I Live With My Villain Uncle

“Mmm.”

I think I wrote it right, but what is wrong?

When I couldn’t find it, Ser waggled its tail as if it were drawing something written on ‘museum’.

“Ah!”

“Right?”

“You’re very smart. I didn’t even know I was wrong!”

I quickly rewrote it.

I was going to send it to Russphe, but I couldn’t send it with the wrong word.

“You read the ancient language well, yet you’re wrong in the Imperial language.”

“Well, I didn’t read ancient language because I learned it.”

As I muttered, it wrote another line, but Ser slammed its tail into the letter.

“Draw another stick here.”

“Here too? Mmm.”

This way, I don’t even know if all the dictations I wrote in the Imperial language class were wrong.

There is an Imperial language class the day after tomorrow.

“Ser.”

I stopped writing again and put the pen down.

“Mmhm.”

“Then you don’t remember when you fell asleep. You can’t hear, you can’t see.”

“Well, kinda like that.”

“Uhm, okay.”

“Why?”

I picked up the pen again and hesitated at Ser’s question.

“The day I ate the jewel. I want you to remember that.”

Actually, this is what I really wanted to ask.

In the hope that it might know the memories that I haven’t found yet.

I think about it every day, yet the memory still hasn’t come to mind.

I need to remember… I hope I can find the person who hurt Mom.

[You must find it and return.]

Apparently I heard scary people’s voices, but why was I found in the nearby woods?

Did I even walk alone?

Or else, what happened?

Even if I looked for it right now, I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, but I still wanted to find out.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Really?”

“While I was asleep, I felt like I was vaguely reminded of the past, but wouldn’t I be able to know that if I try? I can’t say for sure, but I mean. It seems like I heard your voice in the middle. Of course, it could be my mistake.”

“Ser…”

“What is that, that emotionally wet face?”

“Your tone was kinder before, but I think your heart is kinder now.”

Ser turned back and covered its face.

I finished writing the rest of the letter with a bashful smile.

“…I wrote it all! I’ll go see Zenda.”

Now I have to ask Zenda to send it to Russphe.

I hurriedly got up from my seat to ask Zenda for the letter.

***

“I have all my socks on! Zenda, now I just need to put on my bag!”

Today, I chose a white dress with lots of frills.

There were blue ribbons hanging here and there, so I thought it would be pretty to wear on a sunny day like today.

Zenda also matched the hair ribbon with the same blue ribbon as the dress.

I wanted to wear green socks today, but Zenda said that white would suit me, so I changed them again.

“Miss, here.”

“Ugh.”

I immediately took a step back.

Zenda never forgot to bring the golden necklace.

“You know it, right? You have to.”

“…It seems to be getting bigger.”

“It’s because of your mood. It hasn’t grown at all.”

To think I had to wear that ugly golden name tag on a day like today.

It couldn’t have been more sad.

In the end, I had to dress up nicely and put another golden necklace around my neck.

“Oops, lady.”

“Huh?”

“Say, aah.”

“Aah?“

Zenda studied my front teeth carefully.

Seeing what she was about to touch, I freaked out and backed away.

Zenda was checking my front teeth again.

She checked it the day before yesterday too!

“It shakes a lot, but I’m just doing it to check.”

I covered my mouth with both hands and shook my head.

“No. It doesn’t shake at all.”

Zenda’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s natural, Miss. Stronger teeth come out only when the loose teeth are removed.”

“T-That’s right but I like it like this…”

I can’t even eat with my front teeth these days because it gives me a strange feeling every time it shakes.

It felt like something was shaking and pulling, and it felt really strange.

I only spoke to Russphe in particular, but my lower teeth seemed to move just a little bit more than when I said that.

The front teeth were really at stake now.

“I’ll check a bit, Miss. It won’t hurt at all.”

“Uugh…”

Finally, I lowered my hand and opened my mouth slowly.

Zenda really did as promised and took her hand away after checking a little.

I shuddered at a strange feeling.

