Episode 93. Just Think About Being Happy
“Uncle Count?”
It was around the time when the three of them had finished their full meal.
Jade, who was rubbing his eyes as he entered the restaurant, rubbed his eyes again when he saw Christine.
“You’re really an uncle.”
“How have you been, kid?”
The child ran over to him on short legs and hugged him tightly.
“I really missed you. Why didn’t you come?”
While treating the silver wolf, the children were never allowed to come near the treatment room. Thanks to that, Jade and Pauline had no idea about the silver wolf’s existence.
Jade seemed to think that he had just arrived.
“I was busy.”
“That’s right! You’re the captain of the guard, and you also have to train the White Ghost Knights. Right?”
The child smiled brightly with shining eyes. Christine laughed, ruffling Jade’s brown curly hair because he couldn’t stand the sight.
“You’ve gotten smarter in the meantime?”
“Of course. I’m really good at sword fighting now. Sir, will you duel me again? Yes?”
Looking at Jade’s earnest blue eyes, it seemed like it would be hard for anyone to refuse.
Then Mark stepped forward.
“Jade. The Count is very tired from the long journey just now. So I should let him rest.”
“Then how about tomorrow?”
Finally, Adele smiled and turned the child’s attention.
“Jade, what about the promise to go fishing with me?”
“Oh, right! I’ve decided to go fishing with you, too.”
“Should I go with Pauline after breakfast?”
“I’ll ask Pauline. But she’s still sleeping.”
“Then let’s go wake her up together.”
“Yeah.”
The child smiled and quickly grabbed Adele’s hand. The two of them, leaving the restaurant together holding hands, looked natural and pleasant.
Just like a mother and child.
“The little one really likes Adele.”
Christine muttered as he watched.
“Jade likes the Count, too.”
Mark chuckled at his answer.
“He likes it better than his father.”
Then he stared blankly at Mark, who was sitting at the table across from him.
“What’s with this burdensome gaze?”
“There are several mansions in Greenhill under my name.”
“Yes, I know the Count is rich.”
Mark didn’t hide his expression that he was offended.
“I’ll tell the financial manager, so you can handle it yourself.”
“What do you mean...?”
Christine didn’t answer and just rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window.
It had only been a few days since he had woken up, but in that time, the light pink cherry blossoms had bloomed beautifully. A gust of wind swept through the branches, causing the delicate petals to flutter.
“There’s a place called Garden Lake in Russwolf. I plan to marry Adele before the cherry blossoms there fall.”
“...”
Mark’s expression became a little bitter, even though he knew it would happen someday.
“And I won’t come back here again.”
“I see.”
“So, think of the Greenhill mansion as medical expenses. I promised you. I’ll pay a lot for medical expenses and food.”
Only then did Mark understand what Christine meant.
“Are you saying you’re giving me that mansion?”
Christine’s eyes, which had been admiring the cherry blossoms outside the window, shifted back to him.
“You can use it to raise Jade and Pauline, or you can build a proper medical center.”
“No. I don’t like this kind of thing.”
When Mark firmly refused, Christine’s relaxed expression also grew cold.
“The medical expenses also include the price of keeping my secret. So I think this is a reasonable deal.”
His fierce expression was so fierce that he couldn’t refuse. It felt like a threat that he wouldn’t let him off easy if he didn’t accept it.
While Mark remained silent for a moment, Christine stood up.
“I won’t invite you to the wedding. But I would like your blessing. Will you bless our marriage?”
“Is that included in the medical expenses you gave me?”
“If there is a price, then it is not a true blessing.”
“Then I guess it is okay not to congratulate you.”
“Hmm.”
Christine nodded coolly and left the restaurant.
Soon, Mark’s voice was heard behind him.
“May you two be happy for the rest of your lives.”
Mark hesitated for a moment and then added again.
“If I hear news that Adele is unhappy, I will chase you to Russwolf.”
Instead of answering, Christine waved her hand behind her. His lips were barely visible, smiling.
He now only wanted to think about being happy. With Adele.
In the afternoon, Adele and the children returned from the fishing spot.
The temperature grew cold as the sun set, but the children’s cheeks were flushed as they rolled up their sleeves and trousers.
Adele, who had two children on either side of her, also rolled up the sleeves of her blouse and had bare feet under her skirt. She was smiling brightly in such a free-spirited manner.
He had no idea how dazzling the three of them looked under the afternoon sunlight.
Christine was drinking tea from the window of the second-floor living room, watching them. His blue-gray eyes had become unusually dark.
“Have you ever been jealous?”
Jennifer, who was sewing next to him, looked at him blankly.
“No problem. I have something else to ask you.”
He shook his head and took a sip of tea.
“When a woman likes another man and you get really annoyed by it, isn’t that jealousy?”
Hoo.
