Back then, I hated Landt. Now, looking at Landt, I am reminded only of Ttorong, my former pet dog. I poked Landt's cheek, which was flushed red from my teasing.
"You. If it were the old me, it wouldn't have ended here, you know? Didn't the maids tell you not to run into me?"
Landt remained silent.
'Just like father, like son; the father and son are exactly alike when it comes to being unresponsive.'
I grabbed Landt's arm, who was still lying on the floor, and pulled him up. The child stood up obediently. I brushed the dirt off his body. He looked so disheveled that it wasn't even noticeable. I brushed the dirt off hard enough to make a slapping sound.
"Ugh..."
It wasn't an intentional move, but Landt finally showed a reaction for the first time. I felt a strange sense of pleasure.
'At this rate, am I really going to open my eyes to the world of S? This is dangerous...'
"Ahem, I need to treat the wound first."
Upon closer inspection, Landt's wound was more serious than expected. The thorns of the vines must have been quite sharp. I didn't know why on earth he had crawled into the thorny vines to avoid the maids, but treatment was the priority.
I held Landt's hand and was about to go to my room when I stopped. If I went to my room, I could get treatment from the maids, but the nanny was in my room right now.
“What is it...?”
The nanny hated Landt just as I had back then. She seemed to think that the Marchioness's death was Landt's fault. It was obvious that she would throw a fit the moment she saw Landt. I couldn't take Landt to my room. I had to find a way to treat Landt without her finding out. Even now, the nanny's nagging was quite distressing for me.
It was obvious that even if I went to see the ladies-in-waiting, the news would reach the nanny's ears. I pondered who else besides the ladies-in-waiting could treat Landt. My deliberation didn't last long. There were few people in this household who did not fear the nanny.
"Let's go."
I took Landt's hand and moved. Landt obediently followed behind me. His large dark brown eyes were fixed on me.
'...I feel strange.'
Landt really felt like a little puppy. I mean my puppy who used to wag its tail vigorously at me and follow me around with eyes full of trust.
'Ah. I shouldn't keep getting soft-hearted like this...'
I tightly grasped Landt's small hand.
As far as I know, Landt was four years younger than me. Since my 11th birthday passed recently, Land is 7 this year.
He was seven years old. I looked closely at Landt as I walked. At seven, he was right before entering elementary school.
No matter how I looked at him, Landt seemed to be only about four or five years old. As I recall, Landt had grown quite large when he became a young man.
His height, broad shoulders, and solid muscles honed by swordsmanship made him taller than the current Marquis and strong enough to overwhelm an average adult male.
With a face strikingly similar to the Marquis's and a figure that was the ideal for men, Landt was quite popular among noble ladies. No one ever mentioned it openly out of fear of my reaction, but everyone implicitly assumed that Landt would become the Marquis.
'To think that such a small kid would turn into such a huge one.'
I was struck anew by the incredible power of growth. If he has grown this much despite me tormenting him so much, he might grow even more if I feed him well.
"You still haven't found it?"
"What should I do? It would be a big problem if the butler found out."
"Where on earth did this damn kid go?"
I felt Landt flinch, so I stopped to see what was wrong and heard the sound of the maids talking in the distance. They seemed quite far away, yet Landt had managed to notice. Anyway, I don't know why this guy tries to avoid the maids like this, just like he did earlier and now.
I haven't bothered Landt yet.
'Ah. I should correct that.'
Seeing Landt's cheeks, which were still flushed, I felt a pang of conscience. In any case, aside from pinching his cheek, I hadn't really bothered him. Neither the nanny nor the ladies-in-waiting knew that Landt and I had met. In the current situation, there couldn't possibly be anyone to bother Landt yet.
"Look again. I'll go over there."
"What if the Marquis or the butler finds out?"
"I have to find it before they find out!"
"We have to find it quickly. It will be a much bigger problem if the young lady finds out."
"Damn, kid! I won't let you get away with this if I catch you."
The presence of the maids vanished. Landt remained motionless with his head bowed. I grabbed Landt's hand and pulled him along with force. Contrary to my worry that he might stand his ground, Landt readily followed me.
I think I know why Landt avoided the ladies-in-waiting. The ladies-in-waiting who spoke of Landt were never favorable toward the child. It was obvious at a glance that Landt was of the Marquis's bloodline. There was no way the ladies-in-waiting could treat someone like that so carelessly.
Nevertheless, they spoke as if Landt were a nuisance. It might have been understandable if Landt were a troublemaker and a complete scoundrel, but judging by his behavior so far, there was no way he would have treated the maids poorly. Landt was a very quiet child.
'Something I don't know about is happening in this house.'
Due to the indifferent masters, the affairs taking place within the house were managed entirely by the butler and the nanny. In particular, the ladies-in-waiting were under the nanny's jurisdiction. I thought I should find out what was going on sooner or later.
