Chapter 8
The Spoiled Chick’s Selfish Attack
A room where my parents and Leon are desperately trying to soothe the spoiled chick.
I recall how the other day I thought “oh, kids, huh” about Louis.
But this selfish demand of mine—I’ll see it through.
“Helen and Rufus will be eleven next year, which means they’ll be old enough to attend the academy.
Please allow Helen and Rufus to go to the academy.
And until then, I’d like tutors to teach them the minimum education they’ll need.”
Helen and Rufus panicked—“Lady Marie!”—and rushed to stop me.
A few days earlier, during a happy lunch, I had casually asked the two about the academy.
I learned that, even if they hadn’t been orphaned, they still couldn’t have gone due to poverty.
They both had always longed to go.
Sure, there were private tutors like small cram schools, but academies were places for nobles.
They never said it outright, but in their words I could hear their yearning—how they wanted to study.
Even when we laughed together in the library, Helen couldn’t read and would look so sad at the books.
These adorable angels stay by my side only because of my requests.
If so, then there is only one choice—I must help make their dream come true.
“Marie… I’ve always liked your requests.
But this time, your request is for someone other than yourself.
I’ve come to love your requests even more.”
“Sweet Marie… you’re our pride.
Isn’t that right, Leon?”
“…Heh. I’ll add my plea as well.
While Helen and Rufus are away at the academy, I’ll stay by Marie’s side.”
Yes! It worked! See? The spoiled chick’s attack is the strongest of all!
But… maybe being spoiled like this all the time is why I end up wanting to be mistreated so badly I even imagined becoming a chair.
No, I will not become a chair. That’s pointless to even think about.
“Helen, Rufus—will you grant my precious daughter’s wish?”
Helen and Rufus cried as they nodded again and again, each nod accompanied by words of thanks.
“Helen, Rufus—the one who should be giving thanks is me.
Every day I’m grateful for the miracle that you were born into this world, and the miracle that we met.
Ahh, if you keep crying so much, your beautiful eyes will overflow.
If you don’t stop soon, I’ll just have to eat you up, won’t I?”
My parents held hands and smiled at each other.
Leon, however, had a completely serious face. Why serious?
Could it be that he suspects my perversion? That rabbit-neck-strangling incident… whatever. I’ll just forget it.
The day after the “letter incident,” Helen and Rufus were assigned tutors.
I was impressed by how quickly Father arranged it.
While they studied, I would go to Leon’s room.
Since Helen and Rufus were assigned solely to me, I never let them do any household work, so I didn’t mind them spending lots of time studying.
Meanwhile, I’d sit on Leon’s lap, cling to his back, mess with his silky hair, roll around on the bed dragging him along, bite his shoulder, beg him to read me picture books, and then close them from the side with a dead-serious face every time he turned a page.
Truly, I was spending a boring but mischievous time.
Leon never faltered. He was completely used to being pestered by a foolish little sister.
I once had a younger sister too, but she wasn’t the type to treat her elder like a toy—just someone to play with adorably.
By comparison, Leon’s big-brother endurance was on an absurd level.
Even when I ripped off his scarf and tossed it out the window, he smiled happily.
Leon, treated like a toy, seemed delighted.
No matter what I did, he was glad.
His words might sound mature, but at heart, he was still just a child being played with.
“If this room were the whole world, if only time would stop like this…
Just the two of us forever.
Every one of Marie’s actions is so precious to me.”
He kept saying things like that, as though running away from reality.
Being a year older than me, Leon had much more time with tutors.
It was only natural: he was the heir to a ducal house, while I—until recently—couldn’t even state my own name.
Leon’s lessons included manners, dance, education, instruments, swordsmanship, military, politics and economics, diplomacy, governance, even royal studies. He was busy every day.
Mine were manners, dance, education, instruments, and lady training, but still less than half of his schedule.
And “education” was broad: history, geography, pharmacology, literature, and more.
Apparently, between most countries there wasn’t much of a language barrier.
Conveniently, both the spoken and written language here were Japanese.
Well, it made sense—this was a Japanese game after all.
Still, there were differences: foreign loanwords, slightly altered terms.
Ladybugs, for example, were called “tentoumame-mushi” or “mizutama-kusamushi.”
Other words differed by just one character.
No one minded if I made mistakes—I was considered clever enough just for being able to talk.
Beds were called betto rather than beddo.
In pharmacology, words like gauze, cast, and vaccine came from German.
So when I said “beddo,” no one corrected me—it was natural for me to misspeak.
There was no such thing as Valentine’s, Christmas, Halloween, or even New Year’s.
Strange, for an otome game.
Thinking about such things, I once again yanked off Leon’s scarf and tossed it outside.
“Heh… so cute. You’re jealous of the scarf that touched me, aren’t you?”
I just wanted rice cakes.
“I’m learning words and letters through literature. The library has more dictionaries than textbooks.
The illustrated ones include storybooks, plant dictionaries, gem dictionaries—even ones with ‘star words.’”
“It’s etiquette for noble gifts. Marie, do you want jewels?”
“No.”
“…You’d be happy if you received one though, wouldn’t you?”
Helen read flower dictionaries in the library with a smile.
Rufus studied adventure books, checking words in dictionaries, asking Helen for help when explanations confused him.
“If it’s a flower-shaped jewel, the petals might poke and be dangerous.
Round ones are safer, but… round decorations are too plain…”
“Do you want jewels, Leon?”
“My jewel is Marie. No gem could shine brighter than her.
Will you be my jewel, Marie, and stay by my side, adorning me forever?”
“Nooo.”
“You mustn’t say no.”
“But I don’t want to. I won’t be Leon’s jewel forever.”
“I want you beside me always, more beautiful than any gem.
Like Father and Mother, always together.”
“Father and Mother are husband and wife. You and I are siblings—it’s different.”
“We’re not siblings. And you’ll stay with me forever.”
“We’ll always be close, yes. But someday, I’ll probably marry someone else.”
“No. Don’t you want to be my bride?”
That kind of thing probably happens in every household.
“I’ll marry Papa!” “I’ll marry my big brother!”—that sort of childish talk.
But reality matters too. Facing it is the first step into adulthood.
“Leon and I are siblings. I’ll marry elsewhere.
Of course I won’t marry you.”
“…”
Leon’s smile vanished.
He walked away and returned carrying a huge birdcage, set it in front of the sofa, lifted me up, and without a word, locked me inside.
“Let me out, Leon!”
“Reflect on what you said.”
“You’re the one who needs to reflect right now!”
“A girl who says such things won’t be let out.
Marie, you’ll stay here forever.
You don’t need the academy.
You don’t need friends.
Sometimes I’ll open the window so you can have fresh air.”
“Ueeehhh!!”
“Write this, and I’ll let you out… heh heh.”
“Ehh… uehhh…”
Imprisoned by a frightening, big-brother-power-less Leon, I couldn’t even see what he wanted me to write—my tears blurred it away.
I remained locked up for a while, until Father and Helen came to rescue me, so at least I made it to dinner.
That day, the silver chick clung to Father and refused to leave his side.
Leon’s eyes were too scary…
I learned something important: reality is important, but blunt, humorless honesty is not.
If I give an answer outside of Leon’s “ideal family image,” I’ll be stuffed in a birdcage and put away.
