Chapter 40

"Relax.

'Got it? You're not allowed to go to your brother's room for a while.'

Sitting next to the sofa, Elise, Dianas's mother, reminded her. Daina nodded vigorously and asked,

'For a while, until tomorrow?'

'That's too soon,' Elise said with a troubled look, stroking Dianas's head.

'Until when then!?' Dianas asked, tilting her head.

'Until your father says it's okay.'

Since there was no set time, Elise said it that way, but Dianas took it differently. She grinned and declared loudly,

'Got it! I'll ask Father if I can see Brother!'

'Wait, Dianas!?'

Before Elise could stop her, Dianas hopped off the sofa and left the living room with a light step. Elise watched her go, placing a hand on her cheek with a troubled expression.

Knock, knock, bang! The door opened, and Dianas came in. Dismaia, her father, who was surprised by her sudden entrance, looked down and saw the small visitor and relaxed his face with a smile.

'Dianas, just because you knock doesn't mean you can enter. You should wait for a response after knocking.'

'Got it!'

Dianas always responds well, but she will probably open the door as soon as she knocks next time too. Still, it's an improvement from before when she would open the door without knocking at all.

'Father, can I see Brother?'

The cuteness of Dianas tilting her head and asking made Dismaia almost nod, but he cleared his throat and regained his composure.

'Didn't your mother say no?'

'She did.'

'Then it's no.'

'But Mother said I could if Father said it was okay.'

'Ah...'

Recalling what Elise must have said, Dismaia scratched his head in frustration. He stood up, picked up Dianas, and looked her in the eye.

'Cain is reflecting on his actions. He's thinking about what he needs to do in the future, so you shouldn't disturb him.'

'Brother is reflecting.'

'That's right. Let's leave him alone, okay?'

'Okay!'

Dianas always responds well. After saying goodbye to her father and leaving the study, she made her way to the front of Cain's room. Delina, who was collecting laundry, saw Dianas standing in front of Cain's room and called out to her.

'Lady Dianas, you can't go into Lord Cain's room.'

'Got it!'

Dianas always responds well. Waving goodbye to Delina, Dianas started walking down the corridor. Delina, relieved that Dianas had left, turned to continue her work but then remembered something and turned back.

'Oh, Lady Dianas...'

But Dianas was already gone. The long, empty corridor stretched out before her.

'...Lady Dianas is so quick...'

In a sparsely decorated room with only a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf, Ilvareno sat on the bed. He had been reading a book but was distracted by something surprising.

'Il, shh!'

This was the servant's room next to the master's room. The duke's family, who lived in the mansion, were not supposed to enter... or so it was supposed to be. Dianas stood at the door, putting her index finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture. The entrance to the servant's room next to the master's private room was hidden to avoid being seen by guests or the masters and for safety reasons.

'Lady Dianas, how do you know how to enter this room?'

'Hehehe, I know everything!'

She struck a pose and said this. Ilvareno wondered who had influenced her and frowned. There was only one person he could think of who might have a bad influence on Dianas.

'You can't see Lord Cain.'

'Okay.'

Nodding, Dianas stood next to the bed and pointed to the wall, turning her face to Ilvareno with a smile.

'Open it!'

'How do you know this is the door to the next room...'

Sighing, Ilvareno stood next to Dianas and pulled the handle that was hidden and opened the door slightly. This was a sliding door, which was rare in the country's architectural style.

'We'll just peek. He's on probation, you know.'

'He's reflecting, right?'

'...Yeah, that's right.'

The two of them peeked into Cain's room through the narrow gap. In the dimly lit room with the curtains closed, Cain was sitting on the sofa, his head hanging down. They watched for a while, but Cain didn't move at all.

'Brother doesn't look well.'

'He must have done something and got scolded. I heard he got a good scolding from the lady.'

'He's reflecting because he got scolded?'

'Yeah.'

'He's not well because he got scolded.'

'Yeah.'

Dianas nodded in understanding. In her mind, reflecting meant not feeling well. When the reflection was over, she could play with Cain. So, if Cain felt better, she could play with him. That was her conclusion.

'I have to cheer Brother up!'

'What are you going to do?'

'I'm going to visit!'

Dianas walked briskly to the exit of the servant's room, and Ilvareno followed, checking the corridor before opening the door. They couldn't be seen entering or exiting the room.

'Il, keep this a secret, okay?'

Dianas put her index finger to her lips. However, when Dianas wandered around the mansion, Elise's maid usually followed her secretly. There was nothing really secret about Dianas's actions.

But there was nothing, right?

'That's strange... No one's around.'

'I came here by myself.'

They quietly stepped out into the corridor and looked left and right, but no one was there. Since Cain was on probation, no one came to the room except for Delina, who collected sheets and nightgowns, and the kitchen staff who delivered meals. However, Ilvareno couldn't sense the presence of the maid who was supposed to be following Dianas.

'You really came here alone? Did you leave your guardian behind?'

'I can do it if I try.'

Waving goodbye cheerfully, Dianas walked away. Ilvareno checked again to make sure no one was around, but it seemed no one was.

'Oh, come on!'

Ruffling his hair, Ilvareno followed Dianas quietly. Thank you for always being there. Dianas is the main character.