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chapter 81
The Day Before the Formal Meeting
“I have something to tell you.”
Noah and Leto came to Clare’s room, saying they had something important to inform her.
Seeing the serious expressions on the two of them, Clare tensed up as well.
“Sis-in-law,”
Leto began.
“Don’t be shocked—just listen carefully.”
“Okay…”
Clare’s small ears twitched.
“Do you remember the person who tried to kidnap you and your friends last time?”
“The bad grandpa? He tried to lure us with ice cream!”
Recalling that day even with difficult words, Clare puffed her cheeks and huffed proudly. Despite having gone through something so frightening, the child wasn’t scared at all. Rather, she regretted not having fought back properly.
“Next time, I’ll use my ultimate move!”
“No, you won’t!”
Surprised by her resolute determination, Leto quickly revealed the truth. He feared the General might get into trouble if this continued.
“That person wasn’t a kidnapper.”
“No, he was! He kept staring at me and my friends!”
“Clare…”
Noah explained in more detail.
“That person really came to see you.”
“Huh?”
“He was Leto’s grandfather.”
“Huhhh?”
Clare tilted her head, trying to process what she had just heard. She needed a moment to understand this completely.
Noah and Leto waited patiently.
Fortunately, Clare didn’t need too long. She was a clever child.
“So… grandpa-in-law tried to kidnap me?”
“No, no, no.”
Sometimes, though, her cleverness manifested in unexpected ways.
Noah carefully explained it once more.
“Leto’s grandfather came to see you, and because he thought you and your friends were cute, he bought you ice cream.”
“So he didn’t try to kidnap us?”
“Nope.”
“Then why was he caught by the police?”
“No one in this town knew my grandfather.”
For clarity, Leto used the term “grandfather” instead of “the General.” It felt a little unfamiliar, but he tried not to overthink it.
“Everyone had good intentions, but things went a bit wrong.”
Albus genuinely found the kids cute.
The ice cream shop owner was worried about the children.
The police were just doing their job.
“…Honestly, the General made a mistake, though.”
Despite always holding him in great respect, Leto admitted to himself that Albus had been a little careless.
“Do you understand now?”
Noah asked.
Clare recounted her understanding.
“So, grandpa-in-law isn’t a bad person?”
“Exactly.”
Leto nodded approvingly.
Thanks to this, Clare would likely not mistake Albus for a kidnapper during tomorrow’s formal meeting.
He could now also anticipate his sister-in-law’s impulsive reactions.
“You really are smart, our Clare. How did you understand it so quickly?”
“I heard it on a radio story. You know, those cases where a small misunderstanding causes a tragedy between a couple.”
“…Something like that.”
Though she didn’t fully grasp everything yet.
“Well, radio stories can be useful sometimes.”
Leto decided to take some satisfaction in that.
Even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, Clare remained suspicious until she fell asleep.
“Grandpa, he looks so scary.”
“He’s not scary—he’s impressive.”
“His hair was all messy, and the sunglasses were huge!”
“He has his own sense of style.”
“What are you even talking about with a kid?”
Noah quickly wrapped up the conversation, ensured Clare was asleep, and then left the room with Leto.
“Shall we get some sleep too?”
“Before that…”
Noah, sitting next to her husband as he prepared to sleep, spoke.
“I want to ask you something.”
“It’s thrilling from above, you know.”
“Human…”
Noah pinched his playful lips. Even so, Leto chuckled and wrapped his arms around Noah’s waist. Naturally, his head rested on Noah’s thigh.
“What do you want to ask?”
“What did you talk about with the Marquis?”
That day, Leto remembered having a long phone call with Marquis Oceanus who had called the house.
“It wasn’t anything important.”
Leto’s answer hadn’t changed.
“All we talked about was the date and location for the formal meeting.”
“….”
“I understand what you’re worried about now.”
Looking down at him, Noah’s expression was full of concern. Leto smiled as he gently rubbed her frowning brow, amused by how worried she was.
He didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry, so he quickly added:
“It really wasn’t anything important.”
Leto’s honest voice left no room for lies.
“They just asked how I was doing.”
Whether he’d been keeping in touch, how Karina missed her, and so on.
Noah’s eyes widened.
