101-3

“Now, Herwin. This is Lucas Agnes, heir of the Agnes family, and Lady Lucia Agnes. Lucia is the same age as you, so try to get along while you’re staying here.”

Herwin quietly glanced at his mother, then looked at the Agnes siblings standing before him.

“Hello, I’m Lucas Agnes. I look forward to getting along with you.”

“Herwin Peneus. Pleased to meet you.”

After greeting Lucas, Herwin turned his head toward Lucia.

Herwin’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw her. But soon enough, they returned to normal as he stepped closer.

“Hi.”

“……”

“Lucia, what are you doing? You’re supposed to shake hands.”

Caught off guard, Lucia—who had been frozen in place—hurriedly reached out and gently took Herwin’s hand after her brother reminded her.

“H-hello…”

Unlike a moment ago, when she had managed to meet his eyes, Lucia couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Herwin now that he was so close.

She peeked at him from the side. Catching her gaze, Herwin’s previously expressionless lips tugged upward ever so slightly.

For an instant, Herwin looked so beautiful that Lucia thought an angel had descended from heaven.

“Pretty…”

But the smile that had briefly lifted his lips dropped instantly. His hardened face startled Lucia, making her flinch.

“Don’t call me pretty.”

“Uh…?”

“I’m not pretty. I’m handsome.”

When Herwin suddenly snapped, Lucia grew flustered.

She had only called him pretty because he looked as beautiful as an angel. Was that really something to get angry about?

Hesitant, Lucia stole another glance at him and spoke timidly.

“But… I said it because you looked like an angel…”

“I told you not to call me pretty!”

Herwin roughly pulled his hand away from hers.

“Hey, what are you yelling for all of a sudden!”

Seeing the situation take an odd turn, Lucas quickly pulled his sister to his side.

Herwin instinctively stepped back when Lucas—much taller than his sister—shielded her.

Lucia, who had been stunned by the sudden conflict, soon felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“U-uuu… the angel hates me…”

As the cherished only daughter of the Agnes family, Lucia had known nothing but unconditional love. This was the first time in her life she had ever been rejected.

And for the boy she liked to not only scold her but push her hand away—she couldn’t hold back the sorrow swelling in her chest.

“Waaah!”

Finally, Lucia burst into tears. The adults, who had been chatting happily nearby, rushed over in alarm.

“Lucia, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Don’t cry.”

Julian and Johann hurried to comfort her.

But the more people tried to console her, the sadder she felt, and the harder she cried.

Her sobs only grew louder.

The baffled adults, not knowing how this had started, turned to Lucas and Herwin.

“He made Lucia cry!” Lucas shouted angrily, pointing at Herwin.

Startled by the barrage of accusing stares, Herwin shrank back.

“The young master did?”

Johann and Julian looked at Herwin in confusion. Meanwhile, Haile and Scarlett, who knew their son well, were certain he wasn’t the type to make a girl cry the first time they met.

“Son, did you really make Lady Agnes cry?”

“I-I…”

Scarlett asked kindly, yet Herwin still felt scared.

The accusing eyes surrounding him, combined with his mother’s gentle reproach, weighed heavily on him. He felt wronged.

In the end, unable to properly defend himself, Herwin’s own eyes filled with tears.

“She—she started it first…!”

“Uwaaah!”

Herwin cried, though his words were lost in sobs, making it impossible to understand him.

All Haile could do was pick up his son to comfort him.

Now, the cries of both children filled the hall in jarring disharmony.

Haile and Johann, each holding their sobbing child, exchanged glances.

Both men could only offer awkward smiles as they patted their children’s backs.

It took quite a long time before the two finally calmed down.

“Aha, so that’s what happened.”

“I thought it was something serious. Turns out it was nothing.”

“But still, I’m not pretty!”

Once things had finally settled and the families were back inside the mansion, the truth came out.

In the end, the whole problem started because Lucia had called Herwin “pretty.”

“Lucia, Herwin doesn’t like being called pretty. That’s probably why he got upset. It’s not because he dislikes you.”

Scarlett explained gently to Lucia, who was nestled in Julian’s arms.

Lucia, who had buried her face in her mother’s embrace, lifted her head slightly.

“So… the angel doesn’t hate me…?”

At the word angel, Scarlett blinked before realizing Lucia was referring to Herwin. Clearing her throat, she replied,

“Angel? Ahem… well, yes. He doesn’t hate you. Right, Herwin?”

“Hmph. Whatever. I don’t want to be friends with her.”

Herwin had already made up his mind about Lucia: she was the girl who had upset him.

He vowed not to get close to her.

Hearing that, Lucia’s eyes welled up again.

“Uuuh… so he really does hate me…”

Scarlett shot Herwin a sharp glare, but he turned away, pretending not to notice.

“Lucia, you shouldn’t call boys pretty. You should say handsome instead.”

Before Lucia could burst into tears again, Lucas quickly spoke.

“Huh?”

“I like being called handsome more than pretty too. He’s a boy, so you should call him handsome, not pretty.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah. Not that I’d cry just because someone called me pretty, though.”

