10 Years Old: Chapter 44 â Grandfather and Granddaughter
Editors: Nahct, Wafflez & Me3
Since Grandfather will be staying with us, Father strictly ordered us to not get
It was just like Father to worry that Grandfather was up to no good. Father really
hates Grandfather, doesnât he? Well, I understood from a single glance that
Grandfather didnât get along with Father so I guess you could say that it was
Since he had given the command as the head of the family with a serious face, I
couldnât go against it nor did I want to. I decided to be obedient and didnât try to get
close to Grandfather. To begin with, I was certain that Grandfather didnât have a
favorable impression of me, seeing as how he insulted when we first met.
ăâŚ.. Itâs better to not get too close, but there is a limit to how much one can avoid
him, like what Rubyâs doingă
Haa~ I grumbled and sighed while combing Rubyâs hair as he used my lap as a
In some ways it was pitiable, but this was because I had carried out a decisive
tactic to prevent Ruby from meeting Grandfather. However, there was a problem.
The problem being that Ruby obediently stayed in his room all the time.
Ruby was still in his playful phase. Previously, he had eagerly walked around the
premises. Now, all the time he would have spent outside was being spent cooped
up in his room. And the increase of activities in the garden only strengthened his
desire to follow me to his favourite area. I could only pacify him for now, but Iâm at
my limit. Even I wanted to go to the garden.
Ruby, who was napping peacefully, displayed an innocent face in his sleep. When I
traced his cheeks with the tip of my fingers, he mumbled with uneasiness and
furrowed his brows. It was so adorable that I just couldnât help but smile.
If Grandfather firmly promises to not do needless things, then Iâll let them meet. Ah,
wait! Considering the situation when Father and Grandfather severed all forms of
contact, I feel like I shouldnât let them meet after all.
are you feeling alright?ă
ăIâm fine as long as he doesnât meet Ruby. I donât mind even if he shouts and
ăâŚ.. Even if he is the former head of the family, I wonât forgive him if he abuses
ăWell, I did say those things to Grandfather, so Iâm not surprised if he hates me
I am not bothered by whether or not he dislikes me. In any case, I was beyond his
scope of interest. Because I was irritated by his insults towards Mother, I said those
things to Grandfather. However, the words were said haphazardly.
Grandfather seems coldhearted
to me. I mean, itâs been ten years since I was born
and not once had I met Grandfather, so I donât really know. Furthermore, he holds
Mother in contempt. Itâs understandable even if he doesnât like me, I treat people
that I donât like as strangers after all. Does that mean Iâm heartless?
Gilles, who has been my escort for a while, also disapprove of him. Although I donât
particularly feel like heâll do me any real harm. If anything were to occur, then
Father and Gilles would tell him off before I could lose my temper.
âŚ.. Either way, at the end of the day, arenât I just being spoiled?
ăIf anything were to happen, I have you Gilles. Weâll manage somehowă
Gilles was like family to me. When I said that, he showed a wry smile on his face.
However, Gilles was an indispensable person to me, so much so that Iâve become
very reliant on him. As a person who treasures and looks only at me, heâs very
âŚ.. On one hand, I wish for him to quickly find a lover, and on the other, I donât
want us to be separated. Iâm selfconscious
of how dependent Iâve become.
ăThen, I must meet those demandsă
Towards my bitter smile, Gillesâs satisfaction seemed to radiate from his face. He
turned towards me with a bright smile and combed my hair.
People around me have said that my appearance is quite similar to Motherâs.
According to Father, I am just like Mother when she was a little girl. Of course, I
have a bit of Father in me, but it seems that Motherâs side was predominant.
Father expects my appearance to become more similar to Motherâs when I hit
puberty. Motherâs cuteness and her baby face gives off the feeling of a beautiful
attendant whereas the expression of my eyes seem to differ slightly from hers.
Well, leaving that matter aside, Iâm currently at the stage where I resemble Mother.
