***
“Michael’s not here today?” Allen asked, looking around as he stood next to Luca, the both of them visiting once again.
‘Is this a kindergarten or something?
He comes here almost every day.’
I greeted Luca with an indifferent nod and glanced down at the dessert that Allen had brought.
‘It’s a big bag, and judging by the lack of a strong smell, it’s not bread.
If it were, I would normally detect it after a few sniffs.’
“You look like a puppy when you do that, Lili.”
Finally, Luca joined in the conversation, playfully pushing Allen’s hand away.
But whether Luca coming closer or not, I continued to speculate about the contents of the bag Allen had brought.
‘Is it a slice of cake…?
No, I had that recently.
It’s probably not sherbet.
That would just melt in this hot weather.
Well, Allen is a magician, so maybe he found a way to handle it?’
Though, sherbet wasn’t typically packed in paper bags.
‘Could it be macarons?
It’s been a while since I had them, but… macarons are too sweet.
They have a more artificial taste compared to the sweetness of chocolate…’
“He must’ve caught a cold when he gave Lili a piggyback ride yesterday,” Julianne replied, accepting the bag from Allen.
Allen burst into laughter, much like Luca did when he saw that I teased Joshua.
The power of genetics was truly remarkable.
In that sense, Aiden might have actually been Cedric’s secret nephew.
No matter how much I pondered it, that seemed to be the most plausible answer.
‘So, anyway, what’s today’s dessert?!’
Standing on my tiptoes, I eagerly tugged at the bag that Julianne had received.
Without hesitation, Julianne handed me the bag.
It seemed like she had a change of heart after my previous incident, as she didn’t stop me from enjoying desserts as much.
It was pleasant news for me, although I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
But regardless, I absolutely adored desserts.
I could say it was the only joy in this monotonous life, almost as enjoyable as teasing Joshua.
“He’s always so driven to win.
It was the same during our academy days and it hasn’t changed.”
“Well, that’s just Michael for you.”
“Do you remember those old days?
When Evans tripped and fell while sparring with you?”
‘Oh, did that really happen?’
I didn’t recall reading about it in the novel…
I scrutinized the bag, pressing my lips together.
Luca, too, widened his eyes as if he had stumbled upon a great treasure and followed my gaze.
‘Well, all kids are cute, after all.’
“It’s pudding!
There are four custard and chocolate puddings!” exclaimed Luca, excitedly inspecting the contents of the bag.
I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
‘Pudding, not a bad choice.’
What’s more, was that Aiden wasn’t going to visit today, so I could have one extra.
“I hope he doesn’t come anymore.
Isn’t it time for the regular meeting to end?”
“Are you still not on good terms with Michael, Allen?”
“Cedric would be even worse than me.
It’s been that way since the academy.
Though, Robain was the one Michael disliked the most,” Allen Lowell gestured for me to come closer and spoke.
It seemed like he wanted to finish my checkup quickly and have some time alone with Julianne before Cedric arrived.
But, I had no intention of participating in his plan.
“Then can I spend the whole day with you, Lia?”
“My little Lili, you want to stay with me today?”
“Yeah!
Let’s play hide-and-seek with Luca.
And when Joshua comes later, we can play with him and big bro Cedric too!”
“What about this old man, Lili…?” Allen muttered with a sad expression.
But considering how he consistently referred to himself as an old man, he wasn’t that bad of a person.
Robain, on the other hand, was particularly unpleasant to compare with.
‘Come to think of it, Robain doesn’t even come around after being rejected once.
What a cowardly guy.
Even Allen keeps coming like this, even when he’s ignored by everyone.
In that sense, you’re much better than Robain, Allen!’
Of course, I couldn’t forget how shocked I was when I first met him.
So, with a pretty smile, I nodded.
“Okay, I’ll let you play with us too, old man!”
‘I’m only letting you join in because you chose the perfect snacks though!’
Allen’s beaming smile as I boasted made me feel utterly inadequate.
But that was alright; I had always known I had a peculiar personality.
The time for feeling guilty about such things had long passed.
“But didn’t you say you hated hide-and-seek, Lili?” Luca chimed in, his head tilting with curiosity.
Julianne widened her eyes and glanced down at me, her expression filled with surprise.
‘You little troublemaker!
Why did you have to mention that here?
Julianne thinks I adore hide-and-seek!’
“Huh?
When did I say that?” I feigned ignorance, blinking innocently.
“You said it when we played hide-and-seek with Aiden last time!
