Chapter 6
Meanwhile, the other children began talking to Cassis as well, and before long, they were all gathered around him.
The more people surrounded him, the worse Cassis’s complexion became. Remembering Mother’s special request, I stepped in to mediate.
“Wait a minute. Aren’t you all crowding around Cassis too much? Even I’m starting to feel uncomfortable just watching.”
When I said that brightly, Luna responded with a displeased look.
“You see Cassis every day at home, but we’re meeting him for the first time. Cassis isn’t saying anything, so why are you making such a fuss? Right, Cassis?”
Luna subtly linked her arm with Cassis’s and asked for his agreement.
Oh my, oh my. Look at what she’s doing.
I stared at her with a forced smile as she sweetly fawned over Cassis.
Then Cassis smiled faintly and said to me,
“Ivelline, I’m fine.”
I had gone out of my way to stop them, but since he said he was fine, there was nothing I could do.
From then on, I decided not to care whether he was having a hard time or not. Hmph.
Still, perhaps because of what I had said, the children didn’t bombard Cassis with questions anymore.
Just as the conversation was beginning to settle down, Luna suddenly exclaimed as if she had remembered something.
“Ah, that’s right! Cassis, I’ve seen you before.”
“When?”
“You know, at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet last year. I saw you there. We even greeted each other. Don’t you remember?”
Luna chattered excitedly, but Cassis’s face suddenly turned pale.
After a moment, he replied coldly.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”
His tone was completely different from the gentle way he had spoken a moment ago.
His pale face had become so cold that it was a little frightening.
Luna murmured with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“Oh, really? Well, you were surrounded by people with His Highness the Crown Prince at the time, so maybe you didn’t see me. I understand.”
“Yeah. I guess that’s what happened.”
After saying that, Cassis completely turned his back on Luna.
I watched him carefully.
His reaction was so sharp that it felt as if Luna had touched something she shouldn’t have.
Luna seemed to notice it too. She looked at me with a miserable expression.
From her face, it seemed like she wanted me to do something.
But when I did nothing, Luna’s eyes became red, and she suddenly stood up.
“I’ll go get some fresh air.”
Then she hurried out of the room.
Since Cassis didn’t even remember her and had treated her so coldly, she seemed hurt.
Poor thing.
But that was all I felt.
If Cassis had treated Elisha coldly, I would have stepped forward immediately and scolded him.
But Luna was different.
Yes, Luna. Don’t end up like the original Ivelline. Just give up on him.
Cassis didn’t seem to care whether Luna had left or not.
Seeing him return to his gentle expression, I became a little curious.
There was something about this that seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite remember what it was. I focused all my attention on trying to recall the novel when someone suddenly threw open the door and entered.
“Ivelline! When did you get here? I went out to meet you!”
At Elisha’s shout, everyone’s attention turned toward her.
Even Elisha seemed surprised that she had shouted so loudly. She opened her eyes wide and rolled them around awkwardly.
I walked over to her and took her hand.
“Geez, I told you to wait in the room. You couldn’t even wait a little and went out to meet me? You got separated from me last time too.”
“No, I was worried you might get bored on the way…”
“Your excuses are always the same.”
“Hehe.”
Elisha tried to cover it up with a laugh, and I couldn’t help but chuckle too.
A moment later, Elisha’s gaze naturally turned toward Cassis.
It was probably because she was seeing him for the first time, though even if this had been the second time, I doubt anything would have changed.
Cassis stood out wherever he went.
Just like Elisha.
I pulled Elisha in front of Cassis and introduced them.
Well, if I was the bridge between them, I should at least help the heroine and male lead meet for the first time.
“Elisha, this is Cassis I told you about.”
“Hello.”
Cassis greeted her first in a familiar manner.
He had probably repeated those words more than a dozen times since arriving here.
Elisha didn’t react to his greeting at all. She just blinked at him before suddenly saying,
“Ohhh, so you’re that mean Cassis.”
“What?”
Cassis asked again as if he had heard wrong.
I was startled by Elisha’s words too and stared at her.
Elisha…?
No matter what, Cassis was a son of a ducal family.
I was worried that Elisha might suffer because of what she had said.
Then it suddenly occurred to me.
Ah.
Could this be that thing?
You’re the first woman who’s ever treated me badly.
Something like that.
I blinked at the thought of the heroine’s special protagonist aura.
Elisha clenched her tiny fists firmly and held them against her chest as she puffed herself up.
“Hey, why do you hate our Ivelline? What’s wrong with our Ivelline? Is she not pretty enough?”
“……”
“E-Elisha!”
Aah! What are you saying?!
If there had been a hole in the ground, I wanted to crawl straight into it.
But Elisha didn’t care. She stuck out her chest and continued pressing Cassis.
She really was worthy of being the heroine of the original story, someone who wasn’t afraid even of social status.
