CH 15

“Why don’t you just laugh?”

“Ehem.”

When Nordic clicked his tongue, Enoch coughed for no reason.

“Duke, I’m embarrassed to say this, but I’m not good enough to educate you.”

“Hmm, is my child that good?”

“Yes. For young children who excelled in mathematics, it is common for them to be scouted at the Wizard Tower to receive early gifted education.” 

“So I contacted the tower. They said they will check the level of Lilith themselves.”

Enoch frowned after accepting Nordic’s words.

“You don’t even ask Lilith? Without a word of discussion with me?”

“I’m just testing the child’s level. After that, it’s Lilith’s decision to go to the tower. But if the results aren’t bad….”

“….” 

“It will make you feel at ease if your child will work in the tower later.” 

It wasn’t wrong. 

In the Pavilion Empire, all high-ranking officials are obliged to join the military. 

But the order of mandatory military service was the least important thing for the researchers in the tower.

In other words, they won’t be on the battlefield where blood is splattered unless it’s the day the empire falls, when the land splits and the sky bursts. 

“First…” 

Enoch thought and rubbed his forehead.

“…I’ll ask Lilith. If she really enjoys studying.” 

“Do it.” 

“A real genius! Total genius! A gifted person like no other in the world!”

Mrs. Lena raised her thumb, intervened, and made a fuss.

“Hmm. Well… My princess is a little.”

“Do something about the corners of your mouth that are about to raise up. It doesn’t have dignity.” 

When Nordic scolded him, Enoch turned around and forced his twitch lips to stop. 

“I’m going now.”

Unlike when he came in full anger, Nordic was disgusted by his son’s back, leaving the room full of excitement. 

Soon he muttered with a sigh.

“…Why did he become like that.”

* * *

A clothing store specializing in children’s clothing in the capital.

As soon as I finished class, my Aunt took me outside. 

“W, whoa…” 

I got in trouble for not stopping to admire.

A sky blue dress made of soft, high-quality fabric. White frills and sparkling jewels—. 

It was like a dress with wings; it looked like a princess was standing behind the mirror. 

Hmm. I’m a little embarrassed to call myself a princess.

“Wow, Lilith. you are really pretty. You are like a princess.” 

Theo came up behind me, stomped his feet, and didn’t know what to do, but then he gently hugged me. 

“Cute and pretty….” 

Seeing that, my Aunt, who was sitting at the table from afar and watching us with the dressing room madam, burst into laughter.

“Theo, is your sister that pretty?”

“Yes, Mom. It’s just like a doll. It’s really lovely.” 

I was a little embarrassed by Theo’s honest expression. 

“Whoo, she looks like an angel like that, and your son just likes it. Didn’t he always say, sister and sister?” 

“I know. Yesterday too, he was so excited that he couldn’t sleep until late, and how many times did he ask me to go out to play with his sister—” 

My Aunt and Madam started talking again and again.

“Hey, kid! The one you wore earlier is much better.”

Then Leon removed Theo’s arm that was holding me and said bluntly.

The yellow dresses Leon was holding were the first ones I put on when I walked into the store.

“Brother, do you think I’m prettier in yellow?” 

“Yeah. What you’re wearing now looks like an adult. Yellow looks like a chick and it’s cute.”

“Hmm, no. The sky blue suits Lilith more.”

“Theo, do you have no eyes? Because yellow is better.”

“She is pretty no matter what she wears, but if I had to choose between the two, I would pick the sky blue.”

“It’s yellow!”

The two of them quarreled so much that I couldn’t decide which one to choose.

I like both—.

“Uhm.” 

While fiddling with the dress in Leon’s hand, I suddenly saw a price tag.

[1,540,000 Terr]

‘What?’

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

Is it correct that it says 1.54 million Terr?

1 gold coin costs 100,000 Terr, so even with 15 gold coins, I can’t buy that dress. 

By the way, if James Brown sold a whole bag of wood, it would cost 50,000 Terr, and we will get five silver coins.

‘T, the price is crazy. This is the money that my father has to work for a full month without a break.’

I was panicking with my mouth wide open, but suddenly my Aunt got up to see the price tag for another dress on a mannequin.

“Oh my.”

…it’s expensive, right? My Aunt said she would buy it for me, but at the moment I felt guilty.

“Madam.”

“Yes, Lady.” 

My Aunt called the madam.

“You said it was a new product. What fabric did you use to make it so cheap?” 

….? 

At the unexpected question, I stumbled for a moment. 

“No, Lady. Don’t worry about it. It’s the silk that I always use. It’s because the unit price has been lowered due to the increase in distribution volume these days.”

“Ah, is that so?”

My Aunt looked around for a few more clothes and then asked with a smile.

