I Live With My Villain Uncle Chapter 12

“Get dragged into this? I’ve been nothing but happy every single day lately.”

Instead of being bothered by Uncle’s words, Grandma Sophie picked up another piece of fried eggplant and handed it to me.

Rather than putting it straight into my mouth, I held it out to Uncle.

“Uncle, you eat this too. It’s really pretty.”

“Just go sit down.”

“Okay.”

If he didn’t want it, fine.

It was tasty, though. Crunch.

“Well then, shall we have our little lady sit down?”

Zenda tapped the chair for me.

“Okay!”

Still holding the fried eggplant Grandma Sophie had given me in both hands, I went to my seat.

“Uncle.”

I called out to him as I sat down in the chair Zenda had pulled out for me.

“…….”

He looked like he was in an even worse mood than before.

Uncle had been giving off dark clouds ever since earlier and barely answered me whenever I spoke.

Soon, a trolley came out loaded with food.

All kinds of dishes, each boasting their own delicious flavors and aromas, were placed on the dining table.

“Thank you for the meal. Thank you for making such delicious food again today!”

“Oh my, what a sweet thing to say.”

Grandma Sophie disappeared, saying she would bring out some more dishes.

I patiently waited while Zenda served food onto my plate, and the moment it was placed in front of me, I poked a piece with my fork and popped it into my mouth.

The fluffy potato crumbled helplessly in my mouth.

“Yummy! Uncle, you eat lots too!”

“Talk after you’re done eating.”

“Okay.”

I obediently listened to Uncle and went back to working my fork diligently.

“Oh, right, Uncle. Take me to the Imperial Palace.”

“Why do you want to go to the Imperial Palace?”

I pulled out the letter I had brought with me beforehand when coming to the dining room and waved it back and forth.

“The Emperor said I should come visit!”

“How do you know the Emperor?”

“I don’t know either……? But I know he’s Mom’s friend! The letter just said to come visit. I’ve never been to the Imperial Palace before, so come with me, Uncle.”

“I don’t want to.”

“……Why? You go there often.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“That’s mean.”

“How did you figure that out?”

“You’re bad.”

“You’re catching on.”

Even after I pestered him several more times while eating, Uncle remained stubborn.

Operation failed.

I thought if I brought it up casually, I could somehow gloss over it and get my way.

But I didn’t know why—the atmosphere felt like he was seriously angry about something.

Before I knew it, my stomach was getting full.

I discreetly pushed my plate aside and patted my stomach.

I should run straight to my room.

“Little lady.”

Just as I was slowly turning around and trying to get up, Zenda called me.

“Uh, yes?”

“You haven’t eaten any of the roasted vegetables. There’s still roasted green onions, bell peppers, and onions left.”

“Ah. Uh, well……”

Zenda stared at me with a smile.

I desperately racked my brain for an excuse.

“Ah, I ate a lot in my dream this morning. So I don’t have to eat anymore today.”

Zenda and the servants beside her burst into quiet laughter, but I deliberately puffed out my stomach even more and rubbed it busily.

“You have to eat a balanced meal if you want to grow big and tall. Now, look. If you want to grow as tall as Master, you have to eat all of th—”

Zenda stopped mid-sentence as she looked at Uncle’s plate.

And for good reason.

Uncle’s plate wasn’t much different from mine.

But Uncle was already that tall and built like a rock, and he hadn’t eaten a single vegetable.

“Uncle didn’t eat all of his either. Then I’ll still grow tall even if I don’t eat everything!”

I pointed conspicuously at the two pieces of bell pepper and one roasted green onion Uncle had left behind.

Uncle was so tall that even Zenda, who had just been insisting that I needed to eat a balanced meal, had no choice but to admit it.

So I thought I could get up just like this.

“Peanut. Are you the same as me?”

“I’m not a peanut!”

“You’re so tiny, and you’re already trying to pull tricks. Clean your plate.”

And then he got up first and casually walked away!

Mom had once told me that Uncle would always be on my side.

That even if I couldn’t trust anyone else, I could trust Uncle.

Liar! Mom was a liar too.

I’ll get my revenge someday!

In the end, I had no choice but to let Zenda catch me and make me finish every last bit of the roasted vegetables.

 

***

 

Still unable to shake off the unpleasant, irritating feeling whose cause he couldn’t understand, Cassel entered his study.

Gerard followed him inside.

“What the hell is this?”

