As soon as she entered the dining hall, a rich aroma, both sweet and savory, tickled her nose.
Sniff sniff. Lephonia’s eyes instinctively turned. Lavish dishes, enough to make the table groan under their weight, were being laid out without pause.
In truth, ever since her body had become that of a five-year-old, it had been days since she’d had a proper meal.
Lephonia swallowed hard.
‘So this is how the Duke eats every meal. Even more luxurious than other nobles.’
The Duke carefully seated Lephonia right next to the seat of honor. Thanks to the plush cushion, her bottom didn’t hurt.
“Here, this is your seat from now on, Lephonia.”
Her eyes fell on the dishes glistening with juicy meat.
“Feel free to eat.”
From the countless dishes and her seat next to the head of the table, she could tell exactly what was going on.
‘He’s trying to properly train me with formal etiquette from the start.’
Nobles care tremendously about the gaze of others. If someone catches their mistake, they believe it tarnishes their reputation and honor.
‘I’ve been learning since I was six.’
Having studied under the Pope for several years, this was nothing special.
Lephonia ignored the Duke’s burdensome gaze from the side and calmly picked up the appropriate utensils.
Without making a sound, she gracefully cut the food into bite-sized pieces and ate with perfect etiquette.
She glanced over and saw that the Duke’s face had stiffened.
“Who placed a knife at Lephonia’s seat?”
Huh?
“A five-year-old shouldn’t be cutting meat with a knife.”
A chilling aura was emanating
In an instant, the atmosphere froze solid.
Lephonia sheepishly glanced around and put down the knife she had been holding.
‘Was that wrong?’
Why did everything suddenly feel so difficult?
No sooner had she put it down than Duke Craytan swiftly removed the dangerous adult utensil.
“Bring a child’s fork. Now.”
At his low command, a servant hurriedly brought a new utensil.
Chirp chirp.
A small fork decorated with a chick drawing.
“……”
Only then did the Duke let out a sigh of relief and cut all the food Lephonia was to eat into bite-sized pieces.
“You have to eat a lot of meat to grow tall.”
No, you have to eat a balanced diet to grow tall.
“If you eat too much at once, it can get stuck in your throat, so be sure to chew thoroughly.”
It’s not like I’m chewing with my gums, why would it get stuck?
“Now, like this, use your fork to stab the food so it doesn’t escape.”
Duke Craytan stabbed a very small piece of meat with his fork. Then he looked at Lephonia.
‘Wait, is he telling me to follow him?’
With a look that said he wouldn’t stop until she copied him, Lephonia reluctantly picked up the chick fork.
It was much lighter than the adult utensils and felt comfortable in her hand.
Lephonia poked the meat.
“And then, pop it into your mouth—”
She followed Duke Craytan and put the meat in her mouth.
“You chew it just like this. Nom nom nom.”
He chewed out loud.
Very visibly exaggerating, he went, “nom nom nom,” teaching her how to chew her food.
“……”
It seemed like he’d keep going until she copied him again, so in the end, Lephonia followed the Duke and chewed her meat with a “yum yum yum.”
‘This isn’t how I was taught noble etiquette…’
Had I really learned anything properly?
Everything she had learned so far suddenly felt useless.
Lephonia’s pupils trembled.
“Well done. Even the older bros ate like this.”
The noble etiquette Lephonia had learned at this dining table had long since disappeared.
“Here, drink some water… Wait. The water is too cold. Who poured cold water in Lephonia’s glass? Don’t you know cold water like this can upset the stomach?”
Lephonia unconsciously stared into the air.
‘The second child, they said he never returned from the academy.’
Could this be the reason?
Lephonia diligently filled her belly with the chick fork.
* * *
Only after the meal was finished and dessert eaten did the Duke get to the point.
“Tomorrow, I plan to submit this adoption document to the imperial palace.”
Duke Craytan shook the adoption papers filled out with all the personal details.
The process would be complete only once the child to be adopted, meaning with Lephonia’s approval, gave consent.
The process for a noble to adopt a child was simple. If there was a child they wanted to adopt, they would fill out a document with the child’s personal information, have the child sign it, and submit it to the royal palace. That was it.
The adoption papers contained magic, so they couldn’t be torn or destroyed at will.
Once submitted, the child formally became a member of the family.
Since adoption was easy, annulment was just as simple.
All it took was filling out a renunciation form with the child’s personal information and submitting it to the imperial palace. That was all.
That’s why, even when Lephonia was at the orphanage, many children were adopted only to be returned soon after.
In any case, all the power lay with the other side.
“Don’t you have any questions?”
“No.”
Duke Craytan’s brow furrowed. Lephonia looked away from him and scraped the cake cream from her empty plate with her fork.
“You don’t have any questions?”
“Why?”
Lephonia set down her fork on the empty plate and asked in a flat voice.
“Do you think you’ll regret it?”
The Duke wrinkled his face as if he had just heard an absurd question.
At the same time, all the servants in the dining room turned to look at Lephonia.
“If you think you’ll regret it, you don’t have to go through with the adoption.”
Lephonia hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“But I have nowhere else to go right now. Even if I’m not adopted, let me eat and sleep in the mansion. I’ll work in exchange.”
After all, what mattered wasn’t the adoption, but being in this mansion.
