Chapter 5: Carrot Campaign

The tumultuous day ended, and the next morning dawned.

“Young Master, it’s time to wake up.”

“Ugh…”

A maid’s voice woke me.

I forced my persistently closing eyes open and got out of bed.

Since I had decided to take full responsibility for Marine, I had to wake her up too, so I adjusted my wake-up time to be earlier than usual.

“Here, water and a towel.”

“Thank… you.”

After washing my face with the help of the maid who woke me, I quickly neatened my appearance and got out of bed.

The person I had to wake up was a villainess from a ducal family.

I couldn’t let my guard down for even a moment, so I slapped my own cheeks to fully awaken.

Indeed, as the pain hit, drowsiness fled.

“You don’t need to come in.”

“Understood.”

Stopping the maid who was about to follow me at the door, I cautiously opened the door to the room where Marine was sleeping.

I was worried she might have locked the door, just like when she refused to eat, but thankfully, the door opened smoothly.

Marine was fast asleep, breathing softly, unaware that I had entered.

‘She looks like an angel when her mouth is shut.’

I brushed a strand of hair off her cheek and quietly called out to Marine.

“Young Lady. Young Lady.”

“Uuugh… Nom nom.”

Marine smacked her lips, as if eating something in her dream.

“Young Lady! Young Lady!”

“Uuugh… Puuuh…”

I called out repeatedly, and it seemed like she was about to emerge from dreamland, but she just barely failed to.

It reminded me of a senior soldier during my military service who wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I tried to rouse him during night watch.

Shaking her by the torso would wake her up quickly, but since I was a boy, I felt uncomfortable carelessly touching Marine’s body.

Holding her hand yesterday was fine because it was with consent, but now that Marine was in dreamland, I couldn’t get her consent.

Watching Marine, who wouldn’t wake up no matter how many times I called, I took out the tray I had brought just in case.

I felt sorry for Marine, who was asleep without imagining what was happening in reality, but if she had a problem with it, she should have woken up when I called quietly.

I took a light breath and began to bang the tray with all my might.

Clang clang clang clang!

The tray rang out clearly.

“Heek!”

At the loud clanging of the tray, Marine, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up with a start.

She was awake, but she sat there blankly, seemingly not yet grasping the situation.

I grinned at Marine.

“Good morning, Young Lady.”

Marine’s eyes looked at me once, then at the tray once.

Her face turned red as a beet, as if she had finally grasped the situation.

“You crazy b*stard!”

Marine, despite her small body, had a booming voice and threw the teddy bear she was hugging.

Wait, wasn’t that her cherished teddy bear? Was it okay to throw it?

Fortunately, I reflexively dodged the flying teddy bear, but it seemed she got even angrier that I dodged it.

“Heok, what’s going on?”

The maids, having heard Marine’s roar even from outside, rushed into the room in surprise.

“Ah, it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

I soothed the startled maids and sent them out of the room.

Marine, looking thoroughly enraged, pointed at me and snapped.

“What kind of madman wakes someone up with a tray!”

I replied with a light smile.

“As a gentleman, I do not carelessly touch a lady’s body. Since you wouldn’t wake up no matter how many times I called, I had no choice but to bring out the tray.”

“You’re really, thoroughly insane.”

Marine’s jaw dropped, as if she had never met someone like me before.

Well, in the ducal household, there would only have been people who fawned over her, so it was understandable that she would be shocked to see me.

I wondered what her reaction would be later when she grew older and went to the academy, where there would be plenty of people even stranger than me.

“Anyway, you’re wide awake now, right? Let’s have breakfast.”

It was our family’s policy to eat together as much as possible, but since everyone’s wake-up times were different, breakfast was optional.

I planned to eat with the Young Lady alone this morning to take this opportunity to get closer to her.

Isn’t there an adage like this? The fastest way to get close to someone is to share food with them.

“So, are we going to the dining room?”

Marine was cooperative about breakfast, perhaps due to the memory of being harshly dealt with yesterday when she whined about not eating.

I shook my head in denial.

