Chapter 10

Ronell reflexively clamped a hand over her mouth, swallowing the scream that almost escaped.

Suppressing her cries was one of the things she was best at.

After forcing the shout back down, she blinked twice and cautiously looked up.

Only then did she get a good look at the owner of the unexpected voice.

Standing alone in the moonlit hallway, the man wore an expression that seemed to say everything was a bother.

And somehow…

He looked even paler than the moonlight itself.

His skin was so white that the blue veins beneath it were faintly visible. His cool green eyes seemed almost emotionless as long black hair brushed across his forehead. He casually swept it aside with long, slender fingers.

Tilting his head slightly, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“So it’s you.”

“…Pardon?”

“So you really are a Duncan.”

Ronell tilted her head in confusion.

The man merely continued speaking as if talking to himself.

“Now I understand why that brat barged into my room and caused such a scene.”

Ronell slowly took a step backward.

It felt strange.

Other adults instinctively frightened her.

But this man…

For some reason…

He felt oddly familiar.

…He doesn’t seem like he’d hit me.

Her instincts whispered quietly.

Trusting that feeling, Ronell stopped retreating and looked up at him with gentle eyes.

“Um… who are you?”

“Teriot Duncan.”

D-Duncan?

Then…

“Lady Aeshila’s…”

“I’m her father.”

Really?

Ronell’s eyes widened.

Aside from their black hair, they didn’t resemble each other at all.

“Yeah.”

“We don’t.”

As though reading her thoughts, Teriot muttered indifferently.

“She takes after her mother more than me.”

“Now then…”

“Why is a little kid like you awake at four in the morning?”

“…I couldn’t sleep.”

“And… I didn’t really want to.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Thinking she had inconvenienced him, Ronell stammered out an apology.

Teriot casually waved it away.

“You’ve got nothing to apologize to me for.”

“Besides…”

“You looked like you were searching for something.”

“How did you know?”

Ronell’s eyes rounded in surprise.

Teriot quietly studied the amazed child before him.

He never would have imagined that someone carrying Duncan blood could be this innocent…

Or this absent-minded.

“You kept looking around.”

“Oh…”

“What were you searching for?”

“…Ruby.”

Why are you looking for that impossibly picky little demon of a cat?

The question naturally crossed his mind.

Instead of asking, Teriot glanced down the deserted hallway.

Only the two of them were there.

Well…

Ruby did have a habit of wandering around late at night.

“Want me to help you find him?”

“I’ll look tomorrow morning…”

“I don’t want to wake everyone.”

“Even if you screamed your lungs out, nobody would wake up.”

“The soundproofing’s excellent.”

“…Which is also its biggest flaw.”

“I-I wouldn’t scream!”

Ronell turned pale as she hurriedly denied it.

Teriot raised an eyebrow.

That hadn’t really been the point.

“Even if I’m scared…”

“I’d never scream.”

Whenever she encountered adults…

She always trembled.

Never knowing when a hand or foot might suddenly come flying toward her.

Even the Count of Artes—

The man who was supposedly her father—

Had never actually struck her.

Yet she had always been afraid whenever he was nearby.

And yet…

This man standing before her…

Felt safer than any adult she had ever met.

If someone tried to hurt her…

For some reason…

She felt he would stop them.

She had no idea why.

“Then don’t look for him.”

“No!”

The answer burst out before she realized it.

Startled by her own raised voice, Ronell looked up at Teriot apologetically.

Once again…

That quiet feeling inside her insisted…

He wasn’t scary.

“Then let’s go find him together.”

“Sound good?”

…I probably shouldn’t trust my instincts…

After staring uneasily at the darkness filling the hallway, Ronell timidly held out her hand.

“U-Um…”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“But…”

“Could I hold your hand?”

“…”

“I’m…”

“Scared.”

The silence dragged on.

Ronell unconsciously shrank back.

Teriot stared at her outstretched hand with an expression as though someone had just punched him.

“…I’m sorry…”

Embarrassed, Ronell quickly tried to pull her hand back.

