Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4.“Madam. Madam really seems like the lucky charm of our family. I walk looking at the floor every day but can't find even one coin, but Madam picked up a jewel right as soon as you arrived on the first day.”

Bella chattered beside me.

White breath still came out every time she spoke.

When I make money, the first thing I'll do is light the fire enough to make the castle hot.

“So, Madam. Do you have any plans to pick up jewels again?”

“Bella. That was just good luck.”

I replied calmly and asked.

“Don't you have work?”

“My work is following Madam, what.”

“Not that work.”

There was no way a poor ducal family would assign one maid only to help me.

“That's exactly my work. Taking care of the Duke and Madam's meals, cleaning the rooms, and washing clothes. There were more original tasks, but the maid serving the Duke also ran away.”

So her position was changed to a nanny taking care of the kids.

I ignored Bella's gaze sparkling with eyes wondering if I would pick up jewels again, and changed the subject.

“Um. Come to think of it, isn't it almost time for us to have lunch?”

“Yes? Oh my! Time has already passed like this! Madam, is there anything you want to eat?”

“I'm fine. More than that, is there still some of the meat bought last time left? Please make a dish with that that will definitely revive energy.”

I still haven't escaped the shock of malnutrition.

I also grew up without things, but I never got malnutrition...

“Madam always only takes care of the Duke. Don't worry! I'll cook carefully!”

Having sent Bella, I could finally be alone and immersed in thought.

First, I need to retrieve what Frug embezzled quickly, but I don't know when to bring up the story to Lus.

It would be better to see how much Lus trusts Frug a bit before bringing it up.

Just in time, Lus was passing by far away.

“Lus!”

I waved my hand swish swish and greeted.

The eyes that were cold like stars floating in the winter sky, upon seeing me, curved like a spring breeze.

Aigo, so cute.

The resolution I had when stamping the fingerprint seal on the marriage registration form to stay away from the male lead was thrown far away, and I waved my hand even bigger.

But our kid is this lovely.

If someone can stay away from a kid like this, they would be a person who can ignore even seeing a baby cat.

Perhaps because the nursing I did left quite an impression, from that day on Lus followed me quite a bit.

Lus came running toddling and stopped one step in front, then spread both arms and asked.

“Can I hug?”

“Of course!”

I stretched my arms first and tightly hugged Lus.

The warm body temperature unique to a young child felt good.

“You can just hug without asking like that, you know?”

“But if I run like this and hug right away, older sister will get hurt.”

“Yes?”

Oh my. He was considering me because he was afraid I would get hurt?

How is our Lus so cute and kind.

That a kid like this later grows up to become a cold-blooded Duke whose habit is ‘Hmph. How trivial.’ and who has never properly smiled before meeting the female lead...

Is puberty that scary after all.

I became a little depressed.

“Older sister. Are you depressed?”

“Umm. No...”

I tried hard to shake off the thought.

Such thoughts lead to obsession and plant a death flag!

He will marry the female lead someday, but still, thinking that the female lead won't see this cute appearance of Lus comforted me a little.

“Lus. Is there anything you want to have?”

“Something I want to have?”

“Yes! Just say anything!”

Originally, kids of this age have tons of things they want to have.

I also need to buy Lus's favor, and there's some money left from selling the jewel.

Actually, it seems I just want to buy something for Lus.

Don't worry and tell me, Lus.

At my words, Lus who pondered for a moment whispered in my ear.

“Then can you buy me older sister?”

“What? Me?”

Must not laugh.

If I laugh hearing a kid's words, how much will young Lus get hurt!

I desperately held back laughter and said seriously.

“People aren't something you can buy and sell, what should we do? Is there nothing else you want to have?”

“Umm...”

Lus shook his head with a gloomy face.

“Why do you want to buy me?”

“That way I can keep being with older sister.”

“We are keeping being together, you know?”

For a while, I stuck by nursing Lus from waking up in the morning until falling asleep at night, so we were together almost all day.

Lus stubbornly shook his head.

“These days we're apart.”

What to do. So cute.

I had to bite my lips tightly so as not to put strength in the arms hugging Lus.

Otherwise, Lus might get crushed in my arms.

No friends of the same age, and around there are only people busy working, so Lus must have been quite lonely in this castle.

While I was doting on Lus in my arms to my heart's content, an unpleasant face appeared from afar.

It was Frug.

He approached us with a crooked smile.

“It seems the illness has all healed. That's what I said. I said it would be fine even without calling a doctor and spending money.”

Wow. A person who didn't even show his nose while Lus was sick saying such things.

Frug still hasn't noticed that I secretly called a doctor with his money.

I hid Lus behind me and stood in front of Frug.

Frug looked at us as if seeing a hissing young cat and left the place sneering.

After confirming that Frug had disappeared, I checked Lus's complexion.

“Are you okay, Lus?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing Frug's reaction, the relationship with Lus doesn't seem that good, but I took this opportunity to dig into the relationship with Frug.

“Lus. Are you close with that uncle by any chance?”

“...

