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Anastasia, struck by a pillow, whined as if it hurt. She purposefully looked up at Ella with tear-brimmed eyes, even patting her head where the pillow had hit. However, Ella wasn’t fooled by Anastasia’s act.

This wasn’t the first time.

“Ugh!”

Without mercy, Ella swung the pillow again, hitting Anastasia’s head, causing her to retreat with a giggle, completely abandoning her earlier pretense. Just as the pillow came flying back at her, Anastasia sprawled down to avoid it and dashed at Ella, snatching the pillow away.

“Gi, give that pillow back!”

“No way!”

Having seized the pillow, Anastasia tossed it behind her and dove back into Ella’s embrace, urging her excitedly, “Now, show me your messages!”

That tone was annoyingly arrogant.

Ella looked at Anastasia in disbelief, but she accepted the piercing gaze without a care, even meeting her eyes and smiling brightly as if to urge her on.

Her gestures grew bolder, touching Ella’s body, as if to say she’d tickle her again if she didn’t hurry up.

“Eek!”

“Quick! Resolve your sister’s curiosity! It’s your duty as a younger sister!”

Ultimately, Ella had no choice but to succumb to Anastasia’s threats.

How could she resist when tiny hands were threatening to tickle her?

She began going through the messages she had carelessly pushed aside, not even wanting to check them out.

『Future Daughter, Ella? I think you have a rough idea of who I am. I wanted to reach out to the beautiful Nes, but I couldn’t get through. Please let her know I’d like to contact her.』

『Why isn’t there any response?』

『Kids like you always have smartphones in your hands, are you ignoring me right now?』

『You little brat. It’s me, William. Your potential new dad.』

『Did you eat garlic in Korea and faint? What’s going on?』

『Maybe you’re devouring volcanic noodles and can’t think straight from the spiciness? If that’s not it, just contact Agnes quickly.』

“When did I ever become close enough to call Master by a nickname… f…”

Upon reading the messages, Ella nearly spat out a curse. However, feeling Anastasia’s warmth nestled against her, she realized she almost let something inappropriate slip and swallowed her words.

“…What a dirty mouth you have.”

She opted for a more refined comment on the messages.

“They’re more bearable than I expected!”

Anastasia, snuggled against Ella, tilted her head at the messages.

“I was curious about what kind of bad guy would make our cute and kind little sister upset, but if it’s this much…? Just a personality disaster who can’t set proper boundaries? That seems about right. Not quite a total delinquent!”

“That’s one way to think about it.”

Ella nodded at Anastasia’s words.

“Considering that I’ve only spoken with this person twice.”

“…”

Not exactly close.

Just twice.

And it was only a brief chat while she was next to Agnes.

That was practically a stranger, like someone you’d pass on the street.

Yet a message from such a stranger was filled with coarse insults, as if directed at a friend they’d known for decades.

“Still. Hah… It’s true. It’s reasonable, like you said.”

Even this had been toned down considering who it was directed at.

Because Ella was Agnes’s disciple and like a daughter to her, William had likely minimized the swearing to convey these messages.

“I fulfill two conditions to keep this guy in check.”

“One of them is that this delinquent has his eyes on Master Agnes, right? What’s the other one?”

Ella briefly closed her mouth at Anastasia’s question.

It was as if she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

But with a heavy sigh, she answered.

“…He’s a kid.”

“…Huh?”

“This guy treats anyone with a small chest and a young face like a child.”

She checked the remaining messages with an exceptionally displeased expression.

『Just answer the phone.』

『Ha, look at this brat!』

『Even with Nes’s face, there’s a limit to how much I can tolerate.』

『I have to put up with a fantastic woman for Nes’s sake, and now I’m about to explode! Are you testing my patience?』

The other messages were no better.

They were filled with anger and curses aimed at her for ignoring his calls and texts.

But amongst the messages, one caught Anastasia’s eye.

“Are you saying you’re giving up on women because of Master Agnes?”

“Hmph. Just empty words, right?”

Ella shrugged off that message casually.

