<Episode 5>
As soon as the New Year began, the children enjoyed the three-day New Year's Party to their hearts' content.
On the first day of the New Year's Party, they opened presents, went to the festivals held throughout the Kingdom, and had fun all day long with enjoyable games.
After spending the New Year's Party like that, Lucia and Herwin became even closer. Lucas, who had initially been wary of Herwin, realized that Herwin wasn't such a bad kid and gradually became friends with him.
And today, a week after the New Year's Party ended, was the day Peneus was scheduled to leave.
Lucas, Lucia, and Herwin sat side by side on the windowsill, watching the scenery as snow gradually began to accumulate. The departure time was delayed due to more snow than expected.
"I don't want to go," Herwin grumbled, praying for more snow to fall.
"Why? You're going to your house," Lucas asked.
"...I don't really like it."
"Is there a reason you don't want to go home?" Lucia asked this time. Seeing the Agnes siblings staring at him with the same innocent faces, Herwin hesitated whether to tell them about it or not.
It was the first time he was confiding in someone other than his parents about this. After much deliberation, Herwin opened his mouth.
"Actually, I was bullied at home."
"Really?"
"What crazy person would do something so bold..."
"When I go home, I have older brothers and sisters who always tell me I look like a girl, tease me for not being a man, and tell me I should wear a dress instead of pants."
Until he was three years old, Herwin had never seen children his age.
The Gods working in the Duke's residence usually raised their children in the warm southern regions.
In the meantime, the Duke and Duchess suddenly wondered if Herwin, who was growing day by day, needed friends.
So, they brought the children of the Gods to the Duke's castle. They were two to four years older than Herwin, so they thought they would be good companions for him.
The intention was good, but their choice was not so good for Herwin.
At the time, Herwin, who was even younger than he was now, was truly as pretty as a doll.
Even adults mistook Herwin for a girl when they saw him, so how much more would the children?
At first, the children tried to be nice to Herwin according to their parents' words, but as he was younger than them and accepted whatever they did, they gradually forgot Herwin's status and began to look down on him.
Eventually, they made fun of Herwin's pretty looks.
The more they teased him, the more amusing the reaction they got in return, and the children's pranks became increasingly severe.
Herwin, who didn't know what to do because it was his first time making friends, kept enduring their bullying until he finally told his parents what had happened.
It was naturally a great shock to the Duke and Duchess, who thought he was getting along well with the children.
After hearing everything from Herwin, they took immediate action.
Whether the Duke and Duchess called the Gods together to talk or scolded the children severely, the children's pranks surprisingly disappeared after that day.
Rather, they now watched Herwin's every move and tried not to stand out.
However, due to this incident, Herwin developed a trauma and hated being called girly or pretty.
Not only that, but he became overly conscious of what others said, and if he was teased even a little, he reacted more excessively than other children.
The reason he was so angry when Lucia said he was pretty was precisely because of this.
Herwin knew very well that they couldn't touch him anymore, but he didn't want to face them anymore.
He felt more comfortable here than in the North.
'Because Lucas and Lucia are here.'
He had become sworn brothers with Lucas, who he didn't get along with at first, and Lucia was...
Herwin glanced at Lucia. She didn't avoid Herwin's gaze with her round eyes.
Herwin's face flushed at the eye contact that lasted for more than 10 seconds.
Feeling the heat rising, he quickly turned his head away.
'I can't make eye contact.'
From some point on, his heart raced whenever he saw Lucia, and his cheeks felt strangely hot.
"What? Why are you stopping mid-sentence?"
"Brother, I think Herwin is sick again."
"Huh? Really? Herwin, are you sick somewhere?"
"No, I'm okay..."
Herwin calmed his heart and shook his head. Lately, he had been stopping mid-sentence or blushing more often. The two siblings simply shrugged at his strange behavior.
Thump, thump-
"Something terrible has happened, Duke!"
"What's all this commotion?" Hyle, who was talking to Johann, glared sharply, and the knight who had rushed in bowed.
"The matter is of such importance... I apologize for the disturbance, Count."
"I'm fine. What on earth happened?"
"A group of Monsters has appeared in the North."
The atmosphere instantly turned somber at the mention of Monsters. Hyle's face hardened, and he jumped up from his seat.
"Let's talk about this somewhere else."
Hyle hurriedly left with the knight. Scarlet watched Hyle leave and muttered softly.
"Monsters... Monsters haven't appeared at this time of year before."
"Scarlet, are you okay?"
"Well, I need to figure out the extent of the damage first. It's been quiet for the past few years... I can't help it. I need to go take a look too."
Scarlet, who had been anxious, eventually followed Hyle.
"Monsters? Are you talking about the scary monsters in books?"
"I guess so. Herwin, do you know anything about Monsters?"
"...No. I don't know much either."
Lucas and Lucia were about to talk to Herwin again, but they closed their mouths when they saw his seriously hardened face.
Herwin stared at the door his parents had left through for a long time.
* * *
"I think I need to go ahead. The situation seems more serious than I thought, so you should stay here with the children for the time being."
"...Honey, be careful."
"I will."
Hyle hurriedly prepared to go to the North.
The urgent telegram contained news that a group of Monsters was rampaging through the North.
