Chapter 9
There had been a name they used to call the boy at the orphanage.
But it was no different from a name slapped onto a stray animal.
He had a real name once—he was certain of that.
Much younger than he was now, someone had once called him gently by a name filled with warmth.
That much, he remembered clearly.
“Do you… not have a name?”
“……”
“That’s perfect, then.”
Caleo gave him a soft smile.
“Because now, we can choose a really cool one for you.”
“……”
“Anyway, welcome to House Deiamor. Let’s get along well from now on.”
“…From now on?”
“Yes. From now on.”
Caleo reached out his hand as he spoke.
“From now on, you’ll be living here with us.”
Caleo led the boy into the drawing room.
Soles, who had been waiting there, rose from his seat.
“Father, what about Nini?”
“She’s asleep. I think she cried because of a slight fever.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve been watching her more closely…”
“You’ve done more than enough. And you know how unpredictable Nini can be. This isn’t your fault, Soles.”
Gently embracing the disheartened Soles, Caleo turned to introduce the boy.
“This is the child who will be living with us from now on.”
“With us?”
Soles’ eyes widened in surprise.
“I’ll explain more once Nini wakes up. For now, I have to speak with the adults. Would you mind staying with him for a bit?”
“Of course, Father!”
Once Caleo left, Soles motioned the boy to sit beside him.
The two boys settled side by side on a plush, soft sofa. In front of them, a tray with sweet fruit drinks and chocolate cookies was set.
“Here, have some.”
Soles pushed one of the glasses toward him.
The boy hesitated for a moment, then took a careful sip.
The sweet, cool taste rushed down his throat and lit up his senses. His eyes widened in astonishment.
Soles smiled, watching him.
“Tastes good, doesn’t it?”
“Mm… I mean, yes.”
“I’m Soles. I’m ten.”
“I’m… eight.”
Though he said eight, the boy looked far younger—small and underweight for his age.
Soles didn’t point that out. Instead, he pushed the plate of cookies closer to him.
“Try the cookies. These are my little sister’s favorite. You met her earlier, right? The one who cried in front of you? That’s my sister.”
The boy nodded.
“Her name’s Nivellia, but everyone calls her Nini. She’s still young and gets into trouble a lot, but she’s sweet and kind.”
Another small nod.
“You were surprised, huh? When she started crying.”
“A little.”
“She doesn’t usually cry. I was startled too, honestly. Normally, Nini throws a punch before she sheds a tear.”
The two each picked up a cookie.
Soles took a big bite out of his, while the boy watched and then slowly put his own cookie down.
“I… don’t have a name.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, I… don’t have a name.”
“Then we’ll just make one up!”
Soles echoed Caleo’s words from earlier, as if he’d been waiting to say the same thing.
“I don’t know why, but I already like you. It feels like I got a little brother. Of course, I love Nini, but I always kind of wanted a younger brother too. I used to be jealous of Al and Rubens sometimes.”
“…?”
“Oh, you don’t know them? Al and Rubens are the sons of the duke who brought you here. They’re brothers.”
Al was twelve, and Rubens was the same age as the boy—eight.
“You and Rubens are the same age, so I bet you’ll be friends.”
Soles was practically thrilled on the boy’s behalf.
“……”
The boy felt like he was floating.
It felt like he was in a dream too sweet and warm to last—so pleasant that waking up would be devastating.
Like he’d fallen into a cup of honeyed tea and couldn’t find his way out.
“So then, should Rima name you?”
“I’ll give you the coolest name ever!”
And just like that, the name given to him by the pink-haired girl—who had insisted on tagging along from the orphanage—was completely forgotten.
The Duke of De Gladius had recently returned to the capital after staying with his family in their territory.
On his way back, he encountered a carrier pigeon from House Deiamor.
A small note was tied to the bird’s leg—written by Muniel.
The message was brief.
It asked him to stop by a certain orphanage and bring back a child.
[Blond hair. Red eyes. Boy. Around 8 years old. Ridiculously good-looking.]
The last part didn’t seem very helpful for identification, but the Duke had followed the request nonetheless.
And truly, among the underfed and ragged children, there he was—a boy with golden hair, red eyes, eight years old… and strikingly handsome.
His features shone even more against the harsh backdrop of the orphanage.
But the duke hadn’t returned with just the boy.
Standing next to him had been a girl with bright pink hair, impossible to ignore.
“I wanna study! I’ll pay you back lots and lots, mister!”
Her speech was odd—her tongue not quite cooperating—but the way she had boldly stood in front of him and insisted on being taken was strangely endearing.
So the Duke decided to sponsor her personally.
It was a purely personal decision—but the fact that her hair was pink played a big part in it.
In truth, that girl had also been in the same carriage that arrived at House Deiamor earlier.
