Albert had returned.
“Just in time! Everything is ready.”
Eugenia smiled as she came out of the kitchen holding some dishes.
“Wow! The delicious smell is tickling my nose.”
Eugenia smiled gently at his playful comment.
This inn was a three-story building, with Enrique and Albert renting the second and third floors. However, the first floor was left open for the innkeeper to run the pub freely.
Since they were closing early today, it was empty, allowing them to take over the space.
‘It’s been a while since we could eat leisurely without rushing.’
That way, Selma wouldn’t get an upset stomach.
Selma was somewhat frail, and hasty meals naturally put a lot of strain on her body. Whenever that happened, Eugenia would give her digestive aids or medicine made from herbs and plants she had gathered herself.
‘This is a good place.’
Eugenia set the tableware on a round table that could seat five people comfortably.
Albert, who had been hovering around her, asked, “Where’s Enrique? Oh, I guess he’s not done yet.”
Albert glanced briefly towards the kitchen and nodded slightly.
Even though he said he was attending to Enrique, his reaction suggested that it wasn’t unusual for him to see Enrique preparing food himself.
Albert continued, “I should have come earlier to help out a bit; it’s embarrassing just to be here taking advantage of your hard work.”
He seemed genuinely apologetic, scratching the back of his head and lowering his eyebrows.
Eugenia appreciated that he didn’t take the effort of others for granted. It allowed her to keep her feelings in check, and her tone softened naturally.
“But you worked hard outside, Albert. You definitely deserve to eat.”
Albert looked touched by her kind words.
“Then I’ll go upstairs and bring the kids down.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”
A little while later, Albert came down with Selma and Joshua.
As always, Selma had a bright smile on her face, while Joshua still wore a sulky expression.
“Alright, everyone sit down. We can eat right away!”
Just then, Enrique emerged from the kitchen.
The cast-iron pan he brought out was steaming, making loud sizzling sounds.
He placed the pan in the middle of the table.
Eugenia hurried back to the kitchen to bring out the pancakes and whipped cream she had prepared earlier, along with a spinach quiche she had made as a bonus.
“Wow, meat!”
Selma exclaimed, holding a knife in her right hand and a fork in her left, her eyes sparkling.
“Be careful, it’s hot. I can serve you as much as you want.”
“Okay!”
Enrique first served Selma a pancake and a piece of meat.
“Selma, can you eat all this?”
“Yes!”
Ignoring Joshua’s concerned question, Selma answered cheerfully.
Eugenia chuckled to herself.
‘She looks like she’s ready to overeat. I’ll need to prepare some digestive aid for her today.’
Still, she needed to make sure to control the pace of her eating so that medicine wouldn’t be necessary.
With that thought in mind, Eugenia sat down next to the girl.
Selma pressed a piece of well-cooked meat onto her fork and took a big bite.
Her puffed cheeks were quite adorable.
After chewing for a while, Selma swallowed and exclaimed, “What should I do? It’s so delicious!”
A smile crept onto Enrique’s lips.
“Did you make this, Mister?”
“Ah, you did?”
Albert looked surprised, alternating his gaze between Selma and Enrique before stifling a laugh.
Enrique didn’t pay him any mind and nodded silently.
“Yes.”
“It’s really delicious!”
“Then eat your vegetables too.”
At Enrique’s words, Selma pouted slightly.
“But I want to eat meat!”
“It’ll taste better if you eat them together.”
Without caring about her complaint, Enrique placed some heated vegetables onto Selma’s plate.
“This looks very delicious.”
“Albert, you should eat too.”
“Then I’ll eat with gratitude.”
The meal began in a light atmosphere, not too noisy but not heavy either.
Meanwhile, Joshua, with a sulky face, was cutting his share of pancakes but suddenly put down his utensils.
Then he voiced his frustration.
“I heard the explanation earlier, but I still don’t understand.”
At his words, everyone’s attention shifted to the him, except for Selma.
“Why does Eugenia have to create a fake identity and even a fake marriage to cross the border? Can’t we just go over?”
