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Chapter 06
In stories like Hansel and Gretel or tales about entering worlds hidden inside wardrobes, children were always easily tempted by sweet things.
“I’ll ask the chef to make it for you every day.”
At her suggestion, Emil blinked with wide rabbit-like eyes.
“……”
The maid, who had been listening nearby, also looked stunned.
“Our house has a huge garden, and we have a beautiful white horse too. It loves carrots.”
“What are you…?”
“After lunch, we study together, and every day there’s a different dessert with tea or juice. The library is huge, and everyone there is really kind.”
“……”
Emil said nothing.
More accurately, he couldn’t.
Father didn’t know about what she was doing yet, but he wouldn’t oppose it.
Mother wouldn’t either.
“Should I beg the duke for permission?”
“…What?”
“I’ll ask the duke to let you come.”
“No, don’t. He’d never allow it….”
“Don’t you want to come to my house?”
“……”
She felt like a witch, luring children with sweet temptations.
She could already tell Emil was wavering, so she didn’t rush him for an answer.
“You want to come, don’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then let’s go.”
Emil stared blankly at her before averting his eyes and nodding.
“Don’t worry. The duke….”
Conscious of the maid listening nearby, she smiled sweetly.
“The duke cares about you a lot. If I tell him I’ll help you make lots of friends, I’m sure he’ll agree.”
But despite her confidence, even she wasn’t sure she could actually persuade the duke.
And Emil probably knew that better than anyone.
“Um… Sir Emil, Lady Belsia. Would it be alright if I stepped out for a moment? Another maid will be here shortly.”
The maid, clearly flustered by everything she had overheard and likely eager to report it to the duke, cautiously excused herself.
“…It’s fine. You can go.”
“Th-thank you.”
Click.
The maid left, and the door shut behind her.
Now they were truly alone.
“…Don’t try so hard to be close to me.”
Emil was the first to speak.
“Why?”
“…Because.”
“What?”
She couldn’t hear him properly.
Clenching his fists tightly, Emil spoke again.
“Because… it’s strange.”
Did he think he himself was strange and that people shouldn’t get close to him?
She was still thinking of how to answer when Emil continued.
She had only been half right.
“Even if we become close, it won’t do anything good for you. And… it’s strange that the duke suddenly told me to be friends with you.”
Having forced out the words, Emil still refused to meet her eyes.
What kind of treatment had he endured for him to fear the duke this much?
She felt conflicted.
Pity and guilt for the child before her mixed with resentment and tangled affection.
If only she could hate him purely.
At the end of her desire to protect her family from Emil, there was also a faint trace of revenge.
Her emotions surged.
While he wasn’t looking, she bit the inside of her cheek.
Still, she forced warmth into her voice.
“It’s okay. I’m still taking you home with me.”
When Emil finally looked at her again, she managed to smile naturally.
“No matter what, I just want you to be happy. You looked happy when you ate the apple pie.”
“I want you to have more moments like that.”
Emil looked as though he was trying hard not to cry.
Quietly, she tightened her own hand.
Contrary to her expectations, the duke agreed far too easily.
“If that’s what he wants, then so be it.”
“…What?”
Why was this so easy?
Escorted to the duke’s office by a different maid after the first one disappeared, Belsia had expected resistance.
Instead, Duke Callicst simply told them to do as they pleased.
“Why do you look so surprised? You’re willing to take care of my shy son. Why would I refuse?”
“Then… can he live with us?”
“Do you even understand what living together means?”
“Of course. It means becoming family.”
“If what you want is an engagement, I suppose I can discuss it with the marquis.”
An engagement…?
For a moment, Belsia went speechless.
Apparently Emil had reacted the same way.
Frozen stiff from head to toe, he didn’t even respond when she lightly poked him to check if he was okay.
“I-I just wanted to be friends….”
“Well, either way. Neither option sounds bad.”
In any case, the duke gave permission for Emil to stay with them.
Of course, it probably didn’t mean permanently moving him into their house.
More likely, Emil would simply spend a few days at the Lancaster estate and occasionally return to the Callicst manor.
There was no point explaining complicated matters to a child.
The duke would likely discuss the details with Father instead.
“You must be happy to have made a friend, Emil.”
Still red-faced, Emil managed a strained answer.
“…Yes.”
Sensing Emil’s unease, Belsia quietly held his hand.
“Thank you for your kindness, Duke. We’ll take our leave now.”
The duke, who had been watching her thoughtfully, gave a slight nod.
The moment they stepped outside the office, Emil called to her.
“…Thank you.”
The hand she held shifted awkwardly in hers.
The feeling seemed strangely unfamiliar.
“Hm?”
“……”
Even when she pretended not to hear and asked again, Emil refused to repeat himself.
What was he thanking her for?
For helping him leave the estate?
Objectively speaking, Emil was only ten years old.
He had grown up in an environment that crushed his self-worth, where people constantly told him no one in the world would ever love him.
And now, for the first time, he was finally stepping outside.
She stopped walking in the hallway.
“Emil.”
So many words reached the tip of her tongue only to be swallowed back down.
