Adele Grey.

A surname he had never heard in his life. Duke Rogato’s head spun. Just how high a noble was she, to speak to him so freely?

The little one’s behavior was not simply that of a badly-mannered child.

At first, because of her clothing, he had thought some beggar had wandered in, but now that she was simply standing there, she looked like nothing other than a child of noble birth who had been taught etiquette from birth.

Her perfectly straight posture, the arrogant gaze that seemed to look down even while looking up, and even the position of her hands, which was utterly graceful.

No less than the prince of the Kingdom of Pilonia himself had vouched for her identity, so it could not be a lie. In that case, could she be royalty from another country traveling under a false name?

It was not uncommon for children of noble upbringing to conceal their identities and go about for amusement. The clothing could be a disguise to hide that.

Not long ago, his own son had apparently gone outside without a thought. Duke Rogato had scoffed when he heard that Vincent had gone out. He had thought the boy would either come back on his own or get into some kind of trouble. It had been mildly disappointing that he had returned with all his limbs intact.

Children’s eccentric behavior was truly impossible to predict.

But inborn nobility could never truly be hidden. Just like the child right before his eyes, who went by the assumed name of Adele Grey.

The perceptive Duke Rogato stepped forward and immediately knelt on one knee before the small Adele, offering his greeting.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Adele. It is an honor that you have graced the ducal estate with your visit.”

At his respectful greeting, Adele nodded with an air of familiarity.

She had received this kind of treatment countless times since her days as a national hero.

She had particularly enjoyed watching those who had once looked down on her treat her with such deference.

Seeing that Adele showed no sign of flustering or stiffening, Duke Rogato smiled with certainty.

He had found it strange when the prince had suddenly said he wished to build a rapport with his son and would be visiting the ducal estate, but to think he would bring along such a distinguished acquaintance.

Come to think of it, in the capital, the only person of the prince’s age was his betrothed at the Camel family.

If he were to visit a newly arrived noble and secretly go to meet his betrothed, every move he made would inevitably reach the ears of the adults. There was no way the prince did not know that.

Today, he simply wanted to play freely.

Duke Rogato now felt he properly understood why Prince Rohide had specifically sought out the ducal estate. In that case, he should keep his silence as the prince wished. Whatever the prince chose to do today.

No one could know what great gift this small act of consideration might bring in return. The duke bowed his head even deeper, anticipating that gift.

Rohide, on the other hand, was struggling to hold back laughter. ‘Grey,’ of all things. Was that not a surname made up far too hastily on the spot? He had never once heard of a surname that meant the color grey.

That child was truly impossible to predict.

One thing he had gained, at least, was learning the bold little one’s name.

‘Adele……’

Rohide kept rolling the name Adele around in his mouth. For some reason, it felt as though this name had been engraved in his heart and he would never be able to forget it.

If he were to invite her to the palace someday, she would surely be startled with that blunt face of hers. She might even wilt in the world of elegant nobles.

Imagining that scene, he found it somehow endearing and a laugh slipped out.

Just then, a knock came at the drawing room door. When it opened, Vincent stood there with a servant, fully prepared.

Vincent seemed momentarily startled by how completely at ease Adele appeared, but he immediately composed himself and offered a proper greeting.

“It has been a year since we last met.”

It was completely different from how he usually acted around Adele.

One of Rohide’s eyebrows twitched with curiosity.

To offer only a brief greeting rather than excessive flattery. Had the only son of the Rogato family always been this composed?

Vincent looked as though he were not quite of this world. Like some kind of transcendent being.

Looking more closely, his pale face made it seem as though he might genuinely not be long for this world……

It was honestly disconcerting.

Because the six-year-old Vincent he had seen the previous year had been a coward who could only dart his eyes around anxiously.

Had he really become this composed in the span of just one year?

Rohide, who had received nothing but praise from adults his entire life, felt a sudden sense of crisis. The way Vincent was now, it seemed entirely possible that his father might see him and declare him far superior to Rohide himself.

