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Chapter 8
“Ah.”
The boiled broccoli, which was about to make its way to my mouth, suddenly fell on the floor.
“It’s okay, Beatrice.”
I nodded softly as Sophie bent over and picked it up.
Ugh, it’s difficult to use a fork and knife…
Frustrated, I glared at the fork and the knife while sighing inside. Why is it that my body always acts differently from my will?
[ ‘The Librarian of Nipur’ said that the child is clumsy. ]
You’re not helping.
[ ‘The Librarian of Nipur’ said, isn’t it better than acting cute? ]
That’s true, still… why do I feel like acting cute would be more comfortable?
[ ‘The Queen of Flowers and Nymphs’ is shouting happily at you. ]
[ ‘The Guardian of the Golden Field’ smiles at you. ]
‘Why are you happy at others’ misery!’
This situation was getting more uncomfortable! I’m an adult, but my body doesn’t align with my soul. This felt like a test of patience!
I grumbled inside and picked up the meat. It was small enough to be eaten in one bite.
‘It’s delicious.’
The food in the temple was not bad. No, it was delicious. It was still better than the food in the nursery. However, it couldn’t be compared with the food here. It was far too delicious for me to do so. I can’t believe it’s the same meat dish.
I ate all of my share and thought about not offending the Duke, so that I won’t be kicked out and able to savour this dish forever.
“Well done. You’re eating the vegetables well, too. Eurenia didn’t like eggplants, and Jerome didn’t like cucumbers, so the chef had a hard time.”
Eurenia? Jerome?
Who are they? Is that the Duke’s children?
‘Wait, the Duke had children…?’
I was confused since there was no appearance of the son and daughter of the Duke in the novel.
“Eurenia? Jerome?”
“Ah, that’s right. You haven’t met them. They’re the Duke’s children.”
“Eurenia is twelve years old, and Jerome is eleven years old.”
“They’re not here right now because of the academy, but they’ll be back in summer.”
Hearing her words, there was only one thought that came to my mind. The Duke… already had two children with such a young and handsome face? What a fraud.
‘Oh, but what would happen with me?’
How many children would readily accept the fact that their family suddenly adopted a strange child after they returned from the academy?
‘There’s one more thing to worry about…’
I’m already worried about the duke, but now there are the duke’s children.
And, two of them at that!
‘I-I have some time left, so I should be safe for the time being…’
[ ‘The Queen of Flowers and Nymphs’ says it’s simple if you call another constellation. ]
Well, how are they going to solve it?
[ Controlling human emotions is simple. ]
No.
[ I’m disappointed to be rejected at once. ]
These Gods…!
I have a conscience! Seriously, why do you guys keep giving me ridiculous suggestions?!
[ I feel down for being scolded. ]
Just get out of here.
[ But, still, we do it for the Creator. ]
Enough, where are the other Gods? I don’t think the three of you would be busy.
[ ‘The Librarian of Nipur’ said that the Gods are working hard to clean up. ]
[ ‘The Guardian of the Golden Field’ is proud that they won rock-paper-scissors. ]
…The Gods played rock-paper-scissors? I think I’ve learned a lot since I possessed this body.
After thinking about it, I bit into the apple with my front teeth.
Hm, it’s delicious. Now that I’ve become a child, I think I’m more sensitive to taste. Maybe that’s why vegetables didn’t taste so good. I don’t know if it was the child’s natural body response or not.
‘The food in the nursery was poor, after all.’
It was tasty not to eat barely boiled food anymore. With that thought, I glanced at my arm.
‘I think my body gained some weight, too.’
My body and arms used to be so thin. Everyone would feel sympathetic if they saw my body before. Although it’s amazing that the baby fat in my face never went away.
“Miss Beatrice, do you want more snacks?”
I quickly nodded at Sophie’s question. Even though I ate a lot, I think I have a seperate stomach for snacks.
“Then, please wait for a while…”
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and came into the room.
“Miss Beatrice, the Duke had summoned you again.”
It was the butler, who just came in, informed me so.
Oh no, I can’t eat my snacks…
“All right.”
Meanwhile, Sophie quickly wiped my mouth with a soft cloth as I thought to myself about why the Duke was calling me.
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“You’re here?”
“Yes, Duke.”
