chapter 12
“You shouldn’t point at people. And instead of calling it ‘training,’ how about saying you’ll help him?”
“Then help!”
“That’s a very good idea.”
Muniel patted Nivellia’s head, pleased.
Nivellia puffed up with pride and declared her ambitions.
“Hierarchy is important! I’ll show him how scary I am so he doesn’t try to climb over me. Nini will properly keep him in line!”
“You mean you’ll stay by his side and help him adjust, right?”
“The battlefield was the problem…”
Ardorez muttered regretfully to himself.
In any case, since things had turned out this way, they decided to have the children introduce themselves on the spot.
First, the composed Soles spoke.
“I’m Soles, I’m 10 years old. Let’s get along well.”
“N-nice to meet you…”
The boy hesitantly took Soles’ outstretched hand. Soles smiled warmly.
Next was Nivellia.
“Nini! Four years old!”
“You’re holding up five fingers.”
“Oh.”
At Soles’ remark, Nivellia quickly folded one finger down.
“Nini is earning money. I’m working hard to hunt so I can feed the wolf.”
She said it while staring straight at the boy.
“…For me?”
The boy asked, flustered.
Being around Nivellia always left him confused and dumbfounded. Why was she going this far to take care of him?
“I’ll earn lots of money! So you better listen to me!”
Nivellia boasted—conveniently leaving out the part about her debt.
“And this is Dether. Nini’s subordinate.”
“You shouldn’t refer to a person as ‘this,’ young lady. And it’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Wolf.”
Dether lightly held her black maid skirt and bowed politely.
Lastly, it was the boy’s turn.
“…Wolf. I’m 8 years old.”
“So you’re going along with Nini in the end?”
Soles gave a wry smile, saying he didn’t need to do that. Beside him, Nivellia glared at her brother with a betrayed expression.
But the boy shook his head.
“‘Wolf’ is fine. Really.”
“Hmm…”
Soles realized that the boy in front of him was kind—someone considerate of others.
“Then how about choosing a name that includes ‘wolf’?”
“……”
“Nini’s real name is Nivellia, and it means ‘white cat.’ It would be nice if you had a name like that too.”
“Then why not go to the library?”
Ardorez suggested, watching the chatting children with a pleased smile.
“Since we’re going anyway, you can also look around the main house. You’ll be visiting often from now on. Nini, you can teach him well, right?”
“I can!”
“Then let’s make that your final task to pay off your debt.”
And just like that, Nivellia’s final labor to repay her 1.28 million Uba debt was decided.
Nivellia and Soles immediately took the boy to the main house.
Following Ardorez’s suggestion, they began introducing the mansion.
“Here! Nini sometimes lies down and takes naps here. It’s warm, so it’s nice.”
“To be precise, it’s the hallway in front of the living room. Only Nini lies there. That room is where the family gathers to relax, so you can hang out there with us from now on.”
“The living room is where the family gathers!”
“Grandma named it that, and now everyone calls it that.”
As Nivellia gave a very subjective tour, Soles added proper explanations.
The boy quietly listened to both of them.
The living room, reception room, dining hall, study—
And finally, they arrived at their destination: the library.
Nivellia tapped on the closed door.
“This is the library.”
“……”
For the first time, curiosity flickered in the boy’s red eyes. Nivellia noticed immediately.
“Wolf, do you want to go in?”
“N-no…”
The boy shook his head, forced to confess something embarrassing.
“I can’t read.”
“Nini can’t either!”
Nivellia shouted so confidently that the boy, who had been ashamed of his illiteracy, ended up feeling awkward instead.
“Then how about learning to read this time?”
Soles suggested.
“Studying is fun. Just knowing how to read and write opens up endless possibilities.”
“My big brother is smart, so he’s mostly right. You should study too, Wolf!”
“Nini should study too.”
“Oh?”
Caught off guard, Nivellia made an innocent face.
The boy found it oddly amusing—but kept it to himself.
“Our Nini, how old are you now?”
“Four.”
“And you’re going to earn money, right?”
“Yes!”
At the mention of money, Nivellia’s expression turned serious.
“I need to earn money to feed and take care of the wolf.”
“……”
Why does she keep talking like she’s going to raise me?
The boy stared at her, baffled.
What was even stranger was that everyone in this house accepted the absurd ambition of this little child as if it were completely natural.
