Chapter 15:
So even if I say I can hear everything.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I pretended not to hear.
“Where’s Father?”
Void asked as he took his seat.
“They said he has a lot of documents to look over.”
“Ah, I see.”
His reply sounded like he hadn’t expected anything in the first place.
But by now, there was no way I couldn’t notice.
Void asked about Uncle at every single mealtime.
Even though he knew Uncle wouldn’t show up, he still held on to a small hope.
“Hmm…”
I stared at Void with my spoon in my mouth.
No matter how I looked at it, his face clearly said he wanted to eat together with Uncle.
‘Oh… now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten a single meal with Uncle since I came here either.’
Could it be that he’s been avoiding meals on purpose so Void and I could eat together?
I fiddled with my small hairpin.
“Um, Hazel.”
I whispered, hiding my mouth behind a large slice of bread.
“Yes, Lady Rubian.”
“……?”
Hazel, surprisingly, had the amazing ability to whisper without moving her lips.
Keeping a calm expression, I continued.
“Is Uncle deliberately avoiding eating with Void?”
Hazel hesitated for a moment.
Bingo.
“…No, that’s not it. The lord truly is very busy today.”
“Today?”
“Well… in truth, it’s rare for the two of them to dine together. Over the past few years, the lord has hardly stayed at the duchy at all, and… when Young Master Void was little, he was quite afraid of him.”
“Ah, I heard about that.”
“He used to get indigestion whenever they ate together… and that just kind of became the norm.”
Hmm. I took a small bite of the bread crust. It was crispy.
“Void was really that scared of Uncle?”
“When the young masters first came to the castle… the lord was in a very bad state. So bad that no one could approach him.”
Ah. That must have been when he lost his child and fell into despair.
I recalled Uncle Leviathan’s past.
‘He wandered for years, didn’t he.’
When grief is too great, it’s easy to lose sight of everything around you.
“They say the first button was fastened wrong. Of course, he always regrets how things turned out back then…”
Hazel murmured quietly, then suddenly snapped back to herself.
“Oh my, what am I saying…”
She lifted her head in alarm.
“I’m sorry. I must have disturbed your meal.”
“Not at all.”
So this was the situation.
A father who felt guilty for not treating his son well in the past and had grown cautious.
And a son who desperately didn’t want to disappoint the father he respected.
‘But how long are they going to stay like this?’
I poked a piece of meat Void had already cut for me and popped it into my mouth.
Chew chew.
The rich juices spread through my mouth—it was the highest-quality meat I’d ever tasted.
“Rubian, you need to eat your bell peppers too.”
“Mm…”
Lost in thought, I gave a vague reply and pushed the chopped peppers off my plate.
“…….”
Of course, I didn’t notice the young master staring at me in shock at such unheard-of table manners.
Chew chew, gulp.
“Hey.”
I looked up to see Void staring at me with an oddly conflicted expression.
‘Oh no, look at that face. He looks kind of sad…’
Honestly, I was a bit conflicted too.
Was it really okay for me to meddle in someone else’s family affairs?
Besides, like in the original story, their relationship would eventually improve on its own. I didn’t necessarily need to interfere.
But…
I played with my hairpin again.
‘They’ve both been so kind to me…’
Maybe just a little push wouldn’t hurt.
“How about asking Uncle to eat with us from now on?”
Clang!
Void dropped his utensils.
“Huh?”
“Why? Too much?”
“No, it’s… goo… I mean, it’s good.”
“Are you still scared of Uncle?”
“No way!”
Figures. He loved hero cards so much, after all.
Void scratched his cheek shyly.
“I understand now that bad things happened to Father back then… So of course I’d like to eat together now.”
“But?”
“But it feels a little awkward to bring it up myself…”
Ah-ha. I narrowed my eyes.
“So you need an opportunity?”
“Well, not exactly… He might find it bothersome…”
“Hmm.”
I watched Void fumble around and began to think.
Then I noticed servants hurrying past outside the dining room, arms full of documents.
Probably heading to Uncle’s office.
