The Budding Genius of the North and the Hidden Flower

I pushed Elliot toward Helena, wearing a face that claimed I had no idea what his desperate appeal meant. “You two really look great together.” Helena giggled at the compliment. “Really?” she asked expectantly, and I gave her a reply filled with utmost sincerity.

“Llewellyn…”

“Elliot, honestly. Helena came all this way just to see you; are you really going to tell her to go back?”

It’s rude to the lady, I added, and Helena beamed even brighter. Children around this age love being treated like adults. She seemed to take a particular liking to the word “lady.”

As Elliot was dragged away by Helena, he mouthed “Just you wait!” but I wasn’t scared. In my experience, people who say “just you wait” never actually bring anything impressive to the table.

The garden was secluded. It had been an excellent choice to shove all the kids indoors and throw them some toys. The sunlight, the wind, and the fragrance carried by the breeze were so pleasant that my mood lifted.

It’s not that I hate kids, but it’s true that they’re a nuisance. Sometimes I secretly looked down on Rooster as a brat, but in reality, there were many who were much worse than him. It was especially severe for those raised as the center of the universe in their own fiefs.

I definitely have to avoid the Academy. It was exhausting enough meeting a few times a week; I had no confidence in surviving an Academy where all those little runts were gathered and stuck in a dormitory. If I were learning magic, the Academy would be a mandatory course, but since I chose the sword, there was no pressing reason to go.

Besides, if I go to the Academy, a “Meeting Event” with none other than Cedric Klein awaits. Among the four leads, Erkel had specifically put a star next to Cedric Klein’s name and labeled him a “lunatic.” For Erkel—who wouldn’t even call a reasonably crazy person “mad”—to personally grant him the title of “lunatic,” it was hard to even imagine just how insane he was.

After wandering around soaking up the sun like I was photosynthesizing, I moved toward the shade of a tree. I’ll take a quick nap before going back. My body was used to sleeping only on plush beds, so I wouldn’t fall into a deep sleep on the uncomfortable grass. I’d just roll around for about twenty minutes, then go back and soothe Elliot. Erkel would be looking for me, too.

Passing through the garden filled only with flowers and heading deeper inside, I found a decent-looking tree. I took off my jacket, spread it out, and lay down. My eyes closed comfortably in the cool breeze. Thanks to the grass and soil, the ground wasn’t that hard, and at this rate, I’d fall asleep in no ti—

“Oof!”

A scream burst out of me as a sudden weight dropped onto my body. Luckily, my physical durability had become somewhat useful; if this had been Llewellyn’s body from a few months ago—the one that never walked more than thirty paces—it would have been pulverized.

“What the…?”

Suppressing a cough, I snapped at whatever was sitting on top of me. A pair of soft, black eyes were frozen, seemingly just as surprised as I was. The face revealed beneath violet hair was even lovelier than Helena’s. No, “lovely” wasn’t enough to describe such beauty. Was there a kid like this among those who came to the palace? Even in a crowd, this appearance would stand out, yet it was a face I was seeing for the first time.

The child, startled by my temper, and I, startled by the child’s face, stared at each other in a silent standoff. It was only after I regained my senses and pointed out, “Could you move a bit?” that the child hurriedly scrambled off to the side.

“Sorry…”

Hearing the apology in a tiny, crawling voice made it hard to stay angry.

“Fine. More importantly, what are you doing in a place like this?”

Looking up, I saw a snapped branch where this child presumably fell from. A small hand held something out toward me. It was a baby bird that hadn’t even grown its feathers yet. Looking further up, I could see a nest.

“Were you trying to take it out, or put it back in?”

Without a word, the hand holding the bird was raised toward the nest. It seemed they were trying to put it back. A sigh escaped me. I was just flustered by the sudden accident, but this child’s dress was a mess. The ribbon tied at the back was undone, and the lace at the hem was stained with dirt and grass juice. The hair ornament was nowhere to be seen, leaving the long hair to spill out wildly.

Seeing those small shoulders slumped, I felt a twinge of guilt. Chivalry had nothing to do with me, but I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to ignore a moment like this. A girl who failed to return a fallen bird to its nest, and a weakly chirping chick. After a brief internal struggle, I held out my hand to the child.

“I’m not confident in climbing trees, but… give it here.”

The child, who was just blinking, carefully placed the bird in my hand. Although the expression was indifferent, I could guess the emotions from the fluttering eyelashes, the pouting lips, and the way the hands couldn’t stay still, picking at the dried mud on the skirt.

