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Chapter 24 - Someone So Handsome
Author: eris421
The servants came in with huge trays and a force that was hard to describe. They then began to skilfully lay down several drinks and numerous plates on the trays before the seated people.
There were various types of bread for appetizers, still fresh and warm.
I didn’t know what the yellow soup that came with it was made of but it looked delicious.
The drinks were water and wine, but I got a particularly different one. It was milk.
‘Um…’
[You can grow tall.]
‘Yes! Let’s drink lots and eat well regardless of food!’
I took a sip of milk and held up a spoon with my eyes shining.
The soup and bread were very delicious.
‘Wow!’
Soon the next course was out.
While others were given large meat with a foamy sauce on top, what came in front of me was a familiar food. The salad had a big smiley face painted with red ketchup and the pickles for the pork cutlet was placed as if it were bear ears.
“It’s a children’s set.”
My brother smiled with a glad face. I pulled my head forward a little and looked at the Big Bear. The Big Bear, who was talking to the Duke, immediately turned to me whether he had noticed my gaze.
I was suddenly met by the Big Bear’s warm gaze.
‘So Big Bear prepared it for me?’
I cried out in my mind.
‘Thank you!’
The Big Bear’s eyes gave a friendly glow, and the corner of his lips went up. Suddenly the dining room became quiet.
A few seconds later, when the conversation began again, my brother smiled and said, “I’ll cut it for you.”
“Okay!”
Just like Big Bear, my Brother cut the pork cutlet into twenty bite-sized pieces in an instant.
I ate well.
‘So full…’
But I couldn’t give up on dessert.
The dessert was a white ice cream with crisp small snacks decorating it elaborately. The top was also drizzled with beautiful sweet caramel sauce.
‘Wow~’
It was so delicious that I almost cried.
‘Oh my God! I can’t believe food like this exists! Dinner is amazing! I’m going to participate in every single one from now on!’
I made a vow as I emptied everything.
“Do you want more?” asked my brother kindly.
I wanted to nod right away, but my stomach was about to explode.
“Not really…”
I shook my head with a drop of regret.
My brother smiled broadly at my bulging belly. I was a little embarrassed and covered my stomach with my hands.
My brother looked at me with eyes that were saying I was so cute that he was going to die, and spoke to the Duke.
“Mother.”
The Duke was talking to the Leopard sitting diagonally to the right.
“Yes? What is it?”
“The dinner is not over yet, but may I leave for a moment? I think that it’s time for Diana to go to bed. I’ll take her back.”
The Duke shook her head.
“Not you Juliano. But Marciana, you go.”
The Leopard smiled with satisfaction and went around the Duke and approached me.
“Do you want me to carry you? Or walk?”
I wanted to walk, but I was so full that I couldn’t move.
“Carry me. Oh, wait.”
I bowed as I looked towards the Duke.
“I ate it really, really well! It was delicious.”
I heard a little laugh, but it soon disappeared. The Duke closed his mouth tightly and nodded.
I carefully raised my hands to the Leopard, understanding that it meant we could go out now.
The Leopard smiled again and hugged me up.
‘It’s not uncomfortable anymore.’
I focused my eyes on the sight over the Leopard’s shoulder. The Duke shut her mouth tighter and the Big Bear was laughing at me loudly.
My brother seemed to be sorry that he couldn’t take me home, but he still smiled and waved.
I also watched the others who gave me a small wave of their hands. Some people, like Ruth and Tant, had a face full of smiles.
However, there were also some people who looked at me like they were looking at something they dislike and annoyed.
‘I shouldn’t forget this.’
It was a matter of course.
When I came out of the dining room, Leopard rubbed my back lightly and quietly said, “From now on, official events such as dinner will be with me. Not Juliano. I came a little late earlier because I went to pick you up.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing to be sorry about. Besides Juliano has a much more accurate eye for people than I do, but his political sense is not yet ripe. I guess he couldn’t calculate that it would be more advantageous for you to appear with the official heir to the Duchy. Do you understand?”
I thought about it, and I nodded.
“Yes. I understand.”
The Leopard looked me in the eye and seemed to know that I was telling the truth.
“Our Dia truly is so smart.”
The Leopard said, the corners of her lips smiling with satisfaction.
The Leopard, who started walking again, stopped and called someone’s name.
“Riel.”
I turned my head.
A man who appeared to be in his early or mid-teens stood in front of us. He was tall and slim, so he felt elongated, but that didn’t mean he was thin.
The body, dressed in nice robes, was obviously muscular with training. There was a feeling that it was not balanced as if he wasn’t fully grown yet, but the power inherent in his body was huge.
‘Incredible.’
If the Duke took control of the world by exuding overwhelming force, this man was the type to grind sharp and serious force into his body softly yet firmly.
‘He doesn’t seem like a normal person, but it looks like he’s just a little below the Leopard.’
That wasn’t the only surprise.
His flawless face was like white jade. He was practically shining. A straight forehead and a high nose, a smooth jawline, and plump lips. Everything on his face was simply perfect, drawing a beautiful gentle smile.
‘No, the hair color is a little disappointing. The color of his eyes…’
The common brown hair and eyes on that face, like the best jewel, were like jades. Since his hair was glossy, I thought that silver hair would definitely suit him better.
It seemed that the eyes would also have looked much better in a color other than brown.
‘Too bad… Anyways why am I so interested in other people?’
