Chapter 20
A week and a few days have passed since the two started staying in the Duke’s mansion.
Chester, who had ordered Lohan to observe Werazel on a daily basis, was receiving an interim report today.
“I couldn’t find anything particularly strange. Rather than forcing or being violent against the child, I can say they play very well. She treats him kindly. There are people even circulating amongst themselves that she is a perfect guardian,” Lohan told Chester sitting in front of him.
Chester was looking out the window with an expressionless face. In his gaze, Lizelle and Lapel were playing happily in the garden.
What was so funny to the point that laughter does not leave their mouths?
It seemed like they were really a family, and they were very friendly.
“And as far as I’ve found out, it is said that the young miss refunded or re-sold all the luxury items she had bought.” Lohan added, who confirmed that Lizelle’s luxury items were poured out to second-hand stores.
He did not know if it was due to a change of heart, but Lohan thought that Lizelle was a different person from the rumors.
“It’s really different from the rumors,” Chester, muttered to himself, looking at Lizelle and Lapel outside the window.
“People don’t change so easily.” But even at Lohan’s words, Chester was skeptical.
“Maybe she grew up?”
“…Or maybe the rumors have been inflated. Because rumors are all lies, but people talk as if they were true.” Lohan glanced stealthily at Chester, but he was just watching out the window silently.
Lizelle, who was having fun in the garden, joined hands with Lapel and entered the mansion. Her smile while looking at Lapel was transparent. Certainly, the Lizelle that Chester lived with was different from the rumors.
She was said to be vain, but I hardly saw her greedy for material things, especially what was in my home. At our first meeting, I suspected that she was inflicting mental abuse on her child, but there was no sign of it since that day. Rather, as Lohan said, she is taking care of the child very carefully.
Even on the day they went out, the knight told me that she took the lead to protect the child.
Chester was someone who knew better than anyone else what rumors can do. Because he was a person who experienced it firsthand. Even lies can become true if they repeat themselves. Because he was one of the victims too.
“Still. Keep an eye on them.”
When there is smoke, there is fire.
I do not completely trust her yet.
“Yes. I will follow up the antidote so we could administer it as soon as possible.” Lohan didn’t say anything else because he understood the circumstances of his master who could not easily trust another person.
***
“I’m going to look for Lapel now!” Werazel shouted out loud. The two who entered the mansion earlier were now playing hide and seek.
The “hidden” Lapel crouched as low as he could. He poked out his head and looked at Lizelle in the distance.
Werazel was walking around the hallway looking for him.
“Huck!” Lapel leaned against the wall, held his breath, and covered his mouth with his two small hands. His bright red eyes were serious, hoping to never be caught.
“Lapel~ Where are you? Are you here?”
Lapel’s heart pounded as he heard her voice getting closer and closer. In his anxiousness, he poked his head out again.
“Where are you~?” said Werazel, smirking, pretending not to know where he is although she saw a mass of black hair protruding from the back of the pillar.
‘I don’t want to spoil it yet.
As Lizelle got near, Lapel soon realized that he could be easily spotted in his hiding place.
This place is dangerous, I have to hide myself elsewhere.
As much as he possibly could, Lapel crawled through the hall on all fours, touching the ground with both hands to make himself as quiet as possible.
As of today, it was already the fifth time they played hide-and-seek and Lapel was so easily captured by Lizelle. Although Lizelle tried her best not to spot him immediately, she could not keep on pretending because he was just so easy to be found.
“I want to win.”
Lapel, with his short limbs, went out of the hall. He stood up and looked back. It seemed to him that Lizelle had not turned towards the corner yet.
Lapel smiled at the premonition that he was going to win this time and ran.
I have to quickly find a place to hide.
“Um..” But I don’t know where to go.
He cannot reach the doorknobs of the rooms and he knew that Lizelle can quickly find him if he hides behind pillars.
“Then please rest, Master.”
Lohan, the butler, who just came out from a room was seen by him. Lapel ran towards Lohan without hesitation.
“Hide me!”
“Yes, Raphelion?”
What happened to Raphelion?
Lohan, who found Lapel, bent his knees and met the boy at eye level.
