CH 133

Chapter 133

While Ian and Joshua were engaged in a bloody battle between father and son, Laritte was able to comfortably look around the large land of the Duke’s residence for the first time in a long time.

It was spring again, and this place was a paradise full of hope, enough to hear the voices of commoner children running around.

Laritte recalled herself as a skinny and emaciated Young Lady of Brumeier when she even coldly bit off the ankle of her father, the Count.

“Now no one can treat me carelessly!”

…After shouting so, she was left alone in the old villa.

‘At that time, I thought I would live a quiet life doing laundry with my own hands and doing menial labor…’

At the time, she saw a future that was completely different from what she had imagined. Now that she had a husband, it was annoying sometimes though it was a decent life.

A tall tree, like a zelkova tree, appeared in front of Laritte. When fully grown, the diameter of the stump is close to 7 feet, so it is unusually large. If she went up there, she could see the scenery of the Duke’s residence, and it would be refreshing.

Laritte was a do-it-yourselfer. Besides, she knew how to ride a horse! Believing in her own abilities, she leaped toward the branch of the tree.

The result of it, betrayed by her own beliefs, was a woman who was dangling from a branch.

“….”

To her displeasure, a wrinkle appeared on her white forehead.

At the training, the training of the knights was in full swing. Mason, an elderly, muscular knight who assisted the Duke for the third generation, was circling among the knights and correcting their posture.

“What?”

Mason, with his gray hair neatly tossed back, glanced at the plain where Laritte was.

‘Haha, she’s doing something interesting again.’

A few knights also saw Laritte’s figure.

‘You mean you can’t even climb that? Non-martial artists are interesting!’

…It was when they laughed out loud with the same heart. Mason told the knights he was going to help Laritte.

“I’m going somewhere for a while so you can practice one-on-one.”

“Yes, Mr. Mason!”

“And the guy who just laughed seems to be very talented, so have a spar with this old man.”

Finishing his words, Mason smiled kindly and quickly ran to the plain where Laritte was.

“I will help you, Madam.”

“Uhp!”

Laritte could only answer that. It was because she was straining her stomach to answer. He soon supported her small feet with both hands. Only then could she stand on a branch taller than where she was and survey her surroundings.

As expected, the view from here was wonderful.

“Thank you, Mason.”

“Isn’t it the duty of this knight to run wherever he is instructed? Are you hurt anywhere?”

When Laritte was talking openly with a knight who had once ignored him, the faint sound of a bomb exploded in the mansion not far from them. One of the many windows that made up one wall of the mansion shattered and fell.

Apparently, the sound of the bomb came from the room with that window.

…And it was the room where Joshua and Laritte stayed.

At the commotion, the eyes of the nearby employees gathered in one place. No one was harmed, thanks to Ian sending Laritte and telling everyone else to stay away.

Laritte shook her head.

‘I’ll have to move the room I’m staying in.’

Mason looked at it worriedly.

“I wonder if it will be okay.”

“Well, I don’t think anyone will die.”

No matter who won, Laritte had a personality that didn’t particularly worry about any situation. That aspect was temporarily transferred to others as well, and Mason laughed along with her.

Meanwhile, Ian and Joshua were fighting fiercely in the room.

After Laritte enjoyed her free walk and returned to her room.

“Ian? Joshua?”

The room was obviously a mess.

The chandelier, which once gave off a beautiful light, was destroyed and lost its former glory. The room, which became a garbage dump with the debris of glass and torn curtains, seemed difficult to find a ground to stand on.

No, could it even be called a room?

The elements of the room, the walls, ceiling and floor, appeared to be missing.

In the midst of the chaos, Ian was sitting by the window, looking bored. Joshua was wrapped in a bag and held in his arms. Contrary to what the room looked like inside, they were unscathed.

After all, it was discipline, not battle…

“Ah. Are you here, Laritte?”

Ian grinned.

Rather than the image of a friendly father, it must be closer to the King of lions who defeated all enemies and reigned at the top.

“So, what just happened?”

When she tried to enter the room, Ian came to the door first, saying that the ground was dirty.

“I helped the eldest son of the Reinhard family learn the principles of the world. It is a teaching that no matter how much you become the future master of the Duchy, you cannot have everything you want.”

“The words are packaged really nicely, but… didn’t you tell him to stop crying because he missed his mom?”

