Episode 135. Me with Them
“Mom, Dad!”
A small child appeared in the shade of the trees with a welcoming voice. The child, who saw the two, ran over with a face as bright as sunshine.
“Aaron!”
Mark ran over and picked the child up in one go. Aaron laughed playfully as usual.
“How did you know about this place?”
The child smiled and turned around at Mark’s surprised question.
“With His Majesty.”
Mark’s face hardened as he met Christine’s eyes. He put Aaron on the ground and bowed his head politely but businesslike.
“I see Your Majesty. What brings you here...”
Christine shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.
“I heard there was a good fishing spot.”
Then Aaron confessed the truth with an embarrassed face.
“Aaron said I wanted to see Mom and Dad. That’s why Your Majesty brought me here.”
“Where did you say you wanted to see? You were crying and making a fuss until the Marvel palace was gone.”
“Oh, really...!”
Aaron looked at Christine, who was revealing his shame, with a sad face.
“Oh no! We decided not to talk about that. Oh, ahem!”
Aaron pouted at Christine, who was coughing nonsense.
“Hey, I don’t know! His Majesty ruined everything!”
“Aaron, speak politely to His Majesty.”
Aaron felt a little disappointed when Mark scolded him from the side.
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
However, Christine didn’t like Aaron’s displeasure at Mark’s words more than Aaron’s rudeness.
“That’s how all kids are at this age. Did you catch a lot of fish?”
Pauline quickly answered.
“We caught a ton, but we just released them all!”
Of course, Christine wasn’t the type to fall for that lie.
“Why, right before I got here?”
“It’s true!”
When Pauline’s face turned red and blue to the point where it was obvious that she was lying, Jade, who had been so absorbed in fishing that he didn’t even notice Christine, suddenly shouted,
“Oh, I asked! Dad, the net! The net!”
While Mark and Pauline were looking for the net, Adele, who had found the net first, ran over.
“Here, the net! Mom will help you!”
However, the fish on the fishing rod was struggling so hard and fast that it wasn’t easy to pull it up with the net. It seemed like it would just break the fishing line and run away.
“Jade, relax a little and cast.”
Mark, who had come behind Jade, grabbed the fishing rod with him and said,
“I’ll block the escape route!”
Pauline was about to dive into the water and grab the fish with his hands.
“Wow, it’s big, it’s big! Please catch it!”
Aaron also stood close to them and prayed.
All five of them clung together to catch one fish. Without anyone having decided, they were naturally moving about, each finding their own tasks.
Their reflections on the riverbank where the sunset was setting were so sparkling and beautiful that Christine felt strange. Their world was so solid.
He thought he would no longer feel the sorrow of a stranger once he became part of the wolf clan’s world. But now, in this place, he felt like a stranger again. It was funny that he, who had everything in the world, felt shabby just because he couldn’t fit in with them.
In the meantime, the large catfish was finally dragged out to land.
“Wow! It’s really big!”
Everyone cheered and clapped their hands together, enjoying themselves as they watched the fluttering fish. Everyone’s mouths were hanging from their ears as if nothing had happened until now.
“Let’s go.”
It was Christine’s voice that broke the joyful commotion.
“Ehhhhh? No! I have to eat this!”
Aaron shouted in surprise, but the others couldn’t say anything. His expression was quite dignified and resolute.
“Adele, do you think the same?”
Adele, who had been watching Mark and Christine, said politely.
“Of course, I have to follow Your Majesty’s orders. However, I think it wouldn’t be bad to hang out together as Christine Weiss, not Your Majesty, for once. It might be our last memory at Greenhill.”
Last memory at Greenhill.
Christine’s expression softened immediately. That was because Adele said she would follow him to Bahamart.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please give me a chance to treat you to the catfish I caught.”
Jade also held Aaron’s hand tightly and begged.
Christine looked around them and smiled bitterly. Now that he remembered everything, he remembered playing with these kids a long time ago.
He had thought about that when he saw Jade hanging onto Mark and laughing.
Could I be a good father like that?
He couldn’t be stubborn any longer as he watched Aaron sobbing, worried that he might be taken away.
“Yes, just until the fish is cooked.”
“Wow! Your Majesty, thank you!”
He quickly turned his head away from Aaron’s smiling face. It seemed that this guy would be a stronger opponent than Adele.
