“Shuperti.”
“Yes?”
“I’m grateful. You should keep this music box.”
I know what a music box is. We had one at the daycare!
“Wow!”
When the Admiral turned the key, the dolphins moved as if they were swimming.
I could even hear the *dron-dron* music!
*‘Huh?’*
But this feels like something I’ve heard a lot before.
“A lullaby…?”
“Yes, it’s a lullaby. My partner, Aurora, used to sing it to the children. It seems to have been recorded.”
For some reason, my heart felt at ease. My tummy was full, and I had received a gift.
“So happy!”
My chest swelled with joy. As I exclaimed that, the Admiral lifted his eyebrows slightly before relaxing them.
“Micard and Elzen have grown too old to listen to lullabies. But you—you might need it.”
“Thank you.”
I received a gift I really liked, so I had to say thank you. As I placed my hand on my belly and bowed my head, the Admiral smiled faintly. He didn’t laugh out loud, but I saw it! The corners of his mouth had definitely curved upward.
Still, if I pointed that out, I feared he might stop smiling. So, I played the part of a four-year-old and pretended I hadn’t seen a thing.
*‘Oh, wait. Now that I think about it, finding the portrait wasn’t the only homework!’*
They said I had to uncover the family’s secret history, but I didn’t really know what that meant. It was such a difficult word!
[A family’s secret history refers to a sad story intertwined with the family!]
Just then, Eupheros quietly appeared and sent the words.
*‘Is it okay to ask?’*
I felt like if I didn’t ask now, I might never get another chance. In the end, fueled by the lingering warmth of shrimp tempura, I took a deep breath and gathered my courage.
“I had an unni, right?”
“Hmm.”
“What was my unni’s name?”
“Luarelle.”
Unexpectedly, the Admiral answered readily. Then, he began to explain something I hadn’t even asked about.
“You must be curious since you saw the portrait. Why Aurora isn’t here. If she had been, she surely would have been a good mother to you.”
*Aurora.*
I whispered the name to myself. It felt familiar, for some reason.
“It was about seven years ago. Aurora and Luarelle went on a retreat; they were swept away by the waves and disappeared.”
“……!”
“Luarelle was very young back then. She was only two years old.”
Luarelle. My sister’s name was Luarelle…?
I tilted my head.
*‘Our Lu.’*
A very sweet voice echoed from somewhere. It was as soft as cotton candy and as melting as ice cream. I wanted to keep listening, but it vanished as quickly as it had come.
“Everyone on that ship died. We couldn’t find any traces of Aurora or Luarelle, but there was no way both of them survived. Not long after that, Elzen fell ill… and while only bad things kept happening, you appeared.”
What kind of illness did Elzen oppa have? He coughed a lot and even threw up blood. As I looked at him with worry, the Admiral gently patted my hair.
“Are you worried about Elzen’s illness?”
“Yes.”
“Reverse Scale Disease is a rare condition that affects about one in ten thousand people. It only occurs in Awakeners. The power inside the body reverses, constricting the heart and forming blood clots. Once it occurs, you lose your life within five years.”
*Gasp.* That’s terrifying.
I became very, very serious. Just hearing about it sounded incredibly painful. I wondered if I shouldn’t have asked him to get that book for me. I hoped I hadn’t made oppa even sicker.
“It is not something for you to worry about. The adults are finding a way.”
Seeing my expression, the Admiral said it in a low, firm voice. I gazed up at his fuchsia eyes.
“And… I will protect you, at least. Trust your father. I will surely protect you.”
Our gazes met. I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded vigorously.
“Such a good child.”
But that was when it happened.
☆Reward☆
10g of ‘Butter-Butter’ that fills you with a heart of support.
This butter cannot be used on its own. If you eat a dish containing this butter, you will feel temporarily inclined to help the person who gave you the dish.
With a *pop* sound, a picture of butter appeared before my eyes. Not the butter itself, just a vision of it.
[Since this butter would melt quickly in this weather, I, Eupheros, will keep it for you. Please let me know when you need it!]