Today had been one strange thing after another.

Meeting Adele was one thing, and then there was the matter of Vincent having changed so completely.

Unlike Rohide, Duke Rogato had no attention to spare for his son’s transformation. His every nerve was focused entirely on Adele.

“Is there anything you require?”

“Dessert and a clean, refreshing black tea would be lovely. I shall look forward to the duke’s discernment.”

The duke, wearing a kind smile he had never once shown his own son, gave a look to the servant who had come with Vincent.

She bowed promptly and stepped out of the drawing room.

But the duke still lingered. The one who spoke first about that was none other than Adele.

“How pathetic.”

“……Pardon?”

Adele, perhaps aware to some small degree of her own rudeness, murmured quietly.

“To think a grown adult would consider joining in on children at play.”

Of course, the duke was not someone who would have failed to hear that.

However, Duke Rogato called upon the patience and skill at managing his expression that he had cultivated through countless political battles, and pretended not to have heard, smiling warmly once more.

“My, it seems I have been holding you up for too long. Well then, I hope you enjoy your time.”

At last, even the duke departed, and now only three children remained in the drawing room.

“The nuisance has finally left. What a complete lack of awareness.”

Adele glared at the door and shook her head. At that, a clear and bright burst of laughter came from directly behind her.

“Pfft…… Pfuhahaha!”

The sound that filled the entire drawing room made Adele’s expression immediately crumple. She had never imagined she would see Rohide laughing so heartily in her lifetime.

Rohide’s laugh was even worse than she had expected. All the more so because she knew his true nature.

As Rohide burst into even louder laughter at Adele’s thoroughly crumpled face, Adele ignored him and looked at Vincent, saying.

“You did well, in such a short time.”

At her praise, Vincent’s face lit up brightly. Being left alone had been suffocating. But he had kept recalling the way Adele carried herself and tried his best to imitate her, and it had paid off.

When he had seen Adele in the drawing room too, he had nearly been startled out of his composure, but fortunately he had managed to hold it together until the very end.

“Now then, our stomachs are full, so shall we make our escape?”

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

At Vincent’s question, Adele gave a small shrug of her shoulders.

“We need to go train now. You weren’t thinking of skipping, were you?”

“But Father is…… And besides, you said we’d do it at our house?”

“Training?”

“Training locations change all the time. And we can just take this one along.”

Adele’s finger pointed behind her. Rohide, who had been listening without understanding, was startled and his eyes went wide as he found himself being pointed at.

In all his life, not a single person had ever pointed at him so rudely, prince that he was.

“Wouldn’t that be kidnapping?”

“Is it? Then I’ll just leave you behind.”

She needed to conquer the world, and having a warrant out for her arrest this early on would be a headache.

Rohide, startled again by Adele’s words about leaving him behind, cried out without thinking.

“Take me with you!”

An inexplicable curiosity bloomed in the prince’s heart. His interest in the gust of wind had long since faded.

Right now, he did not want to be separated from this little one.

But Vincent said with a displeased expression.

“But that person will definitely tell the adults everything.”

At those grumbling words, Rohide felt a pang in his chest. Dirtying someone without getting his own hands dirty, adding words here and there to have someone punished. That had been his specialty.

“Fair enough. Then it won’t do. Let’s leave him behind.”

Having a track record like that, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut, but a feeling of hurt crept up slowly within him.

Rohide, experiencing childlike emotions for the first time, found the whole situation unfamiliar. He could feel himself becoming increasingly petty, but he could not stop his mouth.

“That’s right. If you don’t take me along, I’ll tell everyone everything.”

Not yet fully grown, but at an age when he was learning to assert his power. The only power Rohide had was his title.

At that, a flash of contempt passed through the eyes of Adele, a child even smaller than the prince.

Rohide did his best to ignore the emotion in Adele’s eyes.

Adele let out a deep sigh and said.

“Let’s go. Before the servant comes back.”