The six pieces of catfish were cooked over the campfire, crackling, crackling. As the fragrant smell of grilled fish spread along with the spicy smoke, everyone gathered around the fire as they had promised.
Mark handed out a piece of fish on a wooden skewer to each person.
Since their appetites had already been stimulated by the smell, everyone began to eat the steaming fish without thinking.
Christine was no exception. He had not been able to eat properly all day due to the pain, and his hunger was at its peak.
“Why are you staring so intently?”
He asked the people while eating the last of the catfish’s flesh. He had felt the gazes glancing at him and making strange glances since earlier.
“Your Majesty... the corners of your mouth...”
Adele carefully handed him a handkerchief. Only then did Christine realize. He had been concentrating on eating as if he had lost his mind for a moment!
However, since it had come to this, he decided to shamelessly leave.
“Wipe me.”
He bent down and stuck his face out. However, Adele looked at Mark with an awkward expression. That made him even angrier.
“It’s my orders.”
That was when it happened.
“Aaron does it by himself.”
“What?”
Aaron spoke bravely, half-hiding himself in Adele’s skirt.
“Mom told me to do my own work. That’s why Aaron washes myself and dresses myself. But... Your Majesty is an adult and... You're a really, really good fighter.”
“Pfft!”
In the end, Jade and Pauline couldn't hold back their laughter, and Adele and Mark also began to carefully observe the flowing water.
Damn it!
The Emperor's dignity and dignity was crushed to the floor.
"Ahem, it's because I can't see it."
He calmly answered, controlling his emotions, and
"Ahh~!"
Aaron, as if he had just realized it, quickly approached with Adele's handkerchief.
"Your Majesty can't see it, so Aaron is going to wipe it."
Then he made a bold and bold request to him.
"It's too high, so please bend down for a moment."
"Ha! I said it's enough..."
However, Christine, who met Aaron's bright eyes, gave up again.
"You're such a bother."
He picked Aaron up. Then the child began to wipe the soot from his mouth with a very serious expression. It was a scene that seemed to depict cicadas on an old tree.
In the end, Jade and Pauline rolled around, clutching their bellies, and Adele and Mark’s shoulders began to tremble as if sobbing.
In the meantime, Aaron worked very seriously. Then he smiled brightly.
“Look, you’ve become pretty.”
Christine was momentarily lost in thought as the smile of the child in his arms was dazzlingly pretty. Why does the sweet smell of the child make people so excited?
It felt like these emotions were rushing in like waves, pushing away the pain in his heart.
“Thank you, Aaron.”
“I’m sorry. I cried and said I wanted to see Mom earlier...”
“No way. That’s a privilege only little kids can have.”
When he put him down on the floor, Aaron ran to his mother with a proud and happy face. Then Jade and Pauline playfully approached him.
“Aaron, you guys too.”
“No! Just wipe each other!”
“If you don’t, I’ll tickle you, Aaron!”
As the kids hugged Aaron and played with him, they soon heard laughter. Christine, who was absentmindedly watching them and laughing, realized at that moment. He had entered their world without realizing it. He had become their companion naturally.
“I really have to go now.”
“Wait a minute. I’ll pack my bags.”
When Adele quickly started to pack her mat and picnic basket, Mark stopped her.
“Yes, leave them. I’ll pack.”
“The picnic basket is my job.”
Christine told Mark as he watched him pack his things.
“The charges of rebellion will be dropped soon. And it wasn’t a trap I set.”
“...”
When he said that, Mark believed him. But he didn’t say anything about believing him. He didn’t want to make Adele and Aaron feel relieved while taking them away.
“But the torture was clearly my subordinates’ fault, so I apologize.”
Mark wasn’t satisfied with this. It was a moment when he had people precious to him taken away.
He had calmly told Adele that it was okay, but his heart didn’t seem to care.
Christine added, perhaps sensing his feelings.
“Do you know? You’re the person I wanted to be like the most in the world.”
“Me?”
“When I see you with your children, I always think that I want to be that kind of father. A strong fence for my family, a good friend to my children, and someone who is respected by people.”
“I thought you were only good with a sword, but you’re also very good at flattering, Your Majesty.”
Despite Mark’s sarcasm, Christine bowed his head politely.
