Five Children Should Be Fine
Five children should be about right. Ester’s small hand settled into my palm.
Delighted, I stroked her soft hair once more. With my thumb I brushed away the tears sliding down her cheeks.
The faint smile that bloomed under my touch was so lovely it made my chest tighten.
When I marry later, I should have plenty of children.
It would be best to choose a quiet girl from a small, unremarkable family that never appears in the original story.
Five children would be just fine.
I would shower Ester with love, raise her with care, and make sure she met a male lead who suited her tastes perfectly.
“Let’s stand up, Ester. I don’t want to leave you in this filthy place any longer, my dear sister.”
“…Sister.”
Her adorable voice murmured the word like a secret.
When I carefully tugged her hand, she rose on shaky legs.
The sight of her frail, feather-light body sent a pang through my heart.
It feels too unsatisfying to end things here…
I wanted to repay every ounce of abuse Ester had endured.
“Young Master Leon, is this true?! You’re taking Ester away?!”
Perfect timing.
The fattest of them all came running, a son and wife wedged beneath each arm.
Herman Bilman.
He had even taken his noble surname from his own given name. Was the man trying to become a rapper?
“Baron Herman Bilman. Did you bring the adoption certificate? I distinctly remember ordering your wife to prepare it.”
I fixed the pig-like woman with an icy stare. Her whole body quivered, cheeks jiggling with the motion.
“Hah! I did not bring it! Ester is our daughter. What is the meaning of this absurd nonsense?!”
I rubbed the back of my stiffening neck.
These people were clearly underestimating me.
“You truly are stupid, filthy, and repulsive. Baron’s son. You inquired about me at the information guild, correct?”
“Y-yes… th-that is…”
“Did you hear nothing except that I dislike commoners?”
“Y-you… d-dislike commoners… and suffer from… obsessive-compulsive… d-disorder… and are a m-maniac…”
Is the father a rapper and the son a vocalist? The vibrato on that boy is actually impressive.
“Correct. A maniac. It seems even the information guild is unaware that several noble sons suffered serious injuries at my hands when I was in a foul mood. Though I suppose I did conceal it thoroughly.”
That was a lie. I was only thirteen and hadn’t yet become that much of a monster.
“Wh-what do you…”
Herman, who had stepped forward in anger, flinched violently.
“And those families all suffered both financially and politically. Unfortunately for you, my father happens to be the leader of the noble faction.”
“Hic—!”
The baroness began to hiccup. Every shudder sent her massive cheeks wobbling.
“You invited me here because you believed you could placate a twelve-year-old maniac easily enough. And you probably hoped to forge a stronger connection to the ducal house while you were at it.”
This was straight from the original novel.
In the original story, I would have flown into a rage over vomit on my pants and severed all ties with the noble faction. My parents would have granted the request without question.
Because they would do anything for me.
And because of that, Ester would be beaten by this pig of a baron.
You useless bitch! Worthless trash! We invested so much money in you! If you had just kept that stupid ducal maniac happy, our family could have earned even more!
Afterward the baroness and their son took turns beating her as well.
Insane bastards. Where did they even find room to hit such a tiny child?
My temple throbbed as I remembered the snowball I had set rolling.
Ester’s small hand had been trembling nonstop ever since the pig family appeared.
I calmed my rising anger.
From now on, I will protect her.
The Leon from the original story is no longer me.
“Baron Herman Bilman, I will say it once more. Bring the adoption certificate immediately. If you talk back again, I will burn that freshly inked noble title of yours to ash.”
“…Yes, Young Master Leon.”
The baron answered in a voice thick with suppressed fury and spun on his heel.
The three pigs waddled away, buttocks jiggling in perfect unison. The sight was utterly revolting.
“L-Lord Leon…?”
A small, sweet voice reached me.
“Will you call me brother? Or oppa. Actually, if possible, I’d love it if you called me Leon Oppa, Ester.”
“R-really…? C-can I really call you… oppa?”
I crouched to meet her eyes—hers a little lower than mine—and smiled playfully.
“Of course. I really, really want to hear ‘Leon Oppa’ from my pretty, adorable Ester.”
“B-but… pretty and adorable…? No one’s ever said that to me before…”
Her face flushed the same lovely shade as her pink hair. Her small lips trembled.
“L-Leon… Oppa…?”
Damn. I’m so glad I reincarnated into this body.
She was insanely cute. Unbelievably so.
Oppa. I had always dreamed of having a little sister.
“Yes, I’m your oppa, Ester. Thank you for granting my wish. I’m truly, truly happy.”
“Hehe… If Leon Oppa likes it… then I-I like it too!”
From this moment on, any attack on Ester would be considered an attack on me.
Come to think of it, was there any need to let her get entangled with the male leads?
Marriage could wait until my forties. There was no rush.
There was no need to send her to the academy either; private tutors at the estate would be better.
“I-I’ve brought it… Young Master Leon.”
The baron thrust the adoption certificate forward, cheeks quivering with rage.
I snatched it from his hand with frigid eyes.
“Good. At least your ears aren’t completely buried in fat.”
The document was genuine; he hadn’t dared tamper with it.
I turned to look at Ester. Fear of the pig family still lingered in her expression.
“Ester. From now on, you are Ester Leonhardt. You belong to one of the four ducal houses of the empire—the Leonhardt family, the sword of the empire. Next to the imperial bloodline itself, we are the most noble house in the realm. Do you understand what that means?”
“…That I… I’m not their family anymore… but Leon Oppa’s family…?”
How could she be this cute? The way her eyes darted around as she spoke was enough to drive a person mad.
“That’s right, my clever little sister. But more importantly, it means that with a single word from you, those who abused you until now can be killed or spared.”
“Y-Young Master Leon!! What are you—”
“Do not dare interrupt me, Baron. If you interfere with our conversation once more, I will cut out your tongue.”
