Should I Really Consider Until She's Twenty?
Should I really consider until she’s twenty?
“Ah… h-hello…”
Ester entered, adorned in a bright yellow dress and a red pin. Her appearance, like a spring fairy, brought a smile to my face before I even realized it.
“Goodness—what an utterly adorable child. And I sense such tremendous talent in her…”
Mother’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at Ester. As a mage, she must have felt something special.
“Ahem. She is indeed a cute child. Our first priority should be fattening her up a bit.”
Father had opposed at first, yet it was obvious he had taken a liking to her. He had always wanted a daughter, after all. The clothes Ester wore had been purchased on a whim, based on that old superstition—if a house kept girl’s clothing, a daughter would come. Though we shared no blood, a daughter had arrived. Perhaps the charm had worked after all.
“She’s truly beautiful, my little sister. Come closer. I want to admire your lovely face in detail.”
“Hehe… um, do I look p-pretty, Leon oppa?”
“Of course. You’re the prettiest child I’ve ever seen, little sister.”
“Heehee—”
The way she shyly twisted her body was utterly lovable. Yes, twelve children really was the correct number.
“Goodness… to see our Leon make an expression like that…”
“He always wore such a mischievous face, but this is rather nice too.”
Tsk. From my parents’ perspective, it must have looked strange. After all, I was standing there with a foolish, fatherly smile while looking at Ester.
Feeling awkward, I whispered softly to her.
“Ester, greet them properly and give a simple self-introduction. Then, at the end, call them Papa and Mama.”
“P-Papa and Mama?”
“Yes. They’ll love it. They’ve always wanted a pretty daughter just like you.”
“…All right. Since it’s what Leon oppa said…!”
Ester clenched her little fists, eyes filled with determination. It was heartwarming.
In truth, Ester felt less like a sister and more like a niece—or even a daughter. When I factored in my previous life, I was well over forty, after all.
The small girl approached the parents who had formally accepted her as their adopted daughter. As she drew near, the two of them—who had always been weak to cute things—broke into gentle smiles.
Ester’s cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke.
“U-um… my name is Ester. Leon oppa brought me here, and we decided to become family. P-please take care of me from now on! Papa, Mama!!”
Papa… Mama…
The office filled with the sound of Ester’s adorable voice. One look at my parents’ faces told me my idea had worked perfectly. Their expressions had melted into something entirely devoid of dignity.
“Hahaha, yes, I am Papa. Ester—that’s a wonderful name. Please take good care of us. And you must call me Papa until the day I die.”
“Mm-hmm. And I am Mama. You are truly precious, Ester. Likewise, you must call me Mama until the day this Mama passes.”
Both of them eagerly stroked her cheeks and hair, their eyes dripping with pure affection. And yet they had tried to oppose this at first.
“Eek—y-yes!”
Ester answered while swaying slightly under the barrage of affectionate touches. How cute.
I wasn’t jealous of my parents, but if this continued much longer, Ester might actually wear out.
“Father, Mother. I’d like to show you the document certifying Ester’s adoption.”
Only after I steadied the swaying girl did their expressions return to normal.
“Haha, very well. Here, Ester. You are now the adopted daughter of the honorable Leonhardt family. This is the certificate. It means we are family from this day forward.”
This certifies that the girl named Ester has been formally adopted as a daughter of the Leonhardt Ducal House.
She shall henceforth be recognized as a full member of the family, bearing all rights, privileges, and protections thereof.
Sealed with the Golden Lion bearing ruby eyes—the exclusive emblem of the Leonhardt Duchy.
I had burned the adoption papers from the Billman family, of course.
“Please take care of us, Ester. This Mama will love you dearly.”
“This Papa will too.”
They really were overflowing with affection. I gently stroked Ester’s head as well.
“This brother will too.”
Ester flinched at the sudden flood of attention. Then I felt her small body begin to tremble.
“H-hic… th-thank you…”
Oh dear.
Ester began to cry bitterly. My parents looked at her with pitying eyes and pulled her into their arms. I carefully slipped between them and wrapped my arms around her quivering frame. Little by little, the trembling subsided. She must have been holding in so much tension; soon Ester fell into a peaceful sleep.
Our family looked at one another and smiled softly. A very cute new member had joined us.
…
The next evening, Mother—who was overjoyed at finally having a daughter—declared she would bathe Ester herself. I could already guess what would happen afterward.
“Leon!!”
Just as I thought.
Mother entered without knocking, her face filled with fury.
“Leon, was it that baron family’s doing that left Ester’s body in such a state?”
Her anger made the surrounding mana tremble. I was still too weak to sense it clearly, but anyone sensitive to mana would have fainted on the spot.
“Yes, Mother. That’s why I asked you to punish them.”
“…I see. You did very well bringing her home. My beloved Leon.”
She kissed my forehead lightly, but her expression remained sharp as a blade as she turned away. It would be terrible news for the Billman barony.
Exactly one week later, the Billman family vanished from the empire. The stated reasons were selling low-quality goods at cheap prices, disrupting the market economy, and—most importantly—daring to harm a member of a ducal house. The entire family had apparently taken on massive debts trying to fight the charges and were sold into slavery.
Mother had demonstrated the power of the Leonhardt Duchy and an influence that could not be ignored. Selling inferior goods to collapse the market? An absurd excuse. The real message was the latter part: Anyone who touches a member of a ducal family will pay the price.
After this, when Ester made her debutante, no one would dare treat her carelessly. A pleasant smile rose to my lips.
Of course, it was a shame I couldn’t crush them with my own hands. But what power could a child like me have yet? A young child’s grudges are for their parents to settle.