“Lephonia.”
Duke Craytan gestured, and the butler brought a new piece of cake, setting it in front of her.
‘Ah.’
She had been told that scraping the bottom of a plate was something only the uneducated did.
Realizing what she’d done, Lephonia’s face turned red.
“I brought you here and said I would adopt you as my daughter.”
“……”
“So, do you think I’d regret it? No. On the contrary, I should be the one asking you, Lephonia.”
“Huh?”
“Earlier, the situation was tense, you may have made a hasty decision out of shock. But now that things have calmed down, I’m asking again. Even if you grow up later, today’s memory will stay with you.”
Duke Craytan, watching Lephonia carefully, picked up a fork. Just as Lephonia had done earlier, he scraped the remaining cake cream from the bottom of the plate and put it in his mouth.
Even though there was still cake left on the plate, he did it anyway.
“Ugh, sweet.”
Apparently disliking the sweetness, the Duke’s face twisted in displeasure. Seeing this huge man react so dramatically to just a bit of cake cream nearly made Lephonia laugh.
When she grows up one day…
Even if she ends up being cast out, she’ll still remember this day, and that’s okay.
“I’m okay too.”
Lephonia reached out her small hand. Duke Craytan handed her the document.
“I know. I’ve already thought everything through.”
A knife that had been tucked into the seat next to Duke Craytan came into view.
Lephonia jumped down from the tall chair with effort. Without hesitation, she grabbed the knife from the seat.
Slash!
Lephonia, without letting anyone stop her, sliced her palm with the knife. Blood flowed from the torn skin.
“Lephonia!”
Startled, Duke Craytan jumped up from his seat and ran toward her.
“I’m fine.”
Unfazed by the surrounding commotion, Lephonia calmly wiped the dripping blood with the adoption document.
Offering blood was akin to staking one’s life. It was also a way to give trust to the other person.
She wanted to clearly show Duke Craytan that she didn’t regret this decision.
“Okay, if we submit this to the imperial palace tomorrow—”
“Call a doctor! Now!”
Duke Craytan, without even taking the document Lephonia handed him, hurriedly grabbed her bleeding hand.
“Huh?”
Lephonia blinked in confusion.
It was just a minor cut that barely broke the skin, yet he was calling a doctor? Even when she had worse injuries before, no one had ever called a doctor.
Everyone said it would be okay once she woke up, and in fact, the pain had subsided when she did.
“If I just sleep and wake up, I’ll be fine.”
“Who told you such nonsense?”
Duke Craytan responded curtly, his face stern.
“How could a wound heal just by sleeping? If not properly treated, it could leave a scar.”
A scar? Has she ever cared about scars before?
“Even small wounds must be shown to the doctor. Don’t you know that once you wake up, untreated wounds won’t just disappear?”
“Huh?”
“This is a rule of the House of Craytan.”
The butler, sensing Lephonia’s stare as he looked toward the Duke, instantly smiled and nodded.
“It’s true.”
“You’re my daughter now, Lephonia. You must follow the rules of House Craytan too.”
Lephonia scratched her cheek at those words. Meanwhile, the family doctor arrived.
“Let me see the wound… gasp.”
The doctor, who had approached, gasped upon seeing Lephonia’s face.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Lephonia tilted her head. Was he really surprised by such a minor wound?
“Duche…”
Just as the doctor was about to say something, the butler urgently grabbed his arm.
“Get a hold of yourself. The young lady who visited today was injured. Treat her.”
The butler ordered the doctor with a firm voice. The doctor, seeing Lephonia’s blank expression, adjusted his glasses and stepped forward.
“Young lady, this is our first meeting. May I examine your wound?”
The Duke nodded and slowly let go of Lephonia’s hand. The knife had lightly scraped her skin. It wasn’t a serious wound.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Lephonia looked down at her bleeding wound.
“You can just disinfect it and bandage it.”
“You are incredibly brave, young lady. The other children used to cry a lot when they got hurt at that age.”
“It’s really not a serious wound…”
“Young lady, regardless of the size of the injury, you must always value your body.”
At the doctor’s words, the butler, the maid, and the prince all looked sheepish.
‘This reaction is a bit much.’
Just a small cut on her fingertip, and they were making such a fuss.
“Phonia.”
A husky voice called her by a cute nickname.
‘Did he just call me?’
Lephonia turned toward the Duke.
“If it hurts, say something. I’ll blow the wind of healing for you.”
“…What’s that?”
Duke Craytan had long used it, so perhaps even the breath he blew was different.
“Hoo.”
With his lips puckered in a circle, the Duke blew a breath onto her palm.
“……”
Are these people in this household not quite right in the head?
* * *
Academy Dormitory.
“What did Father do?”
The man, reading a letter from the butler, muttered in disbelief.
“Has he already lost his mind?”
He crumpled the letter in his hand.
The contents of the letter were simple.
It was news that his father, Duke Craytan, had adopted a daughter.
“What kind of con artist managed to fool my father?”
The man ran his hand through his silver hair and let out a hollow laugh.
He had already taken the graduation exam three years ago but never graduated—an infamous troublemaker known for never leaving the academy.
The Duke’s troublemaker second son.
“I have to go home no matter what.”
Pellenz Craytan rose from his seat.
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