TTMLPTWW ~ Chapter 45

The time to return to the Republic of Rutemia was fast approaching.

I hadn’t been able to see Anita again during that time.

‘She should just ditch that old bastard and live in the official residence.’

Since that old bastard was the father of her child, it was a shame that a third party couldn’t easily intervene.

I went out on deck and was looking at a Medea newspaper someone had left behind when I was startled and widened my eyes.

「Federal Nation Banned Book List

Lukins’ Snow Queen – Book Promoting Discrimination and Hatred Against Esatains」

“That’s the book Eugene was reading, isn’t it?”

Eugene said it was about a white-haired monster that ate children.

“……Who gave him that book?”

The way the tutor, Hayden, sometimes looked at me seemed suspicious, but I decided not to jump to conclusions.

Since there were so many books, there was a chance he gave it to him without knowing.

First, I needed to confirm.

“Brigadier General, do you know about the Snow Queen book?”

I went back to my room and asked Masera.

“It’s a book that the federal nations have designated as forbidden.”

Masera answered as if he were a dictionary.

“The law was strengthened three days ago so that even possessing it would result in an investigation, so I would never buy it.”

“I’m not asking you to buy it… Where do they investigate, by any chance?”

Then Masera could be in danger, too, right?

“I investigate.”

Then Masera would be investigating himself?

First, I need to check if that book is still in Eugene’s room. He might have gotten rid of it after the law was strengthened.

* * *

Finally, I returned to the official residence.

“Achoo!”

Unlike the relatively warm Medea, Rutemia was disgustingly cold.

“Welcome back?”

“Dahlia!”

I was so happy to see Dahlia, who had come to greet me, that I hugged her.

After that, I hugged the trainee maids who were waiting in line, and the moment I stretched out my arms for the next person, I met the eyes of Diego, Masera’s aide.

“Oh…….”

“I’m fine.”

Diego stepped back, watching Masera, the Confucian man.

I handed out Medea souvenirs to the maids and then shouted towards Eugene, who was hiding in plain sight.

“Eugene, I bought you a train!”

“Hic.”

Surprised, Eugene ran to his room.

I took the train toy and headed to Eugene’s room.

“This is a train that moves when you lay the tracks. It’ll be fun, right? Aren’t you interested?”

Eugene turned his head away, pretending not to be interested, but I could see his light green eyes were fixed on the train toy in my hand.

“I’ll lay the tracks for you.”

As I opened the box and started assembling it, Eugene was already standing close to me.

Eugene, who was watching with interest, pointed to one of the parts and said.

“This is a barrier that comes down before the train arrives.”

“Oh, you know a lot about trains?”

“Yeah. I used to ride trains a lot with my mom and dad…….”

Eugene, who had brought up his parents for the first time, stopped talking.

I didn’t bother to ask again or urge him.

“Come to think of it, it didn’t snow in Medea, did it? There probably isn’t a scary Snow Queen there either.”

Instead, I brought up another topic and naturally started talking about the book.

“Who gave you the Snow Queen book? I want to read it too, can you lend it to me?”

“Hayden gave it to me. You can borrow it.”

Eugene, who was in a good mood because of the train, readily agreed.

The tutor gave him a banned book, what on earth was he thinking?

Just as I was about to take out the book that was stuck in the bookshelf backwards and examine it, there was a knock and Hayden came in.

He looked at me with an unpleasant expression and said.

“It’s time for class. Please leave.”

“Yes.”

Hayden glared at me sharply as I shrugged and answered.

“What are you thinking, approaching Eugene?”

“I’m thinking of getting close to him. Is it wrong to approach him?”

“Do you sincerely have the intention to take responsibility for a child who isn’t even your own? I’m worried that Eugene will be discriminated against and alienated in the future.”

“You don’t know me very well. Why are you worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet?”

Hayden, speechless at my question mark attack, pointed to Eugene with a gloomy expression.

“Eugene is always anxious that he’ll be kicked out of the mansion because of you.”

“Why would he think that when I haven’t done anything? Isn’t there someone else who’s instilling anxiety in the child?”

