Chapter 5

I have been living in this world for exactly ten months.

I have finally managed to walk on my own recently.

A few months ago, Julia-nee left the door open.

Thinking it was a good opportunity, I tried to show my crawling to Mother and surprise her, but I almost got stepped on by a maid in the hallway.

That was close. As a result, the maid dropped and broke the pot she was carrying.

At that moment, I vowed not to push myself too hard as a baby.

By the way, Julia-nee, who left my room door open, apparently received quite a scolding.

To avoid such incidents, I decided to stay quietly in this room.

I really want to show everyone that I can walk and get praised, and walk around the mansion.

While I was thinking about this, I heard footsteps in the hallway.

Oh? Is it Mother? No, I hear multiple footsteps.

Is it Mother and Julia-nee again?

However, my guess was wrong.

I heard a man's voice from the hallway.

"It's your little brother. Instead of swinging swords or locking yourself in your room, play more with your brother Jed."

"...Yes."

"Uh..."

It's Father's voice. And two other men's voices, probably my brothers.

Are they bothered by playing with me, or do they dislike having their time taken away? They both sound very dissatisfied.

Unlike the whimsical Julia-nee, my brothers rarely visit my room.

I can understand their feelings.

Babies are very delicate, and just touching or getting close can make them cry. If something unexpected happens, most men would panic.

Soon, the door slowly opened, and three people entered the room.

"Jed is awake, isn't he?"

Father entered first, and my brothers followed cautiously.

The eldest brother is Gradius.

He strongly resembles Father, and like Julia-nee, he is seven years old. They are probably twins. Although their hair color is different, their well-defined features and overall appearance are similar. He has short, neatly cut hair and is dressed in loose, comfortable clothing, ready to swing a sword at any moment.

This house, the Clifford family, is rather casual for a baronial family. The only one who dresses formally is Father.

The other brother, who shows a troublesome attitude, is Gillion. He is six years old, one year younger than Gradius.

He wears glasses and has a short, neat hairstyle. His face is more intellectual compared to Gradius and Father, probably due to his long, cool eyes.

He is wearing a white dress shirt and black long pants, which is quite ordinary. I imagined something more luxurious, like a tuxedo.

I don't think our family, the Clifford family, is short of money.

Well, it's reassuring that it's not the kind of stiff, formal family that everyone imagines.

"Will he cry?"

"...I don't know."

Gillion's voice is pitiful, while Gradius answers firmly.

"You guys are so pitiful."

"Can Father hold him?"

"Ugh! Well... I've never done it before."

"Father is the same, isn't he!"

The brothers attack Father's weak spot, who was acting superior.

"Then let me show you!"

"Eh? Stop it. Father does everything with force."

"...If something happens, Mother will be angry."

"It's fine. Leave it to me!"

What a simple-minded Father. To be swayed by the children's provocation.

Father reaches out and picks me up from the baby bed. His rough, large hands easily lift me up.

Hey, hey! Father, it hurts! The way you hold me is fine, but your grip is too strong! My arms are being crushed!

"A, ah..."

I can't help but make a pained face and a discomforted sound.

"Hey, isn't Jed about to cry?"

"Father, Jed doesn't like it."

"Eh? Eh? Really?"

Hearing Gradius's panicked voice and Gillion's accusatory words, Father quickly puts me back in the baby bed.

"Maybe the way you hold him is wrong, or you're using too much force?"

"Is that so? I tried to be very careful. Should I try again? This time it will be fine. I understand the right amount of force now."

"No, it was completely wrong."

"...His shoulder is a bit red."

My brother Gradius pulls up my sleeve to check, and everyone confirms the redness on my shoulder.

"See! This is bad! Mother will be angry if she finds out!"

"Definitely."

"Ah!? That's a problem! Claire is scary and strict when she's angry!"

"Let's keep quiet. It might be bad if something happens."

"It's better to confess honestly for our own good."

Well, it's just a temporary redness, so it's fine.

Unaware of my condition, my brothers and Father panic.

"Ah..."

My words stop the three of them, who were having a noisy conversation.

