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Chapter 02
“How can she be this cute?”
Tears welled up in the eyes of the moved Countess Rive.
Count Rive nodded so vigorously it seemed a breeze might start. “Indeed! Why is our daughter so adorable?! Ugh, I just want to give her a little nibble!”
The Count and Countess embraced each other. We did it. We brought such a cute baby into this world!
Piani watched her parents gushing over her with a cool gaze. Her parents are tall and slender. How can they be so elegant and beautiful?
‘Why am I the mutant?’
As Piani was having such useless thoughts, Countess Rive, having composed herself, spoke. “Sweetheart. Are you really sure you don’t want to come traveling with us?”
Today, the Rive couple had decided to go on a trip to celebrate the completion of Countess Rive’s work. But wasn’t it Piani who had refused to go along?
“If I can’t see my baby for even a day, my hair will fall out.”
“That’s right, Piani. Come with Mom and Dad. If you come, Daddy will buy you dolls, sweet snacks, dresses, rings……”
Count Rive diligently listed items to bribe Piani with, but she wasn’t listening.
“No. I must attend the tea party today. It’s the first time I’ve been invited alone, I can’t possibly skip it!”
Piani clenched her tiny fists and huffed, blowing out a breath.
Looking at her, feeling a mix of endearment, pride, and a little hurt, the Countess asked again, “Do you really have to go there?”
“I’m definitely going!”
The Countess looked at Piani’s triumphant expression and gave a wistful smile.
‘She used to just follow at my heels, but now she wants to go off on her own…’
There was a secret about Countess Rive that even Piani didn’t know.
In truth, she was not the real daughter of Baron Torres. Baron Torres had found a young, disheveled Countess Rive who had collapsed, as if she had run away from somewhere, and with no memories, he took her in as his daughter.
As Baron Torres had never married, Countess Rive had no memories of a mother.
Perhaps due to this lack of memories, Countess Rive was always worried about whether she could become a “proper mother.”
—Can I really become a mother who can love a child with all my heart? To be honest, I lack confidence.
—Darling…
But after Piani was born, Countess Rive realized. Ah, loving my child wasn’t something I could do just because I willed myself to love.
‘It’s just that she’s so lovable, I can’t help but love her.’
Countess Rive, who usually liked to express her stories through drawings, completed a short comic using the adorable Piani as a motif.
And by a chance opportunity, that work was commercialized. As the work became popular, she was active as a famous cartoonist. Of course, as a noble, and a woman at that, being a cartoonist wasn’t a very welcomed activity, so she had to work secretly under a pseudonym.
‘Still, I’m thankful I can do what I love. If it weren’t for Piani, the me of today wouldn’t exist either.’
Piani was Countess Rive’s love, her gift, and her dream.
‘It feels like just yesterday she was toddling around, but she’s really grown so much.’
Well, of course, Piani is still small, constantly getting food around her mouth when she eats, sniffling with a runny nose, and her blank expression is utterly trivial… but anyway, she’s grown a lot.
‘She even has a gentleman seeking her hand in marriage.’
The Countess, letting out a low laugh, stroked Piani’s soft cheek and said, “Piani. Then, Mom and Dad will write letters, so you must write back. And you must return home before sunset, okay? Even if Mr. Delis asks to meet you in the evening, you must refuse.”
At the name Delis, Piani’s eyes sparkled.
Delis Emmen. The youngest son of the powerful central Duke Emmen family, a handsome man with a kind impression, shining golden hair, and dazzling green eyes.
Having stopped by the east briefly on business, he had fallen for Piani at first sight upon meeting her by chance and was passionately expressing his love.
‘This time too, he sent us a courteous letter saying he wishes to become engaged to Piani.’
Delis is a good man. Polite, gentle, and from a good family. A groom like him is hard to find.
But the Rive couple weren’t ready to let their daughter go from their arms just yet. She just became an adult! The mere thought was unpleasant, so they carefully declined Delis’s request.
And fortunately, Piani didn’t know about this. Piani, whose eyes light up at just hearing the name Delis, would obviously throw a fit wanting to get married right away if she knew.
‘Ugh, really!’
The Countess held Piani’s head and firmly instructed her again. “Sweetie! You must absolutely not go out at night! Just because the east is rumored to have good security doesn’t mean it’s unconditionally safe.”
“Uh, huh…”
Piani, her lips pouting like a goldfish, answered. The Countess, letting out a sigh of relief, hugged her daughter. How can she be so soft and lovable!
