Chapter 39

***

I couldn’t treat him the same just because he looked like Mikhail.

He is a person who is higher than my father, and above all, he is a grandfather.

Besides, this kind of thing has been repeated for several days, so now I just accept it.

‘Although, unlike Mikhail, he doesn’t suddenly enter my room.’

He just lures at me from outside the door.

“Today as well, you’re very……”

‘Very?’

I stare at him with a curious face, but Grand Duke Leventis doesn’t say anything.

‘I wonder why?’

I didn’t think he’s the type to evade the point, but he would often blur his next words whenever he looked at me only.

‘That’s why it’s even more uncomfortable.’

Why would you stop talking? It’s making me curious.

Just like his grandson, the grand duke would squat down as if folding his big body when he would approach me.

Well, even so, as a baby, I had to strain my neck to the highest point and look up.

“May I hug you?”

This behaviour was also similar to Mikhail.

The fact that you’re going to do it anyway, yet still ask…

Of course, I nodded because I don’t intend to abuse my neck.

There was no reason to refuse to play with him anyway.

What schedule would there be for a 16-month-old baby?

Grand Duke Leventis was tall and my vision widened when he hugged me.

Though he wasn’t as tall as my father, he was the second largest person I’ve ever hugged.

“You’re small.”

Excuse me, you said that yesterday and the day before as well, you know?

This grandfather-grandson is so rude.

It was even more strange because his eyes didn’t look displeased.

Although, I can’t be sure since it’s void of negative emotions.

How should I say this……

‘It’s the same eyes as my sister’s as she waits for snack time.’

The Grand Duke looked at me quietly then talked to the maid with indifferent eyes.

“Her clothes are too thin.”

“Are you thinking of taking the lady outside?”

When the Grand Duke nodded, the maids became rapidly busy.

“Please let her go for a while, I have to dress her up more tightly to get ready to go out.”

“That’s right, the youngest lady gets cold easily……”

I don’t get cold easily though…..

The maids seemed to have decided to assume that just because I trembled once when I took a bath last time.

The maids put on thick long socks, an inner dress over the pumpkin pants, and an outer dress on top of them.

That still wasn’t enough, they were relieved only after they put on a thick coat and even a cloak on me, only then was I released.

As for the Grand Duke.

“Not bad.”

He was looking at me with a face that seemed to say ‘it should be this much’.

……When did I get one more guardian?

* * *

The splitting of the morning and afternoon to spend time with the men of Leventis, came to an end as the anniversary of the seal approached.

I couldn’t find out the intention of Grand Duke Leventis till the end, but it’s fortunate he didn’t hate me or did something bad for the duchy. I was glad.

‘That’s because if it was something bad, I couldn’t have not noticed it.’

The seal’s anniversary was not as noisy as I thought.

My parents invited a priest from the temple to bless the mansion.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, is it a donation from here?”

The priest, who seemed to have quite the status, confirmed the donation as soon as he came.

‘What? Is it okay for a priest to first clarify the money segment like that?’

He was a very unpleasant person.

The priest arrogantly blessed the mansion all over, and he was very haughty as he demanded this and that.

Parents listened silently; they didn’t want to make a fuss during the holiday.

However, my displeasure really soared to its limits when the priest dealt with the two people of the Grand Duchy of Leventis.

He looked at the donations and jewelries prepared by Grand Duke for the celebration, then slightly clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.

“Well, I’m glad the Grand Duke didn’t forget to honor the lord.”

“It is natural for a resident of this continent to serve the lord.”

“That’s right, the lord is always looking out for the Grand Duchy.”

[tn: the word used for ‘looking’ here literally means ‘spying around’ or ‘keeping an eye on sth’]

The words never had a good nuance.

It wasn’t caring, it had the meaning of surveillance.

In particular, the gaze towards Mikhail was close to contempt, so I couldn’t help but wonder.

Even the boy, who was usually shameless to me, silently accepted the criticism as if it were natural in front of the priest.

‘What in the world?’

The priest even arrogantly put his hand on Mikhail’s forehead as if he did not want to touch him.

“The temple cannot help but respond to the sincerity of the Grand Duke. Particularly.”

He said so and used holy power on Mikhail.

‘Is he crazy?!’

I was astonished by the sight.

Mikhail has mana which has yet to be bloomed.

If you give holy power in that way to someone like him—

“Kgh……..”

It hurts a lot because the power collides!

