Chapter 74

"Hello, Perez..."

I was surprised.

"Why are you so tall?... Were you this big?"

Perez was punished to self-refined for his irresponsible behavior for leaving the palace alone in the middle of the night.

Thanks to it, we haven't met in the meantime.

We just exchanged letters like before.

"Growth period."

Yeah, it's a growing period.

That's why he grew up.

But it's even more amazing, he was originally grown-up when he kid, now enters a full-fledged growth period.

It's his 14th birthday soon, but now he's still 13 years old.

In terms of height, he was as tall as the twins and their peers.

"You dropped this."

Perez returned the handkerchief, I looked at him blankly.

"This isn't mine. It's his."

"...Oh, really?"

Perez looked at the boy he was pointing at.

"Sec, Second Prince... Uhh!"

The boy who lowered his head looked at Perez and was scared.

For some reason, I wanted to see Perez's face, but I couldn't see well because of his black hair covered in sunlight.

But I don't think there's much to it.

It was a weak impression, but also his real personality.

"Take it."

"No! No, thank you!"

The boy, who refused to accept his handkerchief, turned blue and ran away.

"What's wrong with him?"

"...Well."

"Did he want to go to the bathroom?"

I'm sorry if we bothered you in a hurry.

I tilted my head when I heard Mayron murmur next to me.

"He'd want to go to the bathroom. Even if it wasn't."

"...Who?"

Perez asked when he looked at Mayron standing right next to me.

But the atmosphere is a bit strange.

The red eyes seem to have gotten a little darker.

Maybe it's because I haven't seen him in a while.

Or maybe it's in the shade.

If I wasn't familiar with Perez's personality, I might say it was 'hostility'.

"I'm Tia's cousin. Mayron Lombardy. And this is."

"Gilliu Lombardy."

"Oh... Hi."

As expected, I didn't see it well.

He was just being shy.1

Perez's face came back as I knew it.

When I looked up at the sky, the sun, which had been slightly covered by clouds, shone again.

"I'm, Perez."1

"I know."

But this time, the twin's atmosphere was strange.1

"What's wrong with you two?"

The shy guy mustered up his courage and introduced himself first!1

"You're not trying to be nice, are you?"

"Well, it's not that!"

"We're just!"

The twins raised their voices as if they were falsely accused.

"It's okay, Tia. Maybe they're being shy. Like me."

Perez spoke advisingly.

"Huh!"

"Huh, by the way!"

The twins tapped on their chests.

I glanced at them once and introduced Perez to another cousin.

"This is Larane. She's Belsach's sister."

"...Belsach?"

"You've met my brother."

"Yeah, a few times."

When Perez answered by tilting his head, Larane smiled bitterly.

"And this is... Crane, have you seen him?"

Crane was hiding behind me before I knew it.

Well, it's worth being scared of.

The last time he saw him, he cut down the tree.

"Did he?"

Perez didn't seem to remember Crane.

I sighed softly and patted Crane's round little head, explaining.

"He's Astalliu's brother. He was eavesdropping on our story last time."

"...Astalliu?"

"Well, the big one next to Belsach."

"Ahh."

Only then did Perez nod, looking at Crane.

"Oh."

Crane dug further behind me and hid.

"Hello, nice to meet you. Sorry about the other day."

Perez slightly lowering himself.

But it's not even close.

Crane was still scared and wary of Perez.

"Well, let's go eat something delicious. Sweets, sweets."

I said while pointing to the chocolate fountain in the distance.

Wouldn't this awkward atmosphere be relieved if something sweet goes into their mouth?

Thinking so, I moved on with the twins, Larane, Perez, and Crane, who was holding my skirt.

* * *

Gallahan was talking to the aristocrats around him and suddenly looked at his daughter.

The child, who had been wandering around the banquet hall by herself a little while ago, was surrounded by her cousins and the Second Prince.

They're heading towards the chocolate fountain.

Seeing Florentia and the children walking together, Gallahan quietly smiled a little.

He prepared it carefully for Tia, who loves chocolate.

A grumpy voice that broke the mood spoke.

"You're still extraordinary."

"...Brother."

It was Viese and Gallahan who met face to face after a long time.

"I can't believe I'm celebrating the 11th birthday and a girl's birthday."

Viese clicked his tongue when he looked back at the banquet hall with a smiling face.

"Isn't it too much waste?"

