IBSGAD 10

Episode 10: What the hell is he saying?

‘…The year I turned twelve, I stopped trying to find someone on my side.
To be exact, it was the day Hyung locked me up in this shell house.’

I remembered what the Duke of Iter had once told me.
So the one who locked young Duke Iter in that shell house… was this man?

According to the Duke, in his childhood, he had no one on his side.
And the previous Duke saw potential not in this man but in Ain, the current Duke, and gave him the title.

“I am Cassian von Iter.”

At the Duke’s appearance, the man curved his lips into an unpleasant smile.
Then he started talking—unprompted, as if he couldn’t wait to run his mouth.

“You’ve already lost the name ‘von Iter.’”

The Duke stepped toward him.
His cold stare was nothing like the way he looked at me.
It was the kind of expression befitting a man rumored to have “cut down monsters and even humans just because they took human form.”

“How stingy. I may not be a noble anymore, but I can’t live without any surname, right?”

Cassian looked back at the Duke with that slimy grin, and only then did the shadow blocking my view fade.
I glared daggers at the back of his head.

Normally, the eldest son inherits the family.
So of course Cassian would resent losing that position.
But they wouldn’t simply leave such a man hanging around—and if they had no valid reason to kill him, then there was only one answer: exile.

Everything they were saying sounded like he had been exiled.
Then why was he here?

“So I have a niece now…”

Cassian looked down at me.
As his shadow tried to swallow the light again, I stepped back.
Lothia’s sword firmly guarded the space in front of me.

“A marriage was one thing, but I didn’t expect a child to show up first.”

Cassian laughed silently.

“As expected from someone who grew up without any proper order, Ain.”

He looked back at the Duke.
Without order—that meant he should have become duke, but Ain stole it?
What was with this non-stop subtle trash talk?

“Unless it’s a family event, entry into the entire Iter territory is prohibited. You know that, right?”

The Duke stared coldly at Cassian.
Cassian merely spread out his hands.

“And what else would this be but a family event?”

Then he pointed—at me.
That “this” was me?
Not only trash talk, now I was being treated like an object?

“If I have a niece now, I should give her a birthday present. She’s newly born, after all. Not from that dirty baron household on the dirt floor, but from here—from the beginning.”

He grinned.
He totally insulted my origins, right? Not imagining it?

“And to lift an exile order, I need to score some points. Children are weak to gifts.”

Cassian sat down in front of me.
Trying to score points with me? Good luck with that.
My scrunched-up face met his shameless one.
I was about to spit a comeback when—

“The child is uncomfortable. Step back.”

—Pak!
The Duke grabbed Cassian by the back of the neck and yanked him away.

Nice, Duke!

—Crunch, crunch.
Shell fragments shattered beneath Cassian’s shoes, dulling their shine as they scattered.

“…”

Rage surged.
I knew the shells could be replaced, but maybe because I was a kid now, emotions flooded too easily.

If only my mana worked…
It wouldn’t be the shells breaking—it’d be his legs.

I clenched my tiny fist.

“You’ll hurt your hand, my lady.”

Azelta gently covered my fist with both hands.

“It was the prettiest shell…”

People who break pretty things deserve to be broken too!!
As my cheeks puffed with anger—

“…”

I sensed the Duke’s gaze scanning around me.
After glancing at me briefly, he dragged Cassian off.

“If you have anything to say, we’ll talk inside.”

“Oh, my.”

Cassian still ran his mouth while being dragged away.

“You’re ruining my first meeting with the child. How could you not welcome family to a lonely child who has no one?”

He kept spewing unpleasant things even as he grew farther away.

“You’re going to raise her the same way you were raised?”

—Bang!!
Instead of answering, the Duke slammed his office door.

• Anger is bad for the body! I know that!
  But there was no stopping the flames.

“My lady, are you very upset?”

Azelta asked as she soothed me back in my room.
I nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. Very!”

I couldn’t exactly shout, He’s a total piece of sh—!
So I looked for another outlet.
My eyes landed on the hammer standing in the corner—the one I used when breaking candy.

“I want to hit him. Just once!”

I stared at the hammer.
If I could hit him once with that, I’d die happy.
Azelta followed my gaze, then suddenly burst out laughing.

“I’ll hit him for you later.”

“Really?”

“Yes. With that.”

She pointed to the hammer.

Real— really?
That would not end with just a bruise.
My eyes sparkled, and Azelta nodded.

“Of course. I dislike him as well.”

She meant it.
Then she knelt down to meet my eye level and placed a hand over my chest.

“So let go of the bad feelings. Holding them here hurts.”

“…Ah.”

She wasn’t a doctor, but she was right.
The mana clustered near my heart reacted strongly to emotion.

“In exchange, I asked them to bring you something tasty!”

Azelta clapped.

“Bring it in!”

The door opened, and a cart rolled inside.

“…That’s… porridge.”

Was she scamming me?
I looked up at Azelta.

“Not the porridge. The one next to it.”

