“Tell me. Who is your father and mother?”
“Looks like the child of a war criminal on the run.”
Recalling the voices of adults from the past, Eugene covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.
He knew that his father and mother were fugitives.
“Eugene, you must remember what Daddy says. Never talk about our family or your mother.”
Eugene’s family had to constantly run away from people.
Therefore, he couldn’t bring himself to speak, even with the Count’s sharp questioning.
‘I can’t say it…’
“Even if Mom and Dad disappear and you’re left alone… Eugene is brave and smart, so you’ll be okay. Even if we can’t meet, we’ll always be watching over you.”
But Eugene was not okay.
His parents were his whole world, and he had lost his world and was left alone.
“Eugene, it’s okay. Can you tell me what happened?”
Lost in anguish, Eugene opened his eyes to a comforting scent and a kind voice.
Cynthia was looking at Eugene with a worried expression.
“Brigadier General? It’s, it’s not that…”
“If it’s not that, then what is it?”
Masera was grabbing the Count’s arm and twisting it.
‘Are uncle and big sis the people Mom and Dad sent?’
Tears welled up in Eugene’s eyes as he looked at the two of them.
“That kid pushed our son and hurt him! Make him apologize right now!”
The Countess snapped fiercely.
The Count and Countess were traditional aristocrats who usually looked down on Masera and Cynthia.
Cynthia, roughly guessing the situation, stood in front of Eugene.
“Of course, I will make him apologize for hurting him. But having seen an adult insult a child based on their background, I think we need to look into the full story.”
Cynthia’s red eyes turned to the fallen child.
“What happened? Tell me the truth.”
It was a kind voice, but the child, intimidated by her gaze, avoided her eyes.
‘A fallen royal who was sold off to a commoner officer dares to dampen my child’s spirits?’
The Count glared at Cynthia.
“Why are you cornering the child? Besides, you’re speaking as if our child was at fault first.”
“Judging by the parents’ behavior, it seems likely they were at fault first.”
Just as the voices were getting louder, Eugene opened his tightly closed mouth.
“I just wanted to play together. I don’t care if I hear bad things. But…”
Eugene, who was speaking clearly, clenched his fists and held back tears.
“I got so angry when they ignored uncle and said bad things. I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Eventually, tears began to fall from Eugene’s eyes.
It was another matter that the child had insulted a war hero, so the Count and Countess were flustered.
The Countess quickly grabbed another child and asked.
“You said that kid suddenly got angry and pushed him while playing?”
“That’s…”
At that moment, a girl who had seen the whole situation approached Cynthia.
“Hello, Princess. My name is Mabel Yorkshire, granddaughter of the Grand Duke. Yorkshire is the home of the Yorkshire Terrier.”
The girl, who gave an unusual introduction, continued.
“Eugene is right. Eugene just wanted to play together, but they were the first to say rude things, calling him a war orphan and a commoner. They said the same about the war hero.”
“Waaaaah!”
Seeing her being reported in detail, the Count’s son tried to get out of the situation by raising his voice in tears.
At this, the Count shook off the Brigadier General’s hand and frowned.
“If you’re going to bring him to a place like this, you should teach him how to be polite to nobles first.”
Masera looked back and forth between the Count and his son and replied in a low voice.
“I taught him to be polite to everyone, but when the other person isn’t, there’s no need to be polite.”
“I heard that child was brought from the streets of the Duchy? He could be the child of a fugitive war criminal. How can you easily associate with someone whose background you don’t even know?”
Masera’s lips twisted, and at that moment, the Medea noblewomen, who had been watching all along, approached.
They were relatives of the girl who had testified to the truth.
[“There are still nobles who judge people by their status.”]
The Countess flinched and closed her mouth when she saw Madam Pritvatche.
She was a close relative of Queen Medea and a great noble, so they couldn’t dare to ignore her status.
Madam Pritvatche gave the Count and Countess a kind smile.
