CH 13

“More than that, I am more surprised that Leon is raising monsters. Usually that…Aren’t you supposed to subjugate them all? How did you get to raise Ruby?”

“I picked it up.”

“A monster?”

“I’m assuming it was taken out from the pack. There were no other monsters around, and it was starving to death on the forest road where people passed by.”

Leonhard continued his explanation in an insensitive voice and indifferently ran his fingers through the books on the bookshelf. The title of the book he pulled out was <The Cat That Repays the Grace>.

“It reminded me of the first time I saw Noah, so I couldn’t get past it.”

“….”

“It’s the same thing that brought a dying life…  It’s ironic, it’s easier to give affection to monsters than people.”

“That’s it…”

Because you made Noah your successor.

It was too bad for Leonhard to put into words.

As I swallowed those words, he picked out a few more books from the shelf. They were all children’s books with cats as the main characters.

“I think this would be enough for a children’s book.”

“Yes, if you need more, you can buy another one later.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I took a book from the bookshelf and placed it on top of the low tower of books stacked in Leonhard’s palm.

“What about this?”

“It is a gift. By the way, this book was my favorite when I was a kid.”

<The baby sheep calls the cloud mother>.

It was a fairy tale about a baby sheep who lived alone on the shore of a lake in full bloom and went on a journey to find his parents. In the end, he can’t find the parents who gave birth to him, but he become a family with Mrs. Cloud, who provided shade when it was hot, gave directions when he was lost, and was always by his side in happy and sad moments.

“When I first found out that I was an adopted child, I was really shocked…I can’t remember right now, but I got better soon anyway. The other family members said ‘I can’t believe they noticed that you are an adopted child. it wasn’t anything, So don’t get out of this house Raenel!”

“The young lady’s family seemed to care for you very much.”

“That’s right. This children’s book was also given to me by my brother Alex that day. Alec didn’t like fairy tale books because they were childish.”

Even then, as now, my younger brother was a person who could not say ticklish words even if he died. Not only that, but he also hated fairy tales because they were childish. But he chose and gave me this fairy tale book as a gift.

“At the very end, Mrs. Cloud tells the baby sheep. We look different and come from different places, but we are family because we love each other. That part must be read by Leon himself. don’t let someone do it, okay?”

Nothing affects a child’s thoughts more than a fairy tale book that delivers a message directly.

“We are a family even if we don’t share blood, right? I’m sure it’ll help Noah at the moment when he has that question.”

“Was it helpful to Lady too?”

“Me? Of course, it helped. But I would have been fine without the children’s books. Because I was already loved a lot before that.”

At my words, Leonhard’s face darkened. Did you hear my words as an accusation of ‘You didn’t love Noah enough’?

‘ I didn’t mean that…’

But I didn’t want to explain.

‘Honestly, isn’t it?’ Do you not know that the wife who lives in the same house is abusing the child, right? even years. does that make sense?

“How could Lady believe that? When a bloodless family says they love you.”

“How could I not believe them? Should I doubt it?”

“I don’t mean that…”

“The basis of love is trust. You cannot love, and you cannot be loved unless you believe.”

At my words, Leonhard put on an expression that seemed like he hadn’t even thought of it.

‘Well, it seems that he has a past where he wasn’t loved or loved because he couldn’t believe it.’

In case such a guess would come out of my mouth, I quickly ended the conversation.

“And to say I love you, you can’t just say it. Actions must support it. If my parents don’t kiss me goodnight every night before bed, my brother Oliver doesn’t give me flowers for my birthday, my younger brother Alex doesn’t give me my favorite dessert, and Lily doesn’t obey my request and played the same piano ten times a day, I wouldn’t have believed my family loved me.”

“….”

“If you love, make that love visible! There is a famous saying.”

Actually, there is no such word. I just made it.

However, I had no doubt that it would be enough for Leonhard, who had no way of knowing about it, and in fact, he put on a sad expression as if he realized something.

“As expected, I was lacking a lot.”

“Ah, that’s what I wanted you to know by now. From now on, please tell Noah that you love him a lot.”

I hope that Leonhard and Noah will become a family that cares for each other like a baby sheep and cloud. In the distant future, regardless of whether or not Noah turns black…

It’s just that Noah is also old, and this man also looks very lonely.

* * *

After leaving the bookstore, I took Leonhard to eat at a famous restaurant.

After a satisfying meal, we left the place and headed to Dessert Street, which is number 16, and extends from the Gold Line. It was because Leonhard asked me to recommend a must-go place when he came to the capital.

“Do you like dessert?”

