~Chapter 39~
“Chloe?”
Klein was surprised when his little sister suddenly clung tightly to him.
“Waaah! Bwother, Chloe wanths to pway!”
(Brother, Chloe wants to play!)
Aveline ignored the intense sensation on the back of her neck and pressed herself even closer to Klein.
“Her Highness’s name is Chloe, I see.”
A familiar voice spoke again from behind them.
It sounded like he was holding back laughter, and Aveline felt chills run down her spine.
“Oh, it’s him.”
The steward spoke brightly beside her.
“Her Highness’s new teacher.”
Teacher?
Was there even such a character in the original story?
No matter how she searched her memory of The Tyrant Who Adores His Little Sister, there was no teacher for Chloe.
Unless maybe someone she would meet later at the academy.
“I am Theron Ribes, and I will be teaching Her Highness.”
At the sudden mention of his name, Aveline almost screamed.
She turned her head slightly—only to meet his eyes immediately.
When Theron saw Aveline in the body of a child, his eyes lit up with amusement.
He wore a monocle, as if trying to look like a real teacher, and held a thick book under his arm.
“Do we really need to greet him now?”
Klein frowned, clearly annoyed that someone interrupted his time with his sister.
“Your Majesty, didn’t you worry all morning about Her Highness’s poor mana control? We searched the whole continent for someone with skill like him.”
Mana control?
Because she’d been spoiled and cuddled earlier, Aveline had briefly forgotten about the original story’s setting.
In this world, unlike the Lystoria Empire, people with mana were common.
Power was based on the amount of mana one possessed.
Klein, being a tyrant-type ruler, had a large amount of mana.
His little sister Chloe also had mana, but in very small amounts because she was still a child.
In the original, she awakened later at the academy when she met the dark mage male lead and experienced mana overflow…
So does this mean Chloe has some mana problem now?
Could the changes be because she was now Chloe?
She had read stories where the protagonist’s presence altered the plot.
But this is just a dream… right?
A world she could leave anytime upon waking—yet the story was already changing.
“The imperial mage said Her Highness could experience a mana overflow at any moment.”
The steward nudged Klein again.
Klein’s handsome face twisted with dissatisfaction.
No, don’t think about it! Don’t send me to him!
Aveline shook her head firmly at Klein, signaling her refusal.
“I don’t want to send you either.”
Klein truly looked troubled.
But the thought that his sister might be in danger made him harden his resolve.
“If you listen to your lessons well, I’ll give you a present.”
At last, Klein put Aveline down.
“I will guide you to the lesson room.”
The steward, now alone, wiped sweat from his forehead and walked ahead.
As soon as his back turned, tension rose thickly between Aveline and Theron.
How did you get in here?
She had clearly set up a barrier last time.
But even as she glared, Theron only smiled as if he knew nothing.
“Your neck will hurt if you keep staring at me like that.”
Only after a long staring match did Theron speak.
With her five-year-old body, Aveline had to look way up at him.
“This way!”
The steward called from up ahead.
He had stopped in front of a nearby door.
“Shall we go in?”
Theron asked kindly—too kindly.
It didn’t suit him at all.
Aveline did not move.
Theron tilted his head.
“I heard children respond well to gentle voices…”
His tone sounded suspiciously like someone who had studied how to act in this novel’s world.
Cold sweat ran down Aveline’s back.
“Ah yes, kneel to match eye level.”
As if remembering his lesson, Theron knelt on one knee in front of her.
Now their eyes were level.
Aveline was startled.
Why is he so close!?
His handsome face was impossible to ignore.
Even though Aveline loved “Edward,” no one could resist that level of beauty.
Theron stretched out his arms.
Then—clap clap.
He clapped lightly and held his hands out again.
“Come here.”
Aveline’s face twisted instantly.
He was treating her like a puppy.
“Come here.”
He repeated, determined.
“No!”
Unable to hold it in, Aveline snapped.
Normally she would never dare speak like that in front of him, but being in Chloe’s small body gave her strange confidence.
Now she understood why protagonists in childcare stories acted childish when in a child’s body.
Her emotions moved more intensely, and she wanted to stomp her feet and resist.
“You are quite a stubborn princess.”
Theron sighed lightly and lifted her without warning.
“Eek! Lemme go!”
Aveline flailed, but he pinned her movement easily.
“You will fall and get hurt like that.”
Her viewpoint suddenly became very high.
Was he always this tall!?
In a small child’s body, Theron seemed even taller—almost taller than Klein.
As she wriggled in shock, Theron adjusted his hold…
And unexpectedly, it became much more comfortable.
“I’m glad you find it comfortable.”
He chuckled and walked quickly to the steward.
“I’ll return once your lesson is finished!”
As soon as Theron and Aveline entered the room, the steward disappeared.
No—don’t leave me!
Aveline screamed internally, but he was already gone.
Thud.
The door closed, leaving silence.
Aveline was still in Theron’s arms when their eyes met.
Oh no.
They were less than a hand’s width apart.
“You look quite cute in this child form.”
After that suffocating eye contact, Theron finally spoke.
“Put me down!”
Aveline stomped her feet, and Theron laughed before placing her on the floor.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she ran and hid behind a sofa.
“Oh? You like hide-and-seek?”
Theron sounded amused.
“I didn’t know. Though thanks to the barrier you set earlier, we did have a bit of hide-and-seek, didn’t we?”
Aveline’s ears perked up.
So the barrier actually worked?
“But I don’t particularly enjoy hide-and-seek.”
His next words were frightening.
“But it was entertaining. I didn’t expect you to use my mana that efficiently in such a short time. Your learning speed is impressive.”
His footsteps approached.
Aveline’s heart thumped wildly.
A five-year-old body cannot handle this much stress…
Hiding behind the sofa, she gulped.
Wait. Why am I hiding? What did I do wrong?
He was the one who invaded her dream.
Okay. Be confident.
Aveline stood up.
His footsteps grew closer—slow and leisurely, intentionally teasing.
“Stop!”
She rose on tiptoe, sticking her face between the sofa cushions.
“Don’ come any closer!”
Her tiny tongue turned “지” into “디.”
Still, she tried to sound dignified.
Theron really did stop.
Feeling relieved, she continued:
“Explwain evewything!”
(Explain everything!)
Why the mana issue?
Why he was suddenly Chloe’s “teacher,” which never happened in the original?
“Very well.”
Theron nodded.
So easily?
Aveline blinked in confusion.
But in that moment, Theron suddenly moved close and sat on the sofa.
He leaned forward, looking down at Aveline through the sofa gap with shining blue eyes.
A chill shot up her spine.
“I’ll answer what you’re curious about.
But in return, you must grant me one request.”
Then Theron pointed—
Directly at her face.
