Chapter 6.
The Less Tiny One and the Even Tinier One (4)
Bang.
The door, which had been quiet, suddenly flew open without a single knock.
Even though it was startling, Cyril didn’t react anymore.
After a month in Casinel, he had experienced it countless times and grown used to it.
Adrienne’s here again.
Thinking that casually, Cyril lowered the book he had been reading onto the blanket and lifted his head—
“…What’s wrong with you?”
He froze in shock.
He was so surprised that he even stumbled over his words, which was rare for him.
“I’m now an adult…”
“What? No, you—your blood… You’re bleeding!”
Adrienne had a wad of blood-soaked cotton stuffed in her mouth.
Even as she mumbled something, a thin stream of blood trickled down her chin, making the scene even more alarming.
“I’m now an adult…”
“What are you saying? You’re bleeding!”
The moment a drop of blood fell to the floor, Cyril couldn’t take it anymore and jumped down from the bed.
Snatching a neatly folded handkerchief from the small console, he pressed it under her chin to stop the blood.
Adrienne, who had been muttering incomprehensible words, finally shut her mouth when she saw Cyril’s sharp glare.
“Miss!”
That was when a shrill voice rang out.
Hurried footsteps approached, and the maid who spotted Adrienne rushed over.
“I wondered where you’d run off to! They told you to wait until the bleeding stopped. Look at this—it’s already everywhere! Honestly, my young lady!”
Though the words were scolding, they were warm with affection.
Knowing that, Adrienne looked unconcerned even as she was reprimanded.
The maid replaced the cotton in her mouth with clean ones and laughed as if she couldn’t help it.
Cyril watched the scene quietly, feeling oddly out of place.
The two of them looked surprisingly close.
“Now, say ‘ah.’ Good. Just like that. You have to stay like this, all right? And don’t run.”
Come to think of it, everyone Cyril had encountered in Casinel was like this.
Their tone was gentle; their voices carried warmth.
Even the stern-looking count was like that in front of Adrienne.
Was it because the climate here was much warmer than in Tesar?
Everything still felt unfamiliar to Cyril.
“Young Master, I apologize for the disturbance. She suddenly ran out like that—”
“It’s fine. More importantly, what’s wrong with her?”
“She had a tooth pulled. Proof that she’s grown more mature.”
“I told you. I’m an adult now.”
Adrienne, who had been obediently holding the cotton in her mouth, cut in immediately, clearly proud.
Only then did Cyril understand what she had been mumbling the whole time.
I’m an adult now…
So that was it.
Bleeding all over the place just to keep insisting on something so trivial.
Cyril was about to sigh in disbelief when his gaze was drawn to Adrienne’s mouth as she lowered the cotton slightly.
Two front teeth that should have been there were missing.
No wonder the whistling sound had been so pronounced—the space where her teeth should have been was completely empty.
“Pfft.”
The sight was—
No, honestly, it was very funny.
With a big wad of cotton stuck between her missing teeth, she looked exactly like a rabbit.
“Why are you laughing?”
“You look stupid.”
“But I’m an adult…”
“Don’t talk. You really look stupid.”
Adrienne looked at the maid with wounded eyes.
But the maid, who should have taken her side, was laughing too.
Useless.
“I’m still bigger than you…”
Mumbling dejectedly around the cotton, Adrienne sulked.
Even though you’re smaller than me?
Strangely enough, Cyril understood that perfectly and frowned.
“You don’t even have teeth.”
“I’m not short.”
“It’s not that I don’t have height!”
Small brat…
Just as Cyril was about to correct her wording, he stopped.
Why should he have to admit out loud that he was small?
“If you’re done, get out! Don’t come into my room!”
Irritated, Cyril snapped coldly and turned away.
He could still hear her muttering behind him, but he pretended not to hear.
A rabbit, really.
At least rabbits were cute.
That annoying girl…
Cyril grumbled as he buried himself under the blanket.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the empire, children of noble families began formal education around six or seven years old.
It was the first step toward fulfilling their role as nobles in the future.
Cyril was also supposed to receive knightly training, but given his condition, it was decided that he would begin with etiquette lessons alongside Adrienne.
“Don’t bend your back. Just lower your posture.”
“I did.”
“You’re bending your back.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You are.”
“…Am I?”
Adrienne answered vaguely and tilted her head.
Despite this being their third lesson already, she always got the same part wrong.
Honestly, she’s so stupid…
Cyril clicked his tongue as he watched her.
What good was being tall if her head hadn’t grown?
“All right, that’s enough. Mademoiselle Casinel, let me explain again.”
Countess Parte, their private tutor who had come to Casinel, intervened smoothly.
She held Adrienne firmly so her back wouldn’t bend and pressed her shoulders down—just as Cyril had said.
“See?”
“Monsieur Tesar, I have told you that you must not speak to a lady that way.”
Cyril, who had been snide, replied shortly, “I’m sorry.”
By then, Adrienne had finally found a proper posture and was staring straight at Cyril.
“You should apologize to Mademoiselle Casinel, not to me.”
“…Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
She grinned widely.
Between her raised lips, a gap was clearly visible.
The whistling sound was still there—her front teeth hadn’t grown back yet.
I told you not to smile. You look stupid.
Cyril swallowed those words.
It was enough that Adrienne alone looked foolish in front of Countess Parte.
Once he stopped picking fights, the lesson continued.
For Cyril, lessons were little more than putting into practice what he had already learned from books.
In other words, they were quite boring.
Still, he followed the tutor’s instructions diligently.
During lessons, he could imagine himself someday becoming a proper adult.
With Countess Parte’s perfectly graceful bow, the lesson ended.
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
Cyril eyed Adrienne, who was still standing there even after the countess had gone.
“Because you might be bored.”
“I’ve told you every time. I’m not bored.”
“I’m kind of bored.”
Then just say that.
Cyril shrugged as if he had no choice and gestured with his hand.
Adrienne brightened immediately, picked something up, and naturally climbed onto the bed.
“Read to me.”
“Okay.”
The “something” was a book.
After confirming Adrienne had sat beside him, Cyril began to read aloud.
Even back at the ducal castle, Cyril always read books.
Having one extra person beside him didn’t really change that.
So this wasn’t anything special, Cyril told himself.
For some reason, it felt like something he needed to believe.
“…And so the witch was executed for kidnapping the princess. The princess, having returned to the kingdom…”
“What does ‘executed’ mean?”
“Dying.”
“The witch died?”
“I just read that.”
Despite the irritation in his voice, Adrienne wasn’t discouraged.
She flipped back to the earlier pages and pointed to a paragraph.
“But the king was the one who broke the promise.”
“The problem is that the revenge took the form of kidnapping.”
“What’s revenge?”
“Getting back at someone.”
“Get—”
“If you’re going to ask, ‘What does getting back mean?’ get out.”
Hit right on the mark, Adrienne fell silent.
Seriously… so stupid.
Cyril thought that once again.