“I sincerely thank you for taking care of Adele and Aaron for the past six years. I know that I can never repay that debt. But if there’s anything you want, just tell me.”
“All right.”
“Good. Then, no matter what you do wrong, Mr. Castler, I will give you one indulgence.”
“A indulgence?”
“This is a token of my promise.”
Christine unsheathed his sword and handed it to him.
“The view outside the window is magnificent.”
On the way back to the palace. Adele, who was staring out the carriage window, looked at Christine. He, sitting across from her, was staring at her with intense eyes.
In fact, Adele had been uncomfortable with this gaze for a while, so she turned her eyes outside the carriage. However, she could not see anything outside because she was passing through a dark forest path. She realized it only now.
“I have something to think about.”
“Then keep thinking. I can just admire your reflection in the window.”
Now she saw that he was staring intently at Adele’s face reflected in the glass.
In the end, Adele turned to him and smiled faintly. How charming was that sight...
“Don’t peek, look properly, Your Majesty.”
“Mom, Dad!”
A small child appeared in the shade of the trees with a welcoming voice. The child, who saw the two, ran over with a face as bright as sunshine.
“Aaron!”
Mark ran over and picked the child up in one go. Aaron laughed playfully as usual.
“How did you know about this place?”
The child smiled and turned around at Mark’s surprised question.
“With His Majesty.”
Mark’s face hardened as he met Christine’s eyes. He put Aaron on the ground and bowed his head politely but businesslike.
“I see Your Majesty. What brings you here...”
Christine shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.
“I heard there was a good fishing spot.”
Then Aaron confessed the truth with an embarrassed face.
“Aaron said I wanted to see Mom and Dad. That’s why Your Majesty brought me here.”
“Where did you say you wanted to see? You were crying and making a fuss until the Marvel palace was gone.”
“Oh, really...!”
Aaron looked at Christine, who was revealing his shame, with a sad face.
“Oh no! We decided not to talk about that. Oh, ahem!”
Aaron pouted at Christine, who was coughing nonsense.
“Hey, I don’t know! His Majesty ruined everything!”
“Aaron, speak politely to His Majesty.”
Aaron felt a little disappointed when Mark scolded him from the side.
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
However, Christine didn’t like Aaron’s displeasure at Mark’s words more than Aaron’s rudeness.
“That’s how all kids are at this age. Did you catch a lot of fish?”
Pauline quickly answered.
“We caught a ton, but we just released them all!”
Of course, Christine wasn’t the type to fall for that lie.
“Why, right before I got here?”
“It’s true!”
When Pauline’s face turned red and blue to the point where it was obvious that she was lying, Jade, who had been so absorbed in fishing that he didn’t even notice Christine, suddenly shouted,
“Oh, I asked! Dad, the net! The net!”
While Mark and Pauline were looking for the net, Adele, who had found the net first, ran over.
“Here, the net! Mom will help you!”
However, the fish on the fishing rod was struggling so hard and fast that it wasn’t easy to pull it up with the net. It seemed like it would just break the fishing line and run away.
“Jade, relax a little and cast.”
Mark, who had come behind Jade, grabbed the fishing rod with him and said,
“I’ll block the escape route!”
Pauline was about to dive into the water and grab the fish with his hands.
“Wow, it’s big, it’s big! Please catch it!”
Aaron also stood close to them and prayed.
All five of them clung together to catch one fish. Without anyone having decided, they were naturally moving about, each finding their own tasks.
Their reflections on the riverbank where the sunset was setting were so sparkling and beautiful that Christine felt strange. Their world was so solid.
He thought he would no longer feel the sorrow of a stranger once he became part of the wolf clan’s world. But now, in this place, he felt like a stranger again. It was funny that he, who had everything in the world, felt shabby just because he couldn’t fit in with them.
In the meantime, the large catfish was finally dragged out to land.
“Wow! It’s really big!”
Everyone cheered and clapped their hands together, enjoying themselves as they watched the fluttering fish. Everyone’s mouths were hanging from their ears as if nothing had happened until now.
“Let’s go.”
It was Christine’s voice that broke the joyful commotion.
“Ehhhhh? No! I have to eat this!”
Aaron shouted in surprise, but the others couldn’t say anything. His expression was quite dignified and resolute.
“Adele, do you think the same?”
