Chapter 121
In front of a doll with white hair and red eyes, a perfect likeness of Rafina, Kaizen personally demonstrated to Tigre, Raon, and Lionel how to tie a young sister’s hair. In fact, Kaizen had often tied the hair of Titiana and Ramona when they were young.
With a hair tie held in his mouth, he supported the white hair with one hand and gathered it with a comb in the other. Holding it firmly so no stray strands would poke out, he showcased a basic ponytail using the tie he had been holding.
Unlike the skillful Kaizen, the children’s hands were clumsy, and the hair kept coming out uneven.
“Hmph, I can’t do it!”
Five-year-old Lionel was the first to declare his surrender. At an age where he preferred running around and acting cute for his parents, Lionel was already getting restless.
“Lionel! You must know how to swing a sword with persistence to become a true knight. You don’t become one just by swinging it a few times to look cool. You have to swing it thousands of times a day.”
“But…”
“Fine. Since Lionel is still young, let’s try again in a year. Watch carefully with your eyes what your brothers Tigre and Raon are doing. And you must learn your letters. Only then can you read books to Rafi.”
Lionel, who hadn’t yet mastered his alphabet, put hair-tying aside and began his studies. Using Rafina as bait to teach him, Lionel, who usually detested studying, displayed impressive focus.
When Tigre and Raon went to the Academy, he could have Rafina all to himself in the evenings. Driven by the desire to read to her, he sat still and focused on his lessons.
“Rafi! Brother is going to read to you again today.”
Every evening, Lionel “clocked in” to Rafina’s room with a storybook in hand. Sitting beside his sister, who beamed at him, he replaced the nanny and read carefully.
Though his reading was a bit unrefined, he enunciated clearly. Often, when he turned to look, Rafina’s eyes would already be closed. Seeing this, Lionel would pat her tummy and eventually fall asleep right beside her.
“Oh dear, I’m worried Rafina won’t be able to sleep without Lionel at this rate.”
“I know. She used to stay wide awake with sparkling eyes in the evening, but she sleeps so well when Lionel reads to her.”
Ramona moved the storybook aside and pulled a blanket over Lionel as well. Adrian looked at the two peacefully sleeping children with an affectionate gaze and gently blew out the candle. After giving the nannies a short break, the couple lay down carefully with the two children between them.
After checking on the little ones, Ramona and Adrian smiled, shared a goodnight kiss, and closed their eyes.
***
Around the time Lionel’s reading skills improved significantly, Toto made a grand reappearance, receiving a massive welcome from Sir Billion. Having run away before Rafina was born, the rabbit had returned noticeably larger, clearly having eaten well during his absence.
“Toto, this is Raon’s younger sister, Rafina. Say hello.”
Toto twitched his nose, looked at the smiling Rafina, and wiped his front paws on Adrian’s clothes as he was being held. Then, he gently placed his paw on Rafina’s tiny, fern-like hand.
As soon as the soft paw touched her, Rafina’s fingers wiggled.
“Kyahaha!”
When Rafina grabbed Toto’s paw and pulled, his whiskers vibrated. Even so, Toto didn’t show a hint of annoyance; he simply settled down beside her and watched her intently.
“Rafi, this is Toto. He’s the only brave rabbit who can defeat assassins with a kick.”
At the rare praise from Adrian, who usually spent his time teasing him, Toto looked up at him—only for his perked ears to be grabbed instantly.
“Byaa puu!”
The lying Rafina sat up and grabbed both of Toto’s ears with her hands. Toto, who normally would have delivered a swift kick, stayed perfectly still this time, allowing his ears to be held.
“Rafi, if you pull Toto’s ears like that, it’ll go ‘ouch.’ You have to let go now, okay?”
“Hing, uwaaa!”
As soon as Ramona gently pried Toto’s ears from Rafina’s hands, the baby burst into tears. Seeing this, Toto immediately burrowed into Rafina’s arms. Hugging a bundle of fur, Rafina stopped crying and burst into giggles.