“I like you. You’re handsome, and you’re smart.”
“……”
“And my mom said something.”
“She said you’re not Princess Robelline.”
That was all she could say right now.
She looked directly into his trembling eyes.
“You haven’t hurt anyone, right?”
His eyes widened, as though struck by some enormous realization.
Then slowly, they began to redden.
Just like before, Emil forced down the emotions building inside him.
“Yeah. I… haven’t hurt anyone.”
“I know.”
“I haven’t bullied anyone either….”
“That’s right.”
“I really haven’t done anything….”
He couldn’t finish.
The thoughts he couldn’t voice seemed to spill silently between his lips.
As casually as possible, she tugged him along.
“From now on, let’s eat lots of delicious food and go places together.”
“…Okay.”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’ll make you happy.”
Quietly, Emil muttered.
“…Me too.”
This time, she heard him clearly.
“I’ll make you happy too.”
After getting the duke’s permission, they spent time in Emil’s room flipping through the books he had read.
Though “playing” was hardly the right word.
It was more like studying.
They exchanged questions and answers, teaching each other the things they knew.
Still, Emil seemed happy, so maybe it counted as play after all.
By sunset, a familiar carriage rolled into the estate.
Its crest—a white stag with horns, accompanied by a sword and quill—was unmistakable.
“Did you pack everything?”
Emil still couldn’t fully grasp that he was actually leaving for Belsia’s house.
“I don’t know… what else I should bring.”
“If it’s not something really important or precious, you can just come as you are.”
Emil stared at her for a moment.
“…Then I guess I’ll just go.”
He had nothing with him.
Not even a small trunk.
“Good decision. Mom and I will get you everything you need.”
“…Okay.”
“And we’ll have dinner together, then hang out before bed.”
Emil couldn’t stop staring at the carriage bearing the Lancaster crest.
Quite some time had passed since it arrived, but Father still hadn’t appeared.
He was probably speaking with Duke Callicst.
About an hour later, Father finally appeared, faintly frowning.
“So even you cause trouble sometimes.”
“Do you really think I caused trouble?”
“…No. Let me correct myself.”
Perhaps because he had just met with the duke, Father didn’t seem in a good mood.
“Your mother occasionally causes this kind of trouble too. It’s honestly impressive how perfectly you resemble her.”
“Hm. I’ll take that as a compliment!”
Laughing lightly, she pulled Emil closer.
“Emil, this is my dad. He’s the captain of the city guard.”
“……”
“……”
The two exchanged awkward nods.
Even though Emil had occasionally stayed at their house when he was younger, they still hadn’t become close.
Then again, Father had always found Emil difficult to deal with.
“…It’ll be dark soon. Let’s head back.”
“…Okay.”
Just as they were about to leave the estate—
“You’re leaving already?”
Though he had supposedly been too busy to come down, Duke Callicst personally came to see them off.
“Thank you for today, Duke. I had a wonderful time.”
Belsia lifted her skirt politely in farewell, and the duke responded with formal courtesy.
Then he looked down at his son.
“You’re going somewhere important. Try not to be troublesome.”
“I… understand.”
“And Marquis, I’d like my son returned at least once a week.”
“Once a week?”
“Even distant fathers and sons shouldn’t forget each other’s faces.”
Father’s expression soured immediately.
He glanced briefly at Emil before looking back at the duke.
After neglecting his child for so long, his sudden concern felt deeply suspicious.
“So you do care about your son after all. I had no idea.”
Father’s voice turned cold.
“I don’t intend to spend a second longer in this house than necessary.”
Saying exactly what Belsia had wanted to, Father lifted her into the carriage.
Then he paused, instinctively about to help Emil in as well.
Watching the hesitation, the duke chuckled.
“My son doesn’t need help. He manages just fine.”
Conscious of the duke’s words, Emil climbed into the carriage himself.
“Safe travels.”
And with that final farewell, the carriage door shut.
The ride home was quiet and peaceful.
Belsia opened the window so Emil could see outside.
Though he maintained his usual quiet expression, he couldn’t take his eyes off the scenery.
Could she finally relax a little now?
Would this really change the future?
She still didn’t know.
But something had changed.
It had to.
After some time, familiar scenery came into view.
Quietly, Emil murmured,
“The last time I came here… it felt like another world.”
He didn’t even seem aware he was speaking aloud.
Though his voice was soft, both Belsia and Father heard him clearly.
“The place I was living in… was the wrong place.”
Mother welcomed Emil warmly.
“Welcome. It’s been a while—it makes me happy to see you.”
In the original story, Robelline had been described as a classic femme fatale.
Glossy black hair, dangerous yet mesmerizing golden eyes, elegant and terrifying.
Mother often said it amazed her that someone as angelic-looking as Emil had been born from such a woman.
And before dinner, she hardly let him go.
Looking him over from every angle, Mother bounced excitedly like a young girl.
“Children grow up so quickly. Just a few years ago, your cheeks were still round and adorable. And now you already seem so grown up.”
Then she stopped herself.
She seemed to be thinking of Robelline Castone.
