Chapter : 16
I wanted to see Benjamin happy, but alas. Still, since he agreed to respect my educational philosophy, it’s not a total failure. I suppose it’s one step forward, one step back.
Just as she was consoling herself, Windsor stopped at the door, gripping the handle and turning only his upper body.
An indifferent voice crossed the dining table.
“Please inform me of the exact date and time. I’ll need to adjust my schedule, so it would be best if you could let me know at least two days in advance.”
“…Of course, Lord Preston!”
Jacqueline, who had been staring wide-eyed in astonishment, quickly nodded her head, hurrying for fear he might change his mind.
Windsor walked straight out of the dining room, and she gazed at the closed door for a long while. A gentle smile graced Jacqueline’s lips.
[This is the timeline separator]
“Benjamin!”
The door burst open with an excited voice. Benjamin, who had been reading alone, widened his eyes in surprise at Jacqueline’s sudden appearance.
“Hello, Miss Somerset.”
The boy blinked his light brown eyes and stared intently at Jacqueline, who was dressed differently than usual. She strode over and placed a wide-brimmed hat on Benjamin’s head.
“!”
The hat, larger than his head, slipped down past his forehead. Benjamin lifted the brim slightly and tilted his head in confusion.
“It’s mine, but it really is a bit too big for you, isn’t it?”
Jacqueline stepped back a pace, gave Benjamin a once-over, and shrugged lightly—clearly indicating it didn’t matter either way.
“Shall we go?”
“…Where to?”
Jacqueline shook the small bucket dangling from her arm. Seeing the trowel inside, Benjamin’s eyes grew even more bewildered.
Jacqueline smiled brightly, like spring sunshine—her smile seemed to light up everything around her.
“To catch ants.”
“….”
Caught between her radiant smile and her utterly unexpected words, Benjamin couldn’t immediately understand what she’d just said. He stood there dazed, half in a trance.
“Let’s go!”
Jacqueline marched ahead confidently, but Benjamin still didn’t budge from his spot. After walking a few steps, she stopped and turned back.
Benjamin lifted his chin slightly, pressed his legs together, and clasped his hands behind his back—his posture looked as if Windsor himself had been reduced in size. In short, he resembled a soldier.
A remarkably composed voice escaped the boy’s lips.
“The heir of the Preston family does not catch ants, Miss Somerset.”
“I’ll teach you how to catch the queen ant. I studied ants’ behavior all night—the library has every book imaginable. Once we catch the queen, worker ants and soldier ants will follow her in droves. Then, we’ll build a new kingdom inside this bucket.”
Jacqueline’s voice was sweet and secretive, like a demon’s whisper. Benjamin, startled despite himself, barely managed to shake his head. His soft hair fluttered lightly.
“I promised never to disappoint Uncle again, Miss Somerset.”
“Hmm.”
Jacqueline looked at the boy, whose willpower had clearly grown stronger in just one day, with astonishment. Then, lifting her chin with evident pride, she declared:
“What if Lord Preston himself has given his permission?”
“Eh?”
Benjamin’s eyes widened in disbelief—so much so that the hat once again slid down over his eyes.
As he lifted the brim again, a trace of suspicion flickered in his gaze. Benjamin had a sharp capacity for learning, and he remembered vividly how every time he’d followed Jacqueline’s suggestions, his uncle had scolded him.
“That can’t be. Uncle would never…”
“Lord Preston turned out to be as rational and sensible as I am. Last night, through conversation, we reached an agreement—he promised to respect my educational philosophy.”
“!”
Shock washed over Benjamin’s face.
In the next instant, his eyes sparkled brightly. He looked up at her with admiration, as if she were a triumphant general returning in glory.
“Shall we go?”
Jacqueline, puffing out her shoulders proudly, took the lead. After a moment’s hesitation, Benjamin pushed up his slipping hat and followed behind her.
His hurried steps soon caught up to her side. Excitement tinged his voice, impossible to conceal.
“Did Uncle really give permission?”
“Yes, of course.”
“If we catch only the queen ant, will a whole new kingdom appear?”
“According to the book I read, yes. If we fill a glass tube with soil and add the queen ant along with worker and soldier ants, we can observe exactly how their kingdom is built.”
“But how do we catch the queen ant? She hides deep underground.”
“I have a secret method.”
“A secret method?”
The boy had many questions—he was more talkative now than Jacqueline had ever seen him. Smiling gently, she adjusted his crooked hat brim.
“The sun is bright today. Good thing we brought hats.”
Standing at the front door and glancing around, Jacqueline pointed left with the hand holding the trowel. Then, with the proud air of a general rallying her troops, she declared:
“We should go that way! For some reason, I feel certain there’s an ant kingdom near the greenhouse.”
“Yes, Miss Somerset!”
Benjamin nodded firmly, his expression resolute. Together, they took their first step into the unknown world, like a captain and crew setting sail toward a new continent.
“Oh!”
Benjamin hurriedly grabbed his hat as the wind threatened to whisk it away, then sprinted forward to close the gap that had opened between them.
Betty, who had been polishing a window, cast them a puzzled look—but neither of them noticed.
