Chapter 16.2

“You can’t ask your grandmother to buy you a doll.” Mom said, “You have a bunch of dolls at home.”

Mom, what do you think of me? That will never happen!

I’m old enough to be sick of dolls! Money is the trend these days!

Ha . . . sometimes life at the age of eight is too unbearable.

“You can’t do that even if you look at me like that, okay?” said Mom.

Look. It’s so unfair.

“Honey, you can’t be late this evening,” Mom turned to Dad as she smiled.

“I promise,” Dad replied.

“No matter what excuse you make, you can’t be late. I’m going to be really angry this time, honey.”

Mom smiled brightly. Dad flinched and wiped his mouth. Tap tap tap. It’s number four. This is proof that he was extremely embarrassed.

And I realized. That age is not that important to my mom.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t avoid my mother’s nagging even when I turned thirty.

“Stop eating sweets, Lulu.”

“You have to eat food. Why are you eating that?”’

“Are you taking the nutritional supplements that mom sent you? What’s in it is . . . A one-hundred-year-old deer . . . Anyway, I put in all the good ones. You have to share it with Jeje.”

That’s what happened.

“Hmm. When did I do that?”

“You did that every time. Every time. I know the knights are busy, but remember that if you keep being late for this, you’ll lose your credibility, honey.”

Dad patted his mouth again.

“I’ll try . . .”

After all, Dad’s answer was always one.

* * *

Alexid and I were writing letters to grandaunt under the watchful eye of my mother.

She was my mom’s mother in law’s sister and a grandaunt to us. In addition, shortly after she got married, she lost her husband to monster waves, so she lived alone all her life.

My aunt was a so-called “career woman.”

When it came to botany and herbal medicine, if Aunt said she was second, no one would dare claim to be first.

Perhaps that’s why Aunt really loved me and Alexid.

Ah. Gerald is coming today.

My aunt is a close friend of grandfather Roland. Grandfather Roland is the chairman of the Nippler Academy and grandaunt is the honorary professor and advisor of the Nippler Academy.

“Alexid, what’s wrong with your handwriting? You should write with more care.” She started reading my brother’s letter. “Grandaunt, you have to be healthy for a long time. That’s right.”

Alexid, who was writing a letter with his nose stuck in his desk, raised his head, “What should I write next?”

“Do you have anything to say to your grandaunt, Alexid?””

“Um . . . Do you love me?”

“You have to write that at the end.”

“Ummm . . .”

You can’t even write a letter by yourself? You snitchy little peanut!

I hummed and started writing on my own. Thanks to my good memory, it was faster for me to write a lot of letters. Writing a letter alone would not cause my mother to doubt my skills.

I began to fill up the letter, kicking my legs.

“Alexid is training in the Order of Knights these days. ‘I want to show it to my grandaunt next time.’ How about writing it like this?”

“Good!”

Alexid nodded and wrote his letter in agony. My mom took a breather and turned her head to my letter.

“Our Lulu. Are you writing letters well?”

“Of course!”

This is nothing!

In fact, the best gift for adults with an eight and ten year old kid in the family! That would be handwritten letters. I was trying to write a letter matching the emotions of an eight-year-old.

“Your handwriting is pretty, too. How can Lulu write so well? Who do you resemble among your parents?” Mom asked, trying to hint at me.

“I resemble mom, of course! Lulu is mom’s daughter.”

“Our pretty daughter.” Mom said. “Lulu must be a genius.”

My mom gave me a special compliment and kissed me on the cheek.

I love the smell of my mom’s perfume.

While my mother hugged me tightly, Alexid pouted his lips.

“Then, what about Sid?”

Oh, my. You little kid.

“Our Sid is good at swordsmanship. Who do you think is so smart and good at swordsmanship?”

“Hehehehe.”

The peanut laughed like a foolish kid. I smiled at him.

As soon as he felt better, he shook his head and I saw Sid smiling with a torn mouth.

I can’t believe he’s my brother. Really . . .

These days, it is shameful to call him my older brother.

Is this the gap between a thirty-year-old and an eight-year-old?. . .

“No! It is because I look like my mom and dad!” Alexid said with a big grin. “Sid is my mom’s son, too!

Mom also kissed Sid’s cheek.

It was only after confirming that we finished the letter safely that my mother took a breather.

“I have to change my clothes at the end . . . First, Sid and Lulu, go play.”

“Yes!”

Sid raised his hands because he was excited.

It was when my mom was grinding the letters we wrote.

“Madam, the guest is here.”

“Customer?”

“Yes. They said that they were students at the Nippler Academy. Would you like to meet them?”