Chapter 15

It had been about half a year since Ilvareno became Cain's squire. During that time, each of them had celebrated their birthdays, and Cain and Ilvareno had turned seven, while Dian was now four.

"GYAAAAAAA!"

A cry that sounded like a dinosaur's roar suddenly echoed through the hallway. It was Dian's voice.

Cain excused himself to his tutor and poked his head out into the hallway, where he saw Dian crying as if on fire and a housemaid standing there with a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Delina won't give me the quill pen!!!"

"Quill pen?"

As he approached to ask the housemaid what had happened, Dian appealed to him before the maid could speak.

Looking over, he saw that the housemaid Delina was holding a quill pen made from a beautiful blue feather. It seemed that Dian had wanted it, but Delina had refused.

"Delina, is that something important to you?"

Looking up, she nodded vigorously, her face turning pale, perhaps because she had made Dian cry. Cain didn't want to take something important away from her, and he needed to teach Dian that it was wrong to do so. To prevent Dian from becoming a spoiled young lady, he thought it was important for her to understand the reasoning.

"...Delina, can you tell me where I can buy one of those?"

"This was made for me by my son..."

Ah, so it's a one-of-a-kind item. No wonder it can't be given away easily.

Cain knelt down, met Dian's eyes, and leaned in. Dian sniffled but stopped crying.

"Dian, that quill pen is very important to Delina. It's a gift from her family."

"Okay..."

"Dian, if someone asked you for something you got from me, would you give it to them?"

"No! The things I get from Nii-sama are treasures!"

(You heard that? Did you hear that? The things I give her are treasures! What an angel! Seriously, an angel! Ah, Dian is so cute.)

Cain appealed to Ilvareno, who was following behind, but he averted his gaze and ignored him. Tightening his face to hide his smile, Cain gently stroked Dian's head.

"Dian, just like you can't give away your treasures, Delina can't give away hers either."

As Cain spoke, Dian's eyes widened in realization as she looked up at Delina.

"Delina's treasure?"

Dian, with her small finger, pointed at the blue quill pen, which was incredibly cute.

"It is my treasure," Delina said softly, holding the blue quill pen to her chest. Seeing this, Dian looked down and apologized, "I'm sorry."

(You saw that!? Did you see that!? Our Dian is a good girl who can apologize properly!!)

As expected, Cain's appeal through his gaze was ignored by the squire.

"Good job, Dian. You did a great job by apologizing!"

Cain rubbed Dian's head and then hugged her tightly. She understood when he explained things to her. At just four years old, she could feel bad and apologize! How smart is that!? Our Dian is an angel!

"Dian, can I whisper in your ear?"

Leaning in, he said, and Dian tilted her head and turned her ear towards him. Oh, she's so cute. Leaning close to Dian's ear, he taught her how to ask nicely. Then, Dian walked over to Delina, looking up cutely and making her request.

"Delina... Could you please make one for me too... I'm begging you."

(Oh, I'm going to die. She's too cute. If someone asks like that, you can't say no. It's almost cheating.)

Ilvareno, supporting Cain's back as he nearly swooned, whispered, "Cain-sama, your face," to remind him to keep his composure.

Delina's cheeks flushed, and she fidgeted. Cain thought that since she had mentioned her son made it, she might be willing to make a new one for Dian. Dian didn't want Delina's quill pen specifically, just a beautiful blue quill pen.

"Delina, I'll ask you too. I'll pay for the materials and labor from my allowance."

Even if she made a new one, it would be wrong to take it for free. It would be like a seizure if a servant couldn't refuse a request from the son of the house. He needed to cover his bases.

"This was made by my son from a beautiful feather my grandson found in the garden. There are no material costs, but feathers aren't always available..."

Delina's face showed her dilemma as she frowned. It was more valuable than he had thought. If it was a trophy from her grandson, turned into a practical item by her son, it was indeed hard to part with.

It was a good thing Dian hadn't begged for it when Cain wasn't around. As a housemaid in a lower noble household, Delina might have given in to Dian's tears and given it to her. That would have taught Dian that she could get what she wanted by crying and begging from those of lower status.

"Then, if we can find a feather, you can make it into a quill pen?"

"Yes," Delina nodded.

"Dian, let's go to the garden with Nii-sama and look for a feather. If you find one and have it made into a quill pen, it will surely become a wonderful treasure."

"Dian's quill pen!"

Dian smiled and grabbed Cain's hand, eager to go. Her small hand, gripping three of his fingers, was incredibly cute. Her warm, soft child's hand made his heart melt. Ah, she's so precious.

"Cain-sama, your face is slipping."

Cain tightened his expression at Ilvareno's reminder and turned back to the housemaid.

"Delina, if we find a feather, we'll let you know. You can go for today."

After dismissing Delina, Cain took Dian's hand and headed for the garden. They say a crying crow will soon laugh. Dian, in a good mood, started singing and walked energetically, pulling Cain's hand.

Ilvareno followed behind, sighing.