[“Jet-black hair and green eyes are characteristics of the Medea royal family. What will you do if this child turns out to be the descendant of a great noble, not the child of a war criminal? You’ll have to be hung on the castle walls for three days and nights?”]
But the words that came out were brutal.
The Count and Countess, who belatedly realized Eugene’s appearance, gave embarrassed smiles.
[“That’s too much for just a children’s fight… As a parent, I was surprised because my child was hurt.”]
There was a limit to making excuses in broken foreign language.
Cynthia put her hands on her hips and looked at the Count’s son with a stern face.
“Eugene will apologize for pushing you, so you apologize for saying harsh things too. Otherwise, you’ll be on the naughty list and won’t get a present on Holy Day. Ever.”
The Count’s son trembled.
Not receiving anything on the day when God sends gifts through white reindeer once a year was a huge tragedy for children.
Cynthia didn’t miss the other child who was trying to sneak away.
“You lied too, didn’t you? God has already written it down in his memo. Apologize before the white reindeer receive it. Otherwise, no presents for you ever.”
“I’m sorry for lying… We said bad things first.”
The child eventually confessed his lie.
The Count, who was watching Madam Pritvatche’s reaction, nudged his son, and the Count’s son also offered an apology.
Eugene took the hand the child offered and said, “I’m sorry too, but you were wrong first.”
Then, Cynthia looked straight at the Count and Countess and shouted.
“You apologize to us too!”
After the Count and Countess reluctantly apologized, they took their child and left as if running away.
Little Miss Mabel smiled prettily as she took Cynthia’s hand.
[“Princess, I want to be friends with Eugene. My great-aunt seems to like Eugene too.”]
Turning her head, Madam Pritvatche was patting Eugene.
[“Brave young master, you said you wanted to be Prime Minister? My husband is the Prime Minister of Medea. If you come to visit next time, I’ll show you the Prime Minister’s residence.”]
[“Really?”]
When Eugene opened his eyes wide, Mabel waved her hands and answered excitedly.
[“Really! So come and visit. Mabel will be the Speaker of the Assembly later! I’ll tell the congressmen to elect Eugene as Prime Minister!”]
To be already building connections with the Grand Duke’s family, how admirable.
Cynthia nodded and felt proud.
Masera quietly watched Eugene, who was soon mingling with the children.
Although he was a bit hesitant, Eugene was smiling.
He remembered what Eugene had said in the past when Masera asked if he wanted to hang out with friends his age.
“I’m not going to make friends. It’s sad when you have too many precious people. Especially kids… They’re weaker than uncle.”
At that time, Eugene had the expression of an adult who had lost something precious.
Despite his young age, he knew that children were the first to die in war.
‘I used to be…’
Masera also had the experience of losing something, so he thought that precious things were weaknesses.
That’s why he thought he would never have anything precious…
Masera looked down at Cynthia, who was waving at Eugene.
Despite her pale skin, her rosy cheeks and warm smile made her look like an unknown flower blooming in the spring sunshine.
‘It ended up like this after all.’
***
Finally, I get to see our Eugene hanging out with friends his age.
I watched Eugene playing with his friends, holding a parasol.
Then, suddenly, I felt a large, warm hand holding mine.
I was startled and looked at him. It was like a cat that had been avoiding me with a sulky look was suddenly rubbing against me.
He cleared his throat and spoke in a serious voice.
“If you don’t act like before, people will misunderstand. Your instructions were to look like we were in a relationship where we would kill each other, to look affectionate.”
“A relationship where we can’t live without each other.”
“This or that.”
Masera was acting prickly like he did in the beginning, but he couldn’t hide his red ears.
“You said you were going to be a genuinely affectionate husband, didn’t you? So, have you just been following my instructions all this time?”
At my question, I felt his hand, which was holding mine, flinch.
“That’s.”
He paused for a moment and ran a hand over his face. I could see his Adam’s apple bobbing greatly.
Then, he took a deep breath and let out the last words like a sigh.
“…I’ve just been holding myself back.”
