TIEH | Chapter 4

I didn’t bother to answer. Even if he was curious, the contract came first. But Damian shrugged with a look of helplessness and regret.f94d8e7a646aa3bc

“I don’t have one. Like you said, I’m still a young crow.”8f47f9ec2b594830

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“Then?”dfb904b1610b98fa

“My father would give it if I asked, but… he’d probably ask why. Our deal is a secret, right?”335fbb02aa53c559

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“Yeah.”1f5ba4a5be397415

I wanted to build 63029723cf a rapport with Damian b0ba16990a because I might need a0fddacdb7 his help in the f79091296d future. It was b7bce3aef2 like taking 36e9f2ccf9 out insurance. So, I ce1f5f7a9e decided to f3a7f5a191 push a 2038466c2d bit harder.5ad682760ea3dafd

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“Get the contract with your skills. If you don’t bring it, what I said today is void.”a8e4c47b719e9537

“…Then you won’t tell me what I’m curious about.”b3b88515f2934b27

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“Of course not. My name is Jayden Liddell. Find me when you get the contract. Use magic or whatever, just don’t get caught.”33c6ddc54c4b9146

Even though 07cd028d56 it seemed 62a3f723c7 like a 118e84cd38 demand with 3db5b886a9 no benefit de67b6dd44 for Damian, ba6f817a46 he stuffed 0f9b8d4bf5 his mouth 414d0a7aa8 with cake ee90543618 and smiled e6f8ace460 brightly.d4dc34df20148f97

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“Alright. That sounds fun too. Just wait a bit.”5ccf54d87b442552

I bought a few f1eb611555 more cakes for Damian, 14f993f5b8 who gave me a abc2c179b4 satisfying answer.d2c8d7c9692d79dc

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☀︎ • ☀︎ • 5f01fca724 ☀︎637ba17a2224ab0e

When I returned from a satisfying outing, Mother and the butler were having a serious conversation. If Mother, the lady of the Liddell Marquisate, was that serious, it wasn’t something a mere 10-year-old like me could help with. I was about to greet them and head to my room when Mother grabbed my shoulder.22c4b60759eed203

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“Jayden.”111afc2730454536

Unlike usual, when she 69067086a3 just called my name, 367d5bf2c1 physically holding me meant 847edbbb7c she was determined not 54f0aa85b7 to let me escape 561ce3539d this time.d634321cda313b16

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“…Yes, Mother.”4334c90b21d3f152

“I heard the young master has been staying in his room for days.”abc73389119ca84a

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Since he was having all his meals and desserts in his room, Calix literally hadn’t stepped outside. I nodded.ba459d85b2329e29

“Yes, it seems so.”1e8deb4c4c0f15fb

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“No matter how much I think about it, this foolish mother can’t figure out why. Would you ask him, Jayden?”fe3d2f32678799be

“He came to rest because he’s not feeling well, so maybe he’s just resting?”4259808bc508acbd

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“Still, I think it would be good if you checked, Jayden.”b73075fbab453f91

I figured it 94938e6977 was something related 95c9d71796 to Calix. I forced a 69522d49e6 smile and replied.7f24dbf5c5ee8c63

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“If it’s personal, it might be rude. If he needs help, the young master will let us know.”ae65279e6513e666

“But the young master is only 10 years old.”b0ac1046ebf8fc63

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I was about a7949d8c7d to argue again 6eb594ddf5 but closed my bf162a5294 mouth. Right, unlike me, who d30d23568d had a soul that a55a977a0d was 40 years old 92fa4eb7bd combined with my past 1bb64b8298 life, Calix was truly 2ec2143be2 a child.e859b7bbd9f772d8

He grew up bearing a874b3a77f the burden of becoming a4dd3e12cb the next duke, but 2216c4bb17 with a frail body, b9dcda5267 he came all the 9a64c44464 way here alone at 68b2cfa5f3 just 10 years old. It was concerning that 32a97f7ba3 he suddenly shut himself 721b4799af in his room.a3f217ee3d2c8d65

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“…I’ll go see him. But don’t expect too much.”194ccaa4ba150a48