I led Landt into the main building, avoiding the maids' movements. Unlike the chaos outside, the inside was quiet. The maids did not seem to suspect that Land had entered. Even if he had, they would not be able to look for him openly. After all, this was where the Marquis, the butler, and I were.
My destination was on the second floor. I moved toward the stairs. The spiral staircase led to different rooms.
Going up the stairs on the right led to the hallway where my room and the Marchioness's room were located. Going up the stairs on the left led to the hallway containing the Marquis's office and his bedroom. The two spaces were not directly connected. To get from my room or the Marchioness's room to the Marquis's office, we had to go down to the first floor and use the stairs on the left again. Holding Landt's hand, I went up the stairs on the left.
Just like on the first floor, the hallway was empty. Landt and I were able to reach the Marquis's office without encountering anyone. The knights who usually stood guard in front of the office door were also gone. Since they were guarding to stop the Marchioness, there was no longer any reason for them to stand guard now that she was gone.
I knocked on the firmly closed office door. The door opened with a reply.
"Miss?"
The butler who had opened the door seemed surprised to see me. I pushed him aside and went inside. The Marquis was looking at documents in the office. I led Landt to the sofa in the office.
"Miss, what on earth is going on?"
The butler looked back and forth between me and Landt and asked. Without answering, I seated Landt on the sofa and made a request to the butler.
"Go get some medicine."
"Please wait a moment."
The butler nodded at Landt's disheveled appearance. He quickly went outside. I stood before Landt, who was sitting quietly on the sofa. Leaves were still stuck all over the child's navy blue hair. I gently removed the leaves.
I was engrossed in plucking leaves when I felt a gaze from somewhere. When I looked up, the Marquis was staring intently at me.
“What’s going on?”
I’ve felt this for a while now, but the Marquis has definitely become strange. Even though I tormented Landt so relentlessly back then, the Marquis didn't even show any interest. But now, not only is he showing interest, he is actually asking questions.
“I’ve been there.”
The butler returned before I could even answer. He brought not only the medicine but also a wet towel and bandages.
The butler spread out the items he had brought on the table and carefully examined Landt.
"They look like scratches from something sharp."
The experienced butler immediately figured out why Landt had sustained the injury. He picked up a wet towel and carefully wiped Landt's face and arms.
"It looks like you poured a little fire on it. Did someone hit you?"
"Your cheek looks a little swollen, too. Did someone hit you?"
I flinched. The butler examined Landt's face closely with a serious expression. Regardless, Landt was of the Marquis's bloodline. The fact that Landt had been beaten by someone inside this house was a serious matter.
The butler's gaze turned toward me. I turned my head away to avoid his stare.
"..."
'Shit.'
I ended up making direct eye contact with the Marquis. His blue eyes were staring at me intently. In the end, I had no choice but to confess.
"It's me."
"Yes?"
"It felt soft and fun to the touch, so I pulled on it a bit, and that's how it turned out."
The butler looked at me as if dumbfounded. I spoke to him confidently.
"It looks like the kid has really sensitive skin. Butler, please take care of him."
I decided to act brazenly. It was the first time I had seen the butler make that face.
***
Rumble.
Landt's dark brown eyes moved so obviously that it felt like one could hear the sound of his eyeballs rolling.
Rumble.
I smiled at the sight of the child, who, despite his expressionless face, could not take his eyes off the cake. The cake, topped with white whipped cream on a fluffy sheet and decorated with colorful fruits glistening with honey, looked quite appetizing even to me.
As I pushed the plate containing the cake far to the side as if teasing him, Landt's dark brown eyes once again circled around the cake.
“Gulp.”
"Pfft."
Landt's little throat gurgled, and the sound of him swallowing rang out loudly. I finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. When I stopped teasing and placed the plate in front of the child, his eyes widened.
His eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the cake and me.
“Try it.”
Even though permission had been given, the child did not move rashly. It was visible that he was deep in thought, to the point where it felt like steam was rising from his tiny head.
"Hurry"
Swip!
As expected, perhaps because a child is a child, Landt's hesitation did not last long. As I pushed the plate right up to the child's nose as if urging him on, a tiny hand snatched the cake. Displaying an elegant form like a work of art...
The cake that was there was horribly crushed by the small tyrant's grip.
"In a vulgar way..."
"I guess you can't hide your innate nature."
The maids standing on one side began to whisper amongst themselves, smirking at Landt's rough behavior. At their taunts, the child, who was bringing the cake clutched in their hand to their mouth, froze.
I threw it away.
'This is a bit of a problem.'
The sight of him, with his face and even the tips of his ears bright red, looked pitiful yet cute.
'Seeing how I keep feeling the urge to torment him, I might definitely have awakened to my S-type nature...'
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