“I think it will fall soon. I’ll have to tell the Master too.”

“Y-You can’t!”

“Pardon?”

Zenda widened her eyes.

“Uncle, if Uncle sees my front teeth, he will make fun of me, you know? You can’t! What if I’m Falling-Tooth Peanut by then.”

“Pfft,… Ah, I’m sorry. Miss, absolutely not. This is something to celebrate. It’s proof that you are growing up properly.”

“I don’t like it though…”

On top of that, Zenda added the terrifying word that it might fall out this week.

“If you lose a tooth without knowing, you have to hold onto it, understand? I heard that you need to bring it to the tooth fairy to grow stronger teeth.”

“The tooth fairy…?”

“Yes. They said if you put it by the bedside and sleep, the fairy will take it and give you stronger teeth.”

Nonsense.

A tooth-craving fairy.

Is there no fairy to catch the shaking one?

After the golden necklace, I came out with a more depressed heart.

It’s nice to go to the museum with Russphe, but…

“Why are you a dark cloud again?”

As I trudged toward the carriage, I saw Uncle standing in front of me with one hand roughly crumpled in his trousers pocket.

I shook my head and ran to Uncle.

“Uncle!”

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. Is Russphe ready? Has he left?”

“He will.”

Uncle reached out to me.

My body floated as I opened my arms accustomed to it.

Even while riding in the carriage, I filled my mouth with air, fearing that my front teeth would be shocked.

“Your mouth…”

“No! It doesn’t shake at all!”

“What?”

Gasp. I said it without even knowing.

It came out spontaneously because I thought I had to keep defending my front teeth.

“N-Nothing.”

The moment Uncle finds out, my front teeth will be blown away.

Uncle can never leave this alone! He will never.

If my front teeth were gone, he might be teasing me twice as much as he was teasing me now.

This means that I may not be Wet Peanut or Short-Legged Peanut, but Front-Teeth-Missing-Peanut.

I was curious about what it would be like if my front teeth fell out, so I purposely painted the paper with black crayons and held it up to look in the mirror.

It was a truly shocking sight.

I can’t show that to Uncle!

Thinking that I had to defend my front teeth against him, I darted into the carriage.

Phew, luckily he didn’t notice.

Eventually Uncle got on and the carriage door closed.

***

“Aika, hello.”

As soon as I got off the carriage, I saw Russphe in front of me.

“Russphe!”

Russphe was wearing a white robe-like outfit today, and he really matched the silver-haired Russphe.

In particular, it seemed to brighten up his purple eyes.

“Russphe, your clothes are so cool.”

“Aika is much prettier.”

“Hehe, thanks!”

In fact, I sent a letter to Russphe yesterday, and his reply arrived as soon as I sent it.

Like, let’s go together, it’s going to be fun.

But today, he even arrived early in front of the museum ahead of me.

“Your Lordship, hello.”

Kamaye nodded from behind Russphe.

“…You also suffer a lot.”

“No. Have you been well, Miss?”

“Yes! Kamaye too? Ah, this!”

I rummaged through my bag and handed the candies to Russphe.

I also held out one to Kamaye.

“Of course. Thank you, Miss.”

Today’s were more special candies than usual.

Yesterday, Grandma Sophia made it for us to eat together while going to the museum.

“Thank you.”

“Is that strawberry flavor?”

Russphe laughed bashfully.

“It looks delicious.”

“Let’s go in quickly.”

“Two Peanuts. Go in and stay where I can see.”

“Yes!”

“Yes, Marquis.”

I took Russphe’s hand as he nodded at Uncle and led him to the main entrance of the museum.

Fortunately, it was just opening time, so there weren’t many people.

“Wow.”

As soon as I entered, the gray-white walls on both sides were filled with three-dimensional frames.

There was a large picture frame as tall as me, and a small picture frame the size of my palm.

Instead of paintings, insects and strange objects that seemed to be really alive were displayed in frames.

“Is that real?”