TCHB 03

Chapter 03

As I repeated the same day over and over, the week seemed to vanish in an instant.

What did I even do that time passed so quickly? I tried to recall everything I had done over the week, but all I could think of was eating, sleeping, playing, and studying history.

Ah. That must be why it went by so fast.

“Shuri!”

Huh. Lotte’s here!

I stopped my thoughts and warmly greeted Lotte, who ran toward me from the carriage as if she were my own daughter. My mother had some sudden business, so I was going with her in the carriage.

“Hello, Lotte.”

“Let’s go quickly!”

Lotte hugged me, her eyes sparkling. She looked so cute that a smile naturally spread across my face.

“Hello, Duchess.”

She held the hem of her dress and gave a polite little bow. The Duchess nodded in return with a radiant smile.

I sat next to Lotte and began giving her a little lesson on how to protect innocent princesses from pesky flies.

“Lotte, did you know? They say plants are living beings too.”

“They’re alive? But plants don’t talk!”

Lotte widened her eyes in surprise, her pupils trembling.

“They can’t talk, but apparently they understand what we say! If you say they’re pretty, they grow well. If you say they’re ugly, they sulk and don’t grow properly.”

“Lies!”

“It’s true. Have you ever seen me lie?”

Well, yes… I did lie a lot. But I’d long since abandoned my conscience!

“Really? Wow!”

Lotte gasped in awe. She looked so adorable I almost bit the inside of my cheek. If I didn’t, I felt like I might pinch her chubby cheeks instead.

Shurer, get a grip. You’re supposed to be an intellectual. Plus, if you bite her, it’s an instant dead-end!

“People are alive too, and killing people is a crime. The person who does it is a murderer. Then, if you kill a flower…”

“A floormurderer! Oh no! I accidentally stepped on a flower yesterday… does that make me a floormurderer…?”

Tears quickly welled up in Lotte’s eyes. Her voice trembled so much that you could tell she was genuinely upset.

Hehe… and a floormurderer… I can’t handle this, it’s too cute.

I glanced at the Duchess, and she was smiling at us, a gentle smile on her face.

“Shuri? Are you okay? You’re not refusing to talk to me because I’m a floormurderer, right?”

“No! Lotte, you can’t help it if you accidentally stepped on it. Next time, watch where you step! And later, apologize to the flower you stepped on, okay?”

“Okay… the flower must have hurt a lot…”

This child’s innocence… my little treasure.

I continued talking to Lotte.

“Lotte, then what about those who give flowers to you at the tea party—”

“Floormurderers!”

“Right. But there’s an exception. A flower shop trims flowers nicely and gives them to you. Since the flowers agree, it’s not a bad place.”

I didn’t even fully understand what I was saying, but as long as the flies were taken care of, that was enough. Lotte was a very attentive listener.

“Oh, we’ve arrived.”

The Duchess, who had been watching us with a fond gaze, spoke. The doors opened, and we were escorted by knights as we stepped down from the carriage. I hurriedly followed the Duchess’s heels.

“But is Brother Kiel not coming?”

“Mm, he is! After swordsmanship class!”

Then I’ll have to charm him diligently today too. One more word than last time!

“All right!”

I mentally braced myself to give it my all. Lotte laughed brightly, holding my hand as she led me.

Inside the tea party hall, there seemed to be about fifteen children. Lotte and I went to the area piled high with desserts. We began eating sweets while chatting.

“The other day, Brother read a fairy tale, and here’s what happened! A princess named Sunbaek lived….”

Sunbaek? Ah, that story. It’s almost the same as Snow White in Korea!

I smiled and focused on her retelling.

“In the end, the hunter betrayed Sunbaek and tried to kill her, so she decided not to trust men. But it turned out she had a brother, and he killed the hunter and the witch, and they all lived happily ever after. The end!”

…Isn’t that way too twisted even for a retelling?

I raised the corners of my mouth awkwardly. Seeing Lotte smile innocently, unaware of anything, made me feel pangs of a conscience I thought I’d lost.

“So the moral is, except for brother, all men are bad people!”

That’s very biased!

My awkward smile completely crumbled. Unsure whether to laugh or cry, a boy approached us.

“Humph, I’m not giving this because I like you! I’m just… giving it!”

The boy handed a white flower to Lotte. His hands were dirty, and the stem looked roughly broken, as if he had picked it from the garden outside.

“This… is a… floormurderer!”

Lotte shouted in shock. The boy looked at her with wide-eyed surprise.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be from a count’s family. Among the noblewomen present, the most alarmed was Countess Rodeha. That meant…

“Xian! What have you done to the young lady!”

Countess Rodeha hurried toward us.

Oops, wrong move. Hehe.

The boy’s eyes filled with tears, and he began to cry loudly.

Ah, I didn’t want it to come to this.

Before the situation escalated further, I quickly tried to resolve it.

“Countess, I’m Shurer from the Klambeck family. Lotte and I read a book the other day that taught not to pick flowers in the garden. This young man… well, he startled Lotte by picking a flower. I apologize, Countess.”