There was only one reason.
I had never seen such a handsome person in my entire life.
It was shocking.
“Yes, Successor.”
The man also had a good voice.
It was low and thick, but it felt calm and powerful.
“Is the dinner already over?”
“No. I’m here to take Dia back. Say hello.”
Lel spoke to me, who was in the arms of the Leopard, with a smile.
“Nice to meet you. Miss Dia.”
Light seemed to be emanating from his face.
‘Wow…’
My mind went blank for a moment.
“Dia, say hi.”
“Yes? Yes. I’m- I’m Dia.”
My pronunciation was horrible, but I couldn’t even be conscious. Riel’s smile made it feel like I could melt away.
I almost melted down.
“My name is Torre Riel.”
“Yes, yes…”
The Leopard clicked her tongue at me, who was standing beside her, and was not surprised. It seemed I was not the only one who reacted like this towards Riel’s appearance.
“Why are you here right now? Did anything happen?”
“I apologize. It’s just that Jeremy suddenly vomited.”
“Shall I call Ruth?”
“It’s alright. He was simply curious about the taste of a raw coffee bean and accidentally swallowed it…” Riel gave a short sigh, “It’s alright now.”
“That’s a relief. Go in.”
“Yes, of course.”
Riel greeted me and the Leopard with a warm smile and walked into the dining room.
It was only after Riel completely disappeared from my sight that my mind returned a little.
“Oh, how can a person be so handsome…?” I asked the Leopard, unaware of my shining eyes.
The Leopard had a sour face.
“That’s simply how he’s born.”
Her eyes and tone were not good.
I was still a little delirious from the pure awe when I realized,
‘The Leopard doesn’t like Riel? I wonder why?’
There seemed to be a reason but I couldn’t figure it out.
Come to think of it, there was one thing that came to mind.
“If it’s Torre… Is he Ruth’s son?”
“Yes. He’s also Gallio’s grandson.”
“I see… But they don’t look alike at all.”
The Leopard then stroked my head.
“He looks like you. The color of your hair and eyes are the same.”
“Oh. I see.”
The common brown color was exactly the same as if copied.
“He’s so handsome…”
The Leopard took me to the front of the room with a smile, though her reaction was disapproving.
“See you tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.”
Suddenly a wave of tiredness washed over me. A yawn involuntarily left my mouth.
As I yawned, Lavigne and the maids approached with a smile.
“Well, let’s wash up now. You can sleep after.”
“Okay…”
I fell asleep while taking a bath again this time.
It was a pleasant night.
***
The next morning, I woke up at seven.
Lavigne woke me up at that time, to be exact.
I was sleepy, but I held it in and washed my face.
Lavigne dressed me and brushed my hair and asked, “Are you going to grow it out?”
I used to think short was convenient, but Lavigne followed up, “Please tell me you are!”
Seeing that, I nodded my head automatically, “Yes.”
“That’s great! If you grow it long it’ll only make you prettier!”
“Yes… Thank you. But my hair doesn’t grow well.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. The other kids had their hair long at the orphanage, but only I had it short.”
“I see.”
Lavigne dressed me up in the daycare uniform and took me to the dining area, where Brother and the Leopard were waiting.
“Good morning.”
I bowed my head.
I don’t know why, but the two laughed and nodded. During the meal, the two talked about the daycare center.
“You have to listen to the teacher well.”
“They’ll check if you brush your teeth well, so don’t do it roughly and do it well.”
“Don’t fight with other kids.”
The Leopard shook her head at Brother’s request.
“You can fight. If you have something to fight for or about, you have to fight.
“Sister.”
“Dia doesn’t seem to be the type to pick a fight first. She’ll probably hold it in even if she gets bullied. Do you want her to get hit?”
“But I don’t think we should respond to violence with violence. It’s not a battlefield. It’s a daycare center.
“Then, if they hit her, she’ll just get hit?”
Maybe he imagined me being hit, but Brother’s eyes seemed to flicker as if struck by lightning.
“That’s not right!”
“You see.”
“…But you’re a child at a daycare center, so don’t retaliate with your magic Dia.”
“Yes.”
“In fact, the best thing is to get hit first. After that, your right to self-defense can be applied. So, Dia, start with a slap, okay?” said the Leopard.
“But it hurts even just once!”
When Brother protested, the Leopard replied, “You can pretend to be hit. Secretly defend yourself with magic. Dia, you know how to do it right?”
“I don’t know because I haven’t tried it.”
“I’ll teach you next time.”
“Noona, she can’t use magic until she grows up.”
“I see. I still think you should learn a technique that makes it less painful.”
“…I don’t want to get hit at all. So I’ll just keep the peace.”
I never had any fights at the orphanage.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t talk to them in the first place.
“Our Dia is a pacifist. Good girl.”
While the Leopard praised me with a big smile, as my Brother shook his head.
‘He’s definitely thinking about what I did to the three people who attacked Big Bear last time.’
“Have a safe trip.”
After the meal, the Leopard patted my head a last time, and then disappeared.
My Brother walked with me in his arms and asked me, “If you get into a fight, you shouldn’t kick there. Got it?”
“…”
“There may be some who can’t cure that part. Then we’ll be in big trouble. Never hit there.”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“Yes…”
Only then did Brother seem relieved.
At that moment, I suddenly remembered something.
“Who were those villains from last time?”