Mermaid Trap

“What should I do?”

In the Larsson Family’s garden, young Kian hesitated for a while.

It was just a simple task of returning the item he found. Why was he hesitating like this?

Seeing the inscription of Larsson’s family crest, it was clear that the item was precious and something its owner couldn’t afford to lose.

Should he return it through Matilda?

No, that wouldn’t work. What if he was mistaken for a thief?

His mind was tangled and felt like it might burst.

Not long ago, he heard that one of the maids who had the mistress’s brooch was dismissed.

If he were driven out from here, he had nowhere else to go. He also couldn’t afford to cause trouble considering Matilda, who was taking care of him.

Larsson’s mischievous troublemaker.

The employees often pointed fingers at Kian. Every time that happened, he would step in to defend himself, but only Matilda and her friend Theodore were there to comfort him.

But even he thought that calling him a troublemaker wasn’t entirely wrong. So, he felt grateful yet a bit embarrassed.

Kian was the illegitimate child of a maid. His mother bore Duke Larsson’s child but was not his mistress. Kian was simply a child born out of wedlock. Duke Larsson also didn’t pay much attention to the child born to a maid.

When Kian’s mother died from illness, young Kian had nowhere to go.

It was her friend Matilda who took him in. She lived in the servants’ quarters, received meager wages, yet she fed and clothed Kian just like her own children.

Fortunately, the generous lady of the house allowed it, but the surrounding gazes were not kind. Hence, the nickname “troublemaker” stuck. Despite the cold stares, Matilda felt secure, thinking it was like having another son, and she protected Kian.

Kian stared at the man walking ahead of him.

“Yes. I must gather courage for Matilda’s sake.”

Clutching his fists tightly, he quickened his pace to catch up with him.

Joshua von Larsson.

The eldest son of Duke Larsson. Nineteen years old this year, seven years older than Kian.

As he approached adulthood, he was tall and sturdy. To see his shining blonde hair, Kian had to tilt his head up.

There’s always someone who looks dazzling. For Kian, it was Joshua von Larsson.

While the servant quarters remained dim even during the day, the main estate was always brightly lit even at night. Kian would often gaze at it while helping the gardener James.

Joshua von Larsson was a person who perfectly blended into that grand estate. To Kian, he was someone to admire and envy.

He said he was excelling at the academy in the city and would graduate next spring. After two more seasons, he would come of age, and a new master would be born in Larsson.

The information Kian received about Joshua von Larsson from Matilda was about this much.

Although Kian didn’t see Joshua often due to attending the academy, he was staying at the mansion during the short break. Kian volunteered to help the gardener to see him more often because he couldn’t enter the main estate.

Maybe it was because of the height difference. He struggled to catch up, gasping for breath.

“Uh…!”

He called out with a gasp, unintentionally raising his voice.

Joshua, who had stopped, turned around.

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I, you dropped this! Th-the, milord!”

His voice stumbled and became awkwardly stuttered, unable to control his breath properly.

He felt his face burning with embarrassment.

Closing his eyes tightly from embarrassment, he heard a chuckle.

“Thank you. I almost lost it, but thanks to you, I found it.”

With a kind response, Kian opened his eyes wide.

“Did you say your name is Kian?”

“Yes?”

“Your name.”

He seemed to already know Kian’s name. Considering he was an illegitimate child, it wasn’t something particularly praiseworthy. Nobody even said anything about it. Kian felt embarrassed.

“Uh, yes. I’m, I’m Kian.”

“Alright. Thanks for picking it up, Kian.”

Joshua smiled and patted Kian’s head. It was a genuinely warm smile. Kian didn’t know what to say, so he bowed slightly in response.

“Are you hurt?”

Joshua bent down to meet Kian’s gaze. Kian’s eyes were filled with confusion.

“…M-me?”

“Yeah. Your face looks a mess.”

It was a worried gaze. Since morning, he had gotten into a scuffle with one of the servant’s sons, which resulted in his lip getting split. His keen eyes must have noticed it.

Already red-faced, Kian’s face burned even more.

“If anyone bothers you, let me know. I’ll help.”

“T-Thank you.”

Not knowing how to respond, Kian felt awkward as Joshua’s bright smile softened. At that moment, a well-dressed young lady approached them.

“Did you come to greet me?”

