Translator: Blushy
Editor: Sam
Please stay safe and remember to social distance yourself!<3
I fell asleep and was on my bed when I woke up. Nico is usually waiting for me, but he must have already left. It was fun to pick oranges, but itâs tiring to meet so many people.
Speaking of oranges, why donât I bring a Rug Dragon with me next time and stand on their head. While I was thinking about such things, Natalie wiped my face with a warm towel.
âThhanwsh, Natawie.â
âLei.â
âNii-syama!â
Nii-sama was here. I turned to where his voice was and saw a stranger with him. He had a firm body, some grey hair in his brown hair, a tan, and brown eyes. That person muttered, âClaire...â
Claire. Okaa-sama. Shortly after I thought that, the man hugged me. I didnât even have time to feel shy. I wasnât scared of strangers in the first place.
He smelt like the sun, old leather and faintly like Rug Dragons.
âHer eyes, mouth, her untidy hair, and mischievous expression are just like Claireâs when she was little...â
Really? Both Otou-sama and Nii-sama have beautifully straight hair, but my hair is always all over the place.
âOjii-syama?â I said, and he asked, âYes, thatâs right! Iâm your Ojii-sama. Iâve never seen such a smart child before. Right, Luke?!â
âThatâs right! Thatâs why I wanted you to meet her as soon as possible!â
The middle-aged man and the boy were screaming.
âFather-in-law, Iâve been here the whole time. You didnât notice me at all because you wanted to meet Lei.â Otou-sama smiled, wryly behind them.
âOh, Dean. This is great. Leiâs back. Itâs really great!â
âYes, yes. It really is!â
He was still holding me as they hugged each other. Itâs tight. Itâs narrow.
âItâs surprisingly foolish of you not to notice how much she looks like Claire, Dean.â
âAt first, I only saw her hair and eye colours. And, sheâs chubbier than the slender and weak Claire.â
What!? If a baby isnât chubby, then doesnât that mean theyâre unhealthy?
âOtou-syama...â
Judging a person by only a glance, honestly what a troublesome person.
âAfter I started caring for her, I didnât even think about whether she resembled Claire or not. Oh yes, is Luke like Diana?â
Otou-sama stared at Nii-sama, and Nii-sama was shocked.
âYouâre asking that now? Itâs been 12 years since I was born.â
âMy bad.â
This is probably a situation where I can understand just how useless Otou-sama is. I hope this doesnât spread outside of the Albans House.
âOh, we got off-topic. Leila, happy birthday.â
âThanwsh.â
I feel like itâs my first time meeting a relative.
âI brought a present for the girl who did her best in Frontier!â
âPreshenth?â
I tilted my head. Oh yeah, I havenât received a present today.
âI collected all the presents you received today. Iâll show you later.â
âAi!â
âOjii-samaâs present is, you know...â
If you stop there, then Iâll be excited to hear what it is.
âItâs a Rug Dragon!â
âWow. Huh?â
Rug Dragon? For a two-year-old girl?
âItâs a Rug Dragon for you to use!â
âWow, thanwsh.â I said thank you, but we have lots of dragons in the pasture. And, Iâve been told that I canât ride them by myself, so itâs a questionable present.
âRug Dragons have long life spans, so itâll be with you until you grow up.â
âOjii-samaâs fief raises Rug Dragons.â
Ojii-sama and Nii-sama get along well. I have mixed feelings about Rug Dragons, so the stuffed one near my bedside is enough for me.
Iâm glad he came to see me, and he also got along well with Otou-sama. The people at the mansion were tactful and made dinner into a party. We talked, and laughed while having dinner.
âClaire wasnât shy either, is Lei the same?â
Ojii-sama narrowed his eyes.
âClaire didnât change even when she became an adult, and she always talked to this grumpy Dean without hesitation.â
âIâm ashamed of myself. I lost my temper a lot, and was unhappy about a lot of things back then.â
âNo, you had the reputation of being an expressionless and cold guy. The rumours about the Four Marquises are heard to the ends of the country.â
âThatâs...â
This might be my first time seeing Otou-sama speechless. Itâs Otou-sama, so he wasnât interested in whether people were interested in him or not, and he would even say âWhat do you want me to do with your interest?â
Nii-sama and I, who were exposed to the public in Wester as members of the Four Marquises, smiled wryly. Then, I thought. If I were Okaa-sama, and I was meeting the Four Marquises for the first time, then I would be excited to see what kind of a grumpy person would come. If she was like me, then she must have waited excitedly for the guest to arrive.
âIâm shure Okaa-syama wash woowing forward tho ith.â
âLei! Thatâs right. Youâre really her daughter. Claire was looking forward to seeing what kind of person this cold and grumpy guy was, and she wanted to see how many wrinkles he had on his brows. She couldnât go out much because of her health, and was looking forward to meeting him.â
âSo...â Otou-sama said as if he had remembered something. What is it? Otou-sama stared at me, turned away and looked awkward.
âClaire came up to me with her eyes sparkling in excitement, then she said in disappointment, âWhat? You donât even have one wrinkleâ. I was still young, and I thought that she was really rude,â he muttered. Okaa-sama, I canât believe you wanted to see how many wrinkles he had. As expected of the woman who married Otou-sama.
âThere were a lot of girls who wanted to be with me.â
Well, you are popular since youâre one of the Four Marquises.
âIâve never met a girl as unpredictable as Claire. And, she always looked like she was having fun.â
Thatâs why he was attracted to a girl who was different from those around him. I see.
âLei, what are you grinning about?â
When Otou-sama got off his seat, he picked me up and put his face in my hair.
âOh, yes. Claire would grin in an unladylike way too.â
I asked him what he said, but he immediately diverted the subject. I have to ask Nii-sama what Otou-sama looked like tomorrow. I thought.
The next morning, I was taken to the pasture. I saw the Rug Dragon who was being given to me as a present and was blown away.
âKyee.â
Huh, itâs small. Is it a child?