Chapter 7

"Who the heck is it?"

The moment I saw myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but let out a thought from my heart.

"Did you say something just now?"

Surprised, I quickly shook my head at the maid.

"Um, thank you for making me look cute."

"If you like it, I'm glad."

Yes, the one reflected in the mirror is me.

But it's not the same me as yesterday.

There's a cute child in a lovely dress, and her silky hair is styled beautifully, even adorned with small flower decorations. The silver color suits her so well, making her even cuter. The reflection in the mirror is of myself, yet it feels like it's not me at all.

From yesterday to today, I don't know what the Earl said to the maids, but they were very kind. They let me take a luxurious bath in the morning, took care of me in various ways, and before I knew it, my stomach was full, and they made me look very cute.

As I stared at myself in the mirror, the Earl entered the room with a knock.

"You look cute. Let's take a walk in the garden."

For some reason, the Earl invited me to the garden. When I followed him, there were colorful flowers planted everywhere. I stood there, mesmerized by their beauty, but the Earl called me, and I started moving again.

"This is our training ground."

There, Paul and Brian were practicing with swords. Brian looked incredibly tall up close, but compared to the adult Paul, he was different. Their height difference wasn't significant, but their build was. The thickness of their arms and everything else was different, so the weight of their strikes must be different too.

"Very well."

"Brian, you need to build more muscle."

Paul said this with a cheerful smile. As expected of the captain of the knights. The sweat glistening on his body suited him well.

And probably, the one sitting nearby is Oliver. He looks completely worn out and tired.

"Alright, next is Oliver."

"…No, I can't. My arms won't move anymore."

"Hmm? Is that so? You lack stamina. Since you're in your growth period, you need to move a lot, eat, and sleep."

I wondered if the Earl wanted me to see this. He suddenly picked me up, ignoring my confusion, and walked steadily. The three of them, noticing me, looked surprised.

"Tori, you look like an angel descended from heaven."

Paul said this with his handsome face as if it were the most natural thing in the world, leaving me at a loss for how to react. Oliver, on the other hand, had his mouth agape.

Brian, who had been standing there, suddenly stopped in front of me.

"…I believed the rumors and said terrible things to you. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, I'm fine."

As I shook my head, the handsome young man lowered his eyebrows, looking apologetic. In contrast, Oliver, who had been standing there with his mouth open, was looking at me with a clearly unhappy expression.

"Oliver, apologize to Tori."

Reluctantly, Oliver said, "I'm sorry," and turned his face away dramatically. This time, it was my turn to open my mouth in surprise.

"Oliver, what's with that attitude?"

Even when Brian said this, Oliver's mouth remained in a pout. Paul had a look that said, "Oh dear," and the Earl was smiling slyly. Even I, who had only known him for a short time, could tell that this smile meant he was up to no good.

"Oliver, you look like you've been rolling in the dirt and sweating a lot."

"Huh?"

"Oliver, you are forbidden to sweat for the rest of the day."

"Wh-What are you saying, Father?"

Oliver, who couldn't hide his shock, apparently loves being clean. Not just clean, but he hates dirt so much that he even cleans the mansion himself. He even grows his own plants and has started developing cleaning agents to remove dirt, showing no signs of stopping his obsession with cleanliness. For Oliver, staying dirty for a whole day is unthinkable.

This must be a punishment for Oliver, who didn't properly apologize. Even though he said some harsh things, he made me look like a sparkling four-year-old, so I have no complaints.

Thinking this, I opened my mouth.

"Um, I think you should take a bath."

Oliver looked at me in surprise.

"The bath feels really good. You'll be sparkling and smooth, and it smells nice."

I was sparkling from head to toe after my bath this morning. Sniffing myself, I could smell the pleasant scent of soap. I even brought my wrist to the Earl's nose, asking him to smell it.

The Earl, taken aback, said it smelled good while shaking his shoulders, and Oliver, who had not been fond of me, was blushing and looking at me.

"Tori, you're a good kid."

"Huh?"

"A four-year-old who understands the joy of a bath is the best."

The twelve-year-old boy was simple. He was overjoyed to have his favorite thing praised.

Then, Paul subtly and smoothly picked me up from the Earl's arms.

"Tori, you're so kind."

I smiled awkwardly at Paul's words.

I'm not kind.

Not at all.

Not since long ago.

Thinking back to my past self, I remember that I always avoided conflicts and often smiled to cover up my confusion. I've always been a lazy person who dislikes trouble.

My past self, as an adult, knew that getting angry is tiring and requires a lot of energy.

So sometimes, I think that people who can properly express their anger are actually kinder. But I can't say such things as a four-year-old, as it would be strange.

From that day on, I became friends with Oliver and Brian. Brian would read books to me and teach me letters whenever he had free time. Oliver started teaching me efficient ways to remove dirt and the effects of his homemade cleaning agents. His explanations were so detailed that even a four-year-old wouldn't understand, but his enthusiasm was clear.

"Wow, wow."

Clapping my hands, I saw Oliver's face light up with joy. I found his honesty endearing.

Thank you to everyone who reported typos and to those who left comments. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I will respond to the comments after the story is completed, as I'm worried about potential spoilers.