Ch.164Family Outing (1)

As autumn swiftly approached Yuris, cold winds arrived earlier than in other regions.

For farmers, harvest season had come, making work lighter than usual and providing time to enjoy activities normally set aside.

Evan, who had been planning to casually hunt some barbarians, frowned slightly as he found himself suddenly led outside by Aileen.

“Isn’t this too sudden?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You didn’t have anything to do anyway, right?”

When Aileen, who turned thirty this year, muttered this, Evan couldn’t refute and pouted his lips.

It had already been two years since Levi joined the knighthood.

Having stepped back from knight training, all Evan did these days was personal training and minor tasks.

Noticing Evan’s boredom, Aileen had enthusiastically prepared this picnic.

“Family outings are nice, aren’t they?”

“They’re nice, but I’m not fond of having uninvited guests.”

“Try to be more positive. Kai doesn’t just like Robelia as a joke, you know.”

They came under the pretext of family, but there was actually one guest at this picnic.

Among Emperor Kaisel’s family, what Evan particularly disliked was Kai sticking close to Robelia.

“The way you look at my son seems concerning. Are you jealous that he resembles me so much?”

“Well… I’m just glad he doesn’t seem to have inherited Your Majesty’s negative traits. If he had, our Robelia would have been quite sad.”

“You really don’t hold back with the Emperor, do you?”

“Didn’t you lose our drinking contest last time? The loser has no right to speak.”

Recalling the drinking contest he lost by just one beer, Kaisel sighed deeply and scratched his head.

He never expected Evan to treat him like an emperor anyway. It would only make their relationship awkward.

Believing that status was unnecessary between friends, Kaisel easily set aside his position when outside the palace.

“Kai, stop sticking so close. I’m busy with this.”

“You’ll forget and come close again in five minutes anyway, so why not just get used to it?”

“We’re not dating. Did you forget we agreed to just be friends for now?”

“Hmm, I don’t know about that. Your hairpin looks pretty today, it suits you well.”

“Oh… r-really? That’s good then.”

Seeing Robelia’s face turn red, Kai let out a small laugh. While the two seemed to get along well, Evan frowned intensely.

Unable to control his trembling hand, he unconsciously placed it where his sword was.

“Evan, I don’t think you’re stupid, but you do know that reaching for your sword in my presence constitutes treason, right?”

“Robelia is speaking so intimately with a man. She’s even blushing.”

“Yes, and that’s my son. I’m quite proud of him.”

“…I’ll resign my military authority. You can handle the northern defenses yourself, Your Majesty.”

What an insolent friend, Kaisel thought with a bitter smile, while Evan grumbled and looked away from Robelia.

Though displeased now, Evan knew well that Robelia didn’t just see Kai as a brother. Perhaps someday… he would have to watch those two dating.

‘So this is how you felt.’

He had thought his father-in-law was being excessive, but now, thinking about his daughter getting married made his heart ache.

He felt the same about Arthur marrying, but Evan was particularly fond of Robelia, who resembled him so much.

“Are you being overprotective because she’s your daughter? Arthur might feel neglected.”

“Arthur… takes slightly after Aileen. He doesn’t seem to care whether I worry about him or not. He seems to be getting along well with that Levi kid, though Arthur himself doesn’t realize it.”

“He really takes after the Duke, even that expression is identical.”

Arthur, sitting on the yellowed hill, maintained an expressionless face as he looked around.

With that blank expression, he gently brushed aside Levi’s hair as she slept beside him, and smiled slightly.

Since he rarely showed such a smile, Aileen watched with Scarlet and smiled faintly.

Mother and son had such similar smiles. Watching them intently, Evan shrugged his shoulders.

Though Arthur had spent more time with him than with Aileen, somehow he had come to resemble her. Evan couldn’t understand how.

“Ah, did I fall asleep?”

“You can sleep more if you want. Nobody’s going to say anything. Grandpa Chris isn’t here either.”

When Levi woke up at his touch, Arthur quietly withdrew his hand and responded casually.

From Arthur’s perspective, Levi was simply fascinating—how she naturally joined them here, how she could sleep so comfortably despite the Emperor’s presence.

When they first met, the atmosphere seemed a bit colder, but somehow she had become familiar with his family.

Perhaps Levi could now be considered family too.

“Sister Lize visited recently, right?”

“Ah, Mom? Yes, she gave me a letter too… but why bring that up suddenly?”