Adele, who had been watching Mark and Christine, said politely.
“Of course, I have to follow Your Majesty’s orders. However, I think it wouldn’t be bad to hang out together as Christine Weiss, not Your Majesty, for once. It might be our last memory at Greenhill.”
Last memory at Greenhill.
Christine’s expression softened immediately. That was because Adele said she would follow him to Bahamart.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please give me a chance to treat you to the catfish I caught.”
Jade also held Aaron’s hand tightly and begged.
Christine looked around them and smiled bitterly. Now that he remembered everything, he remembered playing with these kids a long time ago.
He had thought about that when he saw Jade hanging onto Mark and laughing.
Could I be a good father like that?
He couldn’t be stubborn any longer as he watched Aaron sobbing, worried that he might be taken away.
“Yes, just until the fish is cooked.”
“Wow! Your Majesty, thank you!”
He quickly turned his head away from Aaron’s smiling face. It seemed that this guy would be a stronger opponent than Adele.
***
The six pieces of catfish were cooked over the campfire, crackling, crackling. As the fragrant smell of grilled fish spread along with the spicy smoke, everyone gathered around the fire as they had promised.
Mark handed out a piece of fish on a wooden skewer to each person.
Since their appetites had already been stimulated by the smell, everyone began to eat the steaming fish without thinking.
Christine was no exception. He had not been able to eat properly all day due to the pain, and his hunger was at its peak.
“Why are you staring so intently?”
He asked the people while eating the last of the catfish’s flesh. He had felt the gazes glancing at him and making strange glances since earlier.
“Your Majesty... the corners of your mouth...”
Adele carefully handed him a handkerchief. Only then did Christine realize. He had been concentrating on eating as if he had lost his mind for a moment!
However, since it had come to this, he decided to shamelessly leave.
“Wipe me.”
He bent down and stuck his face out. However, Adele looked at Mark with an awkward expression. That made him even angrier.
“It’s my orders.”
That was when it happened.
“Aaron does it by himself.”
“What?”
Aaron spoke bravely, half-hiding himself in Adele’s skirt.
“Mom told me to do my own work. That’s why Aaron washes myself and dresses myself. But... Your Majesty is an adult and... You're a really, really good fighter.”
“Pfft!”
In the end, Jade and Pauline couldn't hold back their laughter, and Adele and Mark also began to carefully observe the flowing water.
Damn it!
The Emperor's dignity and dignity was crushed to the floor.
"Ahem, it's because I can't see it."
He calmly answered, controlling his emotions, and
"Ahh~!"
Aaron, as if he had just realized it, quickly approached with Adele's handkerchief.
"Your Majesty can't see it, so Aaron is going to wipe it."
Then he made a bold and bold request to him.
"It's too high, so please bend down for a moment."
"Ha! I said it's enough..."
However, Christine, who met Aaron's bright eyes, gave up again.
"You're such a bother."
He picked Aaron up. Then the child began to wipe the soot from his mouth with a very serious expression. It was a scene that seemed to depict cicadas on an old tree.
In the end, Jade and Pauline rolled around, clutching their bellies, and Adele and Mark’s shoulders began to tremble as if sobbing.
In the meantime, Aaron worked very seriously. Then he smiled brightly.
“Look, you’ve become pretty.”
Christine was momentarily lost in thought as the smile of the child in his arms was dazzlingly pretty. Why does the sweet smell of the child make people so excited?
It felt like these emotions were rushing in like waves, pushing away the pain in his heart.
“Thank you, Aaron.”
“I’m sorry. I cried and said I wanted to see Mom earlier...”
“No way. That’s a privilege only little kids can have.”
When he put him down on the floor, Aaron ran to his mother with a proud and happy face. Then Jade and Pauline playfully approached him.
“Aaron, you guys too.”
“No! Just wipe each other!”
“If you don’t, I’ll tickle you, Aaron!”
As the kids hugged Aaron and played with him, they soon heard laughter. Christine, who was absentmindedly watching them and laughing, realized at that moment. He had entered their world without realizing it. He had become their companion naturally.
“I really have to go now.”
“Wait a minute. I’ll pack my bags.”
When Adele quickly started to pack her mat and picnic basket, Mark stopped her.
“Yes, leave them. I’ll pack.”
“The picnic basket is my job.”
