Chapter 9
“Half-blood, aren’t I?” I asked.
My sister’s voice was calm.
“Your mother’s status can be pardoned.”
“Mother’s… status?”
“Yes. I mean your mother.”
Wow.
She always said such difficult words so easily. That was my sister—she could do anything. She had brought me all the way to the North, and while I slept, she even managed to get engaged to the Grand Duke.
Was there anything she couldn’t do?
I turned my head at the sound of movement. Phyllis sat beside me, lifting his teacup. He looked just as graceful as my sister.
If he was truly the Grand Duke’s younger brother, then Phyllis must also be a noble. But then… should someone like me, half-blooded and once a maid’s child, really be sitting here?
“…It’s enough if you’re just with me.”
Pip!
Berry chirped as Phyllis whispered those words after sipping his tea.
“Huh?”
“….”
He didn’t answer again. Instead, he simply set down his cup and reached out to take my hand gently.
“You’re trying to charm my little sister now?”
My sister’s voice was soft—but I knew that tone. It was the same one she used right before fighting our eldest brother.
N-no, this was bad!
“B-big sister, this sandwich looks yummy!”
“…Ha.”
I quickly lifted one of the little sandwiches and held it up to her. She let out a dry laugh and plucked it straight from my hands.
At least she seemed to like the taste. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she took a bite.
Just then—
Clatter.
The door slid open. Dolce entered, pushing a tray of sweets and light dishes.
And behind her… the Grand Duke himself.
Phyllis’s brother.
I froze, then glanced nervously at my sister. Her face had darkened, the way it always did when something bothered her.
“May we join you?” the Grand Duke asked casually, as if he hadn’t noticed.
Dolce was already setting down an extra chair.
Berry hopped nervously onto my hand. He must have been startled too.
“You’re already here,” my sister said smoothly. “Make yourself comfortable.”
I knew that voice—it was a refusal hidden in politeness. But the Grand Duke didn’t seem to notice. He thanked her and sat.
Uh-oh. My sister hated people who lacked awareness. And everyone knew the Grand Duke was… well, a little slow about such things.
“Veronica.”
“Yes?”
“You didn’t eat much earlier, did you?”
Phyllis slid another sandwich toward me, as if to steal my attention back.
I nibbled happily while secretly listening to the heavy talk between my sister and the Grand Duke.
“I never heard of a second young master in your family,” my sister said.
“Not even in the story you mentioned?”
“Not even there.”
The words sounded important, but they were too hard to follow. Instead, I stroked Berry, who pressed his soft little body into my hand. His feathers felt like tufts of down.
“Wow…”
While I cooed over Berry, Phyllis brushed his fingers across my empty hand.
“…Can I hold it?” he whispered. His voice was broken, cautious.
It was like when I used to ask the maid-sisters if I was allowed to eat their leftovers.
“Huh?”
His face tensed. Before I could answer, Berry wriggled into my palm, chirping as if to claim the spot.
When I turned back, Phyllis had lowered his gaze, silent. Maybe I imagined it.
Then—tickle, tickle.
He traced little lines across my skin with his fingertip, just like Berry rubbing his body against me. I nearly giggled aloud.
“You can—”
“No.”
My sister’s cold voice cut in.
Phyllis froze.
“Lady Kallia,” Dolce whispered cautiously.
But my sister’s glare didn’t soften. It was fierce enough to burn.
“I still haven’t been assured,” she said firmly. “I have no promise that that one won’t harm my sister.”
“That one?”
Did she mean Phyllis?
“You’ll need to explain yourselves,” she added, rising. She lifted me easily into her arms and sat me squarely on her lap.
I was small for my age, but she carried me as if I weighed nothing.
The maids at the old manor used to whisper—
[Our young lady is strange. She wields a sword, she handles papers, she acts like no lady should.]
But I always thought she was the most wonderful sister.
Now the Grand Duke tried to calm her.
“There is no danger. Phyllis is safe.”
“He is a variable,” my sister shot back.
Phyllis quietly lifted his teacup, sipping with flawless grace. His lips parted slowly.
“…Can you destroy the reason for your own existence?”
My sister scoffed and drained her cup in one swallow.
Her face was taut, her eyes sharp. If a sword had been in her hand, I was certain she would have swung it without hesitation—even at a war hero.
The Grand Duke’s voice carried weight as he said, “In the name of House Creator, I swear you have nothing to fear.”
“Can you swear that?” she challenged.
“I stake it on the thousand-year pact,” Phyllis added softly.
“…Hmph.”
My sister let me down at last.
“Dolce.”
Dolce immediately took my hand. She always knew what my sister meant.
“Come, little lady,” she said warmly. “Shall we visit another garden? Behind the main house there’s one more, hidden and beautiful.”
“Really?!”
I gasped, covering my mouth with both hands.
Dolce only chuckled and led me away.
“What about Phyllis…?” I asked.
“He has much to discuss with Lady Kallia,” she answered gently.
I glanced back. Phyllis’s face looked a little lonely.
Prrr.
Berry wrapped himself around my hair like a ribbon.
“You’ve made a friend, I see,” Dolce said with a smile.
“Yes! His name is Berry,” I said proudly.
She gasped softly, and I bubbled with stories—how we met in the berry bush, how Phyllis had been sleeping so quietly…
Dolce nodded at each word, murmuring, “My, how amazing,” while Berry chirped eagerly to add his own part.
***
Meanwhile, back in the sunroom—
“The child is gone,” my sister said coldly, tapping the table. “Now. I expect a full explanation. From both of you.”
