Ch#168
Tie had asked Dad just once.
Why she didn't have a mom.
That day, Dad didn't answer.
Instead, he changed the subject with something irrelevant.
But Tie had clearly seen Dad's expression then.
That face smiling as if it was fine, yet filled with a lonely air somewhere.
After that, Tie never asked Dad again.
So she hadn't known.
That she had other family too.
It was while Tie was clutching and unclutching the hem of her cloak with a complicated face.
"......Tie?"
Three pairs of eyes appeared in the gap between the decorative cabinet and the wall.
Tie looked up in surprise.
Edmund, Leonardo, and Alexander were looking at her, not knowing when they'd arrived.
"Un......"
As always, Tie shut her mouth before calling them 'uncles.'
She'd called them that just fine until now.
But now that she knew they were really her uncles, the words wouldn't come out easily.
"What were you doing here, huh?"
Alexander held out his hand.
Tie hesitated, then took it and came out.
Leonardo immediately brushed the dust off Tie's clothes.
Tie mumbled hesitantly while glancing at the three.
"Um, Tie was looking for where everyone went......"
"We were in that far room the whole time. More than that, didn't you come by earlier......"
Leonardo nudged Edmund.
Edmund shut his mouth and stared at Tie.
"Why do you look so down? Are you that upset we knocked out the Vice Leader? We just knocked him out, didn't hurt him."
Tie shook her head side to side.
Of course, when she didn't know the four were brothers, she'd thought their actions were really bad.
But as it turned out, the three Young Lords were Dad's older brothers.
And older brothers could hit their little brother once or twice.
The kids with younger siblings at Hanbit Kindergarten always claimed that.
"Then why? Hungry?"
Tie shook her head this time too.
And answered weakly.
"Dunno......"
Truthfully, even Tie didn't know.
Why her body felt as heavy as a cotton ball soaked full of water.
Her heart was pounding upon discovering family she hadn't known.
But strangely, she felt sad too.
As Tie pursed her lips, Leonardo pulled a chocolate wrapped in paper from his pocket and handed it over.
"Eat."
Tie blinked slowly at the chocolate in her hand.
But the next moment.
Thick teardrops rolled down her cheeks unbidden.
"......Tie!"
A pale-faced Alexander scooped her up.
Tie sobbed and buried her face in Alexander's chest.
Alexander placed his palm on Tie's forehead to check her temperature.
After confirming her complexion too, he said to the other two.
"No fever......!"
Seeing them worry made even more tears flow.
Tie finally started bawling with a loud whine.
Even as snot smeared all over his chest, Alexander was busy soothing her.
"Tie, can't you tell Uncle why you're crying?"
Edmund, who couldn't stand it, came closer and asked.
"Hic...... sniff!"
Tie hiccuped while hugging Alexander's neck tight.
Edmund brushed the stray hairs from Tie's forehead and scolded Leonardo.
"See, I told you not to knock him out. In front of the kid."
Leonardo anxiously wiped Tie's tears with his handkerchief.
Tie buried her face even deeper into Alexander's shoulder and thought.
'They're really, truly Tie's uncles.'
Tie wasn't without family besides Dad.
There were three cool and kind grandpas she hadn't known about until now.
Actually, she liked that fact so much it kept making her cry.
Of course, she couldn't say she was their niece right now,
'If we do again here at the daycare, then Tie will draw everyone.'
She wouldn't draw just two lonely figures on the paper anymore.
Dad, the grandpas, and......
"What are you all doing."
A familiar face appeared from down the hall.
"Father."
Valentis strode over and took Tie from Alexander.
"Holding her so uncomfortably is why she's crying."
Valentis wrapped his arm around Tie's back and steadily supported her bottom as he quietly looked down at her.
"Sorry. Made you wait after calling you here."
Tie looked up at Valentis with her reddened eyes.
Valentis smiled calmly as if soothing her.
Tie knew now too.
Valentis was a scary person.
He rarely smiled, and his words in an hour often didn't exceed five sentences combined.
But not to her.
"Wearing such a pretty outfit today too. Did Marshal pick it?"
Tie shook her head at the yellow sleeve peeking from her cloak.
"Today Tie picked it......"
"I see, chick yellow. Very cute."
Tie's cheeks flushed pink.
That was exactly why she'd picked this outfit.
Because the color was cute like a baby chick.
"Hungry?"
At Valentis's question, the cheered-up Tie nodded.
Valentis chuckled lowly and patted her back.
"Let's go. This Clan Leader prepared tons of your favorite snacks."
Tie looked up at Valentis's face as he started walking.
Then, unthinkingly said,
"Grandpa......!"
Valentis froze in place.
His eyes looking down at her were rounder than usual.
Scenes from kindergarten flashed through Tie's mind.
'Aigoo, my little puppy! Grandpa's here to pick you up today!'
'Grandpaaa-!'
The grandpas who came to pick up friends from kindergarten.
The friends would dash over and hug such grandpas tightly,
Mwah.
"......Hah, hahaha."
And kiss them like that.
As Tie grinned hee hee, Valentis's mouth slowly opened.
Unable to control his rising lips, he turned to his sons behind as if asking if they'd seen that.
"Wow."
"......Jealous."
"Hahaha, Father!"
The three Young Lords watched Tie and Valentis with their own expressions.
The giggling Tie lightly shook Valentis's shoulder.
"Grandpa, but Tie's hungry."
"Right...... right, right."
Valentis hurriedly started walking again.
"Ha, hahaha."
Laughter kept spilling from his mouth as if he couldn't believe it.
Then.
"......"
Valentis and the three Young Lords froze before the stairs.
Because they'd run into Tese tan coming out of a room in the opposite hall.
Tese tan narrowed his eyes upon seeing them.
"......What kind of picture is this?"
He hadn't known their 'personal connection' meant carrying the Necromancer King around and getting kisses every day.
Normally, Valentis would have schooled his expression and pretended not to see as he left.
But,
"Can't you tell by looking? Let's go down. I know you want to leave here ASAP, but since it's been a while, you should at least eat together."
Valentis just passed by Tese tan without erasing his smile.
Edmund patted Tese tan's shoulder a couple times.
"Sorry about earlier."
Leonardo also tapped Tese tan's arm as he passed.
"Come on, Theseus, no, Tese tan. Hungry, right?"
Alexander, as always, smiled warmly and pulled Tese tan's hand.
Tese tan reluctantly followed while glancing at the Necromancer King in Valentis's arms.
The Necromancer King was hugging Valentis's neck tight for some reason, wearing the happiest expression in the world.
'......Got it. I get you're pretending to be a kid.'
A hollow laugh escaped his lips.
'Kissing our father's cheek? And Father just lets it happen?'
He pondered deeply.
His father was none other than the leader of the holy knights, Valentis Luminen.
The Valentis Luminen whose smile was hard to see even after two months on the battlefield together.
Yet such a father was delighted by kisses from a necromancer in child's guise.
'Weird.'
Tese tan unwittingly stopped on the stairs.
And stared at the five descending for a while.
Suddenly, he recalled the Necromancer King whose full transformation hadn't released even at the sword's tip during their duel.
"......Extremely weird."