“Sure! If people in the world are divided into those who live to eat and those who eat to live, I am the one who lives to eat unconditionally. Come to think of it, how do you take care of your meals?”

“I eat what comes out of the hotel.”

“The room service at the Crimson Hotel is amazing. Still, there are times when you want to eat a special meal, right? I’ll pick up a list of restaurants. Be sure to stop by before going back.”

I guided Leonhard to the dessert shop, a secret restaurant that had only been known to family members. The plaza was very crowded with people before I knew it.

‘Aren’t there more people than before? How many people are there?’

How can I explain this complexity? It is like Hongik University Station Exit 9 on Friday?

Originally, the plaza was always a place with a lot of people, but it seems that there are especially many people today. What’s going on?

“Lady, are you uncomfortable?”

“What? No, it seems like there are more people than before.”

As if he had guessed what I was saying, Leonhard looked around and nodded.

“Probably because of the wandering peddler from the desert. They say they have pitched tents near the fountain and are selling valuables.”

“Really?”

Oh my gosh, I almost missed out on such fun!

“Let’s go take a look, Leon!”

“Wasn’t being in crowded places uncomfortable?”

“If anyone can handle it, it’s no problem for me at all!”

At my words, Leonhard burst into laughter briefly. The handsome man’s smile attracted people’s attention like fireworks. Among the admiring people here, there was someone wearing an expensive dress.

‘Oh, it’s rumor timing.’

Please be a person with wide feet. I intentionally put my hand on Leonhard’s arm and clung to him.

“Let’s go, Leon. In the meantime, someone else might snatch the good stuff.”

“Yes.”

There were a few people who looked like nobles at the bookstore earlier, so the news that Leonhard and I had a date in the capital would spread quickly.

‘If a rumor spreads that Duke Khalid is remarrying, my name will be included. Let’s wait until then.’

I don’t think I’m going to get married anyway, just enough to not harm the Howard family.

‘Rather than that, the problem is this person.’

Getting entangled with me won’t be much of a problem for this man. A light scandal like this is a blemish to a noble woman, but a badge to a man.

Of course, the rumor that he had an illegitimate child would have a fatal effect.

‘Well, most of the children adopted by nobles are illegitimate children…’

In short, for aristocrats, adoption was nothing more than a means to bring my blood into a house pretending not to be my blood.

Adoption that is flawed is about taking in a child from distant collateral to carry on the family. Adopting a child who really has nothing to do with them is extremely rare. At least in this generation, mine was the only case.

‘Come to think of it….’

How and why did my parents adopt me?

If they felt sorry for the child who had no connection, it would have been enough to raise me in the form of sponsorship.

“I see it over there.”

“Wow, how big is the tent?”

Beyond the bustling crowds, I could see colorful tents and camels and elephants erected to attract attention.  Indeed, they were rare animals in the capital, so many people were showing interest in them.

As if this had happened not once or twice, the animals were showing off themselves enjoying the attention of people.

I burst into laughter as I watched the elephant shove an apple out of a child’s hand and put it in its mouth.

“How cute! Have you seen those animals, Leon?”

“Yes. I often interact with them because the rich men of the desert brought them.”

“Really?”

“The rich men of the desert sometimes bring that elephant to Hermene to sell desert monster accessories and magic stones, and buy a lot of water-type magic tools.”

Because they sell a huge amount and spend the money intact, they are VIP guests who take them here and there when they come out.

‘It must be very difficult for desert people to go all the way to the cold north. Would a camel or an elephant be all right?’

“But if it’s Hermene, you mean the city where the auction house is, right? What… It was a horn auction house.”

“Are you talking about the Bloodhorn auction house?”

“Yes. There. They say it’s much bigger than the capital auction house.”

“Because there is no limit to the number of guests.”

And they don’t sell catalogs separately.

I wanted to visit the auction house at least once, but the Golden Brew Auction House in the capital was quite expensive.

So, I wanted to go to the Blood Horn Auction House, which is said to be large and has no customer restrictions… but It was so far away that I didn’t dare to go.

‘I’ll make a lot of money later and go into the Golden Brew Auction House.’

With that thought in mind, I watched the elephant perform tricks by flying the ball with its nose, then led Leonhard to the peddler’s tent.

Then Leonhard asked me with a puzzled face.

“You were interested in elephants, weren’t you? Come on, look closely.”

“There are too many people. I saw it from a distance, so that’s okay.”

It’s a big deal if we try to get closer and get kicked on the back foot of it. Rather than that, I was much more interested in the desert stuff.