Chapter 8

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Nicholas first went to apologize to Lea.

“I lied to you, Lea. I’m sorry. I didn’t go to Mr. Tom’s place much. I was actually sharpening a dagger by the water lilies,” Nicholas said dejectedly, surprising Lea.

(Sharpening a dagger? With these small hands? He probably doesn’t even have a whetstone, and I doubt he knows how to sharpen it.)

Lea, who still didn’t fully understand Nicholas, concluded that it wasn’t a big deal and gently hugged him.

“I see. Master Nicholas is such an honest person, so you told me the truth. Thank you. I’m happy to be your maid.”

Saying this, she took a small package from her pocket and handed it to him, saying, “This is a reward for your honesty.”

“These are the sweets the servants eat, so they might not be as delicious as what you usually have.”

Nicholas opened the twisted paper and took a simple cookie into his mouth. It was crunchy with roasted nuts and very fragrant, and it tasted delicious.

“It’s delicious.”

“Please cheer up.”

With Lea’s encouragement, Nicholas headed to his parents next.

Marianne thought, (He must have done something) as soon as she saw Nicholas enter the room.

She placed Nicholas on her lap, encouraging him to speak.

“Something happened, didn’t it? Take your time and tell us everything. No matter how long it takes, your mother and I will listen until the end.”

Encouraged by his mother, Nicholas finally began to speak.

It all started two months ago on his brother’s birthday. The gifts from his parents were many books, a stack of white paper, paints, and brushes.

From his paternal grandparents and uncle, the king and queen, he received a horse, luxurious clothes, and real gemstone cufflinks for future use. From his maternal grandfather, he received a fine letter set.

All were splendid gifts, but none captured Nicholas’s interest.

However, his maternal great-grandfather gave Harold a beautiful dagger with gems. Nicholas thought it was a wonderful gift.

When his own birthday came the following month, everyone gave him almost the same things as his brother. Nicholas was excited, thinking he would receive a dagger from his great-grandfather, but what he got was a mountain of building blocks.

Seeing his great-grandfather smiling and saying, “Nicholas will surely create wonderful works!” Nicholas couldn’t show his disappointment and proudly displayed a complex castle he had built.

But he really wanted the dagger.

So when he was allowed to borrow the dagger, he was genuinely happy. His mother even said, “Now you’re part of the heroes.”

Nicholas thought a real hero must have a real dagger. He learned how to sharpen it by watching Mr. Tom. Mr. Tom said he would give him a whetstone if his father allowed it.

But Nicholas wanted to enter the secret passage when he turned six. Once he entered, he would have to return the dagger to his brother. He couldn’t wait for his father’s permission. So he got a whetstone from the kitchen.

He wanted to enter the secret passage, have a real dagger, and become a real hero. He couldn’t give up any of these things.

“So I secretly sharpened the dagger.”

Nicholas took a long time to explain everything to his parents.

Alexandre, looking at the partially sharpened dagger, listened to his second son’s confession and realized he hadn’t understood this three-year-old.

Nicholas was smart in some ways like an adult, but he also had the heart of a typical three-year-old. Alexandre had never seen this imbalance in his heart before.

Because of this, he should have paid more attention to Nicholas’s young side, Alexandre reflected.

On the other hand, Marianne was thinking about her own parents, especially her mother. She realized how much her mother must have struggled raising her.

Indeed, there are things you only understand after raising a child, she thought, hugging her teary-eyed child on her lap.

“Still,”

“Still,”

They both said the same thing at the same time and smiled wryly at each other.

“I’m really glad you didn’t get hurt. With your small hands, you might have slipped and cut off a finger.”

“Yes. If you had accidentally injured your wrist in a place where no one could see, it could have been life-threatening.”

They both sighed deeply with relief.

The dagger was returned to Harold after Nicholas agreed to have its blade dulled again.

Seeing the returned dagger, Harold thought, (Hmm? It looks a bit different?), but since his brother was apologizing, he decided it wasn’t worth worrying about. He was generally easygoing.

When they entered the master bedroom, Alexandre had a distant look in his eyes.

“Raising children is difficult. Everything is something we have to learn for the first time. It will probably always be like this.”

“I’m also worried about Harold. Nicholas could explain his feelings in a structured and accurate way, but not everyone can do that.”

“Yes, that’s true. We need to work together to watch over our children.”

Marianne was grateful to have a husband who always considered the children as his own.