Chapter 07 …
After properly tidying himself up, his face looked dazzling as he sat under the sunlight in the garden.
His smooth silver hair, so often praised in high society, fluttered in the spring breeze.
Beneath it, his thick lashes and mysterious golden eyes shone even more vividly than yesterday.
“Wow, I guess you see flowers talking if you live long enough?”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“You think that was a compliment? I was being sarcastic because you showed up where you shouldn’t be!”
Why are you appearing in the neighbor’s garden?!
Even after my outburst, that bastard Erios simply lifted the corners of his eyes and smiled easily.
Hah, with a face like that, how is he a knight?
He looks like someone who’d seduce monsters with his looks instead of fighting them.
There’s nothing rough about him—his face is elegant to the point of irritation!
“Why are you here?”
“I moved in.”
“I meant, why?”
Just yesterday, he’d spoken like he understood everything perfectly—as if he’d accepted it all.
And now he’s left my house so obediently… only to move into the next door?
“Because I wanted to.”
Is that supposed to be an answer?
While I stood there dumbfounded, Artea perked up at the word “moved.”
“U-Uncle moved in? Really? Why?”
“……”
“…No, I’m not curious!”
After proudly declaring that she didn’t like her uncle and had successfully run away, Artea must have been embarrassed about clinging to him later, begging to live together again. So she didn’t try to see Erios anymore.
Whatever her real feelings were, that’s how it looked on the outside.
Before I could even answer, Artea awkwardly scurried away.
And she neither asked about Erios nor said she wanted to see him.
At least, that’s how it was up to that point.
🎶 Ba-bam—
“Huh?”
Until that afternoon, when Erios made the first move.
“What’s that sound?”
But honestly, moving in next door in a single day was already the act of a madman.
And Erios didn’t sit still—he made sure Artea knew he was there.
“This guy’s really lost his mind.”
I was speechless when I saw the large stage that had been set up in the neighbor’s garden.
In one day, he moved in, installed a stage, and set it up so it faced the rooms where Artea and I stayed—the direction was perfectly planned. Unbelievable.
🎶 Ba-bam-bam!
Shall we cast the magic spell again today?
“Waaah!”
I even recognized the opening number.
It was the popular musical that had taken the entire Empire by storm recently—a huge hit among children.
🎶 Piyo piyo, bam bam again today
🎶 You look down on me because I’m little
🎶 But you never know
🎶 Tomorrow, I might be the one who saves the world!
Seriously, what are the adults doing, letting kids go save the world?
If a world can only be saved by kids getting hurt and crushed, maybe it’s better if it just ends.
“Don’t underestimate us!”
But Artea enthusiastically shouted back at the performance.
Maybe I was taking it too seriously.
Good thing I didn’t say, ‘Auntie will make sure you don’t have to do something like that.’ I almost killed the mood.
I decided to just let her get swept up in it—Artea was excited, fully immersed in the role of the little hero saving the world.
Her shouts were so loud they rivaled the actors’ projection. But that’s fine.
…A little eardrum damage never killed anyone.
I forced myself to look away from the musical’s questionable content and focused on the magical devices powering the performance.
“Haa…”
If only Erios hadn’t caught my eye from beside the stage and waved at me with that casual little hand… it might have gone smoothly.
That bastard’s the one who broke down the tall wall between the estates so the stage would be clearly visible. And it sure is—too visible.
Artea, focused on the musical, didn’t even notice him.
But Erios just smiled at me like none of that mattered.
That guy?
He’s usually so stone-faced, and now he can smile just to get on my nerves?
Well, to be fair, it was just a slight upward curl of the lips. But for someone whose expression barely changes, it felt like a big deal.
I couldn’t help but get annoyed.
But Erios’s schemes didn’t end there.
“It smells sweet!”
After the musical ended, he baked pound cakes until the smell spread all the way to the Sortis estate.
Sweet, buttery, and fragrant. Did he put orange peel in it? It smelled divine—
No, that’s not the point!
“Artea, a gift for you.”
Great eyes, too.
Erios’s place was below ours—there’s no way he could see us clearly from there.
But there he was, chatting with Artea in that relaxed, gentle, low baritone voice, warm like spring sunshine.
“Your favorite orange pound cake and almond muffins. I even brought the chef who makes them.”
“Waaah!”
Later, I found out that Erios had paid off a bunch of chefs who specialized in Artea’s favorite desserts, braised beef, and the few vegetables she actually liked to eat.
Unbelievable.
So he left the mansion so easily because he was confident he could lure Artea away?
He adjusted the stage size and angle so it was perfectly visible from Artea’s terrace.
He baked hundreds of orange pound cakes just so the smell would drift over.
How many slices would that even be if you cut them all?
“Uh, the Duke of Killiet’s estate sent over pound cake and cookies and other pastries as gifts.”
“……”
“They said, ‘Please take good care of Lady Artea’…”
They shared it with the staff and knights, so nothing was left over. But still—seriously.
Everyone’s smelled it now, so I can’t exactly tell them to refuse it.
And the things he made… all rich with butter so the scent would travel far.
And he balanced it with orange and nuts so it wouldn’t be too heavy.
I don’t want to care, but I do!
How much sugar is in that? That’s a straight road to diabetes.
I’m not a child. I’m not going to be swayed by desserts.
“Auntie, isn’t it delicious?”
“…It is delicious.”
I only ate it out of courtesy because Artea insisted so fervently on me trying her favorite recipe.
It wasn’t because I wanted to eat it.
And while Erios probably didn’t bake it thinking of me, refusing orange pound cake would be a crime against humanity.
🎶 I’ll leave it to you!
🎶 If we all work together, we can do it!
And so, that day, and the next day…
The delightful performances and feast of sweets continued nonstop.
“Today it’s not a musical but string instruments?”
“I think tomorrow’s a choir.”
The people of the Sortis estate started their morning work in rhythm with the cheerful music.
No wonder the Sortis staff are starting to look favorably on the Killiet side…
He’s feeding them good food, showing them entertaining performances…
What, are they being tamed?
Rubbing my temples, I walked over toward the neighbor’s estate and addressed Erios, who was sitting leisurely in the garden, legs crossed.
“I mean, I don’t mind since I’m Artea’s family, but… isn’t this a nuisance to the other neighbors?”
“I explained well that we wouldn’t go late into the night. They said they actually enjoy the kind of music they don’t normally get to hear. Isn’t that great?”
When did he have time to take care of all that?
He even invited all the nearby children and families to the children’s musical.
Artea’s eyes practically sparkled when she saw the kids in the front row responding to the actors.
If I hadn’t convinced her the terrace had the better view, she might’ve jumped down to join them.
All this effort just to catch one kid’s attention, huh?
At this point, I couldn’t ignore him anymore.
I approached the “wall” that wasn’t really a wall and called out to Erios standing on the other side.
“I had no idea the busy Duke of Killiet was so interested in the performing arts.”
He smiled leisurely, as if I wasn’t trying to pick a fight at all. Just a gentle grin.
“If the Knight of Dawn showed this side of herself, everyone would be shocked. Or maybe… like a male peacock making a flashy courtship display?”
“It is love I want. I’m glad you can tell. I hope Artea can, too.”
How is he so calm even when I’m jabbing at him?
That sly bastard.
Doesn’t he have any pride as a duke?
I smiled sweetly and picked another fight.
“Doesn’t it embarrass you, doing all this just to get your niece’s attention?”
But his reply was completely unexpected.
