~Chapter 7~
I had already gone out earlier and placed two sticks near the spot I picked.
“Hey, Uncle Redea! Can I play too?”
At that sudden voice, Dad’s gaze shifted downward.
“You are….”
Dad frowned. Clearly, he had no idea who it was.
‘Of course. Dad only ever paid attention to me.’
He couldn’t even remember the faces of the maids that served him every day.
“Ah, my name’s Valux.”
“…Valux? Oh, right, my older brother’s kid.”
“Yes. I was bored since I didn’t have anything to do today, so… can I play with my cousin?”
Valux asked brightly, smiling wide.
Dad glanced at me with a faint frown.
He didn’t seem like the type who could cruelly chase away a little kid with harsh words.
“Redi, what do you think?”
Wait, what? He’s giving me the choice?
Ugh, too much pressure!
“Whatever you want to do, do it.”
Honestly, that surprised me. I thought Dad would just flat out say “No way.”
“Let’s do it together. I’ve never made a snowman before.”
Why’s he suddenly acting all friendly?
But if he’s being this direct, how could I say no?
“Uh… okay.”
“Great. Bel, you go on ahead. I’ll stay here and play for a while.”
The boy, having gotten my okay, quickly waved at Bel.
“So?”
“Huh?”
“How do you even make a snowman?”
Seriously? He doesn’t even know that?
I glanced at Dad, who gave a small nod.
“You roll snow into a ball for the body and the head.”
I showed him a little snowball.
“And then you make it really, really big.”
“Hm, move. I’ll just use telekinesis—”
“No! That ruins it. You have to make it with your own hands or it’s no fun! Here, hold this.”
I shoved the snowball into Valux’s hands. He blinked.
“Now roll it like this! Go!”
I started rolling snow all around the snowy garden.
Valux, who was standing there awkwardly, eventually followed my lead and began rolling snow too.
‘This is safe, right…? He’s not gonna get annoyed later and throw me with his powers, right?’
I shook off the worry when I saw how seriously he was rolling the snow.
“Done!!”
After running around for a long time, we finally made a snowman as tall as Dad.
Of course, I couldn’t lift the huge snowball myself, so Dad helped stack them.
Each snowball was even bigger than me.
“Wow, that looks awesome.”
I giggled happily.
As a kid, I’d always wanted to make a snowman, but I’d never asked Dad because I was afraid he’d worry if I got sick.
But now that I’d lived this life once already, I wasn’t that scared anymore.
Everyone always said I wouldn’t live past twenty.
And they were right, the first time.
“You like it?”
“Yeah! This was one of my bucket list wishes before I died!”
Dad gently patted my head. I looked over at Valux, who was silently staring at the giant snowman.
“Thanks for helping too, Prince!”
Surprisingly, he didn’t complain or get annoyed.
He actually rolled the snow with me really well.
His cheeks and fingers were all red from the cold, just like mine.
“It’s cold out here. Let’s go inside. How about some cocoa?”
“Gasp—really? With marshmallows floating in it?”
“Of course.”
I quickly nodded.
Cocoa with boat-shaped marshmallows floating on top was a rare treat—Dad didn’t let me have it often because it was too sweet.
“You too. Come inside and warm up before you go.”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
Valux’s eyes widened, then his whole face lit up. He nodded fast.
‘Ah… so it was the cocoa he wanted.’
Guess he’s still just a kid.
Or maybe Dad’s cocoa is just that irresistible to everyone.
I thought about it while kicking my feet happily in Dad’s arms.
Inside the annex, which was already warm with a fire, Dad left Valux seated and went to prepare snacks.
“Wait here. I’ll bring something to eat along with the drinks.”
Valux looked around curiously, clearly fascinated by the place.
The warmth slowly melted the chill from my cheeks and hands.
“Prince.”
“Valux.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t call me ‘Prince.’ You’re not my servant. Just call me Valux. You don’t have to be polite either. Or… well, since I’m eight, you could call me ‘big brother.’ That works too.”
Calling him “big brother” at my age felt a bit weird….
And knowing him, he might suddenly get offended later and tell me not to call him that.
I’d rather not get on this moody kid’s bad side.
“Okay, Valux.”
“…So you’re not calling me big brother.”
Valux pouted, mumbling in dissatisfaction.
Hey, then why’d you give me the choice in the first place?
But since I didn’t want to upset him, I quickly put on my brightest smile.
“Big brother!”
Adapting fast is the key to survival.
“Mm. What is it, Redea?”
Valux answered with a satisfied expression.
…But that nickname was supposed to be just for Dad to call me.
I almost said something, but then remembered how moody he was, so I just shook my head.
“Thanks for making the snowman with me!”
“Well, it was… surprisingly fun. I mean, if I used telekinesis, it would’ve taken five minutes, but this way it took an entire hour.”
Valux spoke with an oddly cynical expression for an eight-year-old.
So… was he saying he liked it, or that he didn’t?
Which is it?
“Sometimes it’s more fun when you do things without powers. Feels more rewarding, right?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. I was always taught to develop my abilities first.”
He tilted his head.
Well, yeah.
In society, everything was judged by how special and useful your powers were.
Healing powers like mine were considered one of those rare, special gifts.
Though no one knew I had it.
I didn’t really use it on others anyway. With my weak body, I was always too busy healing myself.
‘Maybe I used up all my life energy healing myself….’
There were also rare cases of people controlling the four elements, or even the weather.
I’d even heard there were time controllers—and space manipulators too.
Those kinds of unique powers only appeared once in several generations.
‘Should I reveal my ability this time…? That way, I could raise Dad’s position.’
I crossed my arms, deep in thought.
If I healed people in exchange for money, I could save up and have more freedom with investments later.
“Mhm.”
Mmm~
Mmmm!!
Maybe I should just reveal it later, pretending it suddenly awakened.
I giggled at the thought, only to notice Valux staring at me from across the table, chin propped in his hand.
“You smile a lot.”
“Uh… does that bother you? Should I stop smiling?”
“No? I like it. Your eyes sparkle like pink diamonds. They’re pretty.”
Now that I think about it, back then too, he said he’d let me off once just because my eyes were pretty.
“Do you like pink?”
“Is it weird for a boy to like pink?”
What? That makes no sense.
Liking something is just liking something.
“Nope. I like blue. And black. And pink too.”
“What kind of answer is that.”
“Well, blue reminds me of my mom’s eyes. That’s why I like it.”
I giggled, and Valux, still leaning on his hand, looked at me silently before speaking softly.
“…Me too.”
“Hm?”
“I like it too… because it’s the same color as my mom’s hair.”
Oh.
So he’s a mama’s boy.
I nodded.
I mean, I like Dad, so it’s natural for him to like his mom.
As I kicked my feet, the door opened.
Dad walked in with cookies and three steaming mugs.
Valux looked at him with a curious expression and spoke.
