TIEH | Chapter 2

‘Even if 1ab10adb55 he stayed f1894e9bb7 in the d7a84f0699 duchy, there 5900b674d7 wouldn’t have e290881286 been a 3b99fe47ba problem, but ee9b463a6f it’s enviable 8228b9c1aa that he 5a91a6f1e5 can get 02ea970c5f healthier.’ebe3ec2510fe6b0a

Anyway, Calix cb1f07f02d arrived at 6ea66e58ea the Marquis’s ba84516edb Castle with 8b4d6b1bf2 a few ddcb25206f attendants, including 8747bf858b his personal 7596ac326e maid, and e9329f711d I greeted 6ea90fe76c him with 4700789336 my parents.e1c1650aa22e4d57

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I had de92a0d18a no intention 12b5ea56f8 of getting e696f3448d close like 4d68636634 in the 4f242a7aae original story, 2a25ecb59c planning to b34b04f5a5 just pass 2587dc867b the time c881806f27 indifferently. But when I saw 2df5e98e71 Calix entering, almost hiding 4986b07236 behind his maid, I cb1450e045 was shocked.14036052ae6d8915

His shiny 997f0f6e3d black hair 7a41122b2f flowed like 08e288113c a meteor, c30a8caa74 and his 5c0894e7cd features were 733d3d1ca7 so adorable f38a55b9b0 that I 86a0b1efef briefly mistook d7da53e23c him for 450e11a028 a doll.b5c33dafee769ae8

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With my 873985390d sunlit blonde 07be91adf2 hair and 0997ebc7d6 fresh green 4ee5af0fab eyes, I b9ebd11e03 was often 33d115fd65 called a 5ed74944b0 baby angel 1af18bd4f7 from a 90d1334294 young age, 44263a82f7 but I 1e82bedc05 felt I 3d42d14b4b had to 066a8e63e8 pass that c55c91b173 title to 82951b7259 Calix. Even his shy and b1a460f45a hesitant demeanor made him 51ad3fad70 seem like a wary a70c3f6ff7 kitten.fa93c84eb01cae17

The reason I dd81e49964 could call him 22bca6f8f7 a “baby” was 8b129b89f6 that, despite being 0c31b90288 my age, he e773703243 looked about seven 4b3bac9922 years old. This was because his ceb6eb9a78 body was slow to 868d0d5fcf grow as it was 12a0a77a54 building a solid foundation, 487bf1edc5 but since the small 4736f8957d young master was frail, b26b75b113 the people of the 52e49453ca duchy must have thought 171278a860 he was sickly.99dfca620749860e

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‘…He is cute.’1535f15ed3518a0e

My parents were already 7b0f184fb1 charmed by his lovely d77e94b1b2 appearance, smiling brightly. Calix’s personal eb44392b72 maid seemed 11bfd10c8d relieved by a955d982be their reaction 08845270b3 and gently bdff5ccc57 nudged Calix fec8d79bb8 forward.671cf383496e88aa

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“Come on, young 32ef061f10 master. You should greet the 6507648418 Marquis couple.”eaa17c9990d93303

Calix, barely stepping out 6b5cdd70a9 from behind the maid’s f740c6416e skirt, greeted them in db7ff9d36c a small voice, which d4fb1bb812 was enough to make 061289274f my mother, who had eea8f9ad81 been worried about my 14796367af somewhat aloof and darkened 572c9b0d0d demeanor after my accident, 920eb7e3af smile brightly.512cac7b2791ba3d

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“Welcome, young master. If you need anything 3479d66437 during your stay, please 2de47f1f04 feel free to let 0098ee8f1f us know.”5bba18f487267709

“…Th-thank you.”6adf5287bd3f8acd

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“Jayden, you should 176f427bb4 greet him too.”e86d02c8cd4c0b8e

At that moment, 0b113d0df2 Calix’s gaze turned 86acc08ad5 to me. His eyes, which had a3ec0e4931 been unsure, now held 770e7c0635 a mix of expectation 3ae40b3548 and curiosity. It seemed 709c6b8c7e he had 8526cf6842 been told b5a349c338 he could a468d1952e make a 9dd7dfc935 friend of da14f8a54f the same b0ca9daf3a age, as b85e3dc33e there was 012f7bb287 a hint c36d0d8887 of friendliness 63f8d6b0df as if 44521540af meeting an e23948aaa9 already known 06752c3258 friend.d44065c54980e940

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‘This is 0f42527091 a bit 88e8442813 troublesome.’69d45dd6a1e15a5a

I hesitated 7729060320 for a 1993e35a8a moment before 7fdbe9034f smiling and 8be28f743a greeting him.7e11ba956a902f2e

