“Me?”

Hearing Kael’s call, Leciel, who was hiding behind Carren, poked her head out and pointed at herself with her finger.

“Yes. If anyone messes with you from now on, don’t hesitate; just kick them. And if necessary, you can even bite them.”

“… that’s quite a welcoming suggestion for me, but are you sure it’s okay?”

It was hard to hold back, but not holding back was something she could do very well.

However, doing so might put the Grand Duchy in a difficult position.

Thinking this, Leciel asked worriedly.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“But shouldn’t I at least consider who I’m dealing with?”

“As long as it’s not the emperor.”

No one else would dare show dissatisfaction in front of him.

And the rest could be appropriately handled with his capabilities.

So, it didn’t matter if she did something more severe than just kicking. After all, they’d disappear without a trace or barely leave any evidence of their existence afterward.

“… and even if it’s the emperor, there’s no need to endure it all the time.”

Even though Kael had to be cautious because it involved the emperor, he couldn’t tolerate anyone mistreating Leciel.

Of course, he wasn’t sure if Leciel would ever have the chance to meet the emperor, but as long as she remained in the Grand Duchy, there was a possibility of encountering him at some point.

“That’s very reassuring.”

It seemed unlikely that she would ever have to kick the emperor, but just hearing that made Leciel feel good.

It was clear from Kael’s expression how much sincerity was in his seemingly joking words.

So, her mood, which had been dampened by the actions of the duchess and her daughter, lightened up.

What did it matter if unknown people ignored her when she had such a reliable ally on her side?

It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced even when she was living in the monster forest.

Back then, she was used to being alone, and doing everything by herself was the norm.

But now, she had someone to lean on when things were tough, someone who would get angry and stand up for her.

It made her think once again that it was the right decision to leave the monster forest with him.

If she hadn’t met him or followed him, she wouldn’t have experienced these things.

For a moment, those thoughts filled her mind, but Leciel had something she wanted to do right away.

She didn’t want to just let the duchess and her daughter go without doing anything.

Judging by Kael’s words, he didn’t seem like he was going to let it slide, but she also wanted a bit of revenge for herself.

So Leciel cautiously spoke up.

“Um, can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Of course.”

Without a second’s hesitation, Kael and Carren answered at the same time to Leciel’s request.

How could they refuse a favor from that adorable child?

“Well, you see, I’d like to receive a proper apology from them. I apologized when they asked me to, but it would be unfair if they left without apologizing. Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to demand they kneel and apologize.”

Although the last part didn’t need to be said, Leciel deliberately mentioned it.

If she was going to get revenge, she might as well do it right.

At Leciel’s words, Kael and Carren’s expressions became fierce again.

Not only did they force an apology from Leciel, but they also demanded that she knelt?

Especially for Carren, who had seen the duchess trying to hit Leciel, it was even more infuriating and absurd.

“Oh, I didn’t know, but apparently, a proper apology is done while kneeling.”

Leciel said this with a bright smile, deliberately letting the two people hear it.

Hearing that, the duchess’s and her daughter’s faces hardened.

Apologizing to a commoner was already an insult to their pride, but kneeling as well?

They absolutely couldn’t do that.

“What are you doing?”

Kael glared at the two people who were hesitant to apologize.

Kael’s threatening demeanor seemed as if it would force them to kneel, even if they didn’t want to.

“… we are nobles.”

How could they possibly to commoners…?

“Useless legs are not necessary.”

Kael warned them that if they didn’t kneel and apologize, he would cut off their legs.

“Do you think I won’t do it?”

Of course, no matter how much authority Kael had as a Grand Duke, there would be repercussions if he drew his sword against the duchess and her daughter.

But Kael could easily ignore the complaints of nobles who were inferior, and incompetent compared to him.

After all, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about him.

And considering the current situation, without the Grand Duchy, no other house in the Empire could handle the rampant monsters.

So, even if he cut off their legs, it would only cause a minor inconvenience and not a major problem.

Facing Kael’s fierce warning, the duchess and her daughter, trembling, knelt and apologized.

The situation was so humiliating that they wanted to bite their tongues and die, but they lacked the courage to do so.

“Sorry… I apologize.”

“… me too, I… am sorry.”

