Chapter 57

Two weeks had already passed since Tristan was released from prison.

I glared at the two uninvited guests sitting in my room. It was quite a sight how they had holed up as if it were their own room as soon as I recovered.

“……Aren’t you leaving?”

At my irritated question, Tristan, who was eating a cream puff, jerked his head up. What he was eating now was my snack.

With a shameless face, Tristan glanced back at Lucas.

“Brother, did you hear that? The little one is telling you to disappear quickly.”

“How is that directed at me? She was talking to you.”

“The little one wouldn’t find me annoying. You must be the one bothering her.”

Tristan licked the cream off his hands and smirked. He snatched the swordsmanship book Lucas was reading intently.

Lucas, his face scrunched up in anger, reached out to grab the book back from Tristan. Tristan levitated the book in the air using magic.

Even to me, slick Tristan was quite annoying.

“It’s because you only read such stiff books. That’s why you don’t have any friends.”

“I do have friends.”

“Huh? Who? Imaginary friends?”

Lucas, biting his lip firmly, stared at me intently. That look seemed to be asking me to step in.

Unable to bear his sad puppy-dog eyes, I raised my hand.

“I am his friend.”

“And also my little sister.”

Lucas straightened his back as if it were something to boast about. His handsome face lit up when he smiled.

In contrast, Tristan’s face crumpled terribly.

“Why is she your friend? Even if she’s a friend, she’s my friend and my little sister.”

“You’re free to believe whatever you want.”

“What? You’re the one who needs to stop living in a fantasy and wake up!”

“And you should stop stealing Liat’s snacks and go back.”

Ah. My head hurts.

Lucas and Tristan eventually growled, glaring at each other. The invisible fierce current flowing between them was ominous.

‘It’s noisy every day.’

So far, they both recognized that this was the Grand Duke’s room, so there hadn’t been any violent incidents like before. But if this situation continued, there was no telling what might happen in the future.

I forcibly wedged myself between them to create distance.

“Both of you, calm down. And I’m not anyone’s little sister.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Tristan cut in.

“Says who?”

“Right. As Tristan says, such things should be decided together with your big brothers.”

The two of them got along well only at times like this.

‘Who’s a big brother? Who?’

I already knew from past experience that starting an argument about whether we were family or not would never end. Neither the Grand Duke nor anyone else in the Grand Duke’s residence would take my side on this issue.

Rather than worrying about a problem with no answer, it was better to change the subject. I decided to focus on getting these two to leave.

Looking at Lucas, who was somewhat more reasonable, I opened my mouth.

“Lucas, aren’t you going to sword training?”

I had heard reports that he was even skipping his daily morning training. The ridiculous reason being that he wanted to greet me in the morning.

Lucas picked up the swordsmanship book that had fallen to the floor and pretended to read it.

“Don’t worry. I’m reading this swordsmanship book in my spare time.”

Tristan pointed out in a voice mixed with disdain.

“Brother, you’re holding that upside down.”

“……”

Tristan, thinking he had scored a point against Lucas, snickered. I grabbed Tristan’s cheek and turned him to face me.

“Tristan, aren’t you practicing magic either?”

“A genius like me doesn’t need to practice magic.”

“But you said you wanted to learn how to handle magical power from the Grand Duke.”

“Well, that’s…”

“You ran away from the tutor the Grand Duke assigned to you, right?”

It wasn’t likely that teachers capable of teaching the genius Tristan would be common. The professor invited as his home tutor was a renowned scholar who specialized in magical power studies at the Academy.

Upon hearing that he could teach Tristan, he had rushed over, but not long after, he reportedly developed a mental illness.

Sen shook her head as she relayed this fact.

“He does attend the lessons diligently, but apparently disappears in the middle. Leaving just a note.”

“What kind of note?”

“It says, ‘I found something I want to see, so I’m leaving.'”

I don’t know what he wanted to see, but he shouldn’t just skip class. Plus, he had startled me more than once by suddenly jumping out from the window.

I told Tristan in a stern voice.

“Go back now. Tristan’s teacher is already elderly, as you said. What if he collapses from anger?”

“Yes. I’ll take care of Liat, so you can go now.”

“Lucas, you need to leave, too.”

When Lucas added his comment, Tristan retreated hesitantly. Looking at me with a face full of betrayal, he flicked his hand to open a spatial pocket.

Tristan took out a beautifully wrapped gift from the spatial pocket.

“See what I brought before you say anything else.”

“Is it a snack?”

When I unwrapped it, pink ears popped out. Seeing what was hidden in the wrapping paper, I cheered.

Tristan’s gift was my lost spirit doll!

“It’s Mr. Daebak!”

“That’s right, little one. I found the broken one and fixed it with magic.”

“Thank you! Tristan is the best! Genius Tristan!”

“It’s nothing.”

I showered Tristan with praise as his lips twitched.

