***
I completely forgot about my main duty amidst the chaos caused by those three little troublemakers.
However, my current priority was crystal clear—to protect Julianne from those sneaky rascals.
Moreover, because I had gotten into trouble, it gave Michael the chance to get closer to Julianne, and that was definitely not a good thing.
Not at all.
So, today, I was determined to stick by Julianne’s side.
I pulled a chair next to her and sat down, but Michael seemed perplexed as he looked at me.
“Aren’t you going to play with the others, Lili?”
“I’m going to stay with Lia.”
‘Lili will keep an eye on you.
You’re too dangerous.
You’re on a completely different level from transparent Allen Lowell or Cedric, who gave up on trying to win Julianne’s heart.’
I flashed a wide smile and replied, “I made a promise to be with Lia.”
“But it won’t be as fun if you can’t hear what we’re saying, Lili.”
“It’s okay!”
I was an expert at that.
Anyone who has ever gone to school should have the basic skill of listening with one ear and letting it out the other.
I nodded, still smiling.
Julianne gently stroked my head.
Teasing the kids was enjoyable, but my sister always came first.
Especially since I had made a mistake, I looked at Julianne and grinned.
‘I won’t even ask for dessert today.’
Despite my usual cravings, I could hold back for a day or two if it was by my own choice.
“It’s okay if you stay around here, Lili.”
“But I want to be next to you, Lia!”
“In that case, there’s nothing we can do, but…”
Unable to resist my cuteness, Julianne lightly pinched my cheek with a smile on her face.
I had to admit, I was quite adorable.
Grinning widely, I felt the breeze passing through the gap where my front tooth used to be, which I had lost while munching on a baguette this morning.
‘It’s been a while since I felt like this.’
“But you have to be quiet,” she reminded me, squinting her eyes.
I confidently nodded.
‘I’m not a toddler anymore!
I can stay quiet!’
“…Okay then.”
Seemingly out of excuses, Michael also smiled slightly and nodded.
‘Okay, I managed to stall him for now.
Time to move on to the next step.’
I grabbed some scratch paper and began drawing with the feather pen on the table.
Back in elementary school, I had won some prizes in art contests, but I wasn’t sure if real Lilianne had the same talent.
Regardless, I kept drawing without a pause, for now skipping the coloring stage.
‘Julianne, the fairest of them all.
And next to her, there was me, half a generation younger.
The two of us lived happily ever after in the grand Blanchet Mansion…
without Michael.
Or Allen.
Cedric, on the other hand…’
I hadn’t decided yet, so I opted to draw some yarn and knitting needles, along with scattered desserts for added flair.
‘All done!
A drawing that looks like it was done by an eight-year-old!’
I admired my masterpiece and nodded with satisfaction.
It was perfect.
Even Picasso would be jealous of how good I was.
Soon, both Julianne and Michael, who had been engrossed in their conversation, turned their attention towards me.
‘Oops, I didn’t mean to interrupt.’
However, since Julianne noticed my drawing, I hoped she understood the message behind it.
“Oh my, Lili!
Did you draw this?” Julianne asked in an excited voice.
I’d already realized that she reacted that way to everything I did long ago, but it still felt great.
So, I proudly nodded my head.
Compared to true geniuses, it was nothing extraordinary.
But still, wasn’t my drawing quite good?
“You drew so well.
Michael, take a look at this.”
Julianne handed my drawing over to Michael.
‘That’s right.
Take a good look and realize that you don’t belong there.’
“She really did draw well.
It looks like Lili drew herself and you, Julianne.”
“There’s even yarn and knitting needles next to us.
Lili must really like Cedric.”
‘That’s right, and I hope you feel the same way, Lia…’
I glanced toward Cedric, who was sitting at a distance.
He had been looking in our direction since his name was mentioned, but quickly averted his gaze.
He was quite shy, after all.
‘You should be grateful to have me.
You’re the only one I support this much, buddy.’
Of course, the final decision would be up to Julianne.
‘And if you make even a small mistake…’
“But it seems she didn’t draw her parents…”
However, while I was lost in my thoughts, Michael quietly interjected.
‘Look at this guy, changing the subject right away as soon as Cedric was mentioned.’
“…even though it looks like she drew her family,” Michael muttered, his gaze fixed on my drawing.
