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Chapter 6
As she entered the dining room, a suitably rich, sweet, and enchanting aroma touched her nose.
Sniff sniff. Leponea’s eyes rolled back on their own. Food so lavish it seemed the table might break was being laid out without pause.
Truthfully, it had been days since she’d become a child’s body, and she hadn’t had a proper meal.
Leponea gulped audibly.
‘So the Ducal household eats like this every meal. Even more luxurious than other nobles.’
The Duke carefully seated Leponea right next to the head of the table. Thanks to the soft cushion, her bottom didn’t hurt either.
“Here, this will be your seat from now on. Leponea.”
Food with juices dripping profusely came into view.
“Eat comfortably.”
Looking at the numerous dishes and the seat right next to the head of the table, she thought she understood.
‘He’s trying to find fault from the start to instill proper manners.’
Nobles cared immensely about others’ perceptions. They believed that if a flaw was found by someone, their reputation and honor would suffer.
‘I learned this from age six.’
Having studied under the Pope for years, this level was nothing.
Leponea ignored the Duke’s burdensome gaze pouring from beside her and slowly picked up the cutlery appropriate for the food.
She elegantly cut the food into bite-sized pieces so no sound from the cutlery was made, put it in her mouth, and ate perfectly according to etiquette.
Glancing sideways, the Duke’s face had hardened stiffly.
He seemed surprised because she was too perfect.
“Who placed a knife at Leponea’s setting?”
Huh?
“A five-year-old child can’t cut meat with a knife and eat it.”
A murderous aura flowed.
The atmosphere froze solid in an instant.
Leponea subtly checked the mood and put down the knife she was holding in her hand.
‘Is this not it?’
Why is it so difficult from the start?
As soon as she put it down, Duke Craitan cleared away the dangerous adult cutlery to one side.
“Bring a child’s fork immediately.”
At his low voice, a servant hurriedly brought new cutlery.
Peep peep.
A small fork with a chick drawn on it.
“……”
Only then did the Duke let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to cut all the food Leponea was to eat into small, bite-sized pieces.
“You need to eat a lot of meat to grow tall.”
No. You need to eat balanced meals to grow tall.
“If you eat too big a piece, you might choke, so chew it thoroughly.”
You chew with your teeth, not your gums, so why would you choke?
“Here, like this, poke the food with the fork so it doesn’t run away.”
Duke Craitan speared a very small piece of cut meat with the fork. And he stared intently at Leponea.
‘Is he telling me to copy him now?’
He seemed intent on watching until she imitated him, so Leponea picked up the peep peep fork.
It was much lighter than the adult cutlery and fit in her hand, so it wasn’t burdensome.
Leponea stabbed the meat.
“And then pop it into your mouth—”
Following Duke Craitan, she put the meat in her mouth.
“This is how you chew it thoroughly. Yum yum yum.”
He was chewing with sound.
He was teaching her how to chew, going so far as to show his molars, yum yum yum.
“……”
It seemed he would continue until she followed suit this time as well, so eventually Leponea copied the Duke and chewed the meat, nyam nyam nyam.
‘The noble etiquette I learned wasn’t like this…’
Was what I learned even correct?
Everything I’ve learned so far is becoming useless.
Leponea’s pupils shook.
“Well done. I fed your older brothers the same way.”
The noble etiquette Leponea had learned had long vanished from this table.
“Here, drink some water too… Wait a moment. The water is too cold. Who poured cold water at Leponea’s place? Don’t you know if the water is this cold, she could get a stomach ache?”
Leponea found herself staring blankly into space.
‘He mentioned the second son hasn’t returned from the Academy, right?’
It couldn’t be for this reason, could it?
Leponea diligently filled her stomach with the peep peep fork.
Only after the meal ended and dessert was devoured did the Duke get to the main point.
“I plan to submit this adoption document to the Imperial Family tomorrow.”
Duke Craitan waved the adoption document containing all her personal details.
It would be complete with just the approval of the child to be adopted, i.e., Leponea, at the bottom.
The method for a noble to adopt a child was simple. If there was a child they wished to adopt, they filled out a document with the child’s personal details, the child signed it, and then they just submitted it to the Imperial Family.
The adoption document contained magic, making it impossible to tear or discard carelessly.
Then the child would officially become a member of the family.
Since adoption was easy, the method for annulment was also simple.
They filled out an annulment document with the child’s personal details and submitted it to the Imperial Family. That was also the end of it.
So even when Leponea was at the orphanage, there were many children who were frequently adopted and then returned.
Anyway, the other side held all the power.
“Don’t you have any questions?”
“Nope.”
Duke Craitan’s brow furrowed. Leponea lowered her gaze from looking at the Duke and used her fork to scrape off and eat the cake cream stuck to the bottom of the empty plate.
“You have no questions?”
“Why?”
Leponea put her fork down on the empty plate and asked in a flat voice.
“Think you’ll regret it?”
The Duke made a face as if he’d heard an absurd question.
Simultaneously, all the servants in the dining room stared at Leponea.
“If you think you’ll regret it, you don’t have to adopt me.”
After thinking for a moment, Leponea continued.
“But I have nowhere to go right now. Even if you don’t adopt me, let me eat and sleep at the mansion. In return, I’ll work.”
After all, what’s important isn’t the adoption, but being in this mansion.
“Leponea.”
Duke Craitan gestured. Then the butler brought a new cake and placed it in front of Leponea.
