Chapter 09: Father’s Friends

Although Sebas had said that I couldn’t start my magic training until I was 10, this incident was a good chance for to me to realise that I had magic.

It was as if there were two of me overlapping with each other and it felt strange as if the other me was flowing out and fading away. That was probably because I shouldn’t let it flow out too much. I thought as I watched brother’s training and I discovered that some kind of power was indeed surrounding brother.

Is it spinning? In other words, that might be the flow being controlled. Perhaps, it’s like pulling out thin threads from chunks of wool that were like yarn.

I get the image. For now, I’ll wait until I turn 10.

Why was I born with my memories? Why wasn’t I reincarnated in Japan? Those questions arose in my mind.

When I was still a baby, I thought I was reincarnated to save the body and mind of Leila. But now it’s different. I wonder if I was called here because there’s something I must do. To channel my power into the barrier?

“Lei looks serious. Lei, what’s wrong?”

“Aai, emm, Lei, deo.”

I couldn’t say what I must do with a baby’s mouth.

“Do you want to train your magic circulation too? You can’t. Otou-sama.”

“Hmm, you should give up on this until you’re 10.”

I sighed. I knew he would say the same thing as Sebas. It’s not like I’m a Hero who has something they must do just because I was reincarnated.The only thing I have to do now that I’ve been reborn is to enjoy life to the fullest. That’s enough. I answered obediently, “Aai.”

“Good girl.”

The two smiled gently at my reply.

Sebas, who happened to pass by, gently looked at this scene.

Come to think of it, Hannah is my caretaker, so she’s always with me. Sebas told me that he had hired her because she was close to me in age at 15 and because she took care of her younger brothers and sisters, so she had experience.

Her dark blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail at the back of her head, and she had dark blue eyes; an energetic and cute kid. She would come to my room when I woke up, took care of all my needs from changing my clothes to feeding me and she would watch over me so that I wouldn’t do anything crazy; she looked as if she had fun working.

Martha doesn’t come anymore. I didn’t need to be given milk anymore at the age of one, so she went back to her regular servant work. Hannah told me this when I looked lonely.

“Even so, I heard that she was able to build a small house because she received a lot of allowance for feeding you milk.”

“Aai.”

I’m glad. If Martha hadn’t been here, then I might have grown up really lonely, even if I did have an adult mind.

When I turned one, I could walk around, so my range of activities increased by a little. I was still faster when I crawled, but this meant that I could go to more places.

I, who was born in January, was able to walk after a year and after spring came, I was able to walk steadily. When the weather was nice out, my daily routine was to take walks outside with Hannah. I had already stopped wearing baby clothes and diapers and tottered around the garden in an easy-to-move-in dress.

I actually wanted to walk briskly, but I couldn’t ignore my development phase. It wasn’t like I wanted to be superwoman, so I was enjoying my baby life.

“Our Leila-sama is really an angel,” a maid said to Hannah.

“Of course. Her sheer blonde hair was so puffy that day, it was quite cute, right? Her light violet eyes are just like the night sky, and she tries so hard to move her small arms and legs. Besides, when she’s cheeky it’s just ugh,” Hannah replied with great vigour.

Yes, they had neglected me so much before, but I now advanced to being the sister that is cherished by her brother and in the process, became father’s beloved daughter. Apparently, I became the idol who brought light back into the gloomy Marquis House.

“Even so, I wonder why they aren’t celebrating her one year debut,” Hannah said curiosity.

Woah. A debut, is it? I pricked my ears to listen.

“I heard rumours like, ‘It seems like he doesn’t want to show anyone his important daughter’ and ‘Is the Lady that beautiful?’.”

“Well!”

“People also seem to be saying that he doesn’t recognise her as a daughter because he’s been neglecting her so much.”

Apparently, maids knew a lot about the rumour mills. I thought it was amusing because a one-year-old baby couldn’t possibly be a beautiful lady. It was true that I was neglected, so I guess the rumours from my first six months are still going around.

“Yeah. Master was a little cold when I first came here, but now he’s really fond of her.”

“I know, right? I’m sure he doesn’t want to do her debut because she’s just too important to him. Aah.”

I raised my face when I heard ‘aah’ and saw father walking towards us.

“Tousyama!”

I hobbled, but did my best to walk towards him and father walked quickly towards us and scooped me up.

“Lei, I’m home.”

“Wew-ome ome.”

Father raised me up and hugged me tightly.

“Hey, oi. You really Dean? Are you sure you’re not something that’s wearing Dean’s skin?”

“Shut up. You’re saying insulting things for someone who’d just decided to follow me home.”

“So this is your rumoured daughter? Show her to me.”

“I won’t. She’ll get pregnant if she sees someone from the Lisburn House.”

“You’re kidding me.”

Apparently, we have a guest. They seem pretty close.

“Lei.”

“Niini.”

Brother is with them too. Then I have to go to brother. Brother is the best after all. Father put me down, and I clung to brother’s waist.

“Lei, I’m home.”

“Wew-ome ome.”

“Were you a good girl?”

“Aai.”

I can talk smoothly like this now.

“So this is the sister that Luke is so proud of.”

“Ay!”

A boy whose voice was breaking spoke. When I quietly separated from brother’s legs, I saw a boy with black hair, who was still a child yet in the process of becoming an adult, and he was looking down at me. His eyes were so blue that they could have been mistaken for a summer sky.

“Ooh, you’re exactly like Luke. So this is the Marquis’ cherished child?”

I tilted my head in doubt. It was said that it was enough for one child to be born with violet eyes each generation, but there were two of us. Well, put badly, our house had a spare. But, it wasn’t to the point that I could be called a cherished child. The boy stretched his hands out to me.

“You coming?”

“Nah.”

I clung to brother.

“Lei……” Brother sounded as if he was troubled, but he is definitely happy.

“How about it? Want to give her to my House?”

“I refuse. Lei won’t be a bride to anyone.”

What are these fathers saying behind us? It sounds like something a doting father would say.

“Lei, let’s go play over there.”

“I guess I’ll come too.”

“Aai.”

I’ll go anywhere with brother.