Chapter 10
After Cassis fainted once, the adults’ attention was focused entirely on him.
It was only natural, considering a child who was already sick and here to recuperate had lost consciousness.
The medicine he had been taking was the most effective remedy available for those suffering from mana apathy.
So, when even that medication failed to work and almost led to a dangerous situation, it raised even greater concern.
Of course, it wasn’t that the medicine’s effect had worn off, but simply that he hadn’t taken it. Still, I firmly kept my promise with Cassis.
Promises made with children had to be kept strictly, as children only saw what was right in front of them.
From that day on, every time Cassis took his medicine, I popped my head out to check on him.
Whenever our eyes met, he would glare at me sharply.
Regardless of his glare, I waited until I saw his throat swallow with a gulp before handing him a Marie cookie.
Every single time, Cassis’s expression was quite a sight to behold; he made a huge show of disliking it, yet still accepted and ate the cookie without fail.
Honestly, he could just admit it was delicious and eat it, but he always played innocent and feigned disinterest.
Today was no exception—I was watching over him to make sure he took his medicine properly, when Paul spoke up.
“I feel so reassured having you here, Young Lady.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because you take such thoughtful care of the Young Master. Isn’t that right, Young Master?”
“Yeah.”
Cassis replied listlessly, then crunched on the cookie I handed him.
As expected, one couldn’t hide their expression when eating something delicious. Cassis’s face looked much brighter as he munched on the cookie.
Seeing him eat it with relish made all the trouble of getting it worthwhile.
Marie cookies were made from a pastry chef’s special dough in the capital.
Because they were sold in limited quantities, I barely managed to secure them by sending a servant.
Furthermore, to prevent them from going stale, they were sealed tightly and sent via magic courier, making them far more expensive than buying them directly in the capital.
This was a form of investment.
A silent bribe to ask the Young Male Lead to look kindly upon our family and leave us in peace.
“Cassis, is it delicious?”
“It’s edible.”
“At times like this, you say it’s delicious.”
When I spoke as if giving him a mild scolding, Cassis glared at me. He always reacted like that whenever I treated him like a child.
Paul looked at Cassis and me with immense pride before leaving the room carrying a tray with the medicine envelope and a water glass.
I crept up close to Cassis and gently launched my operation.
“Aren’t you bored of just staying in the castle?”
“Not really.”
Cassis answered apathetically and stared out the window. Unwilling to give up, I persisted stubbornly.
“Come on, let’s go out together.”
“Where?”
“I promised to play at the playground with Elissa, Philip, and Daniel, whom you met last time.”
“Playing at a playground like little kids? How childish.”
Cassis lay down as if completely uninterested, turning his back entirely. I shook his shoulder softly.
“Do you know how much trouble I went through to get those Marie cookies? You can’t even do this for me?”
“Yveline. Why are you being so persistent today of all days?”
Cassis turned around with an annoyed look and asked.
Why? For the sake of you and Elissa’s fateful attraction, of course.
I recalled the romantic scene between Cassis and Elissa that I managed to remember.
I wasn’t sure of the exact timing, but it was definitely near the playground.
The very scene where the two of them wandered too deep into the woods during a treasure hunt and got lost.
So, in order to witness that scene, I had to drag Cassis into our group as much as possible.
It had been quite a while since Cassis arrived in Montes, yet he was still distant with Elissa, which weighed on my mind.
On top of that, even their first meeting had been so dry that I wondered if the two were truly the main characters.
In First Love, the setup was definitely falling in love at first sight.
Because of that, Cassis was supposed to constantly ask me about Elissa.
Yet strangely, Cassis seemed to have zero interest in Elissa.
In the novel, Cassis’s eyes were always fixed on Elissa.
It was only natural that his heart would eventually be stolen by the girl he couldn’t take his eyes off of.
I was nervous, fearing that the novel’s plot had gone awry because I accidentally gave Elissa a bad first impression of Cassis.
This won’t do. For the sake of my comfortable life, those two must fall in love no matter what!
To somehow get Cassis to willingly go to the playground, I opened my mouth, making my eyes as wide and bright as possible while clasping my hands in plea.
“Pleease.”
“Haah.”
Cassis let out a deep, tired sigh and got out from under the blanket. He then gestured toward the door with his chin and said,
“I’m going to change my clothes, so get out.”
“Ah, you’re going with me?”
“Yeah. So hurry up before I change my mind.”
“Got it!”
I scrambled out of Cassis’s room in a flash.
“Ah, it’s Yveline!”
Daniel, who was playing at the playground, spotted me and waved his hand.
Elissa, who was building a sandcastle beside him, stopped, raised her head, saw me, and smiled radiantly.
“Yveline!”
She then dusted off her hands and came running over to me.
Elissa, with her hair tied in pigtails, was so cute that I unconsciously wore a silly, doting smile.
“Your expression is totally weird.”
Right then, Cassis spoke up bluntly while looking at me.
My excited mood cooled down thanks to him, and I glared at his side profile.
Why is he sneaking peeks at my face anyway?
I pouted my lips, grabbed Cassis—who was wearing a thoroughly bothered expression—and pulled him toward the kids.
Elissa, who had run over first, greeted us with a bright smile.
“Yveline! You came with Cassis today?”
