Chapter 25
Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Boy in My Room
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fairies were one thing, but this was potentially even more dangerous.
It meant there was a strange kid I'd never seen before in our house.
Just in case, I prepared myself to bolt at any moment, my back pressed against the door as I scanned the room.
There were no signs of a break-in.
Dad might not notice if he was away, but no one could sneak in without him knowing.
And above all, those clothes the kid was wearing.
They looked familiar. A bit baggy on him, but it was exactly like the shirt Dietrich wore so perfectly.
"Did Daddy bwring you hewe? Awre you Dwietwrich's fwiend?"
Once again, the kid ignored my question.
I hadn't expected much of an answer anyway, so I kept carefully inspecting the room. That's when I spotted something on the half-open window sill.
That was...
The kid noticed where I was looking and tried to block the window with his body, but it was too late—I'd already seen what was there.
"You can't put the cup thewe. It might faww and go bwreak—owwie!"
What if that glass cup shattered after being placed on the window sill?
And it wasn't even on the inside ledge, but the outside one. It looked more than half full of water, too.
Was he planning some prank to splash a passerby?
"Don't do that. Come hewe and dwink fwom this instwad. Got snacks too."
On the table in the corner sat a pitcher of water and a tray of snacks.
No signs they'd been touched.
I pointed at the snacks, thinking maybe he was playing around with the cup, but the kid stood frozen by the window, not budging an inch.
Why was he acting like that?
At least today, unlike last night, the rain had stopped and the wind had died down—no worries about slipping.
"...Wain?"
Only now did I notice the kid's parched, paper-white lips.
And the water in the pitcher hadn't diminished even a sip.
Which meant the water in that cup I'd seen was most likely rainwater.
Why rainwater, though?
Curiosity pulled me a step further into the room, but a sudden reddish heat flared up, blocking my path.
I frantically waved my palms to fan it away.
"Hot! So hot!"
"Don't come any closer."
His voice was hoarse, like someone who hadn't spoken in ages.
With that chilling glare and wary stance...
I'd be in big trouble if I let my guard down just because he was a kid.
"Okay, I'ww go. Bye-bye?"
I backed away carefully, trying not to provoke him, shaking my stinging hands as I slipped out of the room.
Thank goodness he didn't attack me while I was fleeing.
Glancing down at my palms, still tingling faintly, I saw they were bright red.
Fortunately, it didn't look too serious.
'But seriously, what was that weird kid doing in our house...?'
Should I ask Dad?
"Miss!"
"Eek! Nurse!"
"Stay right there!"
On my way to ask Dad about the mysterious kid, I got nabbed by the Nurse in the middle of the hall and hoisted into the air like a ragdoll.
I forgot I was mid-escape!
"Running off after leaving just a note! I nearly had a heart attack over you, Miss!"
"Not wunnin' away! I just wwrote I don't wike Empire wanguage!"
"You've only been learning Imperial for a few days, and you're already forming sentences? A genius like you needs to learn everything...!"
If this kept up, she'd really etch "genius" into her brain.
To dodge that major crisis, I desperately raised my palms and started whining dramatically.
"Nuwse, my hands awe hot. Wook! Aww wed."
It wasn't a bad burn, but they were red enough.
I stuck out my palms and drooped my eyes pitifully. Forgetting her lecture, the Nurse scooped me up and bolted toward the kitchen.
It had felt insanely hot.
For a split second, the whole air seemed to boil.
"N-Nurse!"
As the Nurse burst into the kitchen cradling me, a servant stammered and rushed over.
Why was he so flustered?
Looking where he'd been standing, I saw a knight plopped in front of a mountain of cookies.
Bringing snacks to a knight in the kitchen wasn't a big deal. Why the panic?
"Prepare some ice water. The Miss hurt her hands."
"Y-Yes! Right away!"
At the Nurse's order, the kitchen servant whipped up ice water in no time.
As I soaked my hands in the finger-numbingly cold water, the Nurse frowned.
"How on earth did this happen?"
It was a strange power I'd never seen before. Maybe the Nurse knew something?
I was about to ask about the kid's weird ability when my new habit kicked in—I scanned the surroundings first.
Sure enough, the kitchen servant who'd been staring at us suddenly pretended to look at the cabinets.
'New face—probably from the main estate. Yeah, that tracks.'
The main estate servants had been like that from the start.
Watching us eat cake like we were under surveillance.
I'd thought it was my imagination at first, but after spending time together, I was convinced it wasn't.
Unlike the butler locked in the Punishment Cell or Yasmin, most main estate servants and maids were still around. I couldn't blab carelessly in front of them.
I chewed my lip, then came up with an excuse.
"I twipped whiwe wunnin'..."
"Pardon? Burned, you said? You definitely said 'hot' earlier. And your palms still feel warm."
"No! It was wike whoooosh hot hot hot! Then I swipped and feww!"
I thrust my arms forward and struck a goofy sliding pose. The Nurse looked baffled.
The servant was still dawdling nearby, pretending to tidy the cabinets.
I had to change the subject before she probed further.
Conveniently, I had something to ask her anyway. Pretending it just hit me, I widened my eyes.
"Wait! Nuwse, what's Divine Gwave?"
That power the kid used looked a lot like Dad's.
No finger-wiggling, no chants—just instant ability activation.
If it was magic, shouldn't there be spells?
Like "abracadabra" or broomstick stuff?
In the wizard movies I'd seen, they always chanted and waved wands.
If it didn't work that way, maybe it was the Divine Grace the butler mentioned?
"Divine Grace is the power passed down through the bloodlines of the Imperial Family and the Four Great Duke Houses, Miss."
I'd asked the Nurse, but a knight who'd been sitting nearby slyly scooted closer and cut in.
He had a long scar across his left cheek—striking.
"According to the founding myth, it's the sacred power humans received from siding with the gods during the ancient war against the demons."
"Sacwed powew?"
"Yes. The five apostles chosen back then were the first Emperor and the first Dukes. They say they were granted a share of the gods' power."
"So Daddy too?"
"Of course. All direct descendants of the Duke Houses can manifest Divine Grace through training. You'll be able to use it too once you grow a bit more, Miss."
Our family's power was ice?
No. He'd also drained all moisture from the coachman's body, so water in general was more accurate—broader scope.
Ice was just frozen water anyway; same root.
'Can I use water powers if I train too?'
Excitement bubbled up.
That's right! In an isekai reincarnation, you've gotta get powers like this!
"Fwom today on...!"
"No. The Master said letters come first."
Doesn't work on the Nurse, huh.
I tried slipping in knight training amid the mood shift, but no dice.
Tsk. I stuck out my lip, turned my head, and decided to clear up a few more questions.
"What's ouw house's Divine Gwave?"
The scarred knight nodded.
"Water, yes. You saw Lord Leopoldt use it the other day, right?"
Then which house's Divine Grace was fire?