Chapter 113. Abandoned Esteban 2021.03.02.
If the Ermano Empire is famous for producing many strong sword masters, the Devlin Empire maintained its wealth and strength by producing wizards through monopoly of magic materials produced in its own country. Although isolated, the reason for its strength was the monopoly of magic materials. All empires wished for the power of magic, and Devlin held its breath. Meanwhile, Devlin’s Minister for Magic is struggling.
“What the hell is this all about?”
In common, the production of all magic materials was decreasing. It didn’t matter whether it was magic plants, minerals, or wood. All were below the previous year’s production.
“I think it may be the effect of drought across the continent.”
At the report of his subordinate, the minister nodded.
“It could be a temporary phenomenon, so let’s wait and see.”
“yes.”
He had no idea that the materials were secretly being smuggled into the Ermano Empire. . . . In a dark bedroom, in a space where a single ray of sunlight was not allowed, Veron was in recuperation to take care of his damaged body.
“You still need to rest for another month.”
“That girl has given me a great gift.”
It reminded me of the scene where I slammed the spear of divinity while laughing fiercely and wickedly. I was in awe of where such a spirit welled up in such a small body.
“Your warlike personality is exactly like my father’s.”
Veron wheezing and muttered, and the expression of the congressman who was examining the situation darkened.
“If you get so excited, it won’t help your recovery, Your Majesty. Please fix it.”
“Ha… yes. It’s my loss if I get hot.”
Veron went back to bed following the doctor’s recommendation. As the supply and demand for essence became sluggish, the rate of corrosion of the body was gradually accelerating. Uncharacteristically nervous, Veron stared at the aide who was waiting.
“Aidan.”
“No news yet.”
“Strange. No matter how much it is part of it, it must be difficult to control the power now that the ban has been lifted.”
It was unexpected that it was so quiet. Apparently, the variables given by the existence of the seed of God were enormous. The more he did, the stronger Veron’s urge to kill and get rid of the young emperor of Ermano grew.
“Aidan will keep an eye on you.”
“If it’s necessary, I’ll have to consider ways to release more taboos.”
“If that’s the case, it will be difficult for His Majesty to deal with it the way she wants in the future.”
“It’s just a broken doll anyway. You just have to put your life on hold until that day.”
“I respect Your Majesty’s wishes.”
No emotion appeared on Veron’s expression as he casually talked about the expiration date of Aidan’s life. Veron, who had closed his eyes as if to calm down, asked as if he had suddenly remembered.
“What happened to ‘it’?”
“The experiment is successful.”
“It’s a story I’m glad I heard.”
“That’s enough for no one to suspect.”
Veron’s thin lips drew an arc.
“Say it for granted.”
whose power is it
***
Chirps Oscar was the first to wake up to the song of the sparrows chirping outside the window. Rubbing his sleepy eyes and lifting his upper body, Oscar looked around and realized that this was not his room.
‘that’s right. I slept in Mabel’s room.’
A smile came to my lips as I felt the warmth in my hand. Oscar smiled lightly and lowered his head to look at the seat next to him. Oscar narrowed his brows.
“what.”
A horrific sight unfolded before my eyes. Mabel…was sleeping close to Aidan!
“That son of a bitch…”
Oscar’s blazing gaze was directed towards Mabel’s and Aidan’s hands. They weren’t clasping hands or hugging, but from Oscar’s point of view, the affectionately folded hands were very disapproving.
‘It wasn’t something that was banned or something that was allowed after all.’
Was it because Oscar’s eyes were so intense? Aidan opened his eyes slowly. The eyes of the two boys met with the sleeping Mabel between them.
“away.”
“…?”
As soon as he opened his eyes, Aidan, who faced the serious Oscar, was just puzzled.
“Fall-.”
“Ughhhh… Noisy…”
Mabel mumbled tossing and turning, and Oscar hurriedly shut his mouth. Fortunately, Mabel muttered for a while and quickly fell asleep again. Oscar regained his sanity. No matter how angry she was, she couldn’t interrupt Mabel’s precious sleep. He nodded at Aidan, who still had a dazed face, and said with a mouthful.
‘come out. Don’t break Mabel. quietly.’
Oscar came out onto the balcony first. The chilly autumn morning wind blew lightly through his hair. My mind, which had been less awake and foggy, gradually became clearer. Aidan and Mabel. Because of the taboo touched by the unknown emperor of Devlin, he knew in his head that staying close was inevitable in order to prevent runaway. But my heart was very dissatisfied.
‘…I’m the closest to Mabel.’
I definitely thought so, but when I learned the truth that I actually had more interactions with Aidan, jealousy welled up without my knowledge. However, I thought it was not like an older brother to be jealous, so I was holding back. It wasn’t long before Aidan came out onto the balcony. After clearing up his complicated mind, Oscar stared at Aidan.
“Aidan.”
“huh.”
“Sleep next to me tomorrow.”
“….”
Aidan looked at him dumbfounded, but Oscar didn’t care at all.
‘Because this level of grumpiness can’t be helped.’
I didn’t forget my own self-rationalization.
***
Esteban’s steps slowed down as he walked through the imperial garden, and then stopped. Kids these days are weird. Esteban’s gaze scanned the garden, which became deserted as the seasons changed. No, the desolate thing may be my heart that was neglected by the children. Esteban looked back at Gustav, who had been following silently.
“Today, too, the appearance of the children is not noticed. … Have you reached puberty by any chance?”
