CHAPTER 07
“Silvia, you again! What on earth were you thinking, going all the way to the annex to harass Ray!”
The Duke of Langston shouted.
According to the servant who had just come to report, the crying of the two children could be heard even outside the annex. The Duke had summoned the children to his study to investigate the situation properly.
However, Silvia looked unusually pleased, while Ray was visibly intimidated. It didn’t take much to guess what had happened.
“I suppose this won’t do. I thought you two would get along since you’re about the same age, but if you keep clashing like this…”
At the Duke’s words, Ray flinched. The Duke looked at the child with sympathetic eyes.
“Ray, I’m not blaming you. Once Lorelai returns from her outing, I’ll need to speak with her. I think it may be better for you to live outside—I’ll arrange a house for you. That would be better for you as well, Ray.”
At those words, Ray became even more frightened.
“I-I… I mean…”
His aunt had strictly instructed him that he should remain in this mansion for as long as possible until he came of age. Ray’s eyes wavered in confusion.
Then someone stepped in front of him—Silvia.
“Dad! You’re scaring him! Why are you saying such frightening things?”
“W-what?”
The Duke stuttered in confusion.
Spreading her arms to shield Ray, Silvia quickly continued.
“If you send Ray and Lorelai away from the mansion, then I’ll leave too.”
If Ray left, it would ruin her plans.
Ray can’t leave! I need him!
She needed Ray. Even if she had to leave home herself, she had to stay by his side.
“Silvia! If that’s the case, you should have behaved better from the beginning. You’re always trying to bite Ray’s head off whenever you see him, and now what is this?”
“No, I’m not!”
Ray quickly interrupted at the Duke’s scolding. Though he was scared, Silvia standing up for him gave him a little courage.
“I didn’t bully him. Really.”
“Yes! We already apologized. We made up, right Ray?”
“Uh? Y-yeah…”
“See? It’s true! We really did apologize.”
Unexpectedly, the two children looked quite friendly. The Duke widened his eyes in surprise.
The sight of Silvia—who usually cared only for herself—now protecting Ray felt unfamiliar.
“Father, you don’t even know what really happened, so you shouldn’t say things like that. I’m disappointed!”
Crossing her arms and glaring sharply, Silvia made the Duke burst into laughter.
“Am I the one who punished you without knowing anything? Yes… I suppose I might have been wrong.”
“Yes! You should listen first before scolding someone. Right, Ray? I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Uh? N-no…”
“Not what? I am right!”
“N-no… that’s not…”
Ray hesitated, worried that even his aunt might be expelled from the mansion because of him.
Then a large hand gently rested on his head.
“Ray. It seems I frightened you. When I said you should live outside, I truly meant it for your sake. I wasn’t trying to expel you. But seeing you now, perhaps there’s no need for that. Am I right?”
Ray quickly nodded.
“Good. That’s a relief. You may both go now.”
At the Duke’s words, Ray immediately tried to leave—but Silvia grabbed his sleeve and wouldn’t let go.
When Ray looked at her in confusion, Silvia was already holding out her hand toward the Duke.
“What about it?”
“What?”
“The candy?”
Whenever they were scolded, they were usually given candy afterward to comfort them. That’s what Silvia wanted.
The Duke laughed loudly.
“Ha! Hahaha! Alright then. Come here, both of you. I’ll give you candy.”
“You should give us two since you scolded two people today.”
The Duke opened a box on his desk.
Inside were round candies dusted with white powder—something he kept for his daughter, who often visited the study.
There was only one red candy left.
Silvia quickly snatched it.
The Duke chuckled. He thought she had changed a bit after “making up,” but as expected, she still wanted the best candy for herself.
However, his assumption was wrong again.
“This one is the best. So eat this first, and then pick another.”
The Duke looked at her in surprise.
She was giving the only strawberry candy to Ray?
That was something his daughter would never normally do.
Ray chose a light blue candy, and Silvia immediately grabbed two blue ones as well.
Now that they had their candy, they were done in the study. With both cheeks full, Ray bowed.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I’ll enjoy it.”
Silvia quickly turned back and bowed as well.
“Thank you. Let’s go, Ray.”
“Okay.”
The Duke watched their retreating figures in disbelief.
They headed to the garden, candy in their cheeks.
Silvia led the way while Ray quietly followed.
Under the freshly trimmed trees, Silvia tapped the ground beside her.
“Hey. I’ve been thinking.”
“What about?”
“You said something before. That if you live kindly, you don’t have to die.”
“Ah…”
The sweetness of the candy melted in Ray’s mouth as Silvia kept talking.
“That might be true. The problem is—I don’t know how to be kind.”
Ray looked at her in disbelief.
“Why don’t you know? You just have to be kind.”
“I’ve never done it, so how would I know? I thought it was fine to be bad since I’m the daughter of someone like my father.”
Then she turned to him.
Their eyes met.
Ray suddenly realized how pretty Silvia actually was.
“Can you teach me?”
“Me?”
“I mean, tell me when I do bad things. Like today. Tell me I shouldn’t do that. That it’s bad. And I think you’re kind too. You even cried when you thought I was going to die.”
“I didn’t cry because of that!”
“You did.”
“I didn’t!”
“Whatever. I know anyway. And honestly, everyone in the mansion seems to like you. Even Father likes you, right?”
Ray didn’t answer. He just wasn’t used to being treated kindly.
Silvia continued.
“Help me. Teach me how to be good. But not just that—”
She smiled confidently.
“I’ll teach you letters, and you teach me how to be kind. Deal?”
“That means… we’d be friends?”
Ray asked carefully.
Silvia’s eyes widened.
“Friends? Yes! That’s exactly it! Friends!”
She grabbed his hand tightly.
“Let’s be friends, okay?”
Ray nodded shyly, his face turning red.
“Okay…”
“Yay!”
Laughing loudly, Silvia rolled onto the grass.
Ray sat beside her, hiding his face in his knees, his ears burning bright red.
