Chapter – 17
“!”
At that moment, the shop clerks huddled nervously in a corner, trembling.
Why on earth had that rogue appeared in a doll shop? Was he planning to sweep everything away? Could it be that he came to destroy everything in the store?
As all the clerks froze, too scared to approach Leo, one finally summoned the courage to step toward Leo and Crobie.
“D-Do you… need some help?”
Crobie glanced at the clerk briefly before turning back to Leo.
“So, what would you like to buy? If you get all the types, Erusha would be really happy!”
“Buy this?”
“You wouldn’t?”
Right. Why had he come here in the first place?
The trashy dolls in Erusha’s room kept haunting his mind, and the doll shop had just happened to catch his eye. Now that he had confirmed there were perfectly fine dolls here, there was no need to linger.
Leo picked up a doll he had set down—a girl with purple eyes and hair, resembling Erusha. As he stared at the doll, her words suddenly came back to him:
“Erusha, it hurts. Grandfather kept bowing. Backjakka… sorry, sorry…”
“Erusha is upset.”
“Why would a child be upset over something like that?”
The more he thought about it, the more unpleasant the feeling became. His grip tightened on the doll. The clerks, witnessing this, covered their mouths in shock. A doll worth more than a carriage was being crushed in the hands of a rogue.
Leo quickly turned around.
“Let’s go.”
“Eh? You’re just leaving? Weren’t you here to buy Erusha’s doll?”
Crobie hesitated, looking between Leo’s retreating figure and the purple-eyed doll he had been handling, before sprinting after him.
“I don’t like this.”
I paced within the garden, deep in thought.
I was certain Limerick Bray was deliberately neglecting my lessons. But why? Was he even a real tutor?
I remembered how unhappy Abby was when a tutor was assigned for me. If it were Leo, he might have hired a con artist and passed them off as my tutor.
“I wonder when Evott will arrive.”
As I thought this, I hopped over the red bricks scattered across the garden floor—one hop with one foot, another with the other.
I had already asked Evott to investigate Limerick, so once she returned, I would get some answers.
“This place is nice.”
I looked up at the garden around me. High stone walls surrounded it, allowing me free time without being seen.
The original Erusha had been afraid to leave her room, but I needed to move around secretly; otherwise, I would go stir-crazy.
If no one came for days, I decided to claim this garden as my secret space.
For now, I wanted to avoid running into the Shablin family. Until the rogue Abby was somewhat “reformed,” encountering my relatives would bring more harm than good.
As I hopped along, an ominous low voice reached my ears.
“Th-This guy… why is he here?”
“?”
I froze, as if struck by lightning, and turned to see the Shablin Duke and Nocturne standing there.
“Ha… Harabuddy?”
Schurmann glared at me with a terrifying look.
“I told you never to let that rogue brat cross my eyes again.”
“Rogue brat?” That “brat”? The one they call “stupid brat”?
I couldn’t believe it. Even though I had done nothing and just been seen, I would be scolded and branded with a shameful nickname.
My grandfather glared at me, then abruptly turned away. Watching him retreat left me feeling as if time had stopped.
Even though the Colson family had good news recently, his dissatisfaction with Leo had not diminished in the slightest. At this rate, being chased out and dying, as in the original story, seemed inevitable.
Then Nocturne, who had been silently observing me, stepped forward. He spoke in a cold, matter-of-fact tone.
“This is a cherished space the Duke uses whenever he wishes to contemplate in solitude.”
“Guratna?”
“Yes. All members of the Shablin Duke household intentionally avoid this area. However, it seems the lady has intruded, which has angered the Duke.”
“I didn’t know…”
Nocturne looked down at me with a gaze that seemed to say, ‘Of course you wouldn’t know.’ There was no pity or sympathy for a child in his eyes.
I looked back at Nocturne. He was essentially a mastermind. He despised Leonardo more than anyone else and wished to remove him from the line of succession.
I wondered if Nocturne’s opinion of Leo might change if Leo improved, but now it seemed unlikely.
Hmm… could it be that Nocturne was the one who killed Leo in the original story?
The carriage attack on Abby and me after being exiled from the Duke’s estate seemed too suspicious to be an accident. But in the original story, Leo’s death wasn’t considered a pivotal event, so no further explanation was given.
The key is that Abby has many enemies within the family—not just Nocturne. I must remain cautious.
Of course, while remaining cautious, I also needed to extract any advantage possible.
Suddenly, an idea struck me. I clasped my hands together with a pitiful expression and teared up.
“Erusha, how can I get recognized…”
“Hmm.”
“How can I get your recognition from Harabuddy?”
If I asked Nocturne, he would suggest something impossible. And that was precisely the correct approach.
To gain my grandfather’s approval, I needed to accomplish something truly impossible. Only then would he recognize my worth to the family. No advice from anyone else would suffice; Nocturne’s insight would be the most accurate.
“Hmm.”
Nocturne rested one hand on his chin, seemingly reluctant, yet giving the impression he was at least thinking.
I watched him with wide, expectant eyes.
Finally, Nocturne spoke.
“Well… unless you are admitted to the So Genius Academy, hmm…”
“So Genius?” I asked.
Nocturne gave a faint, mocking smirk.
“I mean the So Genius Academy. In the Empire, it’s extremely difficult to admit even ten students a year. Only the geniuses among geniuses can attend. The Duke wishes for at least one of his direct descendants to be admitted. The lady probably didn’t know this.”
“….”
Nocturne’s gaze seemed to mock me.
“Unfortunately, the Shablin household has never produced a So Genius graduate. To fulfill this wish, young Master Oscar continues to dedicate himself tirelessly to his studies.”
“Is that so…”
I blinked blankly, but inside I was thrilled.
So Genius Academy… why hadn’t I thought of this before?
The academy was the empire’s foremost institution for prodigies, unmatched by any other school.
Five years later, Oscar would gain admission. His effort to enter the academy was entirely to fulfill the grandfather’s dream.
However, by the time the acceptance letter arrived, Schurmann was already unconscious. He would never know that one of his descendants had finally succeeded in entering the academy.