His face was still cold, and I didn’t know what he was thinking about. Though I tried not to be intimidated by his expression. If I’m a real child, I would probably cry because of him. Even me, an adult, was scared, seeing that expression.
The Duke beckoned to me as I was drowning with my thoughts.
“Sit down.”
As I sat down as soon as I was told to, the Duke pulled the rope next to him.
Soon after, the butler arrived with something.
‘Tart…?’
The sweet and savory smell quickly entered my nose. My mouth was watering because I haven’t eaten a snack yet. At that, The Duke reached out and put the tart on a small plate before holding out the plate to me.
“….?”
“Eat it.”
I immediately picked up the fork at his words. Still, eating a snack in this situation was a bit burdensome.
Even though I thought so, I had no choice but to move the fork as soon as I saw the Duke’s eyes. It felt like he was going to keep watching me until I finished it.
The pleasant sweetness and the bitter taste of chocolate filled my mouth instantly. The taste made me feel a little bit more relaxed.
‘Tasty…’
It’s really good. Although I don’t like the bitter taste, the sweetness covered it up almost completely.
I forgot for a moment that the Duke was watching me, as I ate it with gusto. By the time I was almost done eating it, a new piece of tart was placed on my plate.
I flinched as I met his eyes. He still had a cold expression as he gave the plate back to me.
“Is it delicious?”
After hearing his voice, I gulped down the tart and looked at him.
Is this a test, too? Chocolate is an expensive ingredient, but the Duke had a lot of money, so I don’t think he’s going to get mad at me for eating this. Or, was it a patience test…? No, then he would’ve told me to wait before eating it.
I hesitated to reply, not knowing what the duke had in mind. Then, his forehead narrowed.
“Is it not delicious?”
“No, it’s delicious.”
I answered quickly. I didn’t want to answer him quickly because I was trying to figure out his intention. Did I mess it up?
[ ‘The Queen of Flowers and Nymphs’ is popping popcorn. ]
[ ‘The Guardian of the Golden Field’ is amused. ]
[ ‘The Librarian of Nipur’ is staring at the scene with 3D glasses. ]
…I’m going to beat the Gods up later.
I sighed inwardly, feeling the tension dissipating because of the Gods, and heard the Duke.
“That’s a relief.”
Excuse me…?
I gazed at the Duke with my eyes wide open at the unexpected response. However, his face was still cold and there was no sign of movement.
“Does the food suit your taste?”
“Uh, uh…”
The Duke narrowed his brows at my response. Though I was too surprised by the question, I stuttered.
“As I said before, I said I would provide you food, clothing and shelter. That’s why I’m asking you if there’s any problem.”
“There’s no problem.”
At my answer, he quietly stared at me. Then, his eyes went to my arms.
“I-I always eat until I’m full.”
Seeing his reaction, I hurriedly opened my mouth because I thought I had to say something fast. The Duke only looked back at my face.
“What kind of stories did you hear in the temple?”
I blinked at a sudden question.
Temple? Why is he asking that…?
“If you have heard anything, you can tell me. I’ll hear it.”
“Can I stay hewe?” (Can I stay here?)
However, the Duke didn’t answer my question. But, this was very important to me, so I had to ask.
“If I become a good kid, can I stay hewe?”
Let me stay here. I haven’t heard anything about the temple though I know a lot about this novel. So, I will be useful. Even if I don’t know the answer to his question, I’ll just ask the Gods.
[ The Gods watching you nod their head. ]
I gazed at the duke with a determined look. Eventually, he opened his mouth to answer me.
“Do you want to stay here?”
I nodded at the question. Obviously.
Hearing my answer, he asked again. “Why? Did the Priest tell you to say that? Or, did you hear a voice in your dream telling you to do that?”
The Duke gradually raised his voice because he was confused about my choice.
I shrank reflexively, seeing his actions.
“J-just…”
My voice trembled on its own. It’s not my will. It’s a natural reaction.
“B-because I like Duke so…”
“….”
“Y-your picture is pretty…”
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Tears flowed down from my eyes unconsciously, and my view became blurred. I couldn’t understand why I was crying nor why I was shaking.
“I-I’m sorry…”
I put my hands together without realizing it. The familiar feeling engulfed me once more.
It was a feeling I got when my nursery teacher scolded me.
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