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Chapter 9
Why Is the Annoying One Always ‘1+3’?
Verris’s expression changed when he saw the paper boat.
It was as if he had received a huge shock, muttering softly, “Ah…”
“Your Highness, the boat… why is it like this? It’s strange.”
Verris leaned close to the table, tilting his head in confusion.
And it was understandable—compared to what random kids could make, my paper boat was a mess.
It was crumpled in places, ragged and sloppy—anyone could see it was poorly made.
“That’s rude to say.”
Meanwhile, Ronowe stepped in between Verris and me.
“Even if the boat looks like it’s fit for a shipwreck, it’s still… Your Highness made it with effort.”
Ronowe gently pointed out to Verris that he had made a mistake.
‘What’s going on? Shipwreck isn’t exactly a word a child would casually say.’
I flinched, then remembered that I currently looked like a three-year-old and decided to quietly observe the situation for now.
“But… the boat… it’s all broken.”
Yet Verris didn’t change his mind. With an innocent expression, he emphasized that my paper boat was a complete mess.
“Stop it!”
Ronowe finally turned to face Verris.
“Your Highness surely knows the boat got damaged too!”
Raising his voice to restrain the unstoppable Verris, Ronowe tried to put a stop to the chaos.
‘Both of you, stop. I know, you little rascals.’
Watching the scene unfold made me feel embarrassed and conflicted.
Rather than feeling grateful for Ronowe’s defense, I only felt my poor crafting skills more painfully.
“It’s difficult because it’s your first time.”
Just then,
“The Marquis said everyone is clumsy at first.”
At the moment I was getting discouraged by my bad work, Carlisle spoke. He took the paper boat in front of me and gently touched it.
“Thank you for saying that.”
Truly, he was the most admirable one—worthy of being a future general. I looked at Carlisle and silently expressed my gratitude.
“Next time, I’ll teach you more easily.”
Carlisle made eye contact with me and gave a faint smile.
“I don’t want to do paper folding anymore. It’s boring.”
Meanwhile, Verris of the Fleur siblings, who had been playing nicely beside us while the fight happened, got bored.
“I’m hungry.”
Suddenly, Ronowe dropped to the floor, clutching his growling stomach.
“Me too.”
Verris let the paper drop to the floor, saying he was hungry.
“I want to eat something.”
He picked up one of the fallen paper boats and began chewing it.
“Ah~ no. That’s not food.”
Startled, Carlisle quickly ran over and pulled the paper boat from Verris’s mouth. He seemed shocked that Verris would actually try to eat paper, no matter how hungry.
“If you’re hungry, let’s clean up and go eat.”
Returning to a calm expression, Carlisle suggested that we tidy the mess and go eat, despite Verris still sulking.
“I’m too hungry to clean!”
Verris puffed his cheeks and ran off in protest.
“Ah…”
Carlisle hesitated at the sudden movement, while Ronowe stared blankly at the retreating Verris before standing up.
“Meat~.”
“Meat! Meat~.”
Soon, the Fleur siblings were carried off by a waiting maid nearby.
I watched Verris and then began picking up the scattered papers from the floor.
“Your Highness, you should go ahead and eat. I’ll clean this up first.”
Carlisle insisted I go ahead since he could handle the cleanup alone, but I didn’t want to leave him working by himself, so I joined in.
“No, let’s do it together.”
As we diligently picked up papers, our hands accidentally touched.
“Your Highness!”
Carlisle was startled, his eyes wide.
“You could cut your hand on the paper.”
I was also surprised by his reaction, but rather than pulling away, Carlisle carefully enveloped my hand with both of his.
“I’m sorry…!”
Realizing suddenly, he quickly let go and apologized.
After a brief awkward silence, we gathered all the scattered papers and tidied everything perfectly.
“Good job.”
I looked around the now-clean area and handed the paper boat I had folded to Carlisle.
“Take this. I noticed you seemed to like boats.”
Though it was still crumpled and ugly, Carlisle received it respectfully with both hands.
“Thank you.”
Even though I wondered if it was worth blushing over, I pretended it was nothing.
“Then let’s go.”
Eventually, accompanied by our dedicated maid, I left the study escorted by Carlisle.
Shortly after, contrary to my expectations, I only ended up separated from the others during mealtime with Carlisle. This was because I was having lunch with Jeff and others.
The dining room, recently redecorated with luxurious brown curtains, shimmered with golden specks. The chandelier on the ceiling reflected sunlight streaming through the windows, making everything appear even more splendid. The table was laid with all sorts of exquisite dishes.
Juicy, mouthwatering meats, salads, seafood—so beautifully presented that touching them seemed almost sacrilegious.
The stunning display of food made my appetite surge like boiling water.
‘It’s worth carefully selecting the chefs.’
