"Sit up," she ordered, her voice trembling yet firm.

I raised a brow. "Or what? You'll cry me to death?"

Her lips quivered, but she straightened her shoulders. "I'll… I'll tell Miss Carla you were rude!"

I smirked. "Carla won't believe you, even if you tell her."

"Why not?" she huffed, eyes narrowing.

"Because I never swear in front of Carla. She sees me as a good boy."

I could still remember the warmth in Carla's voice when she called me her "precious child." If she ever heard me curse, she'd scold me without hesitation.

Her frown deepened. "Then why did you call me dumb?"

I shrugged. "Because you are one."

She gasped, then stomped her foot in frustration. The pestle slipped from her grasp and clattered to the floor.

"…Oops."

I sighed. "You're hopeless." Still, I sat up, wincing as pain flared through my side.

Her hands trembled as she poured the antiseptic onto a cloth. The scent of herbs and alcohol filled the air. "D-does it hurt?" she asked hesitantly.

"Like hell."

Her eyes widened. "S-stop cursing!"

I barely had time to smirk before she pressed the cloth against my wound—hard. I hissed in pain.

"S-sorry!" she stammered. "Was that too rough?"

"Just finish before you kill me."

Her lips twisted in frustration, but she kept working, her hands clumsily wrapping the bandages.

Then, out of nowhere, she muttered, "Why are you so… so…"

I glanced at her. "So what?"

She hesitated. "So… alone?"

The question caught me off guard. My fingers twitched against my knee.

"I'm not alone. I have servants. Guards. Carla."

She shook her head. "No, you are." Her voice was softer now, almost sad. "Your eyes… they look lonely."

I stiffened. I tried to ignore her words, but they clung to me like shadows. She wasn't wrong—I was lonely. But I had learned to live with it.

"You don't have to worry about me, little girl."

Her cheeks puffed up in defiance. "I'm not a little girl! I'm older than you! And I'm not worried about you—you're a bad person!"

I chuckled. Teasing her was fun, but if I pushed her too far, she'd start crying again.

"You should call me 'big sister'!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

Big sister? What a joke.

I undid my shirt and started wrapping fresh bandages around my torso. When I turned back, she was staring at me—blankly, unmoving.

"What are you staring at? My body? You pervert." I smirked as her face instantly turned red.

"N-no, I am n-not staring at youuu!!" she shrieked, waving her hands. "I was just wondering who could hurt you like that!"

Her voice cracked slightly at the end.

I tilted my head. She hadn't asked the obvious question yet—who had beaten me like this? Maybe she hadn't thought about it.

Curious, I asked, "If I tell you, do you plan to punish them?"

She didn't hesitate. "Yes! I will punish whoever hurt you so horribly!"

A laugh almost escaped me. What a contradiction. She called me a bad person just minutes ago, and now she wanted to avenge me?

I leaned back, watching her. "It was the duke. He's the one who did this to me. Now tell me, do you even have the power to lecture a duke?"

I expected her to go silent—to realize how foolish she sounded.

Instead, she clenched her fists. "When I grow up, I'll scold the duke for you! This big sister will help you!"

For a moment, I just stared at her. Then, something inside me cracked.

Laughter bubbled up from my chest—real laughter, raw and unguarded. My ribs ached from it, but I didn't care. It had been so long since I had laughed like this.

"I was just joking," I said, wiping my eyes. "You don't have to do anything for me."

She didn't reply, just watched me quietly.

I turned away, forcing my emotions back into place. I still had things to do. The shackles around my life weren't going to break themselves.

"But why did your fath—"

I cut her off immediately. "Don't call him my father."

She flinched. "I-I won't, but…" Her face crumpled. "S-stop it!" she sobbed. "You're scary! And your eyes… they…"

I frowned. "What about my eyes?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper. "They turned silver with little bit of grey… like you were seeing through me. It was… creepy."

I blinked and turned to the mirror. My reflection stared back, eyes the same deep crimson as always.

I scoffed. "They're red. And I'm not some pervert who can see through kids' clothes."

She yelped, covering herself with her hands. "Y-you pervert! I wasn't talking about my clothes!"

I rolled my eyes. "Forget it. Carla isn't here, so until she returns, you're my maid. And the first thing you need to do is stop crying in front of me."

She sniffled but straightened her back. "Okay. I will try to perform my duties."

Try? She had to do it.

A knock at the door interrupted us. A servant stepped in, bowing slightly. "Young Master, this is the list of gifts from Lady Alice."

Oh, right. Mother mentioned gifts. I had completely forgotten.

"Where are they?"

"They've been arranged on your bookshelf."

Bookshelf? I turned my head and saw it—once empty, now filled with books. Expensive books. Some of these weren't even sold on the market. They were books about magic.

I walked over and traced my fingers along the spines. Mother had told me she'd prepare something for me, but I never expected this—a mini-library.

One book stood out. It was older, bound in dark leather. I pulled it from the shelf and turned it over in my hands.

The name on the cover made my breath hitch.

Alice von Stellar.

"Wow… this was written by Mom."

A warmth spread in my chest, but it quickly faded. I had no time for sentiment. First, I needed to memorize the materials that bastard had given me.

"Little girl, can you brew a cup of coffee?"

I hated giving tasks to a child barely older than ten, but if she learned some skills as a maid, she might survive in this cruel world.

"Y-Young Master, but I don't know how to make coffee."

I expected that. In this world, coffee was rare and only used by nobles.

"I will make tea for you instead. Just wait!"

Click.

She left without asking my opinion. She really needed training. I'd have to tell Carla about this—she would definitely train her properly.

I sighed and looked back at the book in my hands.

"But how am I supposed to memorize all of this? That bastard is a complete maniac… he has no sense of common decency."

I flipped to the first page and frowned.

*All Gods Are Evil*