Chapter 22

Chapter 22

‘It’s really weird. If it were the usual wife, she must have grabbed the maids as if they were rats…’

Instead of attacking them physically, Anriche clearly covered their fault with words. The act of her instructing them to ‘bow down and apologize formally’ to the new maid and Liliana was even admirable.

She scattered the maids after that and skillfully comforted Liliana. Normally, if there was something she didn’t like, her usual behavior was to flip the townhouse upside down.

Just in time, Elliot was running to them from far away. In his arms, he was holding a snack basket.

“Why are your eyes red? Did you cry?”

“Huh? No, it’s not like that…”

“…No way, did mother bother you?”

Even in the eyes of the son who was suspicious of her, Anriche has just a calm face. Rather, she gently pointed out Elliot’s behavior for leaving Liliana alone.

“Besides, it hasn’t been a while since Liliana came to the Valois townhouse, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“So, you need to take care of her. Okay?”

…She looked like a ‘mother’ who really cares about each and every action of her son. Alexei, without knowing, walked towards them.

“Make sure you listen carefully to your mother, Elliot.”

“Oh my God, duke?”

“…”

Surprised, Anriche looked up at Alexei. He was silent for a while without realizing. It’s been a long time since they looked into each other’s eyes straight like this. Her eyes were very beautiful violet-colored.

“Elliot, have I told you the other day?”

Somehow, with a sensation tickling his heart, he turned his head to look down at his son.

“’To be a great gentleman, you have to pay close attention so that the other person doesn’t feel uncomfortable.”

“Yes, I remember.” Elliot quietly nodded his head.

“You are the Heir Apparent who will rule Valois in the future.”

A calm voice rang.

“So, like your mother’s words, you have to think about other people’s positions first and be considerate.”

“Think about their position first… Be considerate?”

“Yes. Because that experience accumulates and accumulates, your insight into people deepens.”

‘Insight.’ The boy chewed the word for a moment.

“Insight is the most needed talent for someone who will be in charge of a family.”

Alexei continued to speak quietly.

“Come to think of it, Liliana hasn’t been in the townhouse for too long yet.”

When he heard the words, Elliot made a stinging expression. Well, if he thought about it, that was true. Whenever they’re serving guests, you shouldn’t leave them alone in the garden? Isn’t that all because of consideration for guests who aren’t familiar with the townhouse?

“In addition, she isn’t fully familiar with the faces of the employees.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Right. So, Leaving Liliana alone in the garden was inappropriate behavior in many ways.”

He patted Elliot lightly on the back.

“No matter how good the intention is, you shouldn’t put a burden on Liliana, correct?”

“That’s right. Dad is right.”

Elliot got a little sullen. As to cheer him up, Alexei smiled openly at his son.

“If you become the head of Valois, there will be a lot of people around you.”

“…”

“There will be people who are hostile to you, and on the contrary, there will be people who will be fond of you.”

When he heard that, Elliot looked at his father, Liliana, and Anriche in turn. Father and Liliana will probably be on his side.

If so… What about mother? ‘In the past, I would have thought of mother as a person who is hostile to me.’ As soon as Elliot’s eye contacted her, Anriche smiled gently.

…Somehow, his mind got a little complicated.

“If you want to find someone who will be your strength among them, you need to cultivate your own insights.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“So, use today’s incident as a mirror, and in the future, try to pay more attention to people.”

A friendly voice tickled his ear.

“Because if you want to be a great master, you must have good people around you.”

Alexei, who had been extensively hard on his son, glanced at Anriche. She was looking at her son with kind eyes.

‘Looking at that, the wife gently explained things to Elliott.’

Alexei had a rather subtle face. ‘What would it have been like before?’ He didn’t think she would care. On the other hand, would get so irritated when criticizing.

‘First of all, even Elliot…’

In the past, Elliott would be surprised if he encountered Anriche and would even burst into cries. However, now, his face seemed fairly comfortable. Meanwhile, after hearing his father’s words, Elliot stepped over to Liliana.

He carefully said his words.

“…..Sorry, Liliana. I thought too little.”

“No, it wasn’t that long.”

Liliana shook her head, though he still felt sorry for her.

“When I went to the kitchen before… I don’t think I heard you actually said ‘it’s okay’ for me to go.”

“But that’s really all right for me.”

Liliana, who caught Elliot’s gaze, smiled meticulously.

“It’s because Elliot wants to feed me delicious snacks, so I’m happy because of that.”

In response to her affectionate response, Elliot’s face turned red.

‘Well, what should I do because my son can’t manage his facial expressions?’ No matter how they were engaged, Anriche knows that Liliana loves him unrequitedly. She opened her mouth as she looked at her son with smirking eyes.

“Now, then… Shall we read the ‘Adventure of Hans and the Fairy,’ which Elliot chose?”

***

And after a while.

Alexei, with a somewhat unexpected look, was watching Anriche and the children reading a storybook together.

‘…My wife is reading books to her children.’

It’s not someone else, but ‘the’ Anriche.

Obviously, she wasn’t being reserved either… She was in full swing and even imitated the harsh voice of a monster.

“Kuhaha! Hans, are you trying to stab me with that toothpick-like knife!!”

She was acting so realistically that the children were immersed in her storytelling for a long time.

“Wh, what about Hans? It’s not like he’s seriously hurt, right?” Liliana looked up with such worried eyes.

“What a brave knight our Hans is! He’s gonna beat all the monsters!”

Even Elliot was immersed in the story while swinging his fist.

As he looked at them, somehow, he laughed a little. Alexei’s gaze softened. Then, Elliot suddenly looked back at him.

“Dad.”

“Huh?”

“Please read the book as well, dad.”

“…M-me?” Alexei was embarrassed and stuttered.

Elliot nodded his head determinedly.

“Because if mother only reads the book alone, I think she will hurt her throat.”

‘You thought about me?’ Anriche’s eyes widened.

Alexei finally took the storybook with an embarrassed expression. His son even said that, how could he refuse? Hmm-hmm. Alexei coughed and began to read the fairy tale.

“I. Am. Hans. Hero. Of. Justice.”

“…”

“I. Don’t. Lose. To. Vicious. Monster. Take. This. Sword. Of. Justice!”

He read the sentences one by one, like reading a language book.

With that stiff voice, the three people’s eyes turned cold and salty.

“…D-duke?”

Anriche opened her mouth carefully first.

“Honestly, anything Dad reads is not fun.”

However, Elliot actually committed the timely violence.

“Well, I’m… I think…I’m also…”

Liliana, who diligently tried to defend Alexei, had to quietly bite her mouth at Anriche and Elliot’s disgusted glances.

Alexei eventually became gloomy.

“…Is that not so good?”

“Yes.” Anriche replied firmly.

Following that, Elliot and Liliana added their words one by one.

“It’s much more fun for mother to read it.”

“Ho, honestly, mother is more…”

‘Did you hear that?’ After hearing all those praises, Anriche reached out her hand while raising her nose.

And so, she proudly retrieved the fairy tale book from Alexei.

***

They played in the garden for a while, but she seems to have won the children and they returned to the townhouse with regret.

Anriche put her hands on her waist and looked around.

“If you went to play outside, what did I say you should do first when you get back?”

“You said we had to wash our hands!”

“Yes, my Liliana. You are so smart.”

Anriche smiled and took the children straight to the bathroom. Alexei stared at their backs with a warm gaze. It was because the children who followed Anriche were like black and yellow chicks.

‘And the wife…’

Mother hen.

As he looked at Anriche, who had the children wrapped around her arms, the word came to him naturally. He laughed without knowing.

At the same time, Anriche looked behind her.

The two eyes met perfectly.