Chapter 4 : The Behemoth's Sister
The first thing Kinemeia realized when she had Ayan around was that everyone was totally jealous.
"No way, Ricasha's guarding her?"
"Yeah! So, here's what happened..."
Word around the Grand Duke's residence was that Kynemeia's whole hero story about picking up Ricasha went down like this:
Kynemeia Leon (Grand Duchess, 11), who always seems to have this halo effect going on, finds out one day that the notorious villain who invaded her territory is just a kid her age.
"He might be a criminal, but hey, even kids deserve a break!"
So, in this version of the story, Kynemeia, acting all saintly and big-hearted, goes down to the dungeon herself to let the guy out.
And by laying down the law but also being sweet, she completely melts his heart...
Then, Ayan breaks out of his chains all by himself, stands up, and says:
"Girl, I'm blown away by how cool you are. I'm seriously impressed, and I'm going to help keep you safe."
"Sweet, Ricasha. I'm down with that."
So, yeah, Kynemeia got Ricasha as her bodyguard... and all these crazy, over-the-top rumors started spreading around.
"I knew she was going to be a big deal. She came out screaming like a banshee!"
"Me too! I had a feeling about her even when she was still in the womb."
"Right? She's totally solid, even with all the nasty gossip. She's way tougher than most."
Who started all this nonsense? Nobody knows...
Kynemeia's cheeks turned pink from the looks everyone was giving her. It was kind of intense.
"...Maybe this isn't so bad after all."
And the second thing she figured out: even though he acts all goofy like a big puppy, Ayan Kroetz is seriously messed up.
Just like now.
Kynemeia just stared at Ayan, who was throwing a bunch of cookies into the trash.
"What's that?"
"The maids gave them to me."
Ayan shrugged.
With his kind of cute face... okay, super attractive face, and being called Ricasha, Ayan was a big hit with the younger maids.
That must be it. That's why the maids went and baked him cookies.
"Dude, why are you tossing them? Aren't you going to eat them?"
Kynemeia looked bummed out about the cookies, and Ayan just tilted his head.
"Why should I eat them?"
"……?!"
Talk about a curveball.
"Uh... because they made them for you..."
But Ayan just stared back, looking like he couldn't care less about other people's feelings.
"So?"
Seriously, who says 'So?' when someone tells you they made something just for you?
Kynemeia, thinking 'total sociopath,' told everyone in the castle not to give that guy anything, ever.
She whipped out her Munchkin Notebook and jotted down a note under Ayan's name.
[Ayan]
Annoyance Level: Star ?/10
Danger Level: Star 10/10
Note: Antisocial Personality Disorder
'Yep, he's way too dangerous.'
The Grand Duke's war room.
Count Brune was the one who finally broke the silence.
"Isn't it about time we started preparing?"
"Preparing for what?"
Count Dennis, who was always butting heads with Count Brune, shot back. Brune scowled.
"The title, obviously! The Grand Duke's spot has been empty forever. How long is she supposed to remain just the Grand Duchess? Seriously, even the Emperor...!"
"Dude, shut it. Don't go running your mouth and getting the Duchess in trouble."
"Anyway, the Emperor's dragging his feet on the whole succession thing. I'm saying, shouldn't we do something?"
"...So suddenly?"
Baron Romeo, who'd been listening in, chimed in.
"Suddenly? Romeo, haven't you heard? Our girl's got some serious game."
"Ah…"
Baron Romeo nodded, remembering the gossip. Count Brune smirked.
"That kid's already turning into a badass adult. Shouldn't we, the actual adults, be helping out?"
"And that help is the succession of the title, you mean?"
"Dennis, you know you need a good title to get things done."
"Yeah... true, but... if she gets the title, she's going to have way more on her plate. And Leon's reputation in the Empire, and all that..."
Count Dennis trailed off.
He loved Kynemeia like crazy, just like the other guys, but even more so, he wanted her to live like a princess in the castle, only seeing the good stuff.
This wasn't the same old Leon anymore.
Nasty rumors about the Duchess were all over high society, as if they were facts, and maybe she should just hide out in the castle, living like a ghost, under the vassals' protection.
Count Brune, who'd been going on and on, shut up when he figured out what Dennis was getting at.
Then, Baron Romeo looked over at Marquis Ilay, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"What do you think, Ilay?"
"Me?"
Ilay, turning to them with a smile, said gently.
"I think our girl can handle anything."
"You think so?"
"You're kind of soft on her, Ilay."
"True."
"Wasn't Emperor Kite around nine when he chopped off that enemy's head at Saluy? The Duchess has been a total genius since she was even younger, she remembers everything, and she's already eleven, so we can't just write her off as a kid. Anyway... I'm just going to do whatever she wants."
Everyone shut up for their own reasons after Ilay's speech, and then a servant opened the door.
"The Duchess is here."
The guys, who'd been arguing just seconds ago, all shut up and stood, staring at the door.
And there she was, this adorable kid with blonde hair, walking into the room.
As the kid, taking these tiny steps, looked around at everyone with her big, pretty eyes, everyone started to smile a little.
She was the Duchess, and these guys from the four families had basically raised her like their own child, spoiling her rotten.
Everyone there was totally in love with Kynemeia.
But the vibe, which had become kind of chill, turned frosty again because of the black-haired guy trailing behind Kynemeia.
'The rumored Ricasha.'
'He looks even younger up close. He's got a weird vibe...'
'Those dead eyes, right in front of us. Even young, Ricasha's still Ricasha. Crazy.'
Everyone was whispering their own thoughts.
"Vanessa isn't here today,"
Baron Romeo said, and Count Dennis's eyes went wide.
Usually, her nanny Vanessa was always with Kynemeia at these meetings.
'Is she bringing him instead of Vanessa to show off in front of everyone...?'
Showing how much she's grown like this. Count Dennis clenched his fist, totally blown away.
Then, Kynemeia spoke up.
"So, everyone's here."
She sounded all serious.
Normally, Kynemeia would've smiled cutely and said, 'Hey, everyone's here.'
Seeing how different Kynemeia was acting, everyone was silently freaking out.
They'd all been there – that moment when a noble with a ton of responsibility suddenly gets it – so they understood the shift.
Meanwhile, Kynemeia walked around the table, which was about as tall as she was, to the big boss chair. There was a huge cushion on it.
However—
"……!"
Kynemeia stood in front of the chair and swallowed hard.
'What is this? Everest?'
The last person to use this chair was Kynemeia's father, Troy Leon.
Troy was attractive and well-built, with these super long legs, so the second he got the title, he ordered a custom chair to fit them.
A chair with super long legs. And it was gold-plated.
Ugh, Kynemeia craned her neck. The gold chair was way too high for a kid.
Usually, Vanessa would just hoist her up there, but...
Kynemeia snuck a peek at everyone. They were all staring.
'I have to do it alone.'
Kynemeia had a plan, which is why she left Vanessa behind.
Only four of the guys were left after the recent drama.
Which meant they were super loyal and totally loved Kynemeia...
'But from now on, I have to be different.'
Before, she'd let the guys make all the decisions, but from now on, she was in charge.
If she stayed just an 11-year-old kid, the adults would be all up in her business.
