Chapter 10

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"Mom, look!"

Young Rize, with her chubby cheeks, held out something that looked like a marble to her mother.

"I made this!"

"Let me see," her mother said with a smile, but then froze as she took it.

The young Rize, using her clumsy words, tried her best to explain.

She had made a pure magic stone, as taught by her grandmother.

She had been praised for it, told that it was amazing.

She had been told that she had a talent for it.

Her mother, who had never been able to make a pure magic stone and had been deemed untalented by her grandmother, could no longer love her daughter at that moment.

She began to assign Rize all the chores, and years passed.

After that—

Artemisia and her parents, after wasting days on chores, finally realized:

"...We can't run the household without Rize."

"There's something we need her to make, and we need it now!"

"We have to find a way to bring Rize back."

They all agreed.

The younger daughter of the Rivière Magic Tool Shop was considered useless and a troublemaker.

That's why they needed Rize to spend her life in a convent.

They couldn't have a daughter who was better than her parents.

They had to make it as if the younger sister, who had been making magic tools in place of her older sister, never existed.

"But how? They said we have to go through the court."

"How many months will that take!? If we drag out the negotiations, it'll be over!"

The deadlines for several projects had already been missed.

Since the items they handled were all high-priced, one-of-a-kind pieces or mass-produced, the compensation costs were piling up.

The magic tool requested by the prince wasn't yet in a critical stage, but if things continued like this, it could lead to the cancellation of the engagement.

"We have to find a way to bring her back!"

"But how?"

"That's what we need to figure out!"

After much deliberation, they decided to resort to illegal means.

They turned to the underground organization that controlled the area where the magic tool shop was located, begging them to bring Rize back at any cost.

They were charged an exorbitant fee, but they managed to secure a promise that she would be brought back safely.

"Come back... quickly..."

"We can't do without her, even if she's a troublemaker."

"If the dress isn't ready, the engagement will be canceled!"

The three of them prayed desperately.

***

It had been a while since I became Felirus's walking partner.

Every day, I was treated to delicious food, walked around the garden, and played fetch with Felirus's sticks.

The monotonous days—

were actually... fun!!

Since I had been doing chores all my life, the days of doing nothing but playing were a refreshing change for me.

The garden, filled with colorful flowers, was beautiful, the sky was blue, and the cold water tasted good.

I felt like I had become very healthy.

Even though my magic burn hadn't healed yet, I felt energetic enough.

I could go back home without needing to recuperate at the duke's house.

But, to be honest, I didn't want to go back.

Because the food was delicious!

The dog was cute!

Everyone was nice!

No one hit me!

Just thinking about going back home made me feel unhealthy again.

But I couldn't keep being so spoiled.

Since I wasn't very reliable as Felirus's walking partner, I really wanted to do more work.

My small worries were completely blown away by the delicious-looking snacks that appeared during tea time.

"What's this!? It's so delicious! I want to know how to make it!"

"It's sweet and sour and amazing!"

Felirus agreed loudly, so I glanced at my feet.

"...Felirus, you can eat strawberries and cream?"

"I'm fine! I'm a spirit, not a wolf! I love sweets!"

Felirus howled.

The duke, who was sitting across from us, watched our noisy behavior with no interest, but he turned his head a few millimeters towards Pierre.

"Pierre, go ask for the recipe."

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, sorry, I don't really need to know it, I just thought it would be nice to make it myself if I go back home!"

"There are no plans to send you back."

"Ah, yes."

The duke always appears, speaks, and falls silent abruptly.

Today, there was no plan for tea time, but the duke came, and preparations began suddenly.

The duke continued calmly, despite my awkwardness.

"Do you like the food here?"

"Y-Yes! Very much!"

"I heard you like meat."

"Hahaha, yes, I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I'm a girl and I like meat..."

"Don't worry about it. Rize, you should eat more. Red meat from birds and beasts is more nutritious, but poultry is fine too. Eat as much as you want."

It's really nice that the duke tries to get me to eat various things, but it's a bit mysterious...

While the conversation was lagging, and I was staring at Felirus, Pierre came back. I was relieved.

"Today's dessert is strawberry cream. Mix whipped cream and sugar in a 6:1 ratio, cook it down, add plenty of mashed strawberries, and let it cool slightly before setting it with rennet. You can shape it as you like using gauze."

"Can you repeat the second part?"

"You don't need to remember it."

The duke looked a bit displeased.

"If you want to eat it, just have the chef make it whenever you like. Or is there something you're dissatisfied with about my house?"

"N-No, not at all! I'm being treated so well, I feel really guilty..."

I suddenly understood my feelings.

Maybe I was afraid that this happiness would disappear.

I was, after all, the daughter of a magic tool shop, and I had been helping with the family business since I was little. That wouldn't change in the future.

My sister and parents were family, so no matter where I went, I couldn't escape.

One day, I would be brought back and return to the harsh daily routine of making magic tools.

"The duke's house... is really fun. There's lots of delicious food, Felirus is cute, and playing with him is very soothing. But... I realize that the world I live in is different from mine."

I felt sad saying it.

But this is reality, and I have to accept it.

"Thank you for showing me such a wonderful dream. My magic burn seems to have improved a lot, so I'm ready to go back home anytime."

"That's why I said I have no intention of sending you back."

The duke narrowed his eyes.

"If you have no complaints, that's fine. Tomorrow is the engagement."

I was surprised, but Felirus, who was at my feet, was even more shocked.

"Engagement uuuuuu!?"

Felirus clung to the duke's knees with his front paws.

"Master!? I won't allow it! A scrawny little girl like her becoming my boss!!"

"Then go back to the wild."

"Master nnnnnn!!"

I was also panicking.

"B-But, I don't know anything about the duke, and I don't even know if I like him..."

"When did I say anything like that?"

"...Huh?"

The duke continued calmly.

"The quickest way to take you away from your family is through engagement and marriage."

"...I see."

Oh no, I misunderstood, how embarrassing...

"Are you dissatisfied?"

"N-No, not at all!"

The duke, eating the strawberry cream, said casually:

"If you don't want to be engaged to me, think of a way to stand on your own as soon as possible. The custody laws in our country are unjustly strong. Your parents can legally hit you under the guise of discipline, but if you hit back, you'll face severe punishment."

"Duke..."

He had noticed that I was often hit by my sister and parents.

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