Chapter 127: Taming My Little Brother
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Taming My Little Brother
How did Nathaniel know something like that?
As far as I knew, Nathaniel was incredibly indifferent. He rarely even spoke to anyone besides me.
‘Oh, right. Ten years have passed.’
I suddenly realized that this wasn't ten years ago. I wasn't the five-year-old child who had first possessed this body, and neither was Nathaniel the same.
There’s a saying that even the mountains and rivers change in ten years. It was a long time—even if, to me, it felt like I had only closed my eyes for a moment before waking up.
‘Nathaniel can make friends with people other than me. Besides, Kairen is my brother.’
Maybe Nathaniel was the type who had a soft spot for children. Even if I was his savior, he had always been much more familiar with me when I was the same age as Kairen.
For some reason, my chest felt a bit tight, but I brushed it off as nothing. I spoke up again.
“What kind of fruit desserts does he like?”
“Strawberries and peaches.”
“Those are exactly what kids his age love.”
Nodding, I glanced back at the distant tree. I caught a glimpse of a small figure flinching again.
[That annoying little human. Shall I go and fetch him for you?]
‘No. Just leave him be.’
[Tch.]
I couldn't tell if Kairen was actually bothering him or if his predatory instincts as a Great Demon were just acting up. Desmond smacked his lips regretfully.
[Still, he’s quite cute, just like you, Master. You used to be that adorable once... It all passed by far too quickly, sob sob.]
‘Hmm.’
Bibi pretended to cry as if she were disappointed. Since my body had suddenly grown due to sorcery, Bibi wasn't wrong.
However, I grew uneasy, feeling like Kairen had triggered Bibi’s weird obsessions. I glared at Bibi with sharp eyes for a moment.
[Hehe, but you’re still the only one for me, Master.]
‘Sure, sure.’
[Teehee.]
I gave a half-hearted reply and tapped Bibi’s cute nose with my index finger. Her aegyo-filled voice echoed in my head.
“Dia, you still carry that doll around?”
“Huh?”
“Well, I suppose your heart is still that of a five-year-old child...”
“...!”
Marianne, having come to a ridiculous misunderstanding, looked at me with pitying eyes.
My body stiffened instantly, and I quickly lowered the hand that had been rubbing Bibi.
‘Let’s change your body.’
[Wh-What?!]
‘I’m not a five-year-old anymore. I can’t keep carrying a doll around every day.’
[Nooooooo! You can’t!]
Bibi clung to me, wailing. But my mind was made up, and I remained unmoved.
[Sob, sob... At least make it a cute animal.]
‘Fine.’
I’d have to find an animal cadaver that suited Bibi’s taste soon. Somehow, I felt like Philip would be amazing at finding something like that.
Surprisingly, Philip had joined the Imperial Knight Order. When I was rescued, Philip, who had been trapped in the Temple, was also released. Apparently, Dantalion had interrogated him based on Hamilton’s testimony and managed to wipe out the Apocrypha entirely.
Dantalion must have seen Philip as a useful talent; trusting the man who had followed me once the brainwashing was broken, he granted him leniency. He even went as far as letting him join the Imperial Knight Order.
I was shocked when I first saw Philip again. Since his contract with me through Desmond was still active, he had been in a bind because he couldn't stay far away from me.
As luck would have it, he caught Dantalion’s eye and became an Imperial Knight, faithfully working in the order while waiting for me to wake up.
‘It all worked out for the best.’
Nodding to myself, I looked back at Marianne. At my suggestion, a tea table had been set up in the garden, and we had just finished huddling around it.
“How is Lucy doing?”
“Oh, he’s doing great.”
Luciano and the children from the orphanage had also been safely rescued. I heard that Luciano had actually joined the Paladins. Of course, he was still a rookie who had just finished his apprenticeship.
“He said he wants to come to the palace when he has his official appointment ceremony. He said he misses you a lot, Dia.”
“Well, since the last time we met was... Anyway, he was so scrawny when he was little. I can't believe he's a Paladin now.”
“Hehe, you’ll be surprised when you see him in person.”