“Have you tried them all on?”

“Yes, yes! Aunt!”

I quickly looked at the price tag for the sky blue dress I was wearing.

1.66 million Terr. Fortunately, the yellow dress Leon chose was cheaper.

“Auntie, I like this yellow—!”

I’m going to tell my Aunt. However, my Aunt was already at the counter with Madam.

“The clothes she’s wearing now look pretty good, so I’ll dress her up and take it right away. Send me the rest as you make it to her size, Madam.”

“Yes, Lady.” 

What is it? I was standing there like I was stuck to the spot when my aunt called me.

“Lilith, shall we go now? Didn’t you say you wanted some cake?”

“Uhm, Auntie. Clothes… Aren’t we supposed to choose clothes?”

“What?”

My Aunt, who was tilting her head, immediately burst into laughter, ah, she laughed as if she couldn’t stop it.

“Nope. I’m not asking you to choose, I just think you want to try it on. All of the new spring products displayed here have been ordered. Let’s try on the rest when we get home.”

“Yes?”

There were ten dresses on display in the store.

What’s the price of ten dresses around 1.5 million Terr?

“N, no. I—” 

My aunt smiled and said as if she recognized me, saying that one dress would be enough.

“You can’t just buy one dress.”

Two outdoor clothes. Even that was a remark that ordinary people who washed it hard and wore it alternately could never understand. 

I swallowed my saliva.

‘T, this is what I’ve only seen on TV, and I calculate everything from here to here! Is it that?

A scale beyond imagination. 

It seemed like the rich person who once came into the dressing room and didn’t even blink an eye when shopping for 10 million units. 

S, she’s going to buy it for me, so I should get it right away—I nodded in surprise.

“T, thank you, Aunt! I will wear it well!”

* * *

Soft strawberry cream melts as soon as it touches my tongue. 

“Whoa…” 

My Aunt and Twin Brothers laughed as I grabbed both of my cheeks and screamed with joy.

“Is it that good, Lilith?”

“Ung, it’s the best—” 

When Theo asked, I wiped the cream off my lips and looked at him with wide eyes. 

The strawberry cake sold in the capital’s best dessert shop was a little pricey, but it tasted the best.

‘Can I really eat all of this?’

On a four-tiered dessert tray, cakes, macarons, and cookies were showing off their deliciousness and saying, “Eat me!”

“Eat this too, Lilith.”

“Mmhm.” 

“Kid, this too.” 

“Nyam nyam.” 

When I took what they gave me, the brothers kept pushing a fork around like it was fun for them. 

Both my cheeks became fat.

“Haha, you’re so cute. Mom, Lilith looks just like a squirrel.”

“You look so pretty when you eat well. You may get an upset stomach, so eat slowly.”

“Yes!” 

I can’t believe I can eat macarons as much as I want when I eat them twice a month because they are expensive—.

‘This is heaven.’

It was good to come to the capital.

“Oh my, are you Countess Valerin?”

Then Aunt got up to see the carriage standing outside the store.

Soon after, the chubby Lady got out of the carriage and waved her hand happily as she looked at Aunt through the window.

“Huh. There is also Erica.”

“What? Argh!” 

What is it? Leon jumped up and hid behind the chair I was sitting in, not knowing what to do.

“What are you doing, brother? Are you hiding? I can’t hide you.”

“Ah, it’s so annoying….” 

Leon gave up and sat back in his seat, and hugged me. 

“What’s the matter?”

“Leon doesn’t like Erica very much. When she came to play a few days ago, he tried to scare Erica away by scaring her with a big spider, but Erica got hurt, so he got scolded by Mom for hurting Erica.”

“Ahh!”

I remembered Theo’s explanation.

She was the victim of that spider-something incident.

I saw Erica coming into the store with a nod.

“Wow! That sister looks like a princess….” 

Erica was a pretty girl with soft wheat-colored hair that fell to her waist and green eyes that looked as fresh as leaves.

She’s skinny and tall. She looked like a pretty kid model from a magazine.

“Leooon!” 

Erica, with blushing cheeks, ran towards him, and then she stopped.

Erica, who was just smiling, suddenly turned her eyes upside down and stared at me.

Exactly… Leon’s arm hugged my shoulder.

“What is it, Leon? Who is this woman?”

?

W, what do you mean, woman? The gender is correct, but I’m only a 7-year-old baby, Lilith.

Suddenly the atmosphere was like love and war.

‘I, I’m scared….’

When I looked up and saw Erica’s eyes, which seemed to burn me, I gently put a fork in my mouth, set it down, and rolled my eyes back.

“Who is this woman!”

“What are you going to do on your own?”

…No, why do you say it so misleadingly? I glared at Leon with a bewildered look.