“Why aren’t you answering? You don’t have anything to say, do you? It doesn’t make sense that you hate Ivelline.”
“…I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”
Cassis looked at me once, then at Elisha, and muttered quietly.
The children nearby became excited.
“Wow! They’re fighting!”
I didn’t know what to do, so I stepped in front of Elisha and whispered,
“Elisha, stop. What happened back then was just something I said…”
“That’s a lie! I’ve never seen Ivelline look so gloomy before.”
After saying that, Elisha glared firmly at Cassis.
I screamed internally as I desperately wondered what I should do.
I had completely ruined the first meeting between the heroine and the male lead.
If the two of them eventually got together just like in the original story, Cassis might think I had deliberately tried to drive them apart and get rid of me.
I remembered the ruined Ivelline from the novel and violently shook my head.
This isn’t right. Stay calm, Ivelline. I can get through this crisis!
But hardships didn’t disappear so easily.
Cassis, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.
“Is that what Ivelline thinks? That I hate her?”
“Yes! She said she was upset because you hated her for no reason. How could you treat Ivelline like that?”
Wait a minute.
Elisha, when did I say I was upset?
I was just a little curious.
I panicked as I watched Elisha add things to my words.
Then Cassis called my name.
“Ivelline.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I really didn’t know you thought of me that way. That I hate you? That can’t be true, Ivelline.”
With those words, he smiled broadly.
For some reason, a chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat began pouring down my back.
It was obvious that he wasn’t sorry at all.
If anything, he looked like he was asking, How dare you talk behind my back?
I’m doomed.
There was no way I could explain my way out of this situation now.
Elisha immediately relaxed when he said it was a misunderstanding.
She muttered quietly,
“Of course. There’s no way anyone could hate Ivelline.”
“Right. How could I hate Ivelline? We’re living together, after all. I never dreamed Ivelline would misunderstand me like that.”
Cassis readily agreed with Elisha’s words.
Elisha rubbed her nose and gave him a silent look.
She seemed happy that she had gotten the answer she wanted.
I want to go home.
Ah, right.
This is my home.
Hahaha.
I’m doomed.
I was so uncomfortable and awkward that all I could do was smile.
Then Cassis held out his hand to me and apologized.
“Ivelline, I’m sorry. Because I’m sick, I ended up causing you trouble without meaning to.”
“No! It’s okay!”
“I’ll try to be more careful from now on.”
I quickly took his hand.
Cassis smiled gently.
At the same time, he squeezed my hand tightly.
It hurt, but I endured it and forced myself to smile.
What should I do? The male lead has it in for me!
The welcome party ended like that.
Luna returned late and once again eagerly clung to Cassis, but by then, Cassis had become an impenetrable wall and didn’t pay her any attention.
Near the end of the party, when I saw Luna standing there with her lips pushed out in resentment, I almost wanted to stop Cassis.
Luna had a strong temper. If things didn’t go her way, she was stubborn enough to make them go her way by any means necessary.
But I had no time to worry about Luna.
Who could have imagined that Cassis was just as stubborn as Luna?
I crouched down in front of Kong and began complaining about my life.
“Kong, Cassis has already made me run errands five times today. What do you think?”
“……”
“You aren’t answering, so I guess you’re just as annoyed as I am. Yeah, that’s right. I’m angry right now. That guy is such a sulky brat.”
I angrily tore at the innocent weeds nearby.
Of course, the egg couldn’t answer.
But if I didn’t complain about Cassis like this, I felt like all my anger would build up and explode.
Ever since the welcome party, Cassis had started making me run errands relentlessly.
At first, I thought it was nothing.
But gradually, the errands began to feel like I was being put through some kind of puppy training.
For example:
“Ivelline, could you bring me some water?”
“Cassis, you could just ask a servant.”
At my words, Cassis lowered his head and fluttered his eyelashes.
“Ivelline must hate me.”
“……”
“It’s understandable. I’m sick like this, and I’m only consuming food in this house without doing anything… Would it be okay if I ate just a little less meat?”
“Ahhh! Fine! I’ll bring it to you!”
“Thank you, Ivelline.”
The problem was that after I went all the way to get the water for him, he would barely touch his lips to it and take only a tiny sip.
He was deliberately teasing me.
Even if I wanted to complain to the adults, this cunning brat was extremely considerate toward me whenever they were around.
If I exposed Cassis’s behavior, no one would believe me.
Feeling especially wronged, I moved closer to Kong and whispered,
“Kong, when you hatch later and see Cassis, bite him really hard for me.”
Vmm.
At that moment, the egg vibrated as if answering me.
At least after complaining to Kong for a long time, I felt much better.
I continued badmouthing Cassis to Kong for quite a while before finally returning to the mansion feeling refreshed.
