Being Loved for the First Time

Author: B0ucha

As the treasure hunt progressed, I couldn’t help realizing all over again just how extraordinary Mikhail Leventis’s physical abilities were.

I’d felt a little guilty about how I’d treated him, so I’d been planning to use my powers to find the treasures if necessary.

But…

‘How is he so good at climbing trees…?’

No, could what he was doing even be called climbing a tree?

Mikhail kicked off the ground with tremendous force, leaped into the air, planted one foot against the tree trunk, and propelled himself upward again, grabbing hold of a thick branch in one smooth movement.

He quickly reached the upper part of the tree, found the treasure chest the knights had hidden there, and waved at me.

‘No, more importantly, this is a treasure hunt for children… Why would they hide something up there?’

This was a problem. I doubted Brother was as physically capable as Mikhail.

As the heir to a ducal family, Brother Damian trained diligently in swordsmanship and martial arts.

However, unlike his exceptional intellect, his physical abilities were closer to average.

In fact, when it came to quick reflexes, my younger sister was considerably better than him.

‘But it’s not as though Sister can climb trees either.’

Is this treasure hunt really intended for children?

Contrary to my concerns, Mikhail simply seemed to be enjoying himself.

Meanwhile, I heard someone muttering nearby.

“…I never imagined he’d actually climb up there himself.”

It was one of the knights following us at a safe distance.

Thanks to his words, I finally understood.

‘They expected us to ask a knight to retrieve anything hidden up there.’

But that little monster Mikhail had climbed the tree before anyone could stop him.

Well, I supposed it was fine as long as he was enjoying himself.

“I’ll be right down!”

“Uh-huh.”

I thought it would be better if he promised to be careful rather than quick, and stepped slightly away from the tree.

The knight, on the other hand, moved closer in case Mikhail fell.

“You absolutely must not jump down, Young Lord. You could injure your legs.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t!”

I clicked my tongue inwardly at the knight’s warning.

You really mustn’t get hurt. My parents are your guardians too, you know.

Mikhail grumbled a little at the knight’s insistence, but climbed down with movements far more restrained than those he’d used going up.

With that, we’d found our sixth treasure chest.

‘Sister and Brother have only found five so far.’

Looks like we’re going to win.

The sun was already beginning to set, after all.

As I leisurely predicted the outcome of the treasure hunt, swinging the fallen leaf Mikhail had given me, he suddenly approached.

Holding a small box in one hand, he knelt on one knee in front of me and met my eyes.

“Tell me I did well, baby.”

He seems particularly needy for affection from me today.

Still, I decided to grant his request without complaint.

I did feel guilty about the way I’d treated him until now.

“Good job.”

“I’m definitely going to win for you.”

Seeing how proud Mikhail looked over such a small gesture, I had no desire to spoil his happiness.

Thanks to Young Lord Leventis’s unusually boundless energy that day, Mikhail and I won the treasure hunt.

However, the knights decided to reward everyone.

“Lady Lara and Young Master Damian found treasures too. Naturally, they should receive the treasures they discovered.”

At their good-natured explanation, I felt relieved.

‘I’d been worried Sister might feel disappointed.’

Of course, my sister was extremely generous-hearted, but I didn’t want to watch her quietly suppressing her disappointment.

Besides, children her age didn’t need to learn the harsh realities of competition already.

I thought it would be much better for children to receive rewards for their efforts while they were still young.

“Now, Lady Lara, this is the treasure you found.”

One of my sister’s knights held out a box wrapped in pink paper.

“Can I open it right now?”

“Of course.”

The knights let out little exclamations when they saw my sister’s sparkling eyes.

Whenever she wriggled excitedly, her tied-up hair fluttered like rabbit ears.

“Waaah!”

After seeing her present, my sister looked back and forth between the box and the knights who’d given it to her, as though she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Is this really Lara’s?”

“Of course, my lady.”

“Really, really?! This was the treasure?!”

“It certainly was. You said you wanted one, didn’t you?”

“I love it!”

Her present was a set of leather armor made for children.

Perhaps because she’d become friendly with the knights, my sister had developed a habit of saying something in a singsong voice.

‘Lara wants to wear the knights’ clothes too!’

‘The knights’ clothes?’

‘Uh-huh! Lara’s a hero! So I’m gonna wear clothes like the knights!’

Mother had chuckled and asked, ‘Not a princess?’

Apparently, the knights had remembered my sister’s words.

The leather had been treated until it was wonderfully soft, presumably because it was intended for a child. Somehow, it had also been dyed a delicate shade of pink.

Small pieces of black metal and red rubies were embedded in the shoulders as decorative accents.

My sister seemed especially delighted by that part.

“It’s Mommy and Shasha’s colors!”

