I Live With My Villain Uncle Chapter 4

Ah, I’m not Peanut……. Why does he keep calling me Peanut?

“I’m not Peanut.”

“Tell me honestly.”

“Mm-hm, Uncle.”

When someone asks you something, the proper thing to do is answer.

I rubbed my bottom and sat up straight.

Then, to show that I was ready to listen carefully to what Uncle had to say, I neatly clasped both hands together and looked at him.

“How much did you agree to get from the old man?”

Uncle always calls Grandfather “the old man.”

No wonder Grandfather keeps calling Uncle a good-for-nothing bastard!

“Hm?”

“I’m asking how much you agreed to get in exchange for conspiring with the old man.”

Uncle’s expression became quite serious.

Mom used to make that kind of expression sometimes when she was looking over documents at home late into the night.

Except for his short hair, they really looked exactly alike.

“Conspiring? What’s that?”

What was he talking about?

“Did the old man not feed you?”

“No. I ate five meals a day! And I ate this—much—snack, too.”

I drew the biggest circle I could with both arms.

“Then did he nag you a lot?”

“Mmm, no. Grandfather said I was the prettiest.”

“Did the servants in that house ignore you?”

“No…….”

The maids even called me Princess.

Of course, all of Uncle’s servants treated me well, too.

I calmly answered, only fidgeting my fingers a little.

Uncle let out several deep sighs, as though trying to cool his temper.

“Then what the hell is the problem? You could just live in that nice, comfortable home, being pampered like some princess, so why did you drag yourself all the way here and come turn my insides upside down?”

Uncle growled, doing his best to intimidate me.

But it wasn’t like that. It really wasn’t.

It was frustrating that I couldn’t say anything because I had to keep the secret promise I made with Mom.

“Uncle, am I a headache to you?”

“What?”

“Do you really, really, really hate me?”

“Hey, who said I hate you?”

Uncle shouted again.

Honestly, he could just speak quietly, but he always had to get angry and raise his voice like this.

Mom said people who got angry a lot were more likely to die young, and I was really worried about him.

And he said he didn’t hate me, either.

“Then do you like me?”

When I asked with sparkling eyes, Uncle’s face crumpled up again.

“Are you crazy?”

“……I kind of like you, Uncle.”

I lowered my head and murmured.

Only after a long while did I hear a quiet sigh from above my head.

“I’m not your mother. I’ve never even raised a child before. Do you really think I can raise you properly? So go back.”

He said he didn’t hate me, but his tone made it sound like he desperately wanted me to disappear.

I raised my head again and moved my lips hesitantly.

“Uncle.”

“See? You changed your mind, didn’t you? Want me to take you back to Grandfather’s house? Go there and tell him yourself that you can’t live there.”

Uncle eagerly jumped on my words as though he had been waiting for that.

I firmly shook my head.

Honestly, Uncle. How many times do I have to say it? I told you I can’t do that.

“Uncle, they say humans are creatures of adaptation. Mom said that even if something is difficult at first, if you keep doing it, people can eventually do anything.”

Uncle looked dumbfounded.

“Your mother said that?”

“Yeah. My mom was really smart, you know.”

“Were you born just to sing your mother’s praises?”

“It’s not praise. It’s true…….”

Uncle muttered something about why his sister had given birth to something like this. It was obviously an insult toward Mom.

He scratched his head roughly by himself, then let out another deep sigh.

Watching Uncle carefully, I subtly shifted my eyes toward the clock.

Anyway, he looked tired too, so he wouldn’t go out today, right?

And since I didn’t think that would happen tomorrow, either.

“Uncle.”

“What now?”

“I miss Mom.”

“…….”

“I miss her every day, but I can’t see Mom anymore, can I? Grandfather said she couldn’t come. So I miss Uncle every day, too. Can I stay here? I’ll only bother you a little.”

“Shouldn’t you say you won’t bother me at all, rather than only a little?”

“Then you’ll just stop me from even coming near you.”

As though I had hit the nail on the head, Uncle glared at me with his eyes turned into the shape of 10:10 and firmly shut his mouth.

The room became so quiet that I could clearly hear birds chirping outside.

I silently watched Uncle’s expression.