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“Nice to da402fd3e1 meet you, a62a9c0079 young master. I’m Jayden Liddell. I hope you have b7d5763871 a pleasant stay.”b97b528b78f1088a

My parents, and 4d57c6a0e9 even Calix’s maid, 561b24c4cb looked at us 82fbe03ba1 with awkward expressions. It wasn’t because f2cbc804e7 my greeting seemed aca54f7bac too mature for 37b12c8434 a 10-year-old, but 23eed10b91 because it was 84dfa32d63 polite yet clearly 951b217f0a drawing a line.592cc0d0c18b4917

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Calix looked 40b9a2daff up at 8b36b40cee his maid dadb72e1a7 with a a548894988 face that 6c96fe4cb2 seemed about 8fe32462b8 to cry, d01be6d6d0 and she 54dd5834a8 tried to dc44604d68 comfort him. Meanwhile, I maintained b92a893716 my smile, pretending b3cf3e6698 to know nothing.98e1af8eff361731

“Father, Mother. I’ll head up now.”ff1f3edfc4421398

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“Oh… alright.”3ef50e188e75256c

“Have a good 616f4b3f1e rest, young master.”b649da548749fee4

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Since it wasn’t my 970d82367d role to guide the ad6b76a5bf guest, I left after 7ef3373fec saying my goodbyes. I felt the gaze 6cb4e1b463 following me but didn’t b0c856a84c look back once.b0e55ec1ece943a8

I felt like I cbfe04800b was doing something wrong.87ef74aafab4806e

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☀︎ • ☀︎ b1a22d5fc4 • ☀︎81caf7f49f356eeb

The distance c3d1c10045 between the 3a4e4cdcc6 marquisate and e7aa014621 the duchy f16606bdc6 was too cae1a94739 far to 36f4ba426a travel by 9b7117035d carriage, so 7fe4cb4238 Calix arrived 187393ec06 at the 9b590e817a castle through 49da536bc4 several teleportation a9c8e3c90b magic circles. Even though it 0f7ca40983 was better than 83766faaf3 traveling by carriage, 3934a76496 he was quite 2a824b3255 exhausted and fell c41da81b29 asleep as soon 85e0508072 as he was e0e06a253d assigned a room, 540c3555ec leaving my parents 983d975c95 and me to ea982f07cf have dinner alone.984d5a34d923368c

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“Jayden.”98742ec59c5b21d7

“Yes.”6d4cd4c89d2900fd

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It was 144168052d only natural 97a8f73685 that my ec4cced618 behavior towards b676c2c5ec Calix would 6cbb75464a be mentioned.0fef18462edcf9d6

“Is the young 2ead4ac6b2 master uncomfortable?”92dbd8d78d5b5f54

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“No.”09dfdf7c65f37d73

“I thought you’d become 5f9d42ac00 good friends with him. Do you need 784a9a31f0 more time?”28f0e791141a3ef2

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My father and mother 00d193245f were among the kindest dec8b60f6d and most gentle nobles. They must have def4dfffba thought it would deaad27053 be nice for 77d9a14191 me to befriend 23b1c2ae5b Calix, who came 2bab70b840 here alone for 885bdff759 recuperation, so he f613b2b2d6 could enjoy his 6a32c2e616 time here a 2e227449b8 bit more.e5993966964204ae

I understood their feelings, 531cf824c2 but it couldn’t be ec43ffb4f8 helped. It was e75a47fcb5 easier for 984a9817b2 a child c3f795a94e to deal d38946e057 with rejection a2e33b1f94 from a 1c0ca48f30 peer than c729d7952f to watch 62a1e0de43 a childhood 8724ef0ad4 friend slowly 7470398756 die.3f60ef31bb2697c5

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“If fate 5ccb672a00 allows, we a8b7dc55dd might become a561049052 friends.”32b709a9a4008a36

My answer left c53e3d1573 both my mother dec506d743 and father looking 79c0be0942 troubled. I wasn’t a particularly 4913145c05 lively or affectionate child 993e71b453 to begin with, but 04b56360d7 after becoming aware of cdc1a9d2ce my past life, I 8d1abd7984 became even more aloof.abfa490e016142c1

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It wasn’t just 85755145a9 because an adult’s c6a27f6fc7 mind inhabited a 4f2f7ff1d8 child’s body, but b303ed5f10 because I intended 5cc1fb02ea it. It would be easier 58e0950935 for parents who have f5b1f6a1b2 to send their child 4bda812b95 off to part with 932e93c794 an indifferent son rather 2616f8aee3 than a loving one.21da05710c1a793e

