Young Kaela always wanted to be with Peon on his birthday. He also wanted her to be with him on her birthday.
The childish princess was selfish. Due to her selfish one-sided love, Peon’s birthday had never been “perfect by Kaela’s standards.” Now, it was actually more familiar for Kaela to take one step, no, several steps back on his birthday.
Sometimes, the familiar is comfortable. And bitterly, sometimes it’s the right thing to do.
As a girl, Kaela always wanted to be with him, but that was just the princess’s tyranny and wishful thinking. Rather, her absence was actually better for Peon.
And for Kaela too, such birthdays had become familiar and comfortable. She’d prepared a gift for him, and that was enough.
Not wanting to send him empty-handed, but unsure what gift or courtesy would be appropriate, she stepped back too quickly and packed a basket full of rare fruits that were only eaten in Ostein.
After placing it in Peon’s hands, she planned to spend a quiet day as before.
“It’s not my place to intrude. You should have a cozy family time…”
Before Kaela could finish, her clothes suddenly changed. It was a women’s outdoor outfit with the same color and material as Peon’s new suit. While adjusting the finer details more delicately, he replied.
“Aren’t you family?”
“I mean, that’s not what I meant. I’m not saying I’m not family…”
“That’s how it sounds to me. Am I bothering you?”
While asking in a voice full of hurt feelings and wounded pride, his hands were busy making her sleeves prettier and attaching earrings to her earlobes.
“It’s consideration so the three of you can spend cozy time together.”
“Why would we do that?”
“Huh?”
Kaela was dumbfounded as she looked directly at her husband who was watching her with dark eyes.
Peon thought her incredibly beautiful blue eyes were unfairly gorgeous today too. He wished those beautiful eyes would only hold one person. And naturally, that person should be Peon.
“Kaela. A grown son who’s even married is an annoying existence who should just greet his parents and leave immediately when visiting them.”
“What nonsense…”
“Since I’m independent, I should focus on my own family. A grown man who hasn’t achieved independence is problematic.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“No, you don’t understand how disgusting it is when a grown man clings to his mother’s skirts.”
It did seem a bit disgusting.
“Then what am I, who’s grown and married, but stays at my parents’ home?”
Peon smiled brightly.
“You’re a daughter who’s welcome anytime, plus you’re the heir. I came with you. So I should also visit with you and then leave at an appropriate time to return to our home. Isn’t that right?”
“Since we’ve never properly gathered before, this time you should meet and greet them, don’t move! Don’t go now! Pack the fruit! No, I meant to leave me…”
Kaela saw her fluffy slippers change into boots as the surroundings darkened.
“I came without saying I was leaving…”
“Well, if you and I are gone, they’ll assume we went somewhere together. Ostein is flexible.”
Since they’d already arrived somewhere new, she decided to give up. When her husband decided not to listen, he wouldn’t listen till the end.
At least he listened to her request to never commit slaughter, so she’d consider that fortunate. Kaela looked around with slumped shoulders.
‘So this place is… since his parents are here, it’s his family home.’
There was nothing here to suggest people lived here. Though Kaela didn’t know it, Gusalante’s territory was extremely vast. And despite being located north of Lusenford, it wasn’t cold at all.
Rather, magnificent flowers that shouldn’t bloom in cold places were flourishing brilliantly. Kaela stood in the midst of purple flowers swaying in the darkness, with round lights flowing like fragments.
It’s beautiful. Beautiful, but still.
“Isn’t it improper to come without advance notice, and for me to come too? I should go back…”
“Honey. Kaela.”
Peon, who firmly held her hand, gazed somewhere into the darkness and spoke.
“Husband and wife are one body. If I, as a son, can come without notice, so can you.”
I suppose so. But her father-in-law was the empire’s official dragon, and her mother-in-law was the empress. Even after regression, this would be their first meeting.
Kaela nervously touched her hair. She wondered if she should have dressed more formally, but then remembered that he had styled her hair too.
“It seems we’re already being welcomed.”
Pit-pat, light footsteps were heard, followed by an energetic cry.
Squeak!
