Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father

Chapter 87

No matter how absurd the reasons were, if he had explained them, I would have tried to understand him somehow.

Even if Aedis said that Esmeralda’s snow tastes like sugar, I could have believed it at least once.

That’s how important he is to me.

No, he was precious.

I thought Aedis thought of me in the same way.

-Eve, even if you turn the whole world into your enemy, I will protect you.

It felt like something was stuck in my throat.

Let’s not think. Let’s not think.

Don’t think.

“If that’s the case, don’t even say that you’ll protect me!”

“…Yo-your Grace?”

I beckoned the butler, whose eyes trembled violently at my sudden outburst, to leave.

I must have seemed crazy, but I didn’t have the energy to explain my actions…

I rested my head on the desk and looked out the window. Strangely, it wasn’t snowing outside, but rain was pouring.

Here the rain is as rare as the bright sun.

Even though it was close to lunchtime, Aedis didn’t come to see me.

Since I was completely ignored when I asked him to kiss me on the cheek, I doubted that he would meet me even if I went to visit him.

Guess I’ll go first. I’m having lunch with Regen today.

I checked the time every 5 minutes because I thought I would only think of that bad husband if I had to lie down.

Finally, when there was about 20 minutes left before Regen’s morning class was over, I decided to pass the time.

But even as I moved my feet, I could not regain peace of mind.

Again, again! I met Gilbert.

He had his back facing me, but the silver hair was definitely Gilbert’s.

Ahhhh. Why do I see you when I can’t even see Aedis?

I increased my walking speed, and Gilbert, who felt my presence at that moment, looked back at me and said something.

“Father?”

What is he saying now?

For a moment, I was so shocked to the point that I almost sprained my foot.

Maybe he mistook me for Aedis?

How could that be?

Without realizing it, I wrinkled my nose. Gilbert, who completely looked at me and confirmed that I wasn’t Aedis, also contorted his face without mercy, as if he had mistook me.

But there was no further action.

Gilbert wasn’t threatening me or muttering mean-spirited nonsense as usual.

The rapid disappearance of blood from his face seemed to have frightened him. Something had happened. Something I was not aware of.

Anyways, I passed Gilbert, thinking that it was good to not be bothered.

When I arrived at Regen’s hallway, the tutor was just leaving. She looked at me and greeted me.

“Your-”

“Shh, shh!”

I covered my lips with my index finger and covered the tutor’s mouth, holding open the door just before it closed.

As I sneaked into Regen’s room, a warm air enveloped me.

Sitting on the chair, Regen was tapping his feet helplessly with a face that showed that he was deeply concerned with something.

“Hoo.”

The sigh of an eight-year-old. I immediately noticed the reason.

Instead of going all the way to behind Regen, I opened my mouth at a distance.

“Lord!”

“Hick!”

“Wow, are you surprised?”

Regen’s eyes widened as I smiled softly and waved my hand.

“Your Grace?!”

“Why did you sigh so much? Is there any trouble?”

Regen’s cheeks, which were like sticky rice cakes, turned red.

“Oh no! I sighed because I had a lot of homework!”

Then yes.

Although I had felt it before, Regen was not very interested in studying.

In 〈Esmeralda’s Crescent Moon〉, Regen runs away from home during this period and wakes up the beast. His personality changes completely.

He soon clings to the acquisition of knowledge so as to not repeat the same mistake again, but now that the story flow has changed, even though he has the qualities of a great wizard, he is just a good kid who likes to play.

“You have a lot of homework? If you have lunch with me, I might be able to help.”

“I was hungry!”

Regen’s face, which was close to crying, brightened in an instant.

I took Regen, who smiled bashfully, down to the dining table. But Regen looked for Aedis before I could even put the appetizer into my mouth.

“Your Grace, what about Father?”

“I don’t know.”

I don’t know anything about the husband who refuses to kiss me and said that he would protect me even if I turn the whole world into my enemy, but Regen didn’t swallow the food he had put into his mouth until his cheeks were full. Then, he asked another question.

