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Chapter 40
“Hey. How long are you going to keep staring at this?”
“…….”
“Is it fun to watch the caterpillar wriggle?”
“Yeah.”
With that firm answer, I secretly glanced at Cassio’s side profile.
He really wasn’t taking his eyes off the caterpillar, so I guessed he meant it.
Meanwhile, I was about to go crazy from boredom.
It made sense, though. Cassio and I were watching this white caterpillar crawl from the ground onto a small leaf, nibbling it bit by bit.
We came here to have fun, and we were killing time watching this.
Even if I liked nature and insects, I hated bugs.
Every time this chubby caterpillar squirmed, I felt uneasy in my stomach.
“I even brought a board game and colored pencils today, you know? Thirty-six colors. There’s gold and silver too.”
“I don’t like drawing.”
“Then I can just watch you draw.”
“…….”
Right, he didn’t like it.
“Ugh, fine.”
I couldn’t take it anymore and suddenly stood up.
Even with my sudden movement, Cassio’s gaze stayed fixed on the caterpillar.
“Then you can play with it as long as you want. I’m going to explore your room. You’ve never shown it to me before.”
He flinched.
I definitely saw it—Cassio’s shoulders trembling slightly the moment I said I’d go to his room.
Before he turned his head toward me, I ran toward the mansion at full speed.
“Wait a minute!”
“Hehe! No way! Who wants to play with a caterpillar forever?”
It was a childish move, but somehow it felt satisfying and fun.
Laughing widely, I reached Cassio’s room before he could catch me.
I already knew the location of his room, so it was possible.
Bang.
I opened the door, and warm sunlight hit my eyes.
I shook the curly hair stuck to my face from running and looked around the room.
Cassio’s room wasn’t much bigger than mine. But unlike my room, full of colorful decorations and toys, his was calm and organized.
It didn’t feel like a child’s room, but more like a teen’s—maybe someone in their late teens.
“Wow……”
I couldn’t help but admire it.
“Huff, huff… why is she so fast……”
I ignored Cassio mumbling behind me and continued looking around.
Even my room had good sunlight, but this was different.
Even a slight glance in the wrong direction made the brightness dizzying and my eyelids sting.
“Your room is amazing……”
“Amazing?”
“Uh…!”
Cassio asked curiously, and I quickly bit my lip.
Right, they don’t really say “amazing” here.
“It’s just something I say. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, show me more of your room.”
“There’s nothing much to see……”
“Nothing? Come on, there’s a lot. What’s that?”
I pointed at the soldier dolls lined up on the bookshelf.
Red, yellow, black, blue, green… all kinds of uniforms, standing in perfect lines.
Even at a glance, I could tell they were expensive.
Even in my past life, dolls of this quality cost an unimaginable amount.
“My gifts.”
“Gifts?”
“The Duke of Lubantie bought them for me every birthday.”
Ah, the Duke of Lubantie… that’s Cassio’s uncle.
Later, Cassio cuts ties with the Lubantie family and creates his own new family.
In the book, I thought he didn’t get along with the Duke, but as a child, they seemed fine. Then why would they fight later?
I quietly thought as I watched Cassio walk over.
Just looking at the soldier dolls made him look so sentimental. He didn’t seem to hate the Duke.
But one thing bothered me. He started to say “uncle” but quickly changed to “Duke of Lubantie.”
Why didn’t he consciously want to call him uncle, even in front of a stranger like me?
But asking that would be foolish.
Seeing his face darken as he looked at the dolls, I stayed quiet and looked elsewhere.
“Wow, you even have a terrace? My room only has windows.”
I went to the terrace and tried to open the door, but it was tight and wouldn’t open.
“Why won’t it open?”
“You have to unlock it first.”
“Oh…”
The door, which seemed impossible to open, swung easily with Cassio’s gesture.
“Uh…!”
As soon as the door opened, a strong breeze swept over us.
The sunlight inside the room was nothing compared to this.
The terrace was filled with sunlight so warm it almost felt hot.
But what grabbed my attention most was the grand view of the hills straight ahead from the terrace.
It was a view no picture or painting could ever capture.
“What’s that?”
“What?”
“The place in front. Is that… a lake?”
“Yes, it’s inside the Erayton mansion too… Have you never been here?”
“Never, I didn’t know.”
I nodded blankly. Cassio looked surprised and shrugged.
“That would be a nice picnic spot… Ah, should we have a picnic? We can eat delicious food and watch the bugs you like.”
“I don’t really like watching bugs……”
“And, and! Let’s ask Aunt Helen to pack some tasty food. What should we ask for? Anything you like besides lemon tarts?”
“Not really…”
“Really? Nothing?”
“Hmm……”
I pressed him, and Cassio finally thought for a moment.
“Sausages… I don’t dislike them.”
“Sausages, and? Bread? Croissants, do you like them?”
“I don’t dislike them.”
So “don’t dislike” just means he likes them.
“Great! I love croissants too. Imagine spreading cream cheese and blueberry jam on one—so delicious.”
Cassio shook his head at my question.
Of course he didn’t know. This recipe is unknown in this world.
My shoulders lifted high. Why? Cassio seemed interested in what I was saying.
Excited, I started listing all kinds of recipes I knew from my past life.
“Tomato pasta with milk is so good! And biscuits with roasted cherry tomatoes, cream cheese, and honey… mmm……”
As I gestured with my thumb, Cassio’s mouth twitched slightly.
Seeing that made my own lips curl into a smile.
We spent a long time on the terrace talking.
I mostly did the talking, but Cassio’s occasional little laughs were huge progress.
“Ah, I have to go now. I promised to come back before dinner with Elly.”
I turned to see the sun behind the hills.
If I stayed longer, I’d have to face Elly’s scolding.
Just as I was leaving, something shiny on the desk caught my eye.
A red velvet box lay open, and something inside reflected the sunset and sparkled.
“What? What’s that?”
I unconsciously picked it up.
“Marble…?”
“No!”
With a loud voice, the small marble in my hand vanished instantly.
“Don’t touch this.”
“S-sorry……”
I stammered my apology. Cassio held the marble close to his chest.
As if it were something precious. Seeing that, I felt both guilty and even more curious about the marble.
