A child from the countryside did not know this.
And then, by chance, they happened to meet. Two men in fine clothes were walking in the garden. Although she did not know their faces, she recognized them by their clothes. One was Isaac-sama.
She ran up to them without hesitation, bowed her head, and asked them not to stain their clothes. Because silk should not be washed with excessive force, removing dirt was extremely difficult. She did her best to explain the washing method she had learned.
If a laundry woman had said such a thing to the son of a duke, she would normally have been beaten and thrown out so severely that her entire body would have swollen. It seemed that she had been too young to notice such an obvious fact.
Hearing Laiza’s words, Isaac silently dropped his shoulders and sighed.
[I’m sorry. I guess I’m a bad guy. When a rare mineral calls to me from the ground, I can’t help but dig for it. But I didn’t know I was bothering a little girl like you. From now on, I’ll only do it when I’m wearing clothes I don’t mind getting dirty].
Again, Laiza was fortunate. Isaac-sama was a strange man, but he was as innocent and gentle as a child, despite the fact that he said and did strange things and behaved as if he wasn’t an aristocrat.
The other gentleman, a tall man with a distinguished air, patted Isaac-sama on the back and smiled at Laiza.
[I’m sorry my brother has caused you so much trouble. But you’re amazing. You’re the first one to convince Isaac that he shouldn’t get his clothes dirty. Even though you are a child, you explain things so well. You’re a smart kid. How old are you now? What’s your name?]
That was the first thing Lord Sergei said to Laiza.
***
“Grandfather is truly a wonderful man. And Great-Uncle too.”
Ekaterina smiled.
That’s my Grandfather. She remembered Moore-san, the manager of the restaurant she and her brother had visited in the capital, who told her that her grandfather loved to nurture people.
Hobby/Talent development. Grandfather was really thoughtful.
“Lord Sergei was still a legitimate son and not a lord at that time. But he was already the one who ruled the fiefdom. It was Lord Sergei who allowed a child like me to be taken in by a wealthy family in the capital. He was my benefactor.”
“Oh my… as expected, of Grandfather.”
If Great-Uncle Isaac was eighteen years old, then Grandfather Sergei, who was five years older than him, would have been twenty-three at that time. In my previous life, he would have been in his first or second year of work after graduating from college, still in his early years.
And yet, he was such a competent lord. He really was a great man.
By the way, Laiza was eight years old when Grandfather was twenty-three, and now she would probably be fifty? She didn’t look like that! I mean, I saw her as the type of person who looked mature when she was young and whose appearance didn’t change throughout her life.
“But Laiza is great, too. Even though you were very young, you had more sense than an average adult. You didn’t make fun of your great-uncle like everyone else, and you were even able to convince him.”
“I am regretful about that myself. But I was just a child at that time. I didn’t understand many things.”
**
You explain things so well. I’m not very knowledgeable about laundry, so when we meet again, you can teach me a lot.
Sergei-sama said, and the eight-year-old Laiza was elated.
She wanted to teach them a lot the next time she saw them. She worked harder than ever. She asked how to wash the noble’s clothes, which she had not yet been entrusted with. Women’s clothes were difficult to wash because they were decorated with many ornaments.
In her spare time, she wandered around the garden, hoping to see Sergei-sama.
How that wish must have warmed the heart of a child who had lost her family and was living alone in an unfamiliar environment.