Instead…

With a quiet sigh…

Teriot extended only his ring finger and little finger toward her.

“Thank you!”

Ronell smiled brightly and immediately wrapped her hand around them.

Looking much happier, she began walking beside him with quick little steps.

The hallways of the Duncan estate weren’t merely well soundproofed.

They were warm as well.

For a child accustomed to hallways that were unbearably hot in summer and freezing in winter…

It felt like another world.

“Um…”

“My name is Ronell.”

“Thank you for helping me.”

“I know.”

Ronell wasn’t entirely sure whether he meant he knew her name…

Or that he knew she was thankful.

Unaware that even getting such a lengthy response from Teriot would leave everyone in the estate fainting from shock…

She nervously wiped the sweat from her palms.

“S-Should I call you Mr. Teriot?”

“…”

“Or…”

“Big Brother?”

“…Who taught you to say something so shameless?”

“Huh?”

Teriot frowned deeply.

Ronell immediately wilted.

After another low sigh, he finally answered,

“Call me Uncle.”

“…Yes.”

“Uncle.”

“There he is.”

“That white little backside’s hard to miss.”

As though he’d known Ruby’s location all along, Teriot led Ronell downstairs and pointed toward a window.

Beneath it…

Ruby’s fluffy white rear stuck out conspicuously.

His thick tail swayed back and forth while his pink paw pads twitched underneath.

Mrrrp…

“What’s he doing?”

Approaching cautiously, Ronell discovered Ruby desperately trying to squeeze through an absurdly narrow gap.

“Cats are so flexible.”

She couldn’t help admiring him.

Following behind lazily, Teriot snorted.

“A month ago…”

“He would’ve slipped through without any trouble.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

Looking down at Ruby, he remarked,

“You’ve gotten fat.”

“Especially around the belly.”

Meow!

Why are you even out here?!

Shouldn’t you still be locked inside your study?!

Ruby hissed furiously.

“If you expect your owner to carry you around…”

“You should lose some weight.”

“No matter how awful your personality is…”

“You should at least have a little shame.”

Ruby slowly turned his head toward Ronell’s thin little arms.

…

I should go on a diet.

My salmon…

Having dealt two devastating emotional blows to the cat…

Teriot calmly stood back up.

“Oh.”

The sudden voice made Ronell jump.

Already aware of the newcomer’s presence, Teriot merely brushed his hair back without surprise.

Crimson eyes gleamed in the bright moonlight.

Filled with obvious displeasure.

“What an interesting combination.”

Aeshila lazily drawled.

Teriot nodded.

“It really is.”

Her gaze shifted toward Ruby’s twitching backside.

Realizing she was looking at him, Ruby waved his front paws and cried loudly.

“Lose weight.”

It was exactly the same thing Teriot had just said.

Fortunately…

Aeshila had no idea she’d just repeated her father’s words.

Instead, she turned toward Ronell.

“Little one.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

Ronell hurriedly exclaimed, fidgeting with her fingers.

“I wasn’t trying to wake anyone.”

“If I was too loud…”

“Uncle Teriot was only helping me.”

“I wanted to find Ruby.”

“Little one.”

Aeshila interrupted gently.

“Why are you making excuses?”

Before tears could gather in Ronell’s eyes…

She continued calmly,

“I told you.”

“No one in this house is going to scold you.”

“…”

“Do you remember?”

“…Y-Yes.”

“I remember.”

Lady Aeshila had said…

If anyone dared to scold her…

She would crush them.

Ronell nodded, visibly reassured.

Aeshila reached over and gently played with the child’s golden curls.

Then her eyes drifted sideways.

“There is one person you should be careful around, though.”

“Daughter.”

Teriot smiled faintly.

He seemed about to say something else…

But stopped.

Instead, he simply looked down at the golden head Aeshila was stroking.

Even beneath the night sky…

Her hair shimmered like warm autumn sunlight.

“Kid.”

“Y-Yes, Uncle.”

“If my daughter ever makes you cry…”

“Come tell me.”

