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Chapter 04: Does the Tooth Fairy Come for the Grand Duke of the North Too?

Episode 27

"Greet them, Rian. This is the Duchess of Asis. And this is..."

Adrian stood beside Father, nodding along. He was surprisingly cooperative, greeting the nobles. Had he decided to adapt to life as a child?

"My lady, you should greet them too."

"Hmm..."

Me too? Do I really have to? I'm terribly shy... But hiding behind shyness was something only babies could get away with. Besides, within House Belando, with Father present, there was no one who could harm me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, madam. I'm Leticia Belando of House Belando. Thank you for coming to Rian's birthday party."

I forced a smile and lifted my skirt slightly in a practiced bow. Since Leticia hadn't often received favorable glances from nobles, I found myself tensing up as well.

"Oh my."

"Lady Belando?"

People's gazes turned toward me. Ugh, don't look at me—look at Adrian. He's the star today. Just then, someone exclaimed.

"Goodness, Lady Belando has grown so much!"

"How composed she is."

...Huh?

"She must have been diligent in her etiquette lessons."

"As expected of House Belando's young lady..."

"Rosa, look at Lady Belando. She's the same age as you, yet so mature."

Why is everyone acting like this? Is this some elaborate sarcasm? Like, "How dare a bastard of House Belando act so brazenly noble"?

I looked around at the nobles and their children, slightly flustered. Just then, a lady spoke haughtily.

"But you did make one mistake."

Ah, here it comes. I braced myself and turned to her. But what came out was far from what I'd expected.

"First time meeting? But we've met before, haven't we?"

The lady arched her brows as if deeply hurt. But it's been less than three months since I regressed...

"Hmm, I apologize, madam. May I ask when we met?"

"Well, it must have been about four years ago. I'm quite hurt you don't remember me."

The lady pulled out a handkerchief and mimed wiping tears. Ah, it was just a joke. The tension in my shoulders finally eased.

"Madam, Lady Belando was only two years old then."

"Exactly. That tiny baby has grown so much..."

She spoke with the familiarity of an aunt seeing her niece after a long time. Even the children waiting to greet me stole glances with eager or shy expressions. I still felt bewildered, but the nanny was smiling serenely. Was this really okay? It was okay... right?

"Oh, where are my manners? I actually brought a small gift for you too."

"...For me?"

The lady smiled and handed me a box about the size of my upper body. Inside was a blonde-haired girl doll—the same kind as the one the child beside her was holding.

"It's my daughter Siena's favorite doll."

A girl named Siena smiled shyly at me. I smiled back and looked at the doll again. The soft blonde hair and rosy cheeks made it look obviously high-end. But instead of accepting it, I shook my head.

"...I'm fine, thank you."

"Oh, don't you like it? Girls your age usually love these."

Of course, I thought it was pretty. But Leticia had been burned too many times in situations like this—accepting sudden kindness only to be mocked later. I couldn't shake the thought that receiving a gift at Adrian's birthday would make me look like a bad child stealing someone else's spotlight.

"I truly appreciate it, but today is Rian's day... So please, just accept my gratitude for your kindness."

"How composed you are."

"It's all right, just take it. You can't exactly give a doll to the Grand Duke anyway."

"Boys can play with dolls too, right, Nanny?"

I turned to the nanny for agreement. Just then, a large hand landed on my head.

"Yes, Rian can play with dolls too. But refusing a gift given with sincerity is also bad manners."

"Daddy?"

I looked up with wide eyes. Father had come beside me, holding Adrian's hand. Dressed up like a little groom, Adrian glanced at me as usual, then quickly looked away, mindful of the onlookers.

"Yes, my lady. The madam prepared this especially for you."

With the nanny joining Father's side, the lady took the doll from the box and placed it in my arms. The little girl in the dress was so pretty that my lips curled up despite myself.

"Thank you. I'll treasure it."

"The young lady's character must take after the Count."

The adults watching me receive the gift spoke with warm approval. Some playfully touched their foreheads.

"Ah, that brings back unpleasant memories. We were always compared to Count Belando when we were young."

"Do you remember? Back then we ran around like that—good heavens, that's my child!"

As one lady dashed out in surprise, the nobles joked that the secret to raising such composed children at House Belando should be shared with everyone. I glanced at Adrian—expecting to meet his eyes—but unexpectedly, he was looking elsewhere. As if searching for something.

---

More people came to the birthday party than expected. Adrian stood beside Fabian, closely observing the visiting nobles.

It was a party for a mere sixth birthday. He'd been reluctant at first, but his mind changed when he spotted familiar names on the guest list—'Max Dylan' and 'Leonor Alfredo.' The names of his former subordinates.

Max, the second son of Viscount Dylan, was young but wielded a greatsword as big as a man with one hand. Leonor wasn't skilled with a sword, but served admirably as his strategist. Both were trusted men—seeing their names on the list brought a faint warmth.

"It's an honor to meet you, Young Grand Duke. I am of House Rosley..."

"I finally meet you, Young Grand Duke. I am..."

"Greet them, Rian. This is..."

Adrian nodded at the endless stream of nobles. It might have seemed impolite, but with his mind on finding his subordinates, even acknowledging their greetings was a show of goodwill.

"I heard you enjoy coloring, so I brought some colored pencils."

"This is a sacred painting set I obtained from the temple recently. It includes Vita, Etas, and even Mors..."

One corner of the garden was piled with expensive but useless gifts. Where had the rumor that he enjoyed coloring even started? Adrian frowned at the colored pencils sent from the palace.

"You can color with your friends once you make some today."

The Count glanced at the five boxes of pencils and said. He seemed to think Adrian could bond with noble children, having been bothered by his refusal to mingle with the annex children.

'...A futile expectation.'

Noble children, educated from an early age, would be calmer than the noisy annex kids—but he had no intention of playing "friend" with children. His interest was solely in Leticia Belando, and today, his former subordinates.

Not that he had any specific plan for meeting them. He just thought that seeing his old retainers might snap him out of the lethargy he'd fallen into since arriving at the Belando manor—or perhaps he could use befriending noble children as an excuse to learn swordsmanship...

"...Sniff."

The sound of sniffling broke his reverie. Adrian looked up to see a modestly dressed couple and a boy. The boy had common brown hair, slightly shorter than Adrian but with unusually large bones. A strange sense of déjà vu made Adrian frown as he tilted his head.

"...Hehe."

The boy raised one hand and grinned. It might have been a gentle smile, but to Adrian, it looked a bit... dim. Fabian introduced the couple first.

"The Viscount and Viscountess Dylan, Rian."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Young Grand Duke."

"Happy sixth birthday."

The couple bowed politely, but Adrian's gaze was fixed solely on the boy before him. His small lips parted in disbelief.

"...Max?"

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