Chapter 9

A little past lunchtime that day.

“I’m going to go check on Sister Jeanne for a bit.”

“Okay.”

Left alone, I took out my sketchbook and scribbled some drawings.

‘Let’s not get needlessly gloomy and just draw.’

It was then, as I was engrossed in drawing.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Someone’s sharp voice echoed loudly.

I widened my eyes and turned my head toward the sound.

‘This voice is…?’

* * *

Pitter-patter.

The place I arrived at after running busily was in front of Ricky’s room.

The front of his room was crowded with people.

“What do we do.”

“What on earth is going on.”

Judging by the expressions of those chiming in, something serious must have happened.

‘What on earth happened…’

But no matter how much I stood on my tiptoes, I couldn’t see anything.

Oh, my short and sad four-year-old body.

Grr.

‘It can’t be helped!’

I slipped my face right between people’s legs.

“Excuse me. Mewony is passing thwough.”

They say if the head fits, the whole body fits!

Fortunately, the theory proved true.

As I dug my way through the legs here and there, I soon reached the very front.

And the sight that greeted me was.

“When on earth did you steal it. I hid it so no one could find it.”

“Steal? I keep telling you I just picked it up.”

There was Dominic, smiling fishily, and Ricky, his face distorted with fury.

‘Steal? Dominic stole Ricky’s things?’

Looking closely, Dominic was holding a small glass bottle in his hand.

Ricky, with a fierce face, shouted roughly.

“Do you think that makes sense?! I wrapped it tightly in a handkerchief and put it behind the bookshelf. How could you have just picked it up?!”

“Where was it. Did I pick it up in the bathroom? My memory isn’t great.”

“…Stop playing word games and hand it over. That is very important to me.”

“Oh, really? So this is that important to you.”

The moment I thought the muttering voice somehow sounded ominous.

Crash-!

“Ah, no-!”

It happened in an instant.

Dominic threw the bottle, and the glass bottle shattered into pieces as it hit the ground.

Furthermore.

“Oops, my. A mistake.”

Dominic’s foot crushed and mashed something that popped out of the glass bottle.

“I’m so sorry about this, what do I do?”

Underneath his foot, which he moved aside with a sneer, lay something crushed beyond recognition.

“No. This can’t be…”

Ricky muttered in a daze and plopped down on the spot.

“Lina’s medicine…”

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart began to race.

‘Lina’s medicine?’

Come to think of it.

“I don’t care if I’m locked up here for the rest of my life. I’m just worried about my younger sibling outside. I wish I could have at least delivered the medicine. Of all days, I was dragged here the very day I got the medicine…”

Ricky used to say that often.

‘That is that medicine.’

Lina’s medicine that he couldn’t deliver in the end.

I clenched my fists tightly and glared at Dominic.

‘How could he do such a thing…’

In this cramped place, there was no way Dominic hadn’t heard Ricky’s story.

So, Dominic did this knowing full well what it was.

My body trembled with unbearable rage.

“How could he do that…”

How could a person do that!

He should have just picked a fight with me like he always did.

He should have just hit my head a few times and been done with it.

“…I won’t fowgive you. You bad person, you demon! I will nevew fowgive you!”

I shouted with all my might and bolted out.

And then, I bit Dominic’s leg with all my strength.

“Wha, what the, Ack!”

“I won’t fowgive you! (I won’t forgive you!)”

The ultimate finishing move a four-year-old can use.

A.k.a., the calf bite attack!

‘What if all my baby teeth fall out because of this?’

Ah, whatever. Goodbye, baby teeth.

I gave up my baby teeth and chose justice.

“You crazy little brat… Ack!”

Dominic screamed and roughly grabbed the scruff of my neck, but I didn’t let go easily.

Don’t underestimate a Melony who has nothing to lose!

However, I couldn’t withstand an adult’s strength until the end.

“Get off, get lost!”

Dominic’s hand roughly threw me aside.

‘Ack, my butt is going to split in two!’

Ah, was my butt already in two halves to begin with?

I squeezed my eyes shut in anticipation of the pain that would soon follow.

However.

‘Huh…?’

I didn’t feel any pain.

Someone had quickly caught me as I fell.

The large hand supporting my back somehow felt familiar.

“You’re flying all over the place, Marshmallow.”

The voice heard from above my head as well.

For some reason, the tip of my nose began to sting. A hot sensation welled up around my eyes.

Sniffle, sniffle sniffle.

No matter how hard I sniffled, there was no way to stop the rising tears.

Somehow, I recalled a child I had seen while begging in the past.

A child who tripped while running excitedly.

The child bravely got up, but burst into tears with a ‘Waaah!’ the moment their parents approached.

Why on earth was I thinking of that child now?

Shedding tears profusely, I turned around.

“…O-Oliver, *sniff*. Uncwe.”

“Marshmallow got all wet. You’re nothing but a grubby little Marshmallow.”

The blue eyes that met mine curved into crescent moons. His voice, full of laughter, was the same as always.

I cried my eyes out and buried my head in his arms.

And then.

“G-Good uncwe scold the bad uncwe fow me, *sniff*, scold him fow me instead of Mewony!”

I eagerly tattled on Dominic.

Investigator, sir! That guy is a bad guy!

* * *

Contie was dumbfounded.

The processing procedures for Bramchois had finished, so he had just returned from the ducal residence to wrap everything up.

He had only been away for a few days, and such a commotion had broken out.

A chilling gaze disguised by a smile scanned the surroundings.

There was no need to grasp the exact situation.

“Oh my. You ignored my warning.”

At the brightly smiling face, Dominic’s face turned pale.

“I’m sure I told you to keep quiet and live without barking.”

Contie muttered ominously and stroked the back of the child in his arms as he stepped forward.

Sniffle, sniffle.

With every sniffle heard, a crack appeared in his flawlessly drawn smile.

“…….”

“…….”

Because of the strong sense of intimidation felt for some reason, no one dared to open their mouths.

Thud, thud.

“I hate things that can’t learn. It’s annoying and bothersome.”

“I-I-I was wrong. I will live quietly and obediently from now on. R-Really!”

At the sight of Contie approaching him, Dominic plopped down and began to beg.

There was his ominous appearance from last time, but his instincts were screaming at him to do so.

That this was a person who must not be provoked.

The killing intent he felt was enough to make him gasp for breath.

Contie’s steps halted right in front of Dominic.

“P-Please save me. Please, I’m begging you.”

“Anyone would think I was going to kill you.”

Contie shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.

“How unfair. I’m a pacifist, so I try not to commit meaningless killing.”

Ah, I wonder if the current one counts as meaningful?

He muttered as if joking and kicked Dominic’s jaw with the toe of his shoe.

Ugh.

The flying Dominic slammed straight into the wall and dropped to the floor.

The unconscious body trembled for a moment before going limp.

“Ha, now it’s a bit quiet.”

His muttering voice was incredibly refreshing.

By then, the sniffling coming from his chest had stopped.

The child lifted her head from his damp chest.

On the shirt where her face had been, there were three small, round marks.

Two were eyes, and one was a nose, he supposed?

‘Honestly…’

The corners of Contie’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

“You’re nothing but a grubby little Marshmallow.”

“…Gwubby?”

“Yes, grubby.”

Along with the playful answer, Contie’s shoe kicked the unconscious Dominic once again.

Crack.

At the gruesome sound, the child widened her eyes and looked down.

“Don’t look at things like that. It’s dirty.”

Contie blocked her view before her gaze could reach it, but.

The child alternated looking at Dominic’s sprawled feet and Contie, then quietly nodded.

“I hate diwty things.”

“Yes. Good girl.”

As he lightly ruffled her hair, the child’s expression became subtle.