Chapter 15
“You’re already here! Was the trip pleasant?”
At the lady’s words, Rearwin responded warmly.
“Of course. It’s so nice to see everyone again after so long.”
“We’ve missed you dearly since you’ve been so busy these days. But this child is…?”
The noble ladies, who had been sneaking glances at me for a while, now openly looked me over. Their gazes carried curiosity and wariness, but also a hint of surprise.
One of them, unable to take her eyes off me, spoke again.
“She really looks like a doll. Is she a relative of yours?”
Rearwin chuckled softly before replying.
“No, she isn’t. Did I ever mention it? I’ve finally found a child to sponsor. She’s like my own daughter.”
“My goodness! Then this child is…!”
Only then did all the ladies’ eyes widen in realization.
It seemed they were well aware that Rearwin had been searching for a ward.
“Congratulations, Madam. Where ever did you find such a fairy-like child? Her golden hair truly looks like a doll’s.”
“She’s so lovely. Who would have thought such a beautiful child existed in our empire?”
“Hehe, thank you, everyone.”
Rearwin lifted her hand to cover her mouth, but it did nothing to hide the smile stretching up to her ears.
“This is the first time I’ve brought her out to introduce her to you all. Crescent? These ladies are my close friends from the North. Go on and greet them.”
At her words, I stepped forward and naturally offered a greeting.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Crescent, and I am honored to be sponsored by the Marchioness.”
“Oh my, how polite and well-spoken she is!”
“She’s adorable. No wonder you’ve chosen to sponsor her, Madam!”
The ladies showered me with admiration. Rearwin looked more than satisfied, unable to hide the broad smile blooming on her face.
“Hohoho, thank you, everyone. Shall we take our seats?”
“Yes, tea will be served shortly.”
“Fufu.”
The noble ladies, laughing lightly, began to move deeper into the garden.
Naturally, the women walked ahead chatting, while the children followed behind.
But… where was Meteor?
As I walked among the group, I casually glanced back. There he was, completely surrounded by girls who were practically shooting hearts from their eyes.
“We didn’t expect you to come, Young Master! Aren’t you always busy with training?”
“If I’d known you’d be here, I would’ve worn a prettier dress…”
“Did you come to see us, perhaps? Isn’t that right?”
Wow.
As expected of the handsome grandson of the Duke of Pluto—his popularity was extraordinary.
Not only his looks and background, but also his overwhelming innate holy power made him famous throughout the nation.
It wasn’t unexpected, but seeing it with my own eyes drove the point home.
Meteor, however, seemed so used to this that he replied with an indifferent face.
“Of course not. My mother told me to come along, so I had no choice.”
“Wow. The Marchioness brought you here herself? Could it be that she’s looking for a bride for you?”
“Fortunately, that’s definitely not it.”
“…Still, it’s so wonderful to see you after so long!”
Despite Meteor’s cold and detached answers, the girls chattered away with flushed cheeks.
It was like watching a completely different world of conversation. I turned my eyes back to the front—
—when suddenly,
“But, Young Master, is that the orphan who came to the Pluto household?”
Hm?
“What?”
“I heard it from my mother. They say there isn’t a soul in the North who doesn’t know about it!”
“That’s right. She’s supposedly an incredibly lucky orphan. Wasn’t her name… Crinex? Hey, you’re really lucky to be living in the Young Master’s estate.”
What nonsense…
The children, who had naturally slipped into gossip, soon adopted worried expressions.
“Everyone’s afraid she might cause trouble for the Pluto household. Orphans aren’t usually well educated, and they’re bound to be greedy with food too, aren’t they?”
“My mother told me never to get close to orphans!”
…
Wow.
Seriously? I’ve studied plenty, and I eat and sleep just fine, thank you very much!
If it weren’t for the Marchioness, I would’ve flicked each of their foreheads ten times already.
Still, there were other ways to deal with this.
Just as I slowed down slightly to fall behind, Meteor stopped walking first.
“Didn’t you hear what my mother just said? That Crescent is like a daughter to her.”
His voice was low. Perhaps sensing his unusual tone, the girls’ faces showed confusion.
His usually bright blue eyes had darkened considerably.
“That means she’s like a sister to me. She’s not someone you have the right to insult.”
“Huh? N-no, that’s not what we meant, we were just…”
The girls began to stammer, eyes glistening.
They clearly hadn’t expected such a cold reaction from him.
“We’re sorry. We were only worried you might be uncomfortable…”
“I don’t think the Duke of Pluto’s household is a place that needs to worry about such things.”
“W-we won’t do it again! Please don’t hate us.”
“Sniff…”
The children whimpered, looking utterly pitiful now—quite the contrast from when they had so brazenly called me an orphan.
Heh. Cunning little things… Just wait and see.
As Meteor sighed and strode ahead, I quickly followed him. He must have sensed me, because he said,
“Don’t get the wrong idea about what I just said. I don’t actually think of you as a sister.”
“Right, right. I didn’t actually take it that way.”
There was no room for misunderstanding. Anyone could tell he had spoken not for me, but for the Pluto family’s honor.
I simply walked alongside him as if nothing had happened. Meteor glanced at me once, then said no more.
The children’s sneers were soon forgotten—the weather was far too pleasant.
In the midday garden, beneath the shade, the sound of a cello spread through the air.
It was being played by Rossi, the daughter of Count Haylott, the master of this estate—also the same girl who had called me Crinex earlier.
The noble ladies all clasped their hands together with touched expressions as they listened. The performance was going smoothly, until—
Screeeech!
“What—what was that?!”
A string snapped with a dreadful noise, startling the birds from the trees.
The children grimaced and covered their ears.
But Rossi kept playing as if nothing had happened.
Wait—that was a mistake, wasn’t it?
I sneaked a glance at the noble ladies. Not one of them showed discomfort. Their expressions remained deeply moved, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.
…Wow. Look at their manners. Brings tears to my eyes.
So this was what they meant by society’s cooperative child-rearing? These women were masters at pretending not to notice mistakes.
I tried to focus back on the performance—
Screech!
Another shrill note rang out.
I shuddered, goosebumps rising, while the children’s faces twisted like grilled squid.
Yet the noble ladies remained serene. Meteor too maintained an adult-like stoicism.
Only the other children couldn’t hide their scrunched-up expressions.
…Phew. Endure it, Crescent. The honor of the Pluto household is on the line!
The shaky performance dragged on, with more than three wrong notes echoing through the garden.
Finally, when the torturous music ended—
Clap clap clap!
Thunderous applause erupted, as though they had just listened to a flawless performance by a world-renowned orchestra.
