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Chapter – 38
A small hand gently patted my head, which was buried in the pillow.
“What on earth is going on? For days now, you’ve just been lying face down on the bed, sighing. If you have a problem, tell me.”
A problem?
Tell you about a problem?
Impossible. Whatever else, this was not a problem I could confide in Louis.
“…Brother.”
“Yeah, tell me! I’ll listen to anything!”
“The world is… just too cruel.”
“…Huh?”
Yeah, it’s really insanely cruel.
You think it’s just cruel?
It’s also downright mean.
It’s been five days since the Duke said he’d write a contract for me.
And in those five days, I have had a whopping three contract drafts rejected.
A whopping three times, I’ve been turned down!
* * *
When I went to give him the first contract draft, I was still filled with confidence.
Hehehe. This should pass in one go.
I believed the contract would be signed that very day.
But-
Contract Draft
Melony pretends to be the daughter of Duke Conthies Panteyber.
Duke Conthies Panteyber pretends to be Melony’s father.
While the contract is maintained, both parties faithfully fulfill their roles.
1. He will not kick me out until I become an adult (age 20). (Or at least until I’m 16.)
2. I vow to do my best to act like a daughter.
(Adopted daughter X. A daughter with shared bloodlines!)
(If the Duke is pressured to marry, I will help interfere from the side!)
3. I will turn the Duke into a fool.
4. I will not dare covet the successor position. I will not act arrogant or be a nuisance.
5. If he intends to kick me out, he will notify me six months in advance.
Contractor: Conthies Panteyber
Contractor: Melony.
“Unacceptable.”
The answer that came back was cold.
There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in the speed of his reply.
Thud.
It literally felt like getting hit on the back of the head with a hammer.
…How could this be?
I was really confident.
I was super confident!
I wrote it in a way that would cause the Duke the least trouble.
So our contract wouldn’t feel like a loss for him.
But to be rejected this quickly…
“Why, why…?”
“There are too many of these stipulations. The part about your status also needs to be strengthened a bit more. In many ways, it would be better to rewrite it, Marshmallow.”
Don’t worry. I won’t set a deadline, so take your time.
Adding what sounded like encouragement but wasn’t quite encouragement, he neatly folded the contract and handed it back to me.
It was, truly, a perfect rejection.
But the shock was brief.
Right, right. That can happen.
I quickly shook off the despair.
Who am I?!
A four-year-old who doesn’t know the meaning of giving up!
The smartest child in the Empire!
I’ll use this failure as a stepping stone and write the second contract draft even harder!
I’ll definitely get it passed this time.
With that single-minded determination, I wrote the second contract draft with even more effort and took it to him.
Contract Draft – This is the real one
Melony pretends to be the daughter of Duke Conthies Panteyber.
Duke Conthies Panteyber pretends to be Melony’s father.
While the contract is maintained, both parties faithfully fulfill their roles.
1. He will not kick me out until I become an adult.
2. I vow to do my best to act like a daughter.
3. I will turn the Duke into a fool.
4. I will not dare covet the successor position.
5. If he intends to kick me out, he will notify me six months in advance.
Contractor: Conthies Panteyber
Contractor: Melony (soon to be Panteyber)
But for some reason, the Duke’s expression as he read through the contract was odd.
“…’Soon to be Panteyber’? What kind of unheard-of status is this?”
“Huhny ish not yett on the fahmily registhee! Sho I can’t shay Panteyber yet, but you shaid to make my shtatus clearrr…”
As I answered cautiously, observing his reaction, the Duke’s gaze shifted to Hudson.
“Don’t look at me like that. I merely told the truth.”
“I remember the registration application was completed quite a while ago. I can’t believe it’s still not processed.”
“Normally, it takes a long time to process the registration of an illegitimate— a child born out of wedlock. And it’s not just about the application; it also needs the approval of the council of elders and the previous Duke. I told you last time as well.”
“Sigh. When I want to put my own daughter on the family register, I don’t understand why so many people feel the need to have a say.”
