"Are you okay? Did the sedative arrive that quickly?"
I blinked in confusion.
"But why are you here at the Count’s estate so early in the morning? When did you get here?"
Zahid furrowed his brows, his expression complicated, before he spoke slowly.
"‘The Noart Count Family does not tolerate violence against servants.’ ...Want me to continue?"
"N-no, that’s enough. Your throat must hurt."
My face instantly flushed.
Wait, that meant he had seen everything from the very beginning!
In the meantime, Grandfather had set me down and was now swaggering toward Zahid.
"You brat! You didn’t even like my granddaughter at first, so don’t start coveting her now! You should be grateful that I’m letting you off the hook just because you’re still a little chick!"
Wow... That was so petty.
"You probably think I’m an old man without shame, acting way too immature for my age! But I was a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ slave! I’m nothing like you highborn noble brats who were born into privilege!"
Somehow, his words sounded similar to Cecil’s, but the intent behind them was completely different.
"It’s fine if you two bicker—Rosie isn’t exactly innocent when it comes to that either. But if you suddenly change your stance once you grow up and start bothering Rosie, I won’t stand for it!"
...Aren’t families supposed to persuade their noble fiancés instead of threatening them?
Zahid, looking completely dumbfounded, straightened up and prepared to speak after offering a polite greeting.
But before he could get a word out—
"Blah blah blah! I can’t hear you! I don’t hear a thing! Our family is completely incompatible with a ducal house! BLAH BLAH BLAH! So don’t even dream about marrying Rosie! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!"
Grandfather plugged his ears with both hands and stormed off.
For a moment, complete silence fell over the room.
And the one who finally broke it was Shulva, who had followed Zahid.
"I will answer Lady Rosie’s questions," he stated.
As expected, the most competent one among us.
"Lord Zahid’s body appears to be in perfect health, to the point where one might suspect he was merely pretending to be sick. The sedative has not yet arrived."
Shulva, as always, gave his report with a perfectly blank expression.
"And—he suddenly set off in the middle of the night, declaring that he absolutely had to see Lady Rosie immediately. Honestly, I don’t think he was in his right mind."
I widened my eyes at Zahid, surprised.
"Then you must be in pain... But you were so desperate to see me that you came anyway?"
I tilted my head, scratching my cheek.
"Honestly, I thought it would take years for you to fall for me, but... it only took a few hours? Wow, my charm is really something. I mean, I’m only twelve, and yet—what a shame. We can’t even get married until—"
"What?! That’s NOT why I came!"
Fire barked excitedly while Zahid fumed.
Meanwhile, Shulva adjusted his glasses and continued his report.
"From the moment Lady Rosie shouted ‘Stop it,’ he stood frozen in place, as if nailed to the ground, unable to move."
Zahid, his face now beet red, fumed while Shulva remained completely unfazed.
"And when the woman with purple hair raised her hand, he instinctively tried to rush forward—but was stopped by the Count."
With a slight frown, Shulva added a very clinical analysis.
"Personally, if Lord Zahid had fallen for you at first sight, I believe it was not during yesterday’s reckless engagement announcement, but rather at this very moment."
"NO! I did NOT! What are you even talking about?!"
Now, completely flushed, Zahid clenched his fists and shouted.
Shulva, who was taller than Zahid, simply looked down at him, unimpressed.
"Is that so? Understood. Then I shall correct my statement. For the record, the subject himself denies it, Lady Rosie."
"Woof! Woof woof woof!"
"I said NO! It’s NOT like that! How could I fall for a girl I’ve only met twice—"
"WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
Regardless, Zahid was still my guest.
I led him to the garden near my room.
Fire, looking incredibly pleased with himself, trotted after us and curled up contentedly at my feet.
The maids, beaming from ear to ear, bustled around.
"Imagine! The very next morning, your fiancé chases after you!"
"Look at his neck—it’s flushed all the way to the back. He’s so embarrassed he can barely handle it!"
"Well, Lady Rosie is adorable. She’s truly charming..."
Muttering to themselves about how fast kids these days move, the maids bounced excitedly on their feet.
"Lady Rosie, shall we help you change? And fix your hair to look even prettier? Hmm?"
"Haah... A tea time between you two—it’s just too cute!"
"The Duke of Dyfenril even dressed up for this! We can’t have Lady Rosie meeting him without some preparation!"
While the maids fussed around, Zahid’s ears burned bright red with embarrassment.
"I didn’t exactly... dress up."
I gently reassured Zahid, who was clearly flustered.
"You tried to dress up without making it obvious, but you failed. It’s okay, though. Everyone thinks it’s adorable. I think you’re adorable, too."
"Ugh, please... just stop talking like that."
As Zahid grumbled, I ignored the pleading eyes of the maids and sat down right in front of him.
Then, turning to Shulva, I spoke.
"Oh, Shulva. Since you’re here, I need to ask you for a favor. Have you heard the news?"
"You mean the lover who appeared claiming to be pregnant with Julian’s child?"
Shulva replied expressionlessly.
"As expected, our idealistic but utterly reckless adolescent, Julian, is raging that such a thing is impossible while simultaneously suffering under the weight of responsibility for the alleged child."
"Well, I am his childhood friend. Now, what do you need me to do?"
"It’s nothing complicated..."
I leaned in and whispered into Shulva’s ear.
Without a hint of difficulty, Shulva nodded. A very faint smile crossed his lips before he turned to Zahid.
"Then, Duke, would you mind stepping away for a moment?"
"I know you work for the Noart Count Family. Don’t pretend to be considerate of me."
"That’s not the case. It’s just that while I do serve you, my paycheck still comes from Lady Rosie."
Shulva bowed calmly and then strode away without hesitation.
The maids who had been lingering in the background broke into giggles as they fluttered about.
They found all sorts of excuses to hang around—bringing more tea snacks, straightening the tablecloth, checking the silverware—but their smiles said it all.
Watching this with obvious irritation, Zahid finally crossed his arms and pouted.
"Can you tell them to back off?"
I blinked innocently, pretending to be perplexed.
"Huh? But... we’re still kids..."
At my words, Zahid’s face turned completely red as he shouted.
"What the hell are you even talking about?!"
"I mean, we’re just kids."
I blinked at him and replied, completely serious.
"What if a fire breaks out? Two immature children wouldn’t be able to handle it. Obviously, an adult needs to be nearby for emergencies."
"...I-I just meant that I wanted to talk privately. Somewhere no one else can hear. Just a little distance away."
"Oh. Then you should’ve said that from the start instead of getting all worked up. You must have a lot of repressed anger. That’s okay, though. I’m good at talking to people like that. My brother and grandfather are the same way."
Underneath the table, Fire couldn’t hold back anymore.
"Woof! Woof woof woof!"