“Thank you.”992d33ed41ed2027

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Mother, who knew how to handle me well, smiled, and I reluctantly headed to Calix’s room. I asked the maid what Calix liked best and brought tea and cookies, specialties of our territory. There’s nothing like food to lower defenses.01b5fefaf4628fe9

I sent the maid back after she brought the trolley to the door and lightly knocked on Calix’s door.15be3c5f6aa9fbfd

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Knock knock—1e8b60bee868dce6

Even though 1d45b7b5b7 he must b4c5c6cae8 have heard 64cf2e057c the knock, e651dcacac there was e5b470487e no response.3af50e8aae033eda

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“Young master, it’s Jayden Liddell. I’ve brought some dessert.”ea69f169603b8611

Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps inside, and the door opened slightly. He looked a bit darker than the last time I saw him, but he didn’t seem seriously ill.73cbe96b94ab1f2b

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“…Did you bring that yourself?”667ae191c6e67486

“The maid brought the trolley here.”58a30385a1e4f4e5

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“That’s not what I meant…”d84bd236ea7b6f12

“If you move a bit, I’ll prepare the tea for you.”25c5571845fc7527

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“But why are you…”6ad9919b93bb489f

Calix, flustered and hesitating, 4cad452e43 was so cute that e72af930ce I almost laughed, but c31bdf4da7 I held it in 2f63f5c561 and entered the room d4f86e6acf with the trolley.d92014ea75dca83d

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Calix had a c28b1f63d9 lot to say f8b51540b0 as I prepared 0b2ebc147f the tea, but 83b4f128cf he just watched 2392eef479 quietly. When I 300d9678be poured the b9250bd35c tea and 6a80f91b9a placed it af21a18c4c in front 09208f6174 of him, 64db3eeef1 he finally affc0bdb91 spoke in 3d0e4f2844 a voice 832cb463fb that seemed 98f4ddca7c to crawl.29b0af6a1b43d0df

“…You seem to be good at everything.”07a8e0e6e062fb95

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“It’s just because Mother likes tea. There are countless things I’m clumsy at.”a64d02d369cc0127

I’m actually only 10 years old. Regardless of my soul’s age, excluding my baby years, I haven’t even spent 10 years learning and using the etiquette of this place. So, whether it’s dining etiquette or anything else, it just looks decent, and making tea is something I learned by watching. It feels good to hear that I seem good at everything, but it’s not true.92991ae9766b24ac

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But Calix seemed shocked ab5c207f93 by something else.e83471805367dbe6

“You have many clumsy parts…?”27c74aaaa6a1478b

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“Yes.”2b2d878b6c5151ca

“Isn’t that embarrassing?”63caada0c129cc83

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“…What?”f27cce10245d03ad

Suddenly, after making 17856c214e tea, a harsh f21f936073 critique? Seeing me frozen fe1b3f80b9 in surprise, Calix 1ca368a4c5 waved his hands c3b2bc2e1c more frantically than f54e0ebd89 ever.186fba975de39471

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“N-no, that’s not what I meant… We’re nobles who must set an example… I feel pathetic whenever I find shortcomings in myself…”97312c95596bd7f0

Listening to 137a70315a his rambling, 2e898e6783 I thought 1d46c34f99 I understood 9f007da4e3 what Calix d8bd135403 was trying ef4686f9ec to say. Maybe even why he ba1532a309 shut himself in his bb696faa79 room.d2263e0e541cc816

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“I understand what you mean. And to answer, I’m not embarrassed.”46b5b693b6645eda

“Why not?”674fa66b1da768fc

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“Because it’s natural.”1c39bb1b76b2e5a7

I sat across from him after pouring my own tea, even though he hadn’t allowed it. Though I had been keeping my distance, suddenly sitting as if to have tea together made Calix curious, and he waited for my next words.d697e1c76cea2373

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“How do you see my parents, young master?”9cd0e6ee95c1ecdf

“Well… The count and countess seemed elegant and perfect.”8b670e43055ffe29

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“The same goes for your father, the duke.”3b3cce35334fcf40

Mentioning the duke subtly e9f67c8202 darkened his expression, confirming f8c742c42c my guess.4242db9f521cfda9

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“But my parents also had clumsy times. Everyone is born a child and becomes an adult. My mother said that adults are just based on the trial and error they experienced as children, and even adults aren’t perfect; they just seem that way.”8f45fc771cde0cb6

