“But, the Earl of Gronby brought food here. Bringing food is what our mo, mom does, right? This is Plache, hiccup, I mean.”

Shia looked to Hayden for agreement, and the Emperor nodded.

“Bringing food and necessary supplies to the garrison is the duty of the lady of the highest rank in the territory.”

“That’s right, but our mom has gone to hunt monsters, and next, next, my big sister isn’t here either…. So I have to do it….”

Lu glanced at Shia, who was mumbling.

“I’m here, but if I offend His Majesty, I can’t do it….”

“I see.”

It seemed that the Earl of Gronby, under the jurisdiction of Count Plache, was doing something he shouldn’t, and this little lady could not just stand by and watch.

“I said it’s not allowed, it would be a big problem.”

“Yes, I understand why you were worried and came here. But why did you bring Bella?”

Shia subtly avoided Hayden’s gaze.

“Bella also wanted to see Sister Lu, and if only I see her, it’s not good…. It’s mean. Unfair.”

“So, you wanted to see your sister, stop the Earl of Gronby, and took your sister’s hand and came here all in one go.”

Kids are so transparent. Hayden smiled thinly at Shia, who was carefully looking around.

“Do you understand why the adults said not to come here so casually? You were almost in big trouble right after you arrived.”

“Sister! Sister saved me!”

“Yes.”

Shia, who held her head up high and spoke as she tapped her feet, and Bella, who was sobbing and holding Hayden’s clothes, answered in unison.

“Well, it’s not something I should scold you for. The Countess will scold you herself, and I am a benevolent lord.”

The lord is fine, but mom is going to scold us? It’s a big problem! Shia shook the hand she held onto her sister.

“Sister, tell mom not to scold me. I’ve reflected a lot. I won’t do it again. Promise.”

Lu was in a real dilemma. She couldn’t get out of it since the Emperor and lord, Hayden, had already nodded his head in agreement with the children, and she didn’t know what to say to the siblings she was meeting for the first time.

Being the big sister, who happened to be Calleta’s general, didn’t help these children much. But what exactly had they heard about the ‘big sister’ in question? The young Plache Count’s children looked at her with utterly blind eyes and held out their little fingers.

“You shouldn’t come to dangerous places. Do you know how worried your parents must be?”

Lu said, taking the small hand that was extended to her, somewhat helplessly.

“Then, then be with me when I get scolded. Then I can be scolded well.”

“I want that too!”
헤이든이 얼굴을 다 닦아준 벨라가 얼른 끼어들었다. 막내도 큰언니와 친해지고 싶었기 때문이다.

“혼나는 게 그렇게 싫어?”

“엄마 화나면 무서워.”

Ah. She had to agree with that clear and resolute statement. Mom was, especially when Mom got angry, very scary. She looked at the children and sighed twice.

“Why?”

“No, the children are too young.”

She had grown up as an only child until the age of fourteen, then lost her parents. So these suddenlyappearing messy siblings were bewildering, and thinking of her parents, she felt only a heavy heart to meet them in this pitiful state.

“……Is Mom’s health okay…….?”

“Countess is fine. She’s flying around.”

Hayden roughly laid down the towel soaked with tears and snot. Bella had stopped crying, and the bloodstain on Lu’s face was wiped off, so that was enough.

“Then the problem is these little ones who suddenly rolled in.”

At those words, Shia immediately clung tightly to her sister’s leg, and Bella quickly hugged Hayden’s neck and stuck to him. Trying to put them down would have certainly led to tears.

“My granddaughters are too smart, that’s more problematic.”

That brat looked somehow more cheerful. Lu looked towards the debris of the destroyed carriage of the Gronbi Earl and the monster corpses being cleaned up.

Although she didn’t faint, the young Gronbi Earl, who nearly died at the hands of the monsters, was sent back as an ‘unauthorized’ guest.

It was said nicely that she was sent back, but the daughters of Count Plache are the granddaughters of the Emperor.

The young Earl Gronbi, who had slyly usurped the authority of such a Countess, would probably have to live quietly from now on.

Hayden had clearly remembered the name Gronbi, who had unpleasantly intruded during an important monster subjugation.

“Lord, shall we go back? Shall we go home?”

At such times, Shia, who called him ‘Lord’ instead of the difficult and stiff title ‘Your Majesty’, looked up at Hayden and asked, and looked up at Lu.

“Sister, then come with us. Let’s go to our house. We have a room for you in our house. Since you’re here, you’re living with us, right?”

Bright brown hair, green eyes. The eyes looking up at Hayden and Lu with the same face as Lu were so earnest that anyone would find it hard to ignore.

“You came to live with Mom and Dad and me and Bella, right?”

The answer didn’t come easy. She couldn’t lie to a child, but her parents were……. it still seemed hesitant, thinking they hadn’t contacted her even though they knew she had come to the Caleta company.

“Huh? Right, Lord?”

“Of course. That’s why I brought you.”

“Your Majesty.”

With a changed complexion, Lu tried to say something, but Hayden, who had placed Bella and Shia in front of Icarus, dusted off his seat and stood up. Icarus immediately teased the sisters.

“Genus company.”

He lowered his voice and called Lu. The anxious eyes of the children were following them.

“Aren’t you happy to have such cute siblings?”

Whoo, Bella sighed and leaned against Icarus. Sister, Shia’s eyes kept shaking as she whined, calling for Lu.

“Suddenly having siblings makes my mind completely blank. Besides, we’re in the middle of monster subjugation here.”

“No, that’s not it. You have something else on your mind that bothers you the most.”

At the sharp observation, Lu closed her mouth momentarily. Those grey eyes that had always bewildered her were still piercing through her. It was uncomfortable and awkward.

“……From the time I knew Count and Countess Plache, that couple had moved three times. The first house was very small. But no matter how small, there was always a separate room for the Genus company.”

This man was truly strange. Acting like he didn’t listen to people while at the most critical times, he paid attention to what was hidden in their thoughts.

“They always said they should give a separate room because she’s their grownup daughter. And, lest anyone should suspect their relationship as parent and child, they worried about each other and couldn’t casually visit each other.”
The same reason? Her eyes stung as the magic knot broke. It stung so much that she endured it and looked at Hayden.

“No, I can’t stand it anymore. But this is the courtyard of Count Plache, after all.”

She turned to the lieutenant approaching with a bright smile.

“Your Majesty, Lady Milene Gennes, the Countess of Plache, has requested teleportation to Belfort.”

“I permit it.”

Hayden nodded slightly. He gently smiled and looked at her. Far beyond Icar’s back, the teleportation circle was visible.

“You don’t have to worry so much.”

A low voice was trying to reassure her.