༺ There’s Ice Cream At My Friend’s House! (3) ༻
The Ragdoll family’s mansion was in the prestigious 2nd district of Freesia’s residential area.
As we entered the mansion, we were greeted by beautiful gardens with sparkling lanterns lining the path.
The mansion itself was well-lit.
It was terrific, all those lights coming from the mansion made it seem like it was illuminated by a single giant bulb.
“Dad, look! They even have a pool!”
Naru pointed outside with her finger.
Indeed, there was a pool in the garden.
A private pool.
Isn’t that the sign of a super-rich person?
Well, at least I think it is.
“Cecily, you’re richer than I thought! Do you have an elephant here too? You know, when I become rich like this, Naru will have a lot of elephants in the garden!”
Naru threw her hand in the air as she said those things.
But Cecily slowly shook her head.
“My grandparents are rich, not me, and I don’t have an elephant.”
“Wow, that’s so cool!”
Yeah.
I think so, too.
Just how long did it take them to accumulate so much money?
It surely couldn’t have been just a single generation.
This wasn’t due to luck, or winning a lottery.,
The concept of a noble in Pangaea was truly a testament to the saying that history is filled with the efforts of many.
The way I see it, this has been the culmination of the effort and hard work of generations.
That’s how nobles work.
And that’s why thieves like me existed, to steal their hard work.
Neighhhhh—
With a neigh, the horses stopped moving, and so the carriage came to a halt.
As we stepped out of the carriage, we arrived at a garden that had been decorated like a welcoming party.
“Welcome back Young Lady, and welcome to your guests as well. I am Dolcesco, the butler of this Dollhouse Mansion. Please feel free to call on me as you wish.”
An old man wearing glasses welcomed us.
And a bunch of maids in black with white aprons came to help with the stuff we brought.
It was one of those moments where you’re being treated like a king because you are the officially invited guest.
At that moment, Naru asked.
“What’s a Dollhouse mansion? Do you have a lot of dolls here? Naru wants to see the dolls!”
Thinking back to my own childhood, boys usually liked action figures or Transformers, but girls liked dolls.
Could that be some instinctual preference and not something that is learned?
I think it must be so, because one time I did this little experiment with young monkeys, and I found out that the females always went for the dolls, and the males went for the Transformers.
Naru, being a little girl, also seemed to be interested in dolls.
I was also curious about why this place was called the ‘Dollhouse’.
But Brigitte quickly explained it to me.
“The Ragdolls have a long history as skilled doll makers. Now in times of peace, they specialize in making toys for children.”
I see.
So it’s like a toy conglomerate.
The Mansion’s garden was filled with toys for children, like rocking horses or small carriages.
It was all the things that children would love to play with.
“Naru! Do you want to play with swing?”
“Sure!”
Yay!- The kids were running around excitedly.
If I were 10 years younger I would have loved to play with them.
But why must adults always be serious and formal?
With thoughts like these in mind, we entered the mansion.
Inside, an elderly man with stylish hair and a bushy beard opened his arms wide, greeting us with a warm smile.
“Greetings everyone! I am Mario Von Ragdoll, the owner of this mansion and patriarch of the Ragdoll family, and this is my wife Manet.”
“Hoho-, It is a pleasure meeting all of you, I’m Manet Von Ragdoll.”
They looked like a good grandpa and grandma.
They were also about 60 years old.
Their complexions appeared to be healthy, probably because they lived in a good place, with good food and nice health care. They must have some sort of a private doctor too.
“Brigitte, Cariote and Judas. It is an honor to have all of you here. Please, come inside. We’ve prepared a small feast for you.”
They seemed very hospitable.
Just the fact that they didn’t shout “Hey, you savage……!” at me was a testament to their cultured behavior.
And the fact they invited the so-called ‘King of Thieves’ into their home was a testament to their boldness.
After all, Inviting a thief into a mansion full of shiny things is like releasing a hungry wolf into a pen with rabbits in it.
They must be either stupid or really nice.
As I was thinking about this, Brigitte poked me in the side and whispered.
“Just in case, since I know you. Don’t even think about stealing anything. The old couple of the Ragdoll family are known for being kind-hearted.”
“Really?”
“I hear they go to orphanages and monasteries every weekend, bringing toys for the kids.”
Could it be that such angels really existed on this continent of Pangaea?
They were really different from a guy like me who belonged on the streets.
But in a way this makes sense.
This continent has its share of wars and conflicts, but it is because of people like them that society still manages to persist.
But.
I couldn’t help to be suspicious.
“There’s no way good people like that exist in this world.”
Everywhere I looked, I could see mannequins scattered through the mansion.
Mannequins in the shape of humans.
That must be why this mansion was called the ‘Dollhouse.’
And that was very suspicious.
I wonder if they drug the food of their guests, and when they wake up in a dungeon those two are like “You are going to become such a fine mannequin!”?
Crazy nobles like this actually exist in this world.
They were called the 「Gourmets」.
Those crazy people would invite poor guests to their mansions and then set up a Saw rip-off, giggling as they watched the guests die in gruesome manners.
Back when I didn’t know any better, I struggled a lot.
I learned the hard way, that there were no free favors in this world.
However, Brigitte looked at me and said.
“Judas you’re being too suspicious here, it’s uncouth.”
“Brigitte, didn’t you get incapacitated by the thief disguised as the manager just yesterday?”
