Learning How to Play
Lifting Lefonya easily with one arm, Pelens carried her out toward the garden.
"Nobody's going to scold you just because you throw a tantrum or cause a little trouble, Ponya."
"That's just what you think."
"Even if you sprinted full tilt down the hallway right this second, people would praise you for being fast—not jeer at you."
Lefonya furrowed her brow.
"That's not how a noble behaves."
To become the picture of nobility, one had to cultivate refinement and carry oneself with composure. Only then could Lefonya, who was no noble at heart, pass as one—and stay at the Craitan estate just a little longer to see her mission through.
"And what does a five-year-old need with acting noble?"
Lefonya glared at him under her breath. When she had tried roaming the manor, he had clung to her like a burr, getting in her way; now that she was trying to study to become the perfect young lady and uncover information on the family heirloom, he was interfering with her lessons. It was enough to make her suspect he was sabotaging her on purpose, knowing everything all along.
"They only praise me to my face 'cause you're here. Behind my back, they talk bad about me."
"People with a death wish will do anything."
Rather than explain, Lefonya held her tongue. Born as the superior second son of House Craitan, he had awakened his aura at a tender age; he had likely never felt intimidated by the judgment of others. It wasn't that Pelens was wrong. It was simply that their worlds had been so vastly different that he could never truly understand.
"Look at that. Nice weather, isn't it?" Pelens said with a grin.
The moment they stepped out of the main estate, dazzling sunlight greeted her. Lefonya squinted instinctively against the brilliance. Just as he said, the weather was wonderful today. She found herself gazing blankly up at the sky, and Pelens smiled at the sight.
"You know, Ponya, sometimes you remind me of my brother."
"Brother?"
"Yeah. He was the exact same way. Saying that as the heir he couldn't cause trouble, doing only what was prescribed from an early age, never stepping outside the lines."
Setting Lefonya down in the center of the garden, Pelens continued.
"Maybe that's why I don't remember playing with him much. We only ever hung out when he made a conscious effort to indulge me."
If Pelens meant his brother...
He must be talking about Habelian, the eldest son, who's currently instructing cadets at the Military Academy.
Befitting the heir of House Craitan, he had wielded aura with perfection from a young age and was hailed as a genius in virtually every field. Having graduated early from the Imperial Academy thanks to his exceptional prowess, he had served as an active knight before taking a respite to instruct cadets at the Military Academy.
Then the eldest must have heard I was adopted, too.
Perhaps Habelian, like Pelens, would return to the manor.
It's overwhelming enough dealing with Duke Craitan and Pelens alone. If Habelian, a certified genius, returns as well...
Could she keep her identity hidden?
Even if she found the heirloom, could she slip away from this estate unnoticed, right beneath the noses of three men who commanded aura to perfection?
Perhaps this place will end up being my grave.
Lefonya raised her head, taking in the magnificent, sunlit brilliance of the mansion. Still, would dying at their hands in a place as luxurious as this be such a terrible end? A bittersweet smile touched her lips.
"Ponya."
Snapping out of her reverie at the sound of her name, Lefonya turned.
"What's wrong?"
"Huh?"
"Are you hot? Or do you not want to play?"
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? Your face went stiff just now. You look troubled—are you hurting somewhere?"
Lefonya froze. Ever since childhood, she had been trained never to let emotion show on her face. Emotions were the single most useless thing, so she had smothered them again and again. She had once even been cursed as heartless for not batting an eye while watching a comrade die after a failed mission. So how on earth did he notice?
"I'm fine."
"It's written all over your face. Of course I know."
She had never heard such words from anyone before. Even the Pope had always laughed, remarking that he could never tell what his eldest daughter was thinking.
"If you're sick or having a hard time, don't hide it. Tell me, okay?"
"...Okay."
Lefonya lowered her gaze and nodded. Pelens patted her head, then crouched down to match her eye level.
"So, Ponya, what should we play?"
"Huh?"
This, too, was a question she had never heard in her life.
"P-Play?"
Having never played a day in her life, Lefonya asked back in bewilderment.
"Yeah. Let's play together. What do you usually do for fun?"
What do I do for fun...?
Lefonya wracked her brain, desperately trying to recall her daily routine.
...I've been busy hunting for the heirloom, though?
And what had she done before becoming a young lady of the duchy?
...I was busy training and fighting to survive.
No matter how hard she searched her memories, whether from her early childhood or recent days, she had never once played.
"Well? What did you play? Let's do your favorite game."
"...don't... remember."
With her head bowed, Lefonya mumbled in a barely audible whisper.
"Hm? What was that?"
"I've... I've never played before. Not... not even once..."
