Kaela didn’t sob on her husband’s birthday. Perhaps because she had cried so much already, she collected herself surprisingly quickly.
Though there had been many painful events, she could soon smile again. Above all, she could see how much Peon was loved.
“I’ve always felt bad about not being able to attend your wedding.”
Evelyn took Kaela’s hand. It was rare for a woman who suited sitting alone with such elegance to reach out to Kaela first.
“I’m sorry. It happened twice, and it weighed heavily on me.”
“It’s alright. I think being happy together going forward is more important than the wedding ceremony. Thank you for your concern.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Evelyn nodded as she watched her husband and son chatting quietly. She had always dreamed of this sight.
“Well, if we start counting painful things, there’s no end to it. There’s so much we couldn’t do. Peon grew up too fast before we could do everything for him.”
The adults should have handled things, but the child grew up and resolved matters himself. What’s more, someone else’s precious daughter got entangled and suffered terribly, leaving the adults feeling ashamed.
“I’m very sorry.”
That was already her third apology.
“It’s enough if you stay healthy and happy from now on.”
“We’re only now catching up on lost time. It’s not easy, but…”
Evelyn paused her muttering and turned to Kaela.
“It must be the same for you two.”
They were now properly facing and mending a relationship filled with both love that had overcome painful times and the corresponding resentment.
“Ah… that must be difficult for you.”
“Was it hard for you?” Evelyn asked instead.
“Yes. I just… wanted to give up because it was all too bothersome. I had no strength left.”
“You fought a lot, didn’t you?”
Ah. Unlike the small Kaela, Evelyn looked at her son who resembled his father and was enormously tall. Peon was currently talking about something with Gusalante. It seemed like father and son were having a good time, even if belatedly.
“No, we didn’t fight.”
Kaela shook her head. They hadn’t fought. It was just that Peon had forcibly pulled Kaela, who had only wanted to die, until she finally got angry.
“I see. You gave up, and Peon prevented it?”
Having figured out the answer herself, Evelyn didn’t look at Kaela. Her gaze moved past Peon to Gusalante.
It wasn’t a look filled with affection. Having gone through too many difficult times to be that passionate, Evelyn’s purple eyes simply regarded her husband calmly.
“How is your health?”
“Not bad for someone who was bedridden for so long. I heard you went through much worse.”
“No, how could I compare? I’m glad you’re well.”
“I have to be.”
Kaela silently listened to Evelyn’s words. Evelyn paid Kaela only as much attention as necessary.
Her long-suffering pain, her unapproachable elegance, and her clear beauty and expressions made her difficult to approach.
“Do you know what it means to marry a dragon and bear his child?”
Evelyn was now looking at Kaela.
“It means part of you becomes a dragon too. You’ll live as long as a dragon.”
That’s why Evelyn had provoked the inferiority complex of a man who wanted to become a dragon simply by existing.
“Compared to the time we have left, the past days were very short.”
She gave Kaela the answer to a question she had been curious about but couldn’t ask.
“That’s how I endured while Peon was growing up. A child gives you strength to endure hell.”
Evelyn smiled faintly while looking at her son.
“But when I learned my child would die, nothing had meaning anymore.”
“…When I came back, forgive me for saying this, but I was very envious of you, Mother.”
“Because I was unconscious?”
Evelyn smiled as if she understood.
“Yes. I was quite comfortable.”
With only a vague sense that time had gone back, she closed her eyes and opened them to find the husband she had only been able to dream about for so long.
“It was good not to experience it again.”
Kaela listened quietly and smiled faintly.
“I’m glad.”
That truly was fortunate.
“By the way, Peon has become more talkative.”
At those words, Gusalante and Peon turned to look at Evelyn.
“I suppose that’s thanks to you, Kaela. He was so quiet that it was frustrating not knowing what he was thinking. I wondered if he would speak properly when meeting his father.”
The father and son who had been having a pleasant conversation looked at each other again. Regardless, Evelyn leaned back comfortably against the backrest and spoke slowly to Kaela.
“Dragons don’t seem to talk much. Even this one only speaks a little when he’s with me. He’s someone who keeps his mouth firmly shut, so I thought he would only say what was absolutely necessary to his son.”
She found it very curious. It was like a dream to see two identical men with their heads together, talking without noticing the time passing.
“Does Peon talk a lot with you too? He’s not being too stiff, is he?”
“He talks a lot.”
It was her daily routine to be in Peon’s arms, unaware of how late it was getting, discussing what happened today, what happened in the past, and what thoughts were on their minds lately.
Sometimes Kaela would suddenly realize with surprise that she was having so many conversations with this man. She told him everything, even trivial and small matters. Peon was not only a good listener but also, surprisingly, a sensitive conversation partner.
“It’s not that he doesn’t talk; he talks more frequently with compatible conversation partners. Peon has become more talkative. He’s not as taciturn as before.”
Gusalante said while patting his son’s shoulder. Kaela watched her husband’s expression as he smiled comfortably without saying much.
It was good that they came.
****
Though it was their only son’s birthday, the son and his wife couldn’t stay very long at the evil dragon’s lair.
Gusalante and Evelyn weren’t the type to fuss over their son and daughter-in-law with various things. That was natural for the dignified and wise dragon and the noble lady who, though forced to become an empress, suited the position perfectly.
Especially Evelyn, who accepted Gusalante’s attentions as if they were her due, leaned into his arms as if tired. The sight seemed familiar to Kaela, making her feel strange. Was this how all women who married into this family behaved?
