TPCM 07

Chapter 7

I’m so happy—this must be heaven!

“Good morning, Lady Marie… You’re up early today.”

“Good morning, Helen. I wished upon a star that I could see your sleeping face, and my body just got up on its own. Having such a cute and beautiful angel in front of me first thing in the morning—it’s bliss.”

Today is a super happy day, because I got to sleep beside Helen again after so long.
And with her adorable sleeping face, no less!

Blushing and fidgeting, Helen got out of bed and opened the curtains.

“I’ll go get ready right away. It’s still a little early, so please rest a bit more, Lady Marie.”

“I should say, ‘take your time,’ shouldn’t I? But I’m sorry, the bed feels cold now and I don’t think I can fall back asleep. Just come back soon, okay, Helen? You don’t need to rush—just a little quicker than usual.”

With a cheerful “Yes, ma’am!” Helen dashed out of the room and returned in five minutes, out of breath.
She hurried for my sake… how adorable.

Just to make one thing clear—I’m not romantically interested in cute girls. My type is more like a muscular mountain man, a walking gorilla. I simply adore cute girls because they’re cute. Therefore, this is not a fetish.
However… if a cute girl were to come onto me, I might not say no. Still, it’s not a fetish.

Right now, I am kissing Helen on the cheek, but that’s as natural as breathing—it’s just instinct, like greeting family. There’s only a tiny bit of ulterior motive.

When I entered the dining room, eager to be the first for breakfast, I found Leon already seated, elegantly sipping tea.
He’s here an hour earlier than usual. What time does this ninja even wake up?

“Good morning, Marie—my one and only beautiful goddess. You’re up early today.”

You’re one to talk, I thought, but swallowed the words with a sip of tea.

“Good morning, brother—ah, no—good morning, Leon.”

That look he gave me when I almost said “brother”! Terrifying.
I’d better never make that mistake again.
We might have reconciled as family, but apparently “brother” is completely off-limits now.

“Listen, Marie. I’ll forgive you since we’re at home, but in front of guests or outside, you mustn’t make that mistake.”

“I understand. Outside, I’ll make sure to address you properly with ‘sir.’”

Leon sighed—deeply, almost theatrically.

“You still don’t get it. What I want is for you to call me just Leon in front of guests and outside. Of course, that’s because I love you so much. Got it?”

“…That ‘got it?’ doesn’t sound like a question coming from you, does it?”

“I’m glad you’re such a clever girl, Marie.”

He’s getting darker by the day. His inner schemer is showing more and more.
It’s like he’s saying, ‘I refuse to acknowledge a fool like you as my sister! Got it!!’

And yet, I can’t bring myself to dislike him—because my sister (the original Marie) adored him.
Come to think of it, he’s shrewd enough to secure royal favor to become a duke, and stubborn enough to actually achieve it. Plus, he’s basically a ninja. He’s unstoppable.

“Good morning, my prince and princess.”

Just as I finished my tea, Mother and Father entered the dining room.
After a pleasant breakfast, during our relaxed post-meal chat, Father handed me an opened letter.

“Marie, you can read now, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

Since I learned to say my own name, I’ve been assigned a tutor.
She’s a plump, gentle lady who, for some reason, speaks very slowly. Thanks to her, my studies have advanced a lot.

The contents of the letter were roughly as follows:

“It was unfortunate we couldn’t meet last time. This time, I’ll visit your home according to your schedule. Please let me know a convenient day. I look forward to it.
—Your dear friend, Sheik.”

A simple, friendly letter with all the formalities stripped away.
As soon as I set it on the table, Leon snatched it away faster than the eye could see.
He truly is a master ninja.

“You see,” Father began, “ever since the birthday party for Sheik’s son, he’s been sending letters often. It seems young Louis and Marie became quite close, and he wants them to meet again.”

“Your mother and I have been turning down his invitations, saying your health wasn’t well,” Mother added. “But he’s been so persistent that I thought we should at least ask for your opinion once, dear.”

“I had refused before,” Father continued, “because I found it odd that the boy barely spoke to anyone at the party. But apparently, he talks about Marie every single day.”

“What?! What kind of things does he say?!”

Please don’t tell me that brat’s been saying weird stuff…

“He just says he wants to see you, every day.”

Ah—sorry, I doubted him again!

“I don’t mind meeting him.”

…No, wait. That wasn’t a misunderstanding.
That piercing gaze from my right—Leon’s giving me his dark aura death stare.

He probably thinks I’ve been sneaking around, playing with friends behind their backs.
Maybe he even suspects Louis of being my accomplice.
Well, to be fair, Louis did slip away from the party unnoticed.

“Are you sure? You’re not overexerting yourself?”

“I’m fine, Mother. I really did get along with him that day. Besides, our families are connected, aren’t they? I’ll eventually attend the academy, and it’s important to start building friendships early. It’d be awkward if we kept refusing and then just ran into each other later at school.”

My parents’ faces clearly showed surprise—apparently moved by their little chick’s maturity.

“That’s a wonderful way of thinking, Marie,” Father said warmly. “Actually, I’m meeting Duke Sheik today, so I’ll tell him directly. He was worried you might be afraid of his son since you always cling to the maids.”

“She’s not a maid, she’s Helen! My precious best friend.”

“Ah, that’s right. My apologies, Marie. Forgive your foolish father.”

“No, Father. If you don’t keep your promise, I won’t forgive you at all. I’ll hate you, Mother, and Leon—all together!”

I puffed my cheeks and turned my face away dramatically.
Immediately, everyone rushed to my side, panicking to comfort me.

I know the truth—the spoiled chick’s tantrum attack is the most powerful weapon of all.

Even though I turned my head away from Leon sitting on my right, he appeared in front of me in an instant.
Needless to say, ninja confirmed.