Chapter 157
“Because if I step in, it will only make things more awkward.”
Even if it’s awkward, we’re family; from now on, everyone should get along!
Asil looked up at him with a fierce gaze.
However, Ikart did not budge.
Asil knew to some extent that once he made up his mind, he wouldn’t change it even if Elcai came.
In that case, how about this?
“If you come, I’ll call you Father.”
“……When did you say we were leaving?”
In the end, she succeeded in dragging Ikart along.
He said he wouldn’t leave together but would join them midway, but that was good enough.
Asil proceeded with the rest of the preparations smoothly.
And so, a few days later, the long-awaited day of the picnic dawned.
—
As if the heavens were helping, the day was very warm.
It was a peaceful field where the fragrant scent of flowers was carried on the breeze, a mother duck crossed the stream with her ducklings huddled together, and goats grazed leisurely.
“Over here! We’re here!”
Asil, who was swinging a lunch basket while humming, shouted.
It was a good place to play while listening to the sound of flowing water, as it was flat enough to spread a mat and there was a small stream nearby.
Snowa, who looked around, nodded his head.
“It’s not bad. But—”
His gaze turned to the side.
Todori, who was riding on top of Snowa’s head, and Baembaemi, who was flying nearby, also turned their heads in that direction.
Edenber, looking uncomfortable to anyone’s eyes, was holding Rune, who was similarly frozen, in his arms.
It was a special mission given by Asil just before they left.
Get close as quickly as possible. To do that, maximize physical contact.
Edenber asked stiffly.
“Can I put her down now?”
“No.”
Rune, who was about to jump down, paused.
The trembling gazes of the mother and son poured out, but Asil was firm.
“I have to spread the mat and take out the lunch boxes. Until then, the two of you must stay stuck together.”
“I’ll spread the mat. I can prepare the lunch boxes too.”
Edenber, speaking hurriedly, naturally set Rune down and moved busily.
Rune also hurriedly looked for work to do, perhaps fearing that if she stayed still, she would be told to be held by Edenber again.
Thanks to that, Asil’s group was able to obtain an excellent spot without lifting a finger.
Edenber asked frantically.
“Next, is there anything else to do?”
“Kyang?”
“There’s nothing to do, so come here and sit down.”
Asil tapped the spot in front of her.
And to the two who approached and sat down hesitantly with faces full of tension, she held out a sandwich that smelled delicious.
“Edenber, put this in Rune’s mouth.”
“…….”
“…….”
“Hurry.”
Edenber, who froze in an instant, unconsciously looked around.
It was a look asking for help, but Todori, whose eyes met his, shoved a large sandwich into Baembaemi’s mouth as if to show him how it’s done.
“Kyuu!”
“Ggureuk!”
Baembaemi’s mouth, which was already eating something, puffed up as if it were about to burst.
“Ggureureureuk!”
While the sulky Baembaemi kept pushing Todori with its tail, Edenber turned his head to the other side this time.
He looked at Elcai to ask for help, but unfortunately, he was in the middle of a deep conversation with Briana and Count Arcian Erzébet.
“I’m also thinking about creating a space in the inner castle where the beast-people can reside at ease. To reduce conflicts between each other, cultural exchange is the top priority……”
With no choice, he was about to pick up the sandwich Asil held out when his eyes met Snowa’s.
Snowa’s half-closed eyes were clearly saying this to him.
‘To think you can’t even give one sandwich. Weak human.’
“……Rune, say ah.”
If nothing else, being ignored by a male of his own age was a crack in his pride.
Moreover, if that person was the older brother of the one he liked.
Edenber, who threw away his hesitation in an instant, held out the sandwich to Rune.
However, unfortunately, he was immediately stopped by Asil.
“How can you call her Rune. You have to call her Mother!”
“……Mother, here……”
“Kyang!”
He succeeded in not stuttering, but Rune, hearing the word ‘Mother,’ could not overcome the emotion and ended up collapsing.
Edenber blinked while holding the sandwich, then unconsciously checked Snowa’s reaction.
