Chapter 106: Easy to Handle Child

In the end, it was still too early for Nii-sama to be back even if I went to the entrance, so I ended up tottering back to my room.

What should babies do at a time like this? I have the building blocks I brought from Lentforce. But, I only had one set, and it was more interesting at Brendel’s shop because they had many pieces of wood.

I’ve finished reading all the picture books. And since I haven’t moved that much, I wasn’t hungry, nor was I sleepy so I couldn’t take a nap either.

I ended up holding the barrier box in my lap until Nii-sama came back. I turned my back to Natalie and secretly practised changing my magic.

“Lei!”

“Nii, Nii-syama!”

I was held by Nii-sama, who had just returned, and he spun me around.

“Lei, you can just call me Niini. You can always call me Nii-sama when you get older.”

Yes, I decided to properly call Nii-sama, Nii-sama when I returned home.

“I’m finally back. Why do I have to stay in the dormitory? It doesn’t take much time to get to the academy even if I commute from here.”

“Ai.”

I feel like I could finally take a deep breath.

“There seems to be a lot of purposes for getting nobles from the same generation to dine together and learn rules in the same dormitory.” Otou-sama, who came back together with Nii-sama, tried to pacify him.

“So, did you get along with people in your generation, Otou-sama?”

“Well…”

Otou-sama looked pensive.

“The same generation… Stan?”

“Weren’t you alone?”

“Others were, oh, I can’t really remember them.”

“Then, the rules?”

“What’s the point in rules created by people?”

Nii-sama shrugged his shoulders.

“See, dormitories are pointless after all.”

“Hmm. Now, let’s have dinner.”

Otou-sama changed the subject when it got troublesome for him. I didn’t participate in the conversation, and just let Nii-sama hold me as I listened to my close family. This is quality time.

After dinner, we played and talked in my room. I was finally able to sleep at ease when Nii-sama put me to sleep.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

Lei is weird ~ Otou-sama’s perspective

How relieved was I when Lei finally returned to the mansion? I gave her a room without a balcony and assigned a guard to her so that she wouldn’t be taken again.

I had to give her an exclusive maid too since she didn’t have a mother. It was difficult to choose someone that didn’t look like Hannah and was also superb at their job. I ended up hiring a maid who looked after the youngest daughter of the Remingtons.

Remington’s daughter is five years old, but I’ve heard that she’s very active. One maid wasn’t enough to look after her, so she had a few, and I was able to hire the calmest one.

I was also planning to increase her maids if it was necessary. Luke hated having servants, so only one was assigned to him after he turned five, but at least he had Claire.

I hoped to have everything perfectly set up, but Lei started acting weird a week after Luke went back to the academy.

I heard half a year is long for a baby. She could speak a lot more fluently, and she had also grown taller. Still, the charming way she reaches out to her Otou-sama hasn’t changed.

But…

Was she such a quiet child?

Well, she was quiet. I hardly ever saw her cry. Still, she was interested in a lot of things. She laughed loudly when Hannah teased her, tried her best to crawl, tried her best to walk when she finally could, and when I thought she was behaving herself, she would catch insects. I’m sure that was how she was.

But, Lei isn’t like that now. At dinner time, she eats happily and talks about how her day was. However, she keeps her distance from her maid, Natalie, but towards the people in the mansion, and Luke and I, I feel like she’s holding back.

I couldn’t conclude this alone. I waited until Luke came back from the dormitory and listened to what the maid and guard had to say.

“She’s finally asleep, but it’s weird. Lei usually sleep well, but she didn’t.”

“Isn’t it because she’s excited that you’re back after a week?”

“Excited? She didn’t look excited. She looks like she’s holding something back.”

“So she is?”

I looked at Luke.

“How was she in Sebel?”

“She was very lively. Her eyes sparkled, and she looked like she had a lot of fun.”

“Hmm.”

I put my hand on my chin and looked at the guard and maid.

“Natalie, you’ve been with Lei for a week, how has she been?”

“Umm…”

Natalie, who was usually lively and calm, looked puzzled.

“Umm, Ojou-sama is calm, and she’s easy to look after.”

“Hmm. She was a handful to Hannah. She didn’t give you lizards or anything?”

“Ojou-sama doesn’t do that! She always reads picture books, plays alone with blocks and toys, sometimes she demands to go outside, but she doesn’t cry or make a fuss.”

Natalie looked confused.

“The Remington’s Ojou-sama is very active, and can’t stay still for very long. She runs around, throws a temper when she doesn’t like something, and uses her maids to her whims, so I don’t know how to treat Ojou-sama since she’s quiet and I’m honestly confused.”

“I, I see.”

“She eats slowly by herself even when I try to help her, she wakes up before I come to wake her up, and she gets changed by herself if she can. She doesn’t make any mistakes. What can I do besides watch her?”

I should be listening to how Lei is, but the maid ended up talking about her troubles.

“How about you, guards?

“Well, it’s our job to keep an eye on her, but honestly, I thought we had to keep watch on a lively child.”

The escort moved as if he was embarrassed.

“Nothing. She doesn’t cause any trouble. A child that old would probably get someone to hold her when she’s tried. But, she tries to walk by herself even if it takes a lot of time. She doesn’t get upset even if she’s in a bad mood. Honestly, I think she’s an odd child.”

Luke listened with a gloomy face. Luke probably didn’t need to stay in the dormitory and could commute from home. But, Lei will still end up spending the day alone.

“It’s because I forcefully separated her from the Hunters….”

“But, if you bring them here, then you’ll take away their futures.”

Our hatred for the kidnappers grew stronger. If it hadn’t been for them, then she could be at ease.

“I don’t want to accept it, but I have to…”

“Otou-sama, what’re you talking about?”

“It’s probably not good for her to be alone during the day. The Prince wants Lei to be his playmate. I don’t want her to go out, but then she’ll be able to go to the castle with me.”

“I refuse,” Luke yelled.

“I’ve heard about him in school. He’s a year older than Lei, but he’s naughty and violent. That’s why he doesn’t have a playmate.”

I resented that I had to give my important Lei to such a person.

“But, I can’t think of another way to cheer up Lei.”

“That’s-!”

Luke doesn’t know how to either. Even if she was by my side, it didn’t mean that everything would go well.

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