I stayed on the terrace for a while before finally heading back inside. It felt like about thirty minutes had passed—surely that was enough time for Hale to have reflected on things, right?
But when I looked over at the place I’d left before, Hale was nowhere to be seen. Did he move elsewhere?
I started looking around, stretching my neck and turning my head this way and that to spot him in the crowd.
“Who are you searching for so hard?”
The voice came from behind. I spun around and looked up.
“Daddy!”
It was Hale, the person I’d been so desperately looking for in the crowd.
I stretched my arms out to him, silently asking to be picked up. Without a word, Hale understood what I wanted and lifted me effortlessly into his arms.
“What were you doing?”
“I was with Jaius over there and…”
I started to tell him about what happened with Jaius but then abruptly stopped. I had just remembered I was mad at Hale earlier.
Hale looked at me with those big, curious eyes from up close and let out a breathy laugh. He clearly figured out what I was thinking.
Ugh, now I feel embarrassed. My cheeks grew hot.
“Looks like someone isn’t mad anymore.”
“…”
“Were you alone with Jaius?”
“…He followed me.”
At the mention of us being alone, a small crease formed between his brows. But it disappeared so quickly, it was almost like I imagined it.
“And what did he do?”
His tone was gentle, but… why did it still feel scary?
Also, why was he calling Jaius that kid in that tone?
It felt like if I said the wrong thing, something bad might happen to Jaius.
So I told the truth.
“…He apologized.”
“Apologized?”
“Yeah. For calling me small. He said sorry.”
“I see.”
“Mhm.”
There was more I wanted to say about Jaius, but now didn’t seem like the right time.
Hale carried me around the ballroom for a while, chatting with people and handing me tasty snacks.
Even though I was still just a kid, carrying me around this long had to be tiring. Was he just in good shape today? Maybe now was the right time to speak up.
I wanted to shift the way people saw the Heukryong family. They didn’t seem like such bad people to me.
“Daddy.”
“Hm?”
“So… um…”
I trailed off again, checking one last time to see if the moment was right.
Hale looked at me curiously, clearly waiting to hear what I was going to say.
Okay. Now!
“I don’t think Jaius is as bad as we thought.”
“…”
The reply I expected didn’t come. Instead, Hale—who had been walking smoothly all this time—suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Huh? Was this… not the right time after all?
“Daddy…?”
I called him carefully, wondering what was going on. He gave me a glance, then looked downward.
Curious, I lowered my gaze too and saw a girl with sky-blue hair.
It was Shirea of the Cheongryong family.
Slightly taller than me, she was holding tightly onto the hem of Hale’s coat with her deep violet eyes locked on me beneath her blinking lashes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Lord Hale, I’d like to talk to Senika.”
She said exactly what she wanted in a clear and direct tone.
I wasn’t just surprised by her sudden appearance but by the fact that she wanted to talk to me. About what?
Unlike me, Hale just smiled warmly. That smile… made me nervous.
He was going to hand me over, wasn’t he?
“Go ahead.”
Yep. Exactly what I expected!
Hale gently set me down and stepped back with a quick, “Have a good time.”
I stared after him for a second, then rolled my eyes around aimlessly, unsure what to do. Eventually, my gaze met Shirea’s again.
Even though she was still a child, she looked like the perfect example of an icy beauty. Which… made her kind of scary.
“…So what do you want to talk about?”
“It’s too noisy here. Come with me.”
I was so thrown off that I responded in casual speech. She replied just as casually, like it was nothing so I let it go.
When she turned to lead the way, her flowing blue hair shimmered like ocean waves. I found myself admiring it, then rushed to follow before I lost sight of her.
She moved like she knew the place better than I did.
After weaving through the crowd for a while, we reached a wall with several doors I didn’t even know existed.
“I asked the staff to get us a private room.”
“Oh… okay.”
“Let’s go in.”
Shirea opened the door to the innermost room. Inside, there were soft couches and a table set with snacks and tea.
Ah—this was probably one of those rooms meant for nobles to rest in during the ball.
I’d heard of them before but never actually used one in my past life. I was always too busy dealing with nobles.
