Chapter 36
Earlier, even Saldir had done the same. When asked who he was, he was all too ready to reveal his affiliation with the Sylkar Knights.
Well, perhaps that makes sense. For them, declaring their noble status and lineage might have been the most advantageous survival strategy.
“……”
At my words, the family members’ expressions subtly shifted. They exchanged glances silently in the air. And just then—
“You.”
It was Horne. With a stern expression and furrowed brows, she locked eyes with me.
“Don’t interrupt when the adults are speaking.”
“What? But—”
“You’re still too young to be giving your opinion.”
“What?”
“The reason you’re here right now is because we hope you’ll grow up learning Sylkar’s horizontal style of discourse.”
“But I just—”
“Ahem.”
I opened my mouth, full of indignation. Horne’s words didn’t make any sense. If they wanted me to learn horizontal discussion, shouldn’t they also be willing to listen to my opinions? But faced with Horne’s strict tone, I pressed my lips together and stood up sulkily.
When Horne rang the bell on the side table, the door opened, and Hebe appeared.
“Good night, Berdette.”
“Sleep well.”
“Get to bed now if you want to grow tall.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Everyone said their goodnights one after the other, but I didn’t even look back and stomped off with all my might. How unfair! Just a little inclusion, and I deserved to be heard too! Honestly, wasn’t I the one who contributed the most today? And it’s not just the corruption in the city guard—we also need to root out the Parrot Gang! There’s not just one or two urgent matters right now… this is seriously too much!
“You must be very sleepy, miss.”
“Don’t talk to me, I’m really mad right now.”
I snapped petulantly at Hebe. But she only smiled and gently took my hand.
“Miss Mayra already fell asleep. What if our young lady ends up shorter than Miss Mayra?”
“I’ll grow! I will grow really tall when I become an adult!”
“Oh my? Do you know how many short adults there are in the world?”
At Hebe’s teasing, I clenched my eyes shut. I felt like bursting. So unfair! And I already know what I’ll look like in the future! Even so, I grow much taller than the average girl! Taller than my own mother Horne, even!
As I huffed and puffed, Hebe chuckled softly. It must have looked amusing and cute to her—the tantrum of a child wanting to be treated like an adult. Maybe that’s how she saw it.
Right about now, my family was definitely holding a strategy meeting without me. They were probably discussing serious matters among themselves, wearing serious expressions! Just them! Just the adults!
“Don’t be mad. Now come on—snooze snooze, or you won’t grow up.”
“Snooze? Snooze?! Ugh… whatever!”
What more could I say? This is just unfair. I really need to grow up fast!
With my lips still in a pout, I let her lead me to my room. I was so mad.
Just wait. I’ve got my own plans.
If my family excludes me, then I’ll just act on my own—somehow.
But Berdette didn’t know.
That after she left, the atmosphere among the family wasn’t grave at all—in fact, everyone was grinning from ear to ear.
“Did you see her? That pouty lip.”
Horne couldn’t hold back her laughter and asked Jindel, who nodded with a satisfied smile. Even Albrecht, who rarely showed emotion, let out a faint smile.
“My goodness, wasn’t she something else?”
Horne shook her head in awe. She meant it.
“Yes. Perhaps because it’s a child’s perspective, but her thoughts were refreshingly different from the usual adult preconceptions.”
“Even earlier, when we first encountered the Parrot Gang, I tried to reveal my affiliation, but Berdette stopped me. It seemed like she was trying to prevent conflict between the city guard and the vigilantes over jurisdiction.”
After Albrecht and Saldir finished speaking, Theodore nodded.
“Truly remarkable. Berdette is young, but wise. She’s right. There’s no need for us to go around revealing we’re from Sylkar just to get things done. We should act discreetly.”
“We’ve always had a habit of being too upfront. It feels like Berdette completely caught us off guard. I’m really looking forward to what she’ll become in a few years.”
Following Theodore’s comment, Horne also nodded in agreement.
Berdette may have felt ignored, but in truth, the family had already decided to follow her lead. The reason was simple—because she was right.
Still, despite her being correct, they deliberately sent her away. That too, for a simple reason.
“But it’s bedtime now.”
“Exactly. Time to sleep. She’s still a child.”
At Horne’s words, both Jindel and Theodore nodded in unison. They couldn’t let a child worry over adult matters as if they were her own. It was the right decision, as responsible adults.
Horne gave a sly smile to Jindel and Theodore, then looked at Saldir and Albrecht.
“Make sure to tell her later that her opinion was correct. What if the baby thinks she got kicked out because she said something wrong?”
“I’ll definitely tell her. Until she gets annoyed and tells me to stop.”
Saldir spoke resolutely with both fists clenched. Albrecht nodded at him and then turned back to the adults.
“As for the captain of the city guard, we should secretly plant someone and collect solid evidence of corruption… And regarding the Parrot Gang, it’s best to make a decision now.”
“What’s to decide? We root them out. If anything, this one might be easier. We’ve got victims, and we experienced it firsthand.”
“First, we need a full understanding of their base and their members. Proper interrogation will be key.”
“Understood.”
At Jindel’s words, Albrecht silently lowered his gaze in a respectful nod. Their plan and course of action were settled quickly.
“Good. Then it’s all decided.”
Horne’s eyes sparkled as she turned to Saldir.
“By the way, tell us more about earlier. Did Berdette really scold you?”
“Yes. Shall I tell you everything in detail?”
“Please do. Start from when she yelled at you in the carriage on the way back. I’ve been wanting to hear it since dinner. But she looked so embarrassed, I held back.”
At Horne’s words, Saldir nodded and stood up enthusiastically.
“The moment I said, ‘Let’s just report them and leave it at that, since it’s between organizations,’ she shot back, ‘I’m disappointed in you, brother! Is reporting the point right now? This is why nobles are hopeless!’ Then she jumped down from that tall carriage—without even using the stairs!”
“Oh my!”
As Saldir began describing the scene, the family leaned forward, eagerly listening. Though it was a more embellished version of the story they’d already heard over dinner, they listened as if it were completely new.
When Saldir recounted how Berdette threw apples with different forms for each target and knocked out two men, and how she rolled forward toward a giant and smashed his shin with a bare-fisted blow, Horne and Theodore both leaned in, wide-eyed.
“She broke a grown man’s shin? With hands that have never even been in a fight?”
“But it’s true, Mother. Since we didn’t reveal we were from Sylkar, she couldn’t use fire magic—and yet she fought so bravely.”
At that moment, Saldir hesitated. He debated whether he should mention what he saw earlier—how Berdette’s hand had turned dark.