“Yep! I thought he’d be bored staying in his room all day, so I invited him to play with us. Didn’t I do well?”
“Yeah! As expected, Yveline is so kind.”
Elissa giggled sweetly, then turned her gaze toward Cassis to check on him.
“I heard you were sick, are you okay now?”
“Yeah. I’m fine now.”
Cassis smiled gently. At that, Philip, who was standing nearby, made a big fuss.
“Ah, right! They said you fainted. Were you really sick?”
“Just a little…”
“He walks around just fine. Could it be he’s just faking it?”
Daniel cut Cassis off and chimed in.
When Cassis hesitated awkwardly, Philip casually put an arm around his shoulder to show friendliness.
He was likely trying to make sure the new friend wouldn’t feel out of place.
I looked at the three of them with a warm feeling. The effort had been well worth it.
Having memories of my past life, the concept of a social status system always made me feel uncomfortable deep inside.
In particular, I disliked it when parents’ noble titles affected even children’s gatherings.
It reminded me of a sly kid back in my kindergarten teacher days who subtly tried to pry into my financial situation by asking where my house was located.
That was why I wanted to make friends who could get along without any social walls—friends who wanted to get close to me because of who I was as a person, rather than gathering around me because of my family’s title.
Fortunately, Montes was a place with fewer status hierarchies, and these were the friends I had made here.
In truth, if I had acted according to the original story, these were families I would have looked down upon while hanging out with Luna’s group.
Now that Cassis was here with us, I made up my mind to have a blast after a long time.
Of course, tag is the best game to start with.
Oh, the thrill of running until your chest feels like bursting just to escape the tagger!
Already excited, I shouted in a voice packed with energy:
“Let’s play tag!”
After running around frantically, Cassis and I arrived back at the castle drenched in sweat.
Strangely, whenever I played with the kids, I unconsciously ended up running around wildly like an untamed pony.
Perhaps because my body was that of a child and my playmates were my peers, I naturally found joy in running around like a kid.
After soaking in a warm bath to melt my fatigue away, I changed into indoor clothes and trotted over to the dining room.
When I arrived, two portions of steaming milk were placed on the table—something I always had after taking a bath.
I quickly sat down and gulped down the milk. A short while later, Cassis also finished his bath and entered the dining room.
As Cassis and I quietly sipped our milk, the Count and Countess entered the dining room.
Once Count Monstera took his seat, the prepared dishes began to be served.
I spread butter on the bread served as an appetizer and chewed on it happily.
Just then, Mother asked, “Did you have fun at the playground?”
“Yes! It was even more fun because Cassis came with us.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
Countess Monstera looked delighted as her gaze moved back and forth between Cassis and me. Count Monstera broke into a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha. Cassis must have had a tough time keeping up with Yveline.”
“Not at all, Count. Thanks to Yveline, I had a great time as well.”
Cassis answered with a gentle smile. His posture while seated was so neat that it was hard to believe he was just a child.
The meal began in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Today’s main menu was steak.
The side garnishes were neatly arranged with cooked tomatoes, carrots, and bell peppers.
I skillfully sliced the meat and ate it happily alongside the cooked carrots. Cassis, sitting next to me, was also eating quietly.
As I chewed on my carrot, I tilted my head in confusion upon noticing that only the vegetables remained on Cassis’s plate.
“Cassis, aren’t you going to eat your vegetables?”
“Ah…”
Cassis parted his lips slightly. Looking at him, he was clearly being a picky eater.
Honestly, a sick kid… To get healthy quickly, you ought to munch up cooked vegetables like a champ.
I grabbed his fork without hesitation, stabbed a piece of bell pepper, and held it out to him.
“Cassis. Save your picky eating complaints for when you go back to your own home.”
“I’ll eat it on my own.”
“You’re not eating it on your own, so I’m feeding it to you.”
“What? Mmmf!”
I forcibly shoved the bell pepper into Cassis’s mouth.
Then, covering his mouth so he couldn’t spit it out, I coaxed him.
“There, there. Good boy, eating so well.”
“Mmmf, mmmf!”
“Huh? What’s that? You want carrots too? Got it.”
I quickly stabbed a carrot piece and popped it into his mouth.
For the record, carrots were Cassis’s most hated food.
Normally, because he hated looking childish, he somehow managed to eat other vegetables, but carrots were the one thing he couldn’t swallow and always left behind.
Seeing how he squinted his eyes whenever he accidentally ate one, it wasn’t an allergy either.
Carrots are so good for your eyes! You shouldn’t be a picky eater, little Cassis.
My tone from my past life as a kindergarten teacher slipped out naturally as I giggled, waiting for him to finish eating everything.
In the end, Cassis gave up, scrounging his face in deep annoyance as he chewed the vegetables in his mouth, when Countess Monstera remarked:
“You two have gotten so close lately.”
“Hehe. I love it because Cassis plays with me so well these days!”
When I giggled and confirmed it, Mother’s complexion brightened.
Cassis barely managed to swallow the vegetables and rinsed his mouth with water.
Then, taking advantage of a moment when the Count and Countess weren’t looking, he glared at me with all his might.
He stared so fiercely that I slowly averted my eyes.
Right then, the Count shifted the topic of conversation.
