Naoya Zenin

The moment I returned, I found Naoya Zenin and his little gang of lackeys barking their heads off in my courtyard.

I hurried over and discovered that all my belongings had been rummaged through and left in a complete mess.

Although I felt no real attachment to the Zenin Clan, this was the courtyard I lived in. Seeing it treated like this, I couldn't help clenching my fists, even if the culprits were only a bunch of children.

As expected of children raised by the Zenin Clan-they already reeked of rotten feudalism at such a young age.

At that moment, an overwhelming rage seemed to fill my chest, ready to erupt. Perhaps it was the violent surge of emotion, or perhaps my reason, on the verge of burning away entirely, had made me hallucinate-

I thought I saw my shadow bubble for a moment, as though it had sensed its master's anger and rippled in response.

But it quickly settled again.

Was that just my imagination?

It must have been.

Why would a perfectly ordinary shadow move on its own?

I told Naoya Zenin, "Get out!"

Naoya Zenin stared at me with wide eyes, his face full of disbelief, as though I had committed some unforgivable outrage.

He pointed at me, perhaps still struggling to find the right words, and stammered, "You..." for ages without getting anything else out.

Growing impatient, I urged him, "Are you leaving or not?"

He seemed to finally recover and called his lackeys over, preparing to attack me.

What a rude little mandarin orange. He didn't have the lifeless, deeply lined face of those elders, yet there was a sense of decay emanating from his very bones.

I merely said, "What, are you going to hit me? Don't forget, Father's position as heir isn't exactly secure. If you lay a hand on me, tomorrow the news that 'Naobito Zenin's son is an ill-mannered idiot who's jealous of his own younger sister and utterly unfit for any important role' will become an embarrassing weakness for others to exploit."

Naoya Zenin immediately protested, "That's impossible! Father is so much stronger than Ogi Zenin! How could something like this affect him?"

"Is that so?" A child really was just a child. Handling him took next to no effort. "Don't you know what Ogi Zenin is like? That hyena lurking in the shadows is always looking for a chance to tear a chunk of flesh out of Father... Surely you know that better than an illegitimate daughter like me, who's only been here a few days?"

Although I had absolutely no idea what sort of person Ogi Zenin actually was, judging by the servants' descriptions and what I knew about most members of the Zenin Clan, that description was probably close enough.

Sure enough, Naoya Zenin hesitated.

So I continued, "Besides, even if it doesn't affect Father, hitting me would surely affect your standing in his eyes... After all, he dotes on me so much."

"That's impossible!" Naoya Zenin shot back without thinking. "You're an illegitimate daughter living in a place like this, with only one servant looking after you. Why would Father care about you?"

"Is that so?" I countered. "Then why did you come here? Wasn't it because you heard that Father came to visit me after I got hurt?"

Naoya Zenin's eyes flew wide open, but his smiling face suddenly turned deathly pale. He looked ridiculous and hilarious.

So this was what children were like?

How amusing.

I seemed to have found a peculiar new source of entertainment.

After that, Naoya Zenin came by almost every day or two.

Every time he came, he tried to mock and belittle me from a different angle.

But every time, my retorts left his face flushed crimson. He would look furious, yet swallow his anger over worries like "I can't give anyone leverage against Father," never quite daring to lay a hand on me.

Naoya Zenin, oh, Naoya Zenin. After all these times, haven't you learned your lesson yet?

His persistence really was touching.