“My room is the last one at the end of the third-floor hallway.”

Aeshila shot him a sharp glare.

Teriot merely turned away with the detached expression of someone who reflected everything yet cared about nothing.

Or rather…

He tried to.

As he turned…

He noticed a tiny hand clutching the edge of his coat.

“Ah!”

“I’m sorry.”

Startled, Ronell quickly let go.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“But…”

“Yes?”

“If he gets too heavy…”

“Throw him away.”

He jerked his chin toward Ruby before strolling away on his long legs.

His steps were graceful.

Almost as though he were swimming through a sea of moonlight.

He looked like a wandering ghost.

Unlike Aeshila—

Who radiated the warmth of the living—

Teriot carried only the coldness of the dead.

Father and daughter…

They couldn’t have been more different.

“Little one.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

Ronell mumbled timidly.

Aeshila gently ruffled her hair.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I told you.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“…Okay.”

“If you say ‘I’m sorry’ too often…”

“It loses its value.”

A faint smile softened Aeshila’s face beneath the deep night sky.

“Though…”

“That’s still better than apologizing so rarely that it’s priceless.”

What does ‘loses its value’ mean…?

Ronell didn’t really understand.

But seeing Aeshila smiling again made her happy enough.

Just a little while ago…

She had looked incredibly upset.

“Were you unable to sleep because you napped earlier?”

“…Yes.”

“What about you, Lady Aeshila?”

“Big Sister.”

Aeshila’s smile suddenly sharpened.

“You call that bastard ‘Uncle’…”

“So why am I still ‘Lady Aeshila’?”

But…

Wasn’t Uncle Teriot Lady Aeshila’s father?

Ronell tilted her head in confusion.

Seeing the question marks practically floating over the child’s face, Aeshila replayed her own words.

…Ah.

I swore.

About that bastard.

I don’t regret it.

But swearing in front of a child wasn’t exactly ideal.

“Sorry for using bad language.”

“N-No…”

“Anyway.”

“Call me Big Sister.”

“…Yes.”

“Big Sister.”

Aeshila’s smile immediately softened again.

Its warmth gently embraced Ronell.

Meow! Meow! Meow!

Watching his beloved owner create such a cozy atmosphere with one of the people he disliked most…

Ruby loudly voiced his outrage.

“R-Ruby!”

“You’ll wake everyone…”

“Don’t worry.”

Aeshila replied casually.

“The soundproofing is this good because that troublemaker never stops throwing tantrums.”

“…Oh.”

I see…

Ronell’s spring-green eyes twitched.

Ignoring her, Aeshila looked down at the cat still wedged in the narrow gap, his hindquarters wriggling helplessly.

It wasn’t cute at all.

“You can spend the rest of the night stuck there.”

She coldly pronounced his sentence before picking Ronell up to head back.

However…

The little butler refused.

Determined to fulfill her duty, Ronell gently grabbed Ruby’s hind legs and carefully pulled until he finally slipped free.

Aeshila laughed at him the entire time.

Once liberated…

Ruby immediately smacked her several times with his paws.

* * *

When Aeshila invited Ronell to join her for breakfast the next morning, the little girl practically skipped down the hallway.

Beside her trudged Ruby…

Looking utterly exhausted after last night’s ordeal.

—or rather, after his “cat ordeal.”

This was the room Uncle Teriot told me about…

Ah.

Found it.

Ronell carefully raised her hand in front of the door.

…Wait.

How am I supposed to knock?

Do I just…

Knock?

She had never knocked on a door before.

Faced with this unexpected dilemma, Ronell hesitated before bending down to pick Ruby up.

“Ruby.”

Meow.

“I-I can just knock normally…”

“Right?”

Why are you asking him?!

Take care of me instead!

Ruby repeatedly smacked her arm with his tail.

Only stopping after noticing how painfully thin her wrist was.

…I really need to work on my temper.

It was a brief yet historic moment in Ruby’s life as he began reflecting on his own personality.

Just then…

Click.

The door slowly opened.