie.”

 

“Yes. I was in charge of the night attendance for Baby in the separate house today.”

 

“I’ll have to punish you. Turns out you’re neglecting your work.”

 

At that moment, Sephiel saw something on Marie’s waist.

 

‘It’s my shoes!’

 

Red shoes with a ribbon attached. That’s right. While playing during the day, she and Marie went to the vacant lot in the forest and layed out her shoes to bask in the moonlight.

 

Only then did Sephiel understand the situation.

 

‘Since it’s raining, you went to get my shoes!’

 

Sephiel was moved to tears. So it wasn’t that Marie and Berry were leaving Sephiel behind.

 

‘Ah, I made a mess.’

 

Sephiel wanted to stamp her feet.

 

“Punish her.”

 

“…According to the household’s rules, it’s whipping. However, Little Young Lord, I think that’s too much.”

 

At Elton’s words, Erga frowned slightly and said as he looked at Marie.

 

“The raccoon could’ve died. Beat her to death.”

 

Sephiel’s brain fully activated at that moment.

 

“N-no dwon’t!” [N-no don’t!]

 

At that moment, Sephiel grabbed Erga’s collar without realizing it herself and bit down.

 

“What is it?”

 

Erga said, his voice dripping with coldness.

 

If words could stab a person to death, several people would have already died.

 

“About that….”

 

Sephiel gulped.

 

“I came out secwetly, without Marie knowing ith.” [I came out secretly, without Marie knowing it.]

 

“Why?”

 

“B-because I want to shee….” [B-because I want to see….]

 

Sephiel looked at Erga and said.

 

“See what?”

 

“It’s because I wanth to see you….” [It’s because I want to see you….]

 

“…Are you saying that you wanted to see our Little Young Lord?”

 

Elton asked quietly.

 

“Yeshh….” [Yess….]

 

Sephiel nodded strongly. She then released Erga’s collar that she was holding.

 

“Why?”

 

At that moment, Erga’s movement stopped. He stared at Sephiel like he was looking at something bizarre.

 

He clearly asked.

 

“Why do you want to see me?”

 

“I habb something I wanted to ask. And alsho…. I just….” [I have something I wanted to ask. And also…. I just….]

 

“…Just?”

 

It felt like her neck was going to go flying if she said a single word wrong. Sephiel decided to be shameless.

 

“Because I wike you….” [Because I like you….]

 

At that moment, the surrounding area became quiet.

 

Standing behind Erga, Sephiel could see Elton at a glance. His mouth was opened blankly.

 

Sephiel had never seen Elton, who was always smiling and relaxed, make such an expression.

 

“So you made up all these lies.”

 

Erga said as if it was ridiculous.

 

“No, it is not!”

 

Sephiel said.

 

“The Baroness, you twaught her a lesson fwor me.” [The Baroness, you taught her a lesson for me.]

 

Sephiel said, recalling Mittara’s mom.

 

However…

 

‘Is it because of his mood?’

 

Erga’s golden eyes, which were as cold as absolute zero, became strange.

 

“You’re so optimistic without any plans. Who said that it was because of you?”

 

“Then, because of who ish ith?” [Then, because of who is it?]

 

Ah, I don’t know anymore. Let’s be shameless.

 

Sephiel wiped her eyes with one small hand and looked at Erga brightly.

 

“That Madam curshed at me. That is why you scowlded her…” [That Madam cursed at me. That is why you scolded her…]

 

Erga’s demeanor eased.

 

“So I wike it. You….” [So I like it. You….]

 

Sephiel could barely smile.

 

‘Let’s just smile.’

 

If not, the atmosphere would take a hit.

 

“The thing you want to ask.”

 

“H-huh?”

 

“You said that you had something you wanted to ask. What is it?”

 

“That ish…” [That is….]

 

Sephiel’s shoulders shrank and she slyly looked at Erga.

 

Him, has he calmed down a bit now?

 

“That ish….” [That is….]

 

“That is?”

 

“I was just curioush….” [I was just curious…..]

 

“Just what is it?”

 

“W-we….”

 

Sephiel said, feeling anxious.

 

“When aww we going tchu get mawwied?” [When are we going to get married?]

 

Ah. Really.

 

Sephiel wanted to curse at herself, even if it was using the curses she learned in her previous life.

 

Why did this short tongue suddenly decide to become even more useless at this kind of moment?

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Her surroundings were dyed with silence.

 

“…Marriage?”

 

Erga asked back. He looked like he had never heard a more absurd thing in his life.

 

Ah. Fuck.

 

Sephiel muttered inside.

 

Even in her previous life, she had never cursed, so it took a long time for her to think of the word.

 

“You. Are you here to determine if I’ll marry you or not?”