“Well, you’ve come a long way, so of course I should. It’s been a while. Young Lady Stewart.”

He mentioned she was engaged. Joshua’s fiancée, Penelope Stewart, looked at Kian with curious eyes.

“Who’s this?”

“Kian. He found my compass.”

Joshua smiled and stroked Kian’s head.

“It was a precious gift from my father. He’s like my adorable benefactor.”

Benefactor. It was too much praise for Larsson’s troublemaker. Kian felt too embarrassed to lift his head.

“Oh, by the way, Kian. Do you want this?”

Joshua took out a velvet pouch from inside his jacket and handed it to Kian.

“It’s chocolate. Share it with a friend.”

“Oh, th-thank… thank you.”

“See you around.”

Joshua thanked Kian repeatedly and patted him again before escorting his fiancée.

“Young Lady Stewart. Shall we go inside?”

“Isn’t it time you started calling me Penelope?”

“Right. Then when Joshua calls me by my first name.”

She was supposed to be the future Duchess Larsson.

They were an affectionate pair. Kian quietly watched them as they headed towards the main estate.

* * *

“It really tastes like heaven. This is the first time I’ve had something like this.”

Theodore plopped down on a crate in the warehouse, his mouth a mess. Chocolate smeared over his split lip. When Kian met Theodore, who was in a sorry state, he took out the chocolate from the pocket of his jacket, split it exactly in half, and shared it with him.

“Wow, this makes me forget my hunger even though it’s not much.”

“Nice shot.”

Kian chuckled at Theodore’s messed-up lip. Only Theodore, his best friend, dared to tease him like this.

“You’re too much for a nice guy. Leave it to me from now on.”

“Don’t step in anymore, Theo.”

“What are you talking about? Tom should have been taken care of a long time ago. He called you a parasite. Did you just take it and was just lying down? Didn’t you feel like fighting back? It’s too much to tell you to starve for lunch.”

“He’s going to be a knight. We have to endure the fights.”

“He’s trying to become stronger to defeat that scumbag. Don’t stop him.”

Theodore was fiercely protective. Thanks to him, although a friend, Kian didn’t feel lonely as if they were brothers.

“Hey, if you’re not going to eat that, give it to me.”

“No, I’ll save it.”

Kian playfully refused Theodore and put one chocolate into his mouth. The sweet and bitter taste spread in his mouth, dispelling his hunger like a lie. It might really be the taste of heaven, as Theodore said.

* * *

After Duke Larsson passed away and Joshua, the eldest son, went astray, Kian came into the limelight. Being the legitimate heir made Kian von Larsson into “Kian von Larsson,” just like his father, and as time passed, he naturally became a person worthy of the Larsson name.

The reason was simple.

Duchess Larsson wished for Kian to become “exactly like Joshua von Larsson” as the successor.

Despite the Duchess’s obsessive desire, as Kian approached adulthood next year, he had grown even taller. But she wanted him to be exactly like Joshua back then, so Kian spent his short vacations from the academy staying at the mansion. What was before him now was the girl who used to be with Joshua back then, Penelope Stewart.

Kian glanced at his fiancée sitting across the table with a somewhat bored expression. Penelope, who was once a young girl, had now become a lady entering marriageable age, and her appearance had changed dramatically.

An engagement came with the position of the successor. Hence, he had inherited the fiancée too. While she seemed glamorous only when she was in the servants’ quarters, she had become adorned with lavish decorations now.

Inheriting not just objects but also people.

Of course, it wasn’t Penelope’s fault, but it didn’t sit well with Kian. Although he was an illegitimate child, being praised as someone worthy of the engagement felt uncomfortable.

“Milord seems more dignified now, as you have approached your adulthood.”

“Thank you.”

His response was somewhat obligatory, and Penelope’s face turned pitifully sad.

Building walls all the time seemed to hurt her more.

“It might be because of Sir’s sake. Although the engagement is set, you don’t have to feel uncomfortable around me, milord.”

“What do you mean?”

And excessive earnestness often led to tragedies.

“…I, as a woman, am admiring milord for the first time.”

Penelope Stewart blushed shyly as she made a hesitant confession.

“Why?”

“Well…”

It should have been like Joshua von Larsson.

“You’re even better looking.”

That wasn’t a confession; it was nausea-inducing.