Chapter 4 - Rosa Wants to Nurture Her ‘Favorite Character’ (ローザは「推し」を育てたい) (1)

Truly the best.

Three months since Bernard’s arrival, Rosa’s life was sparkling every day.

“Now, let’s try making sweets today. Please pay attention to the order in which ingredients are added. Which is first, sugar or flour? …Yes, the order is very important.”

“Let’s study Mathematics today. We’ll start from reviewing multiplication. I love multiplication.”

“When you read classical literature, you need to read between the lines. That ability is more important than anything else.”

On all days except Sunday, Rosa clung to Bernard, teaching him with great attention to detail.

At first, high ranking executives and scholars who were managing the Langheims’ territory wished to teach Bernard, but she refused them.

Naturally, the reason they offered that was their consideration to Rosa that “we don’t want Rosa to draw back from being the successor because she’s educating Bernard.” But the person herself didn’t notice that.

“They don’t like me… I know that, though,” she muttered to herself, her shoulders dropped in shock.

However, Rosa immediately realized, “Wait, this is an opportunity to approach Bell-tan!?” Changing her mood in the speed of lightning, she happily took the role of being his teacher.

Rosa was mostly self-taught, so she was worried if she could take the role as Bernard’s teacher. But the boy looked like he was having fun.

However,

“Let’s go hunting rabbits today from noon. After that, we should try cooking the rabbit meat. Ah, then we’ll need to learn the skeleton and blood vessel position now, okay?”

“...Are we handling the rabbit on our own?”

“? Yes.”

Sometimes, Bernard would timidly look up at her. It was super cute, but she was a little worried.

“Long time ago, Father went crazy that he fired all of the chefs at once. We don’t know when that kind of thing will happen again, do we? That’s why you should learn to do this on your own. Being able to hunt and cook is useful…”

To give a supplementary explanation, Rosa started hunting and cooking because she was addicted to the delusions involving hunters at that time.

Just like this, Rosa mastered how to do suture, embroidery, metal smelting, general cooking techniques, and the languages of the major countries. What makes her so willing to learn is the encouragement to find ultimate ‘cuteness’.

Simultaneously, she had a high level healing magic power at the age of six. Magic power wouldn’t increase unless the user repeatedly came into contact with a critical situation in life. But she burdened her heart too many times already with the power of cuteness, so she basically trained herself with her delusions.

The growth of her magic power had stopped early, probably because she began to hold herself together.

“I’m sorry. I’m sure men and women, and commoners and nobles, have different cultures they have to learn. If my lessons are too difficult, feel free to say it,” Rosa said timidly.

Bernard replied in a whisper, “No… I will do my best.”

Thanks to her father’s womanizer attitude, the mansion couldn’t hire any woman to serve Rosa. Naturally, Rosa couldn’t receive the usual education for ladies, so she wasn’t very confident that her teachings were universal. Bernard’s answer made her relieved.

(I’m glad. I heard that living in the downtown area is hard. Bell-tan managed to overcome that, so my teaching should be very easy for him. What I said was underestimating Bell-tan, wasn’t I? No good, no good.)

Rosa shook her head. The worst thing she could do as a person was devaluing her most favorite character in the world.

Rosa once again gazed at Bernard’s profile. The boy was staring at the biology textbook.

Over the last three months, Rosa had been thoroughly managing his nourishment with the perfect amount of meal and exercise. Gradually, Bernard regained his true beauty.

His silky hair was like the gold thread, and his soft cheeks were as white as milk.

Plus, his innocent azure eyes were like the southern sea, sparkling like a jewel.

(Haa… I want to lick him…)

How could Bernard have such a beautiful face after inheriting the blood of that kind father?

Rosa would like to give a standing ovation to the genes that only took each others’ good points.

Moreover, Bernard was really obedient. He absorbed Rosa’s teaching with no repulsion, even if he was only one year younger than her.

Bernard learned letters in just a month. He was good in numbers, and his physical ability was great.

Since he had the blood of a noble, his magic power should manifest sooner or later.

(This overwhelming obedience… This feeling of dyeing a white cloth into my own color… Ahh, this is definitely the pleasure that the ‘seme’ who raises their ‘uke’ gets to experience.)

Rosa’s heart was slightly prickled since she would have to hand over this pleasure to Bernard’s future ‘seme’. But even more than that, Rosa was drunk in this happiness. She felt like she was about to have a nosebleed.

(Before, I wanted to have an ‘uke’ with a little dark side, but… ah, God. This is enough. The current obedient and innocent Bell-tan is enough!)

If her half-brother had more cute elements, Rosa was sure that she would instantly die.

As she gazed at Bernard with a smile, the boy noticed her line of sight and timidly looked back at her.

“Um… Sister, what’s wrong…?”

“No. I’m only thinking that you’re also very cute today. Also, you’re still not very good at reading long sentences, right? If you want to, how about I read a picture book to you at night?”

Rosa diluted the extremes of her delusions into around one hundredth in her praise, but the word ‘cute’ was probably a forbidden phrase for older boys.

Bernard pursed his lips. “...No, I’ll pass. I’m not at the age that needs someone to put me into sleep.”

Then he turned away in a huff.

(...Hhhhhh! T-that kind of gesture is also super cute!)

Rosa didn’t expect that. Her half-brother would really stop her breath any time soon.

“Fufu, your cute side is wonderful. But then, let’s go for a long ride instead. It sounds more mature, right? I’ll teach you how to make a horseshoe.”

“...We’re going to start from making a horseshoe?”

“Horseshoe brings in good luck. Don’t you think making your own good luck is nice?”

Rosa was happy. She felt like she soared high in the sky.

That’s why she didn’t notice the boy brimming with quiet tension.

***

“My…? How strange. I’m missing one earring…?”

In the morning, when Rosa was preparing to get dressed, she realized that she couldn’t find the gold earring she placed on the mirror stand. She tilted her head in confusion.

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