His curiosity, which he had tried to swallow earlier, burst forth.
“Did we do something wrong?”
It seemed to bother him that they also had to hide their identities.
Their parents had just died; they hadn’t committed any crimes to deserve this punishment. Why did they have to leave like fugitives? It was something his young mind couldn’t comprehend.
“That is…”
Eugenia and Albert exchanged awkward glances.
But it was Enrique who responded to Joshua.
“It’s because it’s impossible to just cross over, so the adults are trying to figure out a way.”
Joshua glared at Enrique with sharp eyes.
They had only just met, but he was particularly hostile toward Enrique.
“I know the country is in a strange state, but I didn’t realize it was this difficult to leave.”
“Well, that’s…”
Eugenia trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
There was a reason why Eugenia had not spoken clearly until now.
Even though the situation was dangerous, she thought if the kids got overly scared or acted weird, it would only draw more attention.
‘The sun will be setting soon.’
After the late king passed away last year, a civil war broke out in the Duchy of Harlan.
This was due to Benjamin, the late king’s illegitimate son, wanting the throne.
The duchy split into two factions: one supporting the legitimate crown prince, Siegel, and the other supporting Benjamin, who was attempting to usurp the throne.
Unfortunately, the tide of battle had turned in favor of Benjamin, and the crown prince barely managed to escape and hide thanks to the sacrifice of his close aides.
Benjamin became the regent, and he was fiercely intent on capturing his half-brother, the crown prince Siegel.
As long as Siegel remained uncaptured and was not executed, the current situation would likely remain unchanged.
‘No. The atmosphere might become even more turbulent as time goes on.’
The surviving crown prince would do whatever it took to reclaim what he had lost.
His anger would be boiling over, and he might try to use anything he could.
The House of Marquess Kereiton did not belong to either faction.
However, the disappearance and death of the marquess and his wife seven months ago coincided with the start of the civil war.
‘They’re still young children, but…’
After all, they were of noble blood.
Eugenia desperately hoped that the twins wouldn’t get caught up in this dangerous situation.
‘And I can’t explain my concerns here.’
As her thoughts continued, a faint look of worry crossed on her face.
How could she explain the current political situation to young Joshua, and how much should she reveal?
Just as Eugenia struggled to find the words, Enrique spoke nonchalantly.
“Even if it’s a neighboring country, you can’t just come and go as easily as visiting a neighbor. Moreover, the current border checks are much stricter than you might think.”
“How strict?”
“Anyone with ties to the duchy cannot leave its territory. In other words, you can’t go to Aisa without our help.”
Joshua frowned.
“Why is it only us who can’t go? It’s the same problem for you adults, isn’t it?”
“No, we have the citizenship papers of the Aisa Empire.”
Eugenia looked at Enrique and Albert in surprise.
Albert smiled awkwardly as if apologizing for not mentioning it sooner.
Enrique continued in a calm tone.
“Only Albert and I can leave. But it won’t be easy for us either.”
In other words, they needed a valid reason to visit the duchy during such a time.
Just being in a foreign country as a citizen of Aisa was enough to raise suspicion.
‘I don’t know what their purpose is, but these men clearly don’t want to reveal their identities.’
Eugenia accurately read between the lines of what Enrique was hiding.
“So, after much thought, we decided to adopt the form of a family that would raise the least suspicion.”
Enrique shared a more detailed story he had thought out with Joshua.
“You and young lady Eugenia will be citizens of the Aisa Empire from the Duchy of Harlan.”
Everyone listened intently to his words in silence.
“My wife, ‘Hari,’ returned to the duchy to be with her father during his final moments…”
Joshua interrupted Enrique mid-sentence.
“Fake wife.”
Correcting “my wife” to “fake wife,” Joshua looked very sulky and stubborn.
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Translator Note:
Next 15 chapters will be translated by RJR.
This chapter was translated by Gon. Next post will be released on July, 28.
If you like my work please support Gon on Coffee.
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