Chapter 02
“Lotte!”
“Shurii! Hehe.”
Lotte toddled over on her short legs and threw herself into my arms. Just as I was melting into a puddle at the sight of her cuteness, I felt a sharp prickling on the back of my head.
Still holding Lotte, I subtly turned my head—and saw Kiel staring at me with an utterly murderous glare. The moment our eyes met, blazing with fury, I immediately snapped my head forward again.
Why did I ever give him that kind of personality setting?
I resented my past self.
“Lotte.”
“Huh? Big brother, come here too!”
……What?
At Kiel’s call, Lotte answered by waving one of the arms she’d wrapped around me.
Does she want him to hug her too?
I stared at him blankly for a moment. Kiel’s brow was deeply furrowed.
“……Lotte.”
“Hm?”
Kiel was clearly signaling—very tactfully—for her to come over to him, but she just smiled brightly. If it hadn’t been Lotte but me acting that clueless, I might’ve already been dealt with.
Ugh.
I shuddered and stopped imagining things, then let go of Lotte. If this kept up, I was going to get caught in the crossfire.
“Lotte, it looks like Brother Kiel wants a hug!”
Go on!
I whispered it softly into her ear. She responded by tightly gripping my hand.
Huh?
“L-Lotte?”
“I want to hold Shuri’s hand… Let’s go together!”
Gah. So cute…
But why does my life feel like it’s in danger every time she’s this adorable?
Feeling like my head was about to burn straight through from Kiel’s stare, I hurriedly spoke up again.
“Lotte, it’s hard to hug someone while holding hands. We’re going to be playing together for hours anyway, so there’ll be plenty of time to hold hands.”
Though holding hands the entire time would be impossible. Our palms would get sweaty.
Only then did Lotte let go of my hand and walk over to Kiel, wrapping her arms tightly around him. His expression softened for a brief moment—then returned to its earlier state.
It looked as if I’d stolen his little sister from him.
Like I said before, Kiel was the type who thought: approaching her was forbidden, doing anything bad was forbidden, being closer to her than him was forbidden. Everything involving Lotte was forbidden.
At least, that was my impression. He seemed to think Lotte liked me more than him.
How am I supposed to get close to him?
Gaining points already feels impossible.
Left with no other option, I could only let out an awkward, hollow laugh.
“So, what should we do today?”
“Let’s eat cake!”
I declared confidently, recalling the chef’s masterpiece I’d tasted that morning. Lotte, who had been in Kiel’s arms, turned her body toward me.
That cake from earlier today… I want to eat it again, fast!
As someone with a serious sweet tooth, my mind was completely filled with cake. Thoughts about Kiel were pushed to a corner of my head. Swallowing hard, I led the two of them to my room.
“Lisa! Bring us the cake! The one we had this morning—you’ll know which one!”
When I called out to Lisa as she passed by, she bowed politely.
As soon as the door opened, a large number of cute dolls and trinkets came into view. My bed, in particular, was overflowing with plush toys.
I’d once muttered that I wanted to try sleeping surrounded by soft dolls—and within just an hour, that wish had come true.
“Shuri’s room is always cute!”
You’re even cuter…
The corners of my lips lifted uncontrollably, and a silly grin spread across my face. I really wanted to stretch out those squishy cheeks of hers.
“Miss.”
A knock sounded, followed by someone calling for me.
“Come in!”
I raised my voice, and the door opened.
Gasp—it’s cake!
We immediately gathered around a small, round table made for children.
Maybe because sweets were involved, even Kiel’s atmosphere softened noticeably. His eyes were filled with anticipation. To anyone else, he might’ve looked expressionless—but having observed him closely, I could tell.
“Alright, let’s dig in!”
Fork in hand, I stabbed straight into the cake. The way it sank in felt amazing. Fluffy sponge cake, apple jam, and cream blended together perfectly.
In a word—delicious!
