“I always wanted to have such a cute younger sibling.”

Ah, so that’s the case.

As for me…

“Oh, Your Excellency.”

Cynthia approached Dad and playfully clasped her hands together.

“I’ll ask for your protection.”

Protection?

It seemed like she needed protection from the magic emitted by the brothers after all.

“At your age, a short stay of a few days won’t do you any harm.”

“But we still don’t know how long I’ll stay here, right?”

Cynthia smiled brightly.

“I mean, your discussion might take a long while.”

Dad’s gaze briefly turned towards me, then he sighed softly and flicked his finger.

A black magic flowed out, scanning Cynthia and disappearing.

Whether it was because there was no intention to attack or not, the magic was simply serene without any ferociousness.

But it wasn’t as sweet or warm as when it wrapped around me, which made me feel unnecessarily shy.

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Cynthia lifted her flushed cheeks and greeted with a delighted expression.

“Mother, I’ll play with this child.”

Me?

I don’t particularly feel like playing with my sister.

“Have a good time with His Excellency.”

Cynthia winked at her mother.

“Oh my, this child…”

Lady Aphelia looked embarrassed and gestured to Dad.

“Well, let’s go. Ruatisha, show me your room!”

“But I want to stay here longer.”

I want to hear more of Dad and the lady’s conversation.

Are they really considering marriage or not?

“You can’t. You can’t interrupt the adults’ conversation. I’ll make sure you’re not bored and play with you.”

Cynthia grumbled, hugged me, and then walked away with me in her arms.

From behind, Lady Aphelia’s voice saying, “The children are having so much fun,” could be heard.

What fun is there to have!

The lady’s daughter is dragging me along!

* * *

“Sigh, His Excellency the Duke is protecting me.”

Walking side by side with Cynthia, I looked up in curiosity.

“Is that such a happy thing?”

“You don’t know anything. Receiving protection from Duke Phaeraton is a very, very special thing. Everyone will envy me!”

“Really?”

Cynthia looked at me blankly, then nodded as if convinced.

“Well, you’re enjoying that privilege just because you’re his daughter.”

Huh?

“Everyone who has received Duke Phaeraton’s magic has either died or been injured. But I’m the only one who’s been protected like this!”

“I’m here too.”

“I’m dying to be protected by His Excellency just once, but I’m the only special one!”

She can’t hear anything.

She’s already gone to a fantasy world.

Anyway, I understand what she means.

An untamed, dangerous, and fascinating beast of the Phaeraton.

And being the only one protected by that beast.

‘Steady seller.’

I nodded my head.

“Anyway, since he made the protective shield, it’s like giving me permission to stay here as long as I want.”

I don’t think so.

Then again, I don’t really know what my dad is thinking.

His treatment of Lady Aphelia was very businesslike, but then again, I don’t know.

In the meantime, we arrived at my room.

“Wow, this is your room?”

Cynthia looked around in surprise.

“Wow, this expensive thing is just a child’s toy? If it were in another house, wouldn’t it be kept safe from scratches?”

Was that such an expensive thing?

Ixion left it saying “I picked it up.”

“Wow, isn’t this painting by Kerta? It’s worth as much as a mansion, but this…”

That was what Ares left behind saying “Paitings are good for children.”

“But this is a bit childish. Well, you’re still young.”

Cynthia frowned at the giraffe chair and fountain tea table.

“That’s… Dad picked it out.”

Even with a very serious face and checking the sitting comfort. 

“But this one is really pretty. What do you think?”

Cynthia put a hair accessory on her head and smiled.

“Aren’t you too young to do this kind of thing? It’s better on me, right?”

“No?”

“Huh?”

Cynthia looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I guess she didn’t expect this kind of response since I haven’t said much before.

“This suits Ruru, the embodiment of conquering cuteness in the world, the best!”

“What…?”

“You’re not cuter than me, Cynthia.”

No offense.

Blink blink.

Look into the clear pupils of an innocent child.

Cynthia’s face turned red.

But perhaps she couldn’t fight over a cute five-year-old, so she reluctantly took off the hair accessory.