Jennifer smiled triumphantly at his surprised expression.
“Don’t ignore me. I know what jealousy is.”
“Do you have a crush on someone?”
Christine’s tone was indifferent, but Jennifer felt a sting as if he had hit the nail on the head. His face even turned red...
“No...!”
“Is she the doctor’s assistant?”
“Ugh, it stings!”
In the end, Jennifer ended up getting pricked by the needle. When he sucked his finger, which was bleeding, Christine clicked his tongue.
“It’s stranger not to know. Every time you see that woman, you fidget like a puppy that needs to get something to eat.”
Jennifer felt relieved after being caught.
“Aren’t you jealous of the relationship between Adele and the doctor? I noticed it too.”
“No.”
“No! You’ve been glaring out the window for a while.”
He threw down his sewing and looked outside the window. However, there was not even a shadow of Mark.
Instead, the men next to Adele were Jade and Pauline.
“Those kids... right?”
“Is there a law that says they can’t?”
Jennifer’s mouth dropped open at Christine’s rather serious answer.
“Wow...”
“Anyone who makes my woman laugh, other than me, is a target of caution.”
Jennifer quickly covered his mouth with both hands and muttered.
“Poor Adele. How did she end up with such a crazy man..."
“I can hear everything.”
“I told you to hear! How could you possibly be jealous of those cute kids?”
“That’s enough. What’s the news about Zimmer?”
He put down his teacup as if he didn’t want to argue anymore and changed the subject.
Jennifer’s expression quickly became serious.
“I got word that he’ll be here sometime in the evening.”
“The Duke of Rodwell is dead, after all?”
“Yes.”
So Zimmer must be coming back.
Christine muttered to himself, lost in thought for a moment.
“We must hurry to get to Russwolf.”
Kalame would soon be caught in a whirlpool.
The whirlpool would swallow Christine up. He had to get back to Russwolf before that happened.
He would lock the gate there and get out of the wind.
When he looked out the window again, Adele was still smiling brightly with the two children.
He felt strange. Seeing her smiling so brightly, even when he was not there.
Should he call this jealousy?
No, it was a much more complicated feeling that could not be explained by that alone.
Soon, he saw Mark approaching the three of them. Jade ran to his father and shouted.
“Dad, we really caught a lot of fish!”
The child’s voice was as bright as the sunlight.
“Oh, you did well!”
When Mark lifted the child up in his arms and praised him, Pauline also shouted with a flushed face.
“It’s much bigger than the fish I caught before!”
“Oh, really?”
“Ma’am, show me quickly. Hurry up!”
Jade, who was being held by Mark, coaxed Adele.
Then, the barefoot Adele proudly held out the glass bottle she was holding.
Ta-da!
“Pfft!”
Christine, who was watching from the second-floor window, couldn’t help but laugh.
“What is it? What is it?”
Jennifer, who saw Christine laughing, also looked out the window again and muttered,
“Isn’t that an empty container?”
That’s right. There were only five or six small fish in the bottle, too small to be seen from the second floor. And yet, they looked like generals.
“Wow, you really caught a lot!”
However, Mark exclaimed as if trying to preserve the children’s innocence.
“Dad, let’s all eat this together for dinner! Yes?”
“Yeah... let’s all eat together.”
Mark looked at Adele awkwardly.
“Is that possible, Adele? Even if it’s you...”
When the children asked with their mouths open, Adele confidently answered, holding up the glass bottle with the fish swimming in it.
“Of course. You can look forward to dinner tonight!”
“Wow, you’re the best, Auntie!”
When the two children cheered excitedly, Adele also laughed out loud. Mark, who was dumbfounded next to her, soon laughed along.
Their laughter was clearly audible to Christine, who had keen ears.
The scenery outside the window seemed like a happy family.
'When she and my child are born in a few years, will we be like that?'
'Should I learn how to fish in preparation for that time?'
Christine felt happy as he thought about this. Then suddenly,
'Is it really possible?'
Doubts arose.
'Will we be able to get married in Russwolf without any trouble?'
'Will I be able to give birth to such a dazzling child?'
As happiness drew near, anxiety that it might not come true followed.
Yes, this strange feeling was not jealousy.
It was... anxiety.
Instinctive anxiety.
The main menu for dinner was piranha soup.
Of course, there was no trace of fish in the soup seasoned with all kinds of vegetables. Nevertheless, the children's proud expressions made it seem like they had caught a wild boar with their bare hands.
"Cute guys."
Adele muttered happily as she watched the children go up to the second floor after finishing their meal.
Her body was tired after playing with the children all day, but she felt cheerful.
“Now, let me look at you.”
When she turned around, Christine was standing there with a depressed expression.
“Oh, you’re jealous?”
“Yes, I am.”
Adele laughed.
“It’s scary. I was just making tea to drink together, so how can that not work?”