Itâs not to the point where we were like two peas in a pod, but the similarity was still
Hence, for Grandfather who hates Mother, when he saw his granddaughterâs
ăâŚ.. Whatâs wrong with your brother?ă
Even if I holed myself in my room whenever I could, I would encounter him when I
ăI heard you. What will you do when you find out?ă
ăWhatâs wrong with looking at my grandchildâs face?ă
ăYour grandchild is in front of you, though?ă
I tried very hard to show him a good impression by expressing a cheerful and
gentle look as best as I could.
Oh well! I had a feeling that it was a bit too late for that. As a result of him being
unable to stomach it, a grimace formed on Grandfatherâs harsh expression,
signalling his displeasure.
ăIs that so? How regrettableă
I put on a regretful expression for appearanceâs sake for the time being. It was not
particularly because we were bloodrelated;
after all, I hadnât been affected by
anything he had said till now, and I still didnât care about it. It was not like
Grandfather was essential to me , I only perceived him as Fatherâs genetic provider.
It seems that he understood from how unnaturally low my eyebrows were;
Grandfather looked annoyed.
ăYou really are just like that woman. Your words sound sad yet you donât feel
ăIf youâre conscious that youâve hurt others with your conduct, then shouldnât you
go about changing it? Although it surely must be difficult to pass the time in this
Iâm certain that the person himself feels it when the entire family in the household
doesnât welcome him. In the first place, it was to the point where he was close to
disowning Father, so in a sense, it was not that surprising. Especially since Father
and the butler that previously served Father, Joseph, were greatly antagonistic
ăI donât mind even if you hate me. However, donât you think you should at least try
to put in some effort to like me even a tiny bit?ă
ăBut in doing so, wouldnât I be acknowledging you?ă
ăNo. I donât care if you acknowledge me or not. As far as Iâm concerned, youâre a
stranger to me, Grandfather. You feel the same way too. However, it will never
change the fact that Iâm still the older sister of Ruby, whom you seekă
ăâŚ.. You are an unlikable lassă
ăYes, Iâm aware of that. I will not forgive anyone who intends to ruin my world.
Even if itâs Fatherâs fatheră
I affirmed it with a smile.
ăIf you come into contact with Ruby and indoctrinate him with halftruths
brainwash him, I will do whatever it takes to drive you out of this houseă
ăDo you even have such authority?ă
ăIâll beg Father in tears or use force. I have many means and I wonât be the one
Iâm still a child so even if I fought fairly against an adult, my chances of winning
would be slim. In that case, it was obvious for me to use whatever means
necessary to ensure my safety.
ăIf you just want to see your cute grandson, Ruby, then please tell that to Father. If
you have a guilty conscience and arenât scheming, Iâm sure heâll allow ită
Since he doesnât seem to feel any attachment towards me, Iâm just going to be
indifferent about it. However, Grandfather was only obsessed with Ruby. A son who
would inherit the legacy was precious, wasnât he? Unlike me, who would only be
useful as a tool in a political marriage.
If he wanted to be affectionate towards Ruby as his grandfather, then I couldnât
deny him. I have no intention to carry out needless conversations like Father that
would possibly drive him out. Everything would depend on Grandfatherâs intentions.
It didnât matter whether you were somebody important or proud, nothing would
change even if they told me. I just want to reduce the elements of danger and
As a smile floated across my lips, my eyes narrowed when Grandfather slightly
grimaced and let out a sigh.
ăIâll admit only one thing, youâre just like that woman and Welfă
ăIâm honored to receive your praiseă
Grinning, I laughed with a childish allure as Grandfather turned his back on me with
a face as though he was pondering over something.
âŚ.. Itâs not good that he doesnât like me as well, but even so, I donât want him to do
any unnecessary things to Ruby. It would be good if he loved him as his grandson.
Then, Iâm sure Father would probably not go as far as to refuse him. Why didnât I
purposely tell that to Grandfather?