“Shoes and… an art set and… a tiara and…”
The Count, who had been continuing his list of bribes, also came to his senses. And he hugged his wife and daughter with all the love he had for them.
“My beautiful loves!”
“Hehe!”
The sight of them hugging each other tightly was extremely beautiful. Even though Piani, sandwiched in the middle, looked like she might suffocate and die, one thing was certain: this family was a happy family.
The family, soaked in their mutual love, wished this happiness would last forever.
But their wish was not to be granted.
The hostess of today’s tea party was the daughter of Count Laurel. Like most eastern nobility, she was a gentle and considerate young lady who grew up sheltered in a wealthy family.
“Oh, Lady Piani. Please try this chocolate pie. It’s a dessert our family’s pastry chef specially developed for you, Lady Piani.”
“Wow! I will enjoy it!”
Piani, whose cheeks were already puffed out from eating other desserts, answered with sparkling eyes.
Watching that, all the ladies attending the party had to swallow their groans.
‘How can she be so honest?’
‘She’s insanely cute.’
‘It’s a good thing she was born in the east.’
In the relatively relaxed and leisurely east, Piani was a star who gave the ladies a thrilling stimulus. How many ladies eat so greedily? You wouldn’t find one even if you searched the entire empire, not just the east.
“That’s right. Lady Piani. I met Mr. Delis in the shopping district recently.”
“Huh?!”
At the name Delis, Piani’s large pupils sharpened, and her cheeks, already flushed from the chocolate pie, became even more heightened.
Seeing that, the young ladies felt both happiness and jealousy. The Piani, whom everyone adored, showing interest in one man!
‘Well, Mr. Delis is good enough to catch Lady Piani’s interest.’
The courtship Delis showered upon Piani was nothing short of ideal. This was different from being perfect.
—I, I’m sorry, my lady. If it’s alright, could you perhaps tell me your name…?
—Huh?
—No! I should tell you my name first! That’s proper manners.
The red face of Delis, who had abruptly blocked Piani’s path and flusteredly spoken to her, was still often talked about.
For someone from the great Duke Emmen family to be so rude. And to so unabashedly reveal his feelings, saying “I fell in love with you at first sight.”
‘You could probably roast marshmallows on Mr. Delis’s reddened face.’
Since then, Delis seemed to want to gather all the best things in the world to fill Piani’s world, launching an endless gift offensive and pouring out an affection so sweet and careful it made onlookers itch.
“What was Mr. Delis doing?!”
Piani asked, puffing out a breath. The young lady who brought it up let out a groan, propping her face on her hand.
“Well, you see, Mr. Delis asked me to keep it a secret, so it’s hard for me to tell you.”
“Eek!”
Piani’s cute face was colored with shock. She looked like a puppy that had its tail stepped on. The young lady felt sorry and drooped the corners of her eyebrows.
“Did I speak out of turn? I’m sorry. I just wanted to tell you that something good might happen.”
“Something good…”
Expectation immediately filled Piani’s face. Seeing that, the young ladies all thought the same thing.
‘Ah, to be so innocent and simple!’
The young ladies found Piani cute, but also worried for her.
As is customary, the world of nobility is one of biting and clawing each other. Innocence is dismissed as foolishness, and honesty is disparaged as stupidity.
‘In the east, no one would dare speak carelessly about Lady Piani, but it’s concerning that Mr. Delis is from the central region. However, Mr. Delis is not the eldest son, so he doesn’t have the responsibility to succeed the family; he might stay in the east for a long time.’
The young ladies desperately hoped Delis would stay here. They didn’t want Piani to suffer in the central region, nor did they want to be without Piani.
‘The east without Lady Piani is like a tart without strawberries and cream.’
It was at that moment, when all the young ladies attending the tea party were lost in the same thought. A voice was heard from a few steps away from the table.
“Oh my, it seems I’m quite late.”
Piani stared at the woman who appeared with the sunlight at her back and thought.
‘Who is that?’
A dark red dress that accentuated a slim waistline contrasting with wide hips and a voluptuous bust. It was a type of dress rarely seen in the east.
Also, the naturally pinned-up, finely curled bright red hair was not a style popular in the east either.
Thus, the woman appeared in a somewhat provocative appearance that didn’t quite match eastern sensibilities, but the reason one didn’t frown was probably because this styling suited her quite well.
‘She’s incredibly pretty!’
Her large, half-lidded eyes held both elegance and a strange allure, and her red-painted lips were simply captivating.
Is this what a rose would feel like if it became human?
But this woman’s sharp gaze was fixed on Piani and showed no sign of moving.
Like a snake eyeing its prey.