“I want to know how much Your Grace likes Father!”

“Cough, yes?”

I coughed in embarrassment, but Regen smiled brightly.

“I like him a lot! I like Your Grace a lot too!”

“Uh, well, I like the Lord too.”

“What about Father?”

You’re tenacious today.

“Yes, Aedis is a good person.”

But my attempts to go around it were unsuccessful.

“Is there a difference between being a good person and being someone you like?”

Regen, since when did you become so smart?

I smiled awkwardly and pretended to focus on eating.

Should I have eaten lunch alone today?

Regen looked at me from time to time in anguish, and tilted his head this way and that as if he had discovered a mystery.

“But today, Your Grace is like Father.”

Yes?

When Gilbert said it, it was bullshit, but when Regen said it, it was convincing.

Did Aedis do anything to me?

Because Gilbert kept bothering me?

…A kiss from such a thoughtful person.

Kiss!

“Your Grace…? Are you sick?”

The fork in my hand trembled slightly. I tried to erase the thought of Aedis from my mind and faked a smile.

“Lord, since there is no afternoon class today, would you like to do your homework right after dinner?”

“Oh, I’ll see you later! It’s raining and I have to go pick up the nanny.”

“Then, me too!”

Regen vehemently declined.

“Don’t you have tea time with Father at this hour? I’m fine, so please stay with him!”

Regen gave a hearty laugh, as if he was convinced that his concessions would bring me and Aedis an intimate time. Thanks to that, I couldn’t bear to tell him that I had not seen Aedis today.

After eating and watching Regen leave with an umbrella, I stumbled down the hallway.

When I came to my senses after moving my feet blindly, I was in front of the stairs to Aedis’s bedroom.

Hmm, why am I here?

My subconscious was terrifying. I glanced over the stairs and forced myself to step back.

It’s sad to even think about it again. No, what’s so hard about kissing your wife! Until yesterday, we weren’t even using our own rooms!

Besides, didn’t you do it on the back of my hand at the imperial ball?

Should I have offered the back of my hand instead of my cheek?

I was dizzy with a question I would never know the answer to.

As I wandered the hallways and stairs without going anywhere, every maid I encountered

started to worry about me.

“Your Grace, are you feeling dizzy?”

“It’s okay.”

“Shall I call the doctor?”

“I’m fine.”

I beckoned to the maids watching me with worried eyes that they may go back to work. Then, I stopped wandering and decided on my destination.

It was a room where the butler, Tollyman Elliott, and the employees were watching closely.

I broke in without knocking and occupied the bedroom and lay down.

Then, Shaula, who was doing a simple stretch, muttered in an exasperated voice.

“…Your Grace, this is my room.”

“You also came into my room this morning.”

“Your Grace, are you crying?”

“I’m not crying!”

But I wanted to cry.

No matter what happened, the sadness did not go away and grew as time passed.

At that time, Regen was waiting for the nanny with an umbrella.

Even for Regen, it had been a long time since rain fell and made popping sounds.

Regen looked at the rain with curious eyes and reached out his hand.

Raindrops gathered on his palms.

[“You look very happy.”]

A voice revealed itself to Regen. It wasn’t muffled by the sound of the rain.

Regen moved his head like a baby bird. He had never heard such a uniquely conveyed voice before.

“Are you Paimon?”

Regen concentrated, thinking that it might be the spirit that had contracted with Maevia.

Similar to the last time where he followed Paimon’s voice, he moved his feet unknowingly.

The other party ignored Regen’s question and continued talking to himself.

[“No, should I say it’s you?”]

“Paimon, right…?”

Regen asked without confidence.

Although he didn’t listen to it this time, Regen realized that it was different.

If Regen’s voice sounded like it was slurred, then this voice was really that of an adult man.

It was light, sharp, and aggressive.

Still, Regen could not stop his moving feet.