“The Marquis was upset that you didn’t contact him?”
“…I think so.”
Even Leto seemed a little surprised by his own answer, but it wasn’t a bad expression—just a little worry.
“Was I wrong to think that?”
“Not at all.”
Noah snorted. If that were considered rude, their family would be shamelessly impolite. They were a close family who cared deeply for each other.
“And even if it was a misunderstanding, so what?”
Noah smiled softly.
“Then come to me. I’ll comfort you and hug you.”
She spread her arms, ready to embrace him.
“….”
Leto, staring blankly, shuffled closer and leaned fully into Noah’s arms, tightening his grip around her waist.
“My wife is so reliable.”
“No wonder she’s in the navy.”
“So cool, I fell for her again.”
How many times must one fall in love in a lifetime?
Leto’s ears and neck turned red with silly jealousy, and Noah pretended not to notice, gently patting and comforting him.
“By the way, Leto.”
While patting him for a while, Noah suddenly asked something that had been bothering her.
“You know who our parents are, right?”
Leto lifted his head and looked at her.
“We met before. You’re the chief researcher of the Magic Tower, right?”
“….”
Noah, sensing something off, gently pushed Leto away. Now it seemed that Clare wasn’t the only one who needed to know important information before the formal meeting.
“You understand that my grandmother is Commander Adbello, right?”
“I suffered all night to understand that.”
He recalled that painful night vividly, throwing up everything he had eaten that evening.
“Right. So…”
Noah’s calm voice spoke slowly, like asking a very simple riddle.
“Who do you think my mother is?”
“….”
“She must be Commander Adbello’s daughter, right?”
“Uh…”
Leto raised his upper body, looking bewildered.
Noah patiently explained:
“At the formal meeting, our parents will be there too.”
“….”
“They’ll come in their true form, not as Jenny Vello and Ameta Vello, but as Genius Adbello, head of the Magic Tower, and his chief assistant, Ameta Adbello.”
After a long silence, Leto finally muttered:
“…Please don’t tell my grandmother.”
She’d definitely tease him.
Noah promised and gently patted her husband’s back.
The Day of the Formal Meeting
The Vello family arrived first at the hotel, the meeting place, and waited in the lobby.
“This is where you and brother-in-law went for your honeymoon?”
Clare, in a purple dress and short-sleeved cardigan, gently swung her body while holding Vis’s hand.
“You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah. I built sandcastles with brother-in-law and bought toys here.”
While Clare played with Vis, Leto greeted Noah’s parents for the second time.
Though their appearance had completely changed since the first meeting, Leto felt much more comfortable this time.
“You feel more familiar here, right?”
Genius Adbello, perhaps reading his thoughts, lightly tapped Leto’s arm.
Green eyes, brown hair. The head of the Magic Tower, whom he often met for work, had now appeared as his mother-in-law.
“I always thought, even when we met for work, our son-in-law has an amazing face.”
“Thank you for thinking so well of me back then.”
“And your habit of interpreting things in your own way is impressive too.”
“I try to live positively in everything.”
“Hoho! And your wit is delightful.”
Leto maintained a playful smile even when meeting Genius Adbello.
Thinking back to when he had fallen ill upon learning Gloria was Noah’s grandmother, it was remarkable progress.
He had turned that shock into a sort of vaccine.
Fortunately, Ameta Adbello looked the same as when they first met.
“Thank you for staying the same.”
He even held Ameta’s hand sincerely. By now, Ameta felt a little pity for Leto.
“Can I safely assume there won’t be any more surprises?”
Leto asked earnestly. Knowing that his in-laws were the Adbellos, and that his wife’s brother was Tenebre, made his heart race every time he remembered.
“….”
“….”
However, contrary to Leto’s hopes, they gave no answer.
The silence implied there were still surprises ahead.
Leto glared at Noah playfully, and she turned her head to avoid his gaze.
“…Is there more?”
His tired voice asked.
“J-just a moment…”
Noah, unusually flustered, asked for understanding and counted on her fingers, muttering something.
Leto chuckled every time a finger was folded.
“Honey, at this rate, my heart won’t survive.”
This time, his whimpering seemed to work, as only two fingers were folded.
“One big one, one small one.”
That’s manageable, right?