The little boy gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

The priest looked at it and shook his head as if not pleased.

As if seeing a very pitiful and pathetic beast.

“The day will come when the lord will embrace the little duke.”

What kind of nonsense did I just hear?

Even though holy power was miniscule and you yourself didn’t even properly use that power, you’re blaming Mikhail?

“Although this side is originally hated by His Majesty the King.”

Suddenly, what the Grand Duke said to my parents on the day Leventis came to the duke’s residence, came to mind.

And so, I thought that the current situation might have something to do with those words.

* * *

Am I the only one who thinks it’s unfair?

No one pointed out the rudeness of that priest.

‘No, they probably didn’t know. The temple could’ve been only talking about their advantages.’

The Axion Empire may not know, but the Holy Land holds a great influence on the continent where the Parsian Kingdom is located.

Moreover, religion is a very sensitive topic regardless of where it is.

If one did something wrong, their neck could be taken under the name of the lord.

‘The temple might know that Mikhail has mana.’

But no matter how much I think about it, I don’t think those idiots who only have holy power will pay such close attention.

‘If it’s not that, there would be another reason.’

This smelled fishy.

There were a lot of cases where religion and power were stuck together.

‘It’s not a matter related to the duchy. It’s not, but….’

I didn’t want to just sit quietly and watch.

Although they were doing whatever they wanted, Mikhail was like an older brother, and Grand Duke Leventis also treated me like his granddaughter.

I wasn’t a fool to the point where I didn’t even notice that.

That’s why the two were like family to me.

But this temple people bully such people, then just take your money and leave them alone?

You can’t do that.

Anyway, with such measly holy power like that, you wouldn’t notice even if I tried magic.

‘They’re temple guys, yet to think they sent such trivial things to the duchy.’

It’s even more disgusting!

While receiving money like that!

I quietly got angry and decided to play a minor prank that won’t harm the duchy or grand duchy.

“Hm, hm, the tea doesn’t taste bad.”

The priest reached out to the teapot to drink his third cup of tea after drinking two cups of tea, each with expensive leaves.

He showed his greed for it not to be taken away by anyone, perhaps because he remembered that there was only one cup left.

“U, urgh!”

And the moment he grabbed the teapot and tried to pour, his hand slipped very slightly.

“Hic, ho, hot……….!”

That way the tea would be poured in the center between his legs.

A white priest’s rope that did not suit him, a person with such greed, was now colored with tea color.

Like a person who was rude regardless of where he is.

“Hurry, hurry and prepare the bath.”

My mother was kind enough to ask to get water for the priest, but the priest jumped up as if he didn’t want to stay any longer, perhaps because of the shame.

“It’s, it’s alright! Since my work is over, I have to go back to the temple to fulfill my duty as a servant of the lord.”

He said so, and he also let out some nonsense as if it was the call of the lord to return to the temple quickly.

Instead of a bath, the servants hurriedly brought cold water and poured it between his legs.

It was supposed to help, but thanks to that, the tea water spread in a yellowish color and turned into a more rude appearance.

‘Hmph, this won’t work.’

That jerk surely still went somewhere else as well and did something wrong several times.

I used magic lightly agai.

“Squeak!”

Trying to leave the drawing room, he tore his toes strongly on the threshold even before taking a couple of steps.

It would’ve hurt a lot even if he was wearing shoes.

Because he was moving his feet vigorously to get out in a hurry.

“Are you okay….?”

My father looked at him with a concerned face.

The priest tried hard to smile and nodded.

“It… it seems that the Lord is angry because I didn’t go back to the temple quickly.”

As if trying to save face as a priest until the end, he did not forget to make excuses.

When the priest left, the knights who followed and the apprentice priests all looked at him with a curious face.

Of course they will, since he was limping and they couldn’t ask about his robes which were an embarrassing sight.

‘Although I’m sure he wants to shout out that the duchy is cursed.’

If he did, it would have only ruined his face.

Because it was none other than himself who blessed the duchy.

The priest tried to say his goodbye with a smiling face until the end.

“Th-Then. If you need help again next time, please call me anytime. The lord will not turn away from those who have shown sincerity.”

He even made an obvious push for a donation.

He hasn’t come to his senses. I see.

That’s why I, for the last time, gave him a nice gift.

“………Uh.”

“Gasp.”

Surprised exclamations spread out everywhere.

And…

“My, my wig……..!”

His companion, which was filling the top of his head, was blown away by the wind and began a long journey.