I didn’t let my body relax even for a moment, ready to grab him quickly if he tried to leave.

Only after a long while did Uncle finally speak again.

“Do whatever you want.”

“Hm?”

Uncle messed up his already fluffy, tangled hair even more with the hand he had been scratching his head with earlier.

“I said do whatever you want. Roll around the house, wander around, whatever. But if you interfere with my work every chance you get, you’re going to die.”

“Really?”

“Do you not believe what people say?”

I believe what people say, but I just don’t really trust what you say, Uncle……

Still, I was so relieved that he had said that.

I decided to drive the final nail into it.

Mom had taught me that when you get an opportunity, you should never let it slip away.

“Then…… Uncle.”

“What now?”

I took out the piece of paper I had carefully tucked inside my dress.

image

“Put it here.”

I unfolded it neatly, placed it on the bed, and smoothed all four sides with my palms.

“…….”

“Uncle, press your finger here.”

“…….”

“Hurry. Come on, press it.”

Uncle’s eyes changed, looking somewhat dazed.

Mom always said that promises had to be made properly.

She said the most certain way was through documents.

She had taught me over and over that spoken words could always be changed, so the more important something was, the more important it was to leave a written record.

“Hurry!”

“…….”

Actually, it wasn’t anything special.

I had written it as neatly as I could, but looking at it again, it seemed a little crooked.

I thought I had kept it safe, too, but it had gotten all crumpled from clinging to Uncle.

I should have put it in my pocket.

It really wasn’t anything serious. I just wanted to get a promise from Uncle in advance because I had a feeling he would change his mind again.

Mom said a man shouldn’t say two different things with one mouth, but Uncle seemed like the kind of person who would change his mind ten times over.

I had already pressed my finger onto the paper at Grandfather’s house, so the promise would be official as soon as Uncle did it too.

“Uncle, hurry.”

I looked at Uncle impatiently.

“Ha……. You really are Seria’s daughter.”

Uncle stared at the paper before letting out a disbelieving chuckle.

“Mm-hm, I’m Mom’s daughter!”

Then Uncle pressed down hard on my head with his large hand.

He pushed so hard that I thought my head was about to hit the bed.

“Ah, don’t do thattt!”

“You little speck of a thing.”

“I’m not a speck. I’m Aika.”

“Yeah, yeah. Aren’t you something.”

I struggled to lift my head and looked at Uncle.

Uncle’s hand was so heavy that if he relaxed even a little, my head would topple straight onto the bed.

I felt like my head was being squashed beneath his huge hand.

“Uncle, then you’re not going out today?”

I looked into Uncle’s eyes as pitifully as I could.

Just like when Mom told me I could only have two snacks.

Because it was very effective.

“……I’m not going out.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

I needed to get a second confirmation.

I stubbornly picked up the paper again and held it out to Uncle.

“Then, Uncle, press your finger here.”

 

***

 

“I miss Mom.”

“…….”

“I miss her every day, but I can’t see Mom anymore, can I? Grandfather said she couldn’t come. So I miss Uncle every day, too. Can I stay here? I’ll only bother you a little.”

“Shouldn’t you say you won’t bother me at all, rather than only a little?”

“Then you’ll just stop me from even coming near you.”

That little chestnut-sized thing was damn smart.

Cassel was dumbfounded as he looked at the paper, whose spelling was a mess and which had been crumpled to boot.

She was actually holding this out to him and calling it a document.

And the one presenting it was his niece, a little brat who had only just turned seven.

She was technically seven, but she was so tiny that she looked more like five or six.

The sight of her pressing her own fingerprint onto the paper and handing it over was almost too ridiculous to believe.

“Uncle, press your finger here.”

“…….”

“Hurry. Come on, press it.”

What she meant by “press your finger” was to leave a fingerprint seal.

What kind of kid who still had barely any blood dried on her head was already pulling out a contract whenever she made a promise?

The seven-year-old girl, whose hair had grown quite long and was neatly held back with a flower headband, had plump cheeks and incredibly thick eyelashes.

And she chatted without a moment’s rest.

Was this a bird or a person?

How on earth had his sister raised this child?

She had started playing with gold coins almost as soon as she was born, and the kid had grown up ridiculously shrewd.