‘Is he running a fever?’
It wouldn’t be surprising if his health had taken a hit.
The journey to get here had been grueling, even for an adult like herself.
Reaching out to check Joshua’s forehead for a temperature, Eugenia extended her hand.
At that, Joshua momentarily flinched and then abruptly turned his face away.
‘Ugh, such a temper.’
Eugenia shot the boy a quick side glance, not with malice but mild exasperation, and withdrew her hand.
Then she crouched down to match Joshua’s eye level.
“Joshua.”
She placed a hand gently on the boy’s shoulder. Thankfully, this time he didn’t shy away.
Patting his shoulder softly, Eugenia continued.
“You’re still young, so you might not understand yet, but… sometimes in life, you need to be a little reckless. That’s the only way to move forward or take a bold new direction. I believed this was one of those times.”
Joshua’s lips were pressed tightly together. His stubborn expression made it clear that he still didn’t quite accept what was going on.
‘How am I supposed to convince this little mule…?’
Eugenia sighed quietly, her chest rising and falling.
“Joshua… do you trust me?”
What would he say?
Nervously, Eugenia fixed her gaze on his lips.
But her worry was unfounded—Joshua gave an immediate nod and replied without hesitation.
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief.”
As the boy nodded, his voice barely above a whisper, a soft smile curved Eugenia’s lips.
“Then how about this? Trust me. I’m not just anyone—I’m the one you chose.”
“……”
“So for your sake, I have no choice but to make the right decision. You understand what I mean, right, Joshua?”
Hoping her sincerity would reach him, Eugenia looked him straight in the eyes.
The boy, who had been silently returning her gaze, averted his eyes and looked down, his face suddenly flushed.
“…Okay.”
His voice cracked slightly as he answered.
Eugenia stood and began rummaging through her bag.
“Now, where did I put it?”
Soon, she pulled out some dried mint leaves. Taking a bit, she placed them in a cup and walked over to the fireplace.
She poured hot water from the kettle into the cup.
“Drink a little of this. It’ll soothe your throat.”
“Okay.”
Handing the cup to Joshua, she put on a deliberately cheerful tone.
“All right, now how about the two of you sit on the bed together? I’ve got something important to talk about.”
“What is it this time, acting all serious?”
Grumbling, Joshua still obediently followed her instructions.
Once he was seated next to his sister, Eugenia stood in front of them.
“It’s about the job I got today. You both need to know.”
She sat on the floor to match their eye level.
“Hmm… I don’t know how to begin this.”
With an awkward smile, Eugenia tightened her lips.
After a brief pause, she resumed, wearing a sheepish expression.
“I know this is sudden, but… I think I might be getting a husband.”
Clatter.
Joshua dropped his cup.
“Oh no, are you okay?!”
Eugenia stood up, flustered.
“Did you get burned?”
Worried he might be hurt, she grabbed his hands and checked them over.
But Joshua didn’t seem to care about that at all.
Looking up at her with a stunned expression, he pressed for answers.
“Eugenia, answer me. W-What did you say? What do you mean by that?”
His voice trembled like that of a newborn lamb.
Why is he so shocked?
Eugenia tilted her head, not understanding his reaction, and calmly repeated herself.
“I said, I think I might be getting a husband.”
At those words, Joshua’s face crumpled like a worn piece of paper.
He opened and closed his mouth, struggling to speak.
“Why…?”
But his question was drowned out by Selmia’s loud, cheerful voice.
“Wow! Congratulations, sister!”
She clapped so fast her hands became a blur, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“When’s the wedding? Wait—where did you meet him? Is he handsome? Is he tall? Is he rich?”
“Um… probably? I think he checks all those boxes…”
“Kyaa!”
Selmia even laced her fingers together, eyes shining like twin suns.
Only then did Eugenia realize her mistake.
‘Ah… I was in such a rush, I forgot to explain properly.’
No wonder they misunderstood.
Just as she opened her mouth to clarify, Joshua spoke up again, voice trembling more than ever.
“W-What do you mean? M-Marriage?”
“Joshua? Why are you stuttering like that?”
“Is that the problem? Just answer me! Why are you suddenly getting married? Who did you fall for? What is going on? Did you lie to me from the beginning?”
Excuse me?
Narrowing her eyes, Eugenia scolded him lightly.
“Lie? What lie, you little—”
Joshua snapped back, raising his voice.
“Then what?! You said you were going out to find work, and now you say you’re getting married? Of course I’m shocked! Explain yourself!”
Though he wasn’t stammering anymore, he clearly looked upset.
But Eugenia didn’t flinch.
‘When has that kid not gotten angry?’
His outbursts had long since lost their impact.
With a sigh, she raised both hands to her face level.
“Here, look.”
“What?”
Eugenia raised one index finger on each hand and linked them together.
“Try connecting this and this.”
“…What?”
“Connect ‘I got a job’ and ‘I’m getting a husband.’ Put them together.”
She emphasized each word, linking her fingers again.
Still confused, Joshua murmured under his breath.
“Got a job… getting a husband…”
“Right.”
“Damn it, how are those two things related?”
Scratching the back of his head in frustration, Joshua tried mimicking her hand gesture.
“Got a job… got a husband… If I treat ‘got’ as the same verb in both, and remove the middle… then job is… husband…?”
His eyes widened.
Staring at his fingers, he slowly looked over at Eugenia.
“Wait… is it… is it what I think it is?”
Finally caught on?
“Yes. That’s exactly what it is.”
Eugenia folded her arms and smirked with narrowed eyes.
“Now you get it.”
“Aww, I was hoping to see you in a wedding dress!”
Selmia, now understanding, puffed out her cheeks and pouted in disappointment.
Joshua, on the other hand, looked completely relieved.
His face, previously scrunched up, now lit up with a wide smile.
In an oddly excited voice, he asked again.
“So it’s really not real? Not really?”
Why is he being so overly serious?
‘Honestly, he acts all grown up most of the time, but at times like this, he’s just a kid.’
Eugenia nodded firmly.
Now that he’d calmed down, it was time for her to explain the part she’d left out earlier.
“Yes, it’s fake. Just a temporary act as a married couple. That’s the whole agreement between me and the man.”
She explained how the borders were about to be completely sealed and that the only way to escape the principality was to pretend to be a family.
Joshua and Selmia nodded in understanding.
“I don’t know how long it’ll last, but once this is over, we’ll go back to being complete strangers.”
To reassure them, Eugenia spoke with conviction.
Then, in a more serious tone, she added:
“No one will know your identities. I’ll be careful, but you two need to be cautious too. Got it?”
Following her lead, Selmia and Joshua’s expressions also turned serious.
Seeing them nod carefully, Eugenia pulled them into a hug.
“Just hang in there a little longer.”
Maybe she was saying it to herself, too.
She took a deep breath and let the kids go.
Then, in a bright voice, she declared:
“All right, let’s pack our things!”
The luggage they packed into two bags was quite minimal.
“First impressions matter. Let’s make sure we look tidy.”
After helping the kids with their clothes, Eugenia finally got ready herself.
She walked over to the window and opened it.
The rain seemed to have stopped; no raindrops fell anymore, though a few still dripped from the roof.
The sky was now tinged with red, and a faint rainbow stretched overhead.
‘The sun is setting.’
Eugenia closed the window again.
Enrique had said he’d come pick them up in the evening, but hadn’t said what time.
‘When should we leave?’
