Was he hurt? Would this make him disgruntled?
Odette observed the five year old. He raised his head and stared at in guilt.
"Did I make you uncomfortable, Lady Odette? I am sorry. I just got a little too excited. Next time, I will ask you before hugging you."
His words were considerate and careful. There was nothing special in them, but Odette preferred his apology. Maybe it had to do with how Adrian kept no wall of etiquette between them due to statuses; he didn't mention it was impolite for someone like him to hug her.
Then again, he was a naïve child. She was merely reading too deep into his sentences.
"You should know that it is extremely disrespectful for a slave to hug a noble," Odette informed.
Adrian tilted his head and questioned, "Why?"
Odette smiled disparagingly and responded, "That's because the slaves are beneath the nobles."
Confusion crossed through Adrian's eyes before he scrunched up his nose and shrugged his shoulders, saying, "That's their loss then."
Following that, he boasted, "You should know that I, Adrian, give the best hugs seriously! My mother said that my hugs have the ability to cure all sicknesses and take away all sorts of grievances.
It will make you happy in an instant. Seriously! That's why, come to Adrian whenever you feel sad. I won't charge you with anything because I like you the best."
His chirpy tone made Odette break out into laughter.
Why was this child so funny?
Her reaction made Adrian frown. He glared at her— which was on cuter side rather than fierce— and placed his hands on his waist.
"Don't laugh. I am being honest. Didn't you feel the happy when I hugged you?" He arched his eyebrow.
This made Odette pause for a second before she replied, "That's a secret."
Adrian cheekily commented, "Ah, you're just shy. Jessica replied the same when Anthony hugged her and asked her how she felt about it. She told him it's a secret but later Anthony said that she was just shy."
"You have a lot to say, don't you?" Odette said. "I will ask the maid to clear the table if you don't want to eat."
"No, no, I am sorry. I want to eat."
°°°
When Odette saw the boy finish up all the trifles, her first thought was whether or not he had been starving the entire time. That surely shouldn't be healthy, but that wasn't any of her concern.
After he was done eating the last one, he placed his fork done, wearing a content expression. Whipped cream was stuck at the corner of his lips. This made Odette's lips curl up.
"This was really delicious, Lady Odette," Adrian exclaimed. "This was better than all that my mother brought for me! Really! And also this was the first time I had so many delicious treats together. You are really the best!
I will continue to work hard. That's why, prepare more desserts for me alright in the future. I will win that duel too. The reward for that should be bigger, right?"
His shamelessness while he tried to cajole her was funny, and this made her tease him.
"What if you lose? How badly should I punish you? Should I starve you for a week or whack your back with the paddle?"
Odette truly said scary things with a smile on her face.
Vibrantly and confidently, he responded, "Fat chance."
She then raised an eyebrow which dimmed the boy down and he hesitantly stated, "Then, I will ask for a little less reward?"
He was truly cute.
And the cuter one was, the more excitement it gave to break them.
Adrian's articulacy and wittiness really made her wish she could get him to talk to her all day. The boy seemed to have a lot to say as well.
Although they were meaningless, they were humorous and addicting.
However, disregarding his cheekiness, it didn't escape her eyes on how smart, sharp, and mature the boy was. No wonder he was able to reach so high in her last life.
"I don't know." Odette hissed. "I am kind of looking forward to punishing you."
"Eh?" His expression fell.
°°°
His mood was cheerful when he walked into the servant's quarter. Thinking about all the delicious trifles he had made it difficult for him to keep that smile away from his face.
Extending his hand towards the knob, Adrian opened the door to his shared room with Dennis. Maintaining his vibrant expression, he stepped in, closing the door behind him.
Adrian's eyes then fell on Dennis who was seated on his bed.
Regardless of the hostility Dennis showed to Adrian, he still kept on a amiable expression when it came to interacting with the boy— perhaps wanting to befriend the older kid.
For a five year old, being alone on his own could get lonely, especially here at the Albinius household where hardly a decent soul could be found. Of course, Adrian now had Odette to alleviate that loneliness for him.
Narrowing his gaze on Adrian, Dennis ordered, "Come over here."
Curiosity flashed through those clear orbs of his as Adrian obediently abided by Dennis's words. He stared at the older boy curiously.
Forwarding his hand, Dennis wiped away the white whipped cream from the corner of Adrian's lips. He then stared at his finger and asked, "What is this?"
Adrian stared at Dennis's hand and proudly boasted whilst exaggerating the matter: "Ah, this! This is from the trifles Lady Odette gave me. Waah! They were really delicious! She said I am the best. That's why, she rewarded me."
Even though Dennis was older, he grew through poverty as a child. This was first time he had even touched whipped cream— luxury only for richer ones in the society to enjoy.
He had barely ever even seen a trifle properly.
Therefore, this piece of information caused jealousy to bloom inside him. He clenched his hand into a tight fist, and his eyes turned colder.
Why was Adrian rewarded?
"Really?" Dennis bitterly said.
As though he was oblivious to the dark emotions of Dennis, Adrian showed off, "Yeah! She did. Lady Odette made me go through this special training. After that, she was impressed by how well I did and rewarded me. She really said I am great."
Then, his eyes widened in horror, and he uttered, "Oops! I think I wasn't supposed to tell you about this. You won't tell about this to Lady Odette, alright? Right! Did you get special training as well? You are better than me. So, of course you should have been rewarded more!"
Adrian's innocent words were akin to salt being rubbed over his wounds. As Adrian had said, he was way better than Adrian. So, why was Adrian chosen in the end?
"Go sleep now. There would be no dinner today," Dennis lied.
That made Adrian's expression fall down.
"Eh? Why?"
"How do I know? Shut up and go to bed!"