CHAPTER 42

Oh dear, why did you do that, sister?

I’m sure she read romance novels even during prenatal. It was truly amusing to see the noble and dignified family acting like commoners. No, more like a human.

Even if it’s like that, they shouldn’t be reading romance novels during prenatal or while putting a child to sleep! 

Nevertheless, the family just laughed and enjoyed the meal together. 

Throughout the meal, my brother-in-law took care of me. He spoon-fed me soup and used a fork to pick fruits for me. My attempts to eat without spilling were blocked by him before I could even shine.

“Our sister eats so well and looks beautiful.”

“Don’t be a picky eater. I dislike picky people.”

As soon as I said that, Colin, who had pushed aside the bell peppers and carrots to one side of his plate, looked a bit sulky. After thinking deeply for a moment, he took a deep breath and then ate the bell peppers and carrots together in one bite.

“Our Colin doesn’t picky eat anymore. Ah, it’s so great to see him eat well. He will grow up to be an excellent duke in the future.”

My sister praised Colin, who ate the bell peppers and carrots without leaving any behind, with a proud expression.

“Aunt, I don’t picky eat. So, I’m not picky, right?”

In response to his mischievous remark, my sister and brother-in-law couldn’t help but burst into laughter and were once again in high spirits.

“Yes, you’re not picky. Look, eat this too.”

I used a fork to pick up the remaining mushrooms on my plate and brought it close to Colin’s mouth. Then Colin opened his mouth wide and swallowed the large mushroom after a few bites. His expression didn’t seem as happy as before, considering how well he was eating.

“It’s slippery.”

He grimaced as he chewed on the mushroom, which wasn’t pleasant in texture for a child. However, Colin didn’t spit out the mushroom. He forced himself to chew and swallowed it with a gulp, then drank some water to rinse his mouth.

“Is it tasty?”

“Yes, it’s tasty because Aunt gave it to me.”

“Then, eat one more.”

When I brought a larger piece of mushroom to his mouth, Colin closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth wide like a baby bird. As I put the mushroom into his mouth, Colin chewed it a few times and swallowed it.

“Now I can eat mushrooms. How do I look?”

“Yes, you’re doing well. Very good.”

I grinned as I saw Colin straighten his shoulders and raise his head proudly. From today onwards, Colin, who no longer had picky eating habits, received a pat on his head from me.

“Hehe, I’m doing well! Very good!”

“Yes, yes!”

My sister and brother-in-law, who were proud of Colin’s expression, turned their heads slightly and laughed.

“Our sweet rice cake sister seems to be doing well in teaching her little nephew. She managed to eliminate his picky eating in just one moment. That’s truly impressive.”

“Yes, indeed. She’s his aunt, after all. Haha, it’s a basic skill for the women of the Panteur Ducal Family.”

Having successfully eliminated years of picky eating, I ate the meat that my brother-in-law served me with gusto. When I felt full, I pushed my brother-in-law’s hand to the side and patted my stomach.

“Sister, are you full?”

“I’m stuffed. It’s so filling.”

I felt like my stomach was going to burst if I eat more.

“But try to eat a little more with determination.”

“Oh no, I can’t eat anymore. It’s already so difficult even with this amount.”

Even though I had finished my portion, my brother-in-law continued to put food in my mouth, which required me to run around energetically during my time here. 

Perhaps due to the fast-paced movements in the Panteur Ducal Family, I could digest the food quickly even when I ate a lot.

When I declined politely, my brother-in-law reluctantly started his meal. After his slightly delayed meal, tea was served. 

Warm milk was placed in front of Colin and me. As we sipped the milk, Colin smiled at me.

“Aunt, I’ll grow up quickly and become a handsome man. So, let’s get married.”

With Colin’s statement, I shrugged my shoulders.

“Sorry, I like younger guys.”

“Phew!”

Instantly, both my brother-in-law and sister burst into laughter. 

I looked at Kai, wondering if saying that liking younger guys was so funny. He was calmly sipping his tea, but his shoulders seemed to tremble slightly.

I’m not sure about this place, but generally, men have a shorter lifespan than women, so if you want to live longer together, isn’t it better to meet someone younger?

“Father, what does ‘younger’ mean?”

“Huh? Uh… ‘younger’ means someone who is younger in age, and ‘older’ means someone who is older in age. So, Colin is not younger, so he can’t marry his aunt.”

Although my brother-in-law stated it realistically, Colin seemed unwilling to let go. After a moment of thought, he raised his head and spoke to me.

“What if it’s a little older?”

That statement alone made me curious, but knowing who he was referring to, I shrugged my shoulders.

“Stop talking about irrelevant things and quickly finish your milk.”

Defending against Colin, who was sticking to me like sticky rice cake, I finished all the white milk. Before I could wipe the milk off my mouth with a napkin, Colin reached out his hand first and wiped my mouth.

Seeing that, my brother-in-law spat out his tea.

Is this something that happens in romance novels too?

After Colin wiped my mouth, he licked the milk off his hand with his tongue. I was dumbfounded for a moment, and my sister, who satisfied her curiosity by choosing romance novels as bedtime stories, burst into laughter.

A four-year-old doing something adults do. I shook my head in disbelief at this early education.

“Sister, please give Colin a different book to read.”