Marianne spoke in a mischievous tone. I tried to imagine a grown-up Luciano, but it wasn't easy. All I could remember was him looking sickly after being poisoned by the demon.
Because Mom and Dantalion were so worried about me, even though it had been a week since I woke up, I hadn't been able to leave the palace and had only met a limited number of people.
That’s why there were still quite a few people I hadn't met yet, including Luciano. And there were others I desperately wanted to see just as much as him.
I suppressed a sigh as I thought of Melissa. I didn't know if she was just busy at the Magic Tower, but even though I’d asked Mom to tell her I missed her, there was still no word. I felt a bit gloomy.
“Look over there, Dia. I think the Prince has come quite close.”
“Huh?”
At Marianne’s words, I reflexively turned my head. There, I saw Kairen staring blankly at the desserts on the table.
He thought he was hiding, but his little head was sticking out right above the low bushes. I barely managed to stifle a laugh.
‘He’s cute.’
It wasn't just because he was my brother; Kairen was genuinely adorable. Was I like that at that age? Seeing him peeking out, believing his whole body was hidden just because he was near the bushes, made it impossible not to smile.
“Everyone got that? We have to act well so Kairen comes closer.”
“Okay!”
“Understood.”
“...Yeah.”
Marianne was the first to answer loudly with enthusiasm, and Abel gave a calm reply, seemingly willing to help out. Only Nathaniel was a bit slow to react.
I first reached for the strawberry cake in front of me. It had grown quite warm lately, but thanks to the greenhouse maintained by magic, we could eat strawberries here all year round.
As I thought, things had become so much more convenient now that the restrictions on magic were gone. I took a bite of the strawberry cake with a satisfied expression.
“Mmm, this is delicious!”
In truth, I didn't particularly care for sweet desserts like strawberry cake. But to lure Kairen, I needed to commit to the performance. I intentionally exaggerated my movements and raised my voice.
“It really is delicious, hoho.”
Perhaps because of her naturally kind personality, Marianne’s acting was a bit awkward, but her overflowing enthusiasm made it passable. I looked at Marianne eating her dessert with satisfaction.
“Indeed. The peaches in this dessert melt in one's mouth. However, the texture of the sponge cake seems somewhat lacking in comparison.”
“...”
On the other hand, Abel sounded like he was giving a restaurant review. I told him to exaggerate his acting, but he was giving a cold, analytical critique in a blunt voice.
Well, nothing could be done. This was likely the limit for Abel. He didn't like sweet desserts much either.
I turned my gaze to the last person. It was Nathaniel.
To be honest, I didn't expect much from Nathaniel either, but for some reason, I felt like I had to see his reaction. Following my lead, the other two also turned their eyes toward him.
“...It’s good.”
Nathaniel, who was slowly eating the same strawberry cake as me, managed to squeeze out that one short sentence.
Well, for a chocolate fanatic, that was a lot of effort. I nodded at Nathaniel as if to say he did a good job.
“St-Strawberries. Peaches.”
“...!”
Moreover, the prey we had been waiting for was suddenly right under our noses. I continued to eat the dessert as if I hadn't noticed, pretending it was delicious. I could feel a persistent gaze on me.
“Oh my, the Prince is here. Greetings to the Little Star of the Empire.”
“...!”
“Would you like to have some dessert with us?”
Marianne, who was already acquainted with Kairen, was the first to acknowledge him in a gentle tone. Kairen flinched and stared at Marianne.
Then, his gaze flickered toward me sitting next to her. I acted cautiously. If I accidentally looked at him, he might run away again, so I did my absolute best to ignore him.
“Y-Yes, I want to eat.”
“Then please, sit here, Prince.”
Marianne said, patting the seat next to her. From my perspective, it was two seats away. If we suddenly told him to sit right next to me, he might get startled and flee, so we had intentionally placed an extra chair there.
“Yes, Saintess. Thank you.”
Kairen gave a small nod and even offered a polite thank you before sitting in the chair.
Even though the chair was designed for a child’s comfort, Kairen didn't notice anything strange. His eyes seemed entirely focused on the desserts.
[He’s eating!]
The demons gave me a play-by-play of the situation. A satisfied smile spread across my face.