‘Ah.’
She had been told that scraping the plate bottom was something only those who hadn’t been taught proper manners did.
Conscious of her action, Leponea’s face turned red.
“I was the one who brought you here, and I was the one who said first that I would adopt you as my daughter.”
“……”
“And you ask if I might regret it? No. It’s the opposite; I should be asking you, Leponea.”
“Huh?”
“Earlier, the situation being what it was, you might have made a surprised, hasty choice. But now that you’ve calmed down, I’m asking you again. Because even when you grow up, this memory from today will remain.”
Duke Craitan, who had been observing Leponea, picked up a fork. And just like Leponea had done moments before, he scraped scratch scratch the cake cream stuck to the plate bottom and put it in his mouth.
Even though there was cake left on the plate, he deliberately did so.
“Ugh, sweet.”
As if he disliked the sweetness, Duke Craitan’s face contorted. The sight of this mountain of a man acting like he was dying from a mere bit of cake cream was so funny Leponea almost laughed.
When you grow up later.
He’s asking if it’s okay, even if this day remains in her memory after being cast out.
“I’m okay with it too.”
Leponea stretched out her small hand. Duke Craitan handed her the document.
“I know all that. I’ve already steeled myself for everything.”
The knife that the Duke had set aside in the corner came into view.
Leponea struggled to hop down from the high chair. And without any hesitation, she picked up the knife placed in the corner.
Schwak-!
Just like that, without giving anyone time to stop her, Leponea drew the knife across her finger. The skin tore and red blood flowed.
“Leponea!”
A shocked Duke Craitan bolted up from his seat and ran over.
“It’s okay.”
Responding indifferently to the commotion around her, Leponea pressed the dripping blood onto the bottom of the document.
Staining something with blood was also a method used to show trust to the other party, meaning one was staking their life on it.
She wanted to show Duke Craitan clearly that she wouldn’t regret this choice.
“Here, now if you submit this to the Imperial Family tomorrow—”
“Call the doctor! Immediately!”
Without even accepting the document Leponea held out, Duke Craitan wrapped her bleeding finger with a handkerchief.
“Huh?”
Leponea blinked in confusion.
It’s just a very slight skin injury with a little blood, and he’s calling a doctor?
Even when she was injured worse, no one ever called a doctor.
Everyone said it would be better if she just slept and woke up, and indeed, when she slept and woke up, the pain would dull.
“It’ll probably get better if I just sleep and wake up.”
“Who told you such nonsense?”
Duke Craitan said firmly with an angry face.
“How can a wound get better by sleeping and waking up? If you don’t treat it properly, a scar will remain.”
A scar? Had she ever worried about a scar?
“Even small wounds must always be shown to a doctor. There’s no such thing as a wound that gets better by sleeping and waking up. Understood?”
“Uh, uh?”
“This is a rule of the Craitan family.”
The butler looked at the Duke as if to ask ‘what are you talking about?’, but feeling Leponea’s gaze, he hurriedly smiled and nodded.
“It’s true.”
“As you’ve become my daughter, Leponea, you must also follow the rules of the Craitan family.”
Leponea nodded her head without thinking. Meanwhile, the resident family doctor had already arrived.
“Let me see the wound… Gasp.”
The doctor, who had approached, looked at Leponea’s face and swallowed hard.
‘Why is he acting like that?’
Leponea tilted her head. Was this doctor also surprised by a wound of this level?
“Your Grace’s wi…”
Just as the doctor was about to say something, the butler hastily grabbed the doctor’s arm with a thud.
“Get a hold of yourself. The Young Lady who arrived today is injured, so treat her.”
The butler ordered the doctor in a stiff voice. The doctor, who had been looking at Leponea with a dazed expression, nodded and approached.
“Young Lady, it’s my first time meeting you, Young Lady. May I examine the wound?”
The Duke nodded and gently released Leponea’s hand. The tender skin was slightly torn by the knife. It wasn’t a big wound.
Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, Leponea looked directly at her own bleeding wound.
“Just disinfect it and apply some ointment.”
“Young Lady is very brave. The Young Masters also cried a lot when they saw their wounds when they were young.”
“It’s not that big of a wound…”
“Young Lady. Regardless of the wound’s size, you must treasure your body.”
At the doctor’s words, the butler, the maid, and the Duke all nodded.
‘What is with this mansion?’
Making such a fuss over a mere finger injury.
“Ponya.”
A gruff voice spat out a cute word.
‘Is he calling me now?’
Leponea turned her head.
“If it hurts, tell me. I shall blow the wind of healing upon it.”
“…What is that?”
Duke Craitan was an aura user, so could he control wind too?
“Hoh.”
The Duke, who had formed his mouth into a round ‘o’, blew hoo onto her finger.
“……”
Is there something wrong with the people in this mansion?
Academy Dormitory.
“Father did, what?”
The man who had read the letter from the butler scoffed as if he found it ridiculous.
“Has he already lost his mind?”
The letter in his hand was crumpled violently.
The content of the letter was concise.
It was the news that his father, Duke Craitan, had adopted a daughter.
“Just what kind of swindler managed to coax Father?”
The man swept back his silver hair and let out a hollow laugh.
Already in his third year of only taking graduation exams without actually graduating, he was a problem child called a ‘fossil’ loitering around the Academy.
The second son of Duke Craitan, the good-for-nothing.
“It seems I need to go home and see.”
Pellens Craitan rose from his seat.
