Chapter 4: The Door-Shattering Diplomacy

“Oh my goodness.”

“Wh-what’s wrong with the Young Master!”

“Shouldn’t we stop him?”

The maids murmured amongst themselves as they saw me carrying the rod.

If a robust man had been carrying a rod, they would have called the guards immediately, but perhaps because I was the young master of this mansion and in a child’s body, they were complacent and didn’t offer any particular restraint.

“Wait, isn’t that the Young Lady’s room?”

“Heok, hey, we have to stop him!”

The maids, who initially just watched with concern, abandoned what they were doing and gathered to stop me once they realized my target was Marine.

They all knew well what kind of catastrophe would occur if someone dared to touch the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter.

If Marine were to be beaten with a rod, it wouldn’t just end with the annihilation of the Edgar family; the servants’ heads would also become like pebbles flying through the sky.

Among the maids, Kani was the one who tried to stop me most actively.

Most of the maids, even if they understood the seriousness of the situation, hesitated to physically touch the Young Master.

However, Kani, who considered herself somewhat close to me, didn’t care about such things and grabbed onto both my legs.

“Young Master, please save pitiful me. Please.”

“Ah, I’m really not going to hit her, I’m just going to establish some discipline, okay?”

With Kani clinging to my legs, I arrived in front of the room where Marine was staying.

A defensive line formed by maids with determined expressions was spread out in front of the door.

“Young Master, you cannot pass beyond this point.”

Since their lives were on the line, I could feel the maids’ determination not to budge an inch, even if they were to be beaten with the rod.

It seemed impossible to break through that defensive line in a child’s body.

“Alright, alright, I’ll give up.”

I, too, cherished my own life dearly.

However, these maids didn’t seem to trust me at all.

I had no choice but to put down the rod and raise both my arms to show that I had given up.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

The maids let out sighs of relief.

I walked past the relieved maids and stood in front of the door where Marine was staying.

As a man who loves peace and compromise, I politely knocked on the door.

“Young Lady, Young Lady.”

“What.”

“It’s mealtime. It’s time to come out and eat.”

“Hmph, I’m ab-solutely not eating.”

Marine’s voice was triumphant, as if she thought she had won the battle of wills with me by not eating.

‘Words won’t work.’

I briefly ran a simulation in my head, and once I had an estimate, I immediately put my plan into action.

Kwaang!

“Hiccup.”

I didn’t have the rod, but I had my own body as a weapon.

Although I was in a child’s body, I ate well and exercised consistently every day, possessing the strength of an upper elementary school student.

I estimated that with my strength, I could shatter a door in this world which was far less durable than the ones I was used to in my time.

Kwaang!

The wooden door began to creak slowly after just two kicks from me.

“Kyaaak!”

“We’re… all finished…”

The maids, who had been relieved when I gave up the rod, screamed and rushed over.

Kwaaaang!

Before the maids could stop me, I kicked hard with all my remaining strength.

The door flew off its hinges.

Marine, who had been hiding behind the door, gasped in astonishment, her mouth agape.

She probably never dreamed I would use such a brutish method as breaking down the door to enter.

“Grab the Young Master!”

“I’ll take his right arm!”

Even as I was being subdued by the maids, I grinned at the astonished Marine.

Marine, seeing me grin, looked at me as if she had seen a madman and was terrified.

“Food. You’re going to eat, right?”

“C-Cr…”

“Cr?”

From the context, it seemed like she was about to say ‘crazy b*stard,’ but under my intense gaze, Marine reverted to a good child and avoided my eyes.

An 8-year-old child shouldn’t use such bad words.

“If there’s food, you should eat it!”

Phew, mission successful.

There was one thing I realized while watching numerous villainess novels.

That is, when rehabilitating a villainess, you must never hand over the initiative to her.

Sometimes, when I read novels where the villainess holds the initiative due to differences in status, the conditions for rehabilitating her are very demanding.

One had to save the villainess’s own life or even avenge her parents to gain her favor.

However, since I wasn’t the protagonist, I had no confidence in saving her life, nor did I have the ability to avenge her enemies, if she even had any.

