***
“But I clearly thought I teleported to the parlor!” Allen muttered in frustration.
Of course, I didn’t care and swung my legs back and forth while scooping a spoonful of chocolate pudding that Aiden handed me.
‘Mmm, this is so good!
Desserts are always the best!’
“Remember when I mentioned that if you teleport inside the mansion, you’ll end up in the basement?”
“You never informed me about that!”
“Well, Allen, you shouldn’t have teleported in the first place,” Julianne gently expressed while wiping the pudding off my mouth using a handkerchief.
Allen, upon hearing her words, ran his hand through his hair with a frustrated expression.
‘I get it, I understand how you must feel.
I knew you teleported because you were in a hurry.
Just imagine the surprise if you had ended up in a dark room instead of the parlor.’
In any case, I now understood why Allen wasn’t present at that moment.
I scooped another generous spoonful of pudding and savored it.
‘Even if I eventually learn magic, teleporting inside the mansion is a no-go.’
I wasn’t even sure if I possessed the ability to use magic, but I believed I could do something, at least.
After all, Lilianne belonged to the Blanchet family.
‘If not, well, I can always rely on my Korean memorization skills and pursue a career in administration…’
It was quite amusing to worry about my future at such a young age of eight.
“I don’t get why everyone despises Robain so much, along with Cedric,” Julianne mumbled in a perplexed tone.
Simultaneously, the three of us exchanged glances, and a subtle smile graced our lips.
‘Lia, you’re the only one left in the dark.
Everyone knows except clueless Julianne Blanchet…’
“In any case, I should have arrived earlier,” Allen mumbled, wiping away his smile and expressing his frustration.
It seemed he believed he could have been Julianne’s date if he had arrived before Cedric.
But honestly, I would have been against it if that had happened.
I rolled my eyes once again, keeping those thoughts to myself.
‘Oh, look at Joshua, lining up four puddings in a row and starting to eat.
Two of those should have been mine though.
Actually, if Aiden hadn’t come today, all four would have been in front of me…’
“Stop staring!” Joshua abruptly exclaimed, shielding the puddings in front of him with his chubby arms.
‘Who said I was going to snatch your pudding?!’
I immediately frowned and glared at him.
‘He really doesn’t resemble his uncle at all.
Well, there is one thing he inherited – being a total crybaby!’
“Lili and Joshua do tend to argue a lot.
However, they seem to get along well with Luca and Aiden,” Julianne remarked, her voice tinged with concern, as she diligently wiped around my mouth with a handkerchief after each bite of pudding.
Cedric nodded in agreement, his expression slightly worried.
Of course, I was innocent in all of this.
I may have teased Joshua quite a bit, but we simply started off on the wrong foot.
After all, he was the one who had picked a fight first!
I had always heard that while growing up, it’s better to be the one delivering the hits rather than receiving them…
“But Joshua is always the first to wake up in the morning and eagerly prepares to go out.
I don’t think he dislikes Lili…”
“Uncle Cedric!” Joshua blurted out, his face turning beet red before Cedric could finish his sentence.
‘I know what this is!
This is like how parents reveal their child’s secrets to their friends.
Oh, Joshua, you grumble so much when you actually like me, huh?’
I smirked and shook my head.
‘Can’t believe you’d resort to such an old-school approach.
In this day and age, if you like someone, just ask them out instead of picking fights.
You know, say something like, ‘Hey, want some pudding?’ or ‘I made a flower ring, could you lend me your hand?’’
It seemed I had already gained quite a bit of popularity recently, as expected of being Julianne’s sister.
With an innocent smile, I playfully spooned a bite of pudding, making sure Joshua saw it.
His face turned as red as a ripe tomato, seemingly on the verge of bursting.
’Oh, this is so fun!’
“By the way, when you mentioned the ball next month, you were referring to the Prince’s birthday ball, right?”
“Yes, exactly.
The Prince is around Lili’s age, so even children are allowed to attend,” Julianne replied, tenderly stroking my hair.
I nodded in agreement.
‘You know me so well, Lia.
Good food is always a delight.
And if it’s a ball held at the Imperial Palace, the cuisine there must be prepared by their talented chefs!
I should mark it on the calendar before going to bed.
I’ll wake up every day and eagerly cross off the dates as I count down!’
I imagined the handmade cakes crafted by the empire’s finest chefs, along with desserts that were beyond comparison to anything found in the market.
