ISDM 19

Ah, now that I think about it, it was currently dinner time with Dad.
“So you sent me out to buy clothes, and you came back sweeping up the entire toy store, huh?”
Ah, how embarrassing.
I gently patted the wooden doll clutched tightly in my left hand.
The doll, engraved with a small “B” at the tip, was part of a wooden toy series I’d bought at B’s Secret Toy Shop today.
Honestly, I hadn’t been interested in toys since I was six (really), and lately I thought they were even more boring (seriously). But B’s wooden doll series had a certain collectible value.
It was nice that they were made from recycled wood, but more than that, the little arms and legs moved when you gently pulled the ring on the back—it was adorable!

“Right? I am the First Princess of the Tomato Kingdom, soon to be caught in the whirlpool of destiny, my ultra-Versia-Christina…”
“You’re really enjoying yourself.”
Blushing at Dad’s teasing, I set the doll down.

Then my gaze fell on Theo, who was fidgeting with his own toy during the meal, just like me.
Seeing that made me snap back to reality.
“Theooo! You spat out your tomato again! What are you going to do if you keep being picky about tomatoes?”

Taking advantage of my momentary distraction, Theo’s shoulder twitched as he tried to put the tomato on his toy carriage.
Theo didn’t like tomatoes much. He had eaten a little of the ones I picked from the garden, but nothing else was acceptable.
For the record, I eat everything, but I preferred tomatoes over potatoes.

“Theo… hmm, if you eat all your remaining tomatoes, I’ll show you how your mini carriage roof moves. How about that?”
“Uh?”

Unable to just watch Theo’s picky eating, I pulled out my secret weapon. Theo’s eyes went wide.
I started fiddling with the toy carriage he had been playing with.

“Huh? Did the roof move too?”
Kate, who was moving plates beside me, tilted her head.
“Wow… you didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
“The wooden dolls by B are famous because they have lots of secret mechanisms! Dad’s bought me a few, so I know them well…”

I let my words trail off, sneaking a glance at Dad.

Last night, it rained in the capital. I couldn’t resist anymore with the thunder rumbling, so I had watched a short video.
Dad was in it.

“Daughter! Why is your face all scrunched up? Who did this? Who bullied you?”
“Ahh, um… Jamie from the downstairs apartment bragged that he collected seven B wooden dolls… I got a little depressed… and then he teased me when I said I only had two.”
“You little sprout.”
“Huh? You’re not insulting me, are you?”
“…Of course not.”

Dad hugged me tightly, then put me on his lap and gently coaxed me.

“Sorry, Lirin. I didn’t realize there was a world that encouraged children’s competitiveness like this. Next time, we’ll go to a nearby town and I’ll make sure we succeed in an opening-run at a toy store.”
“Really? But that’s kind of expensive.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll make plenty of money to buy the whole toy store if I have to! Even if it’s a money-grabbing tactic by the toy store exploiting parents, I’ll gladly accept it. Just wait a little. Hmm… if it comes to it, maybe I’ll have to raid the Ruska vault too.”
“Dad? Your voice sounded a little weird at the end.”
“…It’s just your imagination. My cute daughter.”

In the end, I ended up with five wooden dolls.
Dad enthusiastically collected the dolls for me, but he kept grumbling about B, the toy store.
‘The identity of B hasn’t been revealed yet, right?’

Despite the fame, nothing was known about the creator, B.
Whoever they were, they must be very wealthy. Probably rich enough that their children and grandchildren could live wealthy lives for generations.

Anyway.

“Alright, watch this.”
Finishing my reminiscence, I felt all eyes on me and pulled the handle beneath the roof of the mini carriage.
“Woaaah!”

A hidden mechanism revealed itself, and a small umbrella popped up from the carriage roof.
“Wow!”
The maids clapped. My chest swelled with pride.

Even in Reffi Village, there weren’t many children who had fully figured out B’s hidden mechanisms.
Since these were truly “secret” devices, you had to play with the wooden dolls diligently to discover them like a gift.

“Isn’t this fun…”

That was when…
Kuuuung!

A tremendous noise came from the dining room entrance.
I jumped in shock.
‘Ah, my heart!’

Turning quickly, a huge figure—not a wall—stood glaring at me.
Large bundles of luggage lay scattered across the floor. The noise had probably come from dropping those sacks.

“……”
“……”

A grizzly man with a jaw wrinkled like a walnut stared at me.
Meeting his eyes, with black irises glinting under neatly combed ash-colored hair, sent chills down my spine.

“Darling, didn’t I tell you? You’ll like this.”

I heard a familiar noblewoman’s voice, but it sounded faint to my ears.
I grabbed Theo’s sleeve tightly.

“Theo… don’t cry. If you cry, you lose.”

It felt like encountering a wild beast.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The man approached, stomping. Up close, his presence was even more overwhelming.
A massive shadow loomed over me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even hiccup.

“It’s you.”

An incredibly deep voice.
It was as if ten adult male voices were compressed into one powerful bass.

“Strawberry.”

…Huh?

“Wrong, I meant… daughter.”

He glanced at the wooden doll in my hand, his eyes flashing.

“You recognized the mechanism… come here, little one…”

The bear muttered something else, but his voice was too low to hear clearly.
I stepped down from my chair and edged backward cautiously.
But the shadow looming over me was so massive that escaping seemed nearly impossible.

Panicking slightly, I instinctively looked at Dad, who was sitting at the head of the table.
But seeing him staring at me with a nonchalant expression made my heart drop.
I grabbed Theo’s hand.

“Theo… don’t turn your back. If we run blindly, we’ll get eaten… Slowly, carefully…”

What to do…
A wild beast must have come down from the mountains.

“L-little one?”

Perhaps sensing something was wrong, the man reached out his hand.
I held my breath and finally screamed:

“I-I’m not edible! I have no fat, no wealth yet! All I have is my abundant hair! Please, spare me!”

Then, I bolted.
“……Huh?”

Using all my strength, I ran away as fast as I could.

After Lirin escaped the dining room, the huge old man, Blaine Winterwald, slowly opened his mouth, looking dazed.

“I….”

If his voice had density, it was like a solid bass, leaving no gaps.

“I… made the child… cry…”

Of course, the words carried a slightly cute tone.

He was a towering man. Especially his arm muscles, straining against his tightly fitted clothes, were enormous. Lirin’s small face could fit five times over in one bicep.

“Oh, our little darling.”

Elisa patted Blaine’s shoulder gently.
He huddled against her.

“Elisa, what have I done… I…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“I feel… hated.”

Blaine spent most of the year in the harsh northern mountains guarding sacred lands. He did it for Elisa.
In his spare time, he carved wood and made various things, and over the years, he had become something like a master craftsman.
He had incredible skill and a steadfast, diligent personality.

Especially, his wooden dolls stamped with the letter ‘B’ were highly praised nationwide.

‘Since the Winterwald family’s toy business must remain a secret, even from the household, only a few people knew.’

Kalec had a rough idea, and Elisa was his trusted helper.

“I’m ruined…”

Elisa patted the massive man, as she had done countless times before.