SRHNVW 06

chapter 06

“I want to live with both my aunt and uncle!”

It wasn’t a matter of choosing aunt or uncle.
The fact that she said both was something I hadn’t even considered!

“That’s not—”

“Why can’t the three of us live together? Waaaah… I like both of you! Sniff…”

Tears pooled in her big eyes and fell with a plop.
Her sorrowful crying didn’t stop for a while and continued relentlessly.

Arthea, who kept crying like that, eventually fell asleep as if she had fainted.
It was truly a bombshell.

“…….”
“…….”

I had expected to respond coldly or try to persuade Erios when he came to tell me that I couldn’t send the child, but I hadn’t expected Arthea to throw such a tantrum.

I absentmindedly found myself looking at Erios.
Then our eyes met.

‘What could Arthea be thinking?’

It was a relief that the words didn’t escape my lips.
I had to think and come to a conclusion myself, Bellona Sortis. Why did I even glance at Erios for a moment?

I quickly turned my head.
It was infuriating to feel like I was relying on Erios, someone I thought I would never see again.

‘Now… what do we even do?’

I was more unsettled than when I couldn’t see the last page of the tower exam. Damn it.

For now, Erios and I laid Arthea down on the bed.
Seeing her wandering back and forth, switching choices, crying because she didn’t want to separate from either her aunt or uncle, made me feel completely drained.

“…….”
“…….”

We both slumped onto the floor, the bed between us.
I repeatedly brushed my hair from my face, feeling at least ten years older.

“Arthea must be confused too.”

Erios’ voice, quietly coming from beside me, trembled slightly.
The room had quieted down after the little one’s crying, making me focus even more on his voice.

“There’s one thing I want to make absolutely clear: that I… didn’t pay attention to Arthea. That’s really not true.”

“…I see.”

Now that I thought about it, Erios’ gaze and tone when looking at Arthea didn’t seem like an act.
He had always been a little shameless, and maybe his acting skills improved while I wasn’t around, but…

Erios wasn’t someone extraordinary.
No, he was extraordinary, so there was no reason to doubt him.
He’s good at so many things; if he had this talent too, it would just be unreasonable.

“Then why did Arthea come out saying she wanted to live with her aunt? She told me it was her own decision. She said she ran away.”

“I only heard that the child disappeared suddenly and then was here.”

“So you really have no idea?”

“I just don’t want to speak hastily.”

Erios seemed to carefully choose his words but eventually let out a long sigh.

“Yeah… I really don’t know. The last time I saw her before the hunt, she didn’t want to part with me, but otherwise she was like usual.”

We went over the situation, trying to find the cause, but it was impossible to tell.
I had only seen Arthea properly a few days ago, and even if Erios knew the reason, the child wouldn’t have run away in the first place.

“Are you sure ‘ran away’ is the right word?”
“Do you think I’d lie in a situation like this?”

In any case, all we could do was guess.

“Maybe Arthea got excited reading a story about running away in a fairy tale. Maybe she thought running away sounded cool. Maybe she thought running away meant just going on a little outing from home.”

“She interprets things however she likes.”
“If you want to think more positively, you’d say I kidnapped her and badmouthed myself to Arthea.”
“Oh, go ahead. Say one more thing.”
“I didn’t say I thought that.”

No matter how skilled I was as a famous magic tool artisan, it wouldn’t be enough to face the Kiliet Ducal House.
It could have gone badly, but Erios, somehow, didn’t corner me.

‘Well, that’s because I’m Arthea’s aunt.’

Just as I didn’t want to believe Erios wanted to get rid of her, he had common sense in that regard despite his flaws.

“After your brother and sister-in-law passed away, Arthea has been constantly uneasy.”

I remembered coming to the conclusion from my own research that Arthea was quite unstable.
And I could see that what he said was true.

“Auntie!”
“Uncle!”
“Where are you?”

Arthea, who had cried so much she could have been dehydrated, couldn’t stay lying down and woke up again, constantly looking for us.
Her expression grew somber, as if she might cry again…

In the end, Erios and I stayed by Arthea’s side together.