The corners of my mouth slowly lifted.
“Brother Void.”
“Hm?”
“I have a great idea.”
He flinched a little as I smiled with sparkling eyes.
“What the… my little sister looks kind of like a devil…”
I heard him mutter.
But who cares?
Knock knock.
I knocked on the heavy door to Uncle’s office.
“Come in.”
A low voice responded.
When I carefully entered, I saw Uncle sitting at his desk.
His silhouette against the sunlight looked enormous. On the side table were countless coffee cups and traces of hurried meals.
Ah, I can feel it.
The aura of an overworked office worker.
“Leave the documents there and go. Why are there so ma—wait, what are you doing here?”
He looked up from flipping through papers, clearly surprised.
“Excuse me, sir.”
“What?”
I bowed at a perfect 90 degrees. Uncle frowned at me like I was some strange creature.
Ignoring him, I walked up confidently.
Then I slapped a sheet of paper onto his messy desk.
“What’s this?”
“Please review it, Duke!”
“…What?”
He looked dumbfounded.
Uncle picked up the paper written in crooked handwriting.
“A report?”
“Yep!”
More like an approval document, to be exact.
“…Requesting approval to hold a welcome party. Please sign?”
He read in a puzzled tone. I puffed out my chest proudly and nodded along.
“What on earth is this supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it says.”
I felt like a new employee nervously submitting their first approval form.
“I want to hold a welcome party for myself. In the central dining hall!”
“……?”
“Just check the list of items here and sign.”
Ever heard of a self-hosted welcome party?
“You really do all kinds of things.”
Uncle scoffed.
“Are you not going to approve it?”
“Of course I will.”
Swoosh. A confident signature. Perfect.
I grabbed the document back with both hands.
When I smiled brightly, Uncle—who had been resting his chin on his hand watching me—let out a small laugh.
“Then I’ll see you at dinner!”
“Ah, I’ll be busy…”
“You’re required to attend. You signed, after all.”
“Huh?”
Uncle straightened up.
I pointed to the tiny print at the bottom.
“This line here… it’s also an invitation. By signing, you agree to attend.”
That’s why you should always read before signing, Uncle.
Leaving the duke blinking in confusion behind me, I waved cheerfully.
“See you later, Uncle!”
Click. The door closed neatly.
Void was waiting outside.
“Did it work?”
“Of course.”
We leaned in together and giggled.
It started small, but somehow the entire castle ended up in an uproar.
“Move aside, everyone!”
“Hey, that decoration fell!”
“We’ve never done this before!”
“More glue! Go buy more glue!”
Maids, servants, and attendants were running everywhere.
“Where are those gardeners? I told them to bring more flowers!”
“I’ll go kick their butts myself!”
I sat in the dining hall watching everything unfold.
The once plain interior was now filled with colorful flowers and decorations.
‘It would be so much faster with magic…’
But of course, I couldn’t use magic.
Besides, Hazel told me my job was to sit still. So I did.
“Everyone’s so enthusiastic…”
All I meant was to prepare some food and eat together…
“Lady Rubian.”
A gentle voice called.
It was the head chef.
“I came to ask what kind of cake you like.”
“Cake?”
“Yes. We need to choose the cream.”
I tilted my head.
“But… this party is for Uncle’s return, isn’t it?”
A voice answered from beside me.
“It’s your welcome party too.”
Void said, stacking cards.
“Huh? Wasn’t that just an excuse?”
But Void looked shocked.
“So you’re saying you shouldn’t be included at all?”
“Well… not exactly…”
I blinked.
The chef smiled.
“Now then, what kind of cream do you like?”
Like I’d know something like that.
“I… don’t really know cake. Anything is fine.”
In both my past and present lives, I’d hardly ever eaten cake.
“Ah.”
The chef seemed to understand something from my answer.
“Then how about my special cream? I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“Okay!”
Hearing “special” made me a little excited.
After asking a few more questions, she left.
More and more people came and went.
Before I knew it, the once-empty dining hall looked like a real party venue.
