TGHB 39

Chapter – 39

“Come on, stamp it already. She looks like she’s really going to cry at this rate.”

“Our marshmallow won’t cry. She’s strangely strong in odd places.”

Hudson’s comment was met with Contié’s calm reply.

“And this is a type of education. Something like, ‘You must be careful with contracts,’ you know?”

“…How did the young lady end up with a father like this…?”

“What was that?”

“I said I was curious why you rejected today’s contract draft.”

Good grief, the shamelessness.

Shaking his head, Contié skimmed through the fourth contract Melony had written.

Contract – This One Is Really, Really the Final Version!

Melony becomes the daughter of Contié Panteive.

Contié Panteive becomes Melony’s dad.

• Even after Melony becomes an adult, she will not be kicked out.

Contractor: Contié Panteive

Contractor: Melony (soon Panteive)

Compared to the first one, it wasn’t bad.

The very first draft had practically been a master–servant contract.

He had been so stunned he couldn’t even speak.

And for a four-year-old, she wrote too well.

Almost as if a full-grown adult were stuffed into that tiny body.

Today’s contract was tolerable in comparison, but—

“I’ve thought of some conditions I want to add.”

“Additional conditions? Conditions you are adding, Your Grace?”

“Yes. Conditions I’m adding.”

To be honest, Contié wasn’t pleased with this whole situation.

Having to write a contract with a tiny marshmallow like her.

Yes, he had said he’d make one at first, but if Melony ever forgot about it, he planned to just quietly drop the whole thing.

But.

She actually remembered it perfectly.

Not only remembered—

she had been eagerly looking forward to it.

He didn’t know what to say.

It gave him a strange sense of defeat.

You still don’t trust me, do you.

That without a contract, Melony was still his daughter, and he was her father—

that this house would always be her home.

But the child was still anxious about her place and distrusting of it.

Drawing a solid line, as though she were still an outsider.

Well…

Even the way she ran around trying to get Louis or the old man to acknowledge her showed how desperate she was.

Tap, tap, tap.

His fingers drummed on the desk, revealing his irritation.

“…So the old man is the problem after all? Maybe if I kick him out, Marshmallow will feel more comfortable.”

“No comment on that one.”

Hudson swiftly washed his hands of the topic, but Contié didn’t hear him.

Anyway—

This situation was annoying, but since they’d come this far—

“Might as well use it to my advantage.”

Murmuring softly, he picked up his pen.

On the empty space of the contract, new lines of writing began to fill in neatly.

“Alright, stamp your handprint here.”

“Yeth!”

“Good. Now, a handshake to commemorate the contract.”

“Yeth!”

“…Next, a piggyback?”

“Yey—wah! So high!”

The dizzyingly high view snapped my mind awake.

Instinctively, I grabbed fistfuls of the duke’s hair.

At the same time—

“Pffft.”

Hudson clapped a hand over his mouth and turned away quickly.

“What’s so funny, Hudson?”

“Ahem, pfft— I’m just so happy that your contract has finally been finalized. Con–pft—Congratulations, young lady.”

“Tank you, Hudthon.”

While I thanked him, the duke set me down from his shoulders and into his arms.

Even then, my eyes were locked on the contract on the table.

My contract.

My lifeline…!

Maybe he noticed my sparkling gaze.

“Hopeless,” he muttered fondly.

He used his power to pull the contract over to me.

Flap, flap—

Like a butterfly, it fluttered into my hands.

Ah, the feeling was indescribable.

Five whole times.
It took five attempts for this to pass.

Contract – This Is Really Really REALLY the Final Version!

Melony becomes the daughter of Contié Panteive.

Contié Panteive becomes Melony’s dad.

During the duration of the contract, both parties must faithfully fulfill their roles.

• The contract renews for as long as Melony wants.

• Melony must call Contié “Dad” or “Father.”

• (“Dada,” “Dabby,” “Dappa,” etc. are all acceptable.)

• Melony must make at least three requests of Contié per month.

• Under normal circumstances, they must share at least seven meals together each week.

• Under normal circumstances, they must eat dessert together at least five times each week.

• If anyone questions their blood relation, Melony must say, “Go ask my dad.”

Contractor: Contié Panteive

Contractor: Melony Panteive

…The contents were a little strange, but—

Well, the stamp was already on it!

And not a single clause was bad for me.

“If I’d known you’d be this happy, I should’ve written it sooner. It was going to be written eventually anyway.”

“Hehe. It’s otay. Melony wath not good enough before.”

“…Good heavens.”

Did he really make her think things like that?

Sighing, he adjusted his hold on me so we faced each other.

“Marshmallow.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go see your contract present now.”

“A holy relic? I haven’t thosen one yet.”

A lie.

The present was decided ages ago—
“Going to meet Calix.”

But the timing didn’t feel right…

“Not that one. The contract present.”

“Contract… present?”

I hesitated, making him tilt his head.

“What’s with that reaction? Do you not want a present?”

“No! It’s not that—”

I hurriedly waved my hands and sniffled.

“I jut didn’t wanna look greedy…”

“If anyone thinks giving my daughter this much makes you look greedy, they’re insulting me.”

Oh dear.

Why did that sound a little scary?

“And remember this, Marshmallow. When you can wring benefits out of someone, you wring out a lot. You attach any excuse you can, and squeeze out one more thing. That’s the victor. That’s how the world works.”

Understand?

I trembled and nodded.

“Yes—yesh. I’ll thqueeze hard.”

“Good. That’s my daughter.”

…Can I really do this daughter thing?

No. I don’t think I can.

I don’t think I can be a Panteive young lady.

I stared coldly at the duke’s “present.”

I should have known the moment Hudson clutched his stomach and staggered in behind us.

If Hudson clutches his chest and groans?

That means something strange is about to happen.

And sure enough, before my eyes was a scene beyond strange—
bordering on absurd.

A room filled wall-to-wall with beds.

A not-small room, packed tight with rectangular beds arranged like puzzle pieces.

There wasn’t even a toe’s width of space.

It looks like one giant bed…

…How was I supposed to react to this?

I sneaked a look upward.

The duke’s face was bright with a proud grin.

“Well? Do you like it, Marshmallow?”

“Umm.”

For the first time, I couldn’t answer right away.

I glanced at Hudson—

Ahaha. The poor young lady.

His eyes said that, right before he hastily shook out some pills and swallowed them.

…Poor Hudson.

“Why? You don’t like it?”

“It’s not that—”

Dragging out my words, I finally asked:

“What ith that?”

“What do you mean? It’s a bedroom.”

“A… bedroom?”

That?

Well, yes, it was a room with beds, so technically—

“You still can’t sleep well, can you? I wondered if it was because the bed was uncomfortable.”

Gasp.

How did he know?

I tried so hard not to show it!

It had already been over a month since I came to the duke’s mansion, but I still couldn’t sleep properly.

Honestly, it had been like that from the first day.

A soft bed.

A warm blanket.

A pillow that molded perfectly to my head.

So comfortable—

yet so uncomfortable.

No, more than uncomfortable—

“…It feels like it’s going to swallow me.”

To be honest, it was a little scary.

Is it because I always slept on hard floors?

All my life—

in Bramschua, in the orphanage, on the streets, and even when I was imprisoned somewhere unknown—

I had always slept on cold, hard floors.