That's Lorine's Elecro! No doubt about it.
Her eyes had shifted—just like mine—without any pain. Smoothly, effortlessly, the gold melted into bright blue, as natural to her as drinking water.
While keeping my hand pressed to her cheek, she smiled with pure warmth. It was strange... yet I could feel how much she relished my touch.
[69 Dumb Choices]
Episode 8: Aristocratic Gifts
The guests had departed, and Mother returned with Anne from seeing them off. Though she maintained her gracious facade, I—her own daughter—could see how shaken she was by their disrespect.
Just before Mother noticed, I quickly pulled Lorine's hand away from my face. Such intimate contact between two toddlers would raise eyebrows.
Lorine's mother spoke up, "Sister... might I make a request?"
Mother settled into one of the ornate oak chairs previously occupied by the Leonhardts, her hands resting on its intricately carved armrests. With practiced poise, she smiled. "But of course. Speak your mind."
Anne stood before my mother and continued, "To be honest... I had an argument with my husband that turned rather loud. Even though he's away on business now—and won't be back for a week—I'm all alone at home, and... well... his words have been weighing heavily on my mind. I was wondering if it would be alright for Lorine and me to stay here at your estate this week. I'd also like to speak with Brother Norb about it."
Mother fell into thought. The moment Lorine was mentioned again, her smile faded. I still couldn't understand why, but I had no doubt—those smiles Mother gave Anne were fake.
"No trouble at all. This is your brother's home too."
"Thank you, sister!"
Just like that. Well... Mother couldn't refuse. Anne and Mother have a good relationship—at least, the best one among all the Leonhardts. Besides, Father is the one who makes the final decisions anyway, so Mother's opinion doesn't carry much weight. What kind of brother would refuse to let his sister stay for a week, especially after a fight with her husband?
Suddenly, Lorine scrambled up from beside me and toddled toward the table in front of us. "Mama... c-can we open the presents?! I w-wanna see what's inside!"
Lorine's mother, her eyes wide with shock and embarrassment, scolded gently, "No, Anne. That's rude. Come here—stop bothering Camellia."
"P-please, Mama! I n-never got this many presents before..."
Even though Lorine was a member of the Leonhardt family, her rank and status were lower than mine. But I had no doubt that once people discovered she possessed Elecro...
I dismounted from my high horse (figuratively) and walked over to the table. "Mother, if I may, I'd like to o-open my presents now—with Lorine. May I?"
I'd decided not to let Lorine's request be ignored. If I asked, no one would object.
Just as I'd predicted, Mother nodded and said, "I'll have the gifts brought to your room. You can open them there with Lorine."
Huh. I hadn't expected her to allow it in my room. I'd assumed she'd want to keep us apart. Honestly, I'd never been able to understand Mother's decisions. On the other hand, I'd always gotten along better with Father.
"Thank you!"
Less than half an hour later, the gifts were delivered to my room—neatly arranged in their original boxes by the servants. Before they arrived, Lorine and I had already gone up to my room. This time, she was much quieter and calmer than when we'd first met. She sat on one of the chairs in my room, her feet dangling far above the floor, her legs pressed tightly together. Now that she was away from her mother, she seemed a little scared.
I couldn't talk to her directly yet. So when the gifts were brought in, I said, "Le-let's see what they got me."
I wanted to reignite her excitement—to spark her curiosity and coax her out of this silence.
There were Six gifts in total. I had no idea what five of them were, but I knew one—the one from Uncle Theo—contained the necklace. So I ignored that one and deliberately started unwrapping the gift from Lorine's mother instead.
That got Lorine's attention. Her legs swung more eagerly beneath the chair, her feet still dangling in the air.
I made sure to put on my most cheerful, curious expression. As I peeled away the wrapping paper, I found a plain white rectangular box inside. When I lifted the lid, my eyes landed on a small yellow dress with white lace trim along the skirt.
Well... it was a dress.
"D-don't you like it?! M-Mom thought really hard about what to get you, and she picked this!"
