4785-part-15
Cecilia pressed her lips together in discontent. Ever since Diego had given her the jewelled hairpin she wanted, Cecilia had often visited him. Unfortunately for Cecilia, he was perceived by her as a source of money, not someone sentimental like her brother.
It’s ridiculous, but not entirely incomprehensible given the environment in which she grew up. Cedric didn’t know it, but Cecilia had never truly enjoyed the family’s wealth. She’d been beaten up by her mother for her brother’s sake, so it was understandable. Just by comparing their clothes, you can see how the manor treated Cedric and Cecilia differently. A developmentally delayed child would not have gotten the attention of the servants.
Cecilia’s young age didn’t matter here. A young lady of her rank would have all sorts of precious things to wear, regardless of her age. The Duke of Berta’s wealth meant that she didn’t have to mind the price when choosing things. The only time she thought about the efficiency of her spending was when it was outside the family.
“Tiego, teecher, like.”
Cecilia said, her cheeks puffed out. Diego didn’t understand for a moment. Only after a beat did he stop. He frowned and denied it.
“No.”
‘Am wight.”
“I said no.”
“Then why you don’t ask teecher?”
He wondered why there was such a strange misunderstanding. It turned out to be the proposal. After all, young relationships are often romanticized. Diego realized early on that the institution of marriage is not the result of love, but Cecilia did not. For all intents and purposes, Duchess Anna and Duke Berta got along quite well. Diego smirked.
“There are some things children don’t understand about adults.”
Cecilia gave him a puzzled look. Cecilia tilted her head and asked.
“Not love her?”
“She’s very useful to me.”
“You take advantage of her?”
Cecilia asked, her eyes narrowing. Diego didn’t answer, just stared down at her. It wasn’t objectively wrong, but it wasn’t pleasant to hear. Diego tried to explain the efficacy of his proposal with long-winded arguments, but gave up. What the hell am I doing with this kid, he thought.
Diego lay on her side and put his left hand on her head. Then he said, clearly annoyed.
“Whatever it is, it’s between your teacher and me.”
“Then stay out of teecher’s business.”
“What?”
He blurted out, unexpectedly. Diego’s brow furrowed, and Cecilia rolled her eyes. Cecilia made her voice as angry as she could.
“You lying!”
“There’s nothing this little brat can’t say.”
Diego laughed in disbelief and slapped Cecilia on the forehead. Of course, it was a gesture, not a blow. Cecilia reflexively closed her eyes and opened them in surprise. As soon as she saw that her forehead was fine, her face brightened. She backed away, and with an air of intimacy, she spoke to Diego.
“No, you want me to help?”
The sound of Cecilia’s voice sent a chill down Diego’s spine. He soon found the right words to describe Cecilia’s demeanor. It was a word that seemed very out of place for a girl of Cecilia’s age.
“Tiego, is a lot.”
Cecilia said, drawing the shape of money with her finger. It was a rather materialistic gesture for a five-year-old. Diego unconsciously startled and withdrew his hand. Cecilia then pointed to herself and said.
“Pwaise you to teecher.”
Diego, who was watching, asked incredulously.
“……So, you mean you’re going to help your teacher see me in a good light?”
“Righty! Right!”
Cecilia clapped her hands, happy that she had succeeded in her ploy. Diego looked down at her with mixed feelings. His half-sister was more flustered than he could have ever imagined. Diego swallowed a long sigh.
“You’re not going to help me out of the goodness of your heart?”
“Tiego has no shame?”
Cecilia asked, straightening up. Diego was speechless for a moment, until he finally managed to open his mouth to ask.
“Who taught you the words no shame?”
“Teecher?”
“Did she teach you that word……. No, no, no. It’s a word you should know. You can’t afford not to know.”
Diego raised his hand as if to signal not to answer and rubbed his eyes. He never intended to get along with her in the first place, but he just couldn’t adapt to his step-siblings. He lay down to rest, but it ended up becoming a source of fatigue instead.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Javier opened the door and asked politely.
“Your Grace, you have a visitor.”
“Is it almost time already?”
Diego asked, checking the watch on his wrist. It was already 20 minutes past the scheduled appointment time. Today’s visitor had a reputation for never arriving on time, and he found himself getting out of bed after he did.
Javier asked with a hint of concern if he thought Diego had forgotten his appointment.
“Should I tell him to wait a moment?”
“No, I was just about to get up.”
His shirt was a bit wrinkled, but he didn’t have a formal demeanor. Since it was originally a secretive meeting, the other party wouldn’t have come with a proper appearance. He contemplated whether to button up the sleeves he had unbuttoned, but instead folded them up once and tidied himself. After opening the door and stepping outside, Javier was waiting a step back. Javier gave him a polite smile and asked.
“Shall we go right away?”
“We can’t keep the guest waiting, can we?”
“Then I will inform the maids to prepare the tea immediately.”
