Volume 6 Chapter 3 Part 2
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Translation and editing by Team Foxsunes
While I was sulking with my own imagination, I took a small but deep breath. Calm down Filmina. A woman who withdraws here loses her dignity. I had to show off the skill to look after children who are raised to selfishly do as they please, rather than how to look after a young child.
「Well then, medium. Shall we first make sure it’s just the two of us?」
「… What?」
With a snap, a fringe was added to his long iridescent eyelashes and he blinked with his copper eyes. At that his eyes were finally directed toward me. Even before the medium had expressed his question with his young voice, the woman taking care of him seemed to be panicking
「M-mistress Von Lancent, that is….」
I was basically told that I should instruct the medium in my preferred manner, but they still thought that me and the medium being with just the two of us was problematic. Their concerns that I might indoctrinate the young medium, still a child, by piling up a mixture of facts and truth, were quite reasonable. However.
「Your worries, as his caretakers and guards, are very reasonable. However, please think of this as being for the sake of the medium as well. I swear, on this name, that I won’t do him any harm.」
I lowered my head very deeply and then faced the care-taking woman and the guardsman. They both had the look of being deep in thought for a moment, but soon the two of them lined up, bowed and left the room. It was sudden and unexpected. I had thought I could have let them struggle for a bit longer. Well maybe they had judged that, whatever I indoctrinated the boy with, compared to them, who the medium trusted, my one or two words wouldn’t mean a whole lot.
Anyway, with this my preparations were complete. The medium stared perplexed at the door through which his caretaker and guard left, but to divert his view, I went and stood right in front of him.
One reason children warmed up to not listening, was that they had supporters. Because they thought that, whatever they did, someone had their back, they did whatever they pleased. To have a chance at teaching this medium manners, if those two were here, he would probably just be too stubborn.
Maybe because his allies were taken away from him, his previous sour look changed into an expression not hiding how perplexed he was. I cast a sidelong glance at that and from the basket that I had brought from my own room and put on the table in preparation, I took a certain thing. I bent my knees next to the medium. From this so-called crouch, I looked up at his pretty face.
I smiled at the medium, who looked back at me, not at all timid.
「Medium」
「What!?」
Aiming for the moment the medium opened his mouth, I put the thing that I had taken from the basket and secretly hidden from him in the mouth. His copper eyes opened wide and he immediately tried to spit out the thing from his mouth, but nom, the second he chewed it the light in his eyes changed. Nom, nom, he continued to munch on the thing, then his throat moved to swallow it in one gulp. His stiff expression became a soft smile.
「… It’s delicious」
A gentle voice, as if his harsh voice from earlier had been a lie. The medium who was licking the edge of his mouth, came off his chair and looked at my face from up close. His copper eyes were lighting up with curiosity.
「What’s this? It was crunchy and crumbly.」
I involuntarily smiled at his young way of speech.
I had thought this child was only cheekily pushing his luck too far, satisfied with his current position, but I realized he did not mean it so badly after all. On the contrary, this boy seemed to be more honest than I thought. Maybe the bearing of this boy, who was called the medium, was influenced by the reactions of his surroundings. Be that as it may, he probably doesn’t want to be told that by me, who had been a bit sneaky with him.
If one method for making a disobedient child listen, was to take away his support, the second was “lure them with candy”. Children had a natural weakness for candy. Aiming for that weakness, I had stuffed a mouthful of candy in the medium’s mouth when he was trying to respond to me.
「It’s a type of sweets called 『Princess Rikka’s forgotten candy』. In this season, it is often sold on the markets of the capital. It is just something I made myself, but I am glad you like it.」
I nodded with a smiling face at the medium who was pondering a bit about Princess Rikka. The thing I put in his mouth; it was a baked candy made by mixing together almond powder and wheat flour into a cookie dough, making balls and after baking them, sprinkle on powdered sugar.
「Princess Rikka, is that the snow fairy?」
「Yes. As expected of a medium, you knew about it.」
「But I have never seen her for real. It doesn’t snow in this land. If it did snow, it would be called a miracle caused by a swing in the mood of the goddess.」
「Oh, is that so?」
I didn’t know there was a story like that.
Called snowballs in my 『previous』world, these familiar baked sweets had the trendy name of forgotten candy of Princess Rikka, namely the snow spirit, in this world. They were made shortly before leaving the capital, and Edi had been glad to use some of his magic, to make sure they would not spoil for a long while.
I had thought to be able to give them to the princess while passing through this blue-skyed desert, but sadly the opportunity never presented itself, so instead they showed themselves now. The candy-tactic seemed to show more results than I had expected. Sweetness really was the miraculous medicine for universal communication.
I dusted off my dress and stood up to hold up the basket to the medium, who had a look that asked for more. When I took off the table cloth, that was there to hide the contents of the basket, the inside was stuffed with baked sweets, decorated with bright white sugar. The medium’s eyes immediately lit up and when I quickly took the basket out his reach, he sullenly frowned and his copper eyes narrowed.
No matter how much youth was remaining on his face, the fact that this beautiful face could glare so had an impact of itself. If they saw this face, the people around the world, elders, youths, men, and women all alike, they would end up listening to anything he said. There was no mistake that this had been actually allowed for this boy.
However, if he thought that I would hand the baked sweets to him that easily, it was a big mistake. Putting that man at the top of the list, by looking at the faces of people I was usually around, I understand this. This boy was truly beautiful. Although, while living in this world, I had come to know that good looks were fairly common around here. If I could be deceived by a pretty face it would be a problem.
「I am aware that this class is tedious for you, medium, but please bear with me. When we finish with the lesson, even though it is tedious, let’s have some tea with these sweets as a reward.」
When I finished saying this, the medium was sulking and frowning even more. That expression was a very precious sight, but exactly because of that I won’t do anything like handing him the candy. As expected, he noticed that I didn’t intend to do so at all.
「Isn’t it okay for me not to know manners? It’s just bothersome and stiff after all.」
「Yes, indeed. It is as you say, medium.」
It seems like it was unexpected for me to nod so suddenly. A curious expression appeared on the face of the medium. He blinked with those eyes, which were bordered by iridescent lashes. I looked at his copper eyes, which were silently asking what I meant, and intentionally slow, I wove my web of words to explain it simply.
「Certainly, etiquette is just ceremonious and stiff. However, medium, what would you think if we from the royal capital had said 『It was decided that sitting while eating is rude, so we didn’t bother to prepare a table and chairs』 for yesterday’s banquet party?」
「That would obviously be very annoying, wouldn’t it?」
At his immediate reply, I nodded in agreement.「Wouldn’t it?」
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