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“Is this maybe a childcare-type novel?” Chapter : 005
Only then did Asichel clap and nod repeatedly.
‘I don’t really understand what he wants to do, but I should just go along with it. If I keep asking why, he’ll definitely get angry.’
In truth, he still didn’t properly understand what Istin wanted. Still, he roughly guessed that Istin wanted to act like a servant.
And Istin, on the other hand, was still displeased with Asichel.
‘What even is a “servant”? Does he really understand anything correctly?’
If it had been another escort knight instead of Asichel, they would have quickly picked up on it and played along with his roleplay. It was just unfortunate that the first person to find him was Asichel.
“That aside, Sir Asichel, please inform the butler and the other knights that I have returned. Also make sure to relay what you just understood. Do you understand?”
“Yes, understood! But wait, who is the young lady next to you…?”
Just as he was about to turn away after nodding vigorously, Asichel finally noticed the girl standing beside Istin.
Her appearance was so shabby that she almost looked like a beggar.
But unlike a beggar, the girl’s demeanor was far too bright and innocent.
“Ah, I’m Miela!”
Miela raised her hand high as she introduced herself. Her brown eyes glistened like polished chestnut shells.
Honestly, Istin didn’t dislike those sparkling eyes. But at the same time, he had a strong feeling that if he left Miela like this, some irreversible communication disaster (?) would occur in his conversation with Asichel.
Before Miela could continue speaking, Istin stepped forward to explain.
“Haah… I actually went down to the village and fainted there.”
“W-what?! You fainted?! H-heh!”
Asichel covered his mouth with his thick hand in shock. If news of the young lord sneaking out and collapsing ever reached the duke he served, it would be catastrophic.
‘Salary cut, vacation revoked, demotion!’
A future filled with punishment and disadvantages flashed vividly through his mind.
“Yes. And Miela here took care of me that day. She even supported me all the way back here. I can’t thank her enough.”
“Oh my, so she’s the benefactor of our… I mean, of our servant here! I apologize for not recognizing you.”
At Istin’s explanation, Asichel’s gaze toward Miela completely changed. Now he vaguely understood why Istin was pretending to be a servant.
His lord had ordered that during recovery, the young lord’s identity should not be exposed to outsiders.
Meanwhile, Miela—who had just been politely bowed to by a knight several times her size—panicked.
“N-no, not benefactor! I really didn’t do anything! I just… found him collapsed and brought him into my house and laid him down…”
As Miela shook her head, Istin let out a faint laugh.
“You don’t need to be so modest. If it weren’t for you, Miela, I might have died.”
“……!”
After receiving Istin’s gratitude, Miela’s cheeks turned as red as a ripe strawberry.
‘She really shows everything on her face. How unusual.’
Watching her, Istin thought she was quite simple-minded.
‘Somehow… she’s kind of cute.’
He found himself thinking that without realizing it.
‘Damn it, what am I thinking right now?’
The moment he realized it, Istin’s face turned bright red—just like Miela.
“Are you still unwell? Your face seems flushed…”
The oblivious Sir Asichel reached out to check on him.
Istin turned his head away quickly, pretending not to care. He even ended up stammering, which was unlike him.
“I-it’s nothing. A-anyway, I plan to properly repay Miela.”
“Ah, I see! So that’s why you brought her to the villa!”
“Well… something like that.”
Turns out he wasn’t completely clueless—he was oddly perceptive in the strangest places.
Istin, brushing it off, grabbed Miela’s hand, who had been standing there blankly.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“W-wait. Is it really okay for me to enter a place like this? Won’t I get kicked out?”
Miela looked flustered. Istin glanced at her and thought for a moment. What excuse should he use?
“It’s fine. The owner gave permission.”
Despite Istin’s reassuring words, Miela still hesitated and couldn’t step inside.
“U-um… the owner you’re talking about… is the same person you serve, right?”
“Yeah. He’s basically a young master around my age. But he’s sick, so he can’t even step outside his room. You’ll absolutely never—‘ever’—meet him.”
Istin cut off any possible curiosity about the “fake young master” from the start.
But Miela wasn’t interested in the “fake young master” at all.
“Amazing! You’re so small, but you serve a sick master? That’s impressive! Isn’t it hard?”
“…I’m not small.”
Istin snapped at the word, but Miela only shrugged as if stating a fact.
“But you said you’re 7 years old, right? That’s a kid.”
“By that logic, even 10-year-olds are kids.”
“Well, I’m still older than you. I’m just worried.”
“Hmph, worried my foot.”
Yet strangely, his irritation softened at that single word—“worried.”
Still, he wanted to say: I’m actually two years older than you! But the words never left his mouth.
Meanwhile, Sir Asichel, watching their childish argument, tilted his head.
‘That’s strange. Why is the young master acting like that?’
Come to think of it, there were many unusual things today.
From suddenly acting like a 7-year-old servant despite needing to hide his identity, to bringing a ragged girl to the villa simply because she was his benefactor.
But what surprised him most was that Istin—who usually avoided conversations with peers, saying they didn’t match his level—was now bickering so casually.
‘I’m seeing things I never thought I’d see in my life.’
Suddenly, Asichel remembered the first time he swore loyalty to his lord, Duke Valouar.
The duke had seemed like a human embodiment of an iron fortress.
‘A man without a single flaw… truly someone worthy of loyalty.’
But sometimes he wondered—when did Duke Valouar become like that? Since youth? Or only after becoming an adult?
He found the answer when he met Valouar’s young master—Istin.
‘He resembles His Grace perfectly. So of course he must have been dignified since childhood!’
Even though most children his age would laugh one moment and cry the next, the young master had always been composed, befitting the heir of Valouar.
And yet—seeing him act so childishly with someone his age! For Asichel, it was nothing short of shocking.
“He was like that, and now…! Ahh!”
Asichel clutched his chest, overwhelmed, then stared into the air with teary eyes, lost in admiration.
“What are you muttering about, Sir Asichel?”
Istin frowned as if he had just witnessed something strange.
Asichel quickly broke into a sweat and waved it off.
“A-ah, it’s nothing! I was simply overwhelmed by indescribable emotion! Please ignore it, haha.”
“What nonsense. You’re being strange.”
Clicking his tongue, Istin turned away again.
Meanwhile, Miela listened to their conversation and thought:
‘Titi said he’s not of high status. But… it feels like a lie.’
Her brown eyes rolled as she thought hard.
‘Because that knight is super strong and amazing, but even he seems careful around Titi.’
Surprisingly, Miela wasn’t foolish. She had at least that level of intuition. So she reached her conclusion:
‘So that must be it. Being a servant must be a really important and amazing job!’
That must be why the knight respectfully called him “Sir Servant.”
And so, the misunderstanding between Miela and Istin only deepened further.