But before she could get off, Nivellia suddenly burst into tears, and so the carriage returned directly to House De Gladius.
Tap, tap.
“When is Father coming back…?”
Rubens De Gladius let out a loud yawn as he bounced a ball off the wall, catching it again and again to pass the time.
“I wish we could’ve gone to House Deiamor with him. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Soles and Nini. Don’t you think so, Al?”
Al, who had been quietly reading a book, replied with a soft smile.
“You’re right. I wonder how much Nini’s grown?”
“How old is she now? Five?”
“Four. She turned four earlier this spring.”
“Whoa, still that young?”
Startled, Rubens missed his catch and the ball hit him on the chin.
“Ugh… A-anyway, then she’s still a baby…”
Sniffling, Rubens barely held back tears and mumbled to himself.
“She’s not gonna be mad we gave her birthday present so late, right?”
“I actually like that about Nini—she’s so honest.”
Al chuckled, reminiscing about their little neighbor.
The last time they saw Nivellia, her baby fat had puffed up her features so much that she looked like a plump little puppy.
Though she insisted she was a cat.
She really did act like one, though.
She was especially wary around strangers, slapped people when she didn’t like them, and had no filter for her emotions.
And she slept a lot, too.
Al shut the thick book halfway through with a soft thump and set it down on the side table.
Then he strode to the door and swung it open.
“Eep!”
Standing just beyond was the pink-haired girl.
The rather cute-looking girl flinched and stepped back in surprise.
“What’s wrong? Looking for the restroom?”
Al asked with a polite smile—but his crimson-black eyes gleamed with a chilling dominance that didn’t match his twelve-year-old face.
“I kept feeling someone’s gaze while reading. It was distracting, so I came out to check. So… why were you loitering in front of the door?”
“I-I just…”
The girl nervously pressed her hands together in front of her chest, putting on an innocent expression.
“I’m… I’m sorry. Rima was just…”
“……”
“Alone… and bored… and scared…”
“……”
Al studied her for a moment, then smiled again.
“I see. Sorry about that. We haven’t treated you very well, even though you’re our guest. I’ll have someone bring you snacks and a few books. Can you read?”
“A-a little…”
“Then read quietly while you wait. Once Father returns, we’ll talk again.”
“Um, wait—!”
Rima tried to continue the conversation, but Al was quicker. The door shut before she could get another word out.
Rubens, watching from inside, frowned.
“Whoa… that was kinda harsh.”
“I think eavesdropping on our conversation was harsher.”
“But she said she was scared and bored.”
“Rubens.”
Al asked suddenly.
“Did you hear what she said earlier?”
“You mean… that she can read?”
Rubens answered, and Al nodded.
Though he might seem carefree and playful on the surface—and he often was—Rubens had a sharp awareness of his surroundings.
“That girl’s impressive. We saw that orphanage—it was so old and poor. And she still learned to read somehow.”
“Exactly. That’s pretty amazing.”
In an orphanage that couldn’t even feed its children properly, how could they possibly teach them to read?
Then… where had she learned?
If she taught herself, she must be exceptionally intelligent.
But if that were true—why was her pronunciation worse than their four-year-old neighbor?
…She’s doing it on purpose.
She’s faking that speech pattern.
Of course, there’s still a chance she’s lying outright.
Which would be suspicious in its own right.
A slow, crooked smile curled at the corner of Al’s lips.
“Do you not like her?” Rubens asked cautiously.
“I mean… Father brought her here because he decided to sponsor her.”
“I don’t dislike her.”
Al returned to his seat and reopened the book he’d set aside.
“I just think she’s going to be fun to watch. So I’ll leave her alone—for now.”
“You had a really evil look on your face just now.”
“I get it from Father.”
“Father may have an evil expression sometimes, but it’s different from yours!”
“Then what—do I get it from Mother?”
“…No. Definitely Father.”
Rubens went back to bouncing his ball against the wall.
Al, meanwhile, lost himself in his book again.
The rhythm of the ball thudding against the wall helped him focus in no time.
Rima, having slipped back to her room unnoticed by the servants, leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the floor.
Oh my god, that was terrifying…!
She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst through her ribs.
How can a twelve-year-old be that scary?!
It took a long time for Rima to calm her shaking breath.
“…Anyway.”
She got up and looked around the room.
It was the guest room prepared for her. And just like the grand mansion itself, the guest room was massive and richly decorated.
The furniture, bedding, and curtains all had a neutral, elegant feel—and even at a glance, she could tell they were high-end.
But Rima let out a long, dramatic sigh as if she was completely unimpressed.
“If I’d known this was going to happen, I should’ve written that the heroine was the lost daughter of a duke from the start.”
She paused, then muttered with a wry smile.
“Then again, I didn’t expect to get possessed by my own novel.”