As if they truly believed she could raise him.
…Ah.
Did I come here as this kid’s pet?
Then I have to do as I’m told.
Only then did everything make sense to the boy.
The orphanage hadn’t taught the children much—but it had taught them to read the room, so he understood the situation clearly.
Meanwhile, Soles continued explaining to Nivellia why she needed to learn to read.
“If you can read, you can keep account books yourself and read contracts. Reading is essential for earning money.”
“Dether will do all that.”
The children all turned to look at Dether.
Standing quietly behind Nivellia, she let out a soft “Oh my,” and smiled slyly.
“In that case, I could steal your shop later, young lady. Since you can’t read, you wouldn’t notice what kind of lies I’d use.”
That’s not something you say to a four-year-old.
But that’s Dether for you.
Soles glanced at Nivellia.
As expected—
“…I’ll do it.”
Sensing danger, Nivellia suddenly declared,
“Nini will learn to read too!”
Nivellia Dayamor.
Her very first declaration to study.
In truth, it wasn’t that Nivellia had never learned anything.
Ever since she decided to earn money at the age of two, she had built knowledge by listening to the adults.
“Many a little makes a mickle—let’s start by filling a piggy bank.”
“Oh, you’ve saved quite a bit. Want to entrust it to Dad?”
“Nini, where’s the money you saved in your piggy bank? Hmm? You lent it to Dad? He said he’d return it tenfold?”
“…Sorry. I thought I’d win this time.”
Their family bond nearly suffered, but it was still a kind of education.
First, saving money is hard.
Second, money disappears easily.
Third, Kaleo is bad at gambling.
In truth, Kaleo hadn’t wasted Nivellia’s money on gambling.
He had deposited it into a separate account under her name. And afterward, whenever Nivellia lost money, the adults added that amount to her account.
Someday, they planned to give it to her as a gift when she pursued her dreams.
Of course, unaware of this, Nivellia continued living an endless cycle of earning, losing, and earning money again.
“But Nini won’t fail anymore!”
Sitting at a desk in the library, Nivellia declared energetically. There were no less than four cushions stacked on her chair.
“Do you know why, Wolf?”
The boy sitting beside her answered.
“Because you’re going to learn to read…?”
“Yes! I’ll learn and become smarter!”
“Nini, you have to be quiet in the library.”
Soles warned as he stepped out from between the bookshelves, holding a thick dictionary of names.
He sat in the middle seat without any cushions and opened the book.
“These are all people’s names.”
“But I can’t read…”
“Just point to any name. I’ll read it for you. Watch carefully—it’s part of studying.”
“What part of that is studying?”
The three children, who had been bent over the book, suddenly lifted their heads.
A boy with neatly combed black hair stood there with a gentle smile. Beside him was another boy who looked just like him.
“Brother Al! Rubens!”
Soles stood up with a bright smile.
Meanwhile, Nivellia quietly hid behind the boy.
Is she scared?
At the orphanage, younger kids often hid like this when they saw strangers.
And she says she’ll take care of me…
Just as he was about to think it was a bit ridiculous—
Nivellia suddenly jumped up and shoved the boy behind her instead.
She stretched out her short arms wide, blocking anyone from approaching him.
“……”
The boy was speechless in shock.
Is she really trying to protect me…?
Meanwhile, after finishing greeting the guests, Soles turned toward Nivellia.
“Ni—”
He stopped mid-word.
Nivellia was glaring, full of hostility, practically growling.
“N-Nini? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“I think it’s because of us.”
Al smiled as if amused. His expression was calm and composed—hard to believe he was only twelve.
“Nini, don’t you remember us?”
Rubens pointed to themselves.
“We’re the boys next door.”
“Nini already has an older brother.”
Gathering her courage, Nivellia spoke.
“Go!”
“We even brought you your favorite chocolate cookies as a gift.”
Al revealed a paper box he had been hiding behind his back.
Nivellia’s not-so-fierce glare softened slightly.
Everyone could see the hesitation in her blue eyes—and how she swallowed hard.
“…Th-then leave those and go!”
“If you greet your big brothers and play with us, we’ll leave them.”
“But Nini is very busy, so she doesn’t have time to play with the likes of you.”
Having suddenly become “the likes of you,” Al and Rubens burst out laughing.