“I’m here, auntie.”
“Uncle will stay with you too.”

One hand held mine, the other held Erios’.
Arthea gripped us tightly with her tiny, fragile hands.
It seemed she believed this was the only way we wouldn’t disappear while she slept.

Even then, she couldn’t be reassured until we promised to stay with her, and only then did she finally fall asleep again.

“Ugh…”

Erios, gently patting Arthea’s stomach as she tossed and turned in a nightmare, said,

“Sorry, but I think I should stay here for a while.”

Even if it was for his niece, staying at his ex-girlfriend’s house…
But there was no way to refuse. We had seen Arthea’s condition.

“You look grim, Knight of the First Light. Why didn’t you stay by her side back then?”
“I couldn’t because of the hunt. Now it’s over, so I could come, but…”

Her uncle had died fighting monsters in place of a sick Erios.
Exterminating the monsters would keep Arthea and humanity safe, but…
Working hard in the hunt and raising Arthea now… I couldn’t help but suspect it was just to fill the emptiness left by her brother.

“You should have looked for Arthea yourself too.”

Night deepened.
I ordered the servants waiting outside to go back.
Arthea was asleep, and it was just the two of us in the room.

“No matter how much I’m Arthea’s aunt, going to your ex’s place isn’t something anyone wants to see.”

Maybe that’s why I felt brave enough to be honest.

“What if the woman who will become the Duchess ends up hating Arthea because of this? She’d think I invited my ex for no reason. She’s probably already wary, feeling that even her own child might take second place to Arthea.”
“I won’t marry someone who opposes Arthea.”
“Yeah, I know. But people’s feelings change. Even the future Duchess might start cute on Arthea but change her mind when she has her own child.”

Actually, I thought maybe your feelings could change too—but I didn’t say it.

‘I thought it would last forever when I dated you.’

I wasn’t blaming Erios or the future Duchess.
People change.

‘If we ever broke up, it would be hard to watch… I thought if we married, the families getting along would be even better.’

Erios seemed lost in thought.
I playfully added, worried I might sound like I was blaming him for everything.

“Well, that’s not the only reason. I care about marriage too. Even if it’s for my niece, who would like it if I went to my ex’s house?”

Honestly, I didn’t even plan to get married.

“I see. Then it must be uncomfortable for you to be at my house right now.”
“Can’t be helped.”
“I’ll leave first thing in the morning then.”

Would it be okay to let Erios leave like this?
Arthea hated being separated from her uncle this much.
But sending her back to him didn’t feel right either.

‘I know the problem, but I don’t know the solution.’

Anyway, Erios understood that I couldn’t send Arthea to him.

“For now, it seems right for Arthea to stay with you. As you said, we don’t know what happened at the Ducal House. Arthea seems uneasy without you.”

I didn’t expect the stubborn guy to accept it quietly.
But honestly, it was a relief that he said it first.

“Yeah, I can tell you care for Arthea seriously.”

I thought he wouldn’t give up Arthea out of pride.
But unexpectedly, he really does care for her.

“If you have time, come see Arthea again.”
“Yeah, thanks.”

Calm, mature.
This was the image everyone knew of Erios, Knight of the First Light.
But I knew a slightly different side of him.

‘He keeps pretending to be the only adult here. Annoying.’

I told him to leave—there’s no good in having an ex in the same house—just stay away, leave Arthea.
Of course, I said that.
Yet somehow, it bothered me that he accepted my sharp words without resistance.

‘Since when were you this kind?’

Hiding his struggles behind the mask of the Knight of the First Light…

‘…Well, it’s been a few years since we broke up. Not my business.’

But even though I knew Erios well, part of me felt I didn’t really know him.
That guy isn’t obedient or good.

How quickly he tried to keep his promise to come see Arthea again… I found out the very next day.

“Miss, the Duke Kiliet has moved in next door!”
“…What?”

I ran to the terrace in my pajamas.

“Hello.”

Beyond the neighboring garden, I saw Erios Kiliet enjoying tea time.
Was he insane?