The True Villainess Niece Likes Praise
Her demeanor was so polite and refined, it was hard to believe she was only ten years old.
"Yes. Has Uncle been well?"
"I've spent my days buried in books, so I'm not in the best shape."
It was only natural, after holing up in my workshop to reach the 7th Circle.
I could practically still smell the ink and paper clinging to my skin.
"What brings you to see me today?"
A faint unease lingered in Liriet's eyes as she asked about the purpose of my visit.
Bitter.
Most kids her age would light up at the sight of their uncle thinking, 'Oh, is he here with pocket money?'
But the people who'd come to see her so far must have been utter disappointments. Tsk.
"I came back to the main house after so long and wanted to catch a glimpse of my pretty niece's face. Oh, and I have some important business too."
"My face? It's not particularly pretty."
"Is that so? To these uncle eyes, it's quite lovely. You'll have men weeping in the future."
"Th-thank you for the compliment."
Liriet's face flashed with surprise before she bowed her head politely.
But I could tell.
It hadn't stirred the slightest emotion in her.
No, more precisely, she'd dismissed my praise as empty words.
How starved for affection must she have been to react like that?
In my past life, my little sister would blush and grin at the faintest compliment from the elders around her.
"My dear niece, do you have time later?"
"Time? I have studies today."
"Studies? Is there a test?"
"Oh, no. It's just that neglecting my studies would be unworthy of an Argent..."
Liriet averted her eyes, mumbling a lame excuse.
She was probably just buckling under her stepmother's nagging, forced to sit at her desk.
Good grief. As if a ten-year-old had studies worth doing.
Whether in my past life or this one, parents obsessed with grinding their kids made my teeth grind.
They'd be better off letting her play in the dirt at the park.
"I see. That's a good attitude. So, what are you studying? Mind if your uncle takes a look?"
"Ah, yes..."
Part of me wanted to whisk her out of here right now, buy her something tasty, and take her for a stroll.
But for now, I held back, deciding to close the emotional distance first.
'Liriet feels safe in this room, just like in the original story.'
To her, this room was both a prison and her sole sanctuary.
Because even in the original work, her stepmother and half-brother never came barging in here to torment her.
What an irony.
That the prison holding her felt the most comfortable.
Maybe she didn't even realize it was a prison yet.
A child who didn't know freedom might not even think to leave.
For now, I'd teach her a bit, close the gap... Hm?
"...My dear niece, what exactly were you studying?"
"The basics and practical application of swordsmanship."
"......"
Looked like showing off my cool uncle side to bridge the gap was doomed from step one.
I should have at least picked up the basics of swordsmanship back when Father nagged me about it.
Her lake-blue eyes darted around.
Glancing at me, then at her notebook.
Then sneaking another peek my way before abruptly turning away, over and over.
Was I making her uncomfortable?
Well, yeah. If our positions were reversed, even I'd feel awkward.
Her uncle, whom she'd barely spoken to, suddenly invades her room and stares while she studies.
'She's adorable.'
But that childlike fidgeting was so charmingly age-appropriate, I decided to savor it a bit longer.
It was a fresh side of Liriet, whom I'd only known as cold and prickly in the original story.
"Um, Uncle."
"Hm?"
"You mentioned important business. If it's not too rude, may I ask what it is?"
"Ah."
Right. Get it together.
I'd thrown out a vague excuse, but hadn't thought beyond that.
Guess I'm hopeless at scheming outside of magic.
"That's right. But I can't interrupt your studies, so let's talk later."
"Yes."
Thankfully, she seemed to accept my makeshift excuse.
Or not really accept it.
She probably just had no room to argue with my deflection.
Still.
'This room really is barren.'
What kind of ten-year-old girl's room looked like this?
It felt like a ghost might pop out any second.
It had the basics, sure.
But just the bare minimum. Nothing more.
Not even a little doll for a child to play with.
No plants for decoration, either.
The servants' quarters were probably cozier.
"My dear niece."
"Yes, Uncle."
"Do you not like dolls or anything?"
"Dolls? Well..."
When I asked casually out of curiosity, Liriet looked away.
The most troubled expression she'd shown yet.
Hard to answer, huh.
I knew why.
In the original story, Liriet loved dolls.
Even as a young adult in the academy dorms, she displayed little dolls everywhere.
A late-blooming fancy, perhaps.
She couldn't have indulged it at the main house.