Just as Herwin had decided what to think of Lucia, Lucas had made his own judgment about Herwin:

The petty kid who made his little sister cry.

To an older brother who doted on his sister, Herwin was now a troublemaker to keep an eye on.

Herwin, stung by Lucas’s words, snapped.

“I wasn’t crying!”

“You were bawling just a while ago—tears and snot everywhere. What kind of boy cries over something like that?”

“P-petty?”

“Yeah. You’re totally petty.”

Herwin trembled with frustration, while Lucas smirked with the sly expression only children could make.

“Lucas! You’re the older one—you shouldn’t act like that!” Johann scolded.

Lucas pouted, but finally stopped teasing Herwin.

“I apologize. My children caused the young master such trouble…”

“There’s no need for apologies, Count. Children grow up through little quarrels like this.”

“Exactly. Please don’t worry too much. It wasn’t all Lucia’s fault anyway.”

“Mom! But I—”

“Shh. The adults are talking.”

Herwin felt a pang of hurt at his mother brushing aside his feelings.

When he glanced up again, his eyes met those of the Agnes siblings: Lucia sneaking curious glances at him, and Lucas glaring in irritation.

“I’m sure they’ll get along better with time,” one of the adults said.

But Herwin thought to himself,

Never, ever! I’ll never be friends with her!

Thus began the long and tangled bond between Herwin and Lucia—on the worst possible note.

“Um… hey…”

“……”

“Her-win…”

Tap, tap—

Lucia called his name several times, her pronunciation a little clumsy, but Herwin didn’t respond.

The two of them were alone in the enormous playroom, an arrangement neither had wanted.

Herwin just wished he could get out of there as soon as possible.

But regardless of the quarrel between him and the Agnes siblings, the Peneus family had already decided to stay with the Agnes household.

They couldn’t very well find new lodgings now, and the adults certainly didn’t want the children to remain on bad terms, so they hoped they’d reconcile quickly.

Thus, the three children had been shooed into the playroom. Before long, Lucas left for a tutoring session, leaving only Herwin and Lucia behind.

If it hadn’t been so cold that he had to stay by the fireplace, Herwin wouldn’t have gone anywhere near her.

Lucia’s round cheeks drooped as she clutched a pair of dolls to her chest, discouraged by Herwin’s stubborn silence.

The room was quiet, save for the crackling of firewood and muffled noises from the hall.

Herwin hugged his knees tightly, still brooding over his frustration.

If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come.

He had been so excited—his first time leaving the north to visit the capital.

He’d even looked forward to making friends his own age, imagining what kind of people he’d meet.

But the very first thing she had done was call him “pretty.”

Adults said it was a compliment, but to him, the word rang hollow.

I’m a boy. Why do they always call me pretty? Can’t they just say handsome?

Every time someone called him pretty, it was followed by words like:

“Oh my, he’s a boy? He looks so delicate. If he were a girl, he’d grow up to be such a beauty.”

“What? You’re a boy? Don’t lie! You look just like a girl!”

“A dress would suit you better than pants. Try one on!”

The countless remarks he had endured echoed in his mind, tormenting him again.

If only Lucia hadn’t called him pretty, maybe they could have been friends.

Herwin pouted.

When he had first stepped off the carriage and seen the Agnes family, he had been secretly taken aback by Lucia.

She looks like a fairy.

Her short, bobbed brown hair framed her chubby cheeks, her blue eyes sparkled brighter than the sky, and her rose-colored dress made her look like a blossom in full bloom.

With the large ribbon on her dress fluttering like fairy wings, she had looked incredibly cute.

His first impression of her had been good. But the one word she spoke had ruined everything.

Sniffle—

While Herwin was sulking, he heard a sound.

He hesitated, then turned slightly to look back.

Lucia, who had been circling near him trying to get his attention, was now sitting with her back to him. Her small shoulders seemed to droop.

Sniffle, sniffle—

She kept sniffling as if trying to hold back tears.

Herwin told himself it wasn’t his concern and turned back. But after several minutes of nonstop sniffles, he sprang up.

“Are you crying again? You’re such a crybaby…!”

Thinking he had made her cry again, he started toward her—

“Sniff… sniff! Huh?”

But Lucia wasn’t crying. She was just sniffling because of a runny nose.

Herwin froze mid-step, words stuck in his throat.

“Hehe, so you’re not mad anymore?” Lucia beamed at him.

Flustered by her cute smile, Herwin quickly turned his head away, his cheeks burning.

“I-I’m not mad!”

“But you came over to me.”

“That’s only because I thought you were crying…! Forget it.”

Deciding she wasn’t worth dealing with, Herwin started to turn away again—

But Lucia suddenly grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“…What?”

“I’m sorry.”

Herwin’s lips, which had been pressed tight, softened slightly.

He hadn’t expected her to apologize so willingly. He thought if she did, it would only be because the adults forced her.

Herwin cracked one eye open and glanced down.

In her clear blue eyes, he saw his own reflection staring back at him. Unconsciously, he swallowed hard.