Now that I had my spirit doll back, it felt like my daily life had truly returned. This special reunion needed to be celebrated.

After making a few plans, I declared to the two of them.

“Then I’ll go out alone with my doll. Both of you take care.”

“Wait, comrade?”

“What? You’re leaving us behind?”

“Yes. Surely you wouldn’t intrude on a long-awaited reunion without any tact?”

Leaving the two dumbfounded, I ran to Sen. Since the weather was nice, I planned to have a picnic outside.

I also intended to ask for more snacks since Tristan had eaten mine.

“You’ve recovered Mr. Daebak!”

Sen was as delighted as I was when she saw the doll I was holding. I felt like all the stress accumulated from these two people was washed away in an instant.

***

The news that I was having a picnic with Mr. Daebak quickly spread throughout the Grand Duke’s residence. It was because I had boasted about it to everyone I passed.

Knights and maids who stopped in their tracks congratulated me with happy faces.

“Congratulations, Grand Princess!”

“If you hold another tea party in the future, please invite us again.”

“It seems the divine beast is watching over the Grand Princess and Mr. Daebak.”

“May I share this joyful news with others?”

With my heart enriched, I nodded generously.

“By all means!”

I shouldn’t have answered like that then.

I should have remembered that rumors have no feet. A few hours after I started the picnic excitedly, I faced the aftermath of the rumor.

‘This is cheating.’

Who would have thought that a mere rumor about me holding a tea party would bring the Grand Duke to where I was after he finished his official duties?

The Grand Duke picked up one of the tea sets spread out on the grass. Sen, who had stiffened, approached at the Grand Duke’s gesture.

“No table?”

“The Grand Princess said she wanted to enjoy it comfortably without formalities.”

“I see.”

Without further comment, the Grand Duke plopped down next to me. His luxurious cloak sprawled on the dirt ground.

I blankly looked up at the Grand Duke in his white uniform.

‘He’s especially radiant today.’

Even though I should be used to it by now, the Grand Duke’s appearance was new every time I saw him. His silver hair, shining like jewels in the sunlight, was beautiful from the start.

I wonder what it feels like to look like that.

The Grand Duke took the Mr. Daebak doll from my hand while I was lost in thought.

“That’s my friend.”

The Grand Duke held the doll in front of my eyes, waving it teasingly. Just as I grabbed the doll’s arm, I heard something I couldn’t believe.

“Meow.”

“Grand Duke, what did you just say?”

“……Meow?”

The Grand Duke, who kindly repeated himself, asked in a calm voice.

“Isn’t this how you play with dolls?”

He couldn’t be joking.

The Grand Duke forcibly handed me a rabbit doll as I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing how to react. Holding the beige rabbit doll, I broke into a cold sweat.

The Grand Duke seemed genuinely intent on playing dolls with me.

“It’s your turn.”

The Grand Duke’s gruff voice sounded like a death sentence. No, what exactly am I supposed to do?

In the midst of my confusion, the Grand Duke’s soulless cat imitation continued.

“Meow. Meow.”

“Hop?”

“Meow.”

“Hop hop.”

As the conversation continued, my heart grew colder. Why should I be worrying about how rabbits sound?

‘When will this end?’

With maids around, I was honestly embarrassed. The Grand Duke seemed to enjoy this meaningless exchange.

‘His lips are curling up.’

In this situation, I had no choice but to go along with the Grand Duke. I continued the doll play with tears in my eyes.

I wished we could at least change to a game where the dolls spoke like people.

“Grand Duke, just holding dolls and making animal sounds isn’t really playing with dolls.”

“I heard it was a game of imitating dolls. And cats can’t speak human language.”

“That’s a valid point. But that’s not all there is to it.”

I explained the concept of role-playing with dolls to the Grand Duke.

“So you’re saying that even if the doll is in animal form, we pretend it’s a person.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

The relationship setting was up to the participants. The Grand Duke showed interest when I mentioned that specific situations could be set up when role-playing with dolls.

“Then. Let’s do it this way.”

The Grand Duke’s slender finger poked the belly of the rabbit doll I was holding.

“The doll you’re holding plays the role of the daughter, and the doll I’m holding is the daddy.”

“……Umm?”

“Now the cat doll has returned after finishing official duties. What should your doll say?”

When I didn’t answer, the Grand Duke kindly instructed me.

“You should say, ‘Welcome home, Dad.'”

“……”

The Grand Duke was making absurd advances with a chillingly expressionless face. His brazen nonsense left me speechless.

“Um… Grand Duke?”

The Grand Duke, raising one eyebrow, stared at me intently. His implicit urging for an answer made me feel like my sanity was about to leave.

That was the expression of someone who wouldn’t back down until he got an answer.

Either he had to give up, or I had to give up. Backed into a corner, I swallowed and opened my mouth.