Because Kasdia Argent.
That damned second sister-in-law had declared it absurd for the Argent family's daughter to play with fragile dolls, never buying her any with twisted logic.
No, if she'd just refused to buy them, that would have been better.
That lunatic had burned a stuffed doll Liriet had scrimped and saved her allowance to buy—right in front of her.
"...Yes. A daughter of the Argent family has no need for such fragile things."
The expected answer.
And the expected shift in expression.
Watching this ten-year-old desperately hide her true feelings was heartbreaking, leaving a heaviness in my chest.
She'd grown up too fast.
No, too harsh. Better to say she'd learned to hide her emotions early.
A useful skill in society, maybe.
But not desirable for a child her age.
Still, we didn't have enough rapport yet to coax out her honest feelings.
How about this, then?
"Is that so? Well, embarrassing as it is, your uncle here loves dolls."
"Pardon? U-Uncle does?"
Had she never imagined a burly man with ash-gray hair admitting to liking dolls?
Liriet's eyes widened like a startled squirrel.
Her eyes seemed ready to spill over like a lake.
"Does that seem strange?"
"N-No, not strange exactly. Just... unexpected."
"In what way?"
"That someone as strong-looking as you, Uncle, would like dolls like me."
"Didn't you say you didn't like them much?"
"Pardon? Oh, um, that's..."
Children had their limits in hiding their hearts, it seemed.
Whether from shared feelings or impatience, I smiled seeing her unwittingly compare herself to me.
Close.
A little more, and I might have heard her true thoughts.
"Haha, just kidding. It might be unexpected, as you say. But to me, your view feels a tad narrow-minded."
"I'm sorry."
"Not blaming you. I just want you to think a little differently."
I pointed straight at Liriet with my index finger extended.
"You made it sound like dolls are something strong people shouldn't like, right?"
"Yes."
"Why is that?"
"Well..."
Tough to answer.
Even if she acted mature, she was still just a ten-year-old.
Say kids her age think boys like robots and girls like dolls.
Even then, pressing for reasons stumps them.
Because it's just societal norms.
They absorb it from what they see and hear.
And for Liriet, the one instilling those norms was none other than Kasdia Argent.
Simple.
She just had to say it.
Dolls are for the weak.
Not fitting for an Argent daughter.
Close to 'worldly wisdom,' her stepmother's 'knowledge' transfer left no room for this child to resist mentally.
Even if she originally loved dolls.
She'd come to see it as wrong, sinful, and gradually distance herself.
Critiquing or adding caveats wouldn't change that.
That's the key reason not to carelessly implant ideas in a child's mind.
"...I'm sorry. I don't know."
"It's fine. Not knowing isn't wrong."
"It's not?"
"Why? Has someone told you that not knowing something is wrong?"
"No. It's just..."
She flinched and averted her eyes again in surprise.
Every step felt like a minefield.
And not even mines she'd laid herself.
Some bastard had dumped them there carelessly. That was the real problem.
"Anyway, in my humble opinion, it's just people's narrow values."
"Why?"
"Because liking something shouldn't have right or wrong."
Liriet gasped in surprise.
That one line must have resonated with her.
"Of course, that doesn't mean anything goes. For example, have you seen people get drunk and cause a ruckus?"
"Yes, Father once briefly..."
"What did you think?"
"It was a little scary."
"Exactly."
I raised my thumb approvingly and continued.
"You can like something, but not if it harms others. Loving alcohol too much and causing trouble, loving money too much and exploiting people—those are surely sins."
"Yes."
"But would anyone get hurt if your uncle likes dolls?"
"No."
"Right. Far from harm, it'd be a boon to the doll shop owner."
Of course, delving deeper brings more considerations.
Even if it doesn't hurt others and you enjoy it alone.
Is it morally right? Another answer there.
But she didn't need to grasp that yet.
I just wanted to say, 'Your preferences aren't wrong.'
"In short, you decide what you can like. Societal gazes and voices matter sometimes, but they're not always right. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Good. As expected, my niece is sharp."
I clapped in approval, and Liriet blinked dazedly.
"What's wrong?"
When I asked about her odd reaction, she waved her hands in panic.
With an expression I couldn't tell was shy or sad, she replied.
"Truth is... it's my first time being praised, so I'm happy."
"......"
The emotions packed into those words hit hard, leaving me speechless.
From now on, whenever I visit Liriet, I'll come armed with praise.