Chapter 14
As soon as morning came, I walked up to Lotte. She looked at me with a bright, innocent smile.
That smile won’t work on me this time!
“Why did you do that?”
“Huh? Do what?”
Lotte pretended not to know. She smiled in a way that usually made people go soft, but I didn’t fall for it.
“Lotte. I hate liars more than anything.”
When I emphasized more than anything, Lotte’s face went pale. She hesitated, clearly torn over whether to speak or not, so I decided to give her some time.
“Tell me during snack time at lunch. Until then, I’m not talking to you!”
I left the room and headed to my own. I felt bad for her, but I had a strange premonition that if I didn’t do this, something similar would happen again next time.
* * *
“What do I do…?”
Lotte paced restlessly back and forth. She began to think about how everything had started the night before.
The plan had come together when Shuri and Kiel went out with the expedition.
“Mom! If I want to live with Shuri forever, what should I do? I can’t marry her!”
She knew Lotte was especially attached to her because Shuri was her first friend, but living together forever?
The Duchess, Clarien, clicked her tongue at her daughter’s adorable obsession.
Still, a mother’s heart always leans toward her child, and she wanted Lotte to be happy.
“Well… if you become a real family, you could live together forever, right?”
“A real family? That means marriage! Or— or ad— ah! Adoption!”
“Oh my, my daughter’s so smart.”
Clarien kissed Lotte’s cheeks repeatedly. Lotte smiled brightly, waiting eagerly for what would come next.
“If you can’t do it, then Kiel could marry Shuri. Then they’d be a real family. Of course, I don’t know if they’d like each other.”
“Huh?! My brother marrying Shuri? Shuri said at the tea party she’d marry my brother! Mom, Mom! How do you make someone like you?”
Lotte immediately fired back, as if she’d been waiting for that answer.
Clarien looked troubled. Human hearts weren’t that simple. Falling in love happened through countless moments, and before you knew it—like clothes getting soaked in a drizzle—you realized that person had become part of you, seeping into your life.
“Well… I’m not sure about that either.”
She said, gently patting Lotte’s head.
Lotte thought hard for a moment, then suddenly dashed out of the room. Clarien could only hope her daughter wouldn’t cause too big of an incident.
Lotte returned to her room and called her personal maid, Kendi.
“Kendi! When do you start liking someone? Like, when your heart goes thump thump?”
“W-What? Uh… um… s-sorry!”
Unable to answer, Kendi ran off. Her type was muscular men with great bodies and deep, sexy voices—but she wasn’t confident enough to say that to her young lady.
So Lotte decided to investigate on her own.
Most people answered earnestly. In summary, liking someone meant enjoying conversations together, finding common ground, and feeling happy.
But those answers mostly described situations like blind dates—when someone introduced you on purpose.
Most people thought you just ended up liking someone naturally, but they wanted to give at least some decent advice to such an enthusiastic young lady.
“Alright!”
Lotte began planning.
Shuri aside, her brother Kiel didn’t seem willing to spend time alone with Shuri, so Lotte decided she’d create that opportunity.
She added the “romantic atmosphere” she’d heard the maids whisper about and planned to lock the two of them in a room overnight, opening it again in the morning.
Everything seemed perfect—until Kiel returned, and the next day Shuri came back too… with a boy Lotte didn’t recognize beside her.
The day Lotte found out Ventus was good at magic, she made a bet with him—and won.
She asked him to cast a locking spell, then decorated the room after dinner that night. The rose petals were sloppy, but she still made a heart, and lit some candles.
“All done!”
Excited, Lotte left Ventus in charge and headed to the duke and duchess’s bedroom.
Ventus snorted when he saw the room.
“I said I’d cast the spell. I never said I wouldn’t interfere.”
He flung the window wide open, letting wind rush in. Strengthened by magic, the wind blew harder. Melted candle wax splattered on the floor, and petals scattered everywhere.
Only then did Ventus curl his lips in satisfaction.
“Like that.”
His eyes gleamed sharply.
He placed a spell that would activate when two people entered the room. Having successfully ruined Lotte’s hard work, he left to wait for his unpredictable contractor, Alena.
At that time, Lotte was sleeping as usual, rolling around in bed. The duchess occasionally shared similar sleeping habits, and the duke alone was waging a difficult battle against both of them.
Back in the present, Lotte clutched her head and thought:
Shuri said she hates liars! I should just be honest! But what if she ends up hating me…?
It felt as though an angel and a devil were whispering to her.
One said she could lie and never be found out.
The other urged her to tell the truth.
