Chapter 29

An incredibly, incredibly busy afternoon.

“I’m busy enough to die already, so why am I supposed to fill this out?”

Haaayoo.

Even though I sighed, I diligently moved the crayons without caring that my fingertips were turning slightly red.

Back in my previous life, I graduated from a vocational high school accounting department.

As everyone knows, a proper presentation needs a blue sea otter to make it eye-catching and pretty!

“Haaayoo. I’m busy, seriously. Suddenly telling me to write a bucket list....”

Grumble, grumble.

Inside the quiet office, my babbling complaints echoed softly.

“I told you that you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

“Nooo. Mister told me to do it, so I gotta do it. But why are you making me write a bucket list anyway?”

I deliberately lifted my head with a sulky expression, but—

“It’s going up.”

“Mhm.”

“It’s going up. That thing’s going up.”

Mister narrowed his eyes in the middle of his work and pointed at the corners of my mouth.

“Gasp!”

Startled, I clamped my mouth shut, causing my chubby cheeks to puff up obediently.

Then his long finger poked one of my cheeks.

“Whoa!”

I had been sprawled over the desk to write the bucket list, so the unexpected attack sent me rolling sideways immediately.

“Oh dear, my mistake.”

Seeing that, mister bit down on his lips as if suppressing laughter before hurriedly turning his head and pretending to focus on work again.

Is this really the ruler of the north? That man poking a five-year-old’s cheeks and running away is seriously the hero of the Frozen Kingdom?

“Pfft... Puhahaha!”

“...What?”

In the end, I burst out laughing and kicked my legs wildly while cackling.

“Hahaha! Nooo~ Why are you making me write a bucket listtt~ Who’s happy about thisss~ It’s not like you’re gonna buy me anythinggg~.”

I laughed so hard my pronunciation completely fell apart.

Watching me, mister let out a small sigh and muttered while flipping a sheet of paper.

“That’s exactly the point. I need you to finish writing it first before I can buy you anything... If you keep dragging your feet like this, well. Even if I wanted to give you something, I couldn’t.”

“Gasp.”

My guardian, sponsor, bread, water, bed, and god of food, clothing, and shelter had spoken.

If I wrote my bucket list... he would grant all of it.

“I’ll write it right awayyy!”

Hup.

Immediately jumping up, I rolled up my sleeves and entered work mode again.

Hmm. First of all....

Using the red crayon I grabbed at random, I began scribbling things down.

Go play... in the shopping district....

Go... shopping... alone....

And then.

Surprise... gift....

Done!

That was about all the bucket list items I could think of for now.

[Go play in the shopping district]

[Go shopping alone]

[Receive a surprise gift]

...

There were around 101 more after this, but I’ll omit them because there are too many.

“Mister! I’m done!”

“Then bring that with you when you go out. We’re going to hang it in front of your bedroom door.”

“Huh?”

I blinked in confusion.

Why would we hang this up? That’s embarrassing.

“The servants and Knox asked for it. They said they want to help make your bucket list come true.”

“......!”

At the answer full of laughter, my eyes shook cheerfully like bells.

Wait a second.

I hurriedly rolled the paper up. Then I pulled out another fresh sheet.

“Then I’ll make another one for public display!”

“Then what’s the one you just finished?”

“That one’s confidential! I’m only showing it to you, mister.”

It was a little embarrassing to publicly reveal my 101-item bucket list to the people at the estate.

Mister was different since he was my guardian, sponsor, bread, and all that.

And after I finished remaking the public version—

“Hehe. I’m gonna go hang it up in front of my bedroom door!”

Grinning brightly, I opened the office door while standing on tiptoe and rolled up the huge sheet of paper with my tiny hands.

The paper itself was light, but it was longer than my whole body, so I had to carry it over my shoulder.

Normally, in a childcare story, this would be the moment where the doting father would carry the paper for me himself.

But this wasn’t a childcare story.

Mister glanced at me once before returning to his work. It meant that if it was something I could handle myself, he would simply focus on his work without fussing over me.

He’s a real father.

Very straightforward. My style.

It was while I was walking down the corridor with the light paper slung over my shoulder.

“Lady Aisha.”

Someone called me from behind.

When I turned around, Mai came hurrying over with a delighted expression.

“Hello!”

“Hello.”

Ever since apologizing, Mai had visibly started smiling more often.

