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Chapter 11
“But… the age difference between you two…!”
“He’s a Sword Master, so he stopped aging. My husband is quite competent.”
As if two souls were inhabiting one body, my possessed performance held the full attention of not only Ipholitte but also the gathered children, their hands clasped tightly in awe.
“What on earth is going on here! Why—why are you beside the duke?!”
“Long time no see, Father. I suppose you never expected the daughter you abandoned back then would return as part of the family by marriage, did you?”
I paused for a moment and shot a glance toward Felix.
How’s that for nerve-racking, huh?
Even as he tried to ignore it, his gaze betrayed how much it got under his skin, and slowly, the children around him shifted uneasily.
All thanks to my diligent reading habits over the years.
“Igh…!”
Finally, Felix slammed his hand down on the armrest, his face contorted with frustration.
That’s an expensive chair—if it breaks, Uncle Guillaume will have to foot the bill.
Felix glanced around, his eyes lighting up as he stood from his chair.
“Ahem!”
With a deliberate cough, as if to announce his presence, he carried something I immediately recognized.
A large cubic wooden board with short legs, with lines drawn meticulously across the surface.
And, most importantly, round black and white stones kept in small jars.
…Why is that showing up here?
There was probably no one in this country more familiar with this than me.
“Wow, Felix, what’s that?”
The children all turned to look at him at once. Felix puffed up, trying to appear imposing as he explained in a solemn tone.
“Oh, this? This is a ‘Go board’ my father brought from the East. A toy for adults—not something children who only play with dolls could handle.”
Then, with obvious derision, he turned his arrow of contempt on me.
“Well, Adelaide. How about we leave the children aside and have a proper match between us?”
“……”
“Ah… You do know how to play Go, right? Surely. Not anyone else, but the daughter of the Marquis of Sharmez herself?”
“I don’t know.”
I admitted it so straightforwardly that Felix’s expression twisted into something almost comical.
He had probably expected a grand display of pride from me, ending in a spectacular embarrassment.
But what could I do? I genuinely didn’t know how to play Go. The only thing I understood about boards—real or Go—was that the bigger the house, the better.
“I may not know Go, but…”
I paused, sweeping my gaze dramatically across the assembled children.
Do you all know a game called al-kagi?
“The rules are simple. The first to knock all of the opponent’s stones off wins.”
Tap. Each stone I placed on the board sang a clear, crisp note.
“Tch. So this is the game you propose? Such a childish thing…”
“Whatever the game, if you don’t give it your all with the intent to win, you’ll regret it. Or perhaps it’s not worth your effort if you’re only a doll-playing child?”
Felix’s face contorted again, his bulldog-like cheeks trembling.
The children flinched in fear at the harsh expression on his face.
“I’ll let you go first. It’s only proper for a gentleman to let a lady have the first move.”
“Of course, I can’t refuse. To decline the courtesy of a gentleman is not a lady-like thing either.”
Felix soon came to regret his words.
Snap!
A stone shot from the tip of my finger across the smooth board.
It knocked only Felix’s white stone off the board and stopped perfectly in place.
‘Boss, are you watching? Even if your Go skills never improved, thanks to you, my colleagues and I are now professionals in coffee-stakes al-kagi competitions.’
I briefly recalled the boss’s shiny head as if it were a black-and-white Go stone.
“Igh!”
It was Felix’s turn. He measured the angle carefully, but his stone flew past mine and plopped straight off the board.
“Damn it!”
He slammed the armrest, barely restraining himself from overturning the board entirely.
Good reaction. Kids are kids, after all.
The initially tense spectators were now fully absorbed, clutching their hands with excitement.
Each move of the stones drew gasps and cheers.
Even above us, a hastily hung banner flapped in the air.
Finally, only one white and two black stones remained.
Tap!
Victory was mine. Naturally.
“What a delightful match. Now, I suppose it’s time for a proper childlike doll session.”
“Grr…!”
Felix ground his teeth as I casually tidied the board.
Still with baby teeth, and already such a bad habit forming.
I almost said something but stopped. Let him deal with a dentist-free life for a while.
Felix could not accept the outcome.
I had won?
No matter how he stared at the board, there was no miracle that would turn his last black stone white.
“Adelaide! Amazing!”
“Where did you learn that game?”
“Teach me too!”
The same children who had fawned over him earlier now crowded around me, chattering.
Watching this, Felix felt his insides twist in frustration.
“Felix… it’s okay. Ignore her, let’s play on our own.”
A child who usually followed him held out a toy.
Seeing the roughly carved wooden toy made Felix’s face twist further into fury.
“Are you kidding? Who dares show me this cheap toy?”
—crash!
Already frustrated beyond measure, and utterly oblivious, Felix threw the toy to the ground, shattering it.
The loud noise drew the attention of the children, including Adelaide.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Adelaide stormed forward, furious.
“Apologize right now!”
“W-why should I? She upset me first!”
Intimidated by her ferocity, Felix stammered and snapped defensively.
But Adelaide’s words left him speechless.
“She was just trying to comfort you. What you just did? Purely taking out your frustration for losing to me. You’re mad at me and punishing someone weaker than you? Cowardly.”
Felix’s face went pale, struck precisely at the nerve.
And Adelaide wasn’t done yet.
