Chapter 15 : Chapter 15
Chapter 15. Even Rolling in the Dirt, the Boy Smiled (3)
“Why don’t you take her out at least once?”
A morning in early winter which had become quite chilly now.
Blanc had come to stop by Bartomyu’s office to offer morning greetings as usual.
“……What do you mean?”
“I know well that you are immersed in training with Edwin these days, but can’t you take her out to play at least once?”
‘That brat…….’
The young girl, feeling sadness beyond sorrow towards Blanc who never moved according to her will even once, eventually visited Bartomyu’s office last night unable to bear that sadness.
She, who entered wearing tears ready to fall from the moment she opened the door, buried her face in her grandfather’s lap and cried her eyes out.
“Isn’t she a ten-year-old child. As an older brother, you also have an obligation to take care of that child. Since you are also a child who inherited the blood of Tolome.”
When other children and grandchildren visited his office, they entered with beaming smiles but had dark intentions inside.
However, the youngest Tolome, the ten-year-old granddaughter, just came to him crying saying she wanted to go play with her cousin.
At that innocence, even Bartomyu with cold noble blood had no choice but to be moved.
“I heard she begged for a whopping several months but you didn’t play with her even once?”
“Count, that is…….”
“Edwin also said. He is worried that you seem too immersed only in training.”
Recently, the main interest of Bartomyu and Edwin was about Blanc.
At first, they enjoyed watching Blanc’s growth, but they were worrying whether he was letting go of even his own life by devoting himself too much to training.
Bartomyu, worrying that the boy who lost his parents might ruin himself burning with vengeance, wanted to arrange leisure for Blanc to take a breather at this opportunity.
“Take this.”
Opening the pouch that made a clinking sound, gold coins were inside.
“Count…….”
“Thinking about it, I heard other kids take allowance from the family very well, but you never did so.”
“I didn’t need it.”
Blanc was accustomed to living poorly.
He was someone who constantly looked for an opportunity to escape while enduring for 10 years as a slave and 20 years as a bottom-feeder mercenary. He was sufficiently satisfied just with the basic things provided by the Tolome family.
“How can you not need it. A noble must also know how to spend money. With half of the money in that pouch, you keep it, and with the other half, buy clothes or something for Iselin. Buy delicious things too.”
It was 5 gold.
1 gold was money enough for an ordinary family of four to eat and live for a year and have some left, but to Bartomyu Tolome, it was money merely at the level of pocket money for grandchildren.
Blanc, who touched the largest amount of money throughout his past and current life, was so surprised he almost fell over, but spoke in a calm tone as much as possible without showing it.
“Then despite my shamelessness…….”
“I hope you play with her for about 3 days. Since a young child waited for several months, you should do at least that much, right? As for training, I told Edwin too, so don’t worry.”
‘3 days?’
The heart that was excited receiving the glittering gold coins also sank with a thud at Bartomyu’s words.
***
Although it was early winter weather where the sunlight wasn’t stinging, Iselin was specifically using a parasol.
“First, we will go to the cafe where the picture of Wilhelm I is visible. And for lunch, we will go to eat at the newly opened steak specialty restaurant, for dessert we will go to the parfait place, and next shopping…….”
‘She’s excited.’
Although pretending to be composed, if one saw Iselin hopping like a puppy on a snowy day without realizing it herself, anyone could tell she was excited.
It couldn’t be helped because the attire of Blanc escorting her next to Iselin was very fine.
His hair was pomaded and swept back neatly, and the black leather coat he was wearing matched well with his black hair.
Moreover, although he was fourteen, perhaps because he inherited the robust physical conditions of the Cadmus family, Blanc, who had already grown to the early 170s, was staying in the intermediate stage between a boy and a young man, exuding a strange sensuality.
Did they say the completion of a woman’s fashion is the man next to her?
In that sense, Iselin was practically carrying a very fine accessory today.
‘Very uncomfortable.’
However, Blanc actually felt this attire was uncomfortable to no end.
He hadn’t been able to eat properly because of Emilia and Iselin’s maids who came to visit from dawn today and decorated him.
If possible, Blanc intended to kick them out and move in the comfortable clothes he usually wore, but he had no choice but to wear them because Iselin’s maids begged even kneeling.
‘I am not even their master, is there a need to kneel and dress me?’
Although Blanc couldn’t understand, Iselin’s maids knew well how much she looked forward to today.
If possible, the maids wanted to gift a wonderful day to Iselin.
Iselin had no siblings. Because her mother died from labor pains as soon as Iselin was born.
On top of that, her father and Bartomyu’s fourth son, Weird Tolome, ran the direct merchant group of the Tolome family, so he had almost no time staying at the mansion.
And since the cousins in the mansion all had age gaps of more than ten years with her, Iselin had few places to attach her heart to.
Even if Bartomyu, the head of the Tolome family, adored her, to Iselin, he was too high and difficult an object, so it was natural for her heart to be drawn to Blanc, the newly appeared peer cousin.
The maids who had followed behind Iselin and watched that appearance for the past few months deeply sympathized with her feelings.
Therefore, kneeling to dress Blanc in fine clothes was nothing.