“I plan to eat in the room today. Breakfast has already been prepared.”

The excellent chefs of our territory had wonderfully prepared breakfast as I had requested last night.

Though I didn’t know if she would be satisfied.

I brought in the food cart I had kept waiting outside the door.

For breakfast, which is typically a light meal, there was a wide variety of foods.

Marine grumbled as she looked at the trays piled high on the food cart.

“Hey, I can’t eat all of this.”

“It’s alright. I’ll be eating too.”

Marine’s expression crumpled, perhaps because she had to eat with me.

Still, it was a big improvement that she only thought it internally and didn’t voice it out.

“You can look forward to it, as I specially requested these dishes from the chefs.”

“Ah… okay.”

Marine’s reaction was lukewarm, as if her anticipation had cooled upon hearing that I had selected the menu.

“Revealing the first dish!”

With an exaggerated gesture like an audition program host, I lifted the tray.

The tray opened, revealing glazed carrots simmered in honey.

“Kyaaak, take it away immediately!”

Hearing that Marine disliked carrots, I wondered if she had an allergy, but seeing her eat omelets with finely mixed carrots without issue, I realized it wasn’t an allergy but simple picky eating.

Correcting a child’s picky eating habits is the duty of a guardian.

I had prepared various dishes made with carrots so that she could reduce her aversion to them.

Ignoring her scream, I proceeded to reveal the rest of the dishes.

“Carrot cake, carrot juice, carrot soup, and carrot muffins!”

“…”

Marine disliked carrots so much that she hid under the blanket.

I whispered to Marine, who was hiding under the blanket.

“I thought you were quite mature, Young Lady, but being such a picky eater, you’re just an unavoidable little kid after all.”

The blanket twitched.

A characteristic of villainesses.

Their pride, at least, is stronger than anyone else’s.

Believing in the law of villainesses, I continued to provoke her pride.

“When you enroll in the academy, you’ll be eating cafeteria food in groups. How do you think people will look at you then if you’re picking out carrots by yourself… They’ll probably all treat you like a cute little kid, don’t you think?”

Marine, her cheeks flushed red, threw off the blanket and strode towards the carrots.

Hah, just as planned.

Marine flinched upon seeing the carrots, but she squeezed her eyes shut and put one in her mouth.

After chewing the glazed carrot a few times, Marine’s eyes shot open in surprise.

“It’s delicious…”

“Right?”

As if possessed, Marine reached for the other carrot dishes as well.

Although they were processed carrots and not raw, seeing her eat them well made me feel inexplicably proud.

However, there was one side effect of Marine enjoying the carrot dishes so much.

“I didn’t even get a single bite…”

I had clearly prepared a two-person portion of carrot dishes, but Marine had eaten it all.

“Hmph, it’s your fault for not eating quickly.”

I wanted to give her a light smack on the head, but I held back.

Yes, I, with the higher mental age, should endure.

I wasn’t particularly hungry anyway, so I could just eat a lot for lunch, like a brunch.

---

“I’m going to sleep, get out.”

As soon as breakfast was over, Marine issued an order to leave.

I shook my head and refused.

“No way. You have to study with me too, Young Lady. If you want to marry into a good family.”

“Hey, who do you think you are, meddling that far? Isn’t your role just my personal attendant?”

My goal was Marine’s rehabilitation.

Certainly, as Marine said, I didn’t need to worry about her picky eating or education, but now that I was in charge of her, a desire welled up in me to raise her into a splendid young lady whom no one could ignore.

“You may think of me as just an annoying person, Young Lady, but I genuinely wish for you to grow into a splendid young lady.”

“You’re just a kid yourself.”

“…”

A sharp tackle!

I couldn’t refute her words.

“Well, still, it’s not bad.”

I expected her to get angry, asking who I thought I was to wish for her growth, but unexpectedly, Marine didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

Seeing a softened Marine, after only ever seeing her annoyed, felt a bit strange.

“Are you perhaps feeling unwell?”

“Die.”

Marine immediately switched to villainess mode and threw a pillow.

Yes, this is the villainess Marine I know.