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Chapter 68
Pelsone instructed the man to quietly wait until he could secure a building for use as a shop.
The man bowed repeatedly and withdrew.
As soon as he disappeared, Pelsone wiped the smile from his face and removed his mask.
But at that moment, a cloud passed over the sun, casting a shadow across Pelsone’s face once again.
“…It’s only a matter of time before he starts bragging everywhere.”
Well, he was chosen precisely because he was that kind of man.
Exiting the back alley, Pelsone headed toward the meeting place.
He entered the private room on the second floor of a dessert shop that had recently become popular in the imperial capital and greeted the person waiting for him.
“Hello.”
Rima, nibbling on a strawberry cake, greeted Pelsone in a lisping voice.
With her rabbit-ear headband adorned with elaborate jewelry, an expensive dress, and sparkling patent leather shoes, Rima looked every bit the young noblewoman.
The child, smiling brightly, gestured to the empty seat before her.
“As expected of Lady Rima.”
Pelsone clicked his tongue as he took a seat.
“Just as you predicted, Master Rubeo rejected the offer.”
“Ahh, what a pity. Rima gave Master Rubeo an incredible opportunity…”
Rima pretended to regretfully bite her fork with her front teeth.
Pelsone repeated Rima’s earlier words in his mind.
“Master Rubeo, huh.”
Of course, Rubeo started from being a guildmaster.
But now, no one in the Empire called Seletina Deiamor a ‘guildmaster.’
Yet Rima had never once referred to her as the head of the guild. She only ever called her “guildmaster.” That was it.
“Hmm, then where would be best for the shop…”
“I have a recommendation. There’s a place for rent on the first floor of a building directly across from Rubeo Department Store. The rent is a bit high, but the location is ideal.”
“Sounds perfect. If it’s in front of Rubeo Department Store, we can watch our shop’s success with our own eyes.”
After discussing future plans with Rima a little longer, Pelsone stood.
“Shall I submit future reports in writing?”
“Nooo!”
Rima shook her head vigorously. Her pink twin-tails, tied high like rabbit ears, slapped her face.
“Father will misunderstand.”
“Father?”
“Ah, th-that is, Gonjani will misunderstand!”
Rima quickly corrected herself. Fortunately, Pelsone didn’t press further.
“Haha, it seems the Duke treats you like a father.”
“Y-yes, that’s right!”
Pelsone left the room.
Left alone, Rima began finishing the half-eaten cake.
“Hmm, a bit too much…”
Moreover, the whipped cream seemed slightly dried during their conversation. So she put the fork down without hesitation.
“Rima!”
At that moment, Rubens entered, carrying a box of pudding purchased from a nearby shop.
“You’ve been waiting, right? Look! This is the pudding you wanted.”
“Wow!”
“Wait, aren’t you going to finish your cake?”
“Um, well…”
Rima patted her stomach as if to show she was full.
“Are you full?”
“Yes…”
“Well, can’t be helped. Shall we head home then?”
Rubens held out his hand.
“Yay!”
Since all the errands were done, it was fine to go home.
Rima descended the second-floor stairs in Rubens’ arms.
“You can walk, you know…”
“No.”
Rubens watched over her as she descended to the first floor.
“You’re only seven. What if you fall and break your leg?”
“T-that’s not going to happen…”
She blushed, feeling embarrassed under his scrutinizing gaze, and her protest was almost useless.
Rima ultimately smiled shyly and thanked him.
Rubens grinned.
Once Rima got into the carriage, she fiddled with the pudding box Rubens had packed.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Of course!”
Rima said.
“It’s a gift from Rubens to me.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“It’s a secret, but I like it even more than the eggs.”
“Really?”
Rubens smiled again.
Silence fell in the carriage.
Rubens looked out the window, and Rima, glancing at him, returned her attention to the pudding box.
“This was the right choice.”
Rima finally felt confident in her decision.
If the novel’s world differed from the story, as the author, she had to take responsibility.
So Rima took action.
And meaningful changes began to appear.
Kalarov started showing interest in Rima little by little.
He even allocated her some allowance to use freely.
As soon as she received it, Rima immediately tucked the paybook into the corner of a drawer.
Meanwhile, Al and Rubens occasionally quarreled over who would play with her alone. Sometimes, the fights were so intense they even got punished.
“This is it…!”
The moment she intervened directly, the world started returning to its original course.
Rima was now confident.
“Let’s keep going like this.”
