23.
My mind, thoroughly worn out and long accustomed to social norms and hollow promises, lacked the confidence to mimic their way of thinking.
Right. Let’s just say this is the story of a mere two-year-old; it’s different from me.
But even children around my age marched to a different beat.
One rainy day, a child of about seven years old brought in two snails, tucked them into a glass bottle, and held them with such grave devotion.
I approached the child and asked with a gentle smile, “Are those your pets?”
“Yes!”
“I see. They’re truly adorable! Could you tell your big sister their names?”
“Aeji and Jungji!”
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
My own sense of naming wasn’t exactly legendary, but it hadn’t been shattered to that extent. When I asked for the reasoning, they explained they’d named them ‘Aeji’ and ‘Jungji’ because they intended to cherish them dearly.
Ah, no—the sentiment is sweet, but…
The, uh, the nuance is a bit…
It was a realm a mere mortal could not fathom. I felt certain that if I clumsily tried to imitate the innocence of children, my very bones would crack under the strain. Recalling previous mishaps, I quickly abandoned any thought of playing the child.
Hmm. I really can’t do it.
I neatly skewered a slice of bacon and a potato with my fork and brought it to my mouth.
*Nom.*
I gave a thumbs-up to show my approval. As long as I ate well, the uncle would be happy.
“It has a faint hint of eggplant, but it’s delicious!”
Along with the compliment, I made sure to hint that he should refrain from polluting sacred food with eggplant ever again.
“I see. I will be careful not to add eggplant next time.”
The uncle chuckled, popping the stray piece of eggplant from my plate into his own mouth. I stared at him, watching the faint, lingering smile on his face.
He was certainly more handsome when he smiled.
A question suddenly bubbled up. The uncle seemed the type to be popular with women—did he really have no intention of meeting someone new, beyond that failed first love? If he had even the slightest desire to start a family, I would undoubtedly become an obstacle. I wanted to know where I stood.
“Say, Uncle, are you not seeing anyone new?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re still young and… ah, well, even though I call you ‘uncle’! You’re young, you seem like you’d be popular—I was just wondering if you had any thoughts of starting a family.”
I rambled, but the message seemed to land. The uncle fell silent, weighing his words before answering.
“…Ever since that happened with my first love, I haven’t had the desire to meet anyone new.”
…Ever since that happened?
Gasp. Don’t tell me his first love didn’t just fail, but ended in tragedy?
“I—I’m sorry for making you recall sad memories.”
I reprimanded myself internally. Ugh, why bring up a topic that would force him to dwell on a ghost? As I smacked my lips in regret, the uncle’s eyebrows twitched.
“You have a misunderstanding. My first love did not die.”
“…Yes?”
“You seem to be… misinterpreting.”
“I heard it ended that way, so I assumed they passed away due to an accident or illness.”
“Ah, well, it didn’t have a good ending. But it’s fine. There are no lingering attachments.”
He said this with a face devoid of any emotion. “Even when I think of my first love, I feel nothing now.”
But…
When he told me before that I resembled her, he had clearly worn a bitter expression.
Still, it wasn’t my place to debate him when he insisted otherwise. I scraped up the remaining food and finished the meal.
✦ ✦ ✦
Time passed. It had been nearly a month since I sat for the entrance exam for the Papiope Talent Training Institute.
I still hadn’t managed to choose between becoming the uncle’s daughter or being adopted into the Papiope Duchy.
No, that was a lie. I knew. I knew that being adopted into the Duchy was the correct path. But the uncle’s proposal was so difficult to refuse that I had stalled, leading to this stalemate.
The grace period I had requested from the institute was expiring. I had to go.
One week.
I would go there, ask for an extension of one single week, and then return to refuse the adoption offer without regrets, clearing the way for me to enter the Papiope Talent Training Institute.
However, there was one obstacle.
I stared with a strange gaze at the uncle, who was reading a book titled *Children Who Are Picky Eaters, Children Who Are Not* with the utmost seriousness.
Why on earth was he reading a book with a cover that looked like a pink-filled shoujo manga?
Regardless, I needed him out of the house. The training institute was thirty minutes away by carriage; he needed to be gone for at least an hour.
I clapped my hands, feigning a sudden realization.
“Right! Come to think of it, when we visited the Ageratum Trading Company the other day, didn’t the head of the company ask for you?”
It wasn’t a total lie. I remembered hearing the head of the Ageratum Trading Company was struggling to source mercenaries.
“…The trading company head asked for me?”
“Yes. He said he had something to discuss regarding mercenaries.”
“…I’ve already quit mercenary work.”
“Even so, he’s someone who helped me. Couldn’t you at least hear him out?”
I fluttered my eyelashes, pleading until the uncle closed his book and stood up. He wrapped a loose robe around himself and nodded.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Ah! And while you’re out, please buy something delicious! I’m in the mood for something remarkably tasty today.”
“Hmm. Then I suppose I should roast some eggplant for dinner.”
“…That’s mean!”
I looked at him with an expression of pure betrayal, and he ruffled my hair wildly.
“I will buy plenty of the meat you like.”
Having secured a decent dinner menu while stalling for time, I smiled brightly through my messy hair.
“Come back safely!”
As it had been in the previous timeline, the uncle was quite well-off. Having worked in the famous Geumeunhwa Mercenary Corps, it was only natural he’d saved a fortune. I wasn’t worried about our finances; if we ran out, I could earn more myself.
The only thing that nagged at me was the fact that our neighbors were slowly beginning to notice we lived together. The uncle had introduced me as a friend’s daughter, though before I arrived, they hadn’t even known who lived in this house. It was a testament to how deeply he had lived in shadows.
“But he gave that up…”
I shoved the unresolved question into a corner of my mind. About three minutes after seeing him off, I grabbed the emergency funds the trading company head had provided—enough for the carriage fare—and left the house.
[Overwriting the current timeline onto Timeline 1.]
“Alright. Let’s head to the training institute before the uncle gets back.”
✦ ✦ ✦
I arrived at the entrance of the Papiope Talent Training Institute. Not wanting to waste a single second, I hurried toward the main building.
That was when the voices reached me—students from the institute, chatting as they walked.
“I’m envious. I have confidence I’d enjoy a life of luxury if I were adopted by the Duke.”
“If it’s a life of luxury, I have confidence too.”
“Ah, I wish the Duke would suddenly lose his mind and adopt me.”
“Wouldn’t that mean the Papiope Duchy is cursed?”
“Ugh, can’t say anything around you. More importantly, who do you think will win the adoption competition tomorrow and be adopted by the Duke?”
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
…The adoption competition is tomorrow?
My goodness. In the previous timeline, didn’t that happen at the end of the year? It’s only June. Why has the timeline shifted so drastically?