Chapter – 06
The First Visitor
About three years later.
I had grown into an adorable little girl.
“Why, Young Lady!”
“It suits you perfectly!”
Dressed in a newly tailored pink dress, I spun around once.
The maids burst into cheers.
“Magnificent!”
“Perfection!”
“Our young lady is a goddess!”
“A miracle itself!”
“Like the warmth of a spring morning!”
“So unbelievably adorable!!!!”
There seemed to be a few slightly disturbing comments mixed in there, but thanks to their praise, my magical power increased yet again.
“Thank you.”
I smiled sweetly at the maids.
Of course, I didn’t forget to tilt my head ever so slightly.
Exactly eight degrees.
Then I placed one hand against my cheek.
Perfect.
“S-So cuteeeeeee!”
The maids practically screamed, and once again I felt warmth spreading deep within my chest.
(Three years of research have paid off.)
From the day I decided to master the art of being cute for my parents’ sake, I had devoted myself to constant study.
What expressions and gestures made people call me cute?
I carefully observed the reactions of my parents and the servants.
Naturally, I couldn’t simply trust their words. They might just be flattering me.
So I concentrated magic into my eyes, ears, nose, and even my fingertips, observing everythingāthe rhythm of their heartbeats, their scent, even the temperature of their skināand committed it all to memory.
As a result…
I had become the perfect doted-on noble daughter, capable of being praised as adorable with nothing more than the movement of a single finger.
Every compliment increased the maximum amount of magic I could store.
The magical power condensed within the jewel inside my chest had now reached the same level as Father’s.
If I continued perfecting my cuteness, perhaps becoming the strongest mage in history wasn’t impossible after all.
There was just one problem.
Father still forbade me from releasing my magic outside my body.
In other words, I still couldn’t actually cast spells.
Incidentally, neither Father nor Mother seemed to realize how much my magic had grown.
I didn’t understand why, but apparently they couldn’t see the jewel inside my chest.
That worked in my favor.
(If they noticed, they’d probably decide I was “too dangerous” and place even more restrictions on me.)
And so I continued my secret efforts.
“Are you ready, Lilietta?”
Hearing the maids’ excited voices, Father and Mother entered the nursery.
Apparently, they’d been waiting impatiently outside the door until I finished getting dressed.
After the Millicent incident, my parents had refused to hire a wet nurse and raised me themselves.
But once I learned to stand and walk on my own, they finally entrusted my daily care to the maids.
It wasn’t that they’d grown distant.
Rather, becoming accustomed to noble life was simply part of my upbringing.
“Yes, Father. Thank you very much for my new dress!”
I spoke as clearly and earnestly as I could.
The maids cheered once more, and my parents smiled proudly.
“So you know how to thank people. Good girl, Lilietta.”
“She’s grown into such a lovely and intelligent child.”
I beamed with the pure delight of a child being praised.
Naturally, that earned even more points.
“Ah… an angel!”
“Like the brightest star in the night sky!”
“Hwaaaahhhhhh…”
The maids whispered compliments among themselves, filling my chest with warmth once again.
One of them seemed to have become too overwhelmed to form words, but I decided to ignore that.
Normally, the Duke and Duchess disliked servants chatting idly.
However, there was one exception.
Praising me.
Apparently, they could compliment me as much as they wanted.
Rumor even had it that servants who praised me were rewarded.
(Most people would call them overprotective parents… but it’s certainly convenient for me.)
Still smiling, I felt Father gently take my hand.
Instead of picking me up, he escorted me like a proper young lady.
“Come, my precious Lilietta.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re having guests today.”
“Guests?”
This was a first.
Well, visitors occasionally came to the ducal estate, though very rarely.
But this was the first time I was being brought to meet one.
Until now, I’d barely met anyone outside my family and household staff.
I was excited.
(At last… I’ll be able to observe someone else’s magic besides Mother and Father’s!)
Happily, I followed Father toward the reception room.
Waiting there was a tall, handsome man.
His steel-gray hair and deep navy eyes gave him a striking appearance.
His arms and legs were covered in beautifully proportioned muscles.
A magnificent sword hung at his waist, making it immediately obvious that he was a swordsman.
Inside his chest shone a diamond-like jewel of incredible strength.
(A Magic Swordsman…!)
Many people in this kingdom could use magic.
Among them, Magic Swordsmen stood apart.
They enhanced both their bodies and swordsmanship with magic, fighting through a combination of blade and spell.
“It’s been a long time, Beltarius.”
“Grave. Good to see you’re well.”
Father greeted the swordsman warmly, and they exchanged a firm handshake.
Clearly they were old friends.
“Lilietta, let me introduce you.
This is Duke Grave Forsten.”
One of the Four Great Ducal Housesā
The head of House Forsten.
(I see… So this is the greatest Magic Swordsman of the current age.)
House Rosenford specialized in magic.
House Forsten in swordsmanship.
House Carlisle in healing.
House Hayern in knowledge.
Together, they formed the Four Great Ducal Houses.
Succession wasn’t determined by birth order.
Instead, the nation’s laws declared that whichever family member possessed the greatest ability became head of the house.
The current Duke Forsten had apparently been chosen from among eight siblings.
Naturally, I’d learned all this by eavesdropping on the servants.
(I mustn’t make any mistakes.)
Carefully, I lifted my skirt with both hands.
Stepping one foot back, I bent my knees in a graceful curtsy.
Then I looked up at Duke Forsten with the cutest smile I could possibly produce.
“My name is Lilietta. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
The trick was pronouncing difficult words with just a hint of childish awkwardness.
Exactly as planned, Duke Forsten smiled kindly.
“I’m Grave Forsten. The pleasure is mine, Lady Lilietta. That was a splendid greeting. I should have my son learn from you.”
His gaze shifted toward his feet.
Only then did I notice a little boy hiding behind his legs.
He looked about my age.
“Alverio, say hello.”
Prompted by his father, the boy timidly stepped forward.
His hair and eyes matched the Duke’s.
Unlike his father, however, he lacked that sharp, intimidating aura.
His fluffy hair looked soft to the touch, and his round eyes resembled caramel candies.
“I’m Alverio Forsten. Nice to meet you, Lady Lilietta.”
He must have been nervous.
The moment he finished speaking, his expression melted into something as soft and sweet as cotton candy.
His cuteness made my cheeks flush.
“You two are the same age, and your positions are similar. You’ll be together for many years. I hope you’ll become good friends.”
“Yes, Father.”
At Father’s words, both Alverio and I nodded shylyābut happily.
The two fathers had important matters to discuss.
So Alverio and I were left alone.
Since we were the same age, they probably wanted to see whether we’d get along as playmates.
Of course, “alone” only meant that the servants from both households watched over us from nearby.
“Would you like to visit the garden? A bright red rose bloomed this morning.”
When I invited him, Alverio smiled with that cotton-candy sweetness again and nodded.
Hand in hand, we walked into the garden toward the rose hedge.
“Look! Here it is!”
I crouched beside the hedge.
Alverio leaned in beside me to admire the rose.
Thenā
“Hah. So it’s really just an ordinary rose.”
For a moment, I thought I’d misheard.
(…Who was that?)
Of course, I knew there was only one other person here.
Slowly, I turned toward the source of the voice.
The sweetly smiling, adorable little boy was gone.
In his placeā
stood a smug-looking little brat, grinning mischievously.