Her first act of intervention was to take down Rubeo.
“Rubeo only took the wealth that the heroine was supposed to have. He deserves to fail. That’s how the original story goes.”
For the heroine’s bright future, he must fall.
Anyone who took someone else’s happiness and expected to prosper was shameless.
With her goal in mind, Rima closed her eyes.
“…This is my world.”
A world she had written.
A world where she was the protagonist.
Rima silently repeated it like a zealot, over and over.
“…….”
Having taken her eyes off the window, Rubens stared at Rima in silence.
The boy’s smile had long since disappeared.
Since arriving in the capital, Leticia had been visiting the Deiamor estate every day.
“My father and mother scolded me. I come over too often.”
“Nini likes Leti visiting!”
Nibelia tightly held Leticia’s hand.
The previously downcast Leticia cheered up immediately.
“What about Soles?”
“He’s studying. A lot these days.”
“Of course, it’s Soles. Didn’t you say Nini is in kindergarten?”
“Yes! I go with Aref! But Aref goes to an academy too. Above the kindergarten, there’s an academy.”
Aref, reading the ‘Romantic Fairy Tales for Children’ book that Leticia brought, looked up.
“What do you learn at kindergarten?” Leticia asked.
“Words and arithmetic. These days, I’m memorizing multiplication.”
They also studied history, reading, and how to read newspapers. Recently, they consulted adults about whether to study art or music.
Caleo suggested learning an instrument, so they were considering that option.
“Then later we can play together!”
Leticia clapped, thinking it sounded wonderful.
“I can play the viola.”
Though he didn’t know what a viola was, Aref nodded.
“Then Nini will sing!”
Suddenly, Nibelia climbed onto the sofa and began singing.
It was a squirrel song she learned in kindergarten.
“Roll, roll acorns! Yum yum, eat them all!”
The squirrel goes Pororo!
The acorns go roll, roll!
“Let’s go on a fall picnic!”
Rolling her arms and wiggling her hips like a squirrel’s tail, Nibelia performed with full enthusiasm, bowing to the audience.
Like a famous singer, she placed one hand on her chest and lifted the hem of her dress with the other, bending her knees slightly.
Aref and Leticia clapped and cheered.
“…I must learn an instrument.”
Aref decided he would learn one. He wanted to accompany Nibelia’s wonderful singing with equally wonderful music.
“How was it? Cool?”
Nibelia eagerly approached Aref.
“I-it was amazing, really amazing!”
“Really?”
“You sang the best. It was a really amazing squirrel song. I couldn’t sing like that.”
“Hehe! Aref likes it!”
Nibelia smiled widely and hugged Aref tightly.
Aref held her just as carefully.
“…….”
Watching the affectionate pair, Leticia blushed.
“Are you two dating?”
Nibelia and Aref tilted their heads.
“What’s that?”
“It’s when two people love each other like this!”
“Nini loves Aref!”
“Kyaa!”
Leticia stomped her feet excitedly.
“Nini’s like an adult! She’s more mature than me.”
“Well, kind of.”
Nibelia agreed.
Meanwhile, Aref blushed and was flustered by Nibelia’s love attack.
He felt so hot that steam seemed to rise above his head.
“Does Aref love Nini too?”
Suddenly, Leticia leaned in and asked.
“Yes…”
Aref answered shyly.
“Kyaa! They’re a couple! They’re such a wonderful couple!”
Leticia opened the ‘Romantic Fairy Tales for Children’ book Aref had been reading.
“There’s a story about lovers who love each other very much.”
Opening to the middle, a new story appeared.
“It’s my favorite story. The prince and princess love each other so much, but their families oppose them.”
So they defeat the Demon King together to persuade their families.
“Demon King!”
Nibelia narrowed her gentle eyes sharply.
“Bad! The Demon King is bad!”
“What’s a Demon King?”
Aref asked.
Leticia calmed the growling Nibelia and explained.
“The king of monsters. There was a big war 40 years ago, right? The Crepatna War.”
“Yes. The Saint wiped out all the monsters in that war, right?”
She recalled what she learned in history class.
Forty years ago, a war broke out between humans and monsters on the Crepatna Plains in the center of the continent.
With the efforts of Saint Muniel and Paladin Ardores, the monsters were exterminated.
“They invaded our world and led the monsters to attack humans. The Demon King. A very terrifying being.”
“The Demon King is so scary!”
Nibelia shivered as if she had seen it with her own eyes.
