MFHV 12

Chapter 12

Penelope flailed her hands in surprise.

“A–ah, no! I didn’t do anything!”

「Lies…! Excellent…! Bad…! Child…!」

The Evil-Deed Detector, Demonia, praised Penelope’s fine lying skills, but it wasn’t enough to get away with it in front of the real villain, Duke Calix.

“I don’t like liars. No—actually, I hate them.”

At this rate, she might be disowned!

Her heart pounded as if it might burst—not for doing good this time, but for the opposite reason.

“Waaah, I’m sorry! I’ll tell the truth! I hid the cooked carrots!”

Resigned, Penelope pushed the plate toward him.

A piece of carrot rolled out from under the flower garnish.

“The carrots… why?”

“I was copying you, Your Grace. I’m sorry.”

“You were copying me?”

The Duke’s expression shifted strangely.

While wondering what kind of face that was supposed to be, Penelope got some advice from Demonia.

「Perfectionist…! Failure…! Apologize…!」

The Duke was a perfectionist—he wouldn’t like her failing so clumsily at imitating him. She’d better show she was repentant, fast!

It sounded plausible. Penelope hurriedly spoke.

“If I was going to be picky with my food, I should have been quicker with my hands. I failed to do it properly like you, Your Grace. I’ll practice so I can do it without being noticed from now on.”

“…How did you know I hid my carrots?”

“I just… saw it. Oh—but you were perfect, Your Grace.”

Penelope showered him with praise about how elegantly he had executed his food avoidance.

It was more flattery for survival than genuine compliment, so her conscience didn’t twinge at all.

‘I can’t be disowned!’

She didn’t notice how the people around her were looking at her differently, and kept talking fervently.

* * *

“Your Grace.”

“What?”

Derrick spoke up slyly.

“You know the saying, ‘Don’t even drink cold water carelessly in front of a child,’ don’t you?”

Duke Calix’s brow furrowed. He could already guess where Derrick was going with this.

“If you know what I’m about to say, then shut your mouth.”

“I heard something rather extraordinary happened today.”

Johansson, the Duke’s personal aide, also joined in.

He was a man with a gentle face, expensive spectacles perched on his nose, and a decidedly intellectual look. In fact, he was a genius who had graduated at the top of the academy.

“Children want to resemble those they admire, even a little. Of course, adults do as well… but children tend to be more blind in their devotion.”

“Johansson is right. In this mansion, who else would the young lady have to look up to? Only you, Your Grace.”

It sounded reasonable enough, but both men’s expressions betrayed their amusement.

They were clearly delighted to have found a reason to tease their superior.

“If you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, then get lost.”

Theodore Calix’s head was throbbing.

Just a few hours ago, the head maid and another maid had come to him, unloading what they called “advice,” but was really a long, nagging lecture.

And to none other than Duke Calix himself!

Their “advice” went like this:

‘I say this with the utmost respect… but the young lady used to eat well and sleep well without being picky!’

‘I say this with the utmost respect… but she’s already smaller and weaker than her peers. This is the time when she should be eating more, not less!’

‘I say this with the utmost respect… but Your Grace could skip a few meals without any issue, but our small, delicate young lady is different!’

‘I say this with the utmost respect… but she even collapsed in the garden recently! The doctor didn’t know the cause, but I’m sure it’s because she wasn’t fed properly as a baby!’

‘I say this with the utmost respect…’

…And so the two women had fiercely criticized the Duke’s picky eating habits, as if believing that starting a sentence with “I say this with the utmost respect” automatically made the content polite.

…But everything they said was true, so there was nothing I could refute.

Duke Theodore Calix was a rational man. The maids’ arguments were logical enough to accept.

He had promised to properly resolve this “picky-eating incident” before they finally stopped lecturing him.

Calix pressed his fingers into his temples.

What am I supposed to do about this?

Storming up to the child and saying “Picky eating is bad. Eat your cooked carrots” would be absurd. He was Theodore Calix, for heaven’s sake!

Had he ever in his life had to worry over something so ridiculous?

As the Duke swallowed down a curse, Johansson chuckled quietly.

“Your Grace, when raising a child, you’ll encounter all sorts of unimaginable situations. First, I think what you need most is to accept the fact that you now have a young daughter.”

* * *

Penelope crouched beside Demonia and whispered.

“What should I do? I have another meal with the Duke tomorrow. And it’s not lunch—it’s dinner.”

「Hm. Quite significant, that.」

“Right? You think so too, don’t you?”

Originally, they had only eaten together once a week. But now there was another meal right after the last one.

And today’s atmosphere was strange, too.

Since getting caught hiding the cooked carrots, the mood had been oddly stiff.

Of course, mealtimes had never been particularly comfortable, but today had been several times worse.

Demonia seemed to sense the gravity of the situation, trembling slightly.

「My guess is…」

“Mm? What’s your guess?”

「Tomorrow, he’ll be checking to see how you make up for today’s mistake.」

“Really? You think that’s it?”

Penelope tilted her head, unconvinced.

Demonia, however, boomed with confidence.

「I am the demon sword Demonia, who has lived for hundreds of years! You dare not trust my wisdom?」

The demon sword’s presence was overwhelming. Penelope waved her hands frantically.

“N–no! I trust you!”

「Right? I’m always right! Believe me! When have I ever been wrong? Everything I say is for your own good, Pipi.」

“Yeah. You’re saying this for me.”

If not for Demonia, she wouldn’t even have known her magic power reserves were running out, and would have died.

So Demonia must be right.

…Or so Penelope made a slightly misguided judgment.

The next day, Penelope attended dinner, tense with nerves.

For some reason, the food was several times more delicious than usual.

And…

Why do there seem to be so many carrots today?

Even the steak was topped with carrot purée, and a pretty carrot flower was placed to the side of the plate.

It was enough to make avoiding carrots nearly impossible—every dish had them in some form.

Penelope’s face went pale.

How am I supposed to be picky in a situation like this?

The world of nobles was merciless.

She found herself looking at the Duke without thinking. Surely he would know the answer.

When their eyes met, he deliberately picked up a fork, speared a carrot, and slowly put it into his mouth.

Was this how a wild beast might look when tearing into raw meat? His gaze was murderous.

After chewing and swallowing the carrot, he said:

“Eat. I like carrots.”

“Y–yes?”

But just yesterday, he had picked around them.

…She nearly said so, but kept her mouth shut. His eyes were far too dangerous.

What on earth is he thinking?

With a teary face, Penelope stabbed a carrot and popped it into her mouth. Sweet carrot flavor spread across her tongue.

It’s tasty, but…

It was an utterly bewildering meal.

Even Demonia was shouting:

「Notoriety…! Rising…! Rapidly…!」

「Congratulations…!」

Why would my notoriety be going up when I’m eating carrots?

She had no idea it was thanks to the Duke himself—chewing down carrots only because of the “Please set a good example for the young lady!” glares directed at him.

When carrot-orange sherbet was served for dessert,

“This… I can’t stand it anymore,”

Duke Calix suddenly rose to his feet.

Penelope, in the middle of biting into the sherbet, dropped her spoon in shock.

—Clatter.

“Y–Your Grace?”

The Duke strode over. In seconds, a large shadow loomed over her.

He gripped her shoulders.

“You.”

And then he said:

“Never be picky with your food again.”

Flames blazed in his eyes.