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Chapter 5
“Yes.”
Ren answered with an openly disrespectful attitude.
Anyone could tell that it was rude, but it was something Ren occasionally did when he was dissatisfied with Luke.
“Why?”
Why? Wasn’t it obvious?
An unfamiliar child whose origins and purpose were unknown had suddenly entered the prestigious family he had served for three generations and was doing whatever she pleased.
How could he possibly like her?
Feeling a little irritated that Luke didn’t understand his loyalty to the family, Ren asked in a slightly accusing tone,
“Then why do you like the young lady so much, Duke?”
“I don’t particularly like her that much.”
“Hah, seriously. You’re doing it again. Again……”
You were exactly like this when you first met the Duchess, too.
Ren swallowed the rest of his words and picked up a thick stack of documents piled high on Luke’s desk.
“I’ll take care of these. I’ll bring the important matters back to you afterward.”
“What if they’re documents from the Magic Tower?”
“No. These are the documents related to the Croyman family that I sorted separately this morning and brought to you.”
“Then go ahead.”
Ren placed the documents on a small desk in the corner of the office, sat down, and began working.
Luke finished the work he had been holding and raised his head toward the framed picture hanging on the wall.
It was a tender painting of Luke himself, two young boys who resembled him, and someone who could no longer be seen.
“……Are Edward and Theodore doing their homework well?”
“The young masters’ homework? Which one are you talking about?”
Ren asked in confusion at Luke’s question.
Luke added,
“Their diaries.”
“Oh, you mean the ones the Duchess made them write? The second young master only writes when he feels like it, while the first young master writes consistently every day.”
“Does he?”
“From what I’ve heard, Young Master Theodore mainly writes about the swordsmanship he learned that day and what he ate. Young Master Edward mainly writes about what he learned from his tutor.”
“They haven’t changed.”
Luke gave a small chuckle at Ren’s explanation before quietly saying,
“I wonder what that child will write about.”
“By that child, do you mean Young Lady Eria?”
“Is there any other child?”
“……No. That’s true. I’m curious too. I wonder what kind of amazing diary she’ll bring back.”
Ren looked at Luke’s face and shook his head as if he had given up.
At first glance, Luke’s expression was stiff and emotionless, but to Ren, it was obvious that he looked quite pleased.
How did the Duke end up like this? What does that child have that makes him act this way……?
Eria Croyman.
She was the first child Ren had ever encountered with such a personality.
What kind of life did someone have to live to behave so confidently in front of Luke Croyman?
Ren could treat Luke somewhat comfortably despite their difference in status because they had grown up together like inseparable friends since Ren was a baby.
But the servants who didn’t have that kind of relationship with Luke were all clearly afraid of him.
And then there was the fact that Eria knew an unusual amount about dragons and seemed to think much faster than a normal child her age.
Everything about her was strange.
Perhaps it was because she was such an unusual child.
To Ren, it seemed that Luke had unknowingly become captivated by that little girl.
Kai and I put on the clothes Annie had prepared for us.
Kai held my hand tightly while chewing on the candy Annie had given him.
Annie was carrying the few belongings I had.
When we came out of the Magic Tower, two carriages were waiting, one in front of the other, ready to take us to the Duke’s residence.
Why are there two carriages when there aren’t even many people?
“Is the Master of the Magic Tower going home too?”
“No. The young lady and the dragon will ride in the front carriage, and Secretary Ren will ride in the carriage behind it. Captain Liliana will be escorting you.”
“Liliana?”
“The captain who helped me earlier?”
Why was she suddenly going to the Duke’s residence with us?
When I looked at Liliana curiously, Annie nodded and explained.
“Yes. She’s going to protect you on your way home today.”
“Wasn’t Captain Liliana part of the Magic Tower? Is she allowed to work at the Duke’s residence?”
“Ah, well……”
“The Magic Tower provides a service where it lends knights to noble families that it sponsors.”
Liliana answered my question in Annie’s place. I hadn’t noticed how long she had been listening, but she was already walking toward me.
She knelt formally and bowed her head to me.
