Chapter 12
“It’s rude to point fingers at people,” Muniel gently chided. “And instead of saying you’re going to train someone, wouldn’t it be better to say you’re going to help them?”
“Then I’ll help!”
“Now that’s a wonderful idea.”
Pleased, Muniel patted Nivellia’s head.
Puffing out her chest proudly, Nivellia declared her intentions.
“Hierarchy matters! I’m going to show him how scary I can be so he doesn’t try to climb above me. Nini will keep him in line!”
“You mean you’ll support him so he can adjust properly, right?”
“It was a mistake bringing her to the battlefield…”
Ardores muttered regretfully to himself.
Still, since they were all gathered anyway, the children took a moment to introduce themselves on the spot.
First up was Soles, composed and mature as always.
“I’m Soles, ten years old. Let’s get along well.”
“Y-Yes, nice to meet you…”
The boy hesitantly took Soles’s outstretched hand. Soles gave a soft smile.
Next was Nivellia.
“I’m Nini! Four years old!”
“But you have five fingers.”
“Oops.”
Startled by Soles’s observation, Nivellia quickly folded one finger down.
“Nini’s earning money! I’m working hard to hunt and feed the wolf!”
She said this while staring directly at the boy.
“…For me?”
he asked, flustered.
Being around Nivellia always left him baffled and off-balance. Why did she go this far for him?
“I’m gonna earn lots of money! So you’d better listen to me!”
Nivellia boasted.
She conveniently left out the part about her debt.
“And this is Dettere. She’s my subordinate.”
“You shouldn’t refer to people as this, young lady. And it’s an honor to meet you, Master Wolf.”
Dettere gave a polite curtsey, pinching the hem of her black maid’s uniform.
Lastly, it was the boy’s turn.
“…Wolf. Eight years old.”
“You’re really just going with what Nini calls you?”
Soles gave a wry smile, as if to say it wasn’t necessary. Nivellia narrowed her eyes at her brother, clearly feeling betrayed.
But the boy shook his head.
“Wolf is fine. I really don’t mind.”
“Hmm…”
Soles now realized the boy was kind enough to be considerate of those weaker than himself.
“Then how about we give you a name that includes Wolf?”
“…….”
“Nini’s real name is Nivellia—it means white cat. It might be nice for you to have a name with meaning too.”
“Why don’t we visit the library?” Ardores, who had been watching the children with a warm smile, suggested.
“And while we’re there, we can take a look around the main house. You’ll be spending more time there from now on. Nini, can you be a good guide?”
“I can do it!”
“Then let’s make this your final debt-clearing task.”
And with that, Nivellia’s final labor toward repaying her 1.28 million Uba debt was decided.
Nivellia and Soles immediately brought the boy to the main residence.
Following Ardores’s suggestion, they began introducing him to the interior of the estate.
“Here! This is where Nini lies down for naps sometimes. It’s warm and cozy.”
“To be precise, it’s the hallway in front of the living room. Only Nini lies there. That room over there is where the family gathers to rest, so feel free to join us there in the future.”
“The living room is where the family comes together!”
“Grandma gave it that name. Now everyone calls it that.”
Nivellia offered her own very personal commentary during the tour, while Soles followed up with more reasonable explanations.
The boy listened quietly to everything they said.
The living room, the reception room, the dining hall, the study room.
And finally, they reached their main destination—the library.
Nivellia tapped on the closed door with her hand.
“This is the library.”
“…….”
For the first time, curiosity glimmered in the boy’s red eyes. Nivellia noticed it right away and asked,
“Wolf, do you want to go in?”
“A-ah, no… not really.”
He shook his head and confessed something he’d been ashamed to admit.
“I… don’t know how to read.”
“Nini doesn’t either!”
Nivellia blurted it out so boldly that the boy—who had been embarrassed by his illiteracy—was now the one left awkwardly blinking.
“Then why don’t you take this chance to learn?”
Soles suggested kindly.
“Studying is fun. Just knowing how to read and write opens up a world of possibilities.”
“My brother’s super smart, so he’s right about almost everything. You should study too, Wolf!”
“Nini has to do it too.”
“Eep?”
Caught off guard, Nivellia blinked with a wide-eyed, innocent expression.
The boy couldn’t help but find it funny. Of course, he didn’t show it—just chuckled inwardly.
“So, how old is our little Nini now?”
“Four.”
“And you’re planning to make money, right?”
“Mm-hmm!”
At the mention of money, Nivellia’s expression turned solemn—surprisingly serious for someone so small.
“I have to earn money… to feed the Wolf and take care of him.”
“….”
Why does she keep talking like she’s going to raise me?
The boy stared at her in disbelief.
What was even stranger was how everyone in this house accepted the little girl’s outrageous declarations as though they were perfectly reasonable.
As if she truly could take care of him.