The duchess and her daughter struggled to apologize; their eyes red with anger.

Even though their apology lacked sincerity, Leciel was satisfied with that much.

The duchess and her daughter bit their lips with a frustrated look and hurried out of the shop after apologizing.

“Thank you, uncle. And brother.”

If it weren’t for the two of them, she would have had no choice but to endure the situation, no matter how unfair it was.

“It’s okay.”

Carren didn’t step in because he wanted to hear a thank you; from his perspective, it was just the right thing to do.

“Same here. There’s no need to be thankful for something that should be done. You are a very precious and lovable child to me.”

Kael spoke, agreeing with the meaning behind Carren’s seemingly brusque tone.

For a moment.

“Well done.”

Kael said, patting Carren’s head with his rough hand.

If Carren hadn’t shown up in time, Leciel would have been brutally mistreated by those two women while he was away.

It was really fortunate that Carren was able to prevent that from happening.

Carren made a peculiar face at those words.

Normally, he would have shaken off Kael’s hand, asking if he was being treated like a child, but this time, something different touched his heart.

It was the first time he had received praise from his father.

Until now, he had only heard words like <you’ve worked hard> from his father, never any praise.

He didn’t expect it anyway and thought it was just natural.

Then, hearing such praise made him feel strange.

It was unfamiliar and awkward, and it felt like his fingertips and toes were tingling.

‘Lessie was right.’

He didn’t dislike praise at all. He liked it.

It was just that he had never heard praise from someone precious to him, so he didn’t know.

The praise of people who meant nothing to him never stirred any feelings in Carren.

That feeling didn’t last long. Carren tried to hide his emotions and spoke more brusquely.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t left Lessie alone, Father.”

There was a slight hint of reproach, questioning why he left the young girl alone.

“That’s largely my responsibility.”

It was an attempt to be considerate, thinking that participating in adult conversations would be boring for a child.

“I’m fine! It was those people who were bad in the first place.”

Therefore, neither Kael nor Carren needed to feel responsible for what happened because of them.

“Our little one is so wise.”

Kael gently patted Leciel’s head with a warm expression.

“More importantly, you probably didn’t get to pick out a proper dress because of them.”

“Technically, I picked one out, but I couldn’t buy it.”

“You must have gone through a lot, so let’s just buy everything.”

It would be too much trouble to choose again anyway.

“Well, if I do that, I might end up becoming a dress merchant.”

At this rate, she felt she would have more dresses than most shops.

“If you want, I can buy a shop in your name.”

Or it might be a good idea to completely acquire the shop they just finished dealing with and transfer it to Leciel.

If he was going to give something, he should give something better.

“… no, I’ll refuse that. I’m not good at that kind of thing.”

“You can leave the management to someone capable.”

“Still.”

If she accepted everything that was given to her, it seemed like it would become too much to handle.

Not just dresses, but even a shop.

“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. By the way, aren’t you hungry?”

Quite a bit of time had passed due to what happened in the shop.

“I think I’m a little hungry….”

“Then let’s eat out for a change. Since this guy’s here too.”

“Yes, I’d like that! But brother… why are you here?”

When Carren first arrived, she didn’t have the luxury of paying attention to that part, but now that she thought about it, it was a bit strange.

“That’s….”

Carren glanced away.

“Brother?”

“… I was just passing by.”

Carren couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had followed them because he was jealous of her going out with his father without him.

That reason seemed too childish and pathetic, even to him.

Kael, who noticed Carren’s thoughts, chuckled quietly.

“Of all places, here?”

Since this was a shop that only sold dresses, it didn’t seem like a place Carren would visit, being a man.

Besides, wasn’t Carren supposed to be busy with his classes? According to Kael, he was very reluctant to go outside.

Thus, Leciel looked puzzled, as if she didn’t understand.

“Carren must have been bored.”

Kael spoke up for his still untruthful son.

‘He could just say he followed her because he missed the little one.’

But it seemed it would take a long time to hear such words from his son.

“Oh, I see.”

Just because he didn’t like troublesome things didn’t mean he couldn’t feel bored.

Leciel nodded as if she understood.

“Then let’s really go have dinner now.”

With that, Kael took Leciel’s hand and walked with Carren.