Chapter 16.1

“Um . . .”

“No! I’m studying!” The punk glared at me. Even if our mother only made us study the basics of living as aristocrats, the problem was that there were too many basic liberal arts.

Ugh. That’s terrible. I’ll be sitting there when I’m ten as well . . .

But it seemed a little easier because I had learned it once before.

However, Alexid was doing homework by twisting his toes.

I think that I first began to study when I turned ten years old. I’m still nervous about how Alexid was then.

He sat in my seat and monitored me, and he didn’t take his eyes off me for even a moment.

And if I misbehaved even a little, my mom would always find out. Whenever she scolded me, she would smile coldy. I would hate looking at her smiling face at those times.

Time for retribution, you punk.

When I was smiling at my peanut of an older brother, mom came into the room with milk and madeleines in her hands.

Wow! It’s snack time!

“Eat before you do your homework.”

“Yes!”

As she stood behind me and Alexid, who were chewing on madeleines, my mother opened up his book. Then she spoke to Alexid with a stern face.

“Sid.”

“Huh? Yes, mom!” Alexid answered.

“Your teacher definitely told you that you had to solve five pages. But if you don’t finish it . . .” She trailed off, eyeing Alexid. “The teacher might be angry at you.”

“Uhhh . . . It’s no—”

“What?”

“No, it’s not . . .” Alexid began to pout.

What’s wrong with him?

“Sid?”

Mom was surprised and sat in front of Alexid. There, she gently soothed my older brother, who was shaking his head furiously and stubbornly closed his mouth .

In the meantime, I put another piece of madeleine in my mouth. It tasted so good!

I just have to finish all of this before mom is finished scolding Alexid.

My mother scolded Alexid with a stern voice, and he burst into tears like a whiny kid.

He started crying. “The teacher told me to solve five pages starting Wednesday and to solve three pages today! Why are you asking me to do five pages?”

It was shocking enough for me to drop the madeleine I was eating.

I really didn’t dare to call that kid my sibling in public.

It’s just . . . Oh, even I’m feeling second-hand embarrassment . . .!

How can you make it that obvious that you’re not good at studying, older brother!

I shook my head and picked up the madeleine that I dropped on the floor.

“Don’t eat that, Lulu!” Mom scolded me, then turned toward Alexid. “Sid, look at me! It’s not like that. Mom didn’t know, it. Okay?” Mom then glared at me again and yelled, “Lulu, don’t eat it!

My mother sighed.

“Sid. Mom is sorry, okay?” Mom said as she patted his head. “You can stop crying, just do three today.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Mom smiled at my embarrassing older brother, who gave up on studying as early as ten.

“Let’s just stay healthy, Lulu and Sid,” Mom smiled. “Studying doesn’t matter. All I want is for everyone to be perfectly healthy!”

Now that Alexid already got what she wanted, he suddenly shouted, “Mom, Lulu ate up my madeleine! Such a pig!”

“Mom will bring it back to you.” Mom said as she smiled, “But you can’t fight with your sister, okay?”

Somehow, there seemed to be a halo hovering above my mother.

Wow, it’s so bright!

* * *

Billiers was an eloquent and thoughtful man.

Should I say that he’s perfect at fooling others?

It was difficult to find a point of contact with a college graduate when I’m only an eight-year old kid. Would the maids just let me be on my own?

In their eyes, I’m only eight years old, and even if I gave out my pocket money, I’ll only receive insulting smiles from them.

So I told Billiers that I would entrust him with the work after this.

I’m sure Billliers will do something . . .

I was a little nervous.

It’s already been three days since I met Billiers, but he hadn’t done anything at all

“Lulu.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t kick your legs when you eat.”

“I understand.”

First, I’ll have breakfast and think of another way. If it doesn’t work out, I was thinking of calling Gerald back into the Nippler Academy.

“Sid. Today is the training day, right?” asked Mom.

“Yes!”

“Why don’t you go out with mom instead of training today?””

“Why?”

“There’s a birthday banquet for my aunt’s grandmother this evening. Dad will go too. Your aunt said she wanted to see Lulu and Sid as soon as possible, so I was going to go first. What about you? Don’t you miss your grandmother?”

Mom gently persuaded Alexid.

What I especially like about my mom is that she didn’t force us when she had a schedule or circumstances and always explained the reason like this.

Alexid rolled his eyes.

“Yes! I like that idea. I like grandma!”

“You can’t ask your grandmother to buy you things.”

Alexid stirred his bowl of rice with a pouty face.

Mom sighed and said. “I’m really going to scold you. The same goes for Lulu.”

Why was I suddenly included?