Moreover, the damage situation written at the end of the telegram was more serious than expected.
There had been no Monster appearances for the past six years, so vigilance had become lax, and the number of Monsters that had struck the North far exceeded the expected number, so the scale of the damage was gradually increasing.
"Count, I'll entrust my wife and children to you for the time being. I will never forget this favor."
"Don't worry. I hope the situation calms down as soon as possible."
"Thank you for understanding."
Hyle thanked Johann and said his last goodbyes to his family.
He left a short kiss on Scarlet's forehead and Henry's forehead, who was in her arms, and hugged Herwin tightly.
"Dad..."
"Herwin, you have to protect your mother and younger brother in my place. Understand?"
"Yes, I will definitely protect Mom and Henry!"
"That's right, my son is great."
Only after hugging Herwin tightly did Hyle leave for the long journey.
* * *
About a year and a half had passed since Hyle left for the North.
Hyle, who thought he would wipe out all the Monsters in a month, had been hunting Monsters that remained throughout the North for over a year.
The problem was that the Monsters had come during the winter, especially during a time of heavy snowfall.
Hyle sent a message telling them not to come up to the North until all the Monsters were wiped out.
On the first day Scarlet received Hyle's long-awaited letter, she spent the night in tears.
As the time she had to stay in the Kingdom was extended indefinitely, Scarlet decided to find a separate house.
She had been staying at the Agnes family's residence while waiting for the timing to return to the North, but as things had turned out, she could no longer cause trouble to the Agnes family.
'You're going to find a house? We're fine, so stay here until you hear from the Duke.'
'No, I can't cause any more trouble. He has money that he left in the Kingdom, so I'll use that to find a place to stay somehow.'
'Mrs. Peneus, you don't have to do that. If you leave like this, I won't be able to face the Duke. Please reconsider.'
Johann and Julian opposed Scarlet's move.
With Peneus's wealth, it would be easy to find a mansion in the Kingdom, but now was a time when every penny was precious.
Moreover, Scarlet had not slept properly for a single day since hearing the news that Monsters were rampaging through the North.
As a friend, Julian couldn't leave Scarlet alone if she left like this.
After a long and serious conversation, they finally ended when Scarlet raised both hands in surrender.
'Thank you so much, Count. Thank you, Julian.'
Scarlet lowered her head with dark eyes. The Agnes couple could only comfort her, who was mentally and physically exhausted.
This was the story of how Scarlet, Herwin, and Henry came to rely on the Agnes family for a long time.
"Lucia! What are you doing there!"
And back to the present, now.
Lucia came to the park for a picnic with her family and Herwin's family.
Lucia, who was squatting on the grass looking at something, raised her head. Her bobbed hair, which used to reach her chin, now reached her back.
"Lucia."
"Herwin."
Lucia, who could now call Herwin's name correctly, looked at Herwin, who was approaching her with her mouth open.
"What are you doing here alone?"
"Herwin, look at this? Ants?"
"...You're obsessed with something weird again, aren't you?"
"That's not it. I was just watching the ants."
"Don't lie, you caught a grasshopper a week ago, then you brought a cricket the day before yesterday, and you picked up a cicada shell yesterday. I knew you were looking closely at the insect encyclopedia."
The two, who had been living together in the same house for over a year, had become even closer than when they first met, and now there was nothing they didn't know about each other.
As they became closer, Herwin learned one thing about Lucia.
That was that once she became obsessed with something, she would dig into it until she got tired of it.
Everyone could have such a thing, but Lucia was particularly more extreme than other people.
Once she fell into something, she would collect or gather it until she got tired of it, and when she got tired of it, she would coldly move her interest to something else without looking back.
Among the things she had been interested in for the past year and a half were collecting teddy bears, observing flowers, and collecting leaves by type, and her current interest was insects.
If Lucia caught ants and took them to the mansion this time, just like when she caught a grasshopper a week ago, there would be a commotion.
Before Lucia could cause an accident, Herwin led her to where the group was far away.
It was a picnic on a nice day after a long time, but people who recognized the Count and Countess and the Duke and Duchess were swarming nearby.
Herwin hesitated at the large crowd.
"Should we go a little later?"
"Okay!"
Lucia, excited at the thought of watching the ants, quickly answered and returned to where she had been.
Herwin shook his head, saying he couldn't stop her, but he stayed close to her side. And he stared intently at Lucia, who was watching the ants.
After a long time, someone suddenly stepped on the ants Lucia was watching.
Lucia raised her head in shock at the shocking sight.
The one who stepped on the ants was a mean-looking boy. Behind him were two other children who seemed to be his companions.
"Are you Peneus?"
The boy said.
"My ants..."
Hearing Lucia's tearful voice, Herwin frowned and raised his head.
"Who are you?"
"If I may introduce myself, I am Antonio Travin of the Travin Count's family!"
He seemed to be one of the noble children who had come to play here.
"You! I will give you the qualification to be my friend!"
Antonio pointed at Herwin out of the blue and acted arrogantly. Antonio's companions, as if Herwin, who was bewildered, didn't matter, added compliments to Antonio, saying he was cool.
Antonio, who was a precious son of the Travin Count's family and had been raised indulgently, had arrogance that pierced the sky.
It was only natural, as there had never been anyone who ignored his words.