I placed the bird inside my handkerchief, took the end in my mouth, and climbed the tree. Fortunately, there were many knots to step on, so it wasn’t that difficult. It was only after I managed to place the bird back in the nest that a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

Wait, isn’t this… a ‘Meeting Event’ straight out of a dating sim?

For Llewellyn Edwill, a “Meeting Event” meant getting deeply entangled with a man. My heart throbbed with anxiety. Come to think of it, even this tree was suspicious. Doesn’t it look like an item prepared so that even a ten-year-old could climb it? After sliding down the tree, I scrutinized the other person’s face again. While not as flashy as the Crown Prince, it was definitely an appearance that captured one’s gaze.

No, no. I denied the possibility. That’s a girl.

“You. What’s your name?”

As if happy the bird was safely back in its nest, the pouting lips were now pressed firmly together. I could see a strong will not to speak.

“Did you come to the palace because you were invited to the gathering?”

A nod.

“And you snuck out to be here?”

A hesitant nod.

“Do you not want to tell me your name?”

Sorry, but even if you don’t tell me, I plan to look up the list. One must always be certain about these things. Let’s see, the names of the leads were… Peiron, Cedric, Karwin, and Luke. Peiron is the Crown Prince, so exclude him. Luke is a commoner, so exclude him. That leaves Karwin and Cedric. As long as it’s not them, I don’t have much to worry about. After all, those four are the protagonists who ruin Llewellyn’s life.

I hadn’t heard that those two had a hobby of cross-dressing, and there was no law saying this girl had to be a boy, but it was hard to tell with children who hadn’t hit puberty yet if you put them in a skirt. But I couldn’t exactly strip them to check their gender, could I? Life as Llewellyn Edwill was damn exhausting.

“…Cici.”

“Huh?”

“Cici…”

The voice was so small I had to strain to hear it. Cici? I realized they were answering my question about whether they didn’t want to tell me their name.

“Your name is Cici?”

A nod.

“Uh… it’s cute. It suits you.”

The child crinkled their nose as if they liked the compliment. With eyes cast toward the ground, their long eyelashes were clearly visible.

Half of the suspicion in my heart melted away. Wouldn’t it be such a waste if a face like that belonged to a boy? When would Llewellyn Edwill ever get to interact with a girl like this? It would probably be difficult until at least age twenty-three when the original story ends. Perhaps this was a fated encounter to support me through all those hardships?

I knew it was a ridiculous expectation, but my heart fluttered for no reason. Excuses starting with “But” kept following.

But, they’re wearing a dress. And they’re so cute. Besides, they said I’d meet Cedric at the Academy and Karwin in the North.

Though, there is the case of the Crown Prince, who I met earlier than in the original. A doubt rose within me, but it was followed by the rebuttal: Does this kid look like a ‘lunatic’ from any angle?

Cici was a decent conversation partner. Mostly, I did all the talking while Cici chose to nod, shake their head, or remain silent, but they made it clear they were listening. It might look ridiculous to others, but it didn’t matter since no one was around.

In fact, I liked that the child was quiet. After being hounded by young nobles who believed everyone must focus on their words, peace found its way to me upon meeting someone who listened calmly. I explained the flowers in the garden for the child and told jokes I’d picked up. Their expressionless face changed so minutely that I had to focus to notice it, but I felt quite proud whenever I caught a slight lift at the corners of their mouth.

Occasionally, the child would mumble something; if I waited patiently, they would speak in a small voice. Mostly it was words that didn’t form full sentences, but it was still admirable. How should I compare it? It felt like the heart-pounding anticipation of watching a young animal try to stand on its own.

If I ask questions that can’t be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ maybe I can hear their voice more? I tried a few times but gave up. They didn’t seem to enjoy talking much, and I didn’t want to burden them for no reason.

“I should probably head back now.”

The sun, which had been high, had tilted significantly. I had only intended to catch my breath, but more time had passed than I thought. If I don’t go back now, Erkel might say he’s going to strangle me. These days, Erkel, who was under massive stress, wasn’t satisfied with just chewing on sweets and was looking for cigarettes. Setting aside the question of whether cigarettes like modern ones existed in the Empire, I couldn’t let a ten-year-old smoke them.

After meeting me, Erkel had scrapped his plan to go to divinity school and said he would go to the Academy instead. I was worried that if I actually sent him there, he might really start drinking and smoking.

“Next time…”

I felt something tugging; Cici was holding the hem of my pants. When our eyes met, they loosened their grip but didn’t let go. It wouldn’t be hard to shake off a grip from such a tiny hand, but my conscience hurt too much to just brush them off.

You really… why are you being like this?