“That is precisely the weight of being a Duke— Yes. I’ll be quiet now.”
After the brief exchange, the Duke’s gaze returned to me.
I looked up at him with a trembling heart.
This time for sure—
“This one is also rejected.”
Rejected, huh.
“I don’t like the last three conditions. It’s better to just remove them. And I don’t like that only my name has ‘Duke’ attached to it. Write it again, Marshmallow.”
Fold, fold, fold.
There was no mercy in the hands that folded the paper and handed it back.
There was literally not a single ounce of mercy.
Sniff.
Right. That can happen.
It’s possible to be rejected once or twice!
I’ll just get it passed next time!
I immediately ran to my room and made the third contract draft.
The revision period for the third draft didn’t take long either.
Because the parts to fix were clear.
So, I thought this time would really be the one to pass, but—
Contract Draft – This is really the real one!
Melony becomes the daughter of Conthies Panteyber.
Conthies Panteyber pretends to be Melony’s father.
While the contract is maintained, both parties faithfully fulfill their roles.
1. He will not kick me out until I become an adult.
2. I vow to do my best to act like a daughter.
Contractor: Conthies Panteyber
Contractor: Melony (soon to be Panteyber)
“Rejected.”
Rejected again.
“‘Pretends to be a father?’ ‘Act like a daughter?’ The phrasing doesn’t sit well with me. Do it again.”
It was cleanly rejected.
My soul tattered, clutching the rejected contract draft in my hand, I trudged back to my room.
And then.
“Sniffle.”
I dove straight onto the bed.
Burying my face in the pillow, I cried… No, I let out about a hundred sighs.
Brave Melony doesn’t shed tears over a trial like this.
Just as I was letting out my hundred-and-first sigh or so, Louis came to find me.
And that brings us to the present.
Sighhhh.
Recalling everything that happened, a wave of self-pity surges over me.
’I’ll give you anything you want,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry about how it looks,’ he said!
But where does he get off rejecting them like this!
Where does he get off giving me these signals!
“Melony, are you really okay—?”
“…Brother!”
“Whoa, you scared me!”
I suddenly lifted my head and shouted, causing a startled Louis to jump up.
Placing a hand over his chest and panting, he asked, “What, what is it?”
I asked with a grave look in my eyes.
“Do you know how to write a contrack well?”
“A contract? The kind adults write?”
“Yeah. Mewony… wants to write contracks well.”
“Psh, what business do you have writing contracts?”
Gulp.
At the sharp question, I rolled my eyes and made up an excuse.
“…I, my dweam ish to be a perfec child.”
“Ah-ha. In that case, I understand.”
This gets understood.
“Melony, if you want to be a perfect child, you can’t lie around like this!”
Louis exclaimed energetically, thumping his chest and adding,
“To be a perfect child, you have to get up and move hard! Just like your b, r, o, t, h, e, r here. Got it?”
Come to think of it, he’s right.
Yeah.
’I can’t stay lying down like this forever.’
Nothing gets solved by lying around.
Even begging on the streets is only possible if you’re diligent.
You have to bow and scrape from morning till night just to maybe get one meal to barely fill your stomach.
Sigh. Don’t act weak, Melony.
This little trial? It’s nothing!
In life, hardship and adversity have always been my friends.
And I’ve lived my life beating all those friends.
’Become the best. Become the best and beat them all again this time.’
Thinking about it, there’s nothing difficult about it.
The way to become the best is set.
’Persistence until it works. Writing until it’s accepted!’
If I keep writing and submitting, it’ll pass eventually.
I’m the persistent Melony!
Because I’m the Empire’s top four-year-old-aaaaah!
“The Empire’s best four-year-old, a born genius. Mewony is the Empire’s 2nd… no, 3rd best four-year-old.”
Melony muttered dazedly and trudged away, turning her back.
She was utterly dejected.
And she couldn’t help it.
She had just gotten her fourth contract draft rejected.
