The boxes, stacked neatly in front of the entrance hall, were each decorated with pretty lace ribbons, and every one of them looked exactly like something children would love.

“What is all this? And who sent it?”

When Elena asked the shop employee who had come to deliver them, he held out a card and said,

“I was only told to deliver them to the Spencer family.”

“Hmm…”

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

After the employee left, Elena hurriedly opened the card.

Once she read its contents, she looked so shocked that she held the card out to Charlotte.

“Ch-Charlotte. This, this!”

Tilting her head, Charlotte took the card.

As Charlotte read it, an emotion close to shock bloomed across her face as well.

<To Lady Prairie. Since you said they were all nice, I’m sending them all. —Raymond Bayen.>

N-no way!

Charlotte opened the nearest box.

Inside it, a lovely teddy bear dressed in a splendid gown like a pretty princess smiled brightly up at her.

“Ch-Charlotte. Why did Mr. Bayen send you a gift like this?”

Charlotte shook her head.

“I don’t know either…”

She had no idea what he was thinking at all…

* * *

Derik had been living more lazily than anyone since coming to Glasko, but today, he could not do that.

Raymond, who needed to clean up the mad thing he had done to Charlotte, had gone out two hours earlier than their promised meeting time, fuming all the while.

Derik was so anxious his heart trembled, certain Raymond would return after causing an even bigger incident instead of fixing his mistake.

But the expression on his friend’s face when he returned was remarkably fresh.

Ah, this bastard!

He resolved it through conversation!

Yes. I worried for nothing.

We were refined people who had been educated as much as anyone, weren’t we? A mere misunderstanding could be calmly settled.

But what Raymond said next was a masterpiece.

“You sent her a gift? Why would you do that? If you make one wrong move…”

It might feel like payment for services!

Unable to bring himself to say the words that came to mind, Derik pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead.

“If I make one wrong move, what?”

“…After going to the trouble of clearing up one misunderstanding, you’ve created another.”

“What misunderstanding could there be from buying her a few dolls?”

“Dolls…?”

What nonsense was this now?

Derik’s eyes widened as though they might fall out.

“You gave dolls to a grown young lady?”

“The dresses and jewelry were all below standard. It was a good thing I decided to expand the shopping district.”

Derik shook his head.

“Even if there was nothing suitable to give her, why dolls of all things?”

“When she was little, she really loved dolls.”

The moment he saw that shop window earlier, he had remembered Charlotte as a child, pouting while clutching a doll in her arms.

Viscount Prairie had been affectionate, but he also had a rather strict side. When the late duke, knowing Charlotte loved dolls terribly, said he would give her one as a gift, Viscount Prairie refused with sharp decisiveness.

He said they had already received so much that he could not shamelessly accept any more.

Having lost the doll right before her eyes, Charlotte had cried loudly for quite some time before saying,

[When I grow up, I’m going to fill my room with dolls. And then I’m going to be king of the doll kingdom…]

King of the doll kingdom, indeed.

She had been terribly greedy too.

Young Raymond, who had let out a small laugh, said,

[Do you have enough money to buy that many dolls?]

[When I grow up, I’ll have all of it.]

[Money doesn’t just appear because you grow up.]

Shocked, little Charlotte said tearfully,

[Then I can’t bring the dolls home?]

You could just earn money.

Raymond had been about to say that, but instead, he shrugged and said,

[Well. I’ll buy them for you.]

Joy sparkled in Charlotte’s tearful eyes.

[Really?]

[Yes. Really. So stop crying already. Your eyes are turning into goldfish eyes.]

[Hehe. Okay.]

Remembering a pleasant memory from childhood, Raymond smiled faintly.

What is this? Why is he suddenly smiling?

Derik was flustered.

Honestly.

Even if she had liked dolls when she was young, it was not as though she would still like them now.

Derik, who had been about to point out Raymond’s mistake, closed his mouth again.

…Still, it was a better gift than clothes or jewelry.

At worst, those might make her think it was payment for services, and at the very least, they might make her wonder, Is something wrong with the way I dress?

Dolls, on the other hand, were merely an odd gift.

But this whole situation, where I have to consider that fortunate, is ridiculous.

Raymond was an extremely normal man.

Though he was a man who lived madly for work and found people troublesome, he was quick-witted and not lacking in common sense.