‘…Ah.’
Wait a second. Did I… become this kid’s pet?
‘Then I guess I really do have to do what she says.’
Only now did the boy begin to understand everything.
The orphanage hadn’t taught the children much, but it had trained them to read a room like survival depended on it—which it often did. And this boy was no exception.
Soles, still calm and patient, continued explaining why Nivellia should learn to read.
“If you can read, you’ll be able to keep your own ledger and understand contracts. Reading is essential if you want to make money.”
“But Deter’s going to do all of that.”
At once, the children turned toward Deter.
She had been standing quietly behind Nivellia, her usual place. At Nivellia’s words, Deter let out a soft oh my and smiled slyly.
“In that case, I suppose I could steal the shop one day. Since the young lady can’t read, she wouldn’t even notice if I forged some documents to take it all.”
…Not exactly something you say to a four-year-old.
‘But that’s just Deter,’ Soles thought, casting a sideways glance at Nivellia.
Sure enough—
“…I’ll do it.”
Suddenly struck with urgency, Nivellia declared with a frown of determination,
“Nini’s going to learn letters too!”
Nivellia Deiamor.
Her very first declaration to study.
To be fair, Nivellia hadn’t gone entirely uneducated.
Ever since she decided—at the grand age of two—that she would earn money, she’d absorbed bits of knowledge from the adults around her.
“Saving a little at a time turns into a mountain, so let’s start filling up your piggy bank.”
“Wow, you’ve saved a lot! Want to let Dad hold onto it for you?”
“Nini, where’s the money you had in your piggy bank? Hm? You lent it to Dad…? He said he’d return it tenfold?”
“…I’m sorry. I really thought I’d win this time.”
That nearly shattered their family bond—but at least it had educational value.
Lesson one: Saving money is hard.
Lesson two: Money disappears in the blink of an eye.
Lesson three: Caleo has no luck with gambling.
In truth, Caleo hadn’t gambled away her savings.
He had quietly opened a separate account under Nivellia’s name and deposited the money there. And every time she “lost” her earnings, the adults would match the amount and quietly deposit it too.
They planned to give it all back one day, as a gift to help her chase her dreams.
But since Nivellia had no idea, she just kept working, losing, and working again in an endless cycle.
“But Nini won’t fail anymore!”
She spoke boldly, sitting in front of a desk in the library. There were four cushions stacked under her to help her reach the table properly.
“Do you know why, Wolf?”
Sitting beside her, the boy answered quietly. His chair had only two cushions.
“Because you’re going to learn how to read…?”
“Yup! I’m going to learn and get really smart!”
“Nini, quiet in the library.”
Soles’s voice came from between the shelves. He was holding a thick biographical dictionary in his arms.
Taking the empty seat between them, he didn’t bother with any cushions.
As he opened the heavy book, Soles explained,
“All of these are names of real people.”
“I… can’t read any of it.”
“Then just point to one. I’ll read it out loud. Pay attention—this counts as studying too.”
“What part of that is studying?”
All three kids, who had been buried in the dictionary, looked up sharply.
Standing before them was a boy with neatly combed black hair and a gentle smile. Next to him stood another boy who looked almost identical.
“Al hyung! Rubens!”
Soles lit up and stood from his seat.
Meanwhile, Nivellia shrank behind the Wolf, peeking cautiously over his shoulder.
‘Is she scared?’
At the orphanage, the boy had seen it often—little kids hiding behind others whenever strangers appeared.
‘And yet she says she’s going to protect me…’
Just as he was about to think she was being ridiculous, Nivellia suddenly stood up again—and pulled him behind her.
Then she extended her short arms as far as she could to block the path.
As if daring anyone to get past her.
“…….”
The boy was stunned.
‘She… really wants to protect me?’
By then, Soles had finished greeting the guests and turned back toward them.
“Ni—”
He froze. He’d been about to call her Nini, but stopped at the sight of her scowling and growling, her face full of suspicion.
“N-Nini? What’s gotten into you?”
“Pretty sure it’s because of us,” Al said, amused. His tone was calm and relaxed—far too mature for a twelve-year-old.
“Nini, don’t you remember us?”
Rubens pointed at himself and Al.
“We’re the boys next door.”
“Nini only has one oppa. That’s enough.”
With all the courage she could gather, Nivellia replied,
“Go away!”
“But we brought chocolate cookies—your favorite.”
Al pulled a paper box from behind his back.
Nivellia’s not-so-intimidating glare began to waver.
Everyone could see the hesitation in her wide, blue eyes. No one missed the way she swallowed hard.
“…L-Leave those and go!”
“If you greet us and play for a bit, we’ll leave them.”
“But Nini is far too busy to waste time playing with the likes of you.”
Suddenly demoted to “the likes of you,” Al and Rubens burst into laughter.