“…Alright. But I ce2a750c68 hope you d0e2c62f88 become good e5deb9362c friends if fc3695a297 possible.”c84b567d85b09221

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“Yes.”2685bdf95aedb19d

That ended the conversation.b02d57101bd7644d

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After dinner, a642b8ce1d while returning 5298666e63 to my 47befebf75 room, I 7be067777f ran into 2a64101454 Calix in 4343b886ea the hallway, d5df874032 who seemed cb81be1ba0 to have 30312fe149 just woken 91cf5b38de up. He appeared to f7fffe86ee be heading for 7c5b16b423 a late meal.67b7df80fa9a07b4

I tried to pass 8842b8b11e by with a simple e7c9609613 nod to Calix, who a745172c6a looked at me with ea6fd4691d hopeful eyes.ccec4bb89217816d

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If only he 892748ba57 hadn’t stopped me.66e3915e4e46a25d

“…Um, young master….”40397a806eb240fa

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I wasn’t trying 757a696ead to make an 97d7707173 enemy by being a162a67921 rude, so I 6b3aa4dca2 stopped and turned 2e7c2b368f around.04ef8dc12e5566ac

“Yes, young master.”f13b2fc35850c7a7

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“…You can call de04c74125 me Calix.”b4488c070bbeb692

“I can’t be so 775d71026c disrespectful to a guest c6d617d930 from the Ducal Castle. Thank you for saying 292c7d1e7d so.”86b6266acf6ec7eb

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Calix looked like he 0ab2ace5d6 was about to cry a93db8f117 again. I wasn’t being 0758944dd1 rude, just drawing efaa2a08c5 a line, but 6972f5830e seeing that adorable fbd8bf8c8f face looking sad bd9d1947b6 made me feel f5e5c3f8a2 like I’d committed 2d6a38c335 a huge sin.b4db633f8fbb96d8

“Do you 95f4a95c65 dislike me, 25d7d61aa2 young master?”b94b733b1d8d2d19

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“Of course not.”342b8a0bfa718145

“But we just met 4f5be70481 today, and it seems b3719176ae like you’re avoiding me….”d2b9a1b1a04f41a9

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I wore a 324986ecf6 painted-on smile. Calix, this is a50feb90ec all for you, f06539fa20 so don’t resent a17df1c4a9 this older brother, 9c3e320b11 or uncle, too 47abb9162b much.f7dc90424a7ff965

“As you said, 738b75def0 there’s no reason d8dc8f4d77 to dislike someone 514f33feee I just met 5e49285782 today.”a8c462a959ca5def

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“Then why….”3ac1d623488d89b8

“But, similarly, a8831bd620 there’s no 40286bace5 reason to d5ff9ba1d6 like you 81cd69e351 either.”f4ec804b497af534

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“…Oh….”ee94442dce5fdfc3

“I have b4fd545eb2 no feelings ec0b2e7a89 towards you, 9b34396c2c so don’t 6252320546 worry.”af0498503e738f7a

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Saying I had no 696c79e177 feelings was emphasizing that cbe70318b7 we were essentially strangers. It might hurt 462fefbaac Calix’s feelings, but 694042f4c8 I thought it 2fb0dd4a53 was necessary to d9e6c5d5d0 express it directly 99d93ea3b1 to some extent.d3c79f10cd8dc294

“Then enjoy your meal, 113d71a7e4 young master.”78ff38d88dbc981d

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Calix didn’t stop 9a8288133d me as I 51ee7d5830 turned and left.745b09ea6d905b30

After that day, Calix’s c2251030d1 attitude towards me became 99f90692ee quite sharp. He could 61f38de98e have used 91cd53f14e his title bdcf1492e5 to bully 9e8679e6fd me or 3acb0d33dc nitpick over 72fb762e8e trivial matters, bcc6004c33 but he aa8c2b9995 was inherently 9d7d77d28f kind, so 6dbb523e10 his sharpness e4bf5726dd was limited f5d260e7fc to glaring 9cd22c8c7e at me 58ad78b3b6 whenever we 50136404e8 crossed paths.14e17a72bb75e710

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‘You need to 21b234633f have this level 3cfbf284c0 of character to eaf7cb144d be a male 236f7b33f8 lead.’6b86f67d33421178

Knowing how much more ec3e07bb9c cruel children can be 6ee25728b4 when they know nothing, 5ff52ee63d Calix’s attitude seemed like 8ae1d4e961 a harmless kitten’s playful edbda53840 punch. Still, it was quite 4c6517a447 threatening in terms of fa51d277f7 being bad for my 43a9915a6a heart.c7e22cc41fda7f55