Admitting that she had never played felt strangely embarrassing. Lefonya's pale cheeks flushed bright red.
"You've never played?"
Pelens blurted in shock, then hastily composed his expression upon seeing her blushing face.
He had heard she grew up alone without parents. It must have been hard, and she likely worried about life and death every single day. Even so, didn't children play together at least once? Pelens clenched his teeth as he imagined what Lefonya's daily life must have looked like before being adopted into House Craitan.
What in the world was Father doing all that time? Pelens smiled, silently resolving that once night fell and Lefonya was fast asleep, he would go turn Duke Craitan's study upside down.
"Hey, that makes two of us."
"...Two of us?"
"Yeah. I told you, I didn't really play with my brother when I was little. So I don't have many memories of playing either. How about we play together then, Ponya?"
Play together?
Am I allowed to do that?
This was the first time in her life she would play with someone. In the abusive orphanage, she had been too busy holding her breath and reading the room; in the almshouse, she had been too busy dodging beatings. And after the Pope took her to the secluded training quarters he had prepared, she had been consumed with simply surviving. Playing was a first.
"...Okay."
Playing felt so sinful that Lefonya nodded with grim resolve, as if steeling herself to commit a grave crime.
"Then I'll pick the game, alright?"
"Okay."
"Let's see, hmm... Something with lots of running around..."
Pelens rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"How about Catch the Thief?"
Pelens brought up a game he used to play often with several knights and servants.
"We assign who's the thief and who's the knight, and the knight chases after the thief to catch them... Whoa, hey! Ponya, where are you going?! The game hasn't even started!"
Caught red-handed by her own guilty conscience, Lefonya had bolted on pure instinct.
"I-I'm not a thief!"
"I know! The game hasn't started yet, Ponya!"
For a child who supposedly never ran and played, Lefonya was remarkably fast. Pelens hurriedly gave chase.
Looking down at the garden from his study window, Duke Craitan watched the two of them tearing across the lawn and gave a satisfied nod.
"...They play well together."
Pant, pant.
"Ponya... Whew... You barely run around normally, but... haah..."
Pelens pushed his hair back, catching his breath.
"You sure know how to run away, whew."
Pelens strolled back to their spot, tucking Lefonya under his arm like a sack of grain as she dangled from his side.
"Haah, pant... Why are... pant, pant... you... so fast too... pant..."
"Because... whew... I'm an adult."
"An adult... pant... who hasn't even... graduated the Academy yet... pant."
"The nerve of this... five-year-old squirt... haah..."
Beneath the blazing sun, the two siblings were drenched in sweat, panting hot breaths in unison.
Still pinned beneath Pelens's arm, Lefonya caught her breath and stole a sidelong glance at him.
He didn't figure it out, did he?
Startled by the words "Catch the Thief," she had fled for her life. In the body of a child, she could never truly outrun Pelens, of course, but driven by the knee-jerk instinct that getting caught meant doom, she had dodged and weaved out of his reach for an impressive stretch. In the end, Pelens had resorted to using aura just to catch her.
He won't find it suspicious that I evaded him for so long, will he?
Pelens gently set Lefonya down, then lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat dripping down his face.
As expected, there's no matching an Aura User.
When the time came to escape, should she use a sleeping draught? Those had to be outrageously expensive, though—how could she get her hands on one? For that matter, would a sleeping draught even work on an Aura User?
"Stop staring. I know your big brother is handsome."
Feeling Lefonya's unblinking gaze, Pelens chuckled lightly.
Handsome, my foot...!
Well, he is handsome.
She wanted to snap back that he wasn't, but objectively speaking, Pelens was exceptionally good-looking. Of course, having witnessed his childish antics on a daily basis, she felt not an ounce of romantic flutter. It was more that when he kept his mouth shut and simply stood still, one couldn't help acknowledging his fine features. Even seeing those defined abs didn't make her heart skip a beat in the slightest. The only thought that crossed her mind was: For someone who acts like even moving is a chore, he's in shockingly good shape.
"Put your shirt back down. Is that how you're s'posed to act in front of your little sister?"
Lefonya folded her short arms and spoke sternly, prompting Pelens to promptly tug his hem down and straighten his clothes.
"Sorry, Ponya. It's my first time having a sister."
"It's fine."
"Hmm, Ponya. If you don't like Catch the Thief, should we try something else?"
"Something... else?"
"Yeah. Didn't you run away because you didn't want to play Catch the Thief?"
That wasn't it at all... but she couldn't deny she was curious about other games. Her earlobes flushing pink, Lefonya turned back to look at him.
"What kind of game?"