Afterwards, I was given some time alone with Shade.
It was Uncle Narcissus who forced this turn of events. He was serious about making me Shade’s tutor, and explained that to Shade. I don’t remember my father and I ever agreeing to it.
What is the reason for my uncle’s aggressive behavior? Does he expect something from me? Or is he counting on my father’s backing? I can’t rule out the possibility that he has no idea at all.
Anyway, this gave me a chance to ask my cousin some questions about this complicated situation.
“Please call me Lycoris. No need for ‘lady’. May I call you Shade?”
“Yes”
“Have you had dinner yet?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to dinner.”
“Don’t worry about that. By the way, what did you eat? Is it the same as what we had for dinner?”
Although I asked Shade the question with a pounding heart, he ate the same meal as we had had for dinner without a hitch.
I felt relieved. It seemed that at least he wasn’t missing a meal. I decided to ask him some more direct questions, even though it might be rude of me.
“Do you have a small appetite? You seem to have lost a lot of weight.”
“No, not at all… But I’m not used to the ‘good food’ served here.”
It wasn’t an unnatural answer. For the most part, people find the things they’ve been used to eating since childhood to be delicious.
“I see. Then you must miss the food you’re used to eating, and… your mother.”
I thought his red eyes flickered when I mentioned his mother.
Then his eyes glared briefly at me – at the woman in front of him who had asked the rude question.
“Even if I miss her, I can’t go back. My mother let me go of her own volition.”
Strangely, I felt relieved to finally get a glimpse of his emotions, because I didn’t feel like I could compete with someone who was able to control themselves so completely at such a young age.
“I’m sorry for saying something careless.”
“……no”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you a little about manners. There are many things you should actually ask a man, but for now, I’ll tell you what I can tell you.”
“Yes, thank you”
Shade smiled happily.
The younger cousin’s innocent side somehow seems unnatural to me. Of course, this is due to the difference between him and the game character Shade, and also, if you want to call it that, it’s due to my own preconceptions.
That’s why I think that when he smiles like this, it might not be what he really means.
“Studying manners is important. You have to forge your armor well to protect yourself in aristocratic society. It will make you stronger.”
“……Stronger, you say?”
“Yes, that’s right. Stronger in the broadest sense. Are you interested?”
Shade just tilted his head, but I think he was a little interested. If you’re going to be a teacher even for a short time, you want your students to have a strong desire to learn.
“Well, see you tomorrow.”
“Yes”
“Good night”
“Yes”
“Good night”
“……good night”
It may have been a bit embarrassing for a boy of that age. But greetings are important. I’ll start teaching him more thoroughly tomorrow.
Before I knew it, I was feeling quite motivated to take on the role of instructor.
After that awkward greeting, I parted ways with Shade and started walking towards the living room.
It’s a place I’ve been to many times since I was little, so I don’t need a guide.
At first, I was thinking about Shade.
I want to know his situation and what he thinks. For example, is my aunt really abusing him? What does he think of my uncle and Krinum? If I can gain Shade’s trust, will he tell me? Or should I leave it to a trustworthy adult – my father?
My uncle dotes on Shade, my aunt probably dislikes him, or worse, even hates him. What does Krinum think of him?
When she first found out about his existence, she must have been surprised. Did she despise her father’s actions? Did she feel angry? But how did she feel when Shade was actually adopted? Krinum is a kind child.
My thoughts went back to when I was playing around this mansion with Krinum.
Ever since I was little, I was the kind of kid who would lock myself in my room and read books, but when my father brought me to this mansion, I didn’t have time to read books. I was busy playing with a kind cousin who was close to my age.
As a child, my aunt’s educational policy meant that we were not allowed to go outside to play, so Krinum and I explored every nook and cranny of the house with dolls in hand. For a small child, the storerooms and sheds that we don’t usually go into are an unknown world of adventure, and we especially liked the attic, which had an unusual shape.
