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Chapter 21
It no longer happened that It asked where I was going or loitered outside to watch me.
Instead, he would occasionally pick on me or come into my room to chatter about nothing, ruining my mood. Very, very rarely—once in a blue moon—he would suddenly follow me to the temple, but that much I could tolerate.
The reason he had become relatively quiet was that he was extremely busy. Perhaps because he had spent so long at the academy, he was now like a fish that had found water, slowly sinking into entertainment and pleasure.
The viscount and his wife were lenient with It as well. They seemed to think he had suffered enough until now and decided to let him do as he pleased for a while.
Of all things, gambling was the worst. Once you fall into it, there’s no saving you. Even if they tried to stop him now, it might already be too late.
Part of me thought, Good. Let him ruin himself.
But then it occurred to me that the reason they could be so carefree and unconcerned was probably because they were planning to sell me off for a high price anyway.
That meant the day I would be sold might not be far off.
I needed to stay alert. I had to strike first before I was sold.
If there was any consolation, it was that this was only my guess. There were no direct signs yet.
While I was lost in thought, Oried spoke to me.
[You said you’re going far today, right?]
“I’m taking a train. You know what a train is?”
[The long thing!]
“Correct.”
Today was the day I would rent a carriage and go to the train station. I stopped by Venus’s place, put on the hood I had left there, said I was heading out, and went to the station.
Before long, I arrived at the crowded station. When I went inside to wait, Bay, who had arrived earlier, spotted me and waved cheerfully.
“You’re here?”
“Thank you for making time for me.”
There was a limit to how much ground I could cover just by riding around in a carriage. So I had to take the train—but there was no way a child could ride alone, so I had no choice but to ask Bay for help.
“You said you wanted to go to a place as close to ruins as possible, right?”
“Yes.”
That way, it would be cheap.
On the surface, I needed land that looked completely useless, but in reality, it had to be land with hidden value. And I needed as much of it as possible. Even if I didn’t buy it, there was no loss in scouting good land in advance.
Of course, with so many conditions, finding such land wasn’t easy. Even with ability, land like that didn’t appear all the time.
Still, for “me,” it was relatively easy. If I went and saw it in person, Oried would examine the land for me, and based on past experience, his information was accurate.
“I heard the viscount’s son came back from the academy?”
“Ah.”
There was no way news like “the viscount’s son graduated and returned” would normally be famous.
Yet Bay knew. Was it because she belonged to the Asura Guild?
I didn’t deny it and simply nodded.
“His name is It, right?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like some information?”
“Not really…”
Bay looked slightly surprised, as if she hadn’t expected me to refuse.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“No. Since I live with him, I roughly know what kind of person he is.”
No—more like I knew very clearly that he was trash.
Still, perhaps because she was worried about me, Bay asked carefully,
“I heard you’ve suffered a lot. He’s been quiet lately, but… would you like me to help?”
Had word spread that It was obsessed with me in his own way?
Still, lately he had found another interest besides me, so I was somewhat freer.
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then would you be able to spare some time soon? Lady Venus would like to have lunch together.”
“Hmm… I don’t know if that’ll be possible because of It.”
He acted however he wanted, so he might suddenly decide to come along. It had happened before.
“If that’s the issue, I’ll handle it.”
Then there was no reason to refuse. I nodded, pretending not to see Bay’s eerie smile.
“Then I’ll choose a date and let you know! Oh, and there’s a waffle shop near the station that’s really good. Would you like one?”
“Yes, I want one.”
I answered right away and tried to stand, but Bay pushed me back into my seat.
“Wait. I’ll go buy it. It’s my treat.”
She smiled and told me to put my wallet away.
While Bay went to buy waffles, I took out my notepad.
I had more or less finished the logo. It was hard to work on it alone beyond this point, so I planned to ask Bay for advice since I was meeting her today.
Soon, Bay returned and handed me a waffle. It wasn’t made with fancy ingredients, but it was sweet and crispy—definitely good enough to justify her confidence.
This was the taste of junk food!
I tore off a piece for Oried and handed the notepad to Bay. She hesitated for a moment, then asked casually,
“Is this the logo you’re making?”
“Yes.”
See? Everyone recognizes it at a glance.
Oried and I puffed out our chests proudly in the same pose, and Bay let out a low laugh. Excited, I began explaining.
“I used a water buffalo with impressive horns as the motif. I wanted it to look fierce and powerful. I especially want to emphasize the horns. I drew side views and front views, but none of them feel quite right.”
“Ah… a water buffalo…”
Bay muttered quietly, too softly for me to hear, then cleared her throat.
“Ahem. The idea is pretty good. There’s a lot to improve—no, a little—but if you clearly explain what you want, a designer will complete it perfectly for you.”
“If I show them the drawing—”
Before I could finish, Bay hurriedly stopped me.
“An explanation is better!”
I blinked in surprise at how close she was to shouting. Then she spoke gently, smiling.
“The explanation of what you want is the foundation. The drawing is just a reference.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course! Your idea is so good, Coco, I’m really looking forward to it!”
Encouraged by her praise, I held the waffle in one hand and placed the notepad on my knees, drawing diligently.
Curved horns, front view, an angry expression—I was focused with Bay when someone’s shadow darkened the page.
“Is drawing monsters your hobby?”
“……”
I pointed at Bay as if tattling, and she seemed to be barely holding back laughter.
I looked again at the man who had suddenly picked a fight. His appearance felt familiar, and I hesitated.
Hmm… I’ve definitely seen him somewhere.
He looks like a male lead…
Ah! One of the male leads! The lost guy!
I had briefly seen him before at the Grinnan Museum. I heard he was from a famous noble family.
“Aren’t you going to greet me?”
With that arrogant, handsome male-lead look, he had to be at least a duke, so I bowed politely.
“Hello.”
“……”
He raised an eyebrow in displeasure, as if he hadn’t expected me to greet him so obediently.
His tousled golden hair shone brightly. As a male lead, his presence was clearly different.
Honestly, he looked like the sun.
“…Are you always this good at listening to people?”
“Yes.”
“……”
The man fell silent again, clearly puzzled.
What was he even expecting me to say?
“Do you remember me?”
“No.”
“Are you good at lying?”
“Yes.”
“……”
“Pfft.”
Bay quickly turned away, startled by her own laughter. The knight behind the man bit his lip and trembled, his head lowered.
“So… saying you haven’t seen me before is a lie?”
“Yes.”
“…Hah.”
The blond man seemed to lose his words and kept pushing his hair back, just as he was about to speak again.
[The train bound for Sutia is now arriving at Platform 2.]
The announcement rang out. Sutia was the area Bay and I were going to today. We stood up.
“I have to go now.”
I bowed and passed by him. He looked like he had a lot to say, but in the end, he let me go without saying it.
“You’re really funny,” Bay said.
“…Me?”
“I just spoke without thinking.”
“Do you know who that man was?”
“No.”
“Would you like me to tell you?”
“Yes.”
Normally, I wouldn’t care, but if I knew his name, I might recognize the novel.
“He’s Jeffrey, the heir of the Grand Duke of the Fraser family.”
Even after hearing the name, no novel came to mind.
If I had known the original story, I would’ve recognized him long ago just by his face and circumstances.
Knowing the original would give me an advantage by letting me foresee the future.
Sighing at the thought that I couldn’t expect any original-story buff, I boarded the stopped train.
“Are you all right, Young Master?”
Alex asked, holding back laughter. A vein bulged on Jeffrey’s forehead.
“Is it funny?”
“A little. I’m sorry.”
“…Ha!”
Jeffrey let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
Not only had she pretended not to know him, she had even toyed with him like this.
Jeffrey had secretly investigated Coco, and learned that she was ignorant of noble society. Of course, she wouldn’t have received proper education on etiquette toward nobles.
The viscount and his wife had never introduced her to noble circles or made her meet nobles.
After all, Coco’s name wasn’t even written in the viscount couple’s family registry.
So it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t know his status.
What was absurd was her tone, which sounded as if she were mocking him. Her childish way of speaking had left him speechless several times.
And from someone younger than him, who had clearly looked down on him—again!
“Young Master.”
Yet it was hard to get angry when her answers had been so proper and so honest.
Jeffrey stood there awkwardly, running a hand through his hair.
“Young Master!”
“What?!”
Alex’s lips twitched when he saw Jeffrey snap irritably.
He might look furious, but if he were truly angry, that girl wouldn’t have been allowed to board the train safely.
The fact that he let her go meant that he hadn’t disliked the conversation entirely. He wasn’t good at hiding his expressions, and though he tried, Alex could see through him easily.
Having watched him for a long time, Alex could tell from the slight twitch of his lips that Jeffrey wasn’t truly displeased.
“Our train will arrive soon.”
“…Where did that brat say she was going?”
Alex barely suppressed his laughter. His master acted grown-up, but he was still a nineteen-year-old who hadn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony.
That pretense of indifference while clearly being curious was exactly what someone his age would do.
Finding his young master oddly cute, Alex had to swallow his laughter every time Jeffrey pretended not to care about Coco.
“Stop laughing.”
“She said she was going to Sutia. Now, let’s go.”
Pretending not to hear Jeffrey’s words, Alex led the way.
Jeffrey glared at his still-smiling attendant and sank into thought.
“Sutia? Why would she go to such a wasteland? There’s nothing to see there.”
Sutia wasn’t a place with notable tourist attractions.
It was mainly known for its mines, but most of them had already been exhausted—now it was little more than abandoned land.