Startled, Kaela moved closer to Peon. There was a small monster running quickly, wagging its tail.
It was a familiar face. With purple eyes, glossy black fur, large ears, and a fluffy tail, the squirrel-like agile monster was the one that had led Kaela to Peon when he was going mad in Lusenford.
Squeak! Squeak!
Whether it knew Kaela was afraid of it, or it was afraid of Peon, it didn’t come closer, but vigorously wagged its tail in recognition.
And it tilted its head curiously. The small, round squirrel was very cute.
But a monster is still a monster, right? With the preconception from Lusenford that she should be careful, Kaela clung to Peon’s arm and hesitated.
“The monsters and spirits here can never harm you. They have no intention to. They never did. It’s okay.”
Though he liked his wife automatically clutching him, he didn’t want to frighten her too much. Peon whispered to Kaela and patted her.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded once more.
“You can touch it. It’s desperately wanting to be touched. It’s the cutest one here, so Father sent it. To help you not be scared.”
And he already knew that Kaela wanted to touch it too. In Lusenford, she had an obsession about not causing trouble unnecessarily, so when she first met this creature, she was more cautious and wary.
Squeak!
“Oh, hello.”
When Kaela awkwardly waved her hand, the squirrel monster’s tail wagged more vigorously. Contemplating, she looked at Peon once more. This time too, instead of further urging her, he just nodded. It’s okay, he seemed to say. Everything’s okay.
Indeed, all the rules and laws that had oppressed them had long since crumbled. So monsters and the evil dragon’s servants would all be friendly to Kaela.
Perhaps even better than people. Kaela bent her knees. The monster cautiously approached closer and stopped within her reach.
Squeeeak…
In truth, Kaela had wanted to pet it like this. The squirrel monster closed its eyes and happily enjoyed her gentle stroking.
She scratched its chin and gently touched its plump belly, looking pleased. When she removed her fingers after petting it, the creature hopped excitedly, indicating they should go that way.
Just that sight alone was enough as a birthday gift for Peon, so why was she trying so hard? If she really wanted to give a gift, she shouldn’t have thought about separating from him for even a few hours. Wasn’t this just using the gift as an excuse to punish him?
“Let’s go.”
Peon cut her off, feeling she’d given enough attention, and led Kaela. Light fragments floated around like fireflies.
Occasionally, self-luminous flowers caught Kaela’s eye. Peon smiled reassuringly and waited until she had sufficiently looked around. At the end of that path, which felt both short and long, a man emerged from the darkness, gathering light.
“Father.”
“Welcome.”
Peon approached his father in human form and embraced him lightly, but Kaela stopped, eyes wide open. Though she knew it was rude, she couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
‘He’s identical!’
There was another man who looked exactly like Peon. Even their heights were similar. As red eyes turned toward her due to her gasp, Kaela quickly bowed her head.
“Ah, hello. I’m sorry for dropping by suddenly.”
Evil Dragon Gusalante. The powerful being who existed in this place before the Crania Empire was formed. The one who promised not to fight against the empire’s first emperor and the empire.
All Kaela knew about him was just a few lines from the first page of the history textbook. Even after living in Lusenford for four years, she didn’t know more.
A fearsome and evil dragon who controlled spirits and monsters. That was it. The dragon, who was very close but whom she had never actually seen, smiled gently. Even his smile was identical to Peon’s.
“Not at all. I was wondering why you hadn’t come earlier.”
His voice and tone seemed filled with wisdom and experience accumulated over many long years. So it felt very natural for him to speak informally to her. Kaela was amazed at how different this dragon was from the one she had known.
Gusalante had a slightly softer and more melancholic impression than Peon. And he was more calm and stable than Peon. He allowed the squirrel monster to fearlessly climb onto his shoulder.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Kaela de Chasser.”
Kaela showed her respect formally, as Peon would to the Duke of Ostein. She was cautious but not greatly afraid.
“Yes. I’m also pleased to meet you for the first time. You must have been startled because of me last spring, and I’m very sorry about that.”
The unexpected apology left her staring at Gusalante with still-rounded eyes.