Christine told Mark as he watched him pack his things.
“The charges of rebellion will be dropped soon. And it wasn’t a trap I set.”
“...”
When he said that, Mark believed him. But he didn’t say anything about believing him. He didn’t want to make Adele and Aaron feel relieved while taking them away.
“But the torture was clearly my subordinates’ fault, so I apologize.”
Mark wasn’t satisfied with this. It was a moment when he had people precious to him taken away.
He had calmly told Adele that it was okay, but his heart didn’t seem to care.
Christine added, perhaps sensing his feelings.
“Do you know? You’re the person I wanted to be like the most in the world.”
“Me?”
“When I see you with your children, I always think that I want to be that kind of father. A strong fence for my family, a good friend to my children, and someone who is respected by people.”
“I thought you were only good with a sword, but you’re also very good at flattering, Your Majesty.”
Despite Mark’s sarcasm, Christine bowed his head politely.
“I sincerely thank you for taking care of Adele and Aaron for the past six years. I know that I can never repay that debt. But if there’s anything you want, just tell me.”
“All right.”
“Good. Then, no matter what you do wrong, Mr. Castler, I will give you one indulgence.”
“A indulgence?”
“This is a token of my promise.”
Christine unsheathed his sword and handed it to him.
***
“The view outside the window is magnificent.”
On the way back to the palace. Adele, who was staring out the carriage window, looked at Christine. He, sitting across from her, was staring at her with intense eyes.
In fact, Adele had been uncomfortable with this gaze for a while, so she turned her eyes outside the carriage. However, she could not see anything outside because she was passing through a dark forest path. She realized it only now.
“I have something to think about.”
“Then keep thinking. I can just admire your reflection in the window.”
Now she saw that he was staring intently at Adele’s face reflected in the glass.
In the end, Adele turned to him and smiled faintly. How charming was that sight...
“Don’t peek, look properly, Your Majesty.”
When Adele didn’t avoid him and looked at him with a burdensome expression, Christine looked away as if embarrassed.
“Who peeked? I only saw it because it was visible.”
“Oh, are you embarrassed? Your face seems slightly red.”
“What?”
Adele smiled as she watched him blush.
“You know, right? If you get angry, you lose.”
“Ha!”
Christine, who had been feeling dumbfounded, soon laughed.
As soon as Aaron got into the carriage, he fell asleep with his head on Adele’s lap, so the two of them were basically the only ones in the carriage. Maybe that’s why she felt like she had gone back to the past.
Christine spoke carefully. He felt like they could tell each other everything they were thinking now.
“I... I... I know it wasn’t an easy decision to go back with me.”
“Yes. It wasn’t easy.”
“I also admit that I pushed too hard.”
“That’s right. You pushed me too hard. You made strange suggestions like a tyrant.”
Christine felt a little dispirited by Adele’s blunt answer.
“So do you regret this decision?”
“I do.”
Christine’s expression darkened. But she didn’t get angry. She knew how mean he had been to her.
Then Adele added,
“But I would have regretted any choice I made. If possible, I would have chosen the one I regret the least.”
Needless to say, Christine’s expression lit up as if it were a light.
“Who peeked? I only saw it because it was visible.”
“Oh, are you embarrassed? Your face seems slightly red.”
“What?”
Adele smiled as she watched him blush.
“You know, right? If you get angry, you lose.”
“Ha!”
Christine, who had been feeling dumbfounded, soon laughed.
As soon as Aaron got into the carriage, he fell asleep with his head on Adele’s lap, so the two of them were basically the only ones in the carriage. Maybe that’s why she felt like she had gone back to the past.
Christine spoke carefully. He felt like they could tell each other everything they were thinking now.
“I... I... I know it wasn’t an easy decision to go back with me.”
“Yes. It wasn’t easy.”
“I also admit that I pushed too hard.”
“That’s right. You pushed me too hard. You made strange suggestions like a tyrant.”
Christine felt a little dispirited by Adele’s blunt answer.
“So do you regret this decision?”
“I do.”
Christine’s expression darkened. But she didn’t get angry. She knew how mean he had been to her.
Then Adele added,
“But I would have regretted any choice I made. If possible, I would have chosen the one I regret the least.”
Needless to say, Christine’s expression lit up as if it were a light.
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