Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Forbidden Cake and Chubby Cheeks
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I couldn't even wait for the Nurse to finish putting shoes on my feet—I kept wiggling my toes impatiently. The moment she slipped them on, I bolted straight for the table.
"This is the cake I mentioned earlier, miss."
Yasmin, who had been directing the servants to set out the snacks, tilted her head toward me and whispered.
She acted as friendly as ever, like that earlier incident had never happened.
Hmm.
In that case, I should play it cool too!
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah!"
"I'm glad. Then just wait a moment. I'll cut it for you right away."
The cake was piled high with fluffy cream, shaped like a cloud—it was so enchanting that it captivated anyone who laid eyes on it.
Dietrich, who had quietly sidled up next to me, let out a groan but couldn't tear his eyes away from it either.
"Does that mean Dietrich's snacks are all mine?"
I asked teasingly on purpose, and Dietrich squeezed his eyes shut like it pained him.
"Hey, we made a promise!"
"Really? But this is the super fluffy cake that Dietrich loves the most?"
"Ugh... S-still, a promise is a promise!"
Dietrich really was the perfect kid to tease.
I leaned in close to his ear, describing the cake's cloud-like texture in delicious detail, savoring the sight of him squirming in agony. That's when the Nurse's skirt brushed past me.
She scanned the table, and her eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.
"I specifically said no cake for the children's snacks this week. Who went ahead and brought it out anyway?"
Right—we had a cake ban, me and Dietrich.
After days of us competing to snag the sweetest treats, not just us but even the indulgent kitchen staff got an earful from the Nurse.
Dietrich and I stopped our antics and quietly shut our mouths.
What now?
Our Nurse was seriously scary when she got mad.
"I asked for it, Nurse."
Stepping forward through the chilly atmosphere was my new nanny, Yasmin.
"You did, Yasmin?"
"I'm sorry. I overstepped because I wanted to bond quickly with the young master and miss."
The Nurse softened a bit in the face of Yasmin's troubled smile.
"...I see."
Did that mean she'd allow the cake?
"I understand your intentions, Yasmin, but cake is off-limits. It would be better to swap it for something else."
She was always so strict!
After bouncing around on the trampoline for ages, I was starving enough to chew on the chair legs, and now she wanted us to wait longer? No way!
I immediately grabbed the Nurse's skirt and clung on.
"Nursey."
"No, miss."
I put on my most innocent face toward the Nurse, who looked gentle but firm.
"But Dietrich and me too... we wanna."
You join in too—play it smart.
I shot a glare at Dietrich, who was still standing there oblivious, and he hurriedly latched onto the Nurse's other skirt flap.
The Nurse alternated glances between us, her face stern and humorless as she asked,
"But earlier, the young master clearly said he'd give up a whole week's worth of snacks to you, miss."
"Dietrich said so. Me and him play together. Share, so half each wanna."
"Look at baby Ella, Nurse. Isn't she the cutest little angel in the world? She's sharing so nicely—please just this once, Nurse."
Go, good sibling strategy!
The Nurse had a huge soft spot for when we got along so well.
As expected, she couldn't hold out long against me and Dietrich clinging to her skirts with sparkling eyes.
She wrinkled her nose but surrendered with a reluctant wave of her hand.
"Fine, but not the whole thing... just half each. Got it?"
"Yes!"
Fearing she'd change her mind, we scrambled into our seats and grabbed our forks, at the ready.
The servants sliced generous portions topped with heaps of cream, alongside cups brimming with cool ice and sweet juice!
The Nurse and Yasmin sat before me and Dietrich, sipping tea with lemon slices afloat.
A gentle breeze carrying the scent of sweets and fresh grass tickled peacefully between us—a serene morning.
Ah, the best life...
"Good call preparing the trampoline. The miss and young master love it so much."
The Nurse nodded lightly at Yasmin's soft words.
"Right? I heard it's made from the wing membranes of flying beasts—super expensive, isn't it?"
"Monster byproducts are hard to obtain and even harder to process. Though with the war lately, monster corpses have been flooding in, so it's easier now."
I perked up my ears to their conversation, my eyes going wide.
"Monster?"
Monsters? As in real ones?
Those things actually existed?
I'd wondered how there could be trampolines in this era—they were made from monster wing membranes?
"Monsters are wicked beasts, miss. Some have long, long horns like this, and others have wings."
The Nurse patiently explained what monsters were.
Well, I already had a rough idea from fantasy novels and games before reincarnating into this world.
To think I'd been bouncing gleefully on a monster's wing membrane...
Suddenly my appetite soured a bit, and I set down my fork. Yasmin quickly soothed me in a slightly hurried tone.
"No need to be scared. Your father went off to hunt down loads of them."
Daddy did? What was this now?
Not knowing the topic, I just rolled my eyes around. Dietrich, with a dollop of cream on his cheek, puffed up proudly and jumped in.
"Yeah, I heard too. Father's in a war against monsters right now, right?"
"Yes."
"Where was it? That Tree Sea? Sue?"
"At the northern edge called the Tree Sea."
Yasmin succinctly filled in for the sloppy Dietrich.
They said monsters endlessly spawned from the black forest named Tree Sea at the empire's northernmost tip and came marching south.
"Near the Tree Sea live heretics who don't follow God's will—they even tame and command monsters. Very bad people."
"Daddy went to punish those bad guys, right?"
"Exactly, young master. You're so smart."
"This much is nothing! The servants say Father's winning—is that true?"
"It is. The war's winding down now."
As Yasmin answered, Dietrich crammed half a piece of cake into his mouth.
"Mmmph..."
"Young master, finish what's in your mouth before speaking."
I figured he'd get scolded by the Nurse.
Giggling as I watched Dietrich chew furiously, I suddenly felt eyes on us and turned my head.
What?
Just moments ago, I'd sensed people watching, but now everyone was averting their gazes every which way.
It felt exactly like getting caught staring and pretending otherwise.
'Come to think of it, all these faces are unfamiliar.'
Did Yasmin call them? Everyone in the garden today seemed to be new hires from the main estate.
...Well, since I hadn't been here long, it made sense they'd still find Dietrich's cake-devouring spectacle novel—one big gulp per half-piece.
I tore my gaze from them and picked up my fork again.
Look at this.
Hmm.
From every angle...
I circled around Dietrich, who stood in the center, and carefully came to a conclusion.
"Dietrich got chubby."
Laura, polishing vases nearby, couldn't hold back and let out a "Pfft."
Dietrich must have heard that tiny laugh too—his ears turned red as he vehemently denied it.
"N-no, I didn't!"
But no matter how I looked, he seemed mysteriously rounder?
Why? He was exercising steadily.
Plus, he'd gotten hooked on the trampoline, bouncing away daily and burning extra calories.
I ate meals with him all the time, and his portions hadn't noticeably increased...
It was weird for such an active kid like Dietrich to keep gaining weight, so I pinched and pulled at his cheek fat. His speech got all mushy.
"Dietrich's cheeks are so squishy."
"Kids plump up a bit before they grow taller. Looks like you're about to shoot up soon, young master."
"Th-that's it! Laura said so!"
Dietrich hurriedly parroted Laura, who was barely stifling her laughter while taking his side.
Anyone could tell that was just lip service?