A guy obsessed with women would just say that to charm Agnes, she thought.

However, Anastasia’s thoughts differed slightly.

“I don’t think so…”

Her instincts, gained from wandering through dreams, told her otherwise.

It wasn’t just empty words.

This person had truly given up on someone, and it was filling him with rage.

“Well, it doesn’t matter!”

But Anastasia dismissed the thought.

Whether he gave up or not, why should it concern her?

They had no special relationship, after all!

“Good luck there, sis!”

“…”

Anastasia teased Ella, then beamed at her with a grin.

Then, almost in the same gentle tone as their mentor, Agnes, she said, “Oh, but if you keep bothering me, just request SOS! I’ll do my best to help out my cute little sister. ’Cause I’m the big sis, you know?”

“…Thanks.”

Ella smiled at the self-proclaimed older sister, who was about half her size. Then she tossed her smartphone onto the bed with a sigh and laid down.

The plush mattress embraced her, while the feathery soft microfleece blanket wrapped her arms gently, providing comfort. The inviting scent of sunlight surrounded her, enticing her to forget her troubles and fall asleep.

In the seductive comfort of the bed, she muttered.

“It’ll be fine. If I keep ignoring him, we won’t meet… right?”

“Um, maybe?”

“Yeah. I’ll stop thinking about that obnoxious creature… I should visit the clothing store tomorrow.”

Ella slowly closed her eyes, contemplating what kind of dress she would try on, and what she should wear to balance elegance without being over the top.

She was thinking of a shop run by a designer known as one of the top three craftsmen in Korea, and quite famous globally.

Apparently, this designer even won a Haute Couture collection held in Paris.

“Yeah. I’ll just refresh my mood…”

As she drifted into sleep, she pondered what kind of dress to fit her, thinking of how to show off her elegance as a lady.

—

Ignoring it doesn’t mean you won’t encounter it.

It seems like a reasonable thought at first glance.

But the laws of the world don’t work that way.

Cover a filthy thing, and it doesn’t become clean; cover a cockroach with a cup, and it doesn’t disappear.

Turning a blind eye will surely bring it closer, and what you try to avoid becomes unavoidable, and negative thoughts inevitably manifest in front of you.

Misfortune always finds a way to approach someone eagerly.

“Hey, you sure came here?”

“Hah.”

As Ella wondered what kind of dress she’d wear, how strong a design recommendation from the designer would be, and what special feeling the dress made by that designer would evoke, William appeared right in front of her.

A hideous misfortune.

A dreadful calamity.

“Haahhh…”

William, leaning against the store’s wall, flashed a triumphant smile as soon as he saw Ella and approached her. Worried that she might run away, he sent a signal to the stupid-faced summon creature that had been trailing behind him.

“Yip!”

At that, the foolish-looking summon, resembling a four-legged mammal, walked casually over to Ella’s back and took position there.

If Ella tried to turn around and leave, it would surely swell to a size that would block not just the aisle but the road too.

“It’s so cocky to sigh so much… but whatever. Let’s go inside and talk, daughter?”

“Who’s your daughter?”

“Hah, then if you’re not my daughter, what are you? Just some brat laying around?”

He smirked, one corner of his mouth curling up as he mocked her.

“Know your place. If you weren’t going to be my future daughter, would I even want to talk to some puny brat like you? Consider it an honor.”

“You…”

“Whatever. It’s childish to bicker with a kid… let’s go in. I have something to ask.”

William walked right into the shop as if Ella was supposed to follow him without question. Ella, irritated, was about to turn around to leave, but then she recalled the summon staring intently at her and sighed, heading into the store.

Though it didn’t feel great following his orders, curiosity about what important matter could make that delinquent use the word ‘ask’ motivated her as well.

She took a seat far enough to keep a distance from William but close enough to face him, shooting him a glare, silently urging him to hurry up and speak.

And William, clearly irritated about lowering himself to her level, scratched his head awkwardly before finally saying,

“A very shocking request.”

“Hey, I think I need to meet your sister.”

 

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