“Sniff… what do I dooo…?”
Tears fell from Lotte’s eyes, soaking into the carpet. Just then, the duchess opened the door and froze at the sight of her crying daughter.
She never cries…
Lotte rarely cried, which made the duchess all the more shocked.
“Lotte!”
Feeling relieved, Lotte poured everything out—what she’d done and how it had turned out—between sobs.
“Mooom… what if Shuri hates meee…?”
The duchess soothed her tear- and snot-covered daughter and told her that being honest would be best. She had a headache knowing the “big accident” she’d feared had actually happened.
Apparently, Shuri had wandered around late at night in nothing but pajamas…
The duchess felt deeply sorry. She decided to give Shuri extra snacks today. It was the only thing she could do.
She told Lotte not to demand forgiveness. Apologizing was Lotte’s responsibility, but forgiving was Shuri’s choice. If it were the Shuri she knew, she’d forgive her—but forcing it wouldn’t be right.
“Sniff… okay! I’ll write a letter and give it to Shuri…! Kendi, bring me some stationery!”
Remembering that she’d promised not to speak until snack time, Lotte decided to write instead. She wrote the letter, drew a picture, sealed it in an envelope, and headed to Shuri’s room.
“Gasp!”
I said I wouldn’t talk—how do I give it to her?
After some thought, Lotte opened the door just a crack and slid the letter inside. Then she knocked a few times and waited until the paper disappeared from sight.
It went in!
Satisfied, Lotte returned to her room, hoping Shuri would greet her with a smile at snack time.
* * *
To my favorite Shuri,
Shuri, I’m sorry… I asked Mom how I could stay with you forever, and she said becoming a real family was a way, and that if you married my brother we could keep living together…
Mom said there’s no way to make someone like you, so I asked the maids and attendants a lot, and they said talking together, finding things in common, and stuff like that was best. So I tried to make a nice atmosphere and called you and my brother. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first. I was wrong… I’ll never do it again! Ever!
You said you wouldn’t talk to me, so I wanted to tell you at least through a letter…
Please keep being my friend… I like you the most!
From Lotte, who likes Shuri soooo, soooo, sooo much and is really reflecting.
I was startled when a letter suddenly appeared in the room.
Inside was Lotte’s crooked handwriting. There were mistakes here and there, and parts of the paper were damp—she must’ve cried while writing it.
There was also a drawing inside. It was probably me.
“Goodness… she really tried.”
—Wow, she’s cute.
The Holy Sword giggled.
Right? Our heroine is cute.
But why were there candle drippings and flower petals? That was more horror than romance… And what was with Ventus?
I put the letter back into the envelope while waiting for Ventus.
This had to become my treasure, number one. It was so sincere that I couldn’t ignore it—and honestly, I did feel a bit closer to Kiel after yesterday.
If you looked only at the outcome, Lotte had half succeeded.
But can an eight-year-old really think like this? Am I missing something?
No matter how much I think about our heroine’s settings, I don’t get it at all.
“Alena.”
“It’s Shuri.”
“Shuri. I got a request from your friend yesterday. I just did what she asked.”
“…Fine. If you say so.”
I decided to accept it. Last night hadn’t turned into a major disaster.
Besides, a contractor could easily undo the magic circle of the one they contracted with. That must be why he agreed.
Who else could easily break a dragon’s magic? Impossible unless you’re the contractor.
“You’re not going to ask more?”
—Ventus! Bored? Let’s go pick up trash! Or pull weeds! Or I’ll sing to you tonight!
At the Holy Sword’s words, Ventus frowned. I glanced out the window—unused land, overgrown with weeds.
“Well then, Ventus, good luck!”
Knowing I’d be dragged into weeding if I stayed, I quickly shoved the Holy Sword into Ventus’s hands, grabbed a blanket, and bolted straight for Kiel’s room.
Ah—but what if he’s not there? Hmm… Right! I’ll just knock!
I knocked, but Kiel didn’t come out. Only silence answered.
“Is he not inside?”
After knocking a few more times, I turned away. It was disappointing, but I’d have to talk to him at snack time.
“Oh? Miss? Why are you coming from this direction?”
“I was just coming from Brother Kiel’s room. It seemed like he wasn’t there.”
“What? No, I saw him finish sword training earlier… If you knocked around then, he should’ve been inside?”
Sir Hern tilted his head in confusion.
Wait—if that’s true, is Kiel avoiding me? No… that can’t be.
But just as the saying goes, never assume—Kiel didn’t show up at snack time, which he usually loved the most.