I glanced sideways at the siblings. They both seemed to be enjoying it.
Lotte’s cheeks were flushed a bright red, and even her eyes sparkled. If the chef had seen her, he would’ve been proud enough to bake a hundred more cakes.
And Kiel—though he seemed to be trying not to show it—the corners of his mouth kept twitching upward.
“Big brother, it’s good, right? Hehe.”
You said you’d think about it last time—so coming was the right choice, wasn’t it? Right?
Of course, our chef is amazing, so I figured you’d come anyway!
When I asked proudly, Kiel turned his gaze away and gave a small nod. He couldn’t deny that it tasted good, but he also didn’t seem eager to speak kindly to someone who’d once poured tea on him.
Seeing his childish side, I stifled a quiet giggle.
“Oh! Shuri, there’s something I wanted to give you, but I left it in the carriage!”
Lotte made a distressed face. At that sight, both Kiel and I immediately softened and let out worried sounds.
“Should we go get it now? Want to come with me, Lotte?”
“But then this is Shuri’s room, and Big Brother would be alone!”
She shook her head several times.
Watching her be so considerate made me feel like a parent seeing their grown child off.
Maybe that was just the novelist in me.
“Then come with me, Lotte.”
Just as I was about to dote on her, thinking she’d grown up so well, Kiel held out his hand to her. She stared at it, once again deep in thought.
“Then Shuri would be alone again…”
I was so touched by Lotte worrying about me that I covered my mouth. She didn’t notice—too busy thinking. The obvious answer was to go together, but she hadn’t reached it yet.
Even that thoughtful expression was adorable.
“Oh! We can all go together—Big Brother, Shuri, and me!”
She clapped once and smiled brightly.
I set my fork down and took her hands. The three of us trotted down the stairs toward the carriage.
“It should be in here…”
Lotte climbed into the carriage and rummaged through her bag while Kiel and I waited beside her. The inside of the carriage—my first time seeing it—was lavish, befitting a duke’s family. Gold decorations gleamed everywhere, and it was surprisingly spacious.
Gold here, gold there—gold everywhere! And the seats are so soft!
I poked the seat repeatedly, full of admiration.
“Eek! A bug!”
At the sudden scream, I flinched. At the same time, Kiel moved. He seemed intent on catching the insect that had startled his sister.
Wait—but with what?
That thought hit me first, and I stared at him. He caught the bug with his bare hand. The insect that had been flying around carried bacteria that caused red rashes upon contact.
They faded after applying medicine a few times—but still, grabbing it with his hand? He really was hopelessly devoted to his sister.
Nobles valued cleanliness and elegance. And he wasn’t just any noble—he was a duke’s son and a future heir. Who could imagine someone like that catching a bacteria-ridden bug with his bare hands?
If we’d brought attendants, we could’ve asked for help—but it was just the three of us. The coachman stood at a respectful distance.
“Brother Kiel. Your hand. Give me your hand—now!”
Maybe because of my unusually firm tone, Kiel actually listened. I took out a handkerchief, removed the bug’s corpse from his hand, and tied the cloth up like a bundle. Holding his hand with one of mine, I used the corner of the handkerchief to wipe the center of his palm where residue remained.
“Oh no! Big brother, are you okay? What should we do…?”
Lotte’s eyes welled up as she worried over him.
“I’m fine—”
“No, you’re not.”
I cut him off firmly. After reassuring Lotte that he’d be fine once treated, I told her to go look for her gift.
Hmm. The corner of the cloth isn’t enough… It’d be better to disinfect it properly and apply ointment.
After thinking hard, I told them to wait and dashed into the house. If Mom saw me, she’d probably faint at how improper my behavior was.
“Rena! Disinfectant, Alona ointment—and any one of my handkerchiefs! Oh, and throw this one away!”
Rena immediately sprang into action.
Too worried to stay still, I paced in circles while waiting. She quickly returned after disposing of the bug and handed me everything I’d asked for.