A fist-sized box in a dazzling rainbow of colors sat right in the middle of Cassel’s desk, waiting to greet him.

It was all sorts of bright colors, slightly crumpled and flimsy-looking, as though it had been folded out of colored paper.

There was only one insincere person in this house who would make something so shoddy, worthless, and unattractive.

“Could it be something the little lady left behind……?”

There couldn’t possibly be anyone in this house audacious enough to put something like this on his desk.

Gerard swallowed the rest of his thoughts and looked down at the box with curiosity.

Could that thing be the savior that would finally break through this atmosphere—or not?

Cassel picked it up and gave it a careless shake. Something inside lightly bumped against the box.

When he opened the box, which had already become half-crumped despite barely being handled, a flower brooch made by layering red and bright yellow lace came out.

It looked similar to the brooches every servant in the household, including Gerard, had pinned to their chests.

Except it was easily twice the size, and two colors had been layered together.

Oh, and there was also the shabby paper box.

Gerard’s expression brightened first.

After all, he had spent the entire day being harassed over the single brooch the little lady had given him.

That was it.

That was the one.

“The little lady must have taken longer because she was preparing the very best present for you, Master!”

Cassel, who had been staring down at the box for quite some time, muttered,

“Tch. Who asked her to comfort me? What’s so great about some shoddy thing like this?”

Then why are the corners of your mouth curling up like that?

Gerard thought to himself before adding another comment.

“It’s much bigger too. And with the yellow layered over it, doesn’t it look just like a marigold?”

He even displayed the cleverness to bring up something Zenda had told him once.

Thanks to that, the corners of Cassel’s mouth lifted even higher.

“What’s the big deal about something like this? She gave them to just anyone. Ah, come to think of it, did you get a box?”

“No, I didn’t. Perhaps she only made one for the person she considers the most precious and wonderful?”

Gerard defended Aika with every ounce of strength he had.

Cassel fiddled with the flower brooch for quite a while before setting it down on one side of his desk.

“Enough. Give me your report.”

The corners of Cassel’s mouth rose as high as the sky, only for the atmosphere to change abruptly moments later.

Gerard secretly clenched his fist, cleared his throat, and began his report.

“We’ve finished checking every last fragment of the carriage. Aside from the thirty-eight who have already been dealt with, we’re still pursuing seven.”

“And none of them have let anything slip.”

“Yes. Other than the ones we tortured, they all committed suicide.”

“They killed themselves as if they’d been waiting for the chance. Ridiculous. Find more.”

“Yes.”

“And…… What was it? If you’re not busy, go tell Peanut to get ready to go to the Imperial Palace tomorrow. I’ll leave without her if she’s late.”

Gerard blinked in surprise.

The change of subject had been almost an ambush.

“You’re going to the Imperial Palace tomorrow? Suddenly? What about all the work that’s piled up?”

“What do you mean, suddenly? I was planning to go anyway. I just kept putting it off because it was a pain.”

“……Ah, yes…….”

Gerard trailed off, the creases beside his mouth stretching long.

“What are you doing? If your report’s finished, move your feet.”

“Yes, I’ll be back quickly!”

“Once everything’s done, go do whatever you need to do. You don’t have to come back.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Gerard, who had received permission to leave work in an instant, hurried out of the study before Cassel could change his mind.

 

***

 

The Uncle who had seemed absolutely determined never to take me to the Imperial Palace told me through Gerard late last night to get ready to go to the Imperial Palace.

Afraid that Uncle might change his mind, I had pestered Zenda into preparing everything in advance the night before.

The next morning.

As soon as I finished breakfast, I packed several handfuls of candy and the letter into the small, round yellow bag Zenda had put over my shoulder, and finished getting ready.

Then, when I heard that Uncle was calling for me, I ran straight to his room.

“Uncle, I’m here! Aren’t I super pretty?”

The moment I flung open the door and entered the room, I proudly showed off my dress with a grand ta-da.

Uncle didn’t even look this way, but I spun around in a full circle anyway.

Even though he was sitting on the edge of the table, Uncle had his legs slightly bent despite not looking at me at all.

“Are you going to a party?”

Oh! He definitely hadn’t looked!

“No. But I wanted to wear my prettiest one. There are beads on it too. They’re pearls!”

I showed him the little beads densely sewn into my pale yellow lace dress.

How about it, how about it? Isn’t it super pretty?

“Why is your bib that color?”