“Now that I look again, it’s too childish. It doesn’t suit me. It fits you perfectly.”

To protect your pride, it would have been better not to say that.

Cynthia must have thought that staying quiet meant losing, as she opened and closed my jewelry drawer, rummaging through it.

“It’s bad to touch other people’s things without permission.”

“Well, what do you think? We’re going to be family soon.”

Oh.

I opened my eyes wide.

“We’re becoming family? I heard it was because of the land.”

“Oh my, that’s just an excuse.”

Cynthia looked at me as if I were an ignorant child and smirked.

Great.

I widened my eyes even more and nodded my head enthusiastically.

“But they said it would be difficult for the guests who come to our house to get married.”

“Hah, what does the opinion of mere guests matter? The Empress wants this union.”

Aha.

So she’s a relative of the Empress, I see. Then how far is she involved?

“It’s not like the Emperor is involved?”

“Well, that… The Emperor is the Empress’s husband. Of course, he would support the Empress’s will!”

I guess the Emperor isn’t involved to that extent. That’s why she indirectly approached using the land as an excuse.

I was about to ask more, but Cynthia grabbed my hand excitedly.

“This is amazing! The Duke will become my father!”

She sounded like she was dreaming.

“I want to meet my younger brother and second older brother soon. You don’t know how popular they are in the capital. I’m so curious to meet them in person!”

Lady Aphelia seemed quite reserved, but Cynthia seemed to strongly desire this union.

“It’s a shame that my eldest brother isn’t here. I saw him from afar once before, and he was really cool.”

‘What on earth is my eldest brother doing…’

Unlike me, who didn’t really want to meet him, Cynthia kept talking excitedly about him.

“But Lady Aphelia didn’t seem too keen on getting married?”

“That’s… none of your business.”

Cynthia was about to say something, but she shut her mouth tightly.

“You may not understand yet because you’re still young, but you don’t know anything about relationships between men and women.”

What is she talking about? I’ve read thousands of romance novels where all kinds of relationships between men and women are written.

“But she’s going to be your mother soon.”

What kind of confidence does she have?

“I want you to call me ‘big sister’ too, not just by my name. When families come together, you have to establish the hierarchy.”

“Hierarchy?”

“You don’t know much about it. It’s because there hasn’t been a Duchess before. Don’t worry, I’ll teach you a lot from now on.”

Cynthia smiled brightly.

It was a kind smile that seemed completely devoid of malice.

“Are you saying that I didn’t learn because I didn’t have a mother until now?”

Cynthia looked surprised at my words.

“Ah, why are you saying such scary things? That’s definitely not the case~”

“……”

“You’re my little sister, why would I say something mean like that? It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”

Cynthia gently stroked my head and spoke in a casual tone.

“But since you’re my sister, I wanted to say this out of concern. It’s better not to speak like that wherever you go.”

“What?”

“If you react so defensively to someone’s kindness, it might come off as being prickly.”

My expression hardened.

Is it really because I don’t know anything that I can react like this without any malice?

“Oh, our Ruatisha. You look scary with that expression. Are you angry? Upset?”

Cynthia started to soothe me in an exaggerated manner, making baby noises.

“Oh, baby, baby! So cute.”

Ah…

My blood pressure.

[Reader! Aren’t we being overly considerate of her just because she’s a child?]

‘She’s a child, so I have to cut him some slack!’

It’s not like I’m participating in abuse like Clatie did. It’s not like she’s reacting as if she wants to kill me over something like this.

[You’re a child too, reader!]

[Cynthia has lived twice as long as the day you were reborn!]

[Or do you need stronger penalties?]

If it’s a stronger penalty,

‘Are you trying to make me lose more of my rationality as a reincarnated person?’

To the point where I’ll completely have the mindset of a five-year-old?

That’s really not it.

[Well, that’s fine. For now, I’ll respect the reader’s wishes.]

[But you have to find out, right?]

[A new quest has arrived.]

It was a quest that came after a long time.

Since I didn’t really want to focus on my conversation with Cynthia, I immediately checked the quest.

