Chapter 110
After their chaotic kiss ended, Hestia and Luciard gradually returned to normal and went around greeting people.
Since most of the guests were from the South, it was a little easier than dealing with the crowd at the Milky Way Festival. Whether they liked it or not, they were familiar faces.
As they exchanged greetings, Luciard suddenly paused.
“…Did you invite the Humphrey family too?”
He leaned in and whispered to Hestia, his voice filled with confusion.
Hestia instinctively stepped back as memories of their kiss flashed in her mind, but since there were many eyes on them, she barely managed to stop herself from pushing him away. Instead, she pressed down on her pounding heart, trying to calm herself.
“Uh, yeah. Of course, I had to invite them. No matter how much of an enemy they are, they’re still a branch family. But I made sure the Earl himself wasn’t allowed near Chest, so he shouldn’t be here.”
Sure enough, only Countess Humphrey and her children were present.
As they approached, Countess Anna looked visibly nervous.
‘Does she think we’re going to humiliate her in front of everyone?’
Others might not know, but the Humphrey family was currently in a fragile position.
They had been severely punished for trying to take over the guardianship position. They had even sworn not to interfere with Chest or the Duke’s family again. On top of that, the Earl had likely been troubled multiple times due to the accusations Hestia had made against him.
At first, these nobles had dismissed her as an arrogant girl, but now they looked at her with fear in their eyes.
Hestia smiled brightly, enjoying the satisfaction that spread through her chest.
“Thank you for coming, Countess Humphrey. It must not have been an easy journey, but I’m delighted that you thought of us.”
“Oh, n-not at all. It’s a joyous occasion—Winston’s new guardian and Sir Luciard’s engagement… Of course, we had to attend.”
Anna forced a smile, but her lips trembled slightly.
Her son, Arthur, and daughter-in-law, Laila, also looked uneasy.
“Oh, by the way, have people been visiting the Humphrey estate recently?”
“W-What?!”
Anna let out an awkward squeak, clearly flustered.
Hestia could almost see her panicking, wondering what trouble they had gotten into now.
“At the Milky Way Festival, I heard many people were interested in the redevelopment project your husband is planning. I was just curious if anyone had reached out to invest.”
“…Oh!”
Anna sighed in relief and nodded.
“Yes, a few people—about three so far—have contacted us about investing.”
“That’s wonderful. I hope it all works out well for you.”
“Uh… Thank you for your support.”
Anna looked at Hestia suspiciously, as if trying to figure out her true intentions.
Hestia, still smiling, suddenly noticed a small child among the Humphrey family.
Arthur spoke up when he saw her interest.
“This is my son, Zephyr Humphrey. He just turned eight this year.”
Malrus had mentioned before that he had a grandson around Leonhard’s age—this must be the boy he was referring to.
“You’re the same age as the young lord. It’s nice to meet you, Zephyr.”
“I-It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Frost.”
The boy clung tightly to his father’s pant leg, shyly avoiding her gaze.
Hestia smiled warmly.
“You know tomorrow is the young lord’s birthday, right?”
Zephyr glanced at his father and grandmother before nodding slightly.
“We’ve prepared some fun activities just for kids like you.”
“Fun…?”
Zephyr’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Yes, I think you’ll really enjoy it. Look forward to it.”
Hestia gently patted his fluffy hair before walking away with Luciard.
As they left, Luciard glanced back and saw Anna whispering something sternly to Zephyr.
He turned to Hestia with a questioning look.
“I thought you and the Humphreys were mortal enemies. You were surprisingly kind to that kid.”
“What did he ever do wrong? Kids shouldn’t be dragged into adult conflicts.”
“Hmm… They don’t seem to think the same way. What if they try to use that boy to pull something on Leonhard?”
“They wouldn’t be that stupid. Even if they have a scheme in mind, the most they’ll do is tell him to get close to the young lord. It’s not like they’d tell him to bully him.”
“…That’s true.”
“I just hope children can be free from adult problems.”
That was why she had been kind to Zephyr, despite his family ties.
‘Maybe it’s just a reflection of what I wished for in my past life.’
She knew better than anyone how painful it was for children to lose everything because of adult conflicts.
After greeting the rest of the guests, Hestia and Luciard finally reached their family.
Both of them blushed as their loved ones greeted them with teasing smiles.
“Boss, that was intense.”
“I was embarrassed at just watching!”
“You both agreed to that, right?”
The Blaze Mercenaries were having a great time teasing them about their dramatic kiss at the ceremony.
Neville, Ivan, and the twin brothers Yovan and Jovan were particularly enthusiastic about it, and the Frost family wasn’t much different.
“Sis! It was like something out of a fairy tale! So romantic!”
“Kisses are only for people who love each other. Do you two love each other?”
“Of course they do! That’s why they’re engaged!”
“Eric, you’re an idiot! No, YOU’RE the idiot!”
Annie and Eric suddenly started arguing, but Hestia was actually relieved.
Since they didn’t know the full truth, they were just being excited about the engagement.
The real problem was…
“Congratulations on your engagement. Though I’m not sure you had to go that far…”
“No matter how public it was, it was so passionate that even I got embarrassed, dear.”
The people who knew everything.
Elvin looked a bit uncomfortable, while Anna grinned from ear to ear, clearly enjoying the situation.
And then…
“Sir Luciard.”
Derrick’s voice dropped dangerously low, his eyes glinting.
Hestia felt Luciard stiffen beside her.
“How dare you lay a hand on my daughter…!”
Just as Derrick was about to unleash his fury—
“Hehe, you two look perfect together!”
A cheerful voice interrupted.
Derrick froze, turning to look at Leonhard.
The boy had the happiest expression on his face.
“Mom and Dad kissed all the time. They said the more you kiss, the more you love each other!”
Growing up in a home with loving parents, Leonhard saw physical affection as proof of love.
“Besides, didn’t Uncle carry Hestia like a princess before?”
“What?!”
Derrick, hearing this for the first time, looked like he was about to explode.
The others, meanwhile, turned to Hestia and Luciard with amused eyes.
Feeling incredibly embarrassed, Hestia quickly cleared her throat.
“Ahem! Young lord, we’re glad you’re happy, but maybe don’t talk about this in front of others.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s embarrassing for us.”
“Please consider our feelings too, Leon.”
Realizing his mistake, Leonhard apologized with a small nod.
‘At least we made it through the engagement ceremony smoothly.’
Now, all that was left was the evening banquet.
Once that was over, today’s engagement would officially be complete.
After all the effort she had put into preparing, Hestia felt relieved.
‘And tomorrow, I’ll finally get to rest.’
For now, she would enjoy this moment, surrounded by her precious people, with a happy smile on her face.
As Lavio walked past the reception room, he accidentally noticed that the door was slightly open. Through the small gap, he saw Luciard and Hestia talking seriously with a middle-aged man.
Not wanting to interrupt, Lavio reached for the door handle to quietly close it.
But just as he was about to shut the door, he heard something that made him freeze.
“So, the number of Novelli refugees has increased again?”
“Yes, but only by about twenty-five people. It’s not a huge number yet.”
“As time passes, more refugees will likely arrive. There are also other illegal immigrants, so we can’t keep them there forever.”
“For now, we’re planning to separate the Novelli refugees and move them to a designated shelter…”
Luciard and Hestia were discussing the Novelli refugees with a man named Kenneth.
Lavio’s face hardened as he carefully shut the door and turned away.
“…Refugees?”
For a brief moment, his eyes wavered.