“Do you like it, my lady?”

“Uh-huh! Now Lara’s a hero too!”

“Oh my, you’re the loveliest hero in the entire world.”

I wholeheartedly agreed with the maid standing beside us.

If my sister said she was a hero, then she was a hero.

My brother received a new pair of riding boots, while I was given a baby hat modeled after the helmets worn by the knights.

It wasn’t made of leather, but fabric, so it was entirely useless for protection.

“Oh my, how adorable!”

“Our youngest lady looks adorable in absolutely anything! You’ll be a pair of sister knights with Lady Lara!”

It certainly was cute.

Though I wasn’t sure it warranted quite so much excitement.

However, unlike usual, my sister grew serious at the maids’ fuss and shook her head.

“No, Shasha’s a princess!”

“A princess? But you like doing things together with our youngest lady, don’t you?”

At the maid’s words, my sister puffed out her chest, planted both hands on her hips, and clicked her tongue.

“That’s why Shasha’s the princess! So Lara can go rescue her!”

“Wow, you’re absolutely right, Lady Lara.”

“Then shall we build a little playhouse up in a tree next time?”

“That’s a good idea. After the harvest festival—”

For some reason, the knights seemed to have been inspired by my sister’s words to plan our next game.

Still…

‘A treehouse sounds fun.’

I’d never had one before.

No, I’d never even been allowed inside one.

Even in worlds where people built things like that, I’d been forbidden from so much as approaching them.

How petty.

In any case, thanks to the knights’ generous rewards, Mikhail also obtained exactly what he’d wanted: the right to spar with Father.

He turned toward me with a triumphant expression.

“I’m definitely going to do it, so you have to keep your promise, baby.”

“Uh-huh.”

Mikhail Leventis smiled again.

It was his usual proud, slightly arrogant smile, yet for some reason, I didn’t find it nearly as irritating as I once had.

‘…Have I grown attached to him?’

But we’d spent far less time together today than we had throughout all our previous meetings.

This was the second time I’d watched Father and Mikhail spar.

Compared to six months earlier, the boy’s arms and legs had grown longer, and it was immediately obvious that he’d made astonishing progress.

And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“Goodness, Young Lord. You really are growing by leaps and bounds.”

Even Father, who was facing him, couldn’t help expressing his admiration.

‘I’d already been surprised when I saw him climb that tree in the blink of an eye…’

It was true that young children were often especially agile.

After all, their bodies were light and flexible.

But Mikhail’s abilities couldn’t be explained by those advantages alone.

Clack!

The sound of a wooden sword striking one of Father’s protective guards rang out.

Mikhail had skillfully exploited an opening and landed his first valid hit.

“Two more.”

“What was that?”

At Father’s question, Mikhail grinned.

Seeing his confident smile, Father’s expression seemed to say, Well, look at this little rascal.

Then he advanced a little more boldly.

‘Oh, wait, if he does that—’

It was such an unexpected attack that I felt my heart sink, certain Mikhail would fall.

No, I really was cheering for Father more.

‘But perhaps because I’ve been rather unfair to that boy until now, I want to support him just for today.’

However, Mikhail swiftly planted one hand against the ground, regained his balance, and seized the opportunity to thrust his wooden sword toward Father’s shin.

“One more.”

“You’ve improved tremendously. It seems I’ll have to be more careful too, Young Lord.”

Of course, Father was holding back by several levels during the spar.

Then again, wasn’t it a little excessive to fight a six-year-old child so seriously?

‘Perhaps it just shows how much Father expects from Mikhail.’

After all, Father was one of Mikhail’s swordsmanship teachers.

Though the captain of the knights seemed to oversee most of his training.

Unlike the first two strikes, the third did not come quickly.

The boy’s breathing grew increasingly ragged.

“Why don’t we stop here, Young Lord?”

Father sounded concerned.

“Please, just a little longer, Your Grace.”

“But…”

I wanted him to stop too.

It was obvious that he’d already pushed himself far beyond his limits.

‘He’s going to suffer from terrible muscle soreness tomorrow.’

Beads of sweat rolled down his skin.

His beautiful golden hair was soaked and clung to his cheeks, and even from a distance, I could see the arm holding his wooden sword trembling slightly.

He’d already done more than enough for a child.

I wasn’t so mean that I’d refuse to call him impressive just because he failed to land three hits against an adult.

However…

“Just a little more! I won the treasure hunt, after all!”

With those words, Mikhail charged straight toward Father.

Perhaps because Father was a parent himself, an opening appeared in his movements.

And Mikhail Leventis didn’t miss it.

Swish—

The third strike brushed past Father’s side.

“I did it!”

And in the very next moment, the serious expression he’d worn until then vanished.

The joy of achieving his goal was written plainly across his face.