"What's wrong, Jed?"

"Bad. He might start crying now from the pain."

"We should call Mother quickly!"

"But if we call Claire—"

"What if I'm called?"

"..."

The air in my room froze. The three of them, who were making a fuss, couldn't even speak under Mother's pressure.

Mother, you can make that voice? Your smile is scary.

"No, this is—"

"Come here."

"...Yes."

Father tried to turn around and make an excuse, but it was in vain. His back, as he walked obediently, looked like that of a criminal being led to the gallows.

"Leina, watch over Jed. If we leave it to the men, nothing good will happen."

"Yes, ma'am."

The maid bowed respectfully in response to Mother's words.

Is Mother the true master of this mansion?

The maid enters, and the brothers leave the room in exchange.

The door closes, and Mother and Father's figures disappear from view.

"No, Claire, listen to me."

"I heard everything. You were making so much noise, of course I heard."

"...Eh. No, I just wanted to hold Jed—"

The voices of the two gradually become quieter. Father's voice sounds somewhat weak compared to Mother's assertive tone.

× × ×

And that night.

When everyone in the mansion is asleep, the moonlight shines into my room, and the surroundings are enveloped in a bluish darkness. I wake up to a strange noise coming from outside the window.

"Yah-ha! It's night! Our time! To hell with the sun!"

I glance outside, but as a baby, I can only see the sky.

In the moonlight, I see only a black shadow that looks like a bird.

Birds don't shout, so it must be a neighbor, right? But in this area, besides our mansion, there is only a servants' quarters a little distance away, surrounded by trees.

Can't Mother, Father, or my brothers hear it?

Am I the only one who can hear it?

I stayed awake for a while, but the strange noise didn't come again.

That night, I went to sleep, feeling puzzled.

× × ×

"Hey, you. I feel like Jed has been staring at the ceiling lately."

"Jed? Is there something on the ceiling?"

"There shouldn't be. Jed's room is cleaned thoroughly from corner to corner."

"Hmm, maybe he sees some interesting pattern? Sometimes trees and other things have strange patterns."

Mother and Father are discussing in front of me.

"However, the ceiling of this room is completely white."

Father doesn't seem too concerned, but Mother does.

She looks at the ceiling with a puzzled expression.

That's right. I am indeed staring at the ceiling. A completely white ceiling with no patterns.

But what I'm paying attention to is beyond that.

The direction from which I can faintly hear voices.

"Hey! Where are we?"

"Food! Where's the food?"

"By the way, it's hard to walk here. Make it easier for us to walk!"

"Is there any cheese here?"

"Cheese!? Is there? Where?"

"Cheese? There's no such thing here."

"Huh!? Didn't you say there's cheese here!?"

"Hey? Where is it?"

"Hey, stop moving around! And your butt is so big, it's in the way! Cheese? Cheese is definitely in the kitchen on the first floor."

"Huh!? Then why are we here?"

"Exploring for new food?"

"Exploring, exploring!"

Hmm... Are there ghosts in the ceiling? Do ghosts eat cheese?

I don't really understand, but it's a good way to pass the time, so I'm listening.

"Indeed, he is looking up."

Before I knew it, Father was staring at me intently.

Father tilted his head and then left the room.

After a while, Father returned with a maid.

Father is holding a long broom, probably borrowed from the maid. It looks like it would reach the ceiling if he holds it up.

Father glanced at me and then poked the ceiling with the broom where my gaze was directed.

"Whoa!? What's happening? Is it an earthquake!?"

"Ah! Help! I'm falling!"

"Damn! Exploration is canceled! We're retreating!"

The panicked voices are quite amusing. The ghosts must be quite small.

"Ah, Jed is happy."

"Mu!? Really. Whatever it is, he finds it interesting."

Seeing my smile, Mother and Father are pleased.

Father poked the ceiling with the broom several more times.

"Whoa! Damn! I can't move!"

"Ahhh!"

"Whoa! Hold onto the pillar!"

"What the hell is happening!"

After that day, I no longer heard voices from the ceiling, which was a bit disappointing.

Thank you.