 

Erga asked with a grim look.

 

‘No, no, no!’

 

Sephiel shouted wildly inside, but nodded her head as she said, “Yesh….”

 

To make matters worse, the surprised aftereffect made her eyes tear up.

 

‘What should I do? Looks like he’s really angry.’

 

They hadn’t even written a concrete engagement document yet, let alone lending the family name.

 

‘Is he really going to kick me out?’

 

I don’t know anymore.

 

Sephiel cried and said.

 

“They shaid we’re getting mawwied. You picked mwe.” [They said we’re getting married. You had picked me.]

 

Feeling a sense of crisis, Sephiel’s desperate act was…

 

“Oh my… It’s really…”

 

Lef, who came out to watch, gulped.

 

“How cute…”

 

Surprisingly… No one took Sephiel’s remarks seriously.

 

“Just how much did 5-year-old Baby like the Little Young Lord….”

 

If only Sephiel was a little older, they would have taken it seriously.

 

However, even if Sephiel was young, too young, if it was by age, it was the very same with Erga.

 

The servants just thought of her as cute.

 

Just like how a person likes pretty flowers or jewelry, or how a person likes a brother and sister, they thought that she followed Erga here with the same intentions.

 

“Baby.”

 

Elton had a really weird look on his face.

 

It was a look that showed he didn’t know whether he should laugh, worry, or be surprised.\n“Really… Turns out, you really like looks. Although it seems like you don’t look at personality…”

 

…Hey.

 

Sephiel thought about biting Elton as it was.

 

And then, Erga’s reaction was…

 

“I thought it was a funny raccoon, but looking at it again, it turns out it was a crazy raccoon.”

 

Erga said as if he were sighing.

 

“You, just what do you wish from me?”

 

‘What I want is to escape from my damn family. It’s your family register I want.’

 

It was only that.

 

Sephiel wanted to hit her chest and say it. But she couldn’t.

 

“Baby.”

 

Marie barely calmed down and said.

 

“If you were curious about that, you should have told us first. I was so surprised that you suddenly disappeared.”

 

“Marie…”

 

Sephiel cried.

 

Step. Step.

 

As Erga’s mood loosened a little, the distant employees approached and surrounded Sephiel.

 

“Baby.”

 

Among them, there was Berry, whose face had become pale as she had arrived late.

 

“So, were you anxious?”

 

“The Little Young Lord isn’t going anywhere.”

 

Berry and Marie comforted the sniffling Sephiel. Sephiel secretly said everything she had to say while rubbing her eyes.

 

“I know. But if he changed hish mwind….” [I know. But if he changed his mind….]

 

“So our Baby is sincerely following the Little Young Lord.”

 

“Little Young Lord. Isn’t he admirable?!”

 

I don’t like him…

 

However, Sephiel didn’t even speak and just hugged Marie, shaking her head sobbing.

 

“Heeung, sniff. Marie… Berry…”

 

Originally, it was sadder if someone comforted her.

 

Elton barely held his breath as he talked to Erga.

 

“Baby is young. Children surely like things that stand out. No matter how it is, Little Young Lord is a half-dragon so you have an appearance that stands out.”

 

Elton added.

 

“Do you like me that much?”

 

Sephiel gritted her teeth and nodded.

 

“Yesh! I wike you! Very very much!” [Yesh! I like you! Very very much!]

 

“But why are you crying.”

 

“….”

 

“Of course you have to smile.”

 

Wow, look at the question’s conscience level.

 

Sephiel wanted to swear quickly.

 

Erga asked boringly.

 

“What do you say makes this kid feel okay?”

 

Marie and Berry gulped and said.

 

“She likes to play in the bath.”

 

“And she likes snacks.”

 

“She also lost track of time when playing ball.”

 

“And she likes her head to be stroked.”

 

Erga looked at the trembling Sephiel.

 

“Little Young Lord. You surely have to comfort Baby.”

 

Elton said.

 

‘I’m going to be hit!’

 

Sephiel closed her eyes tightly. And then at the next moment….

 

Erga’s hand patted Sephiel’s head.

 

“You.”

 

Erga said as if he was whispering.

 

The hand was so big it was hard to believe that he was the same age as her. Sephiel’s pomegranate-like eyes opened wide.

 

“I’m letting this go, but if you do this again, you’ll really die in my father’s hands.”

 

“Yesh….” [Yes….]

 

Erga blinked coldly.

 

“Take her and soothe her.”

 

“So…. In what way?”

 

Berry asked carefully.

 

“All of them.”

 

“….”

 

“Do it all and report it.”

 

Erga turned his head.

 

“Pheww.”

 

All the nervous family members wiped away their cold sweat.