THTE 9

There had been a name the boy was called at the orphanage.

But it was no different from the arbitrary names given to animals.

He felt like he once had a real name, but he couldn’t remember it.

Still, one thing remained clear—when he was much younger, someone had called him by name in a gentle voice.

“Do you not have a name, by any chance?”

“……”

“That works out well.”

Kaleo smiled brightly.

“It means we can choose a wonderful name for you.”

“……”

“Anyway, welcome to the Deiamor estate. Let’s get along well from now on.”

“…From now on?”

“Yes. From now on.”

Kaleo held out his hand as he spoke.

“From now on, you’ll be living here with us.”

* * *

Kaleo led the boy into the reception room.

Soles, who had arrived earlier and was waiting, stood up from his seat.

“Father, where’s Nini?”

“She fell asleep. It seems she had a fever and was crying.”

“I’m sorry. I should have watched over her better…”

“You’ve done more than enough. And Nini is always getting into trouble. It’s not your fault.”

Kaleo gently hugged Soles, who looked dejected as if it were his fault, and introduced the boy.

“He’ll be living with us from now on.”

“With us?”

Soles’ eyes widened.

“I’ll explain everything in more detail once Nini wakes up. For now, I need to speak with the adults. Could you stay with him for a bit?”

“Yes, Father!”

After Kaleo left, Soles sat the boy down beside him.

The two boys sat side by side on a soft sofa, and before them were placed sweet fruit drinks and chocolate cookies.

“Here, drink this.”

Soles pushed a glass toward the boy.

The boy hesitated for a moment, then cautiously took a sip. The sweetness that pierced his brain and cooled his throat made his eyes widen in surprise.

A smile spread across Soles’ face as he watched.

“Tastes good, right?”

“Yeah. I mean—yes.”

“My name is Soles. I’m ten.”

“I’m eight.”

Unfortunately, the boy looked much smaller and thinner than an eight-year-old.

But instead of pointing that out, Soles simply pushed the plate of cookies toward him.

“Have some cookies too. These are my little sister’s favorite. You met her earlier, right? The one who cried in front of you—that’s my sister.”

The boy nodded.

“Her name is Nivellia, but everyone calls her Nini. She’s still young, so she causes a lot of trouble, but she’s cute and kind.”

The boy nodded again.

“You were surprised earlier, right? When Nini suddenly started crying.”

“A little.”

“She’s not usually the type to cry, so even I was surprised. Normally, she throws punches before she cries.”

The two of them each picked up a cookie.

Soles took a big bite, while the boy watched him for a moment before quietly putting his cookie back down.

“I don’t have a name.”

“Hm?”

“I… don’t have a name.”

“Then we can just make one!”

Soles repeated exactly what Kaleo had said earlier.

“For some reason, I really like you. It feels like I’ve gained a little brother. Of course I love Nini, but… I always wanted a younger brother too. I used to envy Al-hyung and Rubens sometimes.”

“…?”

“Oh, you don’t know? Al-hyung and Rubens are the duke’s children—the one who brought you here. They’re brothers.”

They were boys aged twelve and eight.

“Rubens is the same age as you, so you can be friends.”

Soles looked delighted, as if it were his own good fortune.

“……”

The boy felt dazed.

He was so happy that it felt like a dream—one that would leave him unbearably sad upon waking.

It was like being submerged in warm, sweet liquid, leaving him unable to think straight.

“So thenn, should Rima give you a name?”

“I’ll give you a really cool name!”

And so, on the way here—

The name forcibly given to him by the girl who had also been taken from the orphanage faded completely from his memory.

* * *

The Duke of Deigladis had recently returned to the capital after spending time with his family in their territory.

On the way, he encountered a carrier pigeon from the Deiamor family.

A note was tied to its leg—written by Muniel.

The message was simple.

Stop by an orphanage and bring back one child.

[Blond hair, red eyes, around 8 years old, male, very handsome.]

The last description didn’t seem helpful at all for identifying someone, but the duke followed the instructions anyway.

And indeed, he found a boy matching that description—blond hair, red eyes, around eight years old, and strikingly handsome.

Amid a group of thin, underfed children in the poor orphanage, the boy stood out distinctly.

But the duke didn’t only bring the boy.

He also took a girl with pink hair who had been standing beside him.

“I wanna study! I’ll definitely repay you, mister!”

Her pronunciation suggested undeveloped tongue muscles, but the bold way she blocked his path and insisted on being taken was admirable.

