Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The cushions for the backrest and the seat were very fluffy.

The seat was so soft that it would sink even if I just poked it with my finger.

‘The cushions in this carriage have excellent quality compared to the sofa they sat on earlier.’

The most comfortable thing in the orphanage was the sofa in the director’s office, but it was a far cry from this seat.

Unconsciously, I poked the cushion with my finger, dangled my legs, and slowly lifted my head.

Two pairs of violet eyes followed the direction of my finger.

“Unc……Gwand Duke, what am I going to do once we awive? Laundwy? Cweaning?”

(Unc……Grand Duke, what am I going to do once we arrive? Laundry? Cleaning?)

He didn’t reveal his identity earlier so I called him as if I was calling some village old man, but he revealed that he’s a grand duke when we entered the carriage.

For that reason, instead of speaking nonchalantly like I did earlier, I decided to speak more carefully.

You can’t just act casually with a nobleman.

I already know what I’ll do there because I’ve read the novel, but I still wanted to ask.

“You will be treated with utmost care in our estate. You will eat delicious foods, play comfortably, and rest. It was stated in the contract.”

“Wow!”

“But shouldn’t you have asked that earlier?”

“Why did you come with us without knowing why you’re going?” Wyndert chuckled.

Well, I thought the grand duke might change his mind!

Even the director could not do anything because he decided too fast.

“Hmm, when you sign a contract, you have to ask for the terms and conditions first.”

It seems like the grand duke is worried about me, who made a decision before asking for the terms.

In my defense, I already knew what I’m going to do there so I just agreed!

But I can’t tell them that, so I just blinked and pretended I didn’t hear them.

“In the first place, you’re so skinny that you’ll probably collapse while working.”

“I wok hawd and I’m stwong!”

(I work hard and I’m strong!)

Flustered, I answered angrily to Wyndert, who was making fun of my thin arms.

The grand duke won’t make a six-year-old work anyway, so I decided to protest to the fullest.

Even though my arms and legs are like skewers, they’re like the muscles I’ve accumulated in my life at the orphanage.

I tightened my arm and a small muscle bulged. Wyndert, who was dumbfounded for a moment, burst out laughing.

‘Wow, he’s so pretty!’

I couldn’t help but stare blankly at the smiling face of Wyndert.

When I came back to my senses, my hands were already on Wyndert’s cheeks.

Wyndert smiled awkwardly as his laughter faded.

“Ah, I apowogize.”

I smiled vaguely and slowly lowered my hands. Wyndert rubbed his cheeks with an expressionless face.

Ugh, why did I have to do that……?! He won’t hate me for this, will he?

I was looking around warily, when the grand duke suddenly raised my arm.

“You’re weak too.”

“Nngg, but…… Gwand Duke, I was not given pwope food……”

“Were you starved?”

“Well, I get enough food once evewy thwee days, enough fow me to have enewgy to wok.”

When the grand duke heard my answer, he glared at my scrawny arms with a bothered look.

Then he lightly rubbed my arm as if he was touching a very frail glass.

“I have to prepare something very delicious that you’ve never eaten before.”

“You’ll have a hard time fattening that arm, Father.”

Wyndert whispered to the grand duke. I rolled my eyes at the two of them.

Do they pity me……?

Well, that’s a good thing. They’ll take care of me as much as they feel sorry for me.

“Ah!”

The carriage suddenly shook violently.

I held up my arms to defend myself, but my body started leaning to the side.

‘I’m gonna fall……!’

Since the carriage seats have soft cushions, it won’t be very painful!

I closed my eyes tightly, thinking of the cushion that will soon touch my head. But instead of a soft cushion, my head landed on something cozy.

When I opened my eyes, I stared in amazement at the black, wide, and wall-like thread that touched my cheek.

It was the grand duke’s arm, to be exact. The soft garment of his sleeve tickled my cheek.

“Are you hurt?”

The grand duke asked gently. I blinked my eyes, stared blankly at his face, and slowly shook my head.

“Thwank you, Gwand Duke.”

I didn’t think the grand duke would catch me. I didn’t think he would wrap his arm around me so easily.

He was like…… a ‘father’ that saved his child from getting hurt.

I shook my head. What kind of nonsense am I thinking?

“Ah, come to thwink of it……!”

(Ah, come to think of it……!)

The carriage was shaking violently, is Wyndert okay?

I returned to my senses, composed myself, and turned my head to the side.

And saw Wyndert sitting in the same position as earlier.

“I’m not as weak as you are. I’m also getting trained to become a knight.”

He’s only eleven years old, but he must be really good if he’s able to withstand such a violent movement.

He deserves the title of the continent’s strongest knight, as stated in the original novel.

“That’s amwazing!”