That evening at dinner, Mother wore an extremely satisfied expression.
“Ester, there will be no more Billman barony in the empire.”
“…In the empire? They disappeared?”
“That’s right, my cute daughter. They vanished overnight.”
Ester’s eyes widened in surprise. Then she moved her small mouth, deep in thought. In just a week she had gained a healthy amount of weight and looked wonderful. Her previously malnourished body must have eagerly absorbed the quality meals.
“So bad people really do get punished! That’s why they disappeared from the empire! It must have been a giant wolf that ate them all up!”
Ester spoke as if she had uncovered a great truth.
“Pfft.”
My parents and I struggled to hold back our laughter. This kind, innocent child had no idea Mother had orchestrated the whole thing. Her reaction was unbearably cute and lovable.
Half of it was correct, though. The symbol of Mother’s family, Sylvania, was a white wolf.
“Huh? Why are you laughing, oppa? The fairy tale said bad people get punished! So they were punished, and Mama told me so!”
“That’s right. Everything our lovely baby said is correct.”
“Hehe, Mama—”
Mother’s face was melting with joy. Well, mine wasn’t much different.
That day, Ester finished every plate with a radiant, happy smile. As expected, she really was an admirable child.
…
Two months passed.
Fortunately, Ester was adapting well to life in the duchy. She smiled brightly at everyone and received endless affection from the servants. A few of them occasionally crossed the line by patting her head or pinching her cheeks. After I gave them a cold glare, no one dared touch her again. It seemed the fear from my past delinquent behavior still lingered.
How dare they touch someone else’s sister? By the way, our cute Ester was eight years old this year. There was a four-year gap between us—though in reality the difference was over forty.
It felt like I had gained a late-born niece. Ester followed me around closely too.
“Leon oppaaa!!”
See? There she was, running toward me in a cute dress, pitter-pattering from afar.
“It breaks my heart if you fall, my sister.”
I caught her as she leaped into my arms.
“Heheh, but Leon oppa will catch me, right?”
“Of course. As expected, Ester is very smart.”
Yes, twelve children really was the right answer. I stroked her head and took her hand.
I carefully helped her into the tall carriage.
“Where are we going today, Leon oppa?”
“To the doll shop my sister wanted to visit.”
“Wow! I like it, hehe.”
Ester’s smile was incredibly charming. Her lovely pink hair and beautiful amber eyes sparkled.
It had been about three weeks since we started going out together. She was receiving basic education at home, but having grown up confined in the baron’s household and the orphanage, Ester didn’t know much about the outside world. So we decided to explore the duchy together once a week. The way she had jumped for joy was adorable. My parents had even looked jealous watching us. Grown adults, jealous.
Since I was the one who brought Ester home, it was only natural she spent time with me.
“Hum-hum~”
She hummed cutely while looking out the window. Feeling my gaze, she turned and flashed me a bright smile. I stroked her hair. Yes, twelve really was the perfect number.
…
We arrived at the largest doll shop in the empire—Brandon’s Toyland.
“It is an honor to serve Young Master Leon, the eldest son of the Leonhardt Ducal House. May I ask who the young lady beside you might be?”
“She is Ester, the eldest daughter of the ducal family. I trust you understand what that means.”
“…Understood. It is an honor to serve Lady Ester, eldest daughter of the Leonhardt Duchy. Please enjoy your time here. If you need anything at all, call for us without hesitation.”
I hadn’t wanted to specify that she was adopted, so I’d simply said to understand—and he had excellent perception. As expected of staff from the empire’s top doll shop.
“Th-thank you…”
I stroked Ester’s soft hair as she answered quietly. I had told her she didn’t need to thank people for everything, but the habit seemed hard to break. The employee smiled warmly at her and bowed.
No wonder the servants all adored her.
“My lovely sister, choose any doll you like. Of course none of them can compare to your own cuteness, but this is the place that proudly offers the cutest dolls in the entire empire.”
“Hehe—Leon oppa, do you think I’m cute?”
“Of course. Out of all the children on the continent, Ester is the cutest.”
“Hehe—I like Leon oppa the most in the whole continent too!”
Should I really make her wait until she’s forty before letting her date the male leads?
No.
I should just compromise and have twelve children of my own.
I took Ester’s hand and we explored the shop. There were so many different kinds of dolls. Since I had little interest in them myself, I simply watched Ester browse with a warm, contented feeling.
“Ah, I… I want that doll!”
Ester stretched out her short arm and pointed. At the end of her finger was a lion doll with golden fur and bright ruby eyes.
“A reinterpretation of the family crest.”
To turn the empire’s sword into such an adorable doll… it felt slightly blasphemous. But what could I do? If Ester liked it, that was enough.
“You have excellent taste, Ester. If there’s anything else you want, just tell me.”
I gestured to the employee, received the doll, and handed it to her.
“Hehe, this is enough for me! Thank you, Leon oppa.”
Ester smiled brightly while hugging the lion doll tightly.
Should I really consider until she’s twenty?
Damn. That would be too difficult after all.
It seemed we would have to settle on delaying Ester’s dating period. She hugged the doll and smiled happily the entire way back to the duchy.
“Do you like that doll that much, Ester?”
“Hehe, yes! I like it! Leon oppa.”
Was it crazy of me to feel a little disappointed?
“Because it looks just like Leon oppa, who I like the most!!”
It looked like I would have to buy her a doll on every birthday from now on. Preferably ones that resembled me—only more handsome, of course.
I patted my cute little sister and headed home. It had been a wonderful day for both of us.