The Meaning Of Consideration

“Are you feeling better now…?”

Marguerite peered at Jonah’s face with a worried look.

She had kept gently rubbing his back until he stopped crying.

There was no doubt she had a kind heart, but this felt more like an older sister comforting a younger brother who had started sniveling.

Come to think of it, Marguerite had been treating Jonah like a child from the moment they met, so this was probably just an extension of that.

“I-I’m fine. Thank you.”

Jonah seemed to understand that as well; embarrassed and still a little dissatisfied, he bowed while looking away.

“It’s perfectly fine. Comforting a little child like this is part of a proper lady’s duties, after all.”

“…Hold on a moment.”

As Marguerite puffed out her small chest with her hand over her heart, Jonah fixed her with a sullen glare.

“I-I am not a ‘little child’! And I only just turned eleven the other day!”

“My my, I understand wanting to act grown-up, but that very attitude is what makes you a ‘little child.’ Besides—”

Marguerite stared straight at Jonah and puffed her chest out even more.

“Hehe… I only just turned twelve the other day.”

“…!?”

It was the most triumphant face Marguerite could possibly make.

Out of sheer frustration, Jonah ground his teeth.

Given his circumstances, Jonah often seemed mature and detached, but seeing him get upset over something like this made him adorably age-appropriate.

“B-but! I’m definitely taller!”

“Is that so? I’m certain I’m the taller one. Hans.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

As Jonah stubbornly persisted, Marguerite stood back-to-back with him.

“…By a very slight margin, the Young Lady is indeed taller.”

“Hehe! See?”

“Grrrrrr…!”

Meanwhile, Marguerite delivered the finishing blow by patting Jonah’s head.

Watching the two of them playfully bicker, Hans’s cheeks softened into a smile.

“Now, eat as much as you like!”

“Wooooow…!”

Jonah’s eyes sparkled at the lavish spread of dishes covering the entire table.

Back at the Langheim house he had almost always eaten separately from his family, so to Jonah—who had never seen such a feast—this meal felt like a dream.

Above all, eating while happily chatting with someone was a first for him.

But still—

“Um… Lady Marguerite, why are you being so kind to a complete stranger like me…?”

Jonah finally voiced the question that had been on his mind ever since meeting Marguerite.

Normally, a noble lady entertaining a commoner like this would be unthinkable.

Of course, it could simply be curiosity or childish whim, but still…

“My. Does one need a reason to be kind to someone?”

“It’s not that, but… this sort of thing just doesn’t normally happen.”

“Hmm… I suppose…”

Seeing Jonah still unconvinced, Marguerite crossed her arms and pretended to think deeply.

Then—

“…Because I am a noble, perhaps?”

“Because you’re a noble…?”

Unable to grasp her meaning, Jonah asked again.

“Yes. Nobles are supposed to bestow charity upon those beneath them. And nobles only exist because of the common people. In exchange, nobles must protect and provide for them. Um… something about high rank requiring… what was it again?”

“‘The higher the rank, the greater the virtue required,’ Young Lady.”

“Yes, that’s it!”

At Hans’s assistance, Marguerite’s face lit up and she clapped her hands.

Jonah, having been a duke’s son, also understood the noble maxim “The higher the rank, the greater the virtue required.”

Still, even if Jonah had looked shabby, did that really warrant going this far?

Unable to fully accept it, Jonah tilted his head.

“Huhu, a commoner like Jonah wouldn’t understand. And that’s fine—this is something only I, a noble, need to comprehend.”

“…R-right…”

Jonah gave a half-hearted reply and picked up his knife and fork to start eating… but—

“Ah…!”

He fumbled and dropped food onto the table, then hung his head in embarrassment.

One of the reasons Jonah had avoided eating with his family at the Langheim house was that he couldn’t properly handle a knife and fork.

It was only natural—since he controlled his body with ancient magic, delicate movements required for dining were difficult for him.

In the past, while the indifferent Duke of Langheim had said nothing, Herta had scolded him and Sieg had looked at him with disdain, so it was only natural he had come to hate eating together… but—

“S-sor-”

“Oh my… how clumsy of me, I’ve dropped some food.”

Before Jonah could apologize, Marguerite deliberately dropped food in the exact same way.

“But I am a lady, so I do not apologize over something so trivial. You feel the same, don’t you, Jonah?”

“Ah…”

Yes… Marguerite had done it on purpose.

So the guest, Jonah, would not feel intimidated. So he could enjoy the meal comfortably.

If etiquette exists to show consideration for others, then her actions were the ultimate form of consideration for Jonah.

Jonah’s chest grew warm from her kindness and thoughtfulness.

“Huhu… or would you prefer your older sister to feed you?”

“W-w-w-wha!?”

Teased by Marguerite’s mischievous grin, Jonah’s face turned bright red as he shouted.

At that moment—

“Hm… a guest of Marguerite’s, I take it.”

A stern-looking man with a beard entered the dining hall.