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Chapter 20: The 'Friend' Rejected Raymond

"Here! This is my playroom. Come in!"

After a journey marked by expressionless indifference, Janice and Raymond arrived at the third-floor playroom.

Janice opened the door and invited Raymond in. Raymond gave a slight shrug and stepped inside. Janice followed right after.

To be honest, when Janice arrived at the playroom with Raymond, she actually felt a little proud and boastful. That feeling was separate from her wariness or discomfort toward him.

Janice's playroom was filled with all sorts of marvelous toys—pretty dolls, crystal dollhouses, a wooden rocking horse that looked just like a real foal, a miniature toy soldier battalion, and a kaleidoscope that showed all sorts of strange sights when you held it to your eye.

And everything had been prepared by the old Duke and the old lady with love for Janice.

You don't have this at your house, do you? Janice's nose lifted high with pride.

She expected Raymond to be amazed and envious.

Soon, exclamations like "Wow!" or "Oh!" would come, and Raymond would look at her with eyes full of envy and admiration.

Then Janice would say to him:

Don't touch, just look. Look with your eyes only. If you touch them, they'll wear out!

Then Raymond would burst into tears...

"..."

Wait! No. Raymond was, after all, Uncle Fernando's nephew.

And she'd just apologized to him for saying mean things—that had happened only moments ago.

Let's be good, Janice. Don't do that. You shouldn't.

The aftermath of not being able to go to the Bakers' house because of Raymond was still weighing on her.

Janice hurriedly reined in her heart, which was about to twist again. She was seven, and seven-year-olds were different from tantrum-throwing infants—she was smart and mature, not driven solely by emotion.

She tried to be a good child, at least for the sake of the old lady who would soon come up with cookies.

―Raymond? Shall I send you some snacks? Do you have any favorites?

―I like everything. I'm a good child, so I don't picky-eat. I eat anything well. Even broccoli cookies.

―What a good child.

...Ugh.

Thinking of Grandma coming up with cookies also brought to mind Raymond's strange answer about liking broccoli cookies.

Once again, unease about Raymond stirred in Janice's heart. But at the very least, in front of the old lady, she had to pretend to be a good child who treated her friend well.

"You can play with them. I'll allow it. ...Just one. Only one!"

With great generosity, Janice allowed Raymond one toy.

She didn't know what Raymond would choose, but still harboring a desire to be mean to him, Janice squeezed her eyes shut and said:

"..."

"..."

But something was off. No answer came.

...This brat, surely he's not pulling out two, three, ten toys and playing with them, is he?

A sudden wave of anxiety made Janice's eyes snap open.

With wide eyes, Janice stretched her neck like a meerkat and searched for Raymond.

A moment later, she spotted him standing in front of the display cabinet. Fortunately, he hadn't taken out any toys yet.

Janice scurried over to Raymond's side. She watched him with round eyes, observing which toy he would reach for.

"Only one. Just one! Half a one would be fine... no, just one!"

There's no such thing as a half-toy, so just one!

Janice urged Raymond with unprecedented fervor. It was a passion and intensity that could have chained every single toy with iron shackles if she could.

Though more mature than her peers, Janice wasn't particularly fond of toys or playing with them—but they were hers, and she didn't like having her things taken away or shared.

Her dislike of Raymond was one of the reasons, but at any rate, Raymond was a "guest," so with the mindset of granting him just one, Janice kept watch.

But something was strange. Raymond only observed the toys—he didn't reach for any.

He simply "looked" at the room and the display cabinet filled with toys, exactly as he had from the start. It was a reaction completely different from the neighborhood kids she used to know.

...Did I show too much dislike?

Janice reflected on her own behavior. Thinking back, she'd shown quite a lot.

―Who is this?

―He's my nephew, and...

―But why is he here?

―Ah! I thought it'd be nice if you had a friend to play with...

―...I don't need one.

―Wouldn't it be more fun to play together?

―Do I have to entertain him?

Every word of that conversation, held right in front of Raymond, stabbed at Janice's chest. Putting herself in his shoes, she thought she might have burst into tears if she were Raymond.

―She doesn't seem to want to play with me. But what can I do? I like her.

She also recalled Raymond's reaction to her mean words.

Guilt swelled in Janice's chest again. She'd already apologized just now—and yet she went and did it again!

Janice felt ashamed of her own pettiness.

"Hey... two is fine too. Two, no, three is fine... Actually, just take as many as you want and play with them. No—if there's something you want, just tell me. I'll give it to you. I'll give it as a present!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Janice grabbed Raymond's arm tightly and showed her repentant heart. Then, with the mindset of accepting punishment, she waited for Raymond's answer.

"...?"

Raymond muttered something incomprehensible, then stared with blank eyes at this strange girl who wouldn't let go of his arm.

"...What are you doing?"

"If there's something you want, feel free to say it. I, I'll give you everything!"

"What are you saying? Let go of this first, will you?"

Janice, or whatever her name was—the Duke of Roman's granddaughter—kept saying strange things.

Raymond told her to let go of his arm first, but perhaps because she'd eaten well and built up strength, Janice didn't budge.

"Two is fine, three is fine. Take as many as you want!"

"Who do you take me for? Hey! Let go of my arm, will you?"

Not only did she not move her body, she wouldn't listen to others either. She seemed deaf.

That was the moment when the well-behaved facade cracked, and irritation crept onto Raymond's face. Ah, I was really trying to be good!

Raymond had caused a major incident a few days ago.

It wasn't new for Raymond's name to be synonymous with "trouble"—he'd been like that since birth—but the incident a few days ago had been particularly big.

He'd dragged the only grandson of the Duke of Wiltor—that brat Coco-Ban—to a river and thrown him in. Rumor had it the kid almost died.

Actually, he hadn't meant to cause trouble on purpose—it was just an "accident." But as soon as the "accident" happened, his mother burst into tears, saying she couldn't live like this, and his father said that if he kept causing trouble like this, he'd send him to his maternal grandfather, the Marquess of Verdo—the Frontier Count.

Normally, his uncle—the Emperor—and his aunt—the Empress—would have protected him, but because that brat Coco-Ban hadn't woken up for a whole week, this time they'd both agreed to send him to the frontier.

It wasn't that going to the frontier would stop him from doing whatever he wanted, but...

―Hahaha! You mustn't become a weakling like your uncle, who can't even take down an orc with his bare hands. Come, Ray, follow me, your grandfather, for training. Then you'll be able to bring down a wyvern with your bare hands!

His grandfather, who had surpassed human limits in strength and passion in every way, was a little—no, a lot—overwhelming.

That was exactly when Fernando had visited Raymond's house.

Fernando's proposal to find Raymond a "friend" was welcomed with open arms by Raymond's mother, albeit with some anxiety. His father told him: if he became a "good child" and made a "friend," he wouldn't have to go to the frontier.

So Raymond had come to the Ducal residence with the sincere intention of being a "good child" this time.

But... huh? That "friend" had rejected Raymond.

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