After I explained, the countess widened her eyes. She comforted her son and thanked me for letting her know what happened.

Technically, I caused the problem, so I was the one who should apologize… silently, I bowed in my heart.

“Lotte, are you okay?”

“Mm… I’m okay now!”

The boy had stopped crying, leaving just Lotte and me. Peace returned.

I filled a plate with desserts I thought Kiel would like and resumed chatting with Lotte. After all the commotion, no one would dare pick flowers today.

Feeling relieved, I giggled at Lotte, who looked like a little squirrel with too many macarons in her mouth.

I thought it was only natural that Lotte was the main heroine. Who wouldn’t love her when she was this cute and adorable?

I brushed the crumbs off Lotte’s cheek. She laughed, chewing enthusiastically, and her cheeks moved with her mouth—it was unbearably cute.

Why didn’t I bring a camera for this photo opportunity?

I mentally scolded my past self for forgetting the camera. By now, Lotte’s plump, cute cheeks had disappeared. She had finished all the macarons.

“Shuri! I’m going to see Mom! I’ll give her this! I’ll be back soon!”

Lotte stacked four macarons on a plate, then added three more of a different color. She walked off in tiny, adorable steps.

But when would Kiel arrive? I wondered just as a shadow fell over me.

“Oh? Brother Kiel!”

I tried to sound as cheerful as possible, keeping my bright smile.

“And Lotte?”

Kiel didn’t react even to my embarrassed act of cuteness. I knew he would be indifferent, but it was still discouraging.

Huh? Who’s that behind him?

A blond boy was staring at me. His hair looked silky, and his clothes were immaculate. Seeing the outfit, it was definitely custom-made by Madame Mariot, which could take years to acquire.

“I’m bringing macarons to the Duchess. Ah! These are for you, brother!”

I quickly held the plate out to Kiel.

“I’m not eating.”

“Really? I prepared these just for you because you came. They’re really tasty… and Lotte helped pick them. But if you don’t want them…”

This guy…

As soon as I said Lotte helped choose them, Kiel picked up Lotte’s favorite strawberry dacquoise. It seemed to suit his taste, and he took the plate from me.

“You said you weren’t eating…”

Really? Didn’t we at least become friendly over peanuts?

I felt slightly disappointed, though I had hoped our relationship had improved. Kiel noticed me sulking and glanced at me.

How do you even charm this brother fool?

The future seemed utterly dark. All familiar paths were blocked; I’d have to carve a new one, but it felt like thick walls surrounded me.

Still, I had to try—to survive!

“You said you prepared it for me.”

Yes, yes. But you said you wouldn’t eat it! Hah, really!

I scolded him silently for being petty and stingy while keeping a smiling face outwardly.

How did life get so messed up? I lamented silently, with Kiel standing in front of me.

“Eh.”

As I was wallowing in self-pity, the scent of chocolate filled my mouth. Surprised, I looked at Kiel, and my reflection was in his stoic eyes.

I hurriedly chewed to speak. While I was nervously chewing, Kiel spoke urgently.

“…I didn’t really give it to you because I liked it.”

Then he immediately walked away toward the Duchess and Lotte.

What the…? That’s just infuriating in a weird way.

Feeling inexplicably hurt, I pouted and glared at his back. He didn’t look back once.

Fine, I’ll charm him even if it kills me!

I fumed silently, venting my frustration. Tap, tap. If someone hadn’t touched my shoulder, I could’ve stayed like that for a few more minutes.

“Hello, Shur!”

“Ebina?”

“Mm!”

The one calling me was my cousin Ebina, who had visited our house before.

“Uh, long time no see.”

It wasn’t really that long. It had been just over a month since I transmigrated, and it had been less than a week since I last saw Ebina.

Still, Ebina didn’t seem to care about my reaction. Her bright smile made my conscience ache. I thought I’d abandoned it long ago.

“Shur, did you get the gift?”

“Oh! You asked Rena to deliver it. Thanks, Ebina!”

Strangely… well, maybe I shouldn’t say strange. Anyway, Ebina really liked me. This wasn’t her being self-conscious—it was genuine.

From the joyful face she wore upon seeing me to leaving a letter and drawing with the maid to deliver to me, she clearly wanted to surprise me.

“Ebina, what do you like about me?”

“Ah… well…”

Ebina lowered her head, covering half her face. Through her small, chubby fingers, I could see her flushed cheeks.

Adorable! Not as cute as Lotte, but still!

“No worries! If it’s difficult to say, you don’t have to. People can keep their secrets.”

I waved my hand.

Being loved by children feels good. They’re cute, healing, and pure. Sometimes their innocence pokes at painful parts, but…

“By the way, did Ebina get home safely?”

“Yes? Mm!”

I continued chatting with her, thinking it didn’t really matter. Ebina was just too cute to find anything odd.

No way I’d fall for that kind of cuteness—it’s not my fault.

Cuteness might fool the world, but at least it saves my life!