My first impression of her had been that she was stiff and like an auntie with a complicated past, so things had felt a little awkward.

Her quiet personality was still the same, but whenever our eyes met, she would show me a gentle smile or greet me warmly.

That meant we had become close enough that she would call out to me first even just from seeing my back in the corridor like this.

“What’s that paper?”

“This? It’s my bucket list! I’m gonna hang it on my bedroom door.... Ah, it’s not because I wanted to do it. Duke Calypse ordered me to hang it there.”

“Ah, so you finished your bucket list. I was looking forward to it too.”

As if she already knew about it, Mai nodded and naturally took the paper from me. It seemed she intended to carry it for me instead.

“Then shall we go hang it up together?”

“Hehe. Thank youuu.”

“Before that, there’s something I’d like to give you.”

Hesitating slightly, Mai showed an oddly shy smile.

Now that I thought about it, her right hand had been hidden behind her back the entire time.

“Compared to the dresses and accessories you’ll wear from now on, it’s very simple and nothing special.”

Then suddenly, a blue box appeared.

“Would you open it for me?”

“......?”

The moment I received the box absentmindedly, my heart started pounding rapidly inside my tiny body.

A blue ribbon had been tied neatly around the box.

Carefully setting it on the floor, I untied the ribbon and opened the lid—

“!”

The moment I saw what was inside, my mouth fell open on its own.

Inside the box was a neatly folded scarf.

Dark ocean-blue thread and pale sky-blue thread were woven together, making it vivid instead of plain.

At the center of the tightly knitted scarf was wolf embroidery symbolizing the Kreutz family.

A gift?

Judging by the situation, it seemed like a gift. But why would Mai give me this?

“You mentioned before that you liked blue.”

Watching my expression carefully, Mai spoke cautiously.

“The weather in the north is always cold. I made the scarf myself. What do you think?”

“...You made it yourself?”

Goodness.

“Yes.”

My voice trembled slightly as I asked again in disbelief.

“You made it yourself in blue because I like blue? Then it’s mine?”

“Of course. Do you like it?”

Mai anxiously studied my expression as if worried I might be disappointed.

This was bad.

Mai had knitted a scarf while thinking about me.

A scarf that must’ve taken days to make!

“Th-thank youuu....”

I was so overwhelmed that my head bowed automatically, making Mai jump in surprise before quickly correcting me.

“A young lady must not bow her head to people beneath her.”

Oops. Sorry about that.

“.......”

Taking the scarf out, I immediately wrapped it around myself right there on the spot.

My present.

A scarf Mai personally made while thinking about me.

Thump thump.

Less than a minute after writing my bucket list, I had already completed one of the items.

***

Several days later.

“Is the young lady catching a cold?”

Watching Aisha run somewhere, Knox asked a nearby maid.

“No. She says she just likes wearing it. Lady Mai gave her a scarf she made herself, and I think the young lady really liked it.”

“Hmm.”

Silently, Knox watched the young lady stomp off into the distance.

But Knox was not the only one watching Aisha.

“Dandelion. Wouldn’t it be better to take the scarf off? Isn’t it uncomfortable for eating cake?”

Dessert time. At Lucas’s words, Aisha, seated across from him, stopped moving her fork.

“Ah, this?”

Her tiny face was so buried beneath the scarf wrapped around her that only her huge eyes could be seen.

“I can still eat just fine.”

However, she tilted her head toward the ceiling with the absolute determination never to remove the scarf.

Then she opened her mouth wide and stabbed the cake before dropping it vertically inside.

“.......”

Watching the bizarre sight with a bewildered expression, Lucas whispered to a maid.

“What’s wrong with Dandelion?”

“Well...”

Whisper whisper.

And so the rumor that Aisha had received Mai’s gift spread rapidly throughout the estate.

Naturally, rumors always become exaggerated the more they spread.

“They say Lady Aisha was so touched by Lady Mai’s gift that she cried.”

“I heard Lady Aisha likes the scarf so much that she even sleeps wearing it.”

“They say Lady Mai researched Lady Aisha’s tastes before making the scarf.”

While walking through the corridors.

While eating meals.

While changing clothes.

Hearing the stories in their respective situations, Calypse, Lucas, and Knox all thought the same thing.

She’s that happy over receiving a single scarf?

And the next day.

At the family dinner where everyone gathered together.