‘Strangely scary.’
While Blanc recalled the events of this morning and waited in line in front of the cafe, Iselin was standing next to Blanc lifting her head high for no reason.
Because the gazes of people waiting there poured onto the two people, Blanc and Iselin.
Since a cute-looking young girl and a boy with a strange atmosphere were standing waiting in line, it was a situation where the interest of people bored waiting for their turn would pour.
Iselin, feeling proud for no reason, lifted her head as if telling them to look at her and tried to create a haughty atmosphere, but she seemed unaware that appearance actually made her look even cuter.
“What are you doing?”
“You too, don’t stand sloppily but stand in a proper posture like a noble. Shouldn’t you show an example to others?”
“What are you talking about.”
It was Blanc who couldn’t know the sensitive sensibilities of a ten-year-old girl.
***
Iselin was smart.
She quickly gave up on seeing the statue of Wilhelm I.
“Looking at how things are going, it won’t work even if we wait all day today.”
‘Damn it.’
From Blanc’s position, rather than being dragged here and there escorting Iselin, just waiting blankly in one spot was more comfortable.
However, unlike Blanc’s thought, Iselin enjoyed this time constantly roaming around buying food, buying clothes, buying accessories, and rummaging through things she wouldn't even buy.
Although Blanc could not understand what a ten-year-old brat had so much to buy, he was still following Iselin without a word of complaint.
‘If only it weren’t for Count Bartomyu’s words.’
Blanc was a man of great patience.
He was someone who had endured and persevered through ten years of slavery, constantly looking for an opportunity to escape. He could overlook a reasonable amount of harassment as if it were nothing.
However, catering to Iselin’s mood was not such an easy task.
This brat constantly asked Blanc if this suited her or what looked better, when she could have just bought whatever she wanted if she wanted to buy it.
“How are these earrings? Did they emphasize the gold decoration too much? Do they look classless?”
“Brats don’t wear earrings.”
“How about this hat? Don’t you like the white ribbon attached here?”
“Winter is a season where you don’t really need to block the sunlight.”
“Then this…….”
“Wouldn’t it be better to ask the maids who are still following behind you rather than me? I am ignorant when it comes to women’s clothes.”
“You can learn at this opportunity.”
Although Blanc kept retorting bluntly, Iselin did not mind at all, as if she enjoyed shopping with him like this.
Iselin dragged Blanc around until evening.
Blanc was exhausted enough to think that Edwin’s training would be better.
“The last stop is a restaurant that specializes only in steak, which opened recently! I heard the special sauce here is so delicious!”
‘Nobles sure eat well. A shop that sells only steak.’
Although he was a noble himself, Blanc was someone who had the mercenary life of his past ingrained in his bones.
By the time they sent back the attendants who had been following them and sat down just the two of them to cut steak.
“The guest at that table over there sent this.”
The manager held out a blue wine glass that looked expensive at a glance, though Blanc didn’t know much about it.
‘What is this?’
While Blanc was momentarily flustered as it was something he was experiencing for the first time in his life, Iselin answered on Blanc’s behalf with shining eyes.
“Oh my. I apologize, but I already have a prior engagement. Please convey my refusal instead…….”
Iselin shrugged her shoulders while waving her short limbs, as if she had heard a lot of things from somewhere.
“Well…… I apologize, but it was sent to the gentleman here, not the lady…….”
Realizing that the glass was sent to Blanc, not her, Iselin huffed and looked for the table that had sent the drink, glaring.
There sat a bewitching beauty with red hair.
‘Hmm…….’
While Blanc fell into suspicion wondering ‘Who is that woman? Why did she send a drink to me?’, Iselin had her gaze fixed on one point.
On the woman’s voluptuous chest sitting at the opposite table.
An outfit suitable for seducing men, a beauty mark that looked charming, and even flashy red hair.
It was a captivating appearance even in the eyes of a young girl, so she couldn’t hide her indignation.
“Blanc. Do you know who that woman is?”
“When will you call me brother?”
“Do you know that woman!”
“I don’t.”
“Then why did that woman send a drink to Blanc?”
“I don’t know.”
He roughly guessed she sent it because she wanted to seduce him, but would she throw such a pass in a situation where it was obvious he didn’t come alone and had young Iselin in front of him?
‘Suspicious.’
If it’s suspicious, don’t touch it. Don’t go to dangerous-looking places.
Always doubt. Whatever it is.
These were the principles Blanc had strictly followed while living through his past life.
A suspicious situation, a suspicious woman.
Blanc focused his attention on her and looked around to prepare for unexpected situations.
That was why he couldn’t stop it.
“Hmph! What’s so great about this!”
Iselin, unable to overcome her indignation, poured the blue transparent liquor down her throat in one go.
“Iselin!”
‘……!’
And the moment the liquid went down Iselin’s throat, Blanc could clearly see.
The expression of the red-haired woman sitting at the opposite table dyeing in astonishment.
Not panic or confusion, but astonishment.
‘It’s poison!’
As soon as he grasped the situation, the first thing Blanc did was
“Gah!”
To land a heavy punch on the solar plexus of the frail ten-year-old girl.