Chapter 11

Aunt and Theo exclaimed in surprise.

At the commotion, Leon flinched and let go of his hand.

"Oh my."

It seemed he had no ill intent, just failed to control his strength.

‘Ugh, but the timing was really bad!’

I was just recalling the tragic part of the original story where Leon dies.

My nose was already tingling...

With my cheeks pinched so hard, tears like chicken droppings flowed reflexively.

"Oh, my goodness. Baby, Lilius, are you okay?"

"A, ah. Ow…."

"Leon! You troublemaker! Who would pinch a lady's cheek so hard!"

Aunt comforted me, her eyes brimming with tears, and scolded Leon.

"I, I was just…."

"What can we do. It seems to hurt a lot. Don't cry, Lilius."

Theo, with a pained expression, wiped my tears with his sleeve.

It did hurt, but I didn't intend to cry like a little child.

The timing was just really bad.

"I was just pinching because you're cute…."

Leon, pouting, whispered something only I could hear.

"Can't you apologize quickly?"

"A, Aunt. I'm fine. Hehe."

As Aunt continued to scold, Leon, looking embarrassed, shuffled his feet and mumbled.

"…Sorry."

Ugh, so pitiful.

I sniffed, took a deep breath, and ran to Leon, hugging his waist.

"No! Big brother, I'm really fine. It doesn't hurt at all. I'm sorry for crying suddenly."

"……."

"But… Hehe, next time, could you, could you pinch a little more gently…?"

Leon, who had stiffened, blinked a few times and looked down at me for a long moment.

Then he twitched his lips, turned his reddened face away, and replied.

"W, well, sure!"

* * *

Squish.

Fiddle.

"Stop tormenting Lilius, Lilius."

Theo, who had been watching Leon touch my cheeks every three seconds with a displeased look, said.

"I'm not tormenting her."

"You keep touching her annoyingly."

"She said it's okay if you touch her gently."

"Be more moderate."

"Big brothers."

I, sitting between them, said.

"I'm fine!"

Getting pinched on the cheeks is the fate of a cute baby, so there's nothing I can do about it.

But now was the time to focus.

"Kuchiman, Big brother, it's mealtime now. Let's eat first, and then you can touch as much as you want."

"Um. Sure, whatever."

Leon, who seemed reluctant, took his hand off my cheek.

We were in the dining room.

I was tense as we moved here for dinner.

It was because of the luxurious scene in front of me.

'Wow, really luxurious!'

A huge table, about 3 meters wide and 10 meters long.

An expensive candlestick, a lavish flower and fruit basket, and gold and jewel decorations crossing the center.

On the extravagantly set table were rare dishes I had never heard of or seen before.

'Are they all out now?'

...If I thought so, the chef and servants continued to bring out dishes nonstop, as if mocking my thoughts.

'No, how can I eat all this? Of course, they didn't set it all out for us to eat…'

I swallowed, looking at Aunt and the twins.

They seemed to treat this overly luxurious meal as a normal daily routine.

"Enjoy your meal, Miss, Masters."

The chef, dressed as neatly as a five-star hotel chef, personally served individual plates and utensils to me and the twins.

The first thing served was soup and bread for before the meal.

"Eat a lot, Lilius."

"Yes!"

Aunt, sitting opposite me, picked up her spoon and smiled affectionately.

I hesitated, swallowing my tears.

'Why are there so many utensils…'

There were several knives, forks, and spoons.

Glancing to the side, I saw Leon holding the largest spoon, so I followed suit.

"Oh, Father. You're here."

At that moment.

Grandfather entered the dining room, exuding an aura.

"Yes."

Grandfather, who glanced at me, sat in the seat of honor with authority.

"Where's Enoch?"

"He's unpacking and will come later. Let's eat first."

With Grandfather here, I started to sweat.

I had never experienced such a formal dining atmosphere.

How could I adapt to this?

'S, save me. I'm trapped in a dining room…'

I looked around the dining room, which had become quiet with Grandfather's arrival, my lips trembling.

