Chapter 12: Members of the Duke Quatra Family
“Well, Aliseteen, are you okay now?”
“Yes, Okaa-sama.”
As Lili and I descended to the dining hall, my mother Roberta called out to me. I was wearing a mint green tulle dress and smiled cutely.
“Alise!”
“Aliseteen.”
“Are you okay, Alise?”
My three older brothers approached me one after another. For a moment, I was surprised that they were all so young, but then I remembered that I am only five years old now. And of course, my brothers are all in their eleven-year-old selves.
The eldest, Harry-niisama, was twelve years old, the second, Leorio-niisama, was ten, and the third, Noa-niisama, was nine. Perhaps because they are all so much older than me, they all treated me with great affection.
That’s why I was really surprised when I first met Julian-sama. He was so cold and distant with me, which was something I had never experienced before.
Oh, come to think of it, I’m only five years old now. I remember being around this age when I met him…
“Aliseteen.”
The deep voice of the tenor resonates in the surroundings. My father, Joseph, with his prideful mustache lightly touched, finally appeared in the dining room.
“Otoo-sama.”
“How are you feeling?”
Reflexively running over to him, Otoo-sama lifts me up with a smile.
“I don’t like it, Otoo-sama. I’m not a child anymore.”
“Hahaha, Aliseteen always says interesting things.”
Laughing, Otoo-sama sits me down on a chair and takes his own seat at the table. After we all say our prayers, we start eating at our leisure.
I wonder if my five-year-old self could use a fork properly.
I give up trying to dig up my memories and just use the fork normally to eat the fluffy omelet.
I suddenly feel like drinking milk. Warm milk with lots of honey.
“Hey, Lili, I…”
“Yes, Ojo-sama. Here it is.”
Before I can finish my sentence, Lili places a cup of milk with honey in front of me.
“Alise really likes that milk with honey, doesn’t she?”
“…”
As I stared at the steam rising from the cup in front of me, I couldn’t help but feel strange.
The old me didn’t like milk, considering it a childish drink. But when I was five years old, I loved it.
I held the cup with both hands and blew on it, feeling my cheeks loosen up.
“Hey Alise, what do you want to play today?”
“Noa-niisama.”
Breakfast had come to an end, and as Lili and I were about to return to our room, Noa-niisama grabbed my hand.
Noa-niisama was four years older than me and the third son of the Duke Quatra family. He was a natural charmer. With his adorable looks, even the most refined young ladies would fall for him.
In the past, I would often have Noa-niisama seduce a disliked young lady, only to leave them in despair after playing with them.
… Looking back now, I was truly a terrible woman. I wonder how many people are relieved that I’m dead.
“Alise? You look sad. Is something wrong?”
Noa-niisama looked at my face with a worried expression. I shook my head left and right, trembling a little, and smiled.
“No, it’s nothing. Let’s play, Onii-sama. I want to play hide-and-seek.”
“Alright, then I’ll be the seeker. Alise, you go hide while I count to one hundred.”
I turned around and faced the pillar, and as Onii-sama started counting, “One, two,” I dashed away with all my might.
As a five-year-old, all I wanted to do was play hide-and-seek.