We brought dolls there and played house. We hid a few sweets in our pockets and brought them to the attic. I wonder if the attic is still the same as it was back then.
I wanted to talk to Krinum, so I turned around.
So I never expected that she would call out to me at a time like this.
“Lycoris”
“Eh?! …Krinum?”
I nearly jumped in surprise as Krinum’s thin body leaned against the wall, halfway between the lights in the hallway.
The lights in the hallway were spaced evenly, with a large difference between bright and dark areas. Naturally, I focused only on what was visible to my eyes, so I didn’t notice the person until she was so close.
“S-sorry. I was walking and thinking about something. I know I was quite distracted. What’s wrong? Were you waiting for me?”
Krinum didn’t answer my question.
When I tried to approach Krinum, she took a few steps back.
“…Krinum?”
“Lycoris. I’ve been waiting to ask a favor of you.”
I was relieved that Krinum had finally given me an answer, and I was inspired by her words.
“What? Just say anything.”
I answered proudly. For example, if she wanted me to speak up to my uncle, I would gladly make a special attack on his room.
However, Krinum’s words were different from what I expected.
“Please, don’t get too close to that child – to Shade. Please.”
She spoke while looking down, her expression obscured by the darkness.
“Krinum? What do you mean…”
As if to cover my question, she repeats “please.”
“That is… for example, is it because you don’t want to see my aunt being harsh towards Shade or something?”
When I mentioned the first possibility that came to mind, Krinum lowered her head even more.
“You know, then. What his mother is doing to him? Does he know, my dear Duke? Have you come to rescue him from this house?”
When Krinum looked up, her face was filled with hostility towards me. I was shocked and confused in many ways.
“No… I just thought that might be the case. My father probably hasn’t noticed yet, and I think he thinks that if it can be resolved within this household, then it should be done.”
“I see… That’s good. Please, Lycoris, don’t tell the Duke that my mother is treating him badly.”
“Well… if it’s your wish, I’d like to grant it, but… how? If I ask my father, maybe we can save Shade. I don’t think the current situation is good for my aunt either. Also, if we leave it to my father, I don’t think he’ll end up hurting my aunt needlessly. Let’s think about the best way for you two to do this.”
Krinum was quiet. After a long, long silence, she finally spoke.
“It’s me, Lycoris. When I first met him, I thought he was so beautiful.”
What Krinum began to speak of like an unstoppable torrent was not about my aunt.
“But when we were introduced, and my father introduced me to him as his sister, he said, as if in passing, ‘If Krinum didn’t have those freckles, she might have been a little like Shade.’ I was so embarrassed. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to face him, and I thought there was no way I could talk to him. He was not only beautiful, but smart, too. At first he had a strange accent, but by imitating other people’s pronunciation, his speech soon became very beautiful. He probably wouldn’t say a word he’d heard for the first time until he heard someone pronounce it. By repeating that, he was able to converse as if he had no accent at all. Amazing, right? He started talking to me by himself. He said that freckles will go away when I grows up so it’s okay, and that I’m very beautiful. But I was still afraid to be in front of him. But then a turning point came. My father decided to go far away, hoping to get a rose that he had always wanted. As soon as my father left the house, my mother locked him up. She said she would never give him any water or food. I knew that I couldn’t let that happen, so I sneaked out to his in the middle of the night and brought him some water and food. That was the first time I was able to talk to him by myself. I felt that he needed me. I…”
Having said all of that in one go, Krinum seemed to come back to her senses.
Crinum gets very talkative when discussing the feelings of the heroine or hero of a book she has been engrossed in reading. Just like back then, she was gazing dreamily into space.
But she must have realized what she was about to say.
(Th-This is……)
Her hands and pale lips were shaking, and it was obvious even in the dark, but she didn’t stop speaking.
“Lycoris, you’ve really become beautiful. And you’ve always been much smarter than me. I really don’t want you to get close to that boy!”
With that remark in a strangled voice, she ran off.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!