So he decided to sponsor her personally.

It was a very personal reason—but her pink hair played a large role in that decision.

In fact, that girl had been in the same carriage that had just arrived at the Deiamor estate.

However, before she could get off, Nivellia suddenly burst into tears, and the carriage turned back to the Deigladis residence.

Thump, thump.

“When will Father come back…?”

Rubens Deigladis yawned widely as he idly bounced a ball against the wall and caught it.

“I wish he’d taken us to the Deiamor estate too. I wanted to see Soles and Nini—it’s been a while. Right, brother?”

Al, who had been quietly reading a book, smiled.

“Yeah. I wonder if Nini has grown a lot.”

“How old is she now? Five?”

“Four. She turned four this early spring.”

“Wow, she’s still that young?”

Startled, Rubens was hit on the chin by the ball bouncing back from the wall.

“Ugh—anyway, then she’s still basically a baby…”

He muttered, holding back tears.

“She won’t be mad that we gave her birthday presents late, right?”

“I actually like how honest she is.”

Al chuckled, recalling the neighbor’s little sister.

The last time he saw Nivellia, her chubby cheeks made her features look soft—like a plump puppy.

Though she insisted she was a cat.

‘Her behavior is definitely cat-like.’

She was wary of strangers, quick to throw punches when displeased, and didn’t hide her emotions.

‘And she sleeps a lot.’

Al closed the thick book he had been reading halfway with a soft thud and set it on the table beside the sofa.

Then he suddenly flung the door open.

“Eek!”

A pink-haired girl stood there.

The pretty girl flinched and stepped back.

“What is it? Looking for the bathroom?”

Al asked with a smile. His dark red eyes gleamed arrogantly—far too imposing for a twelve-year-old.

“I kept feeling someone watching me while I was reading. It was annoying, so I came out. So why were you lingering outside the door?”

“Th-that is…”

The girl clasped her hands in front of her chest with an innocent expression.

“Sorry. Rima was just…”

“……”

“I was lonely… and scared…”

“……”

After observing her, Al soon smiled.

“I see. Sorry about that. You’re a guest, yet we didn’t treat you properly. I’ll have some snacks and a few books sent to your room. Can you read?”

“A l-little…”

“Then read and wait quietly. We’ll meet again when Father returns.”

“Ah, um—!”

Rima tried to continue the conversation, but Al closed the door first.

Watching this, Rubens frowned.

“Wow, that was harsh.”

“I think it’s worse that she was eavesdropping on our conversation.”

“She said she was lonely and scared.”

“Rubens.”

Al asked,

“Did you hear what she said earlier?”

“What? That she can read?”

Rubens nodded.

Though he appeared carefree, he was actually quite perceptive.

“She’s impressive for her age. That orphanage was really poor—we saw it ourselves. Teaching reading in that situation…”

“Exactly. That’s what makes it impressive.”

Would an orphanage that couldn’t even feed its children have the means to teach literacy?

Then where did she learn to read?

If she taught herself, that would mean she had exceptional intelligence.

Then why was her pronunciation worse than a four-year-old next door?

‘…She’s doing it on purpose.’

She was deliberately speaking that way.

‘Of course, it could also be a lie.’

And that, too, would be suspicious.

A crooked smile formed on Al’s lips.

“Do you not like her?” Rubens asked carefully.

“Father brought her saying he’d sponsor her.”

“I don’t dislike her.”

Sitting back down, Al reopened his book.

“She seems interesting, so I’ll leave her be.”

“You just made a really scary face.”

“I take after Father.”

“Father makes scary faces too, but yours is different!”

“Then do I take after Mother?”

“…You take after Father.”

Rubens resumed bouncing the ball against the wall, while Al returned to reading.

The steady rhythm of the bouncing soon pulled him back into his book.

* * *

After sneaking past the servants and returning to her room, Rima slid down against the door and collapsed to the floor.

“Wow… that was seriously scary…!”

She placed a hand over her chest. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst through her ribs.

“He’s only twelve—why is he so scary?!”

After a while, she finally calmed down.

“Ah, anyway…”

Getting up, Rima looked around the room.

It was a guest room—spacious and luxurious, befitting the grand mansion.

The furniture, bedding, and curtains were all elegant and high-quality.

But Rima let out a deep sigh as if dissatisfied.

“If I had known this would happen, I would’ve written from the start that the heroine was the duke’s lost daughter… Well, I never expected I’d end up reincarnating into my own novel.”