"Lombardy's hall is the only one I borrowed today. It's all with my personal expenses."

"...If that's the case. But even if it's your money, isn't it's too much. You're spending too much money."1

"That's fine."

What's the use of making so much money if you don't spend it on your beloved daughter.2

"That's fine?. Money has to be spent on bigger things."

He tried to be patient in front of the crowd.

Galahan's patience had now run out with Viese's continuing offensive remarks.

"How you spend your money depends on the person who makes it."

"What?"

"I don't think I should get advice from my brother about money."16

Viese realized that there were a lot of eyes around him looking down at his anger according to his personality, so he stared instead.

"I almost died once, so I can see it."

"Yes."

Gallahan smiled, but he did not hide his hostility toward Viese.

"Because I was bedridden with a terminal illness, I saw clearly who was friendly and who was the enemy."

After recovering, Gallahan was the first to investigate who leaked the secret to Angenas.

As a result, Dr. O'Malley, who diagnosed Gallahan, opened his mouth on the condition that he would not be accused, and his testimony pointed to Viese.

When he heard that Gallahan had Tlenbrew's disease, he laughed so cheerfully.

"Thanks to you, I feel my eyes open."

Gallahan made a ready-to-wear business to protect Tia.

And received an estate to hand over to Tia.

He thought with satisfaction that it was enough for now.

As soon as Viese found out that he had an incurable disease, he tried to spoil everything.

No, he took the ready-to-wear business from his brother who was bedridden, and offered it to Angenas.1

There was no more affection left as before in Gallahan's eyes towards Viese.1

Although it took a long time to distinguish between enemies and friends.

Gallahan was not soft enough to have an affection for those who once turned to the enemy.

Gallahan is the son of Lulak, inheriting many of his mother's figures.

He had no intention of forgiving, and he had no intention of backing down like before.2

"It's, it's..." Viese said after coughing loudly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you do."

Gallahan's tone was imbued with a faint sneer.

"This is a birthday party I held for my daughter. If you have anything you don't like, you can go back."

"What? Gallahan, you're talking too much!"

Viese was upset, but Gallahan let it slip away.

And with a grin, he added.

"Goodbye, brother."7

The nobles around him laughed softly.

They just couldn't laugh out loud in front of Viese.

It was a fact that all Central nobles knew that Viese, the eldest son of the Lombardy family, was a clumsy person somewhere.

However, he did not openly ignore Lombardy because he had a wife from Angenas.

Viese, who stood there and stared at Gallahan, turned around and left the banquet hall, but Gallahan didn't even look back.

* * *

The atmosphere of the banquet had reached its peak.

The music became more exciting, and more and more people danced in the middle of the banquet hall.

There were times when adults filled the flow of pairs, and children who were not yet adults divided men and women and danced in groups.

The twins and Larane, who were guarding me, joined it, and Crane was called to his parents.

"Why are you standing so far away?"

Perez, the only man, was four or five steps away from me.

"I said that before. I can't seem too close to you yet."

"Oh, that."

I was worried that will be involved in the middle of the confrontation between the Empress and grandfather, and the First and Second Princes.

"It's out of the question.”

"What do you mean?"

"I've become your supporter, and that's not enough, rumors have already spread that you saved my father."

Besides, Angenas tried to take away my father's ready-to-wear business.

Already, my father, Empress, and Angenas were at odds.

Grandfather seems to be very angry about it.

Maybe that's why my grandfather returned to the aristocracy because of Angenas.

Now that I look around the banquet hall, I can hardly see the people of the pro-Empress family, Angenas.

Already, the nobles have slowly begun to set their course.

One good thing was that Emperor Jovanes was balancing the balance by weighing from side to side in the middle.

It was a bit cumbersome.

Because we were going to have a bad relationship with Angenas one day.

"I can't help it now that it's...….”

I stopped talking and looked at Peres, who was next to me.

"Why?"

When I glanced, Perez tilted his head with a slightly brazen face.

"You're gonna regret it later. You're in trouble if there's a rumor that you're more than just friends with me."2

"...How come?"2

"Because."

Only once in my previous life, when I saw Perez mixed up among the people watching.

Perez was not alone.

Behind the horse-driven by Perez with a cold face that welcomes everyone, there was a carriage that the woman was in.5

"Anyway, don't do anything you'll regret later."

I pat Perez's body away.

No, I tried to push him away.

But Perez didn't get pushed out with and, was frowning somewhere.