Breakfast was ready, so I brought it over to Grace.
"Your breakfast is ready."
It was a simple meal—eggs, bacon, and toast.
Grace took the plate and immediately dug in. She must've been starving. Well, no surprise—she didn't want to eat last night. Just then, Jacob's voice rang out.
"Wow, that smells great, Karen. Is breakfast bread?"
"Mm—! Cough, cough…!"
The moment Jacob spoke, Grace suddenly choked. She really was eating too fast. Jacob rushed over in a panic, worried about her.
"Grace?! What's wrong?! Are you okay?!"
I quickly handed Grace a cup of water while scolding her a little.
"Slow down. No one's stealing your food."
Honestly, neither of these person lets me relax. After taking a few sips of water, Grace finally greeted Jacob.
"I—I'm fine, Mr. Jacob. Good morning."
"G-Good morning."
Seeing that Grace was okay, Jacob relaxed and replied. Still, what was going on with these two? They could barely speak properly. The atmosphere felt oddly sweet and sour. I could understand Jacob being awkward—but Grace too?
Well, as long as they don't start fighting, it's fine. I turned to Jacob and asked,
"Are Ethefelis and Alice still asleep?"
I could've checked with "Detection," but I was in the middle of making breakfast. I can't multitask that much.
"Ethefelis already washed up and went back to her room. I told her to toss her pajamas into the washing machine. Not sure about Alice—she's probably still sleeping."
So Ethefelis was up, but Alice wasn't. Seriously, what time is it already? We're supposed to learn how to ride a bicycle today. Every minute counts.
A moment later, Ethefelis appeared.
"Good morning."
"Morning. Your breakfast is ready."
Ethefelis's breakfast was a bit special—larger portions, plus jam. I figured eating the same flavor every day would get boring.
Meanwhile, Grace really was starving—plate after plate. I ended up making a large batch just so I could finally eat my own breakfast. I was starving myself. Then Grace called out to me.
"Mr. Karen, do you have any milk?"
Milk can be used in all kinds of dishes, so of course I had plenty.
"Yes. Do you like milk?"
"Yes. To become a knight, I need a strong body."
A strong body won't help without determination—but I kept that to myself. I then looked at Jacob and Ethefelis.
"What about you two?"
Both of them glanced at Grace's body at the same time, then nodded.
"Want."
Jacob was probably determined to start training his body, while Ethefelis likely wanted to grow taller. Grace was pretty tall, taller than Lina, even.
I poured three glasses of milk for them. Then it hit me—if we drank milk every day, we'd run out in no time. Looks like I'll have to go buy more later.
Grace drank her milk in one go, then said with satisfaction,
"I'm full."
"Then go wake Alice up."
I could sense that Alice was still in her room, completely unmoving. Seriously—she's gotten way too comfortable. Have some group awareness and stop wasting everyone's time.
Grace pointed at herself in response.
"Why me?"
"Because you're done eating."
"…Okay."
She sighed and reluctantly agreed. All she had to do was wake someone up—it's not like I was asking her to kill something. Why so unwilling?
When Grace returned, I was sitting by the sink, while Jacob and Ethefelis were on the sofa reading. Alice was in the washroom now, probably washing her face.
"Mr. Karen, Miss Alice is awake."
It was already 10:18 a.m. What on earth was Alice doing? Touring dreamland? I looked at the visibly tired Grace.
"Was she hard to wake up?"
"Yes. She was sleeping really deeply. I had to drag her out of bed."
"She's way too relaxed. Wait—did she not lock the door?"
"No, she didn't."
"Ha… such a troublesome kid."
I rubbed my temples and sighed. Dragging her out meant Grace actually went into Alice's room. Does Alice have no sense of danger or privacy?
Just then, the innocent protagonist poked her head out.
"Mr. Karen, who are you calling troublesome?"
"You."
"Me?! How am I troublesome?!"
Every possible way—inside and out. That's what I wanted to say, but it'd just cause more trouble, so I settled for a normal lecture instead.
I tapped my pocket watch with my finger, emphasizing how precious time was.
"It's already past breakfast time. If you'd stayed in bed any longer, it would've been lunch. Are you tired?"
"No. The bed was just too comfortable. It has this magical power that makes you not want to wake up."
Just an excuse for sleeping in. I replied casually.
"Yeah, yeah. All I know is that you didn't want breakfast."
"No, no! I do! I want breakfast!"
"Then hurry up and eat. From now on, wake up earlier. If you don't, you won't get breakfast. And remember to lock your door at night."
"Okay~!"
After Alice finished eating, I took her outside to learn how to ride a bicycle. Grace also came out to practice her sword. As for Jacob—still no movement. Hadn't even come up with an excuse yet?
I took out the bicycle I'd gotten from the dungeon and adjusted the seat to fit Alice's height. From now on, this bike would be hers. I rode the bicycle that the shop owner had made instead.
After that, I taught Alice how to ride a bicycle. It took her a full two hours before she finally found her sense of balance. I waited so long I felt like flowers could've bloomed and withered beside me.
It didn't mean Alice could actually ride yet. At best, she wouldn't fall over when going in a straight line. But by then, it was already lunchtime. Ethefelis stepped outside and silently stared at me, applying pressure with nothing but her eyes.
Since Alice had only just gotten the hang of it, taking a break now might make her forget the feeling entirely. So I came up with a solution. I picked up a bucket and looked over at Grace, who was resting nearby.
"Grace."
"What is it?"
"Go catch a few fish."
"Why so suddenly?"
"It's lunchtime."
"Then why is it me again?"
"How can someone aiming to be a knight lack even basic survival skills? Come on, take the bucket. The river's that way."
"...Okay."
To be honest, Grace was just a noble young lady who loved practicing swordsmanship. She was still a long way from being a knight who could stand on her own. If she didn't train now, she'd never get the chance.
"Ethefelis, you go with her."
"Okay."
I wasn't comfortable letting Grace go alone—she was another troublesome child in her own way. With Ethefelis accompanying her, I felt much more at ease. And more importantly, I no longer had to endure that hungry, wordless stares.