“Nothing, I just didn’t have anything else to talk about with you.”

“…Aren’t you being too honest? I feel a bit uncomfortable being here too. The Emperor is present, after all.”

Yet you slept just fine, Arthur thought as his eyes narrowed. Levi cleared her throat and pouted.

It was true that she felt uncomfortable. She was just accepting it because Arthur was beside her.

Though she hadn’t expressed it out loud… perhaps she could say it soon.

It had been well over two years since she joined Yuris as a knight.

She was gradually getting used to knight training, and upon reaching adulthood, she would officially become a knight.

Sometimes she wondered when she would become an adult, but considering two years had already passed, she felt that time would fly by just as quickly.

“Arthur, what do you plan to do later? Will you become a knight like the Captain?”

The Captain referred to Evan, and Arthur nodded at the question while touching the sword at his waist.

“Of course, I’ll become a knight like my father. Maybe dragons like Mabet still exist somewhere in the world. I’ll find such dragons and capture them myself.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t it be difficult to do alone? I think having at least one companion would be good.”

Arthur looked at Levi with confusion, causing her eyes to narrow slightly in surprise.

“…Why? Don’t you need companions?”

“No, I just assumed you’d be coming with me. Weren’t you?”

“O-of course! Of course we’ll go together. Hahaha. I was thinking the same thing. Yes, definitely thinking that.”

Levi’s face suddenly turned red, and Arthur shook his head as he tucked his sword back at his waist.

She often showed such reactions whenever he said something, making him sometimes careful with his words.

He wondered if she was sick, and thought he should look up what illness causes faces to turn red.

The empty hill was near Yuris. Though the northern location meant cold weather, it was the only place where one could see such autumn foliage right when fall arrived.

Seeing the fluttering autumn leaves reminded her of something, and Aileen, sitting with Scarlet, quietly took out the basket she had been holding.

“Um, what’s that, Duchess?”

“Something I made. Evan tried to stop me, but I secretly brought it along. Evan doesn’t seem to like me cooking. He tries to stop me even when I want to do it. Really, he doesn’t need to be so concerned.”

At first glance it sounded like she was bragging about her husband, but upon reflection, Scarlet realized it really was husband bragging.

As Aileen smiled smugly, Scarlet frowned and thought about Kaisel’s merits.

As the crown prince, he had been wealthy, and they had lived quite comfortably in the palace.

…But the same was true for Aileen. Aileen was a duchess, and her husband was a hero who had killed a great dragon with his own hands.

Unwilling to lose as Kaisel’s wife, Scarlet crossed her arms and slowly spoke.

“Kaisel personally treated my wounds when I got hurt recently. I told him that as Emperor he didn’t need to do such things, but he insisted on bandaging me himself. See my finger?”

“…Evan once died trying to save me. My heart still aches whenever I think about it.”

Aileen fluttered her long eyelashes and pressed her lips together with her eyes tightly shut.

It was a sad expression that looked like she might cry at any moment, but Scarlet, realizing it was a joke, glared at Aileen and exclaimed softly.

“Duchess, that’s cheating!”

“I was just joking around. It’s boring, isn’t it? Everyone’s separated.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Though they were in the same place, everyone had spread their blankets separately, leaving the wives alone and bored.

This wasn’t why they had come out. Wasn’t this supposed to be a family outing?

People would laugh if they knew those of the highest status in the empire were spending time like this.

Also displeased with Evan chatting too happily with Kaisel, Aileen glanced at Scarlet and spoke.

“Did you have anything in mind to do while we’re here?”

“Well… not really. I thought you would have prepared everything, Duchess.”

“Your Majesty, isn’t that a bit unfair? Weren’t we supposed to prepare together?”

“Ahaha, I’m… sorry. This is my first picnic. You know what my home was like.”

Scarlet, who had lived with Jeolmyeol and stayed mostly indoors, hadn’t gone outside much.

The first time she traveled far was when she came to the imperial capital.

Recalling this, Aileen shook her head slightly. She couldn’t blame Scarlet. However, something needed to be done about this free-spirited atmosphere.

Clap-!

When Aileen stood up and clapped loudly, the children and husbands who were separated turned their attention to her.

Aileen felt their gazes for a moment, then continued in a slightly cold voice.

“Everyone, gather around. I have something to say.”

She had no intention of wasting this rare family picnic.

It should be spent meaningfully, shouldn’t it? Meaningfully.