Chapter 10
After Leonhart left the academy, he had no choice but to build connections through other means.
But how could he build friendships when he could barely even take care of himself because of his asthma?
And if rumors had spread that he was going to die soon, there would have been even fewer nobles willing to support him.
Of course, once he regained his health and defeated the Demon King, people would begin gathering around him.
Even so, the other princes had already built solid factions, so Leonhart was bound to be at a disadvantage.
That was why he hadn’t been chosen as Crown Prince and was now competing with the other princes on relatively equal footing.
‘I thought that problem would be solved as soon as I supported him…’
There was no way Leonhart would join hands with me.
Who in their right mind would accept help from their stalker?
‘Wasn’t that why he joined the expedition in the first place? To avoid marrying Adrian?’
I’d thought it was strange that Leonhart, who wasn’t even particularly skilled with a sword, had volunteered for the expedition.
At the time, I’d assumed that because he was a powerless Third Prince, he had been pushed into it by pressure from others.
But who would have thought he’d volunteered because he would rather die than marry Adrian?
There was no solution to this.
From now on, I had no choice but to do my best to avoid Leonhart.
‘Anyway, Piache is the protagonist of this world. I just need to focus on her.’
Piache was slower than the other children in her studies and had difficulty speaking.
Would she be able to adapt well?
‘It would be nice if I could at least get a preview of what the academy is like.’
Right then, an instruction appeared.
[Stage 3: (Pressing the space between your eyebrows as if tired) Apply to sit in on a class at the academy.]
Why was the Trash Author suddenly doing something useful?
I read the instruction in bewilderment.
“Apply to sit in on a class at the academy.”
“Master… Are you planning to attend the class yourself?”
[Stage 2: (Slamming your hand on the table) Are you saying I should entrust the Ibrante family’s ward to just anyone? How am I supposed to know what kind of education they’ll provide or how they’ll teach her?]
“Do you think I should entrust the Ibrante family’s ward to just anyone? How am I supposed to know what kind of education they’ll provide or how they’ll teach her?”
“Ah… My thinking was too shallow. Tell me which class you want, and I’ll check whether you can sit in.”
Of course, I had no idea what classes were offered.
There was no way the Trash Author would tell me, right?
[Stage 2: (Staring at the butler as if wondering whether he’s an idiot) If I choose a class, won’t they prepare for my visit in advance?!]
The Trash Author was being surprisingly cooperative today.
It wasn’t because they felt sorry for dragging me into a childcare story.
‘The academy must be extremely important to the progression of the story.’
I deliberately furrowed my brow.
“If I choose a class, won’t they prepare in advance?”
“Ah, I see.”
Choosing a specific class would be pointless.
I wasn’t interested in the contents of the classes.
What would I even understand by listening to them?
“Find a way for me to sit in without specifying a class.”
“I’ll give you the results as quickly as possible. Would you like more tea?”
“No. That’s enough.”
It would be better to tell Piache in advance, wouldn’t it?
She needed time to mentally prepare herself.
[Stage 3: (With a stern look) Has Piache eaten breakfast?]
“Has Piache eaten breakfast?”
“I heard she had no energy throughout the morning, so she skipped her meal.”
Because we had been eating separately until this morning, I hadn’t even known Piache had gone without food.
‘Why doesn’t she have any energy? And why would you let a sick child skip a meal? Did you call a doctor?’
I couldn’t ask any of that.
Adrian was the kind of person who wouldn’t bat an eye even if Piache went hungry for several days.
And then…
[Stage 2: (Harshly placing the empty teacup down) How dare she refuse her meal?! What kind of atrocious behavior is that?!]
I had to follow the instruction, too.
I swallowed a sigh and slammed the empty teacup down noisily.
“How dare she refuse her meal?!”
“I’m sorry…”
“What’s the reason? Is she ill?”
“…”
“I was informed that her fever is very high.”
[Stage 1: (In a sharp voice) She’s acting spoiled just because she has a little fever? Hasn’t the child become ill-mannered because the butler keeps indulging her?!]
“You called a doctor, right?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. He hasn’t arrived yet.”
[Stage 3: (Taking your eyes off the butler) Tell her to come down to the dining room. Right now!]
‘Come on, for humanity’s sake, just leave the sick child alone!’
I felt exhaustion washing over me.
I rubbed my face.
“Tell her to come down to the dining room. Right now!”
“…Yes, Master.”
But Piache never appeared in the dining room.
Her fever was too high, and she couldn’t even get out of bed.
“Haa… haa…”
“So, the prince and princess… Miss, shall I stop reading?”
“Yes…”
The maid closed the fairy tale book.
Piache’s head felt hazy.
The sounds around her echoed as though she were underwater.
The maid put down the storybook and placed a hand on Piache’s forehead.
The maid’s hand, which was usually warm, felt cold today.
“Miss, the ice packs have completely melted. I’ll replace them for you.”
The ice packs under both of Piache’s arms were replaced with fresh ones.
The sudden chill made Piache’s teeth chatter.
“C-Cold… I’m cold…”
“Your fever is too high. I’ll take them out later, so please endure it until then. You can do that, right?”
“M-Mm, yes… Piache c-can do it…”
“Our little miss, you’re doing so well.”
At the maid’s praise, Piache’s cheeks turned pink.
But her face was already flushed red from the fever, so it wasn’t noticeable.
“Miss, you really must eat if you’re going to take your medicine.”
“I-I don’t want to…”
“The cook made crab meat soup just for you. Please eat at least a little, for the cook’s sake.”
Contrary to what the maid said, the cook wasn’t the kind of person who would make food especially for Piache.
He often complained that a nameless orphan was eating the food he prepared.
Sometimes, he even subtly pressured Piache to just eat whatever was available.
Of course, Piache never told anyone.
Instead, she actually felt sorry toward the cook.
“…Th-Then just a little.”
“A little is fine. It should be here soon.”
“Yes…”
Piache obediently answered and slowly closed her eyes.
She didn’t have enough strength to keep them open.
When Piache had been even younger, she had been the prettiest baby in the orphanage.
Her cotton-candy-like pink hair and gentle blue eyes perfectly reflected her sweet nature.
She rarely cried and only smiled brightly, so it was impossible not to adore her.
Nobles who wished to adopt a child were always interested in Piache first.
Some nobles even began sponsoring the orphanage for her sake.
The greedy orphanage director refused to let Piache go.
It was because the donations would decrease if she were adopted.
In the end, Piache wasn’t adopted until she was three years old, when a married couple who had donated the largest amount to the orphanage took her in.
They were a dignified-looking marquess and his wife.
As they placed Piache inside their luxurious carriage, they said,
“What a beautiful child. You’re just like a doll. Please become a lovely little sister to our daughter.”
But the Marquess and his wife returned Piache to the orphanage after only one year.
Their reason was that Piache had scratched their daughter’s forehead.
After returning to the orphanage, Piache could no longer speak properly.
She would wake up terrified in the middle of the night, and whenever someone touched her from behind, she would panic.
She even wet the bed.
Her personality also became extremely timid.
She should have been doing everything she could to please the nobles who wanted to adopt her, yet she simply curled up in a corner.
Only after another year had passed did Piache begin speaking little by little.
She stuttered and her pronunciation was so poor that it was difficult to understand her.
She had developed mutism at the very age when she should have been learning to talk.
Around that time, a noble came to visit the orphanage.
She arrived in a carriage so extravagant that it made people’s jaws drop.
The orphanage director made a huge fuss, saying that a duke had come to visit.
Piache secretly watched the Duke from a distance.
The Duke looked a little frightening.
Her pale face showed no expression.
That made her seem sad somehow.
Or perhaps she was sick.
Maybe it was because she didn’t smile.
For the first time, Piache wanted to see another person’s smile.
Then the Duke walked straight toward Piache.
Without even sparing a glance at the other children.
“Will you come with me?”
“I-I… I-I c-can’t t-talk w-well. I-I d-don’t know h-how to r-read, either… I-Is that… okay?”
The orphanage director broke into a cold sweat at the incomprehensible answer.
She quickly introduced another child and tried to draw the Duke’s attention away.
Every noble who had visited the orphanage until then had been the same.
They would be interested in Piache because of her appearance, but the moment she spoke, their expressions would sour and they would turn their attention to another child.
Piache lowered her head.
Strangely, she felt like she would be sad if the Duke spoke to another child.
This wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened.
She had never minded before.
Why did she feel this way now?
Piache didn’t understand.
As Piache stood dejectedly, staring at the floor, the Duke spoke.
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t speak well. I wasn’t expecting you to know how to read, either.”
“…!”
Piache was genuinely startled.
The Duke had understood what no one else could understand!
“Will you come with me, or stay in this filthy place?”
“…”
“You choose.”
Piache chose the Duke.
The carriage traveled for several hours before arriving at an enormous house.
It was dozens of times larger than the Marquess’s house where she had been adopted.
Piache was so surprised that she asked whether this was the Imperial Palace.
The butler laughed and told her,
“Welcome to the Ibrante Estate, Miss Piache.”
And that was how Piache became the official ward of the ducal family.
The Duke was an extremely strict person.
She especially hated behavior that went against proper dignity.
Piache had to learn everything from the proper way to eat.
At first, she couldn’t even eat as much as she wanted because she was constantly worried about making a mistake.
Her tense body hurt all day, and the bedroom where she slept alone was so large that it frightened her.
Being alone in an unfamiliar place was already lonely enough, but the Duke never said a single warm word to her.
In fact, they rarely even crossed paths.
The Duke almost never left her bedroom.
But Piache tried her best.
She never did anything the Duke disliked, and she practiced table manners until her hands hurt.
That was how much Piache loved the Ibrante Estate.
She liked the stiff butler.
She liked the kind maids.
More than anything, she liked the Duke.
Even though the Duke scolded her for everything else, she had never once criticized the way Piache spoke…
Piache truly, truly liked her.