“I drew myself and Lia,” I promptly responded, trying to divert any assumptions.
‘It’s not what you’re thinking, buddy.
I’ve only seen the Blanchet family in portraits.’
However, that in itself presented another problem – I didn’t have much else to say.
“Our parents are rarely at the mansion because they’re busy, so…” Julianne weakly murmured, falling right into Michael’s trap.
I couldn’t say anything to contradict her.
No matter what I said, it would inevitably lead to a discussion about the Blanchet couple.
“Both of them joined the expedition this time, right?” Michael smoothly redirected the conversation in that direction.
Julianne nodded slightly, her expression somewhat downcast.
“They left not long after Lili fell ill.
I sent them a letter when she woke up, but I haven’t received a reply for some reason…”
“They’re probably busy.
If you’re genuinely worried, I can arrange for someone to check on them.”
“Can you do that?” Julianne’s eyes sparkled with eagerness as Michael spoke up.
‘Wow, he’s really skilled at reeling people in.
He’s a natural at this.’
I subtly brought out the drawing I had made and pouted.
‘…As expected of an intelligent, scheming character.’
Not only had he diverted Julianne’s attention away from Cedric, but he also managed to score some points with her.
Just as I suspected, I couldn’t underestimate him.
“Are you done with your work, Lia?” I innocently asked, pretending to be unaware of the situation.
‘If you’re not done, stop with the small talk and finish already.
Especially you, Michael.
Stop meddling and separate your personal affairs from work!’
Of course, I was the one who initiated the conversation, but I was just a child, while he was an adult.
“O-oh, not yet,” Julianne snapped back to reality, her attention returning to the documents on her desk.
“Do you miss your parents, Lili?” Michael suddenly asked me, his tone gentle.
I blinked, taken aback, and stared at him with a blank expression.
“Huh?”
‘Does he want to continue this conversation?
Just finish your work and go home already!’
“If you want to see your parents, just let me know, okay?” Michael continued, a bright smile spreading across his face.
It seemed like he was determined to win me over as well.
He knew better than anyone that everything he did would be in vain if he ended up on my bad side.
I blinked a few times, carefully considering my response.
If I told Michael that I didn’t want to see my parents here, he would surely use it as an excuse to get closer to Julianne, just as he did before.
And I didn’t want Julianne to be hurt by my words either.
But if I said I wanted to see them, he would use that as another opportunity to approach her.
He had set quite the trap.
Of course, I had no intention of falling into it.
Putting on a bright smile, I spoke up.
“Of course, I want to see them!”
“Really?
Then…”
“But it’s okay because Lia and big bro Cedric play with me a lot,” I interrupted, emphasizing my contentment.
Michael’s expression faltered slightly upon hearing Cedric’s name.
He probably didn’t expect him to be brought up, and I could understand why.
After all, Michael never really played with me, despite buying me food on occasion.
I flashed a pretty smile, locking eyes with Julianne.
“Last time, big bro Cedric even gave me a piggyback ride!”
“Oh, really?”
“Uh-huh.
And the time before that, we played hide-and-seek together.
And when Josh and Luca got their ball stuck in a tree while playing, he climbed up and got it down for us…”
“Cedric really went through a lot of trouble,” Julianne softly murmured, her gaze filled with gratitude as she looked towards Cedric.
As their eyes met, Cedric’s ears turned bright red right away.
‘Even that looks cute now.
Come to think of it, Aiden’s whole face turns red when he gets embarrassed.
You know, Aiden might not be Michael’s cousin.
He could actually be Cedric’s twin for all I know.’
“Yes, he surely did.”
But again, while I was lost in various thoughts, Michael maintained a straight face and spoke up.
‘He’s quick to recover, I must say.
But I’ve already caught on!’
I stared at Michael, blinking my eyes indifferently.
Perhaps because their personalities were complete opposites, Michael was more wary of Cedric than Allen.
It could be because he didn’t see Allen as a rival at all.
“Well then, why don’t you play with this old man today, okay?”
‘I knew it would come to this.
You’ve completely fallen into my trap.’
I looked directly at Michael and beamed with enthusiasm.
“Sure!”
Of course, if he had his eye on Julianne, he had to go through me first.
And there was no way I was going to back down.