Chapter 51

The weather was definitely turning chilly, and with it, Christmas was just a few days away—a day known as a time for lovers and the birth of new connections.

Christmas was a day when a man and a woman who didn’t even know each other’s faces could build a shared history, and one of the days when the most new lives were brought into the world. I couldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip by. I had to advance my relationship with Miel to, if not lovers, then at least very close friends.

If I didn’t, the result might turn out like the nightmarish dream I’d had before. The most important thing about Christmas was, of course, the gift. Having lived my life until now, I knew all too well that invisible feelings or silent inner voices were useless.

‘What would be the best gift to give Miel?’

As I pondered the gift in my mind, that meddlesome Ahel popped out from who-knows-where, having been watching from somewhere. I really ought to report him for trespassing. As if reading my mind again, Ahel spoke up.

“If it were me, I think Lady Armienne would be instantly won over if you just tied a single red ribbon around your naked body and said, ‘I am your gift.’”

“What a brilliant idea!”

I was insane. It was such a groundbreaking thought. It was a gift I’d like if it were me, so my heart began to sway toward the gift Ahel had suggested. Dedicating myself as a gift and using that as an excuse to take one step forward in my relationship with Miel.

I thought it was the perfect plan.

At that moment, Yul, who had been feeding snacks to Ahre, opened her mouth with an expressionless face.

“I don’t think that is a very good idea.”

At Yul’s words, the plan that I had thought was so good just a moment ago started to feel like a bad idea. What I had learned in all my years of living was that Yul’s words were never wrong, and I had never gained anything from listening to Ahel.

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yes. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t think Lady Harmiel would like it.”

Hm?

Still, I decided to simulate the situation once. After all, there was no better way to confirm things than by imagining it in my head.

A Christmas day with white snow falling.

I appear in front of Miel wearing only a red ribbon on my bare body. Before the startled Miel can scream, I speak first.

[Miel, Merry Christmas. I prepared a special gift for you.]

[A gift? What is it?]

[I am the gift.]

[…Armien, I thought you were a normal person. I never dreamed you would be such a pervert! We aren’t even friends anymore. I don’t befriend perverts! Hmph! We’re through!]

Through!

When I thought about it, the only results I could come up with were the worst ones. It was the perfect setup to be misunderstood as a pervert. I must have been crazy for a moment to judge such a plan as good. And the person who drove me crazy was standing right in front of me, covering his mouth and holding back laughter. At this rate, he was going to fall over backward.

“Pfft, pffft. D-did you really think that plan was good? Pfft, pffft-pffft. Lady Armienne, you are so amusing every time I see you. This is why I can’t leave your side.”

“Do you know, Ahel? What kind of consequences will arise from teasing the noble daughter of the Ducal House—no, from teasing me, Armienne?!”

I was about to call every knight in the mansion right now, but I held back. Even so, I wasn’t confident I could scold the brat in front of me. To begin with, how could I catch someone who snuck into the mansion whenever he pleased without anyone noticing?

Perhaps reading my thoughts, Ahel smirked and needled me. I wanted to smash that detestable face right now. But I couldn’t think of a way.

Just then, Yul, who had been silently wiping the camera she always cherished, muttered to herself.

“Hot springs, Viscount Farba. Molester.”

As soon as Yul uttered those words, the smile on Ahel’s face began to stiffen, and he started to break out in a cold sweat. Watching that, I tilted my head.

What was this? Was there something I didn’t know about? Ahel immediately read the room and opened their mouth.

“A-ahem. Now, let’s think seriously about what kind of gift would suit Lady Harmiel.”

So, he meant that everything up until now had been a joke.

Anyway, I had to think about Miel’s gift quickly from here on out, so I decided to let it slide.

“Ah! Then, instead of me from that earlier idea, what if I give her Ahre instead?”

I imagined the method Ahel had suggested, but replaced ‘me’ with Ahre.

The background was the same as before—a Christmas day with beautiful white snow falling. In front of the mansion’s window, which looked out over the night view, I place a large gift box down in front of Miel.

[My, Armienne. What is this?]

[It’s my Christmas gift for you. Open it, Miel.]

And from inside the box, which opened smoothly, a cute girl whom I wanted to bite just by looking at her—woke up from her sleep, her silver hair reflecting the light.

Ahre, who was still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes with one hand and spoke cutely. Just thinking about it made me feel like I was going to die from the cuteness. Naturally, Miel’s reaction would be more than enough to match it.

[Auntieee~ I’m the present~]

[Kyaaaaa! So cuuuute!]

[Ahre is Auntie’s now~. Hehe.]

At Ahre’s words, Miel, who had been on the verge of fainting from the cuteness, hugged Ahre gently and then promptly dumped me and left the spot. Furthermore, having caught the bug of nurturing Ahre, Miel never once visited our house again and ignored all communications out of fear that I might snatch Ahre away.

Just like that, I lost Miel. Reaching that point in my imagination, I shouted in shock, startled.

“No way!!!”

