<Episode 4>
“I’m sorry for saying you were pretty. It’s just that Herwin is really as pretty as an angel… no, I meant handsome……”
The words she blurted out were full of apology towards Herwin.
Herwin’s stubbornness, which had been determined never to be appeased, melted away.
“…I’m sorry for getting angry too. I knew you didn’t mean to do it on purpose.”
He knew implicitly that Lucia hadn’t meant to tease him by saying ‘pretty.’
Nevertheless, he had felt bad and acted stubborn.
“Hehe, so we’ve made up?”
Lucia smiled brightly for the first time. Her oval, white eyes were endearing.
Herwin, unaware that his cheeks were flushed, followed her tugging hand and sat down.
“Did Herwin come for the New Year's Party too?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Where do you usually live?”
“You have to go far away by carriage for days and days. It’s colder there than here.”
“Huh? Colder than this? I’m already cold now.”
“It is cold, but this is nothing……”
As if they hadn’t argued at all, they continued their conversation naturally.
The two children got to know each other and gradually became friends, and when the adults came to find them later, they were laughing and playing so cheerfully that their relationship had progressed significantly.
“Kids, have you made up now?”
“Yes! I decided to be friends with Herwin!”
“Mom, Mom! Lucia gave this to me!”
The two children ran to their respective parents and excitedly explained what games they had played and what stories they had shared.
Seeing Lucia and Herwin’s faces full of smiles, the two couples smiled as well.
* * *
“Wow… a baby.”
“Isn’t he cute? He’s my younger brother.”
“Was it Henry?”
“Yeah, Henry Peneus. He’ll be two years old after tonight.”
Only one day remained until the new year. Herwin and Lucia, who had become rapidly close despite their fight on the first day, came to play in the room with Herwin’s younger brother, Henry.
They were only able to see Henry briefly on the first day when everyone gathered, and now they were finally meeting him.
Henry, who had just started running around, couldn’t stay still for a moment and busily roamed around the room.
Lucia was fascinated by Henry, who looked just like Herwin.
As Lucia recalled Herwin and Hyle from Henry’s face, her eyes widened when she suddenly met his red eyes.
His eyes, which were rounder than Herwin’s slightly sharp eyes, gazed intently at Lucia.
“What, what is it?”
“I think he’s curious about you.”
“Why me? I’ve never heard that before……”
“You… look interesting.”
The words ‘like a fairy’ and ‘cute’ suddenly came to mind, but Herwin couldn’t bring himself to say them.
He realized he had made a mistake when Lucia looked like she was about to cry, but Henry approached from afar even faster.
“Ah-uh!”
“Huh?”
Henry, waving his short arms and legs, quickly approached and stopped in front of Lucia.
Henry stood still in front of Lucia without doing anything.
“Henry, what are you doing?”
Eventually, Herwin, unable to watch any longer, called Henry, and Henry turned his head.
“Hyah!”
“Yeah, do you have something to say to Lucia?”
“Lucia? Lucia!”
“That’s right, Lucia. Okay, say it. Lucia!”
“Lucia!”
“Not Lucia, but Lucia.”
“Lucia!”
Henry followed Herwin’s words well. Lucia, who had never encountered a child younger than herself, was fascinated by this sight.
“He speaks well.”
“He’s a little faster than his peers.”
“Ah-buh, ah-uh!”
Henry suddenly left his spot. He went somewhere and began rummaging through the luggage brought from the North.
His upper body was bent over the huge luggage, and his wiggling butt could be seen. Lucia, who had been watching him quietly, opened her mouth.
“You know what? You and Henry look a lot alike?”
“Really? I don’t think so.”
“No, you look a lot alike! You look just like the Duke too!”
“Ahem! Of course I look like… Dad.”
Herwin’s lips twitched at the mention of Hyle.
Henry, who had been far away, came back with a picture book in his hand.
“This!”
“A book?”
Henry handed the book to Lucia. She accepted it blankly and asked Herwin for help.
“Henry, do you want to read a book? I’ll read it to you.”
“No! Lucia! Lucia!”
Henry shook his head violently when Herwin tried to take the book from Lucia’s hand.
Herwin, who had been rejected by his younger brother for the first time, was greatly shocked and froze.
Henry stubbornly snatched the book from Herwin’s hand and handed it back to Lucia.
“Lucia! Lucia!”
“I don’t know how to read……”
She had recently started learning to read, but she couldn’t read fluently. As she was troubled, Henry hugged Lucia.
The soft, powdery scent unique to children and black hair brushed against her nose.
Henry flipped through the book in Lucia’s hand and stopped at one scene.
“Lucia!”
And he pointed to the picture drawn on that page with his short finger.
A woman with curly brown hair and blue eyes sitting in the middle of the forest, smelling flowers.
“Is this me?”
“Uh-huh! Lucia!”
Henry smiled brightly and nodded. Lucia looked at the woman in the picture with interest.
Although it was just a picture, she felt good that they said this beautiful woman was her.
When Lucia smiled bashfully, Herwin, who had been hurt by Henry, and Henry both stared blankly at her.
Chu.
At that moment, something soft and wet landed on her cheek. Lucia was startled and looked ahead, and Henry was smiling brightly.
“Lucia! Mine!”
Herwin, who had watched Henry kiss Lucia, gaped.
In that instant, an unknown flame burst from his chest.
“Henry!”
“Giggle! Mine! Mine!”
“Lucia is not yours! Come here!”
