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Chapter : 21. I Decided on My Future Dream (3)
“Then have fun, everyone.”
Ella, Maria, and Bailey cheerfully herded us into the playroom.
Evelyn, Leon, Ian, and I watched the door close for a moment.
‘Feels like we’re being disposed of like a bomb disposal unit.’
Maybe they were trying to lump all the kids together in one place because it was hard to handle them individually.
For some reason, Ella and Maria gave off the impression that they were uncomfortable around children. Even though they were hired as babysitters.
Even Bailey, the nanny, was the same.
When Leon burst into loud tears earlier, she had only watched him from a distance with a rather bewildered expression. At least she didn’t seem to have much experience dealing with young children up close.
‘What was it like when I cried?’
Instead of panicking, they had calmly asked, “Shall I bring a bottle? Shall I change the diaper?” All three of them had said it like that, smiling in a vaguely unsettlingly cheerful way.
‘So I thought they really were professional sitters…’
But in reality, their childcare experience might even be less than mine.
“Sniffle…”
Leon sniffled and wiped under his nose with his sleeve. That snot-nosed kid.
As before, I squatted down at his eye level and looked up at his face.
Even though he had been crying his eyes out just outside, now only his nose was runny as he sniffled.
Maria, Ella, and Bailey were all just standing there blankly, and even Uncle Lloyd was watching with amusement, so I had barely managed to soothe him—was he going to cry again?
“Leon… are you still crying?”
“N-no! I’m not crying! I’m definitely not crying!”
Leon shouted, his nose bright red. That’s loud. I instinctively covered one ear and frowned slightly, and Ian covered my ear while speaking to Leon.
“Wipe your nose before you talk. And don’t shout.”
“Ian, don’t act so smug!”
“I’m not acting smug.”
“You didn’t even help me!”
“You ran off even after I told you not to. You were secretly happy because you thought it was a chance to swing your wooden sword, weren’t you?”
“……”
“And it’s childish. If you act without thinking, you end up breaking the wooden sword Father gave you as a gift.”
The seven-year-old twins were arguing with each other. Feeling drained, I moved away from them and slipped into a corner of the playroom.
The carpet scattered with blocks my father had personally made and picture books Ella had been reading to me was practically my designated spot.
Even when I first learned to crawl, even when I took my first steps, this soft carpet had been there with me.
Squeak.
Evelyn pressed her nose against my leg. My emotional stabilizer. My angel. I stared at her intensely because she was just too adorable, but she seemed a bit uncomfortable and turned away, sitting with her back to me.
‘They say when a dog shows its back, it means it trusts you completely…!’
A wave of emotion hit me. She might find it a bit annoying, but who cares—she showed me her back. Her tail was still wagging furiously.
Just then, noticing I had moved away, the twins stopped arguing and came over.
“Hey! We’re fighting over here and you’re ignoring us to play with a dog?”
“Uh… d-did I have to pay attention to you?”
You two weren’t paying attention to me anyway. My ears still hurt. As I silently questioned them with my eyes, Leon and Ian looked away awkwardly. Leon changed the topic.
“You like that dog who broke my wooden sword that much?”
“Yeah. I like her the most.”
“……We only just met…”
Was his voice trembling right now? Was he seriously doubting our relationship?
“But we already slept together!”
“What?!”
Ian suddenly shouted loudly. Even though it was Leon, Ian—who usually seemed more calm—raising his voice surprised me a little.
“We’ve been together the whole time since we met, right!”
“Eek!”
Listen to that barking sound… so cute…
“Eve has always been with me.”
“As a guard?”
“We’re friends.”
Guard? I didn’t even have the money to pay Evelyn a salary. If she wanted to work at the estate when she grew up, well, my parents would probably hire her.
“Then we’re not rivals.”
“What…?”
“We want to become your knights.”
“…Hey, Ian.”
I spoke seriously.
“What do knights do? I don’t make much money.”
“Who said anything about doing it for money?”
“You’re still young… If there’s no money, you won’t know anything.”
“Who are you calling young?”
“No money.”
“The daughter of Duke Wentworth saying she has no money—who would believe that?”
Don’t talk so materialistic to a 3-year-old.
“It’s not my money.”
“It will be yours.”
“Even when I die! Even if it’s not mine! It’s not!”
Ian quickly apologized, realizing his mistake.
“…So you’re saying you won’t make us your knights because you don’t have money?”