“Tch, I was being generous.”
“Then, it’s on the porch. I’ll get it and leave right away.”
After a while, Adele came out to the porch with a simple snack on a tray.
On the wide deck, there was a rough-looking bench that Mark had made.
Christine was sitting there, looking at the setting sky.
He seemed so deep in thought that he couldn’t even notice it when she approached her, so Adele couldn’t call him rashly.
At times like this, he seemed to be in another world, not here. And it felt unfamiliar.
The sun had already hidden behind the mountain ridge, and only the western sky was a hazy purple.
Clink.
As she carefully placed the tray on the table, he looked back.
“What are you thinking about?”
Adele asked, placing a steaming cup of black tea in front of him.
“Then let’s go wake her up together.”
“Yeah.”
The child smiled and quickly grabbed Adele’s hand. The two of them, leaving the restaurant together holding hands, looked natural and pleasant.
Just like a mother and child.
***
“The little one really likes Adele.”
Christine muttered as he watched.
“Jade likes the Count, too.”
Mark chuckled at his answer.
“He likes it better than his father.”
Then he stared blankly at Mark, who was sitting at the table across from him.
“What’s with this burdensome gaze?”
“There are several mansions in Greenhill under my name.”
“Yes, I know the Count is rich.”
Mark didn’t hide his expression that he was offended.
“I’ll tell the financial manager, so you can handle it yourself.”
“What do you mean...?”
Christine didn’t answer and just rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window.
It had only been a few days since he had woken up, but in that time, the light pink cherry blossoms had bloomed beautifully. A gust of wind swept through the branches, causing the delicate petals to flutter.
“There’s a place called Garden Lake in Russwolf. I plan to marry Adele before the cherry blossoms there fall.”
“...”
Mark’s expression became a little bitter, even though he knew it would happen someday.
“And I won’t come back here again.”
“I see.”
“So, think of the Greenhill mansion as medical expenses. I promised you. I’ll pay a lot for medical expenses and food.”
Only then did Mark understand what Christine meant.
“Are you saying you’re giving me that mansion?”
Christine’s eyes, which had been admiring the cherry blossoms outside the window, shifted back to him.
“You can use it to raise Jade and Pauline, or you can build a proper medical center.”
“No. I don’t like this kind of thing.”
When Mark firmly refused, Christine’s relaxed expression also grew cold.
“The medical expenses also include the price of keeping my secret. So I think this is a reasonable deal.”
His fierce expression was so fierce that he couldn’t refuse. It felt like a threat that he wouldn’t let him off easy if he didn’t accept it.
While Mark remained silent for a moment, Christine stood up.
“I won’t invite you to the wedding. But I would like your blessing. Will you bless our marriage?”
“Is that included in the medical expenses you gave me?”
“If there is a price, then it is not a true blessing.”
“Then I guess it is okay not to congratulate you.”
“Hmm.”
Christine nodded coolly and left the restaurant.
Soon, Mark’s voice was heard behind him.
“May you two be happy for the rest of your lives.”
Mark hesitated for a moment and then added again.
“If I hear news that Adele is unhappy, I will chase you to Russwolf.”
Instead of answering, Christine waved her hand behind her. His lips were barely visible, smiling.
He now only wanted to think about being happy. With Adele.
***
In the afternoon, Adele and the children returned from the fishing spot.
The temperature grew cold as the sun set, but the children’s cheeks were flushed as they rolled up their sleeves and trousers.
Adele, who had two children on either side of her, also rolled up the sleeves of her blouse and had bare feet under her skirt. She was smiling brightly in such a free-spirited manner.
He had no idea how dazzling the three of them looked under the afternoon sunlight.
Christine was drinking tea from the window of the second-floor living room, watching them. His blue-gray eyes had become unusually dark.
“Have you ever been jealous?”
Jennifer, who was sewing next to him, looked at him blankly.
“No problem. I have something else to ask you.”
He shook his head and took a sip of tea.
“When a woman likes another man and you get really annoyed by it, isn’t that jealousy?”
Hoo.
Jennifer smiled triumphantly at his surprised expression.
“Don’t ignore me. I know what jealousy is.”
“Do you have a crush on someone?”
Christine’s tone was indifferent, but Jennifer felt a sting as if he had hit the nail on the head. His face even turned red...
“No...!”
“Is she the doctor’s assistant?”
“Ugh, it stings!”
In the end, Jennifer ended up getting pricked by the needle. When he sucked his finger, which was bleeding, Christine clicked his tongue.
“It’s stranger not to know. Every time you see that woman, you fidget like a puppy that needs to get something to eat.”
Jennifer felt relieved after being caught.
“Aren’t you jealous of the relationship between Adele and the doctor? I noticed it too.”
“No.”
“No! You’ve been glaring out the window for a while.”