“Waaah, no, no.”
“Tsk, you’ll get scolded by your brother?”
Despite Henry’s struggles, Herwin managed to pull his younger brother away from Lucia.
Lucia watched the Peneus brothers bickering, touching her cheek.
“I’m okay……”
No one heard Lucia’s words.
* * *
“Waaah, Hyah mean!”
“Don’t cry, my baby. Herwin, what on earth did you do to make Henry cry like this?”
At Scarlet’s question, Herwin pouted and turned his head sulkily.
“I don’t know.”
“He’s been acting strange lately. Yes, yes, our Henry is good, right?”
Scarlet tilted her head for a moment, but when Henry started to whine again, she quickly tried to soothe him.
Henry’s eyes were already red.
Just a few minutes ago, Herwin had forcibly pulled Henry away from Lucia after Henry kissed her on the cheek.
Scarlet, who was in the room next door, had rushed over when Henry burst into tears, unable to hold back his sadness.
Scarlet didn’t understand the current situation.
Henry and Herwin had always had a close relationship, so much so that they had never argued before.
Herwin took such good care of Henry, and Henry liked his brother so much that he followed him well. But this happened after coming to the Kingdom.
As Scarlet let out a strange sigh, Lucia came into her view.
“Lucia, if you don’t mind, could you tell me what happened in the meantime?”
Herwin, who had been stubbornly avoiding eye contact with Scarlet, was noticeably surprised and fidgeted.
Scarlet, noticing this, didn’t even glance at her son and looked at Lucia with a gentle smile.
“Uh, well……”
Lucia hesitated and looked back and forth between Scarlet and Herwin.
Scarlet exuded a soft yet strong atmosphere and sent a silent pressure to speak, while Herwin widened his eyes and shook his head.
She had no idea what to do.
If she answered Scarlet, Herwin would sulk, but if she didn’t answer, it would seem like she was ignoring an adult, which was burdensome.
Lucia, who had been constantly pondering with her small head, closed her eyes tightly.
“H-Herwin kissed me!”
“Huh?”
“Wh-what! Wh-when would I ever!”
Scarlet was momentarily flustered, and Herwin was even more bewildered than her.
Like Lucia, who had shouted, Herwin’s cheeks were also red. Lucia realized her mistake at Herwin’s hasty denial and opened her mouth.
“Ah, ah, th-that’s not it. Henry kissed me. So Herwin pulled Henry away and……”
“Ah, so that’s what happened?”
Scarlet quickly understood what had happened. She looked down at her son with a cunning expression full of schemes.
Henry was still young, so it was possible that he liked Lucia, but Herwin’s reaction was extremely surprising.
A child could kiss, but he went out of his way to stop him?
‘Hehe, he was so against it.’
“Why are you saying that?”
“But I can’t not say anything when an adult asks.”
Herwin, who had already approached Lucia, tried to argue with her, but he shut his mouth when he saw Lucia’s drooping eyes.
It was a reaction he had never seen when they were in the North.
Was it because this was the first time he had a peer? Or was it because he liked Lucia?
‘Either way, it’s cute.’
Scarlet smiled proudly and looked at the two children. Then, she suddenly felt playful.
“Oh my, it seems our Henry really likes Lucia. I wonder if he’ll only chase after Lucia when he grows up?”
“Ah-uh, Lucia! Lucia!”
As if swayed by Scarlet’s words, Henry babbled at that moment.
“Lucia, what do you think of our Henry? You’re always welcome to come into my family as my daughter-in-law.”
“Yes? Yes… I’d like that.”
Lucia answered blankly. She said she liked it, but she was still young and couldn’t fully understand Scarlet’s words.
She just said it because it seemed like she should say she liked it in the flow of the atmosphere.
However, unlike Lucia, Herwin fully understood his mother’s words.
“Mom! Why would Lucia come into our house!”
“Why else? Because our Henry likes her. Wouldn’t it be possible if the two of them still liked each other when they grew up to be wonderful adults?”
“Lucia can never be!”
“Oh my, why are you making such a fuss? The two of them like each other. Do you perhaps like Lucia too?”
Scarlet barely suppressed her laughter and looked at Herwin with playful eyes.
Herwin, who had been huffing and puffing, shut his mouth and made eye contact with Lucia, who didn’t know anything. His cheeks turned red.
“Wh-who said I like her! I don’t like Lucia!”
Scarlet could clearly see that he was lying out of embarrassment. But not to Lucia.
“H-Herwin doesn’t like me……?”
“No, that’s not it……”
As Herwin panicked, not having thought of Lucia, Lucia showed her big, tearful eyes.
“I, I like Herwin… but Herwin doesn’t like me……!”
Hoo-eh-eh-eh.
When Lucia sobbed sadly, Herwin hurriedly tried to soothe her.
“That’s not it! I, I’m sorry. Don’t cry……”
Then, perhaps because he was upset that he had been teased by Scarlet, Herwin also began to tear up.
In the end, when the two children cried, Henry started crying as if it were contagious.
Scarlet was taken aback by the domino-like progression of the crying.
“K-kids, it’s a joke, a joke. So don’t cry and stop…….”
“Hoo-eh-eh-eh, Herwin doesn’t like me……!”
“No, I, I like Lucia. I hate Mom……!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Oh dear, my head.”
Scarlet rubbed her forehead at the sound of crying coming from all directions.
She thought it was karma and was busy soothing the three children until Julian arrived.
