Anyway, this is my first time resting after a long time. Thanks to the burning stove, even the terrace was filled with warmth.
When it was time for a nap, I took Rachel who was dozing off and laid her on bed then went back to the terrace to enjoy the tremendous luxury while reading a magazine.
I wondered if everything was alright in the mansion.
Of course, if something happens, Iâll get informed right away, but⦠I wonder how I became a workaholic who didnât know how to relax.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âMom!â
Oh my! That scared me. At the sudden cry from the bottom of the terrace, I slightly removed myself from the long bench and looked down at the railing.
Unlike me and Rachel, Leon, whose chubby face was red, was running to the entrance of the villa, waving happily.
Letâs say that Elias is walking behind him with his cheeks still swollen. I think Jeremy made a friend in the meantimeâ¦. What?
âHey, our dear Mother Shuri! Can we have dinner with him later?â
â¦Did they get close while fighting? I couldnât find anything to say and blinked my eyes.
Thatâs because the boy next to the eldest son, who walked vigorously toward this side with his golden hair that wasnât yet dry, was a person I knew very well. Considering what happened this morning, itâs weird not to meet him here, butâ¦
âHello, Lady Neuwanstein.â
ââ¦Itâs nice to see you here. Do you want to have dinner together?â
I donât know why I feel so awkward. The last time we saw each other, we didnât leave awkwardly, so why do I have such a weird feeling?
As a rival of fate, Nora, who stood next to Jeremy and stared up at this side, didnât seem to have changed much.
The black hair that looked just like his fatherâs, and the slightly tanned complexion of a boy who enjoyed outdoor activities were still there.
If I have to choose something that feels different⦠It was that he seemed to have grown a little taller, and that he had cool blue eyes with an unprecedented shade.
âLook, what did I say? I told you that my beautiful mother would gladly accept it.â
âI didnât doubt it that much, you slow cat.â
âHa! Youâre angry because youâre embarrassed, poo-dog. Shall we play a round?â
âAfter dinner, I have to go now. See you later, madam!â
When Nora, who politely bowed his head, left, Jeremy also came inside and ran up the stairs with his younger siblings.
The thumping sound in the middle seemed to be the sound of Elias closing the door.
Oh, thatâs weird. Why is he still sulking?
âDid you have fun?â
âYeah, it was really fun! I had a diving match with my hyungs, and when my eldest brother was about to win, suddenly the black-haired older brother came and jumped in, so I won! The hyungs were so upset.â
Leon, who talked about what happened, took the ginger cookie that was on the table and walked over to sit next to his twin sister, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.
Then he began to bite the edge of the cookie, with a look in his eyes as if he was keeping a close eye on his sister while she slept.
Isnât that a lovely scene? The twins with the same sparkling emerald eyes and wavy golden hair were always clinging to each other.
âââ
âWhy did you come back so early? Was it more boring than I thought?â
Jeremy, who came struggling to straighten his wet hair, sat down next to me.
And I just swallowed tears of grief. I thought it would be me and Rachel who would enjoy it, but I think it was the opposite.
âBecause Rachel insisted that bathing in a hot spring is absurd.â
âWhat?â I swallowed a bitter smile and put the magazine spread on my lap on the table, and Jeremy, who was yawning, stretched out his upper body on the long chair the next moment and laid there. To be exact, he laid down on my lap.
I froze first, then came to my senses and opened my mouth calmly, âYou seem to be acting young like someone.â
âPlease take a look. Iâve completed the task given to me steadily.â
âTask?â
âYou said I should take good care of my younger siblings. No one died and we all came back alive. Ah, I suddenly feel sleepy.â
That sounds pretty reasonable. There is no room for refutation. I convinced myself so, and decided to let this overweight eldest son lay down on my lap and doze off.
It doesnât seem too bad to be doing this. It makes me feel comfortable and warm my heartâ¦
âBut you know what.â
âHuh?
âAbout that guy who was here. Heâs a puppy thinking heâs a wolf.â
âYou mean the young Nurembert?â
What do you mean by saying heâs a puppy that thinks heâs a wolf? Heâs your fateful rival.
As I turned my gaze downward with a smile, Jeremy, who had his eyelids half closed, suddenly had an unusual expression in his eyes and continued speaking, âI think his father is very scary.â
âWhy?â
âI saw him in the hot spring earlier, and his back was covered in bruises just like when Elias was beaten by our uncle last time.â
âReally?â
âThatâs right. At the banquet at my house last time, you know, it was too obvious.â
âWhy⦠was he beaten like that?â
âI donât know. Would he tell me if I ask?â
The conversation with the duchess this morning came to mind.
After hesitating for a while, I carefully talked about one of the many questions that came to my mind, âBut⦠Why is his relationship with his highness so bad?â
Even though it was a question I had high expectations for, he immediately said, âDonât talk about him!â
Jeremy, who I thought would answer, blinked his green eyes and nodded. Then he immediately laughed and continued, âWell, I think itâs because Theo hyung is unlucky?â
âUnlucky?â
âI donât know how close he is to the people around him, but when I look back, he makes most of them feel bad. Can you pretend to be nice all by yourself? Itâs hard to. Anyway, it looks like heâs suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. It seems like he canât bear the thought that someone might be more interesting than him?â
How can a guy who doesnât care about other peopleâs situation show such profound introspection?
Well, surprisingly, he is quick to sense that. But he has been close to the crown prince since he was young, so it wasnât unreasonable to grasp that aspect much better than others. Itâs just a bit unexpectedâ¦
âJeremy, you know, the cardinal you met then.â
âUh, what about him?â
âAre you sure you havenât seen him at all?â
âI told you then. I couldnât see him properly, but I may remember the voiceâ¦â¦.â
It was then that rough footsteps sounded.
Elias, who was advancing to the terrace where we were sitting, stopped at the spot, as he looked back angrily, with a look that said that he had a lot to say.
âWhat are you two doing? I thought you were a hat.â
Elias returned the insult he had received before, but Jeremy calmly answered with a yawn, âWhy donât you find the right word, stupid brother.â
âWhatâs going on? What is this? Why do you get along so well? What are you doingâ
âWhat are you saying? Do you think thereâs a dark conspiracy in everything in the world?â
âOh! Itâs definitely like that! Especially, youâre the most suspicious! You suddenly started to pretend to be an adult, and⦠â
âNo, why do you keep shouting? If you canât call her âmotherâ, that would be bad, right?â
âWhoâs my mother? My mom passed away 7 years ago! Why is she my mother?â
Elias, who was shouting in anger, began to blink.
The terrace of the bedroom, where the there siblings gathered together except Rachel, who was sleeping soundly, quickly became a territory of silence.
Jeremy jumped up and raised himself by hitting the bench he was lying on. Then, as soon as he was ferocious, his eyes flashed dangerously.
âWhat did you say again?â
âI, Iâ¦â
Eliasâs mouth opened and closed, hesitated, took a step back, and then shouted again, âWhat? Did I say something wrong?â
âThis boy is reallyâ¦!â
âJeremy!â
Crash! Finally, Elias, who made his last move, ran away quickly,and I grabbed Jeremyâs arm.
The boy, who was exuding a chilling anger, paused and looked at me.
I said as calmly as I could while looking at his eyes, âForget it.â
âWhat? Butâ¦â
âItâs okay. Itâs really fine, so I think youâd better leave it alone.â
Itâs been a long time since Iâve seen Elias talk that way.
Moreover, these boys didnât return to the past with the memories of the future as I did, so they are still kidsâ¦. even Jeremy.
No matter how much Jermey has changed. From an objective point of view, I and these guys are strangers who are like brothers and sisters at best.