You clearly stated that you didn’t enjoy it because it was childish…” Luca insisted.
“No, it was Aiden who said that last time because he prefers reading!” I retorted, determined to defend myself.
“That’s not true… you definitely said it,” Luca pressed on.
‘Can’t you read between the lines?
Just let it go!
Must you be so brutally honest?’
Realizing that words alone wouldn’t do the trick, I pondered for a moment before widening my eyes and pointing toward the mansion’s front gate.
“Huh, isn’t that big bro Cedric over there?”
In unison, the three of them turned their gaze in the direction I indicated.
Seizing the opportunity, I tugged on Luca’s sleeve and, as soon as he looked at me, I began conveying my message through hand signals.
‘You, if you keep blabbering, I swear I’ll devour every last bit of that pudding.’
I patted my belly twice, emphasizing my intent, and shot him a stern glare with wide-open eyes.
Just in time, Julianne and Allen glanced down at me, diverting their attention from the front gate.
I shifted my gaze away from him and replaced it with a charming smile.
“I must have been mistaken.”
Briefly glancing at Luca, I noticed his shoulders trembling as he stared at me and the pudding in his hand.
‘Good, it seems like he got the message.’
I widened my smile even more and locked eyes with Luca.
‘Come on, spill the beans about how much I enjoy playing hide-and-seek.
Right here, right now…’
“O-oh, now that I think about it, I must have remembered incorrectly.
It was actually Aiden who didn’t like playing hide-and-seek.”
In the end, Luca continued to look at me, his words stumbling out.
‘Well done.’
I flicked the paper bag in my arms and wore a satisfied expression.
‘That’s why I appreciate people who catch on quickly.’
“Are there kids who hate hide-and-seek?”
“Well, Aiden definitely seemed to have a fondness for books.
He was the one who discovered Lili hiding in the study last time.
He really takes after Michael in that regard.”
After a while, Julianne gently stroked my head and whispered softly.
‘Well done.
Once again, I preserved my sister’s pure innocence today.’
I pressed my face against her hand and snuggled into it.
Allen, who had been silently observing, shifted his gaze between Luca and me, muttering under his breath.
“Your little sister is incredibly adorable…”
“Well, Lili is cute, but Luca is cute too.”
“That’s because you haven’t witnessed the amount of trouble he causes at home.
There isn’t a day that goes by without him breaking something in the house.”
“If you put it that way, Lili isn’t any different.”
Julianne raised her gaze slightly, furrowing her brows – a small habit that emerged when she recollected something.
‘Lia!
What did I ever do?’
…That’s what I wanted to say, but to be honest, I did cause quite a lot of trouble.
The most memorable incident was when I got angry at Julianne and locked myself in the study.
There were also times when I made Michael strain his back or made Cedric feel uneasy by almost constantly making Joshua cry…
‘But hey, at least I didn’t break anything in the house.
I preserved our family’s belongings!’
“I wish I had a daughter like Lili too.”
As I deeply reflected on my actions, Allen brazenly expressed his selfish desires.
‘Look at this guy.
I leave him alone for a moment, and this is what happens.’
I shook my head and let out a sigh.
‘Don’t mess with my Julianne, you snake.
If you dare cross the line, I’ll bring you down in the name of justice.’
“But Lia is going to live with me forever!”
“Huh?”
“And there’s only one Lili in this world!”
‘So don’t even dream of having a daughter like me, dude.’
Witnessing my puffed-up cheeks and words, Julianne burst into laughter.
However, unlike her, Allen stared at me with a bewildered expression.
‘Were you that shocked when I declared that Julianne was going to live with me forever?
How innocent you are, my pure soul.’
Well then, I wasn’t lying.
But pretending not to know, I playfully tugged at the hem of Julianne’s dress and flashed an innocent smile.
Meanwhile, Luca, who had been observing me closely, trembled once again.
It seemed that he sensed a dissonance between how I used to behave when Julianne wasn’t around and how I acted now.
‘This is how you navigate life, my dear.’
However, it was at that moment, as I tilted my head slightly and my eyes sparkled, that something unexpected occurred.
“Lady Julianne.”
Out of the blue, Heinz softly called Julianne’s name.
Without hesitation, all of us turned to face him.
It was evident that Heinz had personally sought out Julianne for a specific reason.
Another guest, someone other than Cedric or Michael, had arrived.
Shortly after, Heinz spoke with utmost politeness.
“Lord Cleoné has come to meet you.”