CH 15

“Come to think of it, I heard that the young lord of the Marquis of Bayev is now about 16 years old, and if we marry her, the power of the Grand Duke of Crichton will be further strengthened.”

It wasn’t difficult to guide Daniel to the Grand Duke of Crichton.

It was because I just had to go back the way I came and knock on the door.

“If it’s not the Marquis of Bayev, Count Khalid is fine. If you pick out each of these, you will be able to count ten fingers, yes.”

However, it was quite disgusting to hear Daniel muttering over and over how to connect with which son of a noble, as if deciding where to sell her.

After all, I was just a nine-year-old little girl.

It was 10 years too early to think about getting married.

Besides, Daniel wasn’t even my parent.

It was absurd to think that he would evaluate me and associate me with which children of which family.

Maybe Daniel was already plotting to occupy the Grand Duke of Crichton in the distant future and sell me out politically.

If it wasn’t for that, I couldn’t understand why he said such words so naturally.

“Duke Georges isn’t bad if you’re old enough.”

I stopped dead in my steps, thinking I couldn’t hear him any longer, and then I turned to Daniel and shot him.

“What do you mean, Grandpa?”

While Daniel was delusional and thinking about whom to associate with, someone came and broke Daniel’s delusion.

I turned my head in a familiar voice and saw Elliot walking in a disheveled outfit from the other side of the hallway.

Contrary to the soft image of Elliott that we saw yesterday and today, the displeased and serious face looked very fierce. It resembled Brian’s, so I stared blankly at him for a moment.

“Mirabel is nine now, what the hell are you talking about? I know that Duke Georges doesn’t have any restraints, but are you thinking of Duke Georges as Mirabel’s husband?”

Elliott walked straight in this direction and stood in front of Daniel, as if hiding me behind his back.

It was only then that Elliot’s clothes were wet with sweat. Unlike the morning when his hair was tidy, it looked like it was messed up here and there.

I thought he was going to have a training that wasn’t there in the morning, and it seemed like he had just returned to the mansion after finishing the training.

“You must have forgotten the age of Duke Georges. I think I should give my little grandfather a gift that is good for his memory.”

“…”

Daniel looked at Elliott, who was wary, and smiled, which seemed benign even to others.

“Elliott, you must have misheard. He mentioned the Duke of Georges as a person to recognize on behalf of his wife. Since Duke Georges has wide feet, he might be able to introduce someone suitable for Mirabel. It is so sad that you distort what I said with good intentions.”

Daniel lied without spitting. Elliot looked at Danielle, who didn’t believe him at all, then opened his mouth.

“Since you said it was a good intention, can I pass on the words you just said to my father and His Excellency the Grand Duke?”

Daniel looked at Eliot with interest and smiled.

“You may.”

“And…”

Elliot, whose words were blurred, looked back at me.

Elliot’s eyes were full of concern.

“I don’t know why Mirabel is guiding my great-grandfather. Did I misread this too?”

“No. Uncle asked me to guide him to his place.”

When Daniel intervened, she quickly told Elliott.

Elliott listened to me and tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

“You didn’t ask for a servant?”

“Mirabel did it because she knew where my older brother was. Should I explain this to you?”

“… But isn’t it unreasonable for you to be guided by Mirabel, who has only stepped into this mansion for a day? What would have happened if Mirabel had taken the wrong way and guided you to the wrong place?”

Elliott spoke as if he was worried, but he didn’t look particularly worried about Daniel.

Daniel also knew this and cleared his throat a few times before shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t come to this mansion once or twice, so you don’t have to worry about me getting lost.”

“Then you don’t need Mirabel to guide you. Mirabel, I got a call that your room is ready. Since you are not familiar with this mansion, I will guide you to your room.”

Elliot held out his hand to me.

Elliot, still only thirteen, had calluses on his hands.

But it wasn’t as rough and hard as the kindness he showed me.

I felt uncomfortable and awkward after entering the Crichton Mansion, but it was melted away by Elliot.

“Mirabel?”

As I was just watching without holding his hand, Elliot called me and urged me.

I then smiled and held his hand.

Elliott gently wrapped his hand around mine and turned to Daniel.

“I think you can get guidance from Barden. Then we are done.”

Eliot bowed his head to Daniel politely and took my hand.

As I was being led by Elliott’s hand, I looked behind me.

Daniel was watching Elliott from behind with his eyes narrowed and open. He looked like that, with sharp, torn eyes, like a snake that had missed its prey.