There had to be an abundance of delectable treats at the palace.
I longed to live there too, not for work, but simply to indulge in the palace’s culinary delights.
“Would you like to come with us, Luca?” Allen asked Luca upon hearing Julianne’s response.
Luca paused while eating his pudding and enthusiastically nodded.
‘Oh no, your pudding is dripping!
What a waste!
Hurry and pick it up!
It’s alright as long as you eat it within three seconds…’
“I want to go too,” Aiden chimed in softly, also pausing with his pudding in hand.
Julianne extended her hand and gently caressed Aiden’s hair, offering him a warm smile.
“I’ll inform Michael.
I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to grant permission.”
Oh, my sister was an angel from heaven.
I gazed at Julianne as if I were under her enchanting spell.
‘My kind, amiable sister…
how can anyone not adore Julianne?’ I pondered, though I made a clear distinction between liking her and romantically pursuing her.
In that regard, Robain was an utter failure, and I hoped never to encounter him again.
Well, it didn’t seem like he would appear anyway.
With a glance at Cedric, I scraped up the remaining pudding, savoring the sweetness until the very last spoonful.
In the midst of it all, Aiden kindly pushed his pudding toward me.
‘What a sweetheart.
See, Joshua?
This is how you show affection to someone you like.
Not by yelling and screaming every day!’
“Thank you, Aiden!
I really appreciate people who take care of others, just like you!” I exclaimed, beaming at him.
‘So, Joshua, why don’t you watch and learn?’
My words made Aiden’s cheeks blush, a truly adorable reaction.
Meanwhile, Joshua’s eyes widened, and he began glancing back and forth between the puddings in front of him and me.
That reaction was rather cute too.
‘Anyway, just give me one already.
I know you can’t finish all of those by yourself.’
“…Do you want one?” Joshua finally asked, extending a pudding towards me.
His blue eyes held a hint of regret.
‘How sweet.
I won’t say no to pudding!’
I swiftly took the offered treat, my smile growing wider.
“Well, I hope Lili doesn’t cause any trouble at the ball,” Julianne softly voiced her concern, observing the interaction between Joshua and me.
I shook my head vigorously in response.
“No, Julianne.
I promise to behave.”
‘I’m not a toddler, you know.
I won’t do anything to embarrass you in front of everyone, Lia.
So, don’t worry.’
Julianne responded with a light smile and pinched my cheek.
It seemed that in her mind, I was still a mischievous little rascal.
But that was okay.
Whether I was mischievous or anything else, as long as she found me cute, I was content.
I looked at her and returned the smile.
‘Anyway, a ball, huh?’
Fortunately, being a child meant I wasn’t expected to debut just yet.
Even if I stumbled or made mistakes, everyone would understand.
‘In the meantime, should I ask about a few things I want to know?’
I scooped up some of the custard pudding that Aiden handed me and asked,
“Do I have to dance at the ball, Lia?”
“You can if you want to, Lili.”
“Then do I have to wear a fancy dress?” I continued, envisioning puffy, flowing gowns like those worn by Cinderella or Belle from Beauty and the Beast, rather than the comfortable dress I was currently wearing.
To my surprise, Julianne’s eyes widened, and she seemed lost in thought before frowning and responding.
“Come to think of it, you don’t have any suitable dresses for the ball, Lili,” she muttered with a tinge of disappointment as if it were the end of the world.
Her despair seemed even greater than Allen’s frustration from earlier.
Was it really that big of a deal?
I tilted my head curiously and took another bite of pudding.
Wearing a pretty dress would feel nice, but it didn’t hold much significance for me.
I preferred comfortable attire over something restrictive, especially around my stomach.
Since I love to eat, a loose-fitting dress would be perfect.
“Oh, what should we do?
Even if we book a boutique right now, it would take quite some time,” Julianne pondered aloud.
“Is it really that important?”
“Of course, Allen.
It’s Lili’s first ball!
She should look her best.
And she might have to dance,” Julianne firmly expressed her opinion.
Allen and Cedric seemed slightly puzzled but eventually nodded in agreement.
‘Yeah, I completely understand you guys…’
Well, Julianne’s words did make sense considering the context.
As I mentioned before, Lia tended to overly obsess about ‘firsts.’
‘The one who loves more should give in, right?’
I nodded my head, shoving the remaining pudding into my mouth.
‘Now that I think about it, Aiden gave me all of this.
Maybe I should have saved some for him.’