“Uh, yes. I understand.”

My sister seemed to realize her mistake too, nodding her head and letting out a small sigh.

“Aunt, what should I do after finishing this?”

During a moment of silence, Colin, who had sipped the milk, looked at me and asked.

“Um, well… What should we do?”

“Of course, naturally…”

“If it’s not decided, then go play together.”

While Colin was talking, my brother-in-law interrupted. With a slight tilt of his head, Colin looked at my brother-in-law as if telling him not to interfere. Seeing that, my brother-in-law chuckled and nodded.

“Well, what do you want to play?”

“Um, chess?”

Chess was a game I played a lot with the maids when I was a princess. I chuckled at Colin, looking down at him, and clasped my hands together.

“Bring it on!”

With that statement, a chessboard was set up in my brother-in-law’s room right away. This was a piece of cake for me. Looking arrogantly at Colin with my arms crossed, I spoke.

“Our Colin has been learning chess for about six months now. I wonder if he can win against my sister.”

“Hmph, it’s long and boring.”

“Sister-in-law, even if you lose, no one will say anything, so relax and enjoy. Should I teach you?”

“Oh my! Don’t interfere.”

“Phew!”

As soon as I spoke confidently, a deflating sound came out of my sister’s mouth.

“She’s my little sister, so this is something she should be able to do as a basic skill. So, Jerome, worry about our Colin.”

“Of course. Panteur ducal daughters are all smart and amazing.”

Kai agreed with my sister’s words and stood behind me, patting my shoulder gently. It must have meant to relax.

“Young lady, you must win!”

“Believe me, I won’t lose to such a little kid.”

“Even though you’re younger, you’re more mature than Duke Aquila, so you’ll be able to win. But when did you learn chess?” 

Caught off guard by Kai’s sudden question, I awkwardly laughed. 

“Nah, I played and learned chess while hanging out in Grandpa’s garden.” 

As someone who had barely a week of chess experience in this world, I looked at Colin in front of me. Colin, with a determined expression, looked at me and smiled, saying, 

“If I win in chess, let’s get married.” 

Seeing Colin, who had marriage in mind, I smiled back and said, 

“You’re too young to be thinking about that. Don’t eat sweet rice cakes before they’re given!” 

In a fiercely competitive chess game, it was only natural that I won. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about winning against a young child, but I observed Colin’s reaction. I wondered if he would cry or sulk after losing, but Colin silently accepted his defeat. 

“Indeed, our little princess is undoubtedly a genius. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be this good. It hasn’t even been a few days since she learned chess.” 

“I learned it from my grandfather. Hehe!” 

As Colin smiled with the victory, he stood up from his seat and spoke to me. 

“Deciding a match with a single game is too quick, right?” 

“Do you want to play again?” 

“Oh, no. Not that. Let’s do something else. This time, Aunt gets to decide.” 

Already defeated in chess, Colin demanded a change of the game. Unexpectedly, it turned into a game with marriage as a condition. 

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. Sister, do you have any materials?”

“What do you need? Just tell me. I’ll bring everything.” 

At my sister’s words, telling me to just speak up, I ransacked their warehouse. Carrying two gold bars and a jade bead, I asked the maid to enchant them with strengthening magic from the wizard. 

“What are you going to do with these?” 

“We’re going to play with them.” 

Seeing my sister’s puzzled expression, I took Colin to the garden. Then, I drew a line on the ground and placed one of the gold bars upright. 

“We’re going to play ‘Knock the Gold Bar.’ You throw this and try to knock down the standing gold bar over there.” 

Seeing Colin with a puzzled expression, I explained everything from one to ten. With a strange game like this, Colin had a bewildered expression. However, as time passed, his competitiveness seemed to kick in, and he eagerly said, 

“I’m ready! Aunt, don’t make me feel bad!” 

“I’ll take what I’ve learned from your hard work!” 

When I hit the gold bar, he covered his face with both hands and shouted. As the standing gold bar fell, Colin fell as well. Naturally, I won the game of knocking the gold bar. Then, Colin suggested playing something else. I took out the jade bead. 

“Let’s play ‘Throw the Bead.’ Like this!” 

We drew a line, and the person who threw the bead closest to the target would win. Colin, who had no experience in this game, went first. The shining bead sparkled when it touched the light. Every time Colin and I threw the beads, the servants who had followed us in excitement cheered for themselves. 

“Haha, I won this time.” 

With a narrow victory, I smirked at Colin. 

“Now, let’s play ‘Marbles.’ We’ll try to slide marbles between our fingers like this and like that…” 

I used to play this game frequently with my neighborhood friends before entering elementary school. That’s because I couldn’t afford dolls, so we played marbles with the ones my friends had. 

Although I was a former marbles player, I believed that I could easily defeat Colin, who had never played before. And I made that belief a reality. 

As I gobbled up ten of Colin’s marbles, I proudly smiled. 

Defeated by a total of 3 to 1, Colin slumped his shoulders. 

“Colin, are you sulking?” 

When I approached Colin, who seemed upset, he raised his head suddenly. Then, he looked at me and said, 

“Aunt, you’re really great. Girls usually only go after dolls or books.” 

I chuckled at Colin’s words. Then, I raised my hand to his slightly drooping shoulder and said, 

“Well, latte is better.”