Chapter 32
As the Thanksgiving season approached, Mikhail had to return to the Grand Duchy for about three weeks.
As he was a little duke, it looked like he had to be in the Grand Duchy during this period.
He said goodbye to my family with a very disappointed face.
“I’ll definitely be back before Damian’s birthday.”
“Don’t overdo it, Mikhail.”
“No, my grandfather also asked to be sure to invite him on Damian’s birthday this time.”
“The Grand Duke did?”
Mikhail nodded as if it was true.
“Then I’ll send him an invitation soon, but please be sure to tell him not to overdo it.”
“I understand. Duke.”
As my family was seeing him off, Mikhail bowed his head with a mature face and then smiled jokingly when he slightly saw me.
It was a smile that said goodbye with a “I’ll be right back”.
I would usually avoid it, but this time I didn’t.
When I looked at him and just nodded, Mikhail’s eyes grew for a moment.
Then he waved with a bright smile and climbed the carriage.
When the carriage became a black dot due to the distance.
“It’s a big problem that our youngest is so lovely.”
My father muttered as he said something I couldn’t catch.
* * *
The atmosphere with Thanksgiving Day was different from the spring festival.
It wasn’t that my parents, including the duke’s vassals, were not busy, but unlike the April Spring Festival, I felt that it was more focused on the people of the territory.
The fact that some of the early harvested crops came to the mansion one by one and made the dining table a little more plentiful became a small enjoyment for me as well.
‘Because even a baby’s mouth can eat fresh fruits and vegetables.’
Maybe it was because they were freshly harvested vegetables, even though they were just sliced into long pieces and steamed, I felt its unique sweet taste.
‘It’s just a shame that I still have too few teeth to chew with.’
Otherwise, I could have enjoyed something crunchy, not this sort of slightly soft texture.
As I took a peek outside while eating the vegetable sticks, I could already see the village we visited during the spring festival.
“Wow!”
My sister exclaimed first.
No, not only my sister but my mouth also gaped open automatically.
‘It was colorful during the spring festival.’
My memory of it being radiant with a variety of spring flowers freshly blooming in the verdant yellowish green was still clear.
It was a very special sight for me, as most of my memories were gray.
But now that’s all.
“It looks delicious—!”
My older sister shouted excitedly.
As my lovely sister said, all the colors were delicious.
Starting with the yellowish well-baked bread, the stalls for the festival were full of delicious food.
However, as much as the food made, the gold and orange colors of the crops piled up abundantly here and there made it more appetizing.
“Lara, wants to quickly eat!”
“My pretty daughter, it hasn’t even been long since you had breakfast, yet already?”
My father said as if he was teasing, but my sister didn’t notice the mischievousness.
“Yes!! Lara wants to eat!! I won’t eat to the point my stomach will hurt! Because Lara is an older sister now, I won’t be like that anymore!”
My sister puffed her chest and talked proudly.
That cute appearance spread laughter in the carriage.
At the sound of my parents’ and even my brother’s small laugh, my sister looked puzzled.
“Whyy?”
“Brother thought that he should quickly hold hands with Laurentia and go eat something delicious.”
“Really?! Brother is the best!!”
My sister shook her body as she was excited.
It was naturally a warm scene, so I was looking at my sister with soft eyes.
Then as if she was thinking about something, my sister was surprised and said.
“Of course, I’m going to take Shasha, too! She’s my younger sister! Right?”
At my sister’s words, my brother smiled and reached out to me and my sister side by side.
The carriage door opened and the knights who followed the carriage dropped off my older sister, brother and me, and my father murmured in a bitter tone behind.
“Goodness, I lost my cute daughters’ hands to Damian.”
“Do you not like my hands?”
“That can’t be right.”
The friendly voices of my mother and father filled the back.
Relieved by the usual affectionate conversation of my family, I decided to enjoy the Thanksgiving Festival in my own way.
* * *
When I got off the carriage, the eyes of the people poured out.
“Did you come down?”
“Please vist here and have a taste, this person’s skills have improved this year.”
The people’s faces were bright and naturally greeted us as they saw my family members coming down in simple clothes.
“Here, young master, and young ladies. I baked delicious bread to give it to you.”
“It’s a fruit harvested at my house, it’s very sweet and delicious.”
My hands, which are still small compared to my older sister and older brother, were quickly filled with food given by the people one by one.
The people were even kind enough to not give children what they shouldn’t eat!
‘How did they know?’
Seeing my parents hold my hand and not holding me back meant that I could eat everything.
In the middle, my sister’s eyes twinkled as she saw the stir-fried dish that smelled of very spicy seasoning.
And the person who was cooking on the stall even reacted cunningly.