Then Snowa seemed to snort and picked up his share of the sandwich to hold out to Briana.
“Please eat, Mother.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Briana, who was in the middle of a conversation, naturally took the sandwich.
Snowa looked back at Edenber.
Then he shrugged his shoulders with an expression that said, ‘This is how you do it, why can’t you do something this simple?’
The sandwich in Edenber’s hand became slightly crumpled.
He couldn’t lose like this.
He shook the collapsed Rune to wake her up and then held out what he was holding.
“Kyang!!!”
Rune howled bravely.
The first food her son was feeding her. Her heart was trembling so much it was at the point of aching, but she had to eat it.
“Kyaaaaaang!”
As if raising morale before starting a battle, Rune, who stretched her voice long toward the sky, began to eat the sandwich solemnly.
Seven years ago, she wasn’t even this solemn when fighting Fear.
Edenber even brought her something to drink so her throat wouldn’t get blocked.
And as soon as Rune finished eating, he asked Asil, who was looking at him in a daze, with tremendous momentum.
“Now what should I do next?”
“Kyangkyang?!”
“Uh…… this time, Mother, to Edenber with that cookie—”
“Kyang!”
Before the words could even finish, Rune bit the cookie and brought it to Edenber’s hand.
Edenber, who tossed it into his mouth in one bite, asked again.
“Next?”
“Next, cut the strawberry in half and the two of you share it nicely—”
“I’ll cut it.”
“Kyangkyang!”
The cooperation was perfectly in sync as if they were doing a group project.
She was worried about whether they could get close within today, but somehow they seem to have gotten close in one shot?
Asil looked at Edenber cutting strawberries with a sword and Rune looking at her son proudly with a dazed face.
—
Meanwhile, Ikart was watching this whole scene from a distance.
When he thought of Rune, who worried about whether Edenber could accept her, or Edenber’s childhood, when he cried secretly while holding his breath because he missed his mother, he was simply deeply moved.
“Not bad.”
A small smile formed on his lips as he watched his family.
—
A while after that.
The grand conference room of the Monlepe ducal house.
Before the meeting began, the vassals who arrived first were talking.
“The beast-people are showing movements to join hands with the current Duke.”
Said a vassal who tried to join hands with the Imperial Family and give all the credit related to the beast-people to Ikart.
He didn’t even imagine that the Imperial Family was trying to use him to cause a rift inside the ducal house.
“At this rate, the Divine Beast and the Head of the family will eventually go separate ways, so what should be done about this……”
“Hasn’t it been a year or two since Lady Rune was away? It’s not like she disappeared entirely like before, and in any case, since she is by the side of the previous Duke—”
“That’s why it’s more of a problem, isn’t it?”
The vassal who joined hands with the Imperial Family pounded his chest.
“Even though the Divine Beast is by his side, he has not received the Divine Beast’s recognition. If this isn’t a problem, then what on earth is?”
“It’s not that he hasn’t received recognition, but just that there is a bit of distance. There must be a reason why the covenant was broken, and since his bond with the previous Duke is deeper than with the current Duke anyway—”
“That’s why the previous Duke must be reinstated. Even without that, the covenant is broken, so it wouldn’t be strange whenever Lady Rune leaves, but what if she leaves forever using this as an excuse?”
“It’s not like Lady Rune ignores the current Duke’s words. Aren’t you taking it too far?”
“Taking it too far? One must always act assuming the worst-case scenario!”
The grand conference hall became noisy due to the conflict of opinions between the two factions.
It was a confrontation without an inch of backing down.
A few with brilliant brains noticed that this was exactly what the Imperial Family wanted.
But everyone was so overly excited that the situation could not be mediated.
It was right then.
“Why is everyone so loud?”
The protagonist who would uniquely calm this situation appeared.
Edenber was entering the conference room.
The vassals, who had been arguing for a long time, turned their heads in that direction at the same time.
And they all widened their eyes collectively, wondering if they were seeing things.
In the arms of Edenber, who was known to have not received the Divine Beast’s recognition, Rune was curled up with a comfortable expression, wagging her tail.
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