And yet, ever since he had met Charlotte, the behavior he had shown in just a few days had been nothing short of shocking.

What on earth was wrong with him?

While Derik let out deep sigh after deep sigh, Raymond thought calmly.

It was excessive.

Raymond had recalled that memory the moment he saw the dolls, but Charlotte would not have. It was a promise he had no need to keep.

No, rather, it was the sort of promise that would only be embarrassing if it were kept.

But the moment Charlotte looked at the dolls with a satisfied smile and said they were cute…

Oh? You want them? I’ll give them all to you. What are these worth, anyway?

Feelings like that had surged wildly inside him, and he had not been able to stop himself from buying them.

I’ve never once in my life felt such an impulse to buy something.

In any case, he had to think of a suitable excuse.

He had told Derik as though nothing would come of it, but the current Charlotte certainly would not simply accept it with a Thank you.

If it had been her when she was little, she would have smiled brightly right away and been happy, saying they were all hers.

Ah, one never knew!

After receiving these dolls, perhaps some faint memory from her childhood might come back to her.

No, surely not…

Even as Raymond thought that would never happen, he could not quite let go of the small hope in his heart.

Perhaps.

Truly, perhaps…

* * *

The next day, Charlotte went to see Raymond.

“I’m truly sorry for visiting without contacting you in advance.”

When Charlotte apologized for her rudeness, Raymond gave a slight nod.

“You may visit whenever you like. In any case, I’m in the position of being shut up inside the mansion with nothing to do but leisurely read books.”

The way he says “position” makes it sound as though someone locked him up.

And an idle loafer with books—was that not a terribly mismatched combination?

No. He was someone who had amassed this much wealth, so perhaps he was the type to welcome the accumulation of knowledge.

But he doesn’t look like someone who was just reading a book…

Raymond’s hair was perfectly arranged, and his attire was very neat. If he had not said so first, she would have thought he had an appointment with someone.

Anyway, that isn’t what’s important right now.

Charlotte carefully moved her lips.

“The dolls we looked at together yesterday arrived at the Spencer residence.”

“I sent those. Did you not receive the card?”

“I did. I received it, but I was still flustered.”

Even if only one doll had arrived, she would have been flustered. But this was practically on the level of an entire doll village relocating there.

“So you’re saying you want to return them? After I went to the trouble of giving you a gift?”

Raymond let out a sigh—good grief—and shook his head, making his neatly arranged hair sway.

“I’m not trying to disregard your kindness. But you sent far too many, and also…”

“Also?”

Charlotte’s lips moved faintly.

Just then, Raymond rested his chin in his hand and said,

“You mean, why dolls?”

Charlotte nodded.

“Lady Prairie. Let me ask you one thing. Have you ever thrown a tantrum when you were little because you wanted a doll?”

At the sudden, out-of-nowhere question, Charlotte blinked rapidly.

“M-me? Um… I’m not sure. I don’t think I ever did…”

“Try to remember carefully.”

“Mm, no matter how much I think about it, I don’t think so.”

“You don’t look as though you tried hard enough to use the expression ‘no matter how much.’”

Raymond crossed his legs with a displeased look and turned his head.

“But why are you suddenly asking me that?”

“Just because. I thought perhaps you might have once cried terribly as a child because you couldn’t have a doll.”

“…What exactly did you see that made you think that?”

“Your eyes. Your eyes were sparkling so brightly when you looked at the dolls that it made me think so.”

“That was just because the dolls were so pretty…”

His green eyes, which had been staring into the distant air, returned to Charlotte once more.

“In any case, that was how it looked to me, so I gave them to you as a gift. I thought you would like them.”

“You did that just because you happened to think that?”

“Just? What a disappointing thing to say. I must spend money where I want to spend it. I have to do what I want to do.”

If Derik heard that, he would faint.

You? Having desires? Other than work, whether it was women, alcohol, luxury goods… whatever it was, you never showed the slightest interest in any of it!

But to Charlotte, it was not particularly surprising.

No, the words themselves were surprising, but somehow, if it was Raymond, it seemed entirely possible.

“I’ll continue doing that from now on, and no one can stop me, so you’ll simply have to deal with it. Am I not someone allowed to commit at least this much tyranny against you, my lady?”