Hayden put one hand on his hip and raised his chin.

“Who knows? Maybe you’re secretly tormenting Eugene from behind.”

“With that kind of unfounded logic, I could make the same accusation that you’ve been tormenting him from behind, right?”

Time to show the results of my pre-bedtime argument simulation.

I decided not to bring up the fact that he gave Eugene a banned book for now. If he found out in advance, he might put up a smokescreen and get away with it.

But then.

Eugene jumped up from his seat and came over, gently pushing me with both hands.

“Go.”

His voice was choked with tears.

“Go away quickly. I like Hayden.”

“Don’t you like me?”

“I said I don’t. Leave me alone. Take the train, too.”

I felt sorry for the child who was speaking with a tearful face.

It didn’t seem like that’s what he really meant. Was there something he couldn’t bring himself to say?

“Okay, Eugene. I’m sorry.”

I smiled sadly and turned around.

Hayden gave me a victorious smile as he watched me leave the room like a defeated soldier.

‘Although I’m retreating for now.’

Standing in the hallway, I took out the book I had hidden in my coat and gave a determined look.

It was the banned book, ‘Snow Queen’.

‘I’m going to tell Masera everything and get rid of that nasty instigator.’

Then I found a notebook stacked behind the book. It looked like a workbook.

I must have grabbed it when I was in a hurry. What are kids learning these days?

“…….”

I felt puzzled as I looked at the workbook.

“Isn’t this…… at a 5-year-old level?”

Eugene isn’t stupid, so this is strange.

* * *

After Cynthia left, Hayden looked back and forth between the train on the floor and Eugene with a cold look.

‘It’s troublesome for Eugene and that woman to get close. She seems strangely quick-witted.’

In the past, he was a traitor who sided with the enemy imperial forces and reported Esatain.

Then, after the empire fell, he hid his identity and came here as a tutor. Working in an officer’s house would be less suspicious.

The reason he easily passed the strict background check was because Eugene, who didn’t open his heart to others easily, had chosen him.

Of course, the fact that Hayden knew that Eugene’s mother was Esatain played a big role.

In the end, he was using Eugene to stay here.

“You promised not to get close to that woman. Did you fall for these trivial toys?”

“But…….”

“I told you that woman is pretending to be nice to you to win you over and eventually kick you out.”

Eugene wanted to say that Cynthia didn’t seem like a bad person, and that he wanted to get along with her.

“And you talked to an Esatain officer a while ago. What if your secret gets out?”

The secret was that Eugene’s mother was Esatain.

“That’s because I said harsh things first, and big sis Cynthia told me to apologize…….”

“Isn’t it strange to even make contact with Esatain?”

Hayden resolved to suppress the child, who had recently begun to express his opinions more and more.

“People pretend they don’t, but deep down they hate Esatain very much. Isn’t the woman named Cynthia being ostracized because she looks like Esatain?”

“I’ve often seen people hate big sis Cynthia at first, but eventually come to like her.”

Hayden sighed and looked around, realizing that the ‘Snow Queen’ book was gone.

He had hidden the banned books in Eugene’s room in order to frame Masera as an imperial spy in the future.

‘I definitely put it here so it wouldn’t be noticed, who did it?’

Then he remembered Cynthia, who had unnaturally buttoned her coat and left.

That damn bitch stole it!

Hayden rubbed his face as if washing it and frowned, making a scary face.

“Do you still think you’re a young master? If you keep disobeying me, I’ll have no choice but to tell the Brigadier General that your mother was a criminal who committed a crime and ran away.”

At Hayden’s threat, Eugene looked down at his feet with a shrunken face.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. Don’t hate me.”

From Eugene’s point of view, Hayden was the only person who knew the truth but didn’t hate him.

“If you just do as I say from now on, you won’t be abandoned.”

It was natural for Eugene to be anxious, since he was young and had difficulty making judgments, and he had already experienced it.

‘Should I resent and hate my mom?’

Eugene’s light green eyes gradually turned a deeper teal.

Until he came to the official residence, he had been hiding and running away with his parents every day.

Eugene, recalling the quiet gray world, slowly closed his eyes.