The maids stood in a line, bowing to serve the meal.

The chef, bringing individual plates one by one.

Aunt and Grandfather, dining with elegance and dignity….

'This is the meal time of the nobles.'

The soup was undoubtedly the most expensive and precious, made with the finest ingredients—

'I can't taste anything.'

Due to my tension, I couldn't taste anything and left half of it.

"Leon."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Grandfather, who had been eating, called Leon in a stern voice.

It seemed even the troublemaker Leon became well-behaved in front of Grandfather, as he straightened his back in tension.

"I heard you caused a commotion."

"Father, Leon apologized to Lady Ballerina. I also feel sorry, so I plan to have tea with Lady Ballerina before I leave."

Aunt, who had been smiling awkwardly, answered for Leon.

It seemed to be a bigger incident than I thought, with the talk of a giant spider.

"I've heard many times that you've caused your mother a lot of trouble, but to cause trouble here as well, I must say something."

Grandfather put down his utensils, clasped his hands, and glared fiercely at Leon.

"You are also a Rubinstein. At twelve years old, you should understand the weight of that name."

"Yes."

"Always be mindful of your every action and avoid any repercussions. Be faithful to etiquette, do not act rashly, and maintain a demeanor that can be a role model for all at all times."

"Yes, Grandfather."

"I hope I don't hear that you've tarnished the family name in the future."

"I'm sorry…."

I felt a pang of guilt watching Leon, who answered with a deflated spirit.

It felt like he was speaking to me, who had to live as a noble from now on.

'Grandfather is really like the original character.'

A perfect example of a noble to the core.

According to the original, using Cheshire's words, Grandfather was so consistent in his expression and posture that one might doubt if he ever changed.

He was someone who clung to formality and etiquette and detested any lack of dignity.

So—

'The timing is killing me.'

I wanted to cry.

The current situation, with the steak following the soup, was quite desperate for me.

I had never learned the etiquette of nobles.

'What should I pick up?'

Three knives. Three forks.

The probability of me picking the right utensil was 1 in 9. It was extremely difficult.

However, if I could cheat a little, there might be some hope—

"Why aren't you eating?"

"Lilius, are you already full?"

—While I was thinking this and trying to glance sideways.

The unhelpful twins drew everyone's attention.

"A, ah. It's not that…."

"Why are you doing that, Lilius?"

Aunt tilted her head and asked.

Grandfather was also staring at me.

The maids were all watching me, trying to figure out what was wrong.

'Spotlight, what's going on!'

For Aunt, Grandfather, and the servants, mealtime was a normal part of daily life.

They didn't seem to notice my awkwardness right away.

'What should I say? Should I honestly say I don't know the dining etiquette? After all, both Grandfather and Aunt know I've never used such utensils…'

Still, it was a bit embarrassing to admit the truth.

Hadn't everyone been worrying about Dad and me?

I didn't want to remind them of the past 7 years by revealing my lack of education.

'Ugh. Why isn't Dad coming quickly?'

Just as I was about to pick up any knife to steady my spinning vision.

"I'm late."

The dining room door opened, and Dad, dressed in a fine outfit, appeared.

'Ah, he's here! James Brown!'

My savior!

"A, Lilius. Let's eat together…."

The quick-witted Dad immediately noticed and approached me.

Then.

"O, oh my, Leon!"

Aunt gasped.

'What?'

Looking to the side, I saw Leon stabbing and eating the uncut steak with his fork.

"You, you're being so rude! With your sister right there!"

While I was gaping in shock, a loud clatter of utensils came from the opposite side.

Turning around, I saw Theo cutting the steak wildly.

"Teo, you too? Who taught you to cut so recklessly! Can't you stop it!"

Aunt turned pale, and Grandfather, who was sitting next to her, was speechless, watching the twins.

"Here, eat. Lilius."

In a minute, Theo had cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and swapped our plates.

Then he picked up a fork for me.

"Ah."

Only then did I realize.

The twins were being considerate of me.