“His Highness Oscar is of that age.”
“But you seem to get along well with Mabel.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty is cute.”
“Does that mean Oscar avoids me because I’m not cute?”
“Is that so, haha…”
Gustav muttered to himself with a shy smile.
‘Puberty is like a majesty of the situation…’
I’m going to die at the joke, so I’m going to have to retire quickly. Making a promise he had been repeating for several years today, Gustav followed Esteban’s footsteps. Esteban’s steps, which were walking in the direction of his office, suddenly stopped.
“I can’t.”
“What do you mean it won’t work?”
“I need to see the children.”
“yes? Didn’t you agree to discuss the Langard territorial dispute with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? It is the promised time soon.”
“Adjust your schedule.”
“Yes? your majesty!”
Gustav was in trouble about once a month because of the circumstances in which he suddenly lost his mind when he was involved with Mabel, even though he usually handled his housework thoroughly.
‘Is today the day!’
Esteban, who left Gustav who had been devastated out of nowhere, moved to Mabel’s bedroom without hesitation. I’ve had Mabel sit on my lap at every meeting, but I haven’t had the time personally lately. The desire to stroke her soft pink hair was intense. Adding to that the lovely laughter of hihi, you will be happier than ever.
‘It would be nice to have a cozy tea time with my family after a long time.’
It seemed that the exhaustion from excessive work was alleviated just by thinking about it. Esteban arrived in front of Mabel’s bedroom and lightly knocked. Then there was the sound of something being sorted out inside.
“Mabel.”
“Yeah Dad. come in!”
When I opened the door, Mabel and Oscar were laughing awkwardly. Sketchbooks and pastels were scattered around beside him, as if he were drawing.
“Cute guys. What were you doing?”
“I just played around with Oscar.”
Esteban smiled happily and took a step closer.
“Let’s see what you drew.”
Naturally, I thought that Mabel would hand over the sketchbook, but it turned out to be the opposite.
“Ah ah no…”
“…why?”
“I’m not good at drawing, so I’ll practice more and show you.”
“How can you say that because you can’t draw, Mabel? What you drew is art and logic. No one will be able to refute this.”
At Esteban’s serious treatment, Mabel took a step back with a tired expression on her face. Never show your sketchbook. What I drew there was not a painting or graffiti, but a future plan for the red prober colony discussed with Oscar. It was not even written in Korean, so it was clear that it would be found out if you read it.
‘Help Oscar!’
Oscar, who read Mabel’s troubled eyes, hurriedly changed the subject.
“Emperor. What are you doing up to this point?”
“I came to see what it would be like to spend time with my family after a long time. why. Have you come to a place where I cannot come?”
Of course, he thought they would be welcome, but Esteban was quite heartbroken as the children seemed to be treating uninvited guests.
‘…This is so sad.’
I want them to be children who complain to their dad forever, but they grow up differently day by day.
‘This is also a natural thing to experience as a father.’
Esteban made a proposal to the children while controlling the sadness that was flooding in.
“I took a moment to come. Shall we not drink tea together? It’s been quite a while since I’ve spent time with my family.”
Of course, I thought he would nod his head, but the reaction was not serious. Mabel and Oscar looked at Esteban and exchanged glances. It was Mabel who carried the gun. Mabel hesitantly gave a roundabout refusal.
“I think you should drink tea next time.”
“…why?”
“I decided to go outside the castle with Oscar.”
“I can go out tomorrow.”
“That can’t be done…”
Esteban’s expression darkened at Mabel’s repeated refusals.
‘This is me… I’m just going out and losing.’
Does it mean that going out with my brother is more fun and happy than tea time with my dad? Esteban managed to suppress his sadness and propose once more.
“Then let me go out with you. Let’s take a look at the shopping district.”
“You don’t have to do that, Father.”
This time Oscar refused with an embarrassed face. Esteban’s shock at the second rejection was indescribable.
“Since I was going to go with Mabel because there is a salon only for children, how about having a family reunion tomorrow?”
Oscar urgently added a reason, but it was not enough to heal the wounded father’s heart.
“It is done.”
“Emperor.”
“A father who doesn’t notice will have to leave. Then don’t be fooled.”
“Oh Dad! Not that!”
“It’s done, Mabel…. My useless dad has to disappear. Come have fun and play safely. Be sure to take the escort with you.”
In the meantime, Esteban, who repeatedly warned Mabel’s safety, staggered out. bang. Seeing the closed door, the children looked at each other restlessly. It’s a big deal.
‘Dad pouted!’
***
The unfilial children of the rare generation safely escaped from the castle. Looking out of the carriage, I suddenly sighed. I kept thinking of my father’s back as he left the room helplessly.
“Daddy must have been very angry.”
“How could I be mad at you? I think my father just wanted to spend time with us.”
“I know that, but I have a prior agreement, so I can’t help it.”
Today was the day Oscar went to the guild hideout for the first time and the day he met the red prober. In addition, it was also a day to grow Veneno, which was out of stock.
‘I had a lot of work to do, so I couldn’t put it off.’
Scratching my cheek, I looked at Aidan sitting across from me. While I was sleeping, I was worried that the barrier I had set up might not be disturbed, but fortunately nothing happened.
“Aidan. If something goes wrong, you have to tell me right away. got it?”
“You don’t have to worry.”
“Worry is in my heart.”
While I was talking to Aidan, I suddenly felt that the side of my face was about to be pierced, so I turned my head and met Oscar’s eyