C 72
I was a little bewildered and looked at him, then burst into laughter and hugged Erno Etham around the neck.
"Yes, Dad is the best."
Rubbing my face on the nape of his neck, I smiled.
"I know..."
After a brief silence, he responded in a way that said, "You don't even need to say something so obvious."
As if it were lunchtime, the dining room was already crowded.
"Grandpa?"
"...Little fluffy thing?"
After five years, Duke Miriel, whose appearance had barely changed, saw me and stood up.
He had silverware in his hand as if he was about to eat, and the table was already filled with delicacies.
"You finally woke up, little fluffy thing."
"...It's Eirin."
It's not little fluffy thing, it's Eirin. Eirin!
"Eh, right. The little fluffy thing went into hibernation and finally woke up."
It was the moment he stretched his arms as if to hug me. My body moved backward.
To be precise, it would be more correct to say that the person holding me took a step back.
"......"
"........"
"Daughter, don't touch dirty things."
"...Erno Etham. You bastard, swindler!"
Duke Miriel's mouth filled with anger.
Seeing the fire dripping from his eyes made me wonder if something else had happened while I was asleep.
"Look, your senility seems to be advancing."
"This... this... damn bastard...!"
Duke Miriel couldn't curse any more than that, probably because I was there.
Erno Etham faced him without changing his expression.
And naturally, he seated me in the high chair where Duke Miriel had been.
"...What?"
Why am I sitting in the seat of honor?
As a Confucian girl who grew up learning to respect the elderly and protect the weak in the 21st century, I felt like I was sitting on a bed of thorns.
As I shifted my butt, Erno Etham smiled and kissed me on the forehead.
"I'll have them bring a cushion right away."
He snapped his fingers, focusing on the wrong point.
Then, the maids came out and returned, each with a cushion of various colors and shapes in hand.
"Choose the cushion you like."
I was speechless for a moment as I looked at the colorful cushions spread out in front of my eyes.
There was a wide variety of cushions, from animal-shaped cushions like cats, rabbits, and tigers to candy-shaped and plain cushions.
However, the issue is why there are so many cushions in the Duke's mansion, which is not a cushion store.
"Ah, any of them is fine..."
They're all cute and pretty.
When I barely opened my mouth, Erno Etham seemed to think for me, then picked out some cushions and stacked them on my chair.
"No..."
But no matter how you look at it, this is Duke Miriel's seat.
When I looked at Duke Miriel in confusion, he burst into absurd laughter.
However, he naturally sat in the first seat on the right, directly below the seat of honor.
And in front of Duke Miriel, to my left, Erno Etham was seated.
"...No, isn't this a bit strange?"
Why isn't anyone questioning this? Why is the youngest girl sitting in the seat of honor, clearly surpassing her grandfather?
"Dad."
"Yes, daughter."
"This... isn't this Grandpa's seat...?"
"It's your seat."
The response came from Erno Etham.
"No, my grandpa was sitting..."
I voiced my opinion to somehow get out of this uncomfortable position.
"It's because he's senile."
"That senile person is your father, you bastard. Stop acting immorally!"
"Even if you're old, if your brain is between your legs, there's nothing you can do about it."
"...Hey, crazy bastard."
Duke Miriel threw a knife at Erno Etham.
Erno Etham snorted and tilted his head slightly. The knife, which had been spinning and spinning, embedded itself in the marble.
"......"
Marble isn't clay, and the knife got stuck.
Duke Miriel seemed to have thrown it casually, but his internal power was mighty.
"It's a terrifying family."
I swallowed nervously.
Anyway, the appetizing food tantalized my sense of smell incessantly. I wanted to eat right away.
"Dad... I don't feel comfortable in this place..."
"I suppose it's because it hasn't been long since you humanized."
No, it's not that.
There are four other seats.
"Here's where the person with the highest position sits."
"Yes, that's your seat. The seat of honor is where the patriarch sits. Come on, eat quickly."
He sliced the meat, served it on my plate, and even fed it to me.
"...It seems like something frightening happened."
I was scared even to think about it, so I decided to focus on eating.
And I lost touch with reality.
"Nom..."
At first, I only ate what he put in my mouth, but at some point, when I regained my senses, I was already eating what was in front of my eyes.
Despite the amount filling the table, I still felt like something was missing.
When Erno Etham lightly snapped his fingers, the maids rushed out.
"You can't use your hands. Daughter."
Erno Etham slightly prevented me from reaching out as a habit because I couldn't handle it with a fork.
"I don't want to..."
I don't know why they won't let me eat. As if my head had turned white, a slight feeling of injustice welled up.
It felt like my greed for food was suppressing my rationality a bit.
"No."
Erno Etham said firmly and placed a fork in my hand.
I looked at him, puffing up my cheeks, and he gently stroked my hair. Thanks to that, I felt a little better.
"Food won't run away, so eat slowly."
After staring at the food for a while, I nodded slowly.
"Dad said that, so..."
What can I do?
Erno Etham regularly served me well-cut food so that the food didn't disappear from the plate in front of me.
Thanks to that, I was able to eat from a distance, so my dissatisfaction gradually faded.
After diligently fixing my eyes on the plate in front of me and eating, I woke up feeling a bit full and saw that the table was already empty.
"Ah..."
The impact hit in an instant. No matter how delicious the food is, isn't it too much for me?
"Have you finished eating, Eirin?"
When I raised my head at the friendly voice I heard, Callan Etham and Silian Etham were also there.
"Still, it's not as messy as last time."
Maybe because I ate with a fork, there was no mess or me climbing on the table.
"Wow, Silian is incredibly tall too."
I admired him as a maid approached and wiped my hands.
"Erno junior...."
Silian had a striking resemblance to Erno Etham.
Including the sharp jawline and clear features. With a calm expression, Silian stepped forward.
"I was really surprised to hear that you weren't waking up."
"Yes, everything's fine now."
"Thank God, I almost killed the emperor."
It gave me a little goosebumps to hear him say exactly what Erno Etham had said with a refreshing expression.
"Will Silian become a dad when he grows up?"
I would believe that Erno Etham was his doppelganger, except his hair was slightly less curly.
"When did you grow so big?"
Silian Etham held me in his arms.
He was so big that he could casually hug me.
It felt strange to see my small, unchanging body after seeing people who had changed while I hadn't seen them.
"But why did only my tongue grow... and I didn't get any taller?"
No matter how much I sleep, shouldn't my body need to grow? What can I do with just clear pronunciation?
"You'll grow very quickly."
Erno Etham said as if he was sure.
"Well, everything's fine..."
I couldn't understand why no one was addressing the fact that I was sitting in this high chair.
"Ah, daughter. Didn't I mention that I had a gift?"
He slightly extended his hand, and the maid placed the box in front of Erno Etham.
Erno Etham handed me the box. I took it with both hands and smiled.
"Congratulations, Eirin. Starting today, you are the matriarch of the Etham family."
"...What?"
With a thunderous sound like from the sky, I stiffened like a rock as I held the box.
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