I carefully plated a bit of each dish, twirling noodles with my fork. When I tried to lift the fork, the noodles slid off.
‘What’s the point of acting grown-up!’
Frustrated, I scowled at the plate.
“Our daughter~.”
Feeling pathetic, I glared at my plate when Jeff called me.
“Could you look this way? I brought a child to help with Darjeeling’s studies.”
I thought we’d quietly eat without introductions, but Jeff finally mentioned the red-haired boy sitting across from me.
“Since the children from the Fleur household are young, Sasha can help them with learning and studies.”
“Yes, sir.”
Indeed, the other kids were not capable of handling more than conversation. Jeff called the red-haired boy Sasha and had us greet each other.
‘I’m hungry.’
Ignoring the introduction, I half-heartedly responded, prioritizing food over a new companion.
Meanwhile, Sasha placed one hand over his chest, greeting politely before focusing on eating.
I watched the red-haired boy eat, but my hunger got the better of me and I lifted my fork again.
‘Wait, what do you mean by helping with education?’
I wondered why a child was here at lunch, but there was a reason.
‘Playing with those idiots is exhausting enough.’
From Jeff’s perspective, as a father, he wanted his only daughter to have friends, but I honestly wasn’t thrilled. It was bothersome.
‘I need time to adjust to this body and handle so many things.’
I gathered my thoughts, twirling noodles again, only to drop them.
‘Dropped again.’
I reluctantly gave up on the noodles and tried something else.
“Our Darjeeling eats well~.”
Jeff’s eyes lit up, and he stared at me eagerly.
‘Ah, why so intense?’
I gripped my fork tightly, muttering silently.
“Seeing Darjeeling eat fills me up. Eat a lot.”
Unaware of my internal grumbling, Jeff smiled proudly, the perfect doting father.
‘I’m going to starve under this pressure.’
Under his gaze, it was impossible to eat properly. I poked at my plate, hesitant to eat.
“Still a bit left.”
“Potatoes…”
Only a little salad and potatoes remained. For some reason, only the potatoes caught my eye, making me uneasy.
“You must dislike potatoes.”
Sasha, who had been quietly eating, suddenly remarked.
“Don’t you want to eat? Are the potatoes bad?”
“No.”
Jeff worried when I left the potatoes untouched.
‘This is going to be all potatoes.’
I reluctantly picked up a small broken piece of potato and hesitated.
‘Why does he like potatoes so much?’
Memories flashed back.
‘He used to steal a whole sack of potatoes and eat only potatoes even during war…’
I recalled little Jeff eagerly eating a giant boiled potato.
“No~ Even if you dislike potatoes, you have to eat. Your nanny said Darjeeling shouldn’t be picky and must eat properly.”
Putting my hands on my lap, Jeff frowned at my selective eating.
“Darjeeling, ah~.”
Soon Jeff speared a small piece of potato and brought it to me. I shook my head in horror.
‘I can’t just not eat it…’
I had no choice but to reluctantly eat the potato, prolonging the moment and letting him feed me slowly.
‘I once was accused of being a witch for acting beyond my age.’
Eating the potato painfully reminded me of that old memory.
‘I can’t act recklessly anymore.’
I recalled the final moments of that difficult past.
‘I want to grow up fast and live freely.’
Grumbling at the slow pace, I picked up my fork again.
“I’ll eat by myself.”
I still hated being forced.
“Look at our Darjeeling.”
Jeff admired my attitude.
“Already trying to eat on her own.”
He stood, looking around proudly.
“How smart and admirable!”
The doting father mode fully activated, Jeff even exaggerated his words like a performer.
“Not just because she’s my daughter, Darjeeling is truly a genius. Remember her drawing? She did it so well.”
Why tell Sasha that?!
‘It was a rough sketch…’
I remembered the drawing, patched with blue and green, depicting potato-like creatures.
“Like His Majesty the Emperor, Her Highness the Princess is truly clever.”
Quiet Sasha praised me once Jeff finished.
“Your Highness, duty time is over.”
“Understood. Lunch time is done.”
A nearby attendant informed Jeff it was time to leave.
“Then talk with our daughter leisurely.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Jeff asked Sasha to play nicely with me.
“But if you make advances toward my daughter… I won’t forgive you.”
Immediately, he gave me a cold glare, warning Sasha not to approach with romantic intentions.
“Understood.”
Sasha respectfully replied without reacting further.
“Dad will go work now, our dear Darjeeling.”
Jeff hugged me, kissed my cheek, and left with the attendants, while I emptied my mind, giving up on thinking.
“……”
“……”
In the now-quiet dining room, Sasha and I sat silently, staring at each other.
“Big sister.”
After a long pause, Sasha finally broke the silence with a playful smile.