He threw down his sewing and looked outside the window. However, there was not even a shadow of Mark.
Instead, the men next to Adele were Jade and Pauline.
“Those kids... right?”
“Is there a law that says they can’t?”
Jennifer’s mouth dropped open at Christine’s rather serious answer.
“Wow...”
“Anyone who makes my woman laugh, other than me, is a target of caution.”
Jennifer quickly covered his mouth with both hands and muttered.
“Poor Adele. How did she end up with such a crazy man..."
“I can hear everything.”
“I told you to hear! How could you possibly be jealous of those cute kids?”
“That’s enough. What’s the news about Zimmer?”
He put down his teacup as if he didn’t want to argue anymore and changed the subject.
Jennifer’s expression quickly became serious.
“I got word that he’ll be here sometime in the evening.”
“The Duke of Rodwell is dead, after all?”
“Yes.”
So Zimmer must be coming back.
Christine muttered to himself, lost in thought for a moment.
“We must hurry to get to Russwolf.”
Kalame would soon be caught in a whirlpool.
The whirlpool would swallow Christine up. He had to get back to Russwolf before that happened.
He would lock the gate there and get out of the wind.
When he looked out the window again, Adele was still smiling brightly with the two children.
He felt strange. Seeing her smiling so brightly, even when he was not there.
Should he call this jealousy?
No, it was a much more complicated feeling that could not be explained by that alone.
Soon, he saw Mark approaching the three of them. Jade ran to his father and shouted.
“Dad, we really caught a lot of fish!”
The child’s voice was as bright as the sunlight.
“Oh, you did well!”
When Mark lifted the child up in his arms and praised him, Pauline also shouted with a flushed face.
“It’s much bigger than the fish I caught before!”
“Oh, really?”
“Ma’am, show me quickly. Hurry up!”
Jade, who was being held by Mark, coaxed Adele.
Then, the barefoot Adele proudly held out the glass bottle she was holding.
Ta-da!
“Pfft!”
Christine, who was watching from the second-floor window, couldn’t help but laugh.
“What is it? What is it?”
Jennifer, who saw Christine laughing, also looked out the window again and muttered,
“Isn’t that an empty container?”
That’s right. There were only five or six small fish in the bottle, too small to be seen from the second floor. And yet, they looked like generals.
“Wow, you really caught a lot!”
However, Mark exclaimed as if trying to preserve the children’s innocence.
“Dad, let’s all eat this together for dinner! Yes?”
“Yeah... let’s all eat together.”
Mark looked at Adele awkwardly.
“Is that possible, Adele? Even if it’s you...”
When the children asked with their mouths open, Adele confidently answered, holding up the glass bottle with the fish swimming in it.
“Of course. You can look forward to dinner tonight!”
“Wow, you’re the best, Auntie!”
When the two children cheered excitedly, Adele also laughed out loud. Mark, who was dumbfounded next to her, soon laughed along.
Their laughter was clearly audible to Christine, who had keen ears.
The scenery outside the window seemed like a happy family.
'When she and my child are born in a few years, will we be like that?'
'Should I learn how to fish in preparation for that time?'
Christine felt happy as he thought about this. Then suddenly,
'Is it really possible?'
Doubts arose.
'Will we be able to get married in Russwolf without any trouble?'
'Will I be able to give birth to such a dazzling child?'
As happiness drew near, anxiety that it might not come true followed.
Yes, this strange feeling was not jealousy.
It was... anxiety.
Instinctive anxiety.
***
The main menu for dinner was piranha soup.
Of course, there was no trace of fish in the soup seasoned with all kinds of vegetables. Nevertheless, the children's proud expressions made it seem like they had caught a wild boar with their bare hands.
"Cute guys."
Adele muttered happily as she watched the children go up to the second floor after finishing their meal.
Her body was tired after playing with the children all day, but she felt cheerful.
“Now, let me look at you.”
When she turned around, Christine was standing there with a depressed expression.
“Oh, you’re jealous?”
“Yes, I am.”
Adele laughed.
“It’s scary. I was just making tea to drink together, so how can that not work?”
“Tch, I was being generous.”
“Then, it’s on the porch. I’ll get it and leave right away.”
After a while, Adele came out to the porch with a simple snack on a tray.
On the wide deck, there was a rough-looking bench that Mark had made.
Christine was sitting there, looking at the setting sky.
He seemed so deep in thought that he couldn’t even notice it when she approached her, so Adele couldn’t call him rashly.
At times like this, he seemed to be in another world, not here. And it felt unfamiliar.
The sun had already hidden behind the mountain ridge, and only the western sky was a hazy purple.
Clink.
As she carefully placed the tray on the table, he looked back.
“What are you thinking about?”
Adele asked, placing a steaming cup of black tea in front of him.
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