Chapter 51

"Mommy, is Arlo not coming tomorrow?"

This was the question Marievel had asked Cynthia countless, perhaps dozens of times, and Cynthia looked at Marievel, unsure of what to do.

Marievel was playing with toys, making clattering noises, next to where Cynthia was feeding Sophia.

"He's not coming. There's been no such notification."

"How can we make him come?"

She muttered, sounding bored.

"Marie, you really like Arlo, don't you?"

"Will he come if we have a party?"

"Arlo has work, so it might be difficult."

"But he's only 8 years old?"

"Even children work sometimes."

The Zieg family, to which Arlo belonged, was relatively poor.

Since they couldn't use their assets for charitable causes, they occasionally took in orphans from the facility and gave them jobs.

Arlo was thought to be one of them.

"Then, how can I meet him?"

It had been nearly two weeks, yet Marievel's persistence was remarkable.

"Hmm, I wonder what to do... "

Perhaps she wanted a friend her own age.

Cynthia was at a loss when she heard this.

Then, Marievel received some good news.

"Can we invite Regnart to our house again?"

Marievel perked up when she heard Eidan say this to Cynthia as he returned home.

"Arlo too?"

"He'll probably come. They're always together."

Eidan greeted the baby Sophia, who was in Cynthia's arms.

"Hi, Sophie."

"You're so unfair, big brother."

Eidan, who was unjustly accused, sighed and took off his school uniform. The uniform was just a cape-like garment, so it was easy to remove.

He handed it to Tan, who was behind him, and took Sophia from Cynthia.

It had become a recent routine for him to hold and dote on Sophia for a while after returning home.

Sophia's hair, curly like Cynthia's, was still short and curled.

Eidan, stroking the golden curls, relaxed his face.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

He rubbed his cheek against hers, and Sophia looked at him curiously.

"Marie wants to play with Arlo every day."

"Marie... We don't play. We don't even talk. What's so good about Arlo, anyway?"

"He's my friend."

"He's not your friend. He's my friend's attendant."

"He is my friend. Arlo said yes."

"Hey—"

"Alright, alright."

To prevent an argument in the entrance hall, Cynthia intervened.

"Let's have a snack. Tell Regnart he's welcome anytime."

"Okay."

"When will he come? Tomorrow?"

Marievel followed Eidan and Sophia, who started walking, at a quick pace.

"Hey, big brother! Tomorrow?"

"Not yet, I haven't decided."

"When will he come? Hey."

They left as a noisy group, bickering.

A few days later, Regnart visited the Pensilnia residence with Arlo.

"Thank you for inviting us again."

Regnart bowed deeply, and Cynthia spoke to him kindly.

"It's fine. Eidan told me. Marie has been waiting to play with Arlo. I'm glad you came."

Arlo, surprised to hear his name called, froze.

"Arlo, let's play!"

"Ah, yes."

Arlo glanced at Regnart.

"Go ahead. I'll be with the young master."

"Yes."

"Arlo, this way!!"

Marievel, looking happy, ran off, pulling Arlo's hand. It seemed they were going to play in the garden. Lena hurriedly followed them.

Cynthia, noticing Eidan's face, thought, "Oh."

He looked unusually unhappy as he watched Marievel and Arlo leave.

"Eidan? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing..."

It didn't look like "nothing."

Perhaps Eidan was upset that Marievel, who had always been attached to him, was now fond of another child.

Since school started, Eidan hadn't had much time to play with Marievel. Now that Arlo was playing with her, Marievel was probably happy.

Moreover, Eidan had recently been doting on Sophia, calling her "cute" and "adorable."

He had become so skilled at holding her, changing her diaper, and putting her to bed that he might be spending more time with Sophia than with Marievel.

Marievel didn't complain, but she might be feeling lonely.

After all, she was more attached to Eidan than to her parents.

When Marievel and Arlo were out of sight, Eidan headed to his room, as if changing his mood.

"Today, we're going to make a tiara with flowers."

Arlo nodded silently in response to Marievel's suggestion.