Adrian gently wiped the remaining tears from the baby’s eyes and smiled as he looked at the sunlight streaming through the window.
“Honey, since the weather is so nice, why don’t we go on a picnic?”
“That’s a wonderful idea. Wait just a moment, I’ll get ready. The boys are coming home for the weekend soon anyway, so let’s all go together.”
At Adrian’s suggestion, Ramona headed to the kitchen to prepare for their first outing in a long while. Sir Onyx followed behind her with a bright smile.
Though he technically belonged to the Cassius Ducal estate, Sir Onyx had insisted that he could not neglect his duties while Ramona stayed here.
“Lady Ramona, I will carry the basket.”
“Thank you as always, Sir Onyx.”
Though he was slated to become the Vice-Commander of the Arab Knights, the smile on Sir Onyx’s face suggested he much preferred being Ramona’s personal guard.
“My Lady, I don’t know where you’re going, but may I tag along?”
“Ran! I want to go too.”
Camilla and Titiana, fresh from training and washed up, spotted Ramona and joined in.
“Mother, Aunt, Auntie, hello. I’m here with Raon.”
“Mom, Aunt, Auntie, we’re back! Have you been well?”
Lately, it had become a natural routine for Tigre and Raon to come here together.
“Dear brother!”
Lionel suddenly popped out from behind Camilla and Titiana, running to dive into Tigre’s arms. They had been awkward not long ago, but with Raon in the mix, they had grown very close.
“Dear brother, I read a book to Rafi again yesterday. She sleeps so well whenever I read.”
“Oh, is that so? Thank you for putting our Rafi to sleep.”
When Raon patted Lionel’s head and praised him, the boy let out a bright laugh. The laughter of children soaked into the once-dry Caspian estate like a gentle rain.
“Oh? I’m going too. I don’t know where you’re headed, but you can’t leave us out, can you?”
“Of course not. Brother, I’m coming too. It feels like a real family gathering when we’re all together like this.”
The uninvited Kaizen and Spinel suddenly appeared. The picnic party, which was supposed to be just the children, Ramona, and Adrian, began to grow.
“Honey, are the kids all here? Let’s take Rafi and go on our out—”
Adrian, coming out with Rafina in his arms and Toto following him, burst into a chuckle at the crowded hallway. It seemed a quiet outing was out of the question.
Kaizen, who had stepped out first to enjoy the fresh air, suddenly made a face as if he’d chewed on something bitter.
“Ramona, the weather is fine; shall we go on a picnic?”
“Ran, let’s take Rafi and the children for an out—ahem.”
Adolf and Grand Duke Ayla were standing there, each holding a large basket. Seeing them, Ramona smiled broadly and tucked an arm into each of theirs.
“We were just about to head out ourselves. I guess great minds think alike in this family. Let’s go! We can do our idling once we get to the picnic spot.”
“S-shall we?”
“Ahem. Let’s do that. We must hurry. Ran, won’t you ride in my carriage? The Caspian carriage won’t be able to fit everyone. Besides, I have something to tell you.”
Grand Duke Ayla beat everyone to it and led Ramona into his carriage first. Adrian followed behind with Rafina and Toto. The others would surely find their way.
As the coachman was given the destination, the carriage began to move slowly.
“What did you want to tell me?”
“It seems Heitz is getting married. So… I was wondering if you could come? I think Heitz would be very happy if you were there.”
Her half-brother, Heitz, didn’t visit often, but he sent letters frequently. Ramona actually knew the situation before the Grand Duke mentioned it.
Heitz, who had begun a fateful romance with a princess from a neighboring country visiting on a whim, had asked Ramona for help every time he hit a snag. She had sent advice each time, and apparently, it worked out well; he had even come by recently to personally tell her he’d received permission to marry.
“Actually, Brother Heitz already asked me for help. He wants me to help decorate because they’re holding the ceremony at the estate.”
Normally, this would be the duty of the lady of the house, but the Grand Ducal Castle lacked one. Thus, he had shamelessly asked Ramona—who was now his true sister—for the favor.