“We should be going now.”
Peon tactfully rose from his seat after receiving gifts from his father that were essentially transfers of wealth.
“We’ll come again next time. If anything happens…”
“What could possibly happen? Don’t feel burdened, just enjoy your lives together and visit occasionally when you think of us. We’ll be busy catching up on our lost years, so don’t worry or concern yourselves too much.”
It was quite a radical statement for a mother-in-law. Understanding what she meant, Kaela smiled instead of worrying if that was really okay.
“Yes. We will.”
“We’re quite busy in our own way.”
Peon replied gruffly.
“I know. It must have been Kaela who suggested coming here, not you? Dear, we’d hardly see our son’s face if it weren’t for Kaela.”
Evelyn murmured, looking up at Gusalante who held her.
“Indeed. We nearly lost him forever.”
The affectionate gaze of the two adults fell not on their son but on their daughter-in-law. Kaela lowered her head, feeling embarrassed.
“Let’s meet again later. I was glad to see you today.”
Evelyn kissed Peon and Kaela on their foreheads and waved her hand. As they smiled at the quiet couple who seemed deeply connected, suddenly the surroundings changed again. The brief meeting had ended, and they had returned.
Was it supposed to end so easily and quickly? Still not accustomed to the ways of dragons, Kaela stood dazed, absently touching her forehead.
“Did you enjoy it? Was it okay?”
Peon kept asking as he examined Kaela.
“Why are you so worried when I was the one who suddenly suggested going?”
“I want my parents to be to your liking.”
Meanwhile, he seated her, checking if she was tired or if anything had upset her.
“Mother isn’t in a condition to meet people for long.”
That seemed true. Kaela, who had been almost forced to move and meet people in Lusenford or Craine, understood Evelyn.
“I was worried you might be upset.”
“No. I could see she was trying to be kind.”
“That’s only natural. I enjoyed it, but you might have been uncomfortable.”
“If my husband enjoyed it, then I did too.”
Wasn’t that enough? Today was Peon’s birthday, so what mattered was that he enjoyed it. If he was happy, then she was happy.
“…It’s too great an honor for me to hear you say that.”
“It’s your birthday, no need to talk about honor.”
Kaela laughed it off as a joke, but Peon was serious.
Having all the people he had lost gather to celebrate his birthday was something impossible, something he hadn’t even dared to wish for. It was something that couldn’t exist, so he hadn’t even dreamed of it.
Birthdays were just useless days that were briefly remembered and then passed by. When he was young, it was a day to meet Kaela who somehow always came to find him. A day when it was fortunate if his mother didn’t cry. After marriage, it was just a day when meeting the Grand Duchess was bothersome.
“What should we do now?”
“We should eat, Kaela. It’s past mealtime.”
“Already?”
“That’s what happens when you’re with people who’ve transcended humanity. We shouldn’t go too often.”
Peon grabbed Kaela’s shoulders and turned her around.
“The elders will feel hurt.”
“They said not to come often. Dragons should be devoted to their own families once they’re independent.”
Kaela narrowed her eyes and looked at him.
“It’s not a lie. Ask my father.”
“When can I ask him? In about three years?”
“If you eat well and sleep well, three years will pass quickly.”
And in three years, they could spend birthdays more properly, with gratitude.
He would never be able to make up for dismissing the gifts that Kaela had prepared from her meager resources, saying something like, “Don’t waste time on unnecessary gifts and contribute to the military fund instead.”
That gift was probably prepared by disposing of the private assets of the Princess of Ostein who had nothing left. How precious it must have been, and yet he didn’t even look at it properly or accept it.
The regret deepened even more as he spent time with Kaela.
Even if he firmly believed she was an agent doing the Emperor’s bidding, he could have at least pretended to accept the gift. There were many things he could have done but didn’t, and those regrets were the most numerous.
“Then what should I make for you?”
Peon looked at the precious Ostein heir with an expression that said, “Why would you do something like that?”
“No, I know how to put whipped cream on bread. Like this… brushing it on.”
Kaela demonstrated spreading cream on a cake, but even that looked awkward.
“It’s your birthday.”
“For my birthday, it’s enough if you eat lots of delicious food. It wasn’t like birthdays were very special days to begin with.”
Then I should make it special somehow! With a face full of determination, Kaela began to think carefully about what she wanted to eat. At the same time, she lightly pulled Peon’s gloved hand with one hand, not quite managing to grasp it fully.
“Do I really just need to eat?”
“I’d like to have you sit on my lap and feed you.”
“O-on your lap?”
“Why are you suddenly surprised? It’s not like we’ve never done it before.”
For the grown Princess of Ostein to sit on her husband’s lap was an extremely embarrassing thing. The difficulty level was increasing.
But since it was his birthday, what could she do? Kaela, who could never bring herself to sit on Peon’s lap in a public place, ordered the food to be brought to their room as soon as it was ready.
“Is it delicious?”
And then she ate quite well.
“Mmm. I want to eat that roasted beef too. The thinly sliced one. With lots of sauce.”
“I think you prefer meat to seafood.”
“No, that can’t be. I just got tired of eating too much fish and shellfish since coming to Ostein.”
While having such trivial conversations seriously.
Peon was born on a very good day. As autumn was fully ripening, the table became abundant, and the scenery was beautiful wherever they went.
With all sorts of fruits appearing in this autumn, Kaela, who had obtained peach preserves made plenty in summer and all kinds of berries pouring in, finally presented the world’s ugliest cake that evening.
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