Now, what was the correct move here? There was no way I could just quit acting like a child like they’d suggested and start acting like an adult woman. Chris might have gained the impression that I was different from most children, but that didn’t mean he knew what conversations I could keep up with or just how much knowledge I had. He was probably using this as an opportunity to figure that out.
“Young miss—uh, I mean, Lady Deirdre?” Rex seemed to slightly stumble over his words.
“Wait, say that again.”
“Young miss?”
That’s so good! It’s like I’m the daughter of a yakuza family!
“Call me that when it’s just us!”
“O-Okay...”
“Anyway, continue.”
“There’s one other thing concerning the incident in the training field.”
“Yes?”
“Please do not rely on family bodyguards who are not assigned to you. They prioritize their masters first. In an emergency situation, you would not be their first thought. However, we are here primarily to protect you. The only ones you can truly trust are your own valets and bodyguards.”
“That makes sense. Between the heir to the family and me, one is definitely more important than the other. Wait, I guess my life is actually the most expendable one in this family, huh?”
My parents were the margravial couple, so they were important. Chris was their vital successor. Alan was the spare in case something happened to Chris. Even if he didn’t have to stand in for him, he’d still definitely be useful as a future knight. In comparison, I was useful as one of the pawns on their board but not so important that it would be a big deal were I to be discarded.
“Your quick understanding saves us a lot of trouble,” Rex said.
“Things would’ve been much easier for you had you been one of my brothers’ valets instead of mine.”
“Perish the thought,” Rex replied at once. “There is no position that seems anywhere near as interesting as this one.”
“I fully agree,” Brad added. “Lord Chris is talented, but he’s just as harsh on others as he is on himself. I’ve heard he’s fired many of his valets and bodyguards already.”
Oh god. I guess even if he is smart, he’s still a kid.
My brothers never showed me anything other than their kind sides, so I had no idea what they were like with everyone else.
“His reputation isn’t bad, is it? Is he making sure to stand up for his staff?”
“He doesn’t appear to care about people’s age, gender, or status so long as they’re skilled at what they do, so he’s got a good reputation among those whom he has chosen.”
“He’s good at pretending to be nice, at least,” Brad muttered.
“He’s a frightening child good at using people for his own gain,” Rex said.
“Like his message to me?”
The two valets flashed sly smiles at me.
“It really is just like you said,” Brad murmured to Rex. “This little lady is interesting indeed.”
“Right? And our job grants us front-row seats.”
Well, I was glad I was making their workplace fun at least. I’d been looking for people I could trust anyway. Because my family worked so hard to protect me, it would have been easy for me to end up sheltered; I barely received any information on what was happening in the wider world. An ex-adventurer would be a useful asset indeed.
“What kind of person do you two think I am?”
“A weirdo.”
“Are you picking a fight, Rex? I’ll take you on anytime.”
“I would never,” he said with a nasty grin.
“I believe you are more suited to the title of child prodigy than Lord Chris,” Brad cut in. “However, things might not turn out well should that become known to the public. Could that be what he’s worried about?”
Even Brad thought that I was just a child prodigy. Well, it’s not as if we’ve known each other for long.
“Rather than a child prodigy, I’d say it’s more like...her imagination works in a different way than everyone else’s,” Rex said.
“Is that not what makes a child a prodigy?” Brad asked.
“No, I think it’s different.” Rex shook his head. “Like, when she fed her spirits, I think she was just playing around, but no other child would do it every day until they passed out. She’s still doing it until she feels ill. Her actions are spontaneous and far too fueled by curiosity.”
“Right... Even if she is a child prodigy, she’s not quite the same kind as Lord Chris.”
Stop looking at me with such pitying eyes. Are you two implying I’m really the fool of the family?
They were thinking to themselves that genius and folly were two sides of the same coin, weren’t they?
“What about Alan?” I asked.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to interact with him much, so I’m not quite sure,” Brad said. “All I can say is that on my first day here, I bumped into him in the corridor and he introduced himself and then asked me to look after you.”
“Oh, how sweet.”
“He was definitely lying in wait for you,” Rex said.
“He probably wanted to see for himself who would be assigned to the young lady, yes.”
Hang on. Alan was the last true innocent in our Belisario family, wasn’t he? He was just a regular adorable little boy, no?
“He might not be the same as Lord Chris or the young lady, but he’s another child that doesn’t quite feel like a child,” Brad mused. “He may be the most mature of the three, in a sense.”
“He’s kind and very considerate of others, so personality-wise, I’d say he’s the best of the three, but he’s also very perceptive and seems very intent on walking his own path.”
These two were ones to talk, given how thoroughly they’d analyzed my brothers and me. And anyway, it wasn’t as if Alan had any other choice but to walk his own path when sandwiched between me and Chris.
“Okay, well, I have enough of an idea now. From now on, please tell me when you hear any interesting rumors around the castle or the town. I’ll buy any tidbits that are of use to me.”
Pushing myself off the chair, I held my hand up to stop my valets as they began to frantically stand up after me, and grabbed a piece of paper from my desk before returning to the table.
“Could you write this down for me?” I asked.
“A magic contract?!”
“Because you now know I can speak like this. You are to tell no one that I have knowledge matching Chris’s. We’ll set the effective period as...five years. Surely by the time I’m nine, the staff of the castle will be so used to my brother, I won’t even take them by surprise.”
“What will happen if we tell someone?” Rex asked.
“If you even so much as try to tell someone, you will be unable to speak until I dispel the magic. Write a contract like that and then sign it.”
“You really have no faith in us,” Brad muttered.
“I barely know you—how much faith did you think I’d have in you?”
While I was having fun bantering with Brad, Rex genuinely looked upset. He had been with me since I was born.
“Rex, this is for both of your sakes as well. If my brothers ever try to interrogate you about me, you can always fall back on the fact that we have this magic contract and therefore you can’t speak.”
“Does that mean you intend to ignore Lord Chris’s message?”
“I don’t even know what my brother means. I’m always talking normally.” I furrowed my brow, put a hand on my cheek, and tilted my head down.
Hey, don’t look so disgusted.
“I do think this is pointless, though,” Rex said.
“Why?”
“Surely you’ll struggle to keep it up almost right away, young miss.”
“Right,” Brad agreed. “The one who’ll blow your cover first is you yourself.”
What? I was the least reliable one here?
“May I ask why you wish to deceive your family?” Brad continued.
“It appears my mother wishes to marry me into the imperial family.”
“And you don’t want that?” he asked.
“Do you really think I could survive princess lessons? I’d end up rampaging through the imperial palace of all places.”
“Oh...” Rex replied.
“I can already imagine it...” Brad was gazing off into the distance.
“I absolutely want to prevent that from happening! So, I’m just a normal four-year-old!”
“Not only is that impossible, it’s also pointless.” Rex shot me down at once.
“It’s already too late for you,” Brad agreed.
Shut! Up! I am a normal four-year-old!