With that, Javier bowed. His eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of Cecilia following him. Javier hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently stroked Cecilia’s hair. Cecilia’s shoulders stiffened and she jerked away from Diego. Javier awkwardly held up his fingertips. Diego, watching, spoke up.
“You can’t mess with their hair.”
Javier hesitated for a moment, then smiled quietly and apologized.
“Yes, my mistake.”
The warm, muffled voice felt ticklish and somehow gave the impression that he could roughly guess what the butler was thinking. Diego turned away abruptly.
The parlor was not far from the office. His quick steps were halted by the sound of pounding feet beside him. Cecilia, who had caught up to him in no time, asked him what was wrong. Diego looked down at her, confused.
“How far are you going to follow me?”
“Go with you.”
Cecilia said, and reached for Diego’s hand. Diego smirked at the absurdity of it all. He wasn’t annoyed or irritated, just dumbfounded. Cecilia waved her arm urgently at him. Diego trembled and took her hand. Cecilia’s hand barely wrapped around his three fingers.
Diego awkwardly took the last step. It felt unfamiliar, like he was holding hands with something that wasn’t human. He stretched his arm as far up as he could and felt his muscles tingle, but Cecilia steadfastly refused to let go of his hand. Their strange companionship continued until they reached the parlor and Diego opened the door.
The visitor’s eyes widened at the sight of Diego with Cecelia. The man stared at them for a moment before commenting.
“I see you’ve started babysitting while I was gone.”
Diego tried to pull his hand away. He let out a short sigh and walked over to the couch and sat down. As he picked Cecilia up and sat her down next to him, his partner clapped her hands in admiration.
“I guess it’s time to get married, huh?”
“You’re still talking nonsense.”
Diego glanced across and snapped. The man shrugged.
“I thought you were at least taking groom lessons or something.”
“Since it’s the age to get married, it’s not a bad idea.”
“Hey, weren’t you supposed to grow old and die alone with me?”
“If the crown prince doesn’t marry, what are you going to do with the heir?”
Diego asked incredulously.
Diego, in fact, did not have a profound belief in the institution of marriage. The biggest rationale for promoting marriage in society is stability. On the other hand, Diego was someone who believed that two individuals living together in constant friction would be the source of discord. Having heard about it, it was also unrealistic to expect him to eagerly anticipate a wedding ceremony like others.
Due to this, Diego grew up as someone who could offer words of respect and encouragement when someone declared their intention to remain unmarried. However, when it came to the Crown Prince, who was not just anyone but a potential heir to the throne, the story changed. The person sitting in front of Diego was Lionel Daniella de Eduardo, the legitimate Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Mesquida. The saying goes that if this bloodline is not continued, the country will be ruined.
“Just wait. My righteous father is about to give birth to a late baby.”
Lionel said sarcastically. Diego returned the favor with a tired look.
“That would be a great misfortune for both of us.”
Lionel understood Diego’s words a little differently. Lionel’s gaze shifted to his half-sibling, as if Diego had made a sarcastic remark about her presence next to him. Cecilia was already looking at him with a searching gaze.
Silver hair, violet eyes, and an unusual appearance that he remembered. Lionel asked.
“Is this the half-sibling?”
Diego turned to Cecilia, annoyed.
“Cecilia, greet him. This is the prince of this country. Although the future of the country is bleak because of him.”
“Rince?”
“Prince.”
“Prince.”
She even corrected her stuttering pronunciation. Inwardly, Lionel watched the two of them with a pitying feeling. The age difference made them feel more like father and daughter than brother and sister.
“Yes, I am the prince.”
Lionel rested his chin on his left hand and waved dryly. “Prince?” Cecilia repeated, scratching her head. Cecilia followed up with a questioning voice.
“Prince is nitching1she said ????”
“Nitching? Snitching2????”
Lionel narrowed his eyes at the unintelligible pronunciation. As Lionel wracked his brain to make sense of the words, Diego gave him the answer.
“I think she means dirty3??????.”
“What?”
Lionel threw off the hood he’d been pressing over his head as if his pride had been hurt. His well-maintained black hair spilled out in waves. Against the black hair, his red eyes were almost seductive.
Lionel was an objectively handsome man, and unfortunately, he took great pride in his pale features. Watching Cecilia’s mouth drop open, this refilled his shattered pride. Lionel smirked.
“Say it again, little one, and I’ll take it easy on you if you tell me you’ve misunderstood the dictionary definition of ‘dirty.'”
Trouble is, if you open your mouth, you break it. The sparkle in Cecilia’s eyes died. Cecilia slithered toward Diego and asked,
“Prince or prince’s disease……?”
Diego smiled with satisfaction and patted Cecilia on the shoulder. It was a pat on the back, as if to compliment her earlier remark. Lionel pointed a finger at Cecilia in annoyance.
“There’s nothing a child can’t say. This is why I won’t have children.”