She said this from her chair, her face pinched with worry. Clearly, she wanted me to approve of her mother's gift. Honestly, I didn't care—I had more unworn dresses than I could count. Still, I shook my head and said, "No, I like it."
Just as I closed the box and moved to set it aside, she suddenly blurted, "Aren't you gonna try it on?!"
"What? I... don't think I want to wear it now. But I'll wear it to your birth-birthday party!"
"WHAAAAAT?!"
Bullseye! Lorine's cheeks flushed pink as she scrambled down from the chair, golden eyes sparkling. "Y-you know my birthday?!"
"Yeah. I think you were born three months after me."
"Th-three months?!" She gasped, tiny fingers clutching her dress. "Th-that's... how many sleeps?!"
Shit. Of course a two-year-old wouldn't understand months. I'd forgotten again—despite spending two years here, I still slipped up. Normal kids wouldn't grasp half the concepts I did until they turned ten.
"Uh... I well... Mama told me!" I forced a giggle, widening my eyes. "I dunno how many sleeps either!"
Lorine nodded earnestly. Thank god I'm the only special kid in this world.
Seeing her fall silent, I moved on to the next gift. Truthfully, I couldn't remember who it was from, but I guessed it might be from David's wife. Inside was a hair ribbon in a dark blue shade similar to my hair color, though with a slightly brighter hue. Well, this was another gift I'd use when I was older.
The third gift was from David himself - the first guest to arrive at my birthday celebration. Like the others, it wasn't wrapped, clearly showing a silver bracelet. While beautiful, after how he'd disrupted the party, I didn't feel like wearing it.
Wow, this... it's so pretty!" Lorine had moved closer now, crouching beside me with her hands on her knees. I knew the dress must be uncomfortable for her—she wasn't used to it. Neither was I. Give me trousers over skirts any day.
"Yeah. Want me to give it to you?"
For a moment, her face went utterly stunned, her huge eyes widening to their limits. Now I could see those shimmering golden layers in her irises even more clearly.
"W-w-what? G-give it to me?... Th-thank you, but I-I can't. M-Mama would be sad."
Then, after a pause, she backtracked: "O-okay, if you really don't mind."
Suddenly, she snatched the bracelet from my hand and slipped it onto her wrist. The silver band was comically oversized on her tiny arm—but her face lit up with pure, giddy joy.
Members of the Leonhardt family must always have the finest things. Anne and Lorine's circumstances may not be as privileged as mine—as the daughter of Norb, the current head of the family—but they're far from destitute. They have plenty of gold and jewels. The only reason Lorine was so thrilled by such a simple gift is because she's just a child—like any ordinary kid overjoyed by a piece of candy.
The fourth gift was from Uncle Manley—the third son of the Leonhardt family, whom I'd only met once before.
A red, fabric-covered box stood out starkly among the other presents. Even I was curious now—what exactly had Uncle Manley given me? Though he hadn't physically attended my birthday party, he'd gone to the trouble of wrapping this gift elaborately. When I untied the fabric bow and opened the box, I couldn't believe my eyes—an alphabet primer and writing practice book!
In an instant, all my excitement fizzled out. Who in their right mind gives a primer to a two-year-old? I don't need this—I can already read and understand far more than Uncle Manley ever could.
"What's this?!"
Unlike me, Lorine was staring at the book with wide-eyed fascination. While I mentally scrambled to figure out what could possibly interest her about it, I muttered, "Uh... I-I think it's called a book. D-dunno what it's for."
God, I hope that sounded convincingly clueless.
I closed the box and moved on to the final gift—the one from Mother. Before the party began, she had come to my room, wished me happy birthday, and handed me this present, telling me not to open it until the festivities were over. Now, the moment had finally arrived.
When I opened it, I realized just how a mother could be unpredictable herself, yet perfectly anticipate the needs of others. It was the only gift from that day that I used immediately, standing before the mirror to admire myself.
Its gold frame and delicate craftsmanship complemented my dark blue hair beautifully. Wearing it, I felt like a woman of immense dignity and importance—as if I'd been crowned with a circlet of unparalleled power. A queen.