[tn— I’m guessing the person made the smell stronger or do some kind of trick]
[editor- I‘m assuming they were cooking theatrically to keep the attention on themselves]
“Okay, here you go. My lady.”
“Lara can eat this?!”
“Of course, would I make something your mouth couldn’t even touch?”
“Then can Shasha eat too?”
Of course, even the person who quickly changed the dish with a sweet seasoning looked embarrassed by this question.
So I shook my head instead.
“I fu.” [I’m full.]
“Shasha, are you full already?”
My sister looked at me with a surprised face.
When I nodded, brother Damian who was next to me, stroked my head and said.
“Anastasia is still a baby, it’s because her belly is small as well.”
“Ah!”
My sister said, and glanced at me.
My good-hearted sister still used to look crestfallen when she could only eat herself.
‘There’s no way I’ll stop my sister from eating.’
So I grabbed my brother’s hand right away.
“Anastasia?”
“Ower thew—.” [Over there.]
I stretched my arms out and pointed in any direction.
It was a place where shiny and large pumpkins were piled up like towers.
I didn’t even know what kind of result it would bring…..
* * *
Damian Endeblanc was a little nervous.
There were too many people in the village during the Thanksgiving Festival.
In addition, his parents brought fewer knights today saying things like “because the village is safe..”.
‘I’m alright, but……..’
As he will be turning eight after *two months, he was confident in finding the mansion even if he got lost.
[tn— *Koreans turn 1 year older in New Years]
But his younger sisters were too young.
Even right now…..
‘Laurentia is eating something, and Anastasia is asking to go to the place where the pumpkins are piled up like a tower….?’
Of course, a maid was attached to Laurentia’s side, but I was very anxious.
However, that doesn’t mean he could refuse his youngest sister’s request.
‘Our Anastasia also doesn’t usually ask to do anything.’
But to think that she held his hand and said she wanted to go to the pumpkin tower.
She must be very amazed at the sight she’s seeing for the first time.
‘My parents also said that our youngest doesn’t often express what she wants to do.’
That’s why they said she should be watched more carefully.
Of course, they never told Damian that he had to.
‘I have to do that, I’m the eldest brother.’
But the parents who said so were spending their time alone more leisurely than usual.
‘No matter how much the maid and the knight are next to us……….’
Damian was a little worried that his parents might be too relaxed in the territory.
“Bo—der?” [Brother?]
However, Damian could not hesitate for a long time.
Because the lovely Anastasia looked at him with a face that seemed to say, ‘Won’t you go with me?’.
Of course, her expression was per usual, but Damian could tell.
‘Because I’m Anastasia’s older brother.’
Damian couldn’t resist it anymore the moment he made eye contact with his youngest sister once again.
Even though the main characters of today’s festival were the *people, his younger sisters were very cute even though they dressed somewhat simply.
[tn— just wanted to note that the word used for people here specifically refers to ‘people of the territory’]
In particular, the hat that Anastasia wore had a round cotton on both sides hanging on both sides.
It shook every time she moved, so he stroked her head every time he saw it.
Anastasia’s plump cheeks were more prominent than usual because the hat was tied tightly under her chin to prevent it from coming off.
Damian had to hold back his urge to try to touch her chubby cheeks, thinking several times that he shouldn’t play such a joke.
‘There’s no choice. Our youngest wants to see it.’
Damian grabbed the tiny hand of the youngest, and nodded to the maid beside Laurentia as if he was asking for a favor.
Damian headed to the front of the pumpkin tower being very careful in case Anastasia falls over from a protruding stone or get run over by people.
Even though she was still young and small, his younger sister did not whine; just looked at him curiously.
Damian thought that he didn’t want to miss out on his younger sister’s crimson eyes, even as he carefully looked around.
As the commendable brother thought, ‘If you have any questions, it’s alright to ask’.
“Did you want to see this, Anastasia?”
“Woong.”
Upon arriving in front of the pumpkin tower, Anastasia craned her head to the fullest and looked up.
‘It must be difficult for her to see because she’s still small.’
As soon as Damian thought that, he immediately hugged Anastasia and held her.
The youngest looked somewhat surprised, but soon looked at Damian and smiled lightly.
It was certain because the corners of her mouth went up slightly.
While looking around the pumpkin tower and Anastasia for a while, the voices of their parents who came from somewhere else were heard from the back.
“As expected, all of our babies must like this pumpkin tower.”
“I know right.”
At that moment, Damian anxiously felt a sense of deja vu.
“When Damian was also young—”
Yes, it can’t be wrong.
‘When my parents talk this way, they talk about something embarrassing I did when I was young…’
As the young master of the Endeblanc felt his first crisis he thought that he had to somehow cover his parents’ mouth.
Because these days, his parents would talk about Damian’s shameful childhood stories in front of his younger siblings!
***