Not really. Father seemed to like him, but I don't.”

The sharp voice informed that the relationship between Lus and Frug was not good.

Good. Then I can tell Lus and execute the plan.

“Then Lus. Can I drive that person out?”

That person took even your inheritance, and secretly embezzled the assets, he's a very bad person!

I was going to add that, but before I could bring up the words, Lus nodded first.

“Yeah. If older sister wants, do that.”

The gaze looking at me was affectionate, and full of trust.

At the appearance of completely relying on me, I ended up tightly hugging Lus until he almost crushed.

And I decided to give a gift to this lovely child.* * *After Lus's illness healed, I couldn't stick with Lus like before.

Because I was busy chewing over the content of the original to adapt to this world, and reading books in the library.

But today, I decided to make time only for Lus all day.

“Really? Really?”

At my words, Lus couldn't hide his flushed cheeks and kept asking.

These days, as Lus gained some flesh on the sunken cheeks, he became even more lovely.

“Yes! Really, really.”

Seeing Lus jumping up and down excitedly, I fell into thought.

What should I play with kids.

The snowstorm has stopped, so shall we play outside?

Just in case, I put on a thick coat, gloves, a scarf, and finally a fur hat, then came outside with Lus.

Lus of a small build due to long abuse looked like a round ball right now.

I held Lus's hand and went outside.

The garden that wasn't properly managed usually had a gloomy atmosphere, but now covered in white snow, it had quite a charm.

Every time I stepped on the snow-piled ground, there was a crunching sound.

On a day like this, of course snow sledding!

I obtained a suitable wooden board to replace a rice sack, then took Lus and went up the sloping hill.

I sat on the wooden board first, then sat Lus in front of me.

The small body fit snugly in my arms.

“Okay, Lus. Hold this string tightly. You have to lift your legs. If you do that, the speed won't come out.”

I held the string controlling the sled, gathered Lus's legs well and placed them on the sled, and asked.

“Lus. Ready?”

“Yeah...!”

“Then count three and start? Three, twooo.”

I who was stretching the end of the words smiled playfully at Lus's gaze looking back at me.

And shouting the last number, I kicked the ground.

“One!”

The sled shot like an arrow.

“Kyaaa!”

“Uwaaa!”

We simultaneously screamed joyfully.

However, if there was one unexpected thing.‘It's too fast!’At this rate, it seemed we would collide with the tree in front.

Desperately placing my feet on the ground and reducing the speed, fortunately the sled speed gradually began to decrease.

However, in the end, unable to overcome the recoil, we fell over.

“Agogo... Lus!”

I buried my face in Lus's back and my nose hurt, but Lus's condition came before mine.

Lus who had buried his face in the snow made a ‘puha!’ sound and lifted his face.

And with lots of snow on the tip of his nose and front hair, his eyes sparkled.

“Lus! Is there anywhere hurt? Are you okay?”

“Yeah!”

I carefully checked if there was anywhere Lus was hurt, but thanks to the thickly worn clothes, there wasn't even one scratch.

Lus pulled my hand as if wanting to ride again quickly.

A child who usually never actively stepped forward to suggest something, seeing him enjoy it like this was satisfying.

This time we decided to go to a lower hill and sled safely.

After going up and down the hill several times and sledding, Lus soon showed signs of being tired.

Not long since he recovered, his stamina was weak.

“Let's play again next time. Okay?”

When I tried to soothe Lus and go in, Lus caught the tip of my hand as if regretting.

“...

At that time too, will older sister be with me?”

“Of course.”

At my answer, Lus smiled brightly.

It was a brilliant smile like a flower blooming on the white snow.* * *“Oh my.”

In the end, it seemed Madam lost to the Duke's stubbornness last night.

Bella who came to wake Lus first in the morning smiled seeing the two children sleeping side by side.

Felia stretched out like a big character on the wide bed.

And Lus curled up round like a puppy and tightly stuck next to Felia.

It was a lovely scene just to look at.

Bella reached out her hand to wake Felia.

“Ma...”

Then Lus who was curled up right beside Felia suddenly opened his eyes and snatched Bella's hand.

“...”

The red pupils staring straight at her were eerie.

She had completely forgotten these past few days.

Although the master she serves, in fact Lus was a difficult person even for Bella.

The huge and cold Valfruga Castle.

And Lus was always an expressionless pale child like the last remaining ghost in such a castle.

If he stared with red eyes, though it sounds like a joke, Bella felt Lus was like something not human.

But it changed after Felia came.

Lus was gentle like a well-tamed puppy in front of Felia.

Before Felia came, he was a master hard to even speak a word to, but now he looked quite like a child of that age, so she felt relieved.‘Thanks to Madam, I had forgotten.’Bella looked at Lus with fearful eyes.

Lus released Bella's hand and whispered.

“I slept late yesterday. Let her sleep a bit more.”

And he took his place next to Felia again.

That appearance was like a loyal beast guarding the sleeping master.‘It's really fortunate that Madam came.’Lus alone is scary, but Lus next to Madam Felia wasn't scary.