Elliot let go of my hand only after passing through the hallway for a long time and climbing the stairs.

Because I wasn’t used to exercising yet, just going up the stairs quickly made me out of breath.

As I leaned against the wall and held my breath, Elliott crouched next to me and lightly stroked my back.

“Sorry. Was it hard?”

After inhaling and exhaling several times, my breathing returned to normal.

Then I pulled myself up.

“No, it’s okay. I was more suffocated earlier.”

I looked at Elliott with a more refreshed feeling. Unlike me, who gasped for breath a few times because I was having a hard time, he, Elliot, seemed fine.

“Thank you so much for earlier.”

“You mean things with my great-grandfather?”

Elliot frowned as if he guessed. I nodded and gave him an affirmation.

“Yes”

“This is just my opinion, but it’s better to avoid contact with my great-grandfather if possible.”

Elliott made sure I was no longer gasping and took the lead again to guide me.

I followed him and sneakily checked his face.

Looking only at the reaction of Grand Duke Crichton and her mother, everyone seemed to have a good feeling for Daniel, but only Eliot was showing a different reaction.

“I don’t think adults know, but my uncle sometimes… It’s skeptical…”

Elliot, who stopped talking midway through and licked his lips as if picking out words several times, nodded and said:

Elliot’s steps stopped in front of the second room on the right from my mother’s room. The servant who had followed us came forward first and turned the doorknob to open the door.

Beyond the silently open door, the blue wallpaper greeted us first.

Upon entering, the interior, decorated with blue, sky blue, and white decorations, caught my eye.

Unlike my mother’s room, it was a cool and refreshing room.

“This is your room.”

I looked around the room with a bewildered face and put my butt on a bed large enough for five people to lie on.

In fact, the height of the bed was so high that I had to jump once to climb.

Anyway, the bed was fluffy and soft, as if I was sitting down, just like the bed in my mother’s room that I used yesterday.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“Yes. I really like it.”

Even if it was still difficult for me to accept the Grand Duke of Crichton as a family member, I didn’t hate the fact that I had a room for me, and it was furnished to the highest standard.

After a couple of minutes, I was enjoying the softness of the bed, then I immediately looked at Elliot, who was looking at me happily.

“But Elliot, why did you think Daniel was dubious?”

“Why? For a reason similar to what he did to you earlier.”

Elliot shrugged his shoulders, pulled a chair nearby and sat facing me.

“If there are no adults around, don’t be alone with Uncle Daniel. Servants are like people my uncle doesn’t have, so if there are only servants, get out of the room. Don’t stay with them and hear bad things.”

It seemed to her that Daniel had done something to him.

That’s where another question arose.

If Eliot had been so wary of Daniel, wouldn’t the adults have noticed?

Elliot was the grandson of Grand Duke Crichton and Brian’s only child.

It didn’t seem like the two would neglect Elliot.

Elliott scratched his cheek as I opened my eyes wide, unable to hide my doubt.

“I have the same problem as you.”

“Marriage?”

“Yes.”

Elliot nodded, paused for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Originally, our marriage was a family-to-family union, but my great-grandfather is strange. Like…”

“Like he’s trying to sell you away?”

Elliott was a little taken aback by my direct expression, but then nodded.

“… Yeah. But Mirabel, are you really nine years old?”

Elliot asked in bewilderment. He didn’t appear to be asking for an answer. I gave him a shrug and looked at him.

I took it even more unpleasantly because I remember being an adult.

If I had been a real ignorant nine-year-old, I wouldn’t have understood half of what Daniel was saying.

Maybe even if he was offended, it was possible that I didn’t notice why he was offended.

But Eliot, like me, was offended by Daniel’s words.

Is it because he’s older than me, so he understands what that means?

After I was silent for a long time, Elliot turned and looked out the window. For some reason, it seemed that his face was slightly flushed.

And the moment I saw that face, I felt like I knew a little bit.

“Do you like someone?”

I poked it just in case, and Elliot looked at me startled. Then he answered, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Who?”

“She’s here. Her name is Jennifer Supfern.”

Elliot said in a crawling voice. Recognizing the adolescent boy’s puppy love, I opened my mouth and closed it again.

Seeing my surprise, Elliot jumped up from his chair. Then he narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“… it is a secret.”

Elliot left the room saying that. I was left alone in the room, thinking about how things were going for Eliot and Jennifer Supfern in the future I knew.

Fortunately, from the other side of my memory, I vaguely recalled that the Duke of Crichton had married the daughter of Count Supfern.