You’re not even knights yet, and you’re already acting like you are. I was speechless at Ian’s confidence.
“Yes. I don’t have money.”
“……”
“You’re not even impressive or promising enough to dream about it. Go look elsewhere.”
“You think saying that will make us give up?”
They really don’t listen.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“…Do you hate us?”
“Can’t we just be friends?”
Ian and Leon stared at me. This was my chance. If I persuaded them a little more, I might win them over. I spoke carefully, focusing on my pronunciation.
“Let’s just be friends. I want friends.”
“No.”
“No.”
These stubborn little bastards. More stubborn than I thought.
“Why? Why?”
“We want to protect you.”
“I’m not in danger…”
Evelyn would become strong once she grew up, and I also knew Maria, Ella, and Bailey were all very capable people.
And my parents… I didn’t know exactly how strong Father was, but just Mother alone would probably make their help unnecessary.
As if my thoughts showed on my face, Ian said,
“How long are you going to stay with your parents?”
“Until I grow up?”
“The Duke and Duchess of Wentworth are busy people. They can’t stay by your side all the time.”
“Well…”
That was probably true.
My parents loved me dearly, but because of their high status, they were often called away to different obligations. That’s why Maria, Ella, and Bailey had been assigned to me.
Of course, they visited me every morning and evening to kiss me, and whenever possible they made time to play with me at least once every three days.
I couldn’t doubt their love—it was so sincere it dripped from their eyes like honey. Just like the way my dad looked at me and Mina in my past life.
Shana Perry Wentworth was truly lucky.
“And…”
Ian looked around the playroom.
What is he looking for?
He scanned the adult desk, frowning in dissatisfaction. Then he picked up a wooden block lying on the floor. A block carefully carved by my father—wait.
Thud!
“Ack! Hey—ouch!”
Ian calmly set the block down. I rushed over in shock, while Leon remained silent.
“Th-th-there’s blood!”
“Ow… it hurts.”
“You think it wouldn’t hurt…? Look… look… ah…”
This bastard, seriously.
It must’ve hit hard—there was blood. It hurt just watching. I gathered my energy in my palm. A tiny cluster of energy formed like clay.
Seeing the wound up close made it look even worse, so I softened the energy and spread it over Ian’s forehead like ointment.
In an instant, the injury vanished as if it had never been there.
“Wow…”
“That’s amazing.”
“Don’t compliment me, nothing comes out of it. Don’t ever do that again. Got it? You need to take care of your body!”
Ian grinned.
“We could make money with this.”
“…Huh?”
“We could make money with this and have you make us knights.”
“……”
“Then there’s no problem, right?”
“…There are… problems… why are there no problems… are you seriously trying to say that…”
“Yeah. I did it on purpose.”
“…You insane bastard…”
What the hell is wrong with him?
Ian smiled brightly and asked again, “Hmm?” I thought he was just a handsome red-haired kid, but now I could see a faint madness in his eyes.
He was insane.
“There’s no problem, right?”
“…There are problems… how is there no problem… just for this…”
“There aren’t any? Then we’ll make them.”
Leon, who had been quiet, suddenly jumped in. Shut up, you too. These twins are crazy together.
My head was starting to pound, so I held my forehead with both hands.
‘Uncle Lloyd is honest and cheerful and normal… how did these kids come out like this?’
Was their mother… no, that was really rude of me to even think that.
The twins silently pressured me again, this time without speaking, as if demanding an answer.
Hey, don’t forget—I’m a child too. I’m three years old.
“Lady Shana?”
Why are you using honorifics while still speaking casually?
Even as I grumbled internally, I couldn’t say anything, overwhelmed by the sheer madness of the block incident.
‘Don’t smile so brightly after doing something like that, you cheerful lunatic.’
What even is this nonsense?
Make money by healing people… what, are you telling me to open a hospital? Do they think hospitals are that easy to open? You need doctors, and—
‘Huh? Wait… can I actually do it?’
I had already cured my mother when I was six months old, and easily healed Evelyn from a life-threatening injury at two and a half years old.
No, no—nurses would be needed too.
‘Wait. Ella, Maria, and Bailey, who were freed from babysitting, could probably be contracted… and there are even people who said they want to work for me?’
No, no—that still isn’t it. To build a hospital, you need a building… startup capital…
‘My parents are rich. What building? They casually give me necklaces worth the price of several castles.’
Huh?
Huh?
……Starting a private clinic actually seems totally possible.