Just thinking about it was horrifying. It was worse than my initial plan. To think I might never be able to meet Miel for the rest of my life. Giving Ahre as a gift was far too dangerous.

Come to think of it, Ahre was the one who had interfered with me at the very end in my dream, too. Could it be that the reason I couldn’t become anything more than friends with Miel was entirely because of Ahre?

Ahre caught my eye, looking seriously distressed over what to order for the Christmas cake.

“Hmm, no, this won’t do. But I want to eat this, too. Eh, I’ll just order all of them.”

Ahre, raised with too much pampering, had no idea how terrifying money was in this world. For the record, the prices of the cakes Ahre was ordering could not be ignored. Of course, it was nothing to me, but how pitiful would the cakes that commoner heads of households could barely afford one at a time look to them?

Faced with the special day of Christmas, a cute little kid walks up next to them as they struggle to choose a cake and says.

[Give me everything here~! Ah, please deliver all of it to the Celion Ducal Estate.]

Then, watching the kid carelessly scatter gold coins and walk away, commoner men clutching tightly onto the yellowish, grime-stained copper and silver coins in their pockets feel a sorrow as if their hearts were being torn apart.

Thinking that if only they had the ability, their own child could have gone around doing things like that. I’m sorry. Daddy is sorry. I’m sorry for everything.

Traumatized by severe psychological shock, the commoner head of household would recall Ahre’s cute face and voice every time he tried to buy a cake on Christmas thereafter, preventing him from buying one. Consequently, children waiting at home for the rare cake they only got to eat a few times a year shed tears of sorrow.

A tear-soaked Christmas. Just thinking about it was sad. I definitely didn’t want to create households like that, so I called out to Ahre.

“Ahre.”

“Yes, Mommy~~.”

Seeing Ahre run over holding a Mosquito Baguette cake catalog the moment I called made her so cute that the thought of just buying her the cake crossed my mind. On top of that, with Christmas approaching, she was wearing light winter clothes inside the mansion, and they suited her so well.

Not only did her silver hair, prettier and glossier than mine and my mother’s, fall all the way down to her waist, but her large eyes shone sparkling like a lake, bigger than other children’s. Add to that her soft, pleasant-feeling furry outfit, and it felt like I was raising the cutest pet in the world.

Oh dear, I was about to scold her, only to be swept away by Ahre’s cuteness. Indeed, Ahre was dangerous.

“Ahre. You must only order one cake.”

“Whyyy~”

Seeing Ahre softly rebelling now that she was quite used to it, I frowned. It had only been a few months since we met, and she was already trying to climb over my head; I knew very well from watching my younger sister that this kind of behavior had to be nipped in the bud.

However, I couldn’t bring myself to openly rage at that cute face, so I decided to speak to her once more, figuring our smart Ahre would understand.

“If Ahre buys all the cakes, what do you think people in other houses will do?”

“What will happen to them? And what does it matter to me what other people do? Just because other people eat cake doesn’t mean I get full, nor does it make me happy. I think Ahre will only be happy if she eats all the cakes.”

Come to think of it, that wasn’t wrong either.

“Is that so? Well then, just buy all the cakes…”

Right then, shaking his head as if to say no, Ahel opened his mouth.

“Lady Armienne, you mustn’t give in to even Ahre now.”

Gasp! I snapped back to senses at Ahel’s words. It was clear that because I’d been playing with Ahre so much lately, even my mental level was starting to become similar to Ahre’s. For me, who used to boast of my brilliance back when I first came to this world, to end up like this.

This was all because of Ahre.

“Ahre! Your mother is talking to you, and you dare try to persuade your mother? On top of that, what, it doesn’t matter what happens to other people? Since when did Ahre become such a selfish dragon? Ahre, you’re a really bad dragon!”

“Ah, Ahre is not a bad dragon. Waaaaaah!”

“How dare you burst into tears when your mother is scolding you! Go over there and hold your hands up!”

“Waaaaaah, Mommy, Ahre was wrong. Holding my hands up is too hard. Waaaaaah.”

Seeing her burst into full-blown tears right in front of me, my heart softened. Ah, I really know I shouldn’t do this, but every time I see Ahre’s cuteness, I can’t help it. Ahre was just that cute.

“There, there, what wrong could our Ahre have done? Momma didn’t mean to scold our cute Ahre either. Dry your tears!”

Sniff! “Hehe. I love you, Momma.”

“Yeah, I love you too.”

Oh well, screw it. I’ll just buy her all the cake. If funds are short, I’ll give her more money or use aristocratic power to threaten people to make more. Or wait, maybe it wouldn’t even matter if I just bought them all myself.

“Anyway, it’s time to seriously think about Miel’s gift. I want to give her something special.”

At that moment, Yul, who had been quiet, spoke up.

“I have a good idea. It is….”

I listened closely to Yul’s words, then widened my eyes and nodded. This truly was the perfect gift. As expected of Yul. She was an indispensable existence to me.

“Shall we prepare it then?”

At my words, everyone nodded.

“It sounds like it will be fun. Hehe.”

“Ahre is looking forward to it, too!”

“If it is for the Young Miss.”