A Noisy Awakening and a Carrot Crisis
The noisy day finally drew to a close, and the next morning dawned bright and clear.
“Young master, it’s time to wake up now.”
“Ugh…”
The maid’s voice pulled me from sleep. I forced my stubbornly heavy eyelids open and dragged myself out of bed. Since I’d taken full responsibility for Marinne, that included waking her, so I’d shifted my own schedule earlier than usual.
“Here’s water and a towel.”
“Thanks…”
After washing up with the maid’s help, I straightened my appearance and stood. The person I needed to rouse was the villainess of the ducal house. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down for even a second, so I slapped my own cheeks sharply. The sting chased the last traces of drowsiness away.
“You can stay out here.”
“Understood.”
I stopped the maid who tried to follow me and carefully opened the door to Marinne’s room. I’d worried she might have locked it like she did during her tantrum about skipping dinner, but the door swung open smoothly.
Marinne was still fast asleep, breathing soft and even, completely unaware I’d entered.
She looks like an angel when her mouth is shut.
I gently brushed the hair off her cheek and called to her quietly.
“My lady. My lady.”
“Mmm… nom nom…”
She was smacking her lips, clearly dreaming about eating something delicious.
“My lady! My lady!”
“Ugh… puu…”
No matter how many times I called, she hovered right on the edge of waking but never quite crossed over. It reminded me of the senior soldier back in the military who refused to get up no matter how hard I shook him during night watch. Shaking her would probably work, but as a man, I felt uncomfortable touching her body without permission.
Holding her hand yesterday had been consensual, but right now she was lost in dreamland. I couldn’t exactly ask for consent.
Seeing that she still wouldn’t wake, I pulled out the tray I’d brought as a last resort. I really hadn’t wanted to use this method.
I felt a pang of guilt for the girl sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the chaos about to descend, but if she didn’t like it, she should have woken up when I called her nicely.
I took a quick breath and slammed the tray as hard as I could.
Ding-ding-ding-ding!
The clear, ringing sound cut through the quiet like a bell.
“Eek!”
Marinne shot upright, eyes wide with shock. She’d woken up, but she still looked completely lost, sitting there in a daze.
I gave her my brightest smile.
“Good morning, my lady.”
Her gaze flicked from me to the tray and back again. The moment understanding hit, her face flushed crimson.
“You crazy bastard!”
Despite her tiny frame, her voice packed a punch. She hurled the teddy bear she’d been hugging straight at me.
Wait, isn’t that her favorite? Is she really allowed to throw it?
I dodged on reflex. Apparently that only made her angrier.
“Gasp—what’s happening?!”
The maids must have heard her roar. They burst into the room in a panic.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
I calmed the startled maids and ushered them back out.
Marinne jabbed a finger at me, still fuming.
“What kind of insane person wakes someone up by banging a tray?!”
I answered with a light smile.
“I am a gentleman, so I refuse to lay hands on a lady’s body without permission. You wouldn’t wake up no matter how many times I called, so I had no choice but to resort to the tray.”
“You’re actually, genuinely insane.”
Marinne stared at me with her mouth hanging open, as if she’d never met someone like me before. Well, in a ducal household full of people who only ever pampered her, my existence must have been shocking.
I wondered what she’d think once she entered the academy. There were far stranger people there than me. I was curious how she’d react.
“Anyway, you’re definitely awake now, right? Let’s have breakfast.”
Our household policy was to eat together as a family whenever possible, but since everyone woke at different times, breakfast was more flexible. I decided to use this chance to grow closer to her by sharing a meal—just the two of us.
After all, wasn’t there a saying that the fastest way to bond with someone is to share food?
“So we’re going to the dining hall?”
Maybe the memory of yesterday’s disastrous dinner tantrum made her unusually cooperative. I shook my head.
“I thought we’d eat in here today. I already had breakfast prepared.”
Our territory’s excellent chefs had followed my late-night request perfectly. Whether Marinne would like it was another question.
I wheeled in the food cart I’d left waiting outside the door. For breakfast—which was usually light—the spread was surprisingly varied.
Marinne looked at the trays piled high and grumbled.
“I can’t possibly eat all of this.”
“It’s fine. I’ll help you finish it.”
Her face twisted at the reminder that she’d have to eat with me. Still, the fact that she kept the complaint inside instead of spitting it out showed real progress.
“I specially asked the chefs to make this menu, so you can look forward to it.”
“Ah… yeah.”
Her enthusiasm cooled the moment she heard I’d chosen the menu. I decided to ham it up.
“First dish, revealed!”
With the dramatic flair of an audition show host, I lifted the tray lid. Glazed carrots simmered in honey sparkled beneath it.
“Kyaaack! Get that away right now!”
I’d heard Marinne hated carrots and wondered if she had an allergy. But after seeing her happily eat omelet rice with finely diced carrots, I realized it was just picky eating.
Correcting a child’s picky habits was part of a guardian’s duty. I’d prepared an entire lineup of carrot dishes to help her overcome her aversion.
Ignoring her screams, I kept going.
“Carrot cake, carrot juice, carrot soup, and carrot muffins!”
“…”
She must really despise carrots—she dove straight under the blankets.
I leaned toward the lump under the covers and whispered.
“I thought you were rather mature for your age, my lady, but it turns out you’re just a little kid with picky eating habits after all.”
The blanket twitched violently.
A villainess’s defining trait: pride stronger than anyone else’s.
Relying on that knowledge, I kept prodding.
“When you go to the academy, you’ll have to eat cafeteria food with everyone. If you’re the only one picking carrots out, what do you think people will say? They’ll probably just treat you like an adorable little kid, don’t you think?”
Marinne burst out from under the blanket, cheeks burning red, and marched straight toward the carrots.
Heh. Just as planned.
Her hand hovered hesitantly, but she squeezed her eyes shut and shoved a piece into her mouth. After a few chews, her eyes flew open in surprise.
“It’s… good…”
“See?”
Like she was under a spell, Marinne reached for the other carrot dishes too. They weren’t raw carrots—they’d all been properly prepared—but watching her eat them filled me with unexpected pride.
There was, however, one side effect.
“I didn’t get a single bite…”
I’d prepared enough for two, but she’d devoured everything.
“Hmph. That’s your fault for being too slow.”
I really wanted to give her a light smack on the head, but I held back. As the one with the higher mental age, I had to be the mature one. I wasn’t that hungry anyway. I could just eat a big lunch that would count as both breakfast and brunch.
“I’m going back to sleep. Get out.”
The moment breakfast ended, Marinne tried to kick me out.
I shook my head.
“I don’t think so. You’re going to study with me, my lady. If you want to marry into a good family, that is.”
“Hey, who do you think you are to butt into my life like that? Isn’t your only job being my personal servant?”
My goal was Marinne’s reformation. Technically she was right—I didn’t have to involve myself in her eating habits or education. But now that I was in charge of her, I’d grown ambitious. I wanted to raise her into a truly outstanding lady that no one would dare look down on.
“You might see me as nothing but an annoying pest, my lady, but I genuinely want you to grow into an exceptional person.”
“You’re a kid yourself.”
“…”
A sharp counterattack. I had no comeback.
“Well… it’s not bad, I guess.”
I’d expected her to snap at me for presuming to care about her growth. Instead, she looked surprisingly unbothered. After seeing only her irritated side for so long, this softer expression felt strangely awkward.
“Are you feeling sick?”
“Die.”
She instantly flipped back to full villainess mode and hurled a pillow at me.
Yes. This was the Marinne I knew.