Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: A Family Photo
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* * *
"Rosaria! I'll be wight back!"
"Where are you going?"
"To Daddy!"
After class was over.
I took the picture frame Kasana had given me and headed straight for the office.
And just then, I ran into Kaide, who was coming out. Durias was with him.
What are they doing together?
I was so used to seeing him with Baon that it felt a little strange.
The two were walking as if they had business to attend to, but they stopped when they saw me.
"Daddy!"
"Lady Aileen."
Durias acknowledged me and spoke.
"You don't have your tail today."
"......Hmph."
"It seems you're still angry with me. But what brings you to the office?"
"I'm not telling you!"
When I whipped my head away, Durias chuckled. I had forgotten about it, but his mention of the tail had soured my mood again.
Still, thanks to the rumor, many things had worked out well, so maybe I should stop being angry.
I relaxed my expression and turned to Kaide.
"Daddy."
"Yes. What is it?"
"Dis."
Instead of answering, I took out the picture frame I had been hiding behind my back. Kaide glanced at it nonchalantly, his eyebrow raising slightly.
"A picture frame."
"Wight. I collected all my stickers today, so Kasana gave it to me as a pwesent."
"I see."
"I wanna take a picture too."
Surely he'd realize I was talking about a family photo after I said all that, right?
But Kaide shattered my expectations as if it were out of the question.
"A picture? As I recall, Rosaria is already taking them for you."
"B-but those are by myself. Not by myself."
I want to take a family photo with everyone together!
As I clutched the frame and sighed in frustration, Durias stroked his chin.
"It seems she wants a picture to put in the frame."
"Wight."
"Then shouldn't you just put one in?"
It seemed like they would never get it unless I said it directly.
I took a deep breath and shouted.
"I want a family photo!"
The hallway fell silent.
As if they hadn't expected such words from me, neither of them spoke for a while.
Kaide looked at the frame in my hands and slowly opened his mouth.
"......A family photo?"
"Uh-huh."
"I see. We haven't taken a family photo yet."
He murmured in a rather surprised tone, as if he had only just realized it.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, I quickly agreed.
"Wight. So can we take one now? I weally want one."
"Perfect timing. Your grandmother and grandfather were planning to visit anyway."
......Huh? Who's coming? Did he just say grandmother and grandfather?
I froze solid. It wasn't actually that surprising, but it was still a shock.
The idea that Kaide was also someone's son felt incredibly foreign.
His parents wouldn't be weak, so unless something special had happened, they had to be alive somewhere.
"When they arrive, you can all gather and take the picture then. Have you not met them yet, Lady Aileen?"
"......I've never met them."
"I see."
"W-when are Gwamma and Gwandpa coming?"
Why was Kaide the only one who knew something so important? I needed to prepare myself, too.
"They said they would stop by soon."
As I gripped the frame nervously, Kaide let out a small laugh.
"Nervous?"
"Uh-huh. Do Gwamma and Gwandpa know about me?"
"I told them this time, so they should."
*This time*? Does that mean they didn't know I existed before?
My face fell. I grew even more nervous. I was worried about how they would receive me.
What kind of people were Kaide's parents? As the former lord and lady of the family, they must have an incredible presence.
"You still have a habit of worrying needlessly. It's not a very good one."
Kaide, immediately sensing my worry, flicked my forehead.
Just then, Durias spoke up.
"If you wish to speak with the young lady a little longer, shall I go on ahead?"
"No. That won't be necessary."
Kaide shook his head and said to me.
"I have business to attend to."
"Okay. I get it."
The two seemed to have the same business. I said I would go, but I couldn't bring myself to leave.
Kaide tilted his head, as if asking why I wasn't leaving.
"But where are you two going?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that. Isn't that right, My Lord?"
"There's no good in you knowing already."
"Hmph."
I pouted. Saying that just made me more curious. But it didn't seem like they would tell me even if I kept asking.
"Well then, we shall see you later, Young Lady."
Durias said his goodbyes. I stood there watching them walk away. Where on earth could they be going that they couldn't tell me?
My feet, which had been glued to the floor, started moving on their own, tailing the two of them.
Just one peek, really, just one.
I decided to secretly follow them.
I hid myself in the small nooks and crannies of the hallway to avoid being seen.
They went down to the first floor and headed toward the dining hall.
"Hmph. So they were going to eat without me?"
"......Lady Aileen. What are you doing here?"
"Huh?"
Crouched behind a potted plant, I looked up. A passing vassal was looking at me with a bewildered expression.
"It's nuffing. I'm just playing, so you can go on your way."
"......Is that so? The floor is dirty, so you shouldn't sit there for too long."
"Okay."
"Well then......, have fun playing."
He didn't seem to understand how this counted as playing, but he reluctantly accepted it and walked past.
"......Huh?"
And just like that, I had lost them.
* * *
I decided to start by searching the area where I lost them.
"That's weird. There's nothing here but the dining hall."
Past the dining hall entrance was the end of the hallway, so there was nowhere for them to disappear.
It's so strange.
I hadn't planned on following them this far at first.
I was just going to see where they went and then turn back, but now I was determined to find them no matter what.
"No one's here."
The first search location, the dining hall, was indeed empty.
Did they maybe go outside?
If that were the case, there would have been no reason to walk this way. They must have disappeared somewhere around here.
I left the dining hall and carefully scanned my surroundings.
Then, a certain memory suddenly flashed through my mind.
It was...
-Isn't that Lady Aileen?
I remembered Durias calling out to me as he came up from here, putting on his gloves.
The moment the situation came to mind, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head.
"It's here."
This was definitely the place.
"Now that I fink about it, that was weally weird."
In the opposite direction of the dining hall, there was a space, but it was blocked by a wall.
So where was Durias coming up from?
There was only one answer.
There had to be a staircase leading down behind this wall.
"How do I open it?"
I tapped and felt around the wall.
In that moment, the wall pushed inward, creating a space to enter.
"......Stairs?"
It was pitch black inside, without a single light.
I flinched and stepped back.
I had a feeling I shouldn't go in there carelessly.
It felt like I had just discovered a dark side of the mansion.
Swallowing nervously, I hesitated before taking a step inside.
*Gulp.*
After just poking my head through the gap in the wall, I steeled myself, stepped inside, and set foot on the stairs.
I had only taken one step, but even the air felt different.
"I can't see well..."
I was slowly descending one step at a time, hand on the wall to keep from falling.
Just then, someone brushed past me and blocked my way.
I was so startled that I squeezed my eyes shut before I could even scream.
"It is too soon for you to enter, Young Lady."
"......W-who's there?"
"My apologies for startling you. It is Basad."
"Basad?"
I opened my tightly shut eyes. My vision, having adjusted to the dark, allowed me to see Basad clearly.
He was standing in a way that completely blocked the view behind him.
"Please go back."
"......Why? Daddy said I could go anywhere in the mansion."
"Not here."
"This is my house. So I can go."
"My apologies."
Basad was firm. What on earth was behind him that he was being like this?