“It’s a deep lesson that even if he wants to see his mom, he can’t always see her.”

Joshua, in Ian’s arms, looked very upset.

He was human, after all, and he was still so small. Since he didn’t have much magic right now, he quickly used up his power. Joshua looked so angry that Laritte felt as if ‘I’m upset’ had been written all over the infant’s forehead.

Somehow, it seemed that the son glaring at Ian was making a goal to surpass his father someday.

Would this family be okay?

Even though it was Laritte, she was a little worried, but she put her mind down. Well, whatever was so strange in a world where people died and came back to life.

Of course, Joshua did not give up on Laritte easily after that. However, after facing many hardships with his father, he gave up on always being by Laritte’s side.

…There were times when everyone thought that.

By the time he crawled over, Joshua was free of the wrapping that wrapped tightly around him. Soon, he crawled all over the house, looking for his mother himself.

Joshua Reinhardt was on his way!

“Oh my, something crawling on the ceiling… Young Master Joshua! Again—!”

Joshua crawled on the ceiling like a spider today. It seemed that nothing was impossible for a child with magical powers.

The knights went out to catch Joshua using the ceiling path.

However, their hand couldn’t reach him, and even if they climbed the wall and grabbed Joshua, they couldn’t pull him down. It was because when Joshua stuck to the ceiling with a sullen face, no matter how much they pulled, he wouldn’t budge.

“Follow the young Master…!”

There were only four types of people who could stop Joshua like this.

First, the person Joshua wanted… Laritte.

Second, those who can offset Joshua’s magic power… Dragon.

Third, a human who blocked Joshua with overwhelming force… Ian.

Lastly… fourth was Olivia or Butterfly. Joshua, too, had become obedient to a certain extent, as it was clear that Laritte loved them a lot.

At least when Olivia was at the mansion, the employees felt more at ease. However, she could no longer be at the mansion as Laritte was almost done with her postpartum care because the Duchy’s company, where Olivia worked sent a tearful letter asking her to come back soon.

“I’ll come back here more often than I used to, dear.”

As Olivia left, the one who missed her the most was surprisingly Ian. At least with her, he could get a little bit of time to be alone with Laritte.

“Uuhh, ah. Ah!”

It was when Joshua got past the employees and ran up and down the wall toward his mom’s place. In an empty hallway, a white cat stepped on all fours and stood in front of it.

Butterfly’s expression was haughty.

“Auuhh.”

Joshua babbled in displeasure. Was he going to say, ‘get out of the way’?

“Nyaaw.”

Butterflies were also adamant. No, go back… could be what she meant.

A fierce battle of nerves unfolded.

Nonetheless, Joshua couldn’t do anything to Laritte’s beloved and weak Butterfly. And soon, Butterfly bit Joshua’s back and dragged the child as he babbled in anger.

Auh!

In the meanwhile, the employees were panicking after missing Joshua. They wondered if the Young Master had arrived at the Madam, so they went to see Laritte, but the only answer they got was ‘No?’

“Young Master?”

“Young Master…!”

The place where the employees went to cry was the huge office of the Duke.

“Duke!”

The knights also shouted in deep voices.

“Captain—!”

They ran to the front of the office as if they were building a mountain of people.

“…Joshua disappeared?”

While working, Ian understood the situation and said it was obvious that Joshua must’ve gone to Laritte. He swiftly turned his steps to keep this cute naughty demon away from his mother.

“That’s not it! The Young Master is nowhere to be found…!”

The mansion was a mess.

Find the young master!

The shout that started like that spread throughout the mansion as if it were contagious. Momentarily, everyone was looking for Joshua.

Even though the mansion was large, the employees were more numerous, so they quickly found Joshua. However, instead of loudly shouting, ‘The Young Master is here!’ filled with relief and cheers, they held their breath.

“….”

Joshua was sleeping pretty in a basket that looked like an Easter egg.

This small, fluffy place was a place where Butterfly would take a nap when she was bored. Apparently, she wanted Joshua to stop bothering his mother and at least take a nap. Meanwhile, Butterfly, who brought Joshua all the way here, was lying next to him in the sunlight.

The employees were of one mind.

Aww, both of them are cute…

After hearing this, Laritte, who came here, also laughed.

They had fun.

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