He could not call him a young master yet, so Lohan always called the boy by his name.
“Hide me!”
Lapel continued to check behind him, placing his arms around Lohan’s neck.
“Oh, you’re playing hide-and-seek.” Lohan, who knew at once that the child was playing hide-and-seek with Lizelle, raised Lapel with one hand.
“Where do you want to hide?”
“Quick!!”
Lapel was worried about the appearance of Lizelle and clenched the collar of Lohan’s shirt and urged him.
“Yes, then we will leave first.” Lohan walked out of the hallway as Lapel had wanted, and went down to the first floor from the stairs closest to the office.
Lapel was held in Lohan’s arms and was swung around.
(Can you imagine this? HAHAHA)
“There! There!” His short finger pointed to the arched door.
“Shall I take you to the dining area?”
“Yes! Quick, quick! Hyup!”
Lapel who shouted excitedly, stopped himself in case Lizelle might hear his voice. His big, clear eyes looked at Lohan again. It was so cute that Lohan smiled happily and stepped into the dining area.
“Get me down! Get me down!” Lapel struggled in Lohan’s arms as they entered. Lohan steadily lowered him to the floor with Lapel’s urging, and Lapel quickly jumped and ran inside.
“Master Raphelion, if you run like that, you will fall!” Lohan chased the boy worriedly.
Lapel, who ran into the dining room, entered the kitchen.
“Huh? Master Raphelion, this place is dangerous.”
Molly, a kitchen assistant who just finished cleaning up, found Lapel and rushed towards him. Lohan also chased into the kitchen.
“Hehehehehe!” Lapel ran around the kitchen, laughing as if they were now playing tag.
“Master Raphelion!”
“Do not run, you will fall!”
Whether he knew that the hearts of adults are fragile or not, Lapel ran harder so that he would not get caught.
Since I just finished cleaning, the ground might still be slippery.
“If you fall, you will cry!” Lohan tried to catch Lapel, but the boy was so quick that his small body escaped and slipped away from the butler easily.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
Molly fell on the slippery floor with a loud noise.
“Oh oh oh!”
Lohan, who was running with her, also stumbled over Molly and bumped his head on the kitchen counter.
“Ahh! Move!”
Molly, analyzing the situation, shouted hastily, but the bag of flour that was placed on the countertop fell down right on top of Lohan’s head.
Patter.
“Cough cough!”
Every time Lohan coughed, with his face covered with flour, the cloudy powder scattered in the air. Before they knew it, flour was piled up like white mountains on the floor.
“It’s snow! Snow!” Lapel, who was running around cheerfully, found the flour covering Lohan and came back to him.
Like snow, a pure, white world laid before Lapel.
***
Meanwhile, Lizelle was standing in front of a pillar where she saw Lapel’s head.
Can I find him now?
It’s been a while since I’m pretending to look around here and there. I think it’s fine now, Lizelle finally turned her head behind the pillar, thinking that it was now okay to ‘see’ him.
“Here’s Lapel! Huh?”
There was no Lapel that should have been hidden behind the pillar.
I did not see him walk out, that’s amazing.
“Where did you go?”
Lapel couldn’t hide well, but today it was different.
Lizelle started looking for Lapel in earnest. She turned around the corner and scoured the columns of the hallway, and just in case, she also opened each room and went inside to find him.
“Lapel, where are you?”
I should hear a loud laugh, but there isn’t any, it means he’s not around here.
She opened the rest of the doors in the hallway.
“Lapel!”
When she opened the last door, all she saw was a large desk and tall bookshelves.
It was a small library, and the bookshelves were full of books. It was a perfect place for Lapel to hide between the bookshelves.
Lizelle’s hunch was activated.
It seems like Lapel is hiding here.
She quickly looked around every nook and cranny to find the kid.
“Lapel~ I know you’re in there~.”
She could not see any signs where he might have hid so Lizelle carefully looked between the bookshelves, peeking through the gaps.
Suddenly, she noticed the books filled the shelves.
There were many different types of books in large quantities. From the history and culture of the empire to books on alchemy and magic. These were quite interesting topics.
“What is this?”