“Thank you, Rena!”
I grabbed them in my haste. When I rushed back to the carriage, thankfully, the two of them were waiting just as I’d told them to.
I took Kiel’s hand again, gently wiped away any remaining residue with a tissue, then applied disinfectant and ointment in order.
“All done!”
“……”
Kiel said nothing, just quietly stared at his palm.
The silence made me uncomfortable, and I was about to say something when Lotte’s clear voice rang out inside the carriage.
“I found it! Shuri, this!”
She held out what looked like a bookmark with something green drawn on it.
What is this—a jelly monster?
“It’s a four-leaf clover! They say it brings good luck, so I drew it on a bookmark!”
Ahaha… so it was a four-leaf clover…
From this incident, I realized something important:
Lotte had no talent for crafts.
Come to think of it, the novel did mention that. She embroidered what was definitely supposed to be the imperial crest, but… let’s stop there.
Yeah. It’s human and charming. That’s fine.
“Thank you, Lotte!”
Smiling brightly, I accepted the bookmark. Then—oh—I glanced at Kiel. This time, he wasn’t looking at me with burning eyes.
W-What is this?
This is scary in its own way…
After that, he stayed quiet, and we finished eating, chatting and playing to our hearts’ content.
Before we knew it, evening had fallen, and our parents—the duke and duchess included—entered the room.
“Alright, it’s time to say goodbye.”
Lotte’s face darkened instantly. Taking her hand, I smiled.
“I’ll walk you to the front gate! And next time, let’s play again!”
“Shurii…! Okay!”
Deeply moved, Lotte squeezed my hand tighter as we headed to the gate.
I was supposed to be winning over Kiel—so why does it feel like I’ve completely won over Lotte instead?
Am I slowly heading toward a death route?
As I fumbled through my memories, I was struck with shock.
Today, the only things I’d said directly to Kiel were asking if the cake was good—and telling him to give me his hand.
That’s bad.
Really bad. Isn’t this how the bell tolls? The bell marking the end of my life…
“Lotte, Brother Kiel. Take care!”
I forced a smile. I could feel it trembling from the effort. Dark keywords like death flag and inevitable doom floated through my mind.
I look normal, right?
I have to look normal.
“……This.”
As my thoughts spiraled, Kiel handed me a bag just before getting into the carriage.
Ah. The bag he gave me before.
The bag forced one more exchange between us. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that, but I had to respond.
“Thank you!”
As soon as I finished speaking, Kiel entered the carriage without hesitation, as if his duty was done.
When the door closed, I lowered my waving hand. Worry piled up like a mountain.
When Kiel and Lotte come together, I can’t talk to Kiel at all.
Then how am I supposed to get close to him?!
“Hm?”
What’s inside?
Feeling a bit of weight and hearing a faint clatter, I opened the bag. Inside were cookies—and a small slip of paper that could barely be called a letter.
Thank you.
Judging by the neat handwriting, Kiel must’ve written it. There were many erased marks on the paper—it seemed he’d agonized over those two words.
He must’ve meant today’s incident, right? He did seem to be doing something while pretending to color earlier.
The cookies were probably from the duchess. Just the neat, clean wrapping showed an adult’s touch.
Still, hearing “thank you” from Kiel for the first time eased my gloomy mood, and a smile returned to my face.
It was a ridiculously simple emotional shift—but so what?
With that thought, I grabbed onto my father’s pant leg.
“Hug me, Dad!”
“Huh? What’s gotten into my daughter? I’m happy to!”
Dad laughed heartily, and our family returned to the mansion together.
After dinner and parting from my parents, I decided to stop overthinking things.
Life is about action. Just like New Year’s resolutions you never keep—thinking alone gets you nowhere. So what if I plan? What’s the point!
With that mindset, I rolled around on my bed until I fell asleep.
It must’ve been a good dream—but the next day, I couldn’t remember a single thing about it.