Several knights behind her also knelt down in unison.
“I am Liliana Joren, Captain of the Second Knights Order, the Milky Way, of the Magic Tower. At the request of Duke Croyman, I have been entrusted with ensuring the safety of Young Lady Eria.”
Liliana stood up, and the knights behind her rose with disciplined movements.
“Nice to meet you, Captain. Did the Master of the Magic Tower personally ask you?”
“Yes. Since I am already familiar with what happened between you and those people, I believe he thought I was the most suitable person.”
Liliana’s gaze moved toward Kai.
The gentle expression in Kai’s eyes immediately changed to one of alertness, and his pupils began to narrow into vertical slits.
Before any unnecessary conflict could occur, I quickly introduced Kai.
“This is Kai. The one who was inside that egg.”
“Then this child is……”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Liliana looked Kai up and down with clear curiosity before looking away.
She held out her hand to me.
“I’ll help you board the carriage, Young Lady.”
“Thank you.”
I let go of Kai’s hand, politely took hers, and climbed into the carriage.
Once inside, I held my hand out to Kai again.
Instead of taking my hand, however, Kai lightly jumped upward and instantly climbed into the carriage by himself.
Then he grabbed my hand, which had been left hanging in the air, and smiled brightly.
“Youn’ lady!”
Kai looked at me and spoke.
Annie asked in surprise,
“Did he just call you?”
“Yes. I think he thought that was my name.”
“He learns incredibly fast.”
They said dragons learned languages very quickly.
But Kai was definitely unusually fast even among dragons.
I should teach him as much as possible on the way there so he doesn’t make any mistakes at the Duke’s residence.
I sat down and had Kai sit beside me before speaking to Annie.
“How will you come?”
“I’ll sit in the luggage compartment behind your carriage.”
“That sounds uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine, Young Lady. There isn’t much luggage anyway.”
I nodded to show that I understood and sat up straight.
The carriage door closed.
I heard voices outside talking, and soon the carriage began to move.
“Young lady, candy?”
Kai took out one of the candies from his pocket and held it out to me.
I gently shook my head.
“No, it’s okay. You eat it. And my name is Eria. Eria.”
“Eria.”
I pointed at myself as I said my name, and Kai did the same.
This time, he pointed at himself and said,
“Kai.”
“Yes, your name is Kai. Kai.”
“Kai.”
I smiled back at Kai as he smiled brightly.
And so, we kept talking to each other throughout the entire carriage ride.
***
The carriage had been moving with a constant rattling sound when it finally came to a stop.
I opened the window slightly and looked outside.
A magnificent building stretched out before my eyes, so enormous that it was difficult to take it all in at once.
Is that the Duke’s residence?
“Eria, we there?”
Kai, who had learned enough words to hold a simple conversation, looked at me and asked.
“I think so.”
“I quiet now?”
During the several hours we spent riding in the carriage, Kai had learned to communicate using language fairly well for a child his age.
However, he was still inexperienced when it came to manners.
So I had asked him to remain quiet except when the two of us were alone.
“Yes. Stay quiet for a little while, okay? Please.”
“Okay, Eria.”
“Thank you.”
Kai smiled softly and hugged me tightly.
“Like.”
“Yes. But people will open the door soon, so let’s stop hugging now.”
“Umm……”
Kai pulled himself out of my arms and made a dejected expression.
His big, round eyes drooped sadly.
I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
I could never get tired of seeing that expression.
As expected, Kai at this age had a special kind of cuteness that only existed during this period.
I gently stroked his back and comforted him for a moment.
Perhaps because of that, Kai smiled again.
There was a knock on the carriage door, followed by Annie’s voice from outside.
“Young Lady, we’ve arrived at the Duke’s residence.”
“Okay.”
The carriage door opened, and Liliana held out her hand to me as she had earlier.
I took her hand and stepped out of the carriage.
Then I stood there and waited for Kai to get out.
As expected, Kai jumped down from the carriage by himself without accepting anyone’s help.
After landing lightly, he smiled at me and looked around at the people gathered nearby.
Then his expression suddenly became stiff.
