Chapter 69

Thank you for always reading.

Early in the morning at the Elgrandark residence, in front of the main gate, three children in sports uniforms were lined up doing exercises.

"Raise your arms up from the front and stretch—"

"one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight"

"Spread your legs wide and do some leg stretches—"

"one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight"

"Deana, are you warming up?"

"Yes!"

Deana was wearing a light green sports uniform with a scarf wrapped around her neck, a knitted scarf with pom-poms that Cain had made. Since she didn't seem to be taking off the scarf, her body probably wasn't as warm as she claimed.

"Then, let's run."

"Run?"

"Yes, let's run."

They started running slowly to build up stamina. Deana, who had initially thought that something fun would start after running, ran happily at first. However, by the time they reached the back gate, she was out of breath, and by the time they returned to the main gate, she realized there was no fun element and sat down.

"You're not playing! You lied, big brother!"

"I didn't lie. I didn't say we would play from the morning, Irvaleeno."

"That's so unfair!"

Despite being out of breath and tired, Deana stomped her feet energetically. Cain and Irvaleeno, thinking she still had energy, said, "Then we'll run one more lap," and started running again.

Since it was early in the morning, the guard at the main gate was not Arnoldia and Sarasinia, but a knight named Viviradia. Viviradia often guarded from late night to early morning, so he hardly knew Deana. He thought about greeting her to pass the time until the two boys returned, but he couldn't think of what to say to a little girl like her. He was a young knight who had just come to the capital to serve the Duke's family after becoming a knight in his territory. He had no children and, being the eldest son, no nieces or nephews. He had no idea how to handle a small child. He wanted to be a conversation partner to pass the time, but he was afraid of making her cry if he said something wrong. However, he couldn't bear the silence until the two boys returned. What should he do?

While raising and lowering his hands, searching for words, Viviradia was suddenly stood up by Deana, who had been sitting in front of him. She turned around and took the pose of a lady's greeting.

"Good morning. My name is Deana. It's nice to meet you. May I ask your name?"

Viviradia was taken aback by the sudden, proper lady's greeting from the little girl in a sports uniform. He instinctively took the knight's salute, which he had learned first when joining the territory's knight corps, by grabbing his right wrist with his left hand and placing his right fist on his chest, straightening his back.

"My name is Viviradia Randalus. Miss Deana, it's an honor to meet you."

Deana, who had received a proper response, huffed and puffed, her nose flaring. The lady's greeting was ruined. She seemed satisfied that she wasn't treated like a child and received a proper response. This led to a conversation about trivial matters, and before they knew it, the two boys had completed a lap and returned.

Viviradia turned his body toward the direction from which the two boys were coming and opened his palm, ready to high-five. Cain and Irvaleeno, as they passed by, high-fived Viviradia, making a satisfying sound. Deana, seeing this, widened her eyes.

"What's that! What's that! I want to do it too! I want to high-five too!"

"No, you can't. Only those who have completed a lap can do it."

Viviradia was about to bend down to high-five Deana, but Cain stopped him. Viviradia, in an awkward position, wiggled his fingers and looked in a different direction, trying to straighten his posture.

"Then, I'll run too!"

"Are you already recovered? Can you run?"

"I can run!"

Cain and Irvaleeno, who had been jogging on the spot, started running again with Deana in the middle. In the end, while Cain and Irvaleeno ran 10 laps, Deana ran 3 laps with breaks. She seemed to enjoy the high-fives and the secret talks during the run, so she started participating in the morning run from the next day (sometimes skipping).

One morning at breakfast, Dismaia asked Cain a serious question.

"Cain, do you have a favorite girl?"

"Deana."

"Deana likes big brother too!"

Deana, who said she liked him, made Cain's face soften. He put down his fork and stroked Deana's head. Deana, enjoying the head pat, leaned in, inviting more.

"Cough. Eat your breakfast properly. ...I mean, do you have anyone in mind for a marriage partner, Cain?"

"Among the women I know, only the ladies from the embroidery club, so there's no one my age."

"O-oh, I see. I see."

Dismaia, who had been thinking about stopping Deana's engagement to the crown prince, remembered that Cain was the heir to the Duke's family. In the game, there was no talk of breaking the engagement in Cain's route, so he thought there was no engagement until he had been in school for three years. However, it was indeed unlikely that there was no talk at all. Perhaps the game's Cain had a strained relationship with his parents and rejected all the marriage proposals.

"For example, for example, not immediately, but do you have any preferences for a wife, Cain?"

"Someone who loves Deana and doesn't get jealous even if I prioritize Deana."

Dismaia, with a dark look, squished the yolk of his fried egg and muttered.

"At least you're willing to marry someone other than Deana..."

Due to illness, I will take a break from updates tomorrow and the day after. I'm sorry.