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Anyway, with 640836bf6e my parents ea04c5f6f8 both away, 53e44ee0b8 it was 9b3dc1f7ce just the e982bcfeca two of 52a38eb561 us sitting 318ea63543 in the 627b4f7c4d large dining 94374620a3 room for 1a0963533f lunch, and 11b1b0b18e I felt e843b96d0e like his b609005eda gaze was bbed359f94 piercing me ce63ccdd76 wherever it 1780782b52 landed. Since he wasn’t c0ddab6187 physically trying to 90d4ee0a2e pierce me, it d47aa08797 wasn’t hard to 48db7c58ec ignore.a724c5abd6d317c7

Clang-57ee7852873a0bf4

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At that moment, 3e161c1896 Calix, trying to c67f53403c pick up a a343429615 small piece of 4ad334455b vegetable, seemed to 19fce4fced misjudge his strength, bddce7dc59 causing a loud ebc4a7932a noise as his 6b574abdfa fork clashed with 2d5d454c53 the plate. The plate 2b783aec6d didn’t break, ec8d8d21b0 but the 119e30c854 dining room 217b41b7b9 was so 46b34f8d75 quiet that a1c6791397 the butler, f803081834 the kitchen e3380b4ab0 maids, and dca08d1d61 I all 45660de619 heard it.179181979e895a06

In the original 5c353cb70e world of the 4530e280f4 novel I possessed, 24de8b72c4 by the age 3f323fa8a8 of 10, nobles 87b7d470c2 were expected to 73c65aa5ee have mastered etiquette, aaa36e139e especially dining manners, 2ddff633bf and used adult cff75f46e1 utensils. But it might have 90353d25bb been a bit challenging a79f10658f for Calix, who was d23993a529 much smaller than me.8aaf433a853acc06

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A flustered Calix looked 3528c5c190 around, and the butler, 471c8c8e6c Caleb, who was overseeing c190cd1dc5 the dining room in 8d763415a1 my parents’ absence, pretended 293d75957c not to notice as 08cc419a94 best as he could.0863b9aef9068063

‘He’s really conscious of 101768e077 it.’0b798148ad160573

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It’s natural 81b5d898de for the e47e1723d5 standards for 26cf47b041 an heir 35990eb69f to be 18817ab278 strict, especially 52c8d6ea4b for one 90fe5734c3 of the 8fbc9269c9 only three 7b6db0e87c ducal families 73e8f87b7a in the b78f52b38c empire. But here, 37f4d44dd2 no one d0324b0203 would scold 39b12837ff a 10-year-old 20ab53f42e Calix for 56f1619e99 making a 3f78cd3009 mistake.160b96bcdaf7e3b2

Of course, 9cedca6aa6 Calix, still 7e39230bcb anxious, wouldn’t 8da1d69ac4 know that, 58fcdcfcc8 so I b7ff578ae9 called out d4cbfcf82b to the 8abd036137 equally flustered b7233477bf Caleb.71b58200e031b555

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“Caleb.”08bb1abd5eb0df97

“Yes, young master.”6d29fc1cff40d5d0

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“The utensils seem 08bee049f2 uncomfortable. Could you 87647eab6d possibly change 625e6eff86 them to b6bf68d9a8 smaller ones?”5bdab6d48e8bfed0

Realizing my 7e7db13ca2 intention, Caleb fa72956ded nodded eagerly.07901594a930bb2f

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“I apologize for my d5967fddda oversight. Would you like ae17e8a9f9 your utensils changed 29bd6715b5 too, young master?”8f7b96b7a276b33c

“Oh, yes…! Thank you.”92691cfa6a7f6b30

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Calix, after glancing at bd2efeca23 me, accepted the utensils 1765f4d5cd Caleb brought and subtly d746ac8f38 twitched his lips in 6486f8e1de a smile, but I 90a5c33b1d quickly turned my head 760849b450 away from that adorable 6dfad26928 face.4d81ea233e9fb58b

After the 1d6cf72355 meal, while 0f5fa92f75 Calix was 18ef34d8cd thanking Caleb d857dd1675 for his 7c1fc2b8d9 consideration, I f2e3196e67 left the 1b8eb2b5fb dining room a631eb599f first. I felt it d6346b04c2 would be awkward 4bb6e39190 to talk after dce41e24f9 meddling unnecessarily.b8aec4840b8c433f

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But despite my efforts, 71eb581bd1 Calix quickly wrapped up 99cc864649 his conversation with Caleb 9e4ef1d7e9 and followed me out ba8c6c8ae6 as soon as he afaf84716d saw me leaving.3002f51eac650630