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Chapter 22
The partnership with the Marquess of Camois had been completely settled. I had successfully offloaded the future trash onto Harrington and walked away with a jackpot, which kept me in a good mood for a while.
In the meantime, joint classes resumed. With the newly added members safely integrated, we were about to begin the first lesson of the new session.
“Wow, the count’s estate is amazing! Anessa, look at that huge window! You can see everything outside!”
“Whoa. I’ve never seen anything this shiny before. Kevin, come here and look at the mirror. It’s so cool!”
The eight-year-old twin siblings from the Giles family were named Anessa and Kevin. It seemed this was their first visit to a high-ranking noble’s estate, because they were running around excitedly with no sign of nervousness at all.
They were completely different from Ebrie, who had once looked gloomy—almost sinister—despite being a child.
“…You two, be quiet. That’s rude in front of young Lord Wynneates…”
A ten-year-old girl sighed while pressing her forehead, standing beside the twins who were so energetic they were practically chaotic. She was Brinette, the marquess’s daughter from the Beringham family. It seemed she had known the Giles twins beforehand.
“It’s fine. The teacher hasn’t arrived yet anyway. Everyone, just relax.”
I smiled and waved it off. After dealing with Ebrie, who had tried to start a fight the moment we met, these noisy, puppy-like kids just felt… adorable in comparison.
And Brinette, who calmly tried to rein in the hyperactive twins, also looked reassuring. I had expected to end up acting like a full-time nanny, but thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case.
Beside me, Calisto was sticking close, silently observing the children like he was assessing them. From the back row, Lawrence tapped Calisto’s leg with his foot.
“Hey, move over. Is Etienne yours or something?”
…said the so-called “kind-hearted top.”
In response, the “possessive future obsessive type” snapped back.
“He is mine! I sleep with him every day!”
“That’s only because you’re a kid, you brat!”
When would these kids stop acting like they were obsessed with me and start getting along with each other instead? I just wanted to raise them quickly, get them independent, and start making money.
My father probably still had unused funds set aside for his shipping business. In a few years, I would hit the jackpot in Blast Harbor—but I couldn’t just wait around until then.
I needed money now. I had to secure my retirement, make sure Calisto became crown prince, and set everything up properly. There was still a long way to go.
While I was lost in thoughts about business ideas, Lawrence and Calisto kept bickering.
It almost felt like this story was secretly a battle-romance genre. That wasn’t supposed to be the case, was it?
As I was rechecking the “Prince’s Sword” keyword in my memory, Lawrence tapped my shoulder from behind.
“Hm? What is it?”
I turned around. Lawrence smiled gently.
But his smile—though kind on the surface—wasn’t as simple as it looked. Even knowing that, it still softened my guard instinctively.
“By the way… you owe me something, Etienne, right?”
“Owe you something?”
I don’t remember anything like that. I looked at him in confusion.
Lawrence continued in a soft voice.
“Don’t you remember? I helped get Calisto into the joint class.”
“Ah… that.”
That did happen when Ebrie was causing a scene. But was that still valid now that the group composition had completely changed?
As I cautiously glanced at him, Lawrence’s expression suddenly hardened. His voice turned cold.
“You’re not planning to go back on your word, are you?”
“…Fine.”
A nine-year-old was already this scheming.
I slumped my shoulders, and Calisto—who had been clinging to my waist—pouted in frustration.
“What do you mean ‘owe’? That’s my business! Why are you asking Etienne? I’ll pay it back!”
But Lawrence ignored him completely and turned back to me with a much warmer tone.
“Then… how about a picnic next week? I heard Wynneates territory has beautiful places. Could you show me around?”
“A picnic?”
That was unexpected. I thought he would demand something far more complicated.
Still, it was just a picnic. Nothing difficult.
I nodded readily.
“Sure. Calisto hasn’t seen the Wynneates estate either, so it’d be good for him to look around too.”
“…Calisto?”
Lawrence’s voice changed slightly when he repeated the name.
Meanwhile, Calisto smiled brightly, eyes curved.
“Yes! I like it! Let’s go together, Lawrence!”
“…Calisto is coming too?”
Is this the moment they’re finally becoming friends?
Before I could think further, Anessa suddenly darted in front of me like a flash.
“What? A picnic? Take Anessa too!”
I flinched. She moved so fast it startled me.
Then Kevin rushed in as well.
“Me too! I wanna go too! A count’s estate picnic sounds awesome!”
“Alright, alright. Everyone can come. That okay, Lawrence?”
Calisto looked pleased, probably happy to have more kids around. He glanced at Lawrence with sparkling eyes.
Lawrence, on the other hand, looked like he was suppressing irritation.
“…Fine.”
From a distance, Brinette approached slowly and sighed at the twins.
“You two have no sense of propriety. I’m embarrassed just watching you.”
“Ha ha… kids are lively and energetic, that’s good. Let’s all go together.”
“I’m not friends with them. Seriously.”
She muttered in a perfectly calm tone.
Beside her, Lawrence frowned and stared back and forth between the twins and Calisto.
After that, we couldn’t exactly go on a picnic before even starting lessons.
So the picnic was postponed to the following week, and our first official class finally began with a newly arrived tutor.
Because the children were all different ages, the teacher set the difficulty to a moderate level.
Fortunately, I retained all of Etienne’s prior education after possessing this world. Although the language was different from my original world, I had no trouble reading or writing.
And mentally, I was already an adult—so children’s lessons were easy.
Brinette, known for her intelligence, and Lawrence, who had likely received elite education from a young age, followed along smoothly.
The twin siblings, being younger and more inclined toward swordsmanship than academics, struggled a bit—but they still tried hard.
I had worried about how things would go since I had initiated this joint class myself, but everyone seemed to be enjoying it. That was a relief.
Then, something completely unexpected happened.
That evening, after several classes had passed.
I lay in bed after getting ready for sleep, but couldn’t fall asleep for some reason. I rolled over a few times before realizing something was missing.
Calisto, who always crawled into my arms at this time, wasn’t there.
“Elcy, where’s Calisto? Is he in his room?”
I looked around.
The bed was wide, and I had once thought it was suffocating when he always clung to me—but now that he wasn’t there, it felt empty.
Elcy answered as if she had just remembered.
“He said he would sleep alone tonight.”
“Sleep alone?”
Something felt suspicious. Ever since he started sleeping in my room, Calisto had never once slept alone.
Feeling uneasy, I decided to go look for him.
His bedroom was just across from mine—three steps away.
As expected, I could hear movement inside as soon as I arrived. Calisto was sitting on the bed, flipping through a book.
It looked like one of the joint class textbooks.
“He’s studying this late at night?”
In the original story, Calisto was described as gifted in both civil and military matters. Even though Brinette and the twins were talented in their own ways, none of them surpassed him.
Especially in strategy—he was practically a genius, destined to take full control of the imperial navy at a young age.
I had thought he was simply a natural genius.
But it seemed he worked this hard, studying alone late into the night.
Feeling proud, I stepped forward—
“Hic…”
A small sob echoed in the quiet room.
I froze in shock.
The sound grew louder, and only then did I snap out of it and rush over to hug him.
“Baby, why are you crying? Who made you cry?!”
“Hic… bro…?”
Calisto looked up at me with wide eyes, then quickly covered his mouth with both hands and hiccupped in surprise.
He was so startled that he stopped crying almost immediately.
