Chapter 25

This is a side story.

It happened a few days before the embroidery meeting.

One of the several gardens in the duke's mansion. It was a smaller garden, with a small wooden bench and a roof that was questionable in its usefulness on rainy days. This garden was Caine's favorite. When there was something for the tutor to attend to and classes were canceled, he would sometimes be found here.

The schedule, which was so packed that one might worry if it was too busy, was apparently mostly filled at Caine's own request, according to what the housemaid, who served in another household, said. She mentioned that even for a noble young master before entering school, there was no household where the schedule was so tightly packed with studies.

Since becoming Caine's squire, Irvaleono has been made to attend the morning lessons together. He was told that to become Caine's squire, one had to be sufficiently intelligent. It was also said that even if he didn't understand or stumbled, he wouldn't be waited for, as these were Caine's studies. To avoid being left behind, reviewing before bed had become a daily routine.

In the afternoon, while Caine was taking classes in arts and etiquette, Irvaleono would study with Elise's maid, learning how to serve tea, take care of the master, and communicate and coordinate with various departments as a squire.

On that day, he was learning how to serve tea and pastries from the maid. Upon receiving a message that one of Caine's lessons had been canceled, he headed to the room, but Caine was nowhere to be found. Thinking he might be in the small garden, Irvaleono went there, and sure enough, Caine was there.

Just as he was about to call out, he stopped, lifting his hand halfway.

A song could be heard.

"Butterfly, butterfly, rest on the flower. When you're tired of the flower, rest on Dian."

Caine had Dian on his lap, gently tapping her shoulders in time with the melody. The lyrics were clearly for children, simple words repeated with no real content. It seemed to be a nursery rhyme, but Irvaleono had never heard it before.

At the orphanage, singers would sometimes be sent as a form of慰问 (consolation). A noble would send a singer on a whim, and the singer would sing a few children's songs before leaving. This was a song that Irvaleono had never heard from any of those singers, but Caine was singing it.

A slightly high and thin voice, fitting for a young boy. Still, it was clear that he was singing gently and carefully.

Songs about butterflies, flowers, and acorns. Each one was a simple song with lyrics that only meant butterflies flying, flowers blooming, and acorns falling—songs that even a child could quickly learn. Proof of this was that Dian had already learned it and was singing along by the second round.

From the first time they met, Irvaleono thought they were really close siblings. It might seem like the older brother simply doted on his younger sister, but the younger sister also listened well to her brother. It might seem like he indulged her every whim, but he would gently and firmly correct her when necessary, giving her a proper reason. Despite appearing to pamper her, he also guided her to do things on her own.

Dian, who was an orphan, did not look down on or avoid Irvaleono, and instead treated him as "Irv-kun." She also treated the other orphans as equal friends, all because Caine acted as if this was the natural way to be.

Dian watched her older brother Caine closely. She trusted him completely and believed that whatever Caine did was right, so she imitated him.

At that moment, she was sitting on Caine's lap, swaying her body in time with the melody, singing along with a completely relaxed expression.

Golden hair, blue eyes like the summer sky, and a beautiful face even at a young age. Although they were often said to look nothing alike because their expressions were so different, seeing them sing together so peacefully made it undeniable that they were siblings.

Irvaleono decided to wait until the song was over before calling out. He watched the beautiful siblings from a bit of a distance, under the shade of a tree.

However, Dian, whose attention had been drawn to a butterfly, spotted Irvaleono. As a result, he was made to join in a game of "round singing," where each person starts singing at a different time.