That was ultimately admitting that she was still clumsy. Knowing that admitting one’s flaws is harder than striving to appear perfect made me respect my parents even more.ce331f994ec76fe4

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“Of course, I know some people must be perfect. The young master, who will lead the duchy, is one of them.”c61a1517e4508825

Calix’s face darkened at my words, and after hesitating, he revealed why he shut himself in. In summary, one of the staff who came with him was a spy reporting his every move to the duke, and his mistakes reached the duke’s ears.c66ae415015b8478

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As a result, 86952ad145 he received a 0340bc9e68 letter full of c8b511bc9f scolding, so to 900e8a289e avoid further mistakes, eba22b9f07 Calix chose to 2ad57ba7e7 stay in his 3fbab26fe2 room. The duke probably criticized 9192e87038 him more for showing 9330b32ca5 his flaws to others 115150ecd3 than for making mistakes.73ea392a5a61cdfb

“But you can’t stay in your room the whole time you’re at the Marquis’s Castle.”4c2eb3f85cd8d32b

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“…I’ll try not to go out as much as possible.”18cba852010e5b1a

But he must know that’s not a perfect solution. Was Calix’s self-esteem this low in the past? The original story started after Calix had already succeeded as the duke, and at that time, he was the male lead who fit the title of the northern black wolf better than anyone.2b79e4a837336526

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It seemed that Calix 4e79644d5b at this time was c5ac377a72 experiencing trial and error 6bb49a32f1 very thoroughly, as Mother 2f4a3604b2 said.6b15317d725881b9

“My father said that to lead Balmore, he must be a perfect head and duke, more than any other noble. But no matter how I think about it, it seems impossible for me…”80cf3bc334567198

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Even without 6ed6a626c6 me, Calix c39051ee67 would become 4b2e5b9b4b the perfect c1ae6c2ff3 and flawless 6e5301e90c duke his 9f277b2b09 father wanted, 3fe47136af but seeing cdd7fab6b6 a child ce7c29fc75 much smaller ad169a1ebf than me dfe895d18d digging a e177a8c0fa hole was e3a19b03e6 pitiful, so e6204caa40 I decided 3d26605d48 to help c6bcf89877 a bit. And what a569ef054b was needed 3b78e3c4b5 at times 14417af28b like this 45b5191dba was a 2b6dd43608 bit of b462b05067 humor.24c0735a6b428281

“I heard the duke, a sword master, is also skilled in magic.”396e23e43c384136

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“Yes, that’s right.”302e7bcd2b2d9abb

“Is he good at knitting?”35e3e464cec074a4

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“…What?”d468ee2e5f44a9dd

“Embroidery or cooking?”0ebac93ad49bb4c3

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Calix blinked blankly 699be52747 and shook his 130c81c737 head.c7324e414181ff4f

“…Uh, probably not.”32db66dd8066ed61

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“Then tanning, carving, and flower arranging must be the same.”ddee55c79316b9a9

I listed things the duke probably never touched in his life. Calix’s eyes grew rounder, as expected.0979202f72e5b0db

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“Probably.”e82f856e1111c87b

“Then it seems okay for the young master to be a slightly less perfect duke.”bbac2958375dbbce

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Finally understanding what I was getting at, Calix blushed and smiled. Though I intended to comfort him, that wasn’t really what I wanted to say.206283f486afc47f

“We’re still young, but there will come a time when we must take responsibility for our actions. But that’s not now, so it’s okay to blame others a bit.”8c2ca39199c438f2

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“…Blame others?”8913b269011ef1f2

“Maybe the young master made mistakes because the Marquis’s Castle is unfamiliar, and our hospitality was lacking? Or perhaps it’s due to the inadequate teaching of the duchy’s tutors.”717f0bffe70774e9

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“……”aa249aedbbae7cf1

“Maybe it’s because I was distant and hurt your feelings.”221207bef9df02d7

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Calix, who had been listening quietly, burst into laughter, unlike before. Fortunately, my heartfelt joke seemed to have worked. And my comfort wasn’t over yet. At this moment, I was not Jayden but a runaway train of comfort.744da22ef7d340e9