As expected in a ga like this, young girls and boys are typically drawn to look adorable.
Yes, that includes the boys. After all, there aren’t many ways to make a child look "cool." No matter how impressively they’re designed, to an adult, they’re still just kids. Even if an elentary schooler says, "I’ll protect you!" it just cos across as cute.
…Elentary school.
Thinking about it, I'm currently fifteen years old. Excluding the age of the soul within this body, and counting from when this body was created, I was fifteen in this world’s years.
In Korea, that would place in the equivalent of ninth grade. Outwardly, though, I didn’t look much different from a high schooler. Maybe the ga’s modeling carried over here sohow; I’m not sure.
It’s strange to think about how absurd it is to dress kids like this in bunny costus...
I often forgot that the characters here, given the growth dynamics different from Earth, were just kids according to the ga’s standards.
If we hadn’t worn masks, people at the casino would have probably recognized right away that we were too young.
Although soone might have realized Alice was a princess before that.
And naturally, the boy standing in front of , a few years younger than I, looked very much like an upper elentary or early middle schooler. This world didn’t have a clear middle school concept, but that’s how he appeared.
With green hair, dressed in an outfit that looked like a child’s butler uniform, and a face that was neat and cute enough to have been a regular character in the original ga... but this was an unfamiliar face.
That’s to be expected; if I hadn’t saved him, he would have likely been sold. And if he didn’t have that pretty face, he might not have even been at the orphanage.
The boy looked up at with erald-green eyes, his expression slightly surprised.
I wasn’t as skilled as Alice at reading people’s expressions, so I wasn’t sure if he was surprised to see my face or if he recognized as the "Sylvia Black."
"They’re esteed guests who will be staying here for several days," the butler inford him.
"Oh, yes."
The boy’s voice responded promptly, and the butler's brows furrowed slightly. It seed he wasn’t pleased with the boy’s montary lapse in attention.
But it appeared he wasn’t the type to scold a child in front of guests, nor did he seem the kind to raise his voice. The young apprentice butler didn’t seem intimidated by him either. Had he been mistreated, he wouldn’t have stood so confidently.
The boy placed one hand over his heart, clasped his other hand behind his back, and gave a slight bow. The graceful movents revealed the extent of his training.
"I’m Daniel, a butler-in-training. I look forward to serving you during your stay."
Though he likely wouldn’t be guiding us himself… ah.
Daniel.
Hearing his na triggered a mory from deep within. There had been a quiet, composed child with striking green hair, one who had a similar deanor to Claire. Younger than her, but with the sa calm aura.
We had all been young back then. Claire and I were only five years old, and there were even younger children—orphans whom that old woman at the orphanage had "acquired" from sowhere.
They were "goods" she held onto and later resold for a high price.
Had Daniel been particularly attached to ?
I wasn’t sure. Back then, most of my attention was focused on Claire. I had been kind to the other children, sharing my food and telling awkwardly made-up stories, but that was about it. There had been too many to take care of individually. I was just one person.
Still, the fact that none of them caused any particular trouble suggested Daniel had likely been an obedient child as well.
"Daniel!"
Claire, as if seeing him after a long ti, instinctively stepped forward, only to pause and look back at her mother.
The baroness regarded Claire with a slightly stern expression.
I glanced at Claire.
She had her hands slightly raised, as if she had intended to run over and hug Daniel.
But it wouldn’t be appropriate for a fifteen-year-old girl in this world to do that.
While teenage marriages weren’t unheard of here, children who attended academies weren’t treated as re kids anymore.
The line between "adult" and "child" was incredibly blurry in this world. Stories of seventeen-year-olds who lied about their age to join the military and beca celebrated heroes were common, but at the sa ti, those under twenty were often reminded by "real adults" that certain responsibilities weren’t for children.
There was no charter of human rights yet. Who knows if there ever would be.
"Oh, it’s been a while?" Claire hastily lowered her hands and waved them enthusiastically as if that had been her intention all along.
"Haha…" Daniel chuckled awkwardly, lowering his head slightly as he replied, "It’s been a while, Miss Claire."
Claire’s expression turned slightly discontent at his response.
There was no hint of a romantic undertone between them. It would have been difficult for there to be one, anyway. One looked young yet seed mature, while the other was still closer to childhood.
More than that—
I slowly looked around the room.
It was a very tidy space. Not empty, but neatly arranged, with various items organized in a way that made it feel comfortable.
There were two bunk beds in the room, indicating it was ant for multiple occupants.
"The other children are all attending to different tasks. Currently, Daniel is the only one residing here," the butler explained, noticing my gaze. The baroness nodded in agreent.
Perhaps Claire had once stayed in a similar room with Daniel. They likely separated rooms by gender, but they must have lived as siblings before Claire was adopted by the Grace family.
Had they hugged freely back then? Knowing Claire, it seed likely.
My gaze, which had been wandering around the room, gradually focused on Daniel’s face.
I studied his expression carefully.
Were there any signs of injury? Did he look unhappy or sad? I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to check, but it seed necessary.
And, to my relief, I found nothing concerning.
Satisfied, I finally spoke.
"I trust you’ve been well."
Though it might have been impolite to ask such a question without a proper introduction.
But Daniel replied as if he’d already been inford about .
"Yes, I’ve been well and have lacked for nothing."
"I see."
I chose my next words carefully. How should I continue?
"I heard there are others from the sa orphanage…"
"They’re all under the Grace family’s protection. They’re currently finding various ways to repay the family’s kindness."
"I see."
I took that to an they were all doing well.
"…"
I almost asked if he rembered my face but held back.
Sohow, I felt I already knew the answer.
At first, I thought he was simply surprised by the unexpected visit. News of two princesses visiting the mansion would have already spread among the household staff.
But… there was a look of understanding on his face that seed different from re surprise.
"It’s late today," I said slowly, carefully choosing my words for the next part.
"But if you’re free tomorrow…"
I hesitated, briefly questioning if it was appropriate to ask this way.
"Could you introduce to your friends?"
In the brief silence that followed, there was no tension, only a mont of stillness.
"I’d be happy to," Daniel replied, bowing his head to .
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