IFLDMHF | Chapter 109

Episode 109

‘Oh my goodness.’

I took a deep breath as I looked at Euclid.

Until just moments ago, I had thought that cuteness could save the world.

But I was wrong.

There was something even greater than cuteness… and that was Euclid’s beauty!

I didn’t know about others, but for me, Euclid’s face alone could save, rule, and do everything for the world.

As I clutched my startled heart and gasped for breath-

“Uncle!”

The children, who had been following my gaze, noticed Euclid’s arrival and waved excitedly.

At that, Euclid slowly approached us.

But for some reason, his expression seemed strangely stiff.

“I am a bit late.”

His voice also seemed slightly subdued?

‘Did something unpleasant happen?’

As I tilted my head in curiosity, Euclid glanced briefly at Richard before slightly curling his lips and speaking.

“What was the topic of conversation that brought such joy?”

“Ah.”

I had been so captivated by Euclid’s face that I momentarily forgot what we had been doing.

“Uncle, this is the pretty Richard brother! I was asking him if he could protect me!”

Excitedly, Dior was the first to introduce Richard to Euclid.

Only then did Euclid notice Dior clinging to Richard, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

I fully understood his reaction.

Until I arrived, Dior had been known as a timid child who was extremely shy around strangers.

But in reality, Dior was quite curious and sociable.

He had just been constantly intimidated by Amy Biers, forcing him to suppress himself.

Thinking about that made his current bright demeanor feel both endearing and heartwarming.

It also made me want to grant his wishes as much as possible.

“I recommended him. I thought assigning a knight to guard the children wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“……I see.”

Euclid answered a bit slowly, looking at Richard with a subtle expression.

Richard also gazed at Euclid for a moment before lowering his head.

“If you find it undesirable, you do not have to permit it.”

For a fleeting moment, Richard’s gaze seemed to brush past me before landing on the back of his left hand.

‘Is he concerned about his past as a slave?’

I knew Richard’s true status, and since I had already erased his slave mark and granted him freedom, I didn’t think his past was an issue anymore.

But Euclid wouldn’t necessarily think the same way as I did.

Even if he had accepted Richard into the knights based on skill alone, he might still be reluctant to have him near his nephews.

I started to wonder if I had spoken too hastily, feeling a bit anxious-

“How could I find it undesirable?”

Euclid responded with a gentle smile.

Richard’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, after glancing at me momentarily, he bit his lip.

Just as I was wondering what he was thinking-

“Wow! So now the pretty Richard brother will protect Dior and sister?”

At Dior’s bright voice, the hesitation in Richard’s expression changed.

With firm movement, Richard knelt on one knee before Dior and Marianne.

“I will do my best to protect you both. Please give me any order. And…”

After a brief pause, his cheeks flushed slightly.

“Just call me brother.”

In the end, Richard conceded on the matter of how he should be addressed.

“Got it, pretty brother!”

Dior, overjoyed that Richard had become his personal knight, jumped up and down excitedly.

Marianne’s expression also didn’t seem displeased.

‘Dior’s fondness for Richard, even before this, might not have been just because of his skills.’

Who could be as honest and straightforward about liking beautiful things as children?

The fact that Dior refused to let go of the adjective ‘pretty’ before calling Richard ‘brother’ was proof enough.

Well, even when Richard had been dressed in tattered clothes, his appearance had been idol-like. And today, wearing his knight’s uniform, his pink hair and doll-like features shone even more.

Seeing Richard with the children was truly a delightful sight- a combination of beauty, cuteness, and charm all in one scene.

As I watched with a satisfied smile-

“My wife….”

A small but distinct voice, belonging to my favorite person, reached my ears in a whisper.

Turning my head, I was startled.

Euclid was looking at me with an unsettled expression, unable to fully hide his disappointment.

“Duke, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing… Ah, that is, thank you.”

I blinked, wondering why he was suddenly thanking me. Euclid averted his gaze slightly, his ears turning faintly red.

“You gifted me clothes.”

“Ah.”

Now that I thought about it, when I had tailored clothes for the children, I had also asked the butler for Euclid’s measurements and ordered plenty of new outfits for him.

It was, in part, a tribute to my beloved-

‘Finally, couple outfits achieved!’

It was also a gift full of my selfish desires.

Perhaps realizing belatedly that we were wearing similar clothes, Euclid’s ears, which had already been tinged red, turned an even deeper shade.

‘This is amazing.’

The sheer happiness completely erased my bitter memory of trying a couple outfit alone in the capital and failing miserably.

Not only was my husband my favorite person, but he was also wearing an outfit I had gifted him- and it was a matching one with me! Could anyone in this world be a bigger fan than me?

Even though this couple look had only been possible because I noticed Euclid had chosen navy-colored attire today and had dressed to match him accordingly.

“You look really good in it.”

“Thank you. But you bought far too many-“

“I bought the same for myself.”

“…Well, the change in seasons meant I needed new clothes anyway. I’ll wear them well.”

Watching him flinch and quickly change his words was utterly adorable.

‘As expected from my ultimate favorite.’

I barely held back the laughter threatening to escape my lips.

“We should start heading out soon.”

It was still early in the morning, but the territory was vast.

To visit the necessary places while also enjoying a picnic outing with the children, we needed to hurry.

Euclid nodded and looked at the children.

“I’ve never seen a magic carriage before!”

“Aunt, are we riding in this one?”

The children pointed at the middle of the three prepared carriages.

Before Euclid could say anything, I nodded.

“Yes. You’ll be riding with my maid, Anne. I’ve prepared snacks for you to enjoy on the way, so look forward to it.”

At the mention of snacks, the children’s eyes sparkled with excitement, while Euclid, on the other hand, looked flustered.

“Wife?”

“We’ll take the carriage in the front.”

I casually grabbed Euclid’s arm and pulled him along.

Euclid, who had let his guard down thinking we’d be riding with the children, seemed utterly shocked to realize we’d be alone together in a carriage.

For someone like me, who had been waiting for this day after steeling myself against his playful teasing, his reaction was incredibly satisfying.

Even as he let me pull him along, Euclid kept glancing back at the children with an anxious expression.

Of course, having already discussed everything with me beforehand, the children didn’t even spare him a glance.

In the end, as we reached the carriage, Euclid let out a small sigh of surrender and extended his hand to help me up.

“…”

This wasn’t according to my plan.

I was tempted to take his outstretched hand- it was a rare opportunity that Euclid himself had offered- but for the sake of the bigger picture, I had to let go of the smaller gains…

“…Wife?”

…Forget that.

I couldn’t let go of anything.

“You should get in first, Duke.”

When I held onto his hand tightly and spoke, Euclid blinked in surprise.

But he couldn’t resist my insistence and hesitantly boarded the carriage first.

“Could you move a little to the side?”

And as soon as he did, I swiftly sat beside him.

“Wife, this side is backward-facing, you might get motion sick-“

“I actually like facing backward.”

Before he could even finish speaking, my response was immediate.

Euclid stiffened.

But true to his reserved nature, he quickly stood up and moved to the opposite seat.

So, naturally, I stood up and sat beside him again.

“But I do get motion sick.”

“……”