Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Family Talk and Expensive Toys
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"A rather commendable thing to do."
Kaide leisurely bit off the end of his bread. Watching the bread enter his mouth, I asked.
"Is it yummy?"
"Yes. It's delicious."
"Want more?"
"No, that's alright. If you want to grow up quickly, it's better that you eat it."
Kaide poked my cheek.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I beamed and rubbed my cheek.
The subdued atmosphere in the dining room began to liven up again.
Now I could finally eat in peace.
I speared a pre-cut piece of meat with my fork and put it in my mouth.
Watching me, Kaide murmured.
"I feel this every time, but it really makes spending money worthwhile."
"Hm?"
"What should I buy you after the chair?"
"...No. I don't need anyfing else."
I flinched at Kaide’s question.
It reminded me of a gift I had received before.
Back then, hadn't he called it a gift and given me a massive piece of land, enough to be called a territory?
If something like that happened again, my head might just spin.
"You have no greed."
"Perhaps it's because she already has everything she needs?"
"Is that so?"
It felt like if I said the wrong thing here, a jaw-dropping situation would unfold.
He looked ready to present me with anything and everything I laid my eyes on.
Surely...
He wouldn't go that far.
...Right?
Seeing Kaide ponder so seriously made it seem all too possible, so I kept my mouth tightly shut.
Baon, who had also been lost in thought, cautiously threw out a suggestion.
"What about the new products from the Marinet family?"
"Marinet?"
"Yes. I believe they have many items the young lady would like."
Marinet? What kind of family was that?
It was the first I'd heard of them.
Kaide nodded, his face showing he thought it made sense.
"Right. As expensive as they are, they'll surely be worth the price again."
"My thoughts exactly... However, it might take some time. There's a long line of Su-in waiting to buy their goods."
"Then tell them we'll buy everything Marinet has to offer."
"Well, they do love money. That should eliminate the need to wait."
Their conversation was getting very serious.
My heart pounded as it seemed their plan was about to be put into immediate action.
If even Kaide, who was incredibly wealthy by my standards, called something expensive, the price must be beyond imagination.
It was too much of a burden.
Just then, Set pointed to the chair I was sitting in.
"That chair is also from the Marinet family, Aileen."
"...Dis one?"
"Yes. The emblem carved on the side of the chair is the Marinet family's crest."
"...Gasp."
I looked at the side Set was pointing to and covered my mouth. I could feel my pupils shaking in panic.
It wasn't a crest I was seeing for the first time.
An oval with multiple overlapping layers and a star embedded in the center.
In fact, it was something I saw quite commonly.
It was an emblem I often spotted on things I used every day, on my playthings.
Were they all that expensive?
...So all the things I had casually painted, pasted, and torn up until now were all incredibly expensive items?
I asked in a trembling voice.
"H-how... how expensive are they? Aileen has a lot of dese things..."
Rosaria would just hand them to me like they were nothing, so I never gave it much thought...
As I tearfully confessed, the corners of Set's mouth twitched upward.
"By normal standards, they are quite expensive."
"...Actually, Aileen has a ton of dem."
I had a mountain of them in my room.
Every time a new toy came out, Rosaria would bring it to me almost daily.
"They're at least several dozen gold coins each. The Marinet family is famous for having the most advanced technology on the continent."
A series of scenes flashed through my mind.
I had dropped and broken a few toys by accident.
Could it be that a huge amount of money was being spent because of me?
Seeing my worried expression, Arban snorted.
"Don't get so worked up over something so trivial. That amount of money doesn't even make a dent in the family's finances."
"...Really?"
"What do you take our family for? There's no way we'd go broke just from buying you a few toys. We wouldn't even flinch if we filled your entire room with them."
"Phew, that's a relief."
I let out a huge sigh of relief.
Kaide, who had been listening to our conversation in silence, said to Baon, as if for all to hear.
"Did you see that, Baon?"
"Yes, I did. I was deeply moved to see the young lady already concerned about the family's financial state."
"I suppose this is the joy of raising a child."
"Shall I contact the Marinet family in advance, then?"
"Do so."
Kaide readily agreed.
Why was the conversation heading this way again? As I stared at them in disbelief, Set spoke.
"Just give up, Aileen. It's easier that way."
The meal ended up being much longer than planned.
I rolled my eyes as a long procession of desserts was brought out.
After Baon left the table to make the call, the atmosphere had become gravely silent.
It struck me anew that the people here seemed to have no intention of conversing unless someone else spoke first.
It was obvious they would all leave the moment the main purpose, dinner, was over, so I called out to Set.
"Set oppa."
"What is it?"
Set, who was sipping his black tea, answered slowly.
"What has oppa been up to?"
"...Why are you suddenly curious about that?"
"Just 'cause."
"Ha?"
Set looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, saying nothing more.
...Was this not the way?
I thought this was the kind of conversation families had when they gathered for a meal.
A long, awkward silence hung in the air.
When an answer wasn't forthcoming, Kaide's gaze slowly shifted to Set.
He seemed to show a subtle interest now that a topic of conversation had arisen.
With everyone's attention on him because of my question, Set reluctantly opened his mouth.
"I've been reading or attending my heir lessons."
"I see. What else?"
"...If I have spare time, I sometimes take a walk."
"And?"
"That's it. Why are you asking things like this?"
Set frowned slightly.
He wore an expression that said he couldn't understand why we were continuing such a pointless conversation.
That's when I realized.
They had clearly never once asked each other how they were doing whenever they met.
The fact that he was asking for a reason for such a trivial conversation made it highly likely.
"I was just curious..."
"Why would you be curious about something like this?"
Well... because you're family, so I'm curious.
"It's natural to ask about your family's well-being, Set."
"...But Father, you never asked me separately either."
"I receive regular reports on how all of you are doing. I'm also aware that you all received perfect scores on the recent exam."
At Kaide's words, Set's eyes widened slightly.
He seemed both flustered and pleased.
Judging by his reaction, he seemed to have had no idea that Kaide knew about his daily life.
I was greatly impressed by the news of Set's perfect score.
I knew the heir lessons were very difficult. To get a perfect score in them...
"Wow. Set oppa is so, so smart."
"...It wasn't that difficult."
"You're so cool."
"Well done, Set."
As Kaide's praise followed, Set cleared his throat and looked away.
He didn't seem to have any immunity to compliments.
Still, he didn't seem to mind.
He showed no signs of displeasure with the trivial questions that followed.
"Where do you go for walks?"
"...To the third-floor garden, or sometimes toward the annex."
"I've played there too, so how come I've never seen you?"
Though I didn't go often since it was far.
It seemed Set usually took his walks in areas far from the main mansion.
The flow of conversation was going well, which felt like a good sign.
I smiled brightly and turned to my next target, Arban.
Our eyes met, and Arban jumped in surprise, looking flustered.
He seemed a bit tense, as if he had sensed it was his turn.
And yet, he also looked a little expectant of what question might come.
It appeared Arban had never been asked about such things either.
It was truly strange and peculiar.
Why had no one ever asked about these things?
I was very curious as to how they had maintained the form of a family all this time.
"What about Arban oppa?"
"Wh-what?"
"How have you been? You haven't been skipping your classes all the time, have you?"
"Hey! When did I ever say I skipped class!"
Arban flinched and suddenly shouted.
He looked restless, nervously glancing at Kaide, terrified of being found out.
So he'd secretly skipped class again. I could see Set's look of disapproval.
"...I only skipped once."
"I hear Kasana has a hard time looking for you every time, does she not?"
"..."
"Quite impressive."