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“Is this a child-rearing story? Chapter : 10”
“W-What? The Duchess… no, the Duchess has arrived?”
Istin visibly flinched at the head maid’s words.
“Yes. She has just stepped down from the carriage.”
He glanced sideways. Despite the commotion outside, Mielra was still fully absorbed in her meal.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem interested at all in the conversation between him and the head maid. It was as if she were completely lost in her own world—calmness surrounding her like a peaceful barrier.
‘Honestly, she’s so dense.’
Usually she was like a squirrel, but at times like this she was like a sloth. It made him laugh.
Istin, who had unconsciously let out a small chuckle, quickly realized this was not the time for it and his expression turned serious.
‘Didn’t she clearly say in her last letter that she would come in two weeks?’
He couldn’t understand what whim had brought her here so suddenly, without even sending a single notice.
“This is troublesome.”
Istin narrowed his eyes. First, he needed to go meet his mother.
But what if she noticed Mielra and started asking who that commoner child was?
He hadn’t prepared any answer for that situation yet.
‘I’ll think about it on the way.’
Having made up his mind, Istin strode toward Mielra and drew her attention. He felt a bit guilty interrupting her while she was eating so earnestly.
“Hey, Mielra.”
“…Hm? What is it?”
Her reaction was a beat slow. Startled, her brown eyes widened as she looked up at him.
‘Ah.’
The sight was so heart-fluttering that Istin almost lost his words.
Whether it was a worsening effect of the curse or whether Mielra had cast a new spell on him, he couldn’t tell.
One thing was certain—he had changed a lot since meeting her. Both in behavior and in heart.
Things he would never normally do, he now did. Just like this.
“Cough, well… something urgent came up, so I might need to step out for a bit.”
“Urgent matter?”
“Yeah. A very important guest has arrived, so I need to go greet them.”
He hated making clumsy excuses. He considered it unbecoming of a noble.
But in front of Mielra, he kept finding himself doing exactly that.
Because “Istin” and “Titi” in front of her were embarrassingly full of gaps.
“I see.”
Mielra’s face slightly flushed. She was happy that someone like her—a shabby girl—was being treated as a guest in such a luxurious villa.
Meanwhile, Istin let out a quiet sigh of relief inside. That was close.
Then he shook his head and gave her strict instructions.
“Just finish your meal.”
“Okay!”
Her immediate reply was reassuring. But Istin’s worry wasn’t over yet.
“I might be late, so don’t go looking for me. This place is bigger than you think—you could get lost. If anything, just call the servants and ask for more dessert.”
“Mm-hmm, got it. Don’t worry about me and go ahead. Titi!”
Only after hearing her bright voice did Istin finally leave the dining room.
But there was someone waiting outside the door.
A woman wearing a feathered hat, her golden hair braided and tied up neatly. Above it shimmered a presence that matched Istin’s own emerald eyes.
Her gaze flickered with amusement.
“So you’re coming out now? I was beginning to wonder what kind of interesting conversation you were having.”
How long had she been waiting there?
Istin was startled, but he did not show it and met her gaze calmly.
“…Mother.”
The woman was none other than Istin’s mother—the Duchess, Regina Baluaur.
Her lips curved elegantly into a smile.
“Yes, Titi. Have you been well? For reference, I’ve been living quite peacefully lately, so you needn’t bother asking after me.”
“Yes, Mother. I’m glad to hear you’re well. As you can see, I’ve been fine as well. More importantly, I had asked you before not to call me by that nickname.”
“Hmm?”
Just moments ago he had tolerated being called “Titi” by an unknown child without issue, yet now he suddenly became stern about it. How irritating.
Regina clicked her tongue inwardly. She had given birth to him, yet still couldn’t understand what he was thinking at times like this.
“Of course I remember your request. But I don’t quite understand what’s going on here.”
“…What do you mean, Mother?”
Istin tried to feign ignorance, but Regina immediately struck at the core of what he was trying to hide.
“I don’t know who you were speaking with, but you were clearly being called Titi just now. I thought you had grown used to the nickname, so I brought it up…”
“Th-That’s!”
Istin’s eyes wavered. So his mother had indeed overheard his conversation with Mielra.
Even though the building was well soundproofed, it was useless before Regina. As a direct descendant of a sword lineage, she could use aura and hear even the faintest sounds.
“Now then, will you deny my words?”
“….”
This was her specialty—probing while already knowing everything. She set traps everywhere and slowly tightened the net while playing with her prey.
Istin knew this malicious hobby of his mother very well. At this point, denying it further was meaningless.
“It… there are circumstances, Mother.”
“Hm?”
“A while ago, I went out alone to tour the village and happened to receive help from a child.”
“Wait, alone? What about your escorts?”
A trace of confusion crossed Regina’s eyes. Istin quickly added an explanation.
“…Please do not blame the knights too harshly. I acted on my own.”
“Of course you did. Now tell me more about this child who helped you. I’m curious.”
Regina urged him with a genuinely interested expression. Istin replied flatly.
“She is just an ordinary village child. I invited her to the villa and treated her to a meal as repayment for her help. However, I could not reveal my identity carelessly, so I used a nickname instead of my real name.”
“Is that so? Using a nickname instead of your name. That’s quite unlike you. And I heard from the head maid that you were acting as a servant in front of her.”
“….”
She was clearly probing despite already knowing everything. Regina’s green eyes shimmered faintly.
“Is it true?”
“Yes, it is, Mother.”
At his answer, Regina tilted her head slightly, puzzled.
“My, why would you go so far for something so troublesome? As you said, she’s just an ordinary village child. What could she possibly be for you to—”
In truth, she was right.
‘Yeah… what is she to me?’
Even Istin himself didn’t fully understand why he was acting this way.
But one thing was certain.
He didn’t want to leave that foolish Mielra alone.
‘She was like that again today. Getting bullied by kids her age over nothing.’
She had poor food, poor clothes, and poor shelter.
And yet her mind was endlessly clear and innocent. To put it bluntly, she was naive. The kind of person easily exploited by malicious intent.
‘While I’m here, I can take care of her. But after that?’
If the curse improved, he would return to his family estate. If it worsened, he might even die.
Either way, there was no guarantee he would still be here years later.
“Mother, I actually have a request regarding that child.”
Istin finally spoke with difficulty.
“A request?”
“Yes. It’s just—”
Just as he was about to continue, the dining room door slowly opened, and someone peeked through the gap.
“Ti… Titi?”
He had clearly told her not to come out. Honestly, she really was like a disobedient squirrel.
