AFRPR 39

Chapter 39

“Fun game? What is it, what is it?”
Duren’s eyes sparkled.

“We switch roles.”

It was pretend play.

“I’ll be Dudu’s mom! You be the dad!”

“Okay, I’ll be the dad.”

Duren’s gaze turned to Glesia.

“Auntie will be Dudu!”

Glesia didn’t really want to join the game, so she didn’t even answer.

Then—

Pang!

Something soft tapped her bottom.

“…?”

“Dudu, wake up! It’s morning!”

Because Duren had the blanket wrapped tightly around himself, he didn’t even realize what he had just hit. He patted Glesia’s bottom again, urging her to get up.

“Leave me alone…”

“Dudu doesn’t want to get up?”

Duren looked disappointed.

The sight reminded her of Lennox as a child.

He was cute back then.

He used to follow her everywhere calling “Big sister, big sister,” and she adored him.

But if someone asked whether Duren resembled Lennox, she would say no.

Even if they were both “pups,” could a puppy and a wolf be the same?

Looking closely, he actually looked more like…

Jeremy.

At the thought of that name, Glesia froze for a moment before sitting up.

“Dudu?”

“Dudu’s awake.”

She spoke and finally sat up.

Duren, sitting next to her, reached out his hand.

Pat, pat.

“Our Dudu, eat a lot.”

He patted her back, imitating Estelle’s tone.

But when Glesia still didn’t touch her food for a long time, his expression turned serious.

“Dudu! You can’t waste food!”

“Dudu wants to be picky.”

Glesia matched his words in a flat voice. She had figured out that playing along was the fastest way to avoid disappointing Duren while staying away from the food.

“It’s really tasty though.”

“…”

“It melts in your mouth, you know?”

Still not eating? Huh?

The sincerity in his voice broke the act, and he looked as if the world had collapsed.

“I’m… not hungry.”

“Ah!”

Duren seemed to realize something.

Even with a kid, they probably won’t force me to eat.

Just as she relaxed—

“You ate sweet potatoes without Mom knowing!”

“….”

“That’s not okay. Snacks should be eaten with Mom. But it’s fine as long as you don’t do it again. Got it?”

Glesia didn’t answer.

Not because she was too tired or lazy, but because she was too taken aback and forgot to reply.

But Duren must have taken it as defiance.

“You have to say ‘Got it!’ If you don’t, Dudu will be a bad kid! And bad kids can’t become great adults.”

“I’m already bad.”

Duren’s eyes went wide.

Oh, right. She was playing Dudu right now.

As Glesia wondered how to fix what she’d just said, Duren shook his head.

“No! Dudu will be a great adult.”

“….”

“Snacks and bread are different. Your tummy looks empty, so you can eat bread.”

Just then, Duren, holding a spoon, scooped up a big spoonful of soup.

“Dudu, say ‘ah’.”

Scolded into obedience, Glesia opened her mouth without thinking.

But since Duren still wasn’t very good with cutlery, the spoon wobbled on the way to her mouth.

And then—

Splatter.

By the time it reached her, the spoon was empty.

The soup had spilled all over the table and her clothes. Duren’s shoulders shrank in fear of getting scolded.

At that moment, Estelle stepped in.

“Duren—no, I mean, Mom sometimes spills when taking care of kids. Let’s try again, okay?”

“Mm!”

Realizing she had almost called him by his real name, Estelle quickly fixed her wording.

Duren nodded firmly and scooped up another big spoonful of soup.

“That’s it, that’s it.”

With everyone cheering him on, the spoon this time arrived in front of Glesia’s mouth—only half-spilled.

Glesia opened her mouth.

Gulp.

“Tasty?”

“…It’s good.”

Even though the process had been messy, she didn’t mind.

“Let’s wash up and then talk properly, okay?”

“…Fine.”

Covered in soup, Glesia and Duren were dragged straight to the bathroom after the meal.