“At last, the time has come to reveal my secret method.”
Upon reaching the almond tree beside the greenhouse, Jacqueline murmured meaningfully. She reached into the bucket.
“Ta-da! Do you know what this is?”
“Hmm… a cookie… maybe?”
Benjamin answered uncertainly. It certainly looked like a cookie in her hand.
But seeing Jacqueline’s proud expression, he began to wonder if it might not be just a cookie—she wouldn’t look so triumphant over an ordinary biscuit.
Maybe it’s a cookie-shaped bomb—to blast open the earth right where the queen ant is hiding.
“This isn’t just any cookie. It’s our guide to the ant kingdom.”
“….”
“Watch closely.”
Jacqueline crouched down carefully, making sure her dress didn’t touch the ground.
Benjamin crouched opposite her and stretched his neck forward—so much so that his hat slipped backward off his head.
“If we scatter these cookie crumbs here…”
The boy watched the damp earth with sparkling eyes.
“Scatter cookie crumbs… Hmm.”
“Nothing’s happening, Miss Somerset?”
Disappointment tinged Benjamin’s voice. Jacqueline pinched her nose, looking flustered.
“How strange. The book clearly said… Ah! Look over there, Benjamin.”
She lowered her voice and pointed somewhere with her finger. Benjamin’s gaze followed her fingertip.
An ant appeared from somewhere nearby. After glancing around, it headed straight toward the cookie.
Benjamin leaned forward to get a closer look. His fingers twitched—he clearly wanted to catch it right away.
Jacqueline firmly shook her head.
“Just a little patience. We’re not trying to catch one ant—we’re going to relocate the entire ant kingdom. Sometimes, to achieve something greater, you must wait.”
“Yes, Miss Somerset.”
Benjamin clenched his tiny fists tightly—his small fists were the embodiment of his patience.
The ant strained to lift a cookie crumb several times its own size. After repeated failures, it finally turned and retraced its steps.
Benjamin’s eyes drooped sadly.
“The ant gave up and left, Miss Somerset. Should we break the cookie into smaller pieces?”
“Did it really give up? Let’s wait a bit longer.”
“…Yes.”
Benjamin’s bottom wiggled restlessly. He worried about losing sight of the single ant that had finally appeared, yet he stubbornly held on, following Jacqueline’s advice.
His tightly clenched fists kept trying to loosen. Just as his thread of patience was about to snap—
“Huh?”
A swarm of ants appeared from somewhere nearby. Marching in single file, they advanced with clear purpose.
“Wow!”
Benjamin let out a soft gasp. Although they all looked alike, it was easy to guess that the one leading the line was the same ant from before.
The ants joined forces to lift the heavy cookie crumb. Two latecomers picked up smaller crumbs nearby and carried them on their heads.
“The ant brought its friends, Miss Somerset!”
“Indeed.”
Jacqueline’s eyes sparkled too. The ant hadn’t given up on the impossible—instead, it had returned with companions.
Effortlessly, they lifted the cookie crumb and carried it back toward their kingdom, marching with dignified confidence.
“Making good friends is also a duty of the heir to the Preston family. There are many things in this world one cannot accomplish alone.”
Jacqueline paused briefly, recalling Windsor’s words, and tugged at the corner of her lips.
These few ants wouldn’t protect Benjamin Preston in his future as marquess—but she hoped today’s memory might.
“Yes, Miss Somerset.”
Benjamin answered absentmindedly, trailing after the ants as if enchanted by a ghost. Jacqueline followed leisurely behind, bucket in hand.
The ants disappeared beneath the cherry tree. Benjamin crouched there, staring silently at the damp earth for a long while.
“At last, it’s my turn to step in.”
Jacqueline rolled up her dress sleeve and confidently gripped the trowel in one hand.
Thud.
Like an explorer discovering a new continent, she plunged the trowel into the damp soil. Then, straightening her shoulders with self-assurance, she declared:
“The ant kingdom lies beneath here. And deep at its heart, we’ll find the queen ant. Once we catch her, we can quickly build a new kingdom.”
Benjamin said nothing, only staring at the soil. Several small holes dotted the ground. From one hole, an ant poked its head out, glanced around, then scurried off busily.
Another ant dragged the carcass of a tiny insect into a hole. At that moment—
“I think I’d rather just leave it like this.”
Her quiet voice floated softly on the spring breeze.
Jacqueline, about to hand him the trowel, froze. Benjamin watched the ants bustling in and out of their holes with wide eyes.
“You don’t want to take them home?”
“Yes, I just want to watch.”
For a brief instant, Jacqueline’s expression softened. Clearly, the boy didn’t want to destroy the kingdom the ants had worked so hard to build.
She liked this side of Benjamin—the gentle kindness unbecoming, yet so becoming, of the Preston heir.
Perhaps Benjamin would become the finest master the Preston family had ever known—just as Windsor hoped. No, she was certain he would.
Looking down at the boy’s small back, Jacqueline whispered gently:
“If we put them in a glass tube and display it in your room, you could watch the ant kingdom anytime you wanted. That would be truly delightful.”