“For you, both then and now, I’m only grateful and sorry for startling you.”
“Then…, I think you did well to call me.”
Kaela blinked, thought for a moment, and replied.
If she hadn’t gone, Peon, who was cutting up his own body, would have eventually crossed the line. He might have reached the point of cutting not just his body but his mind too, but Gusalante didn’t speak more about that.
“I’m thankful you say that, but I’m also sorry for not being an ordinary father-in-law.”
Gusalante smiled somewhat bitterly. In that moment, he looked like Peon’s much older brother.
“It must be difficult for you to accept.”
“Ah, no… I think anyone would accept it well.”
They looked so identical that even if Gusalante suddenly appeared in front of Lusenford Castle, people would think, “Ah, that’s the Grand Duke’s father,” and guide him into the castle.
He really was exactly like Peon. Kaela had long been alternating her gaze between the man called the evil dragon and Peon, forgetting the etiquette and manners she always strictly observed.
“Is that so?”
Gusalante smiled slightly at the unexpected answer and moved forward.
“Shall we go inside?”
“Is Mother well?”
“You’re quick to ask.”
“I’m stepping back on my own so you two can spend cozy time together.”
“What an excuse.”
While talking with his father, Peon didn’t forget to hold Kaela’s hand firmly. She glanced at the squirrel on Gusalante’s shoulder and was led inside by her husband’s hand.
In a place where beautiful flowers swayed and soft light coexisted with darkness, somewhere with the sound of flowing water, a picture-perfect beauty was sitting.
‘Emp, ress.’
Kaela stopped her thought of “Her Majesty the Empress” immediately. No. Not the empress.
This was “Peon’s mother” Evelyn, whom she had occasionally seen from a distance when she followed Peon as a child. She appeared to be around the same age as Gusalante. So this is why the emperor went mad. She hadn’t aged at all.
“You’ve come.”
Evelyn, who smiled like a painting and gave warm gazes not just to her son but also to her daughter-in-law, was elegant even in the way she rose from her seat.
As a child, Kaela greatly admired this most beautiful woman who had given birth to the most handsome man in the world.
Not simply because she was beautiful, but because her attitude, speech, expressions, everything was dignified. She was also the only woman around her mother’s age that Kaela could see, as she was usually surrounded by her father, the southern navy, or elderly ladies.
“Kaela, hello.”
Evelyn, holding her son’s hand, smiled with crescent eyes just as she had to that young princess.
“Hello, have you been well…”
At the moist greeting, Evelyn smiled. Unlike Kaela who had given up everything, she smiled bravely.
Having experienced the emperor, Kaela knew. The closer you are to the emperor, the more horrific the hell. Yet Evelyn smiled. Not with resignation, but with genuine warmth.
“Why are you crying?”
How could she be like that? It was such a relief. At the same time, she was envious. Weak Kaela couldn’t do that.
Kaela sometimes thought. Should she have overcome everything too? Wasn’t wanting to die just a sign of weakness, as the people of Lusenford would point out? No, no. The Lusenford way of thinking wasn’t right.
Kaela wanted to survive too. Her struggles to correct her speech in front of smiling people, to try her best, to behave properly in front of Peon – they were all desperate attempts to survive.
She wanted to overcome everything and smile proudly by Peon’s side, in Kaela de Chasser’s rightful place. Like that – relaxed, gentle, and elegant.
Evelyn succeeded because she was Evelyn. Kaela couldn’t do it because she was Kaela.
“Both you and I have endured so well.”
I’m not crying. I won’t cry. You can’t endure if you’re that weak. Kaela kept shaking her head. It’s a good day.
It’s her husband’s birthday, a joyous day when forcibly torn-apart family members meet. She shouldn’t ruin the mood by crying.
“We women have suffered so much because of incompetent men, haven’t we?”
But just as Kaela recognized Evelyn, Evelyn also couldn’t help but know. The young princess she had seen since childhood had suffered similar pain, though for a shorter time than Evelyn. Like recognizes like.
So Evelyn understood when her still-youthful daughter-in-law began to drop tears.
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