I smiled and clapped my hands so hard. Wyndert’s ears slightly turned red.

I don’t think he’s offended, rather, he looks a bit shy.

“Cough, more importantly, what happened?”

“I—I apologize. Another carriage was running so fast, so I had to avoid it……”

Wyndert knocked on the window connected to the coachman’s seat. The coachman opened the window and apologized.

I stole a glance behind the curtain and saw the carriage that the coachman was talking about.

The black carriage, which seemed to consume the light, was a unique carriage.

It looked simple at first glance, but its luxurious shine was unusual.

‘The Vailot emblem is engraved on both sides of this carriage.’

There’s no way a noble wouldn’t recognize the emblem of the grand duke. Nevertheless, they did not apologize.

I have no idea of what the heck they’re thinking.

‘What’s up with them? They did wrong.’

I glared at the carriage over the window.

I can’t believe someone would drive a carriage like that in such a crowded street.

I don’t know who the nobleman riding that carriage is, but I’m very upset.

‘Oh?’

Just as I glared at the carriage, their curtain shook slightly and showed the person riding in it.

It was a man with blond hair. Only his side profile was visible and his face was not shown entirely.

Then, his carriage that stopped for a while, finally sped off and soon disappeared.

“Shall we go after them right now, m’lord?”

The coachman asked the grand duke.

The grand duke looked at me, who was clinging to the window.

Then he opened his mouth with a scary expression that suggests he would go after them and slit their throats.

‘That man was crying.’

His eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. He wasn’t crying anymore when I saw him, but he was obviously crying earlier.

It was heartbreaking to see a grown-up man cry.

He had an empty expression, as if something very precious has been lost.

He looked resigned.

His expression was so painful that it felt like my heart was breaking.

“He can’t just drive a carriage so fast that a child almost got hurt. So–”

“Gwand Duke, my stowmach is gowling with hunge.”

I cut the grand duke off before he could order the coachman to go after that carriage.

The grand duke looked down at me for a moment, before closing the coachman’s window and knocked twice against the wall.

Then the carriage started moving in its original pace. No, it moved a little faster.

“We’ll get off soon.”

I lost my energy from acting courageously, so I kept my mouth shut for a while.

The grand duke looked outside the window and murmured.

Indeed, I could see the mansion with luxurious walls.

“Woooww!”

“You’re almost home. It’s where you will be staying in the next month.”

“Oh my……!”

The closer the carriage approached until it stopped, the more I forgot what to say. I could see the magnificent mansion from here.

‘I thought they were just white marbles……’

The white roses that twisted around the mansion are in full bloom.

It was also beautiful to see the stones glistening through the rose bushes. The mansion looked bright instead of colorful.

The grand duke got off as soon as the carriage stopped. Then he reached out his hands to me.

He rushed to catch me when I failed to fall into his arms.

There was a refreshing and good smell as he caught me.

“Welcome to the estate, m’lady!”

Then, we heard loud voices at the entrance of the mansion.

The servants, who stood in rows by the entrance, are looking at our direction.

‘Th……This is too much!’

Surprised, I reflexively clung my arms around the grand duke’s neck.

“You’re scaring the child.”

Wyndert, who was right behind the grand duke, whispered harshly to the servants.

The voices of the maids and servants who stood in rows to welcome me became quiet.

“Come, let’s go inside. Deleign is waiting.”

Though Wyndert spoke coldly earlier, he spoke to me with a bit more warmth in his voice.

“Who’s Delei?”

(Who’s Deleign?)

“My younger brother.”

Aha. I gave a small nod and entered the mansion while being carried by the grand duke.

PONG!

As soon as we passed the door, a loud sound was heard, as if a shutter was closed.

“Ah……!”

I rolled back in the arms of the grand duke and tried to hide myself.

There was something bright that met my face. Regardless of the fact that it did not harm me, I shrank back to the grand duke to defend myself.

The grand duke then patted my back as I started to tremble.

‘What? What was that?’

The grand duke frowned for a moment when he saw me burying myself to him in fear.

“It’s a camera.”

Ah. That’s right, he said it was in the contract.

Embarrassed, I slowly lifted my head to see the photographer, whom I didn’t know, was actually standing in line with the servants.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry to surprise you!”

To my astonishment, the photographer fell on the floor, trembling.

As if he feared that the grand duke and Wyndert would blow his head off.

However, rather than the usual fear of a commoner towards nobles, he seemed to suffer from a primitive and instinctive fear.

Like a prey that encountered a predator.

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‘Oh……’

I glanced at the grand duke and Wyndert, then back at the photographer.

He looked so terrified that someone would’ve thought he saw a monster.

But they’re neither monsters nor demons.

‘It’s the grand duke’s curse……’