The pig hastily covered his mouth with both hands.
They kept forcing me to say things that were terrible for a child’s emotional state. How irritating.
“Ester, you may say anything you wish. Before we leave this house, don’t you have any last words for them?”
“I… I…”
Confusion, burden, fear. I could see every emotion swirling in her eyes.
“I’m not forcing you. I simply wanted you to know that you no longer need to fear them. It’s they who should fear you now. If you have anything you want to say to your fake family, go ahead.”
“Th-they… will fear me…?”
“Yes. From now on they will be afraid of you. Because of what they did to you, and because your status is far higher than theirs.”
Her trembling pupils gradually stilled.
She nodded as though she had come to a decision, and I felt her squeeze my hand tightly.
Ester slowly walked with me until we stood before the baron’s family.
“I… I hate you. You took me in… hit me… and said only cruel things…”
Her voice shook.
“If I could… I’d want to do horrible things to you too!”
Who would have thought such an adorable threat could come from her lips?
I wanted to grant that wish right then and there.
The baron’s pig-like family grew paler by the second. Of course, they couldn’t see the sword I kept hidden from Ester’s view.
“…But I won’t. If I answer evil with evil, I’d be just as bad as you.”
How admirable. How could such a good child exist?
A smile rose to my lips without my permission.
Strangely, the baron’s family trembled even harder when they saw it.
Odd. Maybe because I had drawn my sword a little.
“So I’m going to become Leon Oppa’s real family… and live happily ever after. That’s why… I hope we never meet again.”
For such a young child, she spoke clearly without crying.
My adorable little sister simply wished never to see that baron family again.
“I… I’ve said everything… Leon Oppa…”
Ester’s face looked refreshed, as if a weight had been lifted.
Her trembling hands had finally stilled, and the strength she had gripped me with loosened.
I gently caressed the cheek of this well-mannered child.
“Well done, Ester. You are truly worthy of being the adopted daughter of House Leonhardt. Now let’s leave this wretched place and go home—your real home.”
I matched my steps to her small stride as we left the mansion.
Behind us, the pig family remained frozen in the hallway, faces drained of all color.
We climbed into the carriage waiting outside the gates.
Ester’s large eyes darted around the interior, fascinated by everything she saw.
At this rate, six children wouldn’t be a problem at all.
Ah, but that might be too difficult for my future wife.
…
“…Young Master Leon. Who is this young lady? And why is your cheek…”
My exclusive escort knight, whom I had ordered to wait in the carriage because I said I would go alone.
Messy brown curly hair and a tidy appearance. Eyes filled with unease and a trembling voice that contradicted his neat looks.
“She is my sister, and from today onward the adopted daughter of House Leonhardt—the one you will pledge your loyalty to, Zeppelin. Ignore the cheek. Bring me a healing potion later.”
“Yes, young master. But… a sister?”
“H-hello… I’m Ester…”
“Ah, yes, my lady. I am Zeppelin, exclusive escort knight to Young Master Leon.”
“Call her ‘my lady’ no longer. Address her as ‘Young Lady.’”
“…Forgive me, Young Lady. I have made a grave mistake. Please be merciful and overlook my error.”
“N-no, it’s all right! You can speak comfortably…”
“That won’t do, my dear sister. No one in this world may treat the adopted daughter of a ducal house casually. From now on you will live as a noble young lady. I hope you grow accustomed to it.”
“Um… yes… since Leon Oppa says so…!”
“Hearing you call me Oppa is truly wonderful, my sister.”
“Hehe…”
Zeppelin watched the tender exchange between us with open horror.
When I shot him a look that asked what he was staring at, he leaned close to my ear.
“Young master… are you truly all right with this? Adopting a daughter without consulting the Duke or Duchess? And when exactly did you learn to speak so gently…?”
Well, their reaction was certainly something to worry about.
They were the kind of parents who swallowed their tears even when their precious firstborn acted like a maniac.
Yet here I was, suddenly bringing home someone else’s child.
“I understand your concerns, Zeppelin. However, whispering might make my precious sister feel excluded, so please refrain.”
“Ah, I-I’m fine, Leon Oppa…”
“My, what a generous heart our sister has. She will surely become someone extraordinary in the future.”
“Hehe…”
Seeing Ester’s adorable smile, I found myself smiling as well.
“Th-the young master… smiling like that… Dear gods… Tomorrow the sun will surely rise in the west… Oh, Lord… please let my wife survive the coming apocalypse.”
It seems I really have lived rather wildly.
…
Ester must have been exhausted; she fell asleep inside the carriage.
The seat was soft but still looked uncomfortable, so I shifted her carefully.
I laid her head gently on my thigh.
Satisfied, she nuzzled her cheek against me and drifted deeper into sleep.
As expected, even six children wouldn’t be too much for my future wife…
“Young master… has your mysophobia been cured…?”
Zeppelin stared at me with wide, horrified eyes.
He had been shocked so many times today that his eyes looked ready to pop out at any moment.
“Yes. It appears to be completely cured. Perhaps the clean country air helped? To be honest, I intended to sit beside my sister from the beginning. If you hadn’t yanked me away in a panic, that is.”
“I-I am truly sorry for my rudeness, young master. I feared you might be displeased by the young lady’s condition…”
“…I know you were only worried. Since your judgment was made for my sister’s sake, I do not consider it rude. On the contrary, you did well, Zeppelin.”
Before I remembered my past life, I would have hated sharing the same space with her. So of course Zeppelin had assumed the same.
But now such things didn’t bother me at all.
I stroked her hair with the lightest touch so as not to wake her.
I ignored Zeppelin’s jaw dropping so far it looked dislocated as he whimpered quietly to himself.
It was a rather warm summer day.