Aha. I was so surprised, I thought you were trying to steal it and not give it to me!
*‘Wait, then what about the Great Job Stamp?’*
I need to get that, too!
As soon as I thought that, Eupheros spoke up right away.
[Ta-da! You see, I’ve prepared a grape board for your praise stamps!]
As the glowing letters disappeared, a large illustration of a bunch of grapes appeared before my eyes. There was space to stamp each individual grape, and one was already marked with a big, bold stamp.
“Hehe.”
“Why are you laughing? It’s time to brush your teeth.”
The Admiral knows nothing. My bottom wiggled because I wanted to show off that I’d received a praise stamp. I couldn’t hold it in and opened my mouth, but as always, only *pip-pip* sounds came out.
*‘Hing. When will I be able to talk?’*
Just like the glowing letters, it seemed this grape board and the praise stamps were only visible to me.
*‘I am… a good girl.’*
I said that to myself for reassurance, then brushed my teeth while dozing off, nodding my head. It seemed it was time for this baby to sleep again.
* * *
For a few days, it rained incessantly. Classes were put on hold, and I heard that Teacher Cedric had become extremely busy. We didn’t even have the Orca Sugar yet, so that was a relief!
I basically lived in the kitchen and played. I kneaded dough and baked cookies!
“Young Lady, you need to go get ready now.”
I was busy putting chocolate chips into scone dough when Lina came to find me.
“Ready!”
“I told you there was a family dinner scheduled for this evening, didn’t I?”
“Un-huh.”
“It’s not a formal dinner, but it is the first place you will be meeting the other family members.”
Yesterday, I had received a special lesson from Lina. It was about the family tree!
First Aunt, Violet Pashayen.
Second Aunt, Cecilia Pashayen.
Third Uncle, Nein Pashayen.
Fourth, the Admiral, Diegon Pashayen!
*‘The aunts and the Admiral are the biological children of Grandfather, the Head of House!’*
And Uncle is an adoptee, like me.
*‘Also… something else important.’*
Aunt Violet and Aunt Cecilia were currently fighting over the position of Successor. They should get along well, but since there’s only one seat, it couldn’t be helped.
*‘I have to call Aunt Violet “Successor.” Aunt Cecilia is just Aunt.’*
I haven’t forgotten; I remember it all!
Maybe it was because I’d been smelling bread since the morning, but I was in such a good mood that I hopped and skipped, running ahead of Lina. I heard the maids who were cleaning laughing happily as they watched me, whispering about how cute my twin tails were. Feeling proud for no reason, I danced my feet here and there as I hopped.
“Young Lady, watch out! Look ahead!”
“……!”
*Thump!*
Lina’s shout and my crashing into someone at the corridor corner happened almost at the same time. I was about to land on my bottom, but I managed to balance myself, rubbed my nose, and looked up.
In an instant, the child I made eye contact with let out a scream a beat late.
“Eek!”
“Young Lady Angela, are you alright? Oh my. Your new dress…!”
“Waaaaah!”
A sharp, shrill voice and a crying sound pierced my ears at the same time. Seeing the flour from my clothes smeared white onto the red dress of the girl I was seeing for the first time, I apologized immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you think saying sorry is enough? Lina, what are you going to do about this? Why is a commoner like this roaming the hallway as she pleases?”
An adult standing next to her shrieked. Angela was wearing a red dress with her brown hair tied in twin tails, and her crying nose was red.
*‘Wow, she’s tall and pretty, just like the eight-year-old unnis at the daycare.’*
I wanted to be friends with her… couldn’t I just brush the flour off her dress?
“Chu will brush it off for you. Sorry.”
“How dare you! Do you even know who this is, that you dare to lay a hand on her!”
*Slap!*
But the moment I reached out, I was struck sharply across the hand.
Almost at the same instant, Lina, who had come running up behind me, pulled me into a tight embrace and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“How dare you lay a hand on anyone, Matilda! This is Young Lady Shuperti!”