“What’s this? Why are you here?”
Belesac jumped up from where he had been lying and shouted.
His voice was loud and commanding.
He seemed pretty startled, but I had no intention of answering him.
“…Firentia?”
A tiny voice came from nearby, so small I might have missed it if the room had been quiet.
It was Larane, peeking out from near Belesac and looking at me.
“Ah…”
I paused for a moment, caught off guard.
It had been so long since I last saw Larane.
She was such a delicate and fragile flower, it was hard to believe she had come from the same womb as Belesac.
As soon as she reached adulthood, she had married a much older man, arranged by the Empress.
People said it was a successful match.
Although the noble was old, he had been a hero in war and would soon inherit his father’s title. Aside from being Lombardi blood, Larane’s life seemed lucky.
No one knew, however…
How quickly that single flower withered after being sent alone to her husband’s distant estate, far from the Lombardi lands next to the Imperial territories.
Later, I learned that her husband cared little for the home, let alone a young wife, and the household staff used that as an excuse to ignore and isolate her.
When Larane sought help from her family, Bieze had already started various businesses with her husband.
The reply from her trusted parents had been simply: “Do better yourself.”
Larane wasted away, and before long, she returned to the earth.
So young.
In my memory, Larane’s last image was her crying, unwilling to leave Lombardi, and eventually lying in a coffin-like state with white lilies in her hands.
“Are you here to take lessons too?”
Though four years older than me, hugging a large doll, she looked like the quintessential young lady of a noble house, raised to see only beauty.
“Yes, I came to start lessons today.”
I nodded and answered Larane’s question.
Belesac, who had ignored my response but saw me answer Larane, puffed in anger.
“Liar!”
He stomped toward me as if he might do something, but in the end, all he did was bark and shout from a distance.
“Liar! You? Taking lessons?”
It became obvious.
Belesac had not been disciplined enough.
A few more firm reminders might teach that mouth of his to speak politely to adults.
“What’s ‘someone like me’ supposed to mean?”
I asked provocatively.
“Someone like you! Lowly…”
“Should I tell Grandpa?”
At the mention of “Grandpa,” Belesac immediately snapped his mouth shut.
“I heard Grandpa scolded you last time, telling you never to call me lowly again. Are you going against that now?”
Father had told me.
Grandpa had summoned Belesac and given him a sharp lecture.
“Belesac.”
I stepped closer, smiling teasingly.
“There are so many books here, aren’t there?”
“Ugh…”
Belesac looked terrified at the books scattered all around.
Yes, if all of that falls into my hands, it becomes a weapon, little pup.
I delivered the final blow to Belesac, who stammered nervously.
“Shall I go tell Grandpa now?”
“T-This…”
He hesitated, frowning, and eventually spun around, stomping back to where he had been lying.
Of course, in his frustration, he kicked an innocent doll nearby.
Well, that temperament of his shows where it comes from.
Still, at least the pup who tried to charge at me had been neutralized, and I let out a small sigh.
But then, a piercing gaze hit the side of my face.
It was Giliu and Meiron, sitting side by side by the window.
They were eleven years old this year, sons of my aunt Shananet, my father’s eldest sibling.
“Huh?”
Why are they staring at me like that?
I was confused.
Among my cousins, these two were the ones I knew the least about.
Identical twins, both rather pretty, always lost in their own world, entirely indifferent to those around them.
If other cousins ignored me, these two were strictly indifferent.
Even as I was bullied and cried my eyes out, they would pass by with no change in expression.
Moreover, after Shananet’s divorce, and when the two had followed their father to the Shuls family, I had had no interaction with them at all.
No longer using the Lombardi name, now Giliu Shuls and Meiron Shuls.
Though handsome and already earning recognition in social circles as young knights, it was a distant world for me, busy with work.
“Firentia.”
They spoke simultaneously, as if rehearsed.
“You hit Belesac, didn’t you?”
“And won, didn’t you?”
Something felt off.
Even with their usual sullen faces, Giliu and Meiron seemed lively.
And faintly smiling.
Scary…
I decided to retreat strategically and sat on a large sofa by the window, opposite Belesac.
Since this room was mostly used by children, the chairs were low enough that I didn’t need to climb to sit comfortably.
Then Giliu tapped the window sill and said to me:
“Come sit here.”
“What did you say?”
“Come sit with us.”
Meiron echoed him.
The sunlight streaming in made their golden hair shine even brighter.
I looked at them for a moment and said:
“If you want to sit with me, you two come over here.”
Their golden eyes widened simultaneously.
“Don’t tell me where to go.”
I said that, then turned my head sharply.
I didn’t remember them being mean to me before, but I disliked the way they were trying to boss me around with just a few words.
The Lombardi children had strong pride.
So Giliu and Meiron would probably get angry like Belesac soon…
Thunk.
The sofa I had been sitting on shook slightly.
“W-What?”
Before I knew it, the two of them had come and sat beside me.
On either side.
“You said if we wanted to sit with Firentia, we should come here, right?”
“So we did, Tia.”
“Yeah, let’s call you Tia.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
They exchanged chatter like a comedic duo and laughed happily.
I didn’t understand their mental world.
I shrugged.
If they wanted to sit together, I couldn’t make them sit somewhere else.
Just as I half-gave up, the door opened, and Clerivan entered.
“So everyone’s here. Let’s begin the lesson.”
Huh? Just like that?
I looked around, startled.
But no one else seemed surprised.
But there were no books or teaching tools…
Then my eyes fell on paper and writing instruments placed in one corner of the room.
Perhaps meant for anyone who needed them?
The other cousins just looked at Clerivan empty-handed.
I decided to observe for a moment.
I hugged a cushion and watched Clerivan standing in front of the blackboard.
“From today, we will learn about commerce, one of the most important enterprises of the Lombardi family.”
Oh, commerce. Interesting.
And so the formal lesson began.
And I was caught off guard.
“…Commerce is…”
Behind Clerivan’s calm voice, there was a background sound, like faint music.
“Rrrrrr… Puhuh. Krrng…”
It was the sound of Belesac snoring on the sofa.
Not very loud, but Clerivan could surely hear it.
I thought he might glance to wake him, but he continued the lesson as if he hadn’t noticed.
I felt a shiver down my spine.
A teacher who scolds and forces attention is kinder than this.
Clerivan had no intention of forcing anyone who wasn’t focused to participate.
He didn’t wake Belesac, letting him sleep.
But the report after class would surely reflect it.
I felt Meiron beside me lose interest in the lesson and open a book.
Clerivan glanced briefly in that direction.
As expected, he sees everything.
I quickly adjusted my posture.
And showed with my whole body: “I’m paying attention!”
Eyes wide, nodding occasionally.
At first it was acting, but soon I found myself truly absorbed in the lesson.
Though perhaps a bit boring for the children, I could feel Clerivan’s deep knowledge of commerce—an interesting lesson.
“Alright, let’s end today’s lesson here.”
Time had flown by as I focused, and it was suddenly over.
Feeling a bit disappointed, Belesac, who had been fast asleep, opened his eyes wide, wiped his mouth, and got up.
He certainly hears when class is over.
“Today, there’s a special assignment.”
“An assignment?”
Larane, just gathering her doll, asked in surprise.
It seemed unusual, and Belesac and the twins looked shocked as well.
“The deadline is the next lesson. The assignment is…”
Clerivan, smiling strangely, came out from behind the blackboard holding something.
Thunk.
He set it down on the floor with a solid, heavy sound.
“A log?”
What Clerivan brought out was a thick log, cut at both ends.
Originally a fairly large tree, it was as wide as an adult’s embrace and stood up to Clerivan’s knees—a true tree trunk.
“This is the Bibo tree. It grows quickly, is solid yet relatively light, and is widely used across the continent for various purposes.”
“What are we supposed to do with it?”
Belesac asked bluntly.
But he wasn’t the only one surprised by Clerivan’s sudden action.
Larane and the twins stared blankly at the log in front of them.
I probably looked the same.
Clerivan scanned us all with a faint smile and, in a bright, refreshing tone, said:
“You are to sell this by the next lesson.”
