Chapter: 324
Seeing the brown chick shivering all alone, I couldn’t help but feel awkward.
‘They really left.’
Thanks to the Wise Duke’s suggestion and my uncle’s support, the Young Lord was suddenly left in the care of his cousins. I mean, officially he wasn’t abandoned, but from his perspective, it might as well be the same. After all, meeting cousins for the first time is basically like being tossed into the wild.
How cruel! To throw a ten-year-old kid, who prefers reading books in his room, into the wild. Is it possible the Salón family prefers raising their kids like lions? But even lions dote on their cubs!
“Yo─”
“Ugh…”
I tried to comfort the Young Lord, who was lost in feelings of betrayal and despair, but the response I got was pitiful. His already trembling body shook even more, curling up tighter.
“Honestly, I’m scared of you when you have that expression.”
‘Damn it.’
Erich’s whisper added to my misery. It seems I get rated terrifying too, even though I’m not deliberately scaring anyone. This is my default expression, come on!
“Yo─”
“Wah!?”
But when Erich reached out to the Young Lord and got the same reaction back, a sense of satisfaction swelled within me. It wasn’t just that they were scared of me; they were scared of everyone! What a relief!
Still, maybe it would be better if only I was scary. I could look after my younger cousin when it was possible to interact with him, but if both of us are just terror-inducing figures, how could I help him?
‘What should I do?’
Should I watch from a distance where he can’t see me? No, that might make the Young Lord panic even more. Having a scary cousin in front of him and then vanishing into thin air would be a different level of trauma.
“It seems like he feels a bit uneasy since it’s his first time meeting cousins.”
While Erich and I exchanged awkward glances, Marghetta stepped forward, smiling softly at the scene.
The Young Lord showed caution when Marghetta came near, but thankfully it was a much more positive reaction than the pitiful tremors he showed towards us. I could understand. From the Young Lord’s perspective, a bright lady is less scary than gloomy guys.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Liliana. I’m Marghetta Valenti from the Valenti family.”
Regardless, Marghetta crouched down to the Young Lord’s height. Her gesture of smiling and offering her hand made her seem like a kindergarten teacher caring for a child.
“I-I’m not a lady. I’m a Young Lord…”
“Oh dear, I made a mistake. I’m sorry, Young Lord.”
As Marghetta apologized in an exaggerated tone, the Young Lord fumbled to open his mouth.
‘Oh.’
At that, the ten-year-old Young Lord visibly puffed up with pride. Being called Young Lord by Lady Marghetta seemed to make him feel important.
“That’s right! Young Lord Liliana is the heir to the Duke’s house, so no matter how noble you are, you must treat us with respect.”
Overhearing this, Marcilio chimed in, and the previously trembling chick had now become a proud little bird fluffing its wings. Still just a chick, though.
“Indeed. Though you are young, Young Lord has the bearing of a proper heir.”
“You’re the highest ranking around here, apart from Duke Marcilio.”
“Impressive! At my age, I weren’t this dignified at all.”
As the candid compliments from Louise, Irina, and Sarah followed, the Young Lord puffed up even further. If he were any older, such praise might weigh heavily in a bad way, but he’s only ten.
“I am the heir to the Salón family, so of course I’m something special!”
He seemed to have forgotten the impression he tried to convey when he first met me and was openly boasting in an innocent manner. As expected of a ten-year-old… too naive to take such compliments purely!
“How cute.”
“Right?”
I answered without hesitation at Erich’s remark. It’s tough being scared, and I wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. Still, if this was the kind of trouble we faced, I could manage.
The future of the Salón family was looking bright.
Thanks to ‘Project: Our Young Lord Is The Best,’ his mood shifted dramatically. Thinking about it, Marghetta must have quite a few nieces and nephews, so she likely knows how to handle kids well.
‘No wonder she’s so skillful.’
Moreover, Louise is friendly like a capybara, Irina has a little sister, and Sarah is eager to bond with Erich’s cousins—a powerhouse of cuteness ready to shower love on one child to solve their issues!
On the other hand, Marcilio might not be accustomed to kids—
“Seeing a Young Lord so admirable at such a young age is impressive!”
My uncle subtly repeated the term Young Lord multiple times, clearly determined to make it sink in. Is he thinking about raising a Young Lord for the Katoban family just because he finds the Salón Young Lord adorable?
“Right? I hope my child resembles my cousin too.”
“Heh, exactly!”
I returned the expected reply. Obviously, marrying into nobility and having kids is the norm, so avoiding that answer would be weird. It’s odder to evade such a straightforward response.
Thus, the Young Lord, who had taken a direct hit from the Wise Duke’s insanity, was lifted by the clouds of praise, while Marcilio—who nearly defaulted to informal speech—received a satisfied smile when they found solace in the future.
“Ah, Director Lia?”
Just when our mood had escalated, it was about to plummet into the abyss.
As we moved closer to the nearby species protection zone, tourists began to appear here and there. It’s normal for a tourist area to be crowded, so I didn’t pay it much mind—until I spotted club members mixed in among the tourists.
“…You guys are here too?”
“We intended to take it slow on the first day, but Tannian insisted we come along!”
Glancing over at the shrugging Rutis, I spotted Tannian smiling shyly next to him.
“There’s a parish set up in the species protection zone. Since it’s the only one directing different species in faith, I wanted to check it out quickly.”
His reasoning was completely grounded in faith and rational thought, so I couldn’t openly laugh about it. If it’s the only parish overseeing the different species, even I would have wanted to go, had I been a priest!
“By the way, brother. Who is that sister?”
At Tannian’s words, all the club members turned their gaze toward the Young Lord, specifically focused on him holding Marghetta’s hand.
‘Oh no.’
Sadly, my cousin, who was already terrified, showed clear signs of panic once again at the members’ attention.
You damn fools! How are we going to make him feel comfortable if this happens?!
“Are you Lady Liliana?”
As Marghetta hastily tried to reassure the trembling Young Lord, Ainter’s voice caught his attention, and his eyes went wide.
Now that shocked even me. How did Ainter know our Young Lord, whom even I, his cousin, was unfamiliar with?
“Have you met her before?”
“Oh, no. I’ve only heard that the Wise Duke’s daughter has brown hair and golden eyes.”
He even shot a look that seemed to say, ‘Seeing you with the Wise Duke’s nephew, it must be the Young Lord.’ I could see how this was plausible. Before the fall of the Second Prince’s faction, he clearly was a normal prince. It made sense he might remember characteristics of the Duke’s family.
“A Young Lord? What a privilege to meet a future Duke!”
With that, Ainter’s declaration had Rutis bursting into laughter as he swaggered towards the Young Lord.
A big guy with a bright red complexion—that’s something that could scare any kid half to death! But knowing that a royal recognized him would be enough to give the Young Lord some courage.
“…Uhh.”
Of course, there are some things even courage can’t tackle in this world.
At ten years old, he probably didn’t quite grasp that notion yet. Poor kid.
“Huh?”
Then, at the Young Lord’s hiccup, Rutis found himself flustered. It was quite satisfying to see this normally shameless guy at a loss.
*
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