The flower field, which could be said to exist for Marievel, was a zone of grass and wildflowers that bloomed with the changing seasons.

It had a casual atmosphere, but it was actually meticulously managed, with no dangerous plants, a masterpiece of the gardener.

They played there for a while.

Making a flower crown was difficult for Marievel, but with Lena's help, Arlo skillfully created one.

When she put it on her head, Marievel looked very satisfied.

"Arlo, how does it look?"

"It's beautiful."

"Like a princess?"

"Yes."

The princess craze was still going strong, and Marievel laughed out loud.

"Oh, daddy!"

Marievel spotted a carriage entering the main gate and called out happily.

Lias was home earlier than usual.

Marievel ran to the carriage and jumped into Lias's arms as soon as he got out.

"Daddy, welcome home!"

"Welcome back, Marie. Did you play nicely?"

Lias hugged the small Marie tightly and looked into her eyes lovingly.

"Today, I played with Arlo!"

Lias's gaze turned to Arlo, who was introduced by Marievel and brought to the carriage.

Arlo, looking embarrassed, bowed his head and hunched his shoulders.

It wasn't very attendant-like.

His face was hidden by his hair, and his clothes were a bit dirty.

Perhaps the Zieg family didn't have the means to keep their servants' clothes in good condition.

Lias, perhaps thinking this, had been looking at Arlo with a scrutinizing gaze.

Marievel, noticing this, slapped Lias's cheek.

"Daddy, you have a bad face."

"Bad... face?"

He was often told he had a scary face, but never a bad one.

"Having a bad face is not good."

"I didn't have a bad face, did I?"

Marievel nodded, and Lias changed his expression to his usual smile.

"Since I came home early, let's have a snack together."

Lias expected Marievel to be delighted, but she froze at her next words.

"I'm fine, I'm with Arlo."

Lias followed Marievel's gaze to the boy.

"Arlo—?"

"Y-Yes..."

"How old are you?"

"8 years old."

His voice was soft. He was small and very thin, and compared to Eidan, he didn't look like he was the same age.

"When did you start working for the Zieg family?"

"A-About two years ago..."

His voice was hard to hear because he was looking down.

"You—"

"Stop it, daddy!"

Marievel shouted, and Lias's ears rang.

She struggled, and he put her down.

"Arlo doesn't like it!"

Marievel took Arlo's hand.

"Arlo makes Marie a princess!"

Lias's eyes widened.

"A princess... or a bride...?"

At 4 years old, Marievel often made mistakes in her words, but this was something that needed to be clarified.

At least, for Lias.

"Which one, Marie? —Marie!"

"Don't follow us!"

With that, Marievel ran off, pulling Arlo's hand.

"Marie—"

"Lias"

Lias, who had been about to chase after her, stopped at the sound of his name.

Cynthia, who had come to greet him, was holding Sophia and looked suspicious.

"Welcome home. Why are you shouting?"

"No, it's just... —Cynthia, which do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does Marievel think she wants to marry a boy named Arlo?"

Cynthia, either surprised or exasperated, opened her mouth slightly and paused.

"Lias, how old is Marievel?"

"4 years old."

"I don't know what she said, but it's just what a 4-year-old would say. Let's go inside."

Cynthia handed Sophia to Lias, who looked down at her with a lowered gaze.

"Sophia... Will you stay with daddy?"

Cynthia, not engaging further, went into the house.

From that day on, Regnart often visited the house with Arlo.

Eidan seemed to be at ease with Regnart.

Perhaps it was because Regnart's small baron family was relatively free from power struggles.

Eidan had some dealings with high-ranking nobles, but his interactions with Regnart increased to the point where they could be called friends.

When Arlo came, Marievel would stick to him and play. Seeing this, Cynthia began to frequently host tea parties to help Marievel make friends her own age.

With Sophia and Marievel in tow, the tea parties took on the appearance of a nursery.

A sort of "mama friends" group among the nobility was formed, discussing child-rearing and grievances about their husbands' families, which helped relieve their stress.

It turned into a good gathering in its own right.

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