Chapter 8
“Isollet! Isollet!”
“Mm…….”
A familiar voice was calling my name.
I burrowed deeper into the blankets as if trying to protect myself.
So noisy……
“What time do you think it is, and you’re still sleeping?!”
“Gasp!”
At the scolding, tinged with irritation, my eyes flew open reflexively.
This voice……!
The human alarm clock that had tormented me every morning for the past two years!
Amazingly, this human alarm clock had never once been late or skipped a day.
Its effectiveness far surpassed that of modern alarm clocks.
Unlike an electronic alarm that could simply be switched off with the press of a button, this human alarm clock physically harassed you until you got out of bed.
If such a thing had existed in the modern world, it surely would have been welcomed by countless modern people who struggled to get up every morning.
And the owner of this human alarm clock was none other than Uncle Dumpling!
But didn’t we say goodbye yesterday?!
That wicked Dumpling continued to torment me even after I became a noblewoman.
He really was unbelievably cruel.
“Huff, huff…….”
When I opened my eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.
I looked into the mirror.
A grubby little child stood reflected in the cracked glass mirror, with eight layers of grime accumulated on her body.
Her skin was gray, and there wasn’t a trace of moisture in her hair.
Her painfully thin body looked as though it might snap somewhere at any moment.
Th-this is……!
Could that really be me?!
N-no way.
I had definitely become cute!
I staggered backward in shock.
After only a few steps, something soft touched my back.
I turned around.
“……!”
“There is no such thing as overnight riches in this world!”
“……!”
“Work! In Hellbaros, only those who work hard can survive!”
“……!”
“Becoming a nobleman’s daughter overnight?! Do you really think such fairy-tale happiness could happen to someone like you?! Work!”
“……Urgh!”
Dumpling……!
Dumpling was lecturing me!
I screamed in shock.
“Aaaah!”
I jolted upright as though I had been paralyzed by a nightmare.
Once I came to my senses, I quickly looked around.
Everything was exactly as it had been before I fell asleep.
I crawled toward the mirror.
Reflected in it was a cute little girl with beige hair, wearing adorable children’s pajamas with a teddy bear printed across the chest.
“……Phew.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
Somehow, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
Whether I lived as a commoner or a noblewoman, that wicked Dumpling always found a way to torment me.
He truly was the worst.
I looked out the window. It was still dark.
It was that darkest hour just before sunrise.
It was the time I normally woke up early to work at the inn.
If things had gone as usual, I would have been up around now, starting with cleaning the courtyard.
Sigh. I wanted to sleep in for at least one day. Even after becoming a noblewoman, I couldn’t seem to shake the habits I’d developed while living as a commoner.
I gave a slightly bitter smile.
“Huh?”
As I absentmindedly stared out the window while lamenting my fate, something caught my eye.
Someone was running laps around the training grounds at the crack of dawn.
Was this what they called exercising under the moonlight?
Exercising at an hour when even the mansion’s servants were probably still asleep.
What kind of crazy person was this……?
Definitely someone to keep an eye on.
I narrowed my eyes and stared toward the training grounds, trying to identify the mysterious figure.
Black hair fluttering in the early morning breeze, and a small but sturdy-looking frame.
It was Iqua.
“……What?”
Why on earth was he running around the training grounds this early in the morning—or rather, at this ungodly hour?
Well, it had nothing to do with me……
I closed the window and was about to go back to sleep.
Just then, a scene from dinner the previous evening suddenly flashed through my mind.
—Twenty laps around the training grounds tomorrow morning.
—Yes.
Despite the rather unreasonable demand, Iqua had answered almost at the speed of a spinal reflex.
At the time, I’d thought that despite being father and son, they were incredibly strict with each other.
……Though that probably wasn’t a thought I should have had while sitting beside Bernard, who didn’t even know my age.
Twenty laps around the training grounds tomorrow morning……
“…….”
About ten percent of the reason Iqua was losing sleep and running around at this ungodly hour was probably my fault.
If I hadn’t provoked Iqua, he wouldn’t have gotten so worked up at dinner.
He must be cursing me in his head with every step he took.
Eloise, you cruel bastard.
Making such a small child run without even letting him sleep……
He really was worthy of being Bernard’s brother.
The people in this family truly were all outstanding human beings!
Absolutely! Without a doubt!
I nodded as though agreeing with myself.
Then I continued watching Iqua running around the training grounds for a while.
Eventually, I changed my clothes and dashed outside.
“Iqua!”
“……?”
When I reached the training grounds, I sprinted at full speed and caught up with Iqua.
Hearing me call his name from behind, Iqua turned around.
The moment he saw me, he frowned as though I had already done something to annoy him.
“What are you doing?”
“I came to run with you.”
“No!”
“And what are you going to do if I don’t care whether you like it? I want to run.”
“…….”
Did he own the training grounds or something?
Apparently unable to think of a response, Iqua clamped his mouth shut.
For a while, we simply pretended the other didn’t exist and quietly concentrated on running.
Jogging in the morning was incredibly refreshing.
Just as I was becoming absorbed in the pleasant sensation of the morning breeze against my face, Iqua, who had been running ahead of me, suddenly stopped.
I nearly crashed into his back, but managed to stop just in time.
Iqua whipped around to face me.
He still had a handsome face, but it looked as sharp and sensitive as ever.
“Hey. You keep calling me ‘you,’ but I’m two years older than you, you know?”
“I know. So what?”
I’m fifteen years older than you, and I’m being generous enough to overlook that, was what I decided to keep to myself.
How fussy could he be over a mere two-year difference?
To me, a two-year age gap was practically nothing. We could almost be considered friends.
And he was just a kid……
“What an old-fashioned geezer.”
“What?”
Ah.
I’d meant to say that only in my head, but it accidentally slipped out.
Iqua had somehow caught my muttering and asked again.
He didn’t seem to know what the word geezer meant, but he had apparently sharp enough instincts to realize from the tone alone that it was an insult.
The already sensitive look on Iqua’s face grew even more irritated.