They gathered to finally talk after washing up—but life rarely goes according to plan.

“Dudu, walk! Time for a walk!”

“Duren, Mom can’t go. I need to talk to your aunt.”

The clever boy immediately turned to Glesia.

“Walk!”

He had figured out who he needed to persuade.

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

He shot her a pure, confident gaze, certain she wouldn’t say no.

“No, I’m not going.”

Thud.

Duren’s face fell in shock.

His bright eyes filled with sadness.

She hoped he wouldn’t cry.

Glesia realized too late she’d made a mistake.

He dropped his shoulders.

“Walks are fun…”

“….”

“Walks are exciting…”

“….”

“Walks are good…”

“Walk…”

Glesia had no energy to go outside.

But somehow, she couldn’t bear to watch him looking so sad—especially with that Jeremy-like face.

“…Let’s go.”

“Yay! Walk!”

Before she could change her mind, Duren dragged her outside.

“Duren! Slow down!”

Estelle, flustered, hurried after them.

Glesia found herself being pulled along whether she liked it or not.

“Huff… huff…”

She was panting hard.

Her stamina must have dropped a lot—usually she never got tired so quickly.

“This is it.”

After running nonstop for an hour with Duren, Glesia surrendered.

“This is it?”

“Walk is over.”

“Mm! Got it!”

Duren nodded decisively—and ran off without her.

So “got it” meant he’d just continue walking on his own.

Because of his short legs, every one of Glesia’s steps meant he had to take two or three.

Still, he had enough energy to keep running.

“Kids really do have endless energy, huh?”

Estelle came closer from where she’d been watching from a distance.

Glesia nodded absentmindedly.

Then Estelle held something out.

“Since the weather’s getting warmer, flowers are blooming nicely.”

It was a single red rose.

“It reminded me of you, so I picked it.”

Glesia just stared at it.

Estelle seemed to interpret her silence differently.

“Flowers wilt so quickly—it’s a little sad to get them as gifts. But if you press them between the pages of a book, you can keep them forever.”

“….”

“They can even be used as a bookmark. Do you have a favorite book, Glesia?”

She had nothing she liked.

Everything she’d loved was gone.

Suddenly, bitterness rose in her throat.

Smack.

Glesia slapped Estelle’s hand away.

The rose fell to the ground, rolling pitifully.

“Don’t give me things like this.”

“….”

“There’s only one thing I have to say to Lennox’s wife.”

Glesia glared at Estelle.

“Get divorced.”

For her, those words meant Run away.

“I’m against this marriage. Divorce quickly.”

Run away. Run away. Run away.

She swallowed the words she couldn’t say out loud and turned back down the path she knew well.

“Aunt!”

From a distance, Duren shouted.

She turned her head to see him cheerfully waving, his belly round and full.

“Let’s play again tomorrow!”

For her, there was no tomorrow.

But looking at him, she thought of someone who might have lived happily if they’d never met her.

Someone she had failed to protect—this boy felt like that person’s child.

She couldn’t bring herself to say anything cruel.

She just stayed silent.

Meanwhile…

At that moment, Lennox had arrived at the place marked on the map.

The upper reaches of the Gehenna River.

Monsters were rarely found here.

That’s why Lennox, whose main job was hunting monsters, had never been here before.

“Hm.”

He crossed his arms, staring seriously at the magic energy pouring down like a waterfall.

“They say there’s a holy relic here.”

But all he could see was magic energy.

He could have gotten angry, thinking he’d been tricked, and left—but instead, he examined the map closely.

There were some small coded markings he hadn’t been able to read before.

As he stared at the strange, octopus-like letters, he noticed something glittering beyond the waterfall.

He stepped closer.

“There’s space back there.”

It turned out there was a hollow behind the falls.

A little magic energy splashed on him, but he didn’t care as he stepped inside.

And then—his jaw dropped.

This…

It was way more amazing than he expected.