Unable to expect the kind of luck a protagonist in a villainess novel would have, the only way for me to rehabilitate this villainess was to firmly seize the initiative from the very beginning.

And initiative is originally easiest to seize at the beginning.

Right now, she’s an 8-year-old kid, so my threats work.

If she were even a little older, she would easily ignore any threats I make.

I didn’t know how many more years we would have to spend together, but I thought that even if there was some risk, firmly seizing the initiative now would make life easier in the future.

I smiled brightly at Marine, who had declared her surrender.

“Then let’s hold hands and go nicely!”

“…”

Marine’s expression soured, as if holding my hand was worse than death.

However, perhaps remembering my earlier display, she couldn’t bring herself to voice her refusal.

If your opponent’s expression sours, and you also contort your face, you’re an amateur.

A true master smiles.

I asked with a bright smile.

“Aren’t you going to hold it?”

“I’ll hold it, I’ll hold it!”

Intimidated by my feigned madness, Marine dejectedly took my hand.

This cute young lady, seemingly unwilling to admit her defeat so easily, began to squeeze my hand.

I had dismissed her as just an 8-year-old girl, but Marine’s grip strength was stronger than I thought.

“Haha, this is refreshing.”

I didn’t show my pain and pretended to be relaxed.

“Eek…”

“Seriously, no joke, it doesn’t hurt at all…”

Actually, it hurt a lot, but Marine, deceived by my acting, pouted her lips and stopped resisting.

“You, do you think you’ll be safe after daring to touch me, a Grand Duke’s daughter?”

However, she resorted to verbal threats.

It was, in fact, the most effective method.

If I showed that I was intimidated here, the advantage of the initiative I had painstakingly gained could crumble.

Feigning composure, I spouted some unbelievable nonsense.

“The Northern Grand Duke asked me to take good care of you, Lady Marine. That can be interpreted as him implicitly granting me disciplinary authority.”

“Bullshit.”

Ah, it didn’t work.

I desperately racked my brain, but I couldn’t think of any excuses.

Regretting the irreversible trouble I had caused, I blurted out whatever came to mind.

“We have to eat, don’t we? I believe the Northern Grand Duke would approve if it was done to make you eat.”

I regretted it as soon as I said it.

What father in the world would condone breaking down a door just because his child didn’t eat?

‘Should I beg for forgiveness now?’

Once I regained my composure, I realized anew how crazy my recent actions had been.

It was fortunate that the maids had stopped me from using the rod; if I had gone in with it, it would have been an undeniable disaster.

“Well… if it’s Father…”

“Huh?”

Contrary to my expectation that she would dismiss it as nonsense again, Marine took my words seriously.

It seemed that even when she was in the North, the Northern Grand Duke considered eating meals important.

‘Thank you, Mister.’

Passing by the maids who were aghast at the sight of me and Marine holding hands, I went down to the dining room.

My parents, who had been discussing something with serious expressions, smiled brightly when they saw Marine and me holding hands.

“Oh, Young Lady, you’ve arrived?”

“Haha, fortunately, the soup hasn’t cooled yet. Please eat quickly.”

“Ah… yes…”

Marine averted her eyes, seemingly burdened by my parents’ excessive welcome.

Still, having at least a shred of conscience, she didn’t cause a scene in the dining room and quietly picked up her utensils.

After confirming that Marine had started eating, I finally began my meal.

It’s so hard to get one meal.

---

Returning to the room after finishing the meal.

Since Marine couldn’t be left in a room with a shattered door, she was sent to my room, and I decided to use Marine’s room.

“Absolutely not!”

Naturally, Marine resisted vehemently.

I replied to her indifferently.

“Then, would you prefer to sleep in a room with a gaping hole for a door?”

“Ugh.”

No matter how much she hated sleeping in my room, she didn’t want to sleep in the ruined room, so Marine couldn’t refute it.

“Just endure it for one day. It will be repaired by tomorrow.”

I pushed her back into my room and flopped down on Marine’s bed.

Even though it was an unfamiliar bed, fatigue washed over me as soon as I lay down, perhaps because I had overexerted myself today.

Pondering how to rehabilitate Marine tomorrow, I fell asleep just like that.