She quickly handed me a small cookie, about the size of my palm.

“A cookie!”

…Can I eat this?
I threw up last time after eating candy.
I looked at Azelta again.
She nodded reassuringly.

“It’s made of easily digestible ingredients. Don’t worry.”

“Wow!”

I still couldn’t escape porridge-prison, but new food was always welcome.

Crunch.
The moment I bit into it, my eyes shut.

“Mmm!”

Sweetness melted across my tongue.

“How is it?”

Azelta asked.

“I already scolded the chefs and told them to keep making it even tastier. Don’t you look forward to that?”

How was I supposed to resist that?
Hmph.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

I took another bite.
…Was this supposed to be digestible?
Why was it so good?

• Turned out Azelta wasn’t the only one who hated Cassian.
  The Duke, Lothia, and even the doctor Delfiro avoided him like the plague.

“His current location has been confirmed—the garden.”

“In the garden?”

“He seems to want to meet the young lady.”

Lothia looked displeased.
And I felt just as annoyed.

“My lady, how about visiting the rear garden today? It’s bigger, and has many places to rest.”

Azelta suggested.

“Okay. Let’s go to the rear garden!”

Azelta, Lothia, Delfiro, several maids—nearly ten people headed out with me.

But our effort was in vain.
Cassian was already there waiting.

“Oh? I figured you’d avoid the main garden and come here.”

My fist clenched on instinct.

“His Highness ordered you to stay away from the lady.”

Lothia stepped forward.
Cassian ignored him and casually approached me.

—Shing!
Lothia drew half his sword.
Cassian exaggerated his surprise.

“You wouldn’t spill blood in front of a precious child, would you?”

Lothia hesitated.
No, Sir Lothia! It’s okay if it’s his blood!

Cassian looked at me.

“I brought something for you. Since Ain has eyes everywhere, I can’t stay long.”

So he does fear the Duke.
I crossed my arms and glared.

It used to look intimidating when I was an adult,
but now—as a kid—my tiny stubby arms struggled to look badass.

“I’m not taking it.”

Cassian blinked.

“Why? I might give you something nice.”

“Whatever it is, I’m not taking anything you give me.”

No matter how good something is, if a rotten person gives it, it becomes rotten.
I turned away.

“You’ll lose friends if you act like that.”

Then his next words nearly made me choke.

He said this… to a child.

“I have lots of friends.”

More than you, definitely.
I pointed at Azelta, Lothia, and Delfiro.

Cassian followed my finger, then smirked.

“They’re not your friends.”

Not they.
Those.
He didn’t even consider them people.

“Especially that beast-like one…”

He narrowed his eyes at Lothia—then laughed.

“You’re too young to understand, but there are people who shouldn’t mix with others.”

So Lothia wasn’t qualified to be around me?
Because of his Mana Eyes?
Every word out of this guy was disgusting.

How miserable was your life that you fear someone just because they have Mana Eyes?

I looked him straight in the eye.

“Thanks for the self-introduction.”

“…What?”

I turned and walked off.

“Let’s go, friends!”

I said it loudly on purpose and left without looking back.

After Naysia left, Cassian stood there blinking.

“…Self-introduction?”

He repeated her words and recalled what he just said.

‘There are people who shouldn’t mix with others.’

So… he meant himself.

“Heh.”

Cassian exhaled—and laughed.

“For a five-year-old, she’s sharp.”

He swore he felt cut for a second.
The smile vanished from his face.

“I’m resting. I’m too mad!”

The little lady shut herself in her room.
Outside, Azelta, Lothia, and Delfiro exchanged looks.
Azelta couldn’t stop staring at the closed door.

“…Self-introduction?”

She burst out laughing.
The little miss had perfectly kicked that unwanted guest out.

“He only has a 24-hour stay at most since it’s an event. We just need to block him until then.”

Lothia said—speaking to the others casually.

“Yeah. Just 24 hours. That nutcase is bad for her mental health.”

Delfiro twirled a finger next to his head.
Azelta opened her mouth to answer—

—Thump! Thump!

“…?”

A strange noise came from inside the room.
Lothia instinctively reached for his sword.
But sensing the presence inside, he tilted his head.

“She’s the only one in there.”

“…?”

More confused, the three shared looks.
Azelta cracked the door open.

Inside, Naysia was… venting.

“My shell necklace!”

—Whack! Whack!

She was punching a pillow—
not just any pillow, one with dark gold embroidery, resembling a certain someone.

Her tiny fist was barely the size of a finger joint, yet she kept smacking the pillow with all her fury.

“You jerk!”

Delfiro and Azelta covered their mouths.
She was mad, and needed comfort, but…
She was just so cute.
Like a tiny hamster punching a pillow.

“…You filled the pillow properly?”

Lothia asked dryly.
Azelta nodded.

“Of course. Top-quality stuffing.”

Then the three exchanged looks.

Sometimes… a person needs somewhere to vent their anger.

They watched the tiny hamster fists go whack, whack, whack…

…then quietly closed the door.