?Three Slaps For A Bad Matchmaker (1)?

The Empress is afraid of Duke Phaeraton, so she arranges a marriage for Lady Aphelia and him to keep the duchy under her influence.

Lady Aphelia received such an offer and came here, but what is she really thinking?

Did she completely join hands with the Empress?

Or did she want to get married because she had her own goals unrelated to the Empress?

Her daughter, Cynthia, is strongly in favor of this marriage.

That’s fine, but the way she’s treating you, dear reader, is disturbing.

In romance novels, there’s no way to avoid the approaching fight!

Sweet potatoes must be smashed!

But if Cynthia is just an innocent and clueless young lady, then there’s no way to start a fight.

In that case, all she needs is appropriate education.

But what if it really is a fight?

Please find out the truth about the mother and daughter!

— Conditions:

1. Find out Lady Aphelia’s goal

2. Confirm Cynthia’s true intention

— Reward: 3000 cash lottery ticket, progress on related quest ?????

Okay.

I was already planning on finding out about Lady Aphelia.

‘Then…’

While I was calculating my next move, I heard some restless sounds from beside me.

“Are you still sulking, Ruatisha? Huh? Eh? Aww, my little baby turned out to be a sulker, a sulker.”

Sigh.

Do I have to show you what it means to sulk.

* * *

I went to the back door where the employees were coming and going, carrying a bunch of food.

In the backyard, there was Dana, who was crouched down and drawing pictures on the ground with a stick.

“Dana!”

Dana, who seemed somewhat downcast, brightened up when she saw me.

“Miss!”

“What are you doing? Drawing pictures?”

I glanced down at the ground hesitantly…

‘Picasso…!’

There was Picasso.

Of course, it wasn’t a cubist painting, but it was drawn so well.

“Is this me by any chance?”

“I, I, Are you offended?”

“No! It’s really well-drawn. Wow, amazing! I want to keep it like this!”

Dana smiled shyly.

I sat down next to Dana and shared the food I had brought.

We became quite close and exchanged various stories.

Dana was the daughter of Cynthia’s nanny.

Lady Aphelia’s hired help hadn’t seen her because they’d entered the basement of the main house through the carriage house.

“But were you alone without eating again?”

“I was about to have a meal with my mother but Lady Cynthia called her…”

“But still…”

Are the other adults not taking care of her?

At least give the child a piece of bread.

“My mother is Lady Cynthia’s maid, so it’s natural for her to take care of Lady Cynthia more than me.”

“What are you talking about.”

“It’s okay. My mother was planning to eat together when she comes back.”

Seeing Dana smile calmly, I felt a tinge of sadness.

“A child needs to eat well. Eat a lot.”

“The lady is younger than me.”

“A two-year age difference doesn’t matter in society.”

Dana tilted her head in response to my words.

“But is your health really okay? Are you feeling sick?”

I was worried when I saw the protective shield around Cynthia.

Dana is much younger than Cynthia.

Perhaps it was because of her mood, but her complexion didn’t look good.

“Yes, I’m fine. You ask me every time we meet. Don’t worry.”

Did she receive a separate protective shield from Father?

Well, Lady Aphelia might have requested it.

After all, she wouldn’t have brought a young child to the palace without any thought.

While waiting for Dana to finish eating, we chatted away.

I casually asked, “I heard that Aunt Aphelia is considering marrying my father,” or 

“What kind of person is Cynthia?” but I didn’t get much information.

‘Dana is surprisingly discreet and loyal.’

Well, considering that her mother has been Cynthia’s nanny since she was born, it was understandable.

I wasn’t particularly disappointed that I treated Dana well without prying on her secrets.

I parted ways with Dana and walked through the garden.

I wanted to go straight through the back gate because I enjoyed it, taking a walk outside through the west entrance.

At that moment, I heard someone calling me.

“Cotton ball, where are you going like that?”

When I turned around, I saw Ixion and Ares.

“Ixion, Ares!”

I waved my hand in delight, and behind Ares, a white hand appeared.

“Oh, Ruru!”

Cynthia put her arm around Ares and smiled warmly at me.