“Sit.”
Huh. Somehow it felt like she was the host and I was the guest even though I was the one who lived here.
“Okay, so what did you want to say?”
“Drink this first.”
Shirea poured tea from a white porcelain teapot and handed me a cup.
What was she up to? Was she trying to bribe me with food?
But… I took it. No way was I turning down tea brewed by our estate’s best chef.
Still, what was this all about?
…Wait!
Was she trying to extract info about my family?! Those ambitious eyes of hers couldn’t ignore the possibility.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Huh? Wh-What do you mean?”
I thought she wouldn’t notice with her gaze lowered but apparently she did. Did she have eyes on the top of her head or something? No, she’s still in human form.
After pouring her own cup, she leaned back against the couch, one arm crossed and the other lifting her teacup.
“You think I wouldn’t notice you looking at me suspiciously?”
“I—I wasn’t!”
“You can be honest. It’s just the two of us here.”
“….”
How’d she know I was lying? Can she read my mind? Is that what her violet eyes can do?
Shirea tilted her head slightly, as if she’d figured out exactly what I was thinking.
I bit my lip. Was she onto me?
“I’ll keep it short—I don’t like long setups. I like you. Want to be friends?”
…Wait, what? Friends? Friends? Out of nowhere?
“Friends?”
“Your speech is kind of babyish, but mentally you’re not actually a baby, right?”
“Of course not! I’m super smart!”
“Then you understand what ‘friends’ means. So why the underwhelmed reaction? You don’t have any yet, do you?”
She said it so bluntly it stung but she wasn’t wrong.
So… she wasn’t trying to steal information. She just wanted to be friends?
And she dragged me here to say it?
I honestly couldn’t understand this girl or her logic.
“Why here, though?”
“It’s quiet.”
“That’s it?”
“Do you need another reason? It’s nice when you can focus.”
She really was different from other kids. Not just a little—a lot.
Well… there was someone else like that too.
Jaius.
Both of them were unusual, but in different ways. They both seemed quiet but said exactly what they meant.
“Okay. Let’s be friends. I wanted a friend too.”
“Friends use nicknames. You can call me Shia.”
“Shia! Okay!”
It was a cute, easy-to-say nickname.
“What about you?”
“Me? Um…”
I didn’t really have a nickname.
Rita and the others always called me “young lady,” and only Hale called me by my name but just as it was.
My name wasn’t long, so I never felt the need for one.
If I’d known I needed one for friends, I’d have come prepared!
Then again… I’d never had a friend before, so how would I know?
“I don’t really have a nickname…”
“Then what do you want me to call you?”
“Um… you can call me whatever you want!”
Having a nickname given by my very first friend didn’t sound so bad.
Shia set her teacup down and gave me a thoughtful look, her eyes scanning my face.
But it didn’t feel weird. It actually made me wonder how I looked through her eyes.
“Think of anything yet?”
“…Sen?”
It was the first time her voice sounded uncertain. Maybe she was worried I wouldn’t like it?
Sen, huh…
I thought it was fine. Even if it had been something else, I would’ve liked it. Because she picked it.
“I like it! Only you can call me Sen!”
“Great.”
Yes! I finally made a friend!
Honestly, when I first met the other heirs from the great houses, I was ready to give up on friendship. Everyone seemed too… intense.
I took a biscuit from the table and popped it in my mouth. Crunchy and just the right amount of salty—my favorite.
“Sen.”
“Mhm?”
“I’m really glad you’re here.”
“That’s sudden.”
“All the other heirs are boys. I was starting to feel a little lonely.”
…Wait. Did she just say males?
That word was so unexpected, I froze with my hand halfway to the plate for another biscuit. I turned to look at her.
“Can’t reach it?”
“No, it’s not that…”
She said males so casually—like it was normal vocabulary for her. Is that just how the Cheongryong family talks?
I mean, it’s not wrong… but still.
Maybe all the non-human families use terms like “male” and “female.” And since I’m human, I just say “boy” and “girl.”
Yeah… maybe I just need to get used to it.
