BMPEW 27

Chapter 27

He leaned toward me and untied the veil that I was still wearing on my head. The maids had tied it on that morning to protect me from the sun.

“Wh-what are you doing!”

The veil fluttered through the air.

“Let go!”

“As you wish.”

He let the veil fly away.

I quickly reached out, but it floated far off to the left and fell to the floor.

The maids put such care into tying that…

I frowned deeply and glared at the veil, then at Erasinus.

“Oh dear. I suppose someone needs to pick that up,” he said with mock regret.

I pointed at the fallen veil.

“That someone is you! Pick it up right now!”

“No.”

Erasinus refused cheerfully.

At this point, I was so dumbfounded that I was left speechless.

Since there was no one else in the room, if anyone were to pick it up, they’d have to bend over in front of the other.

A fully grown adult doing something this childish to a kid?

I stared silently at him, determined to see who would move first.

But the tension didn’t last long. The door opened, and someone came in.

“Ah!”

Startled, I lost my balance and fell over where I stood near the entrance.

The person who entered was Bivia.

“Oh my, how did you get out? Ah—Father! You’re already here. I was just about to come get you.”

“Bivia? As you can see, we’re in a bit of a standoff right now.”

Erasinus spoke playfully, pointing at me, now fallen, with his cane.

“Thanks to you, I’ve gained a slight upper hand, but I can’t say I’m thrilled about it. I wanted to win this on my own.”

“Father, really! You always do this. What are you even doing with a little kid!”

“She was trembling, so I needed a distraction. It’s been so long since I’ve been around children, I’m out of practice.”

So he thought he was just playing with me this whole time?

Annoyed, I jumped up and stomped over to where the veil had landed.

Then, as if to show off, I kicked it up into the air and caught the fluttering fabric with one hand.

“Hmph.”

Should’ve done this from the start.

Bivia looked puzzled at my attitude, but Erasinus asked her,

“By the way, were you planning to ferment this child into some kind of liquor?”

“What a horrifying joke, Father!”

“Then why was she in a jar? Along with grapes, no less.”

“T-that was…”

Bivia’s face instantly went pale.

I had been about to shout that they had locked me in there, but her reaction made me stop and watch her closely.

So she’s trying to cover it up? Wasn’t that Erasinus’s idea, too?

“We… we were playing hide and seek. She hid really well, right?”

“Indeed. She almost stayed hidden forever.”

“But I didn’t forget her and came back, didn’t I? I’m much more attentive than my other siblings!”

Trying to change the subject, Bivia quickly held out the box she brought.

“Anyway, look at what I brought.”

Inside was a small piece of moonstone.

“What’s that for?”

“She supposedly uses blue fire, right? I was curious how much it would shine!”

…I’m doomed.

If that touches me, they’ll realize I’m just an empty shell.

While Bivia placed the box on the table and chatted with her father, I dashed toward the moonstone.

Sure enough, unlike when Bivia touched it and it glowed like a lantern, the moonstone barely emitted a faint glow—as if seen in a darkroom.

Now I have to hide this somehow…

I looked around. It’d be perfect to throw it out a window—but, of course, this room had none.

If I hid it in my clothes, I’d be accused of stealing.

Panicking at the sound of footsteps, I popped the moonstone into my mouth.

“Oh no, where did it go?”

Bivia found the empty box and immediately called out to me.

“Hey, kid.”

“…Mmm.”

With a cold expression, she poked my bulging right cheek.

I quickly shifted the stone to the other side. Now my left cheek puffed out.

“…Gulp.”

As my cheeks flattened, Bivia shrieked.

“Noooo! Do you know how expensive that was?!”

“Yum yum. Doesn’t taste good, though.”

“Spit it out! Now!”

She grabbed and shook me back and forth. As if that would work.

Even if I did spit it out, it’s unlikely Bivia would clean it and keep it.

“Hahaha!”

Erasinus laughed heartily at us.

“Father! What’s so funny?!”

“You can always buy another trinket. It’s really something how lively things have gotten with a new child around.”

“I’m going to buy a new one right this instant!”

“As you like.”

Bivia’s eyes sparkled. She was thrilled to get a new gemstone.

“…Thanks, Father.”

As Bivia ran out excitedly, Erasinus turned back to me, who was standing awkwardly.

“Kid, don’t go to the main house today. Stay here. I have something to show you.”

His tone was unfailingly kind—but strangely devoid of feeling.

I shook my head.

“No. It’s not an official invitation, so I refuse.”

“It’ll be better if you stay.”

His firm voice accompanied a hand reaching toward my head.

Is he finally going to show his true colors?

I braced myself and shut my eyes tightly, ready to be hit.

But his hand merely brushed my head a few times gently.

“Come along.”

He took me to a room filled with toys.

“W-whoa…”

I was drawn to the floor, where colorful wooden blocks were scattered everywhere.

This isn’t the time. I need to find a way to escape…

But the childlike instinct was too strong.

I sat on the floor and began stacking blocks with focus. Erasinus leaned against a desk, watching.

In the chair that seemed to belong to him, his youngest son Paulus sat, organizing keys and writing instruments.

Why is he being nice to me? Is he trying to win me over with toys?

Even as I thought that, my hands never stopped.

Then Erasinus came over and held something out to me.

“Here. Take a look at this.”

It was a doll so intricately crafted that even an adult would be amazed.

“It’s worth as much as a set of books. I got it for Bivia, then it was passed to Velikia. Now it’s yours.”

“Wow, I love dolls…”

Ugh, my childish instincts again.

I started running toward it with open arms—then stopped and turned my head sharply.

“…You wish! I don’t want it!”

“You don’t like dolls? Then how about a ball?”

Erasinus rolled a ball from the shelf over to me.

“No!”

I caught it with my leg and threw it far away.

It bounced off the desk and smacked Paulus in the face as he worked.

“S-sorry…!”

“It’s fine.”

With a smile, Paulus waved it off and even kindly picked up the ball and handed it back to me.

“Thanks.”

As I took it, our hands brushed.

“…!”

Startled, I looked down at his hand.

It was surprisingly rough.

His middle and index fingers had thick calluses, darkened like someone who gripped something constantly.

Has he been holding a pen too much? At his age?

While I was puzzled, Erasinus praised his son.

“Very composed, Pauli. That’s the right attitude.”

“Thank you, Father.”

When Paulus quietly returned to his seat, Erasinus looked at me with amazed eyes.

Thankfully, once my focus was broken, I lost interest in blocks and dolls.

“Take her to her room.”

“None of these amused her, huh? Then, take this.”

Erasinus squeezed a toy trumpet’s air pouch, making it squeal.

I covered my ears and turned away.

“…Not that one either, I see.”

Why are there so many toys?

There wasn’t a single one in the main house.

This sheer quantity meant the children in the annex were at least getting plenty of attention—unlike me.

But Erasinus, who stood there with an armful of toys just to read my mood… How should I even interpret that?

He was completely different from the domineering image one usually associates with the head of a noble house faction.

Still, I can’t let my guard down. I have no idea what he’s plotting.