“……This and that are different things!”
Brigitte snapped at me.
This woman was still too innocent.
She must be viewing the world through some rose-tinted glasses.
Shouldn’t I remain vigilant even if it’s just me?
Just as I was thinking about that, I looked at Cariote.
Cariote was staring at the red carpet of the mansion. Maybe it was because it was her first time in a fancy place like this. But then when she looked at the portraits on the walls she let out a faint “Oh.” So I looked at the portraits too.
“Who is this one?”
Cariote had stopped in front of a large frame on the staircase leading to the second floor.
The portrait was of a beautiful blue-eyed lady with blond hair. She looked like a perfectly crafted doll smiling back at us.
She also looked just like Cecily.
The only difference was the age.
While Cecily was only 6, the woman in the portrait looked to be at least 17.
Then, Viscount Mario, the owner of the mansion said.
“She is my daughter. Sadly we will never see her again. Now let us move on, the dinner is almost ready, and I’m sure you all must be famished.”
* * *
In this world there existed a culture of hospitality towards the guests.
The nobles, in particular, took great pride in how much they could provide for their guests.
In that sense, the dinner prepared for us was an A-grade meal.
“Naru is eating dinossour meat……!”
Naru giggled while devouring the chicken leg.
Dinosaur meat.
When I looked a little puzzled, Naru said.
“I learned at school that chickens are actually dinosaurs! Since Chickens survived they are stronger than dinosaurs! And Naru is eating chicken, so Naru is stronger than dinosaurs!”
“……”
I have no clue what she’s talking about.
I’m speechless.
What on earth is she learning in that school?
Rustle—
I reached for a chicken leg too.
But Brigitte, who was by my side, pinched me.
“Hey, you should use a fork and a knife. Barbarian origins or not, when you are in Freesia, you should do as the Freesians, okay? Naru can do it because she is still a child, but……”
“……”
Who in their right mind would use a fork and knife to eat bone-in-chicken legs?
Even the fancy people in the 21st century wouldn’t do that.
But when I looked around, everyone was using the fork and knife to eat the chicken legs.
Even Cariote!
“What.”
I looked to Cariote a bit put off.
I thought she was the hands-on type of person too.
Swish— Swish—
Cariote was using the fork and knife graciously as if she was used to this fancy etiquette.
“Tsk.”
I had no choice then.
Reluctantly, I picked up the fork and knife.
Clank—
Someone put down their fork and knife.
It was Mario, the head of the Ragdoll family.
“I’ve been told by a doctor that sometimes it’s good for your health to take it easy, and live freely. Come to think of it, the people of Barbaria must be healthy because they live freely every day.”
He said this while picking up the chicken leg like a savage.
Watching him eat like that, his wife scolded him saying – “You’re making our guests uncomfortable, you know.”
Perhaps they were being considerate of me in their own way.
Cecily however, frowned and rebuked her grandfather like an angry kitten.
“Grandfather, your behavior is unbecoming of someone of your stature. You have always told me to maintain proper decorum no matter the circumstances.”
So she was like that at home as well.
She certainly has what it takes to be an A-grade princess.
Even if she’s a B-rank for now.
Soon the servants began to chuckle at Cecily’s words.
“Lady Cecily is quite clever isn’t she? She can even count to 100, even though she’s only 6 years old.”
“She’s adorable, she looks like a kitten.”
It was a harmonious atmosphere.
Huh.
It seemed that everyone in this mansion was a good person.
“Naru, why don’t we let the adults talk among themselves, so we can go see the cat!”
“Oh sh–! Naru’s been waiting to see the cats all day!”
Woosh-. Naru and Cecily ran to the second floor.
Looking at both of them, Mario spoke.
“Children are a gift. Just by seeing them smile, one can still hope for a better future.”
“Is that so?”
“And the fact they can smile again is thanks to heroes like you, Judas, Brigitte, and Cariote. I thank you for your service.”
Mario thanked us.
While we were called heroes, I’d never received a thank you before.
What could I even say in a situation like this?
Rustle-.
My eyes, however, were following Mario’s hand and eye movements out of habit.
The old man often touched his beard or nose when he spoke, which according to my C-rank skill 「Habit Inspection」was a sign he was ‘hiding’ something.
In other words, this old man was withholding something from us.
Or he was lying.
The old man, unaware of my discovery, continued speaking.
“When I heard from Smith that Cecily had been kidnapped by the Alubaba Thieves, it felt like my world was falling apart. But thanks to you, this old man can finally rest easy.”
Cecily.
Speaking of her, I took the opportunity to ask something.
“There’s something I’d like to ask. Is Cecily really your biological grandchild?”
I was quite blunt with my question.
And of course, Brigitte pinched me again, startled by my impoliteness.
“Ahaha don’t mind him, he must be drunk because of the wine already.”
She tried to mitigate the situation somehow.
But I was serious.
I wasn’t even drunk this time.
A clover-shaped mark on Cecily’s shoulder.
That had been bugging me out so much I couldn’t even sleep!
At my question, the Head of the Family looked upstairs for a moment.
To the second floor where Cecily and Naru should be playing.
After staring there for a moment, he slowly nodded.
“As expected, the eyes of such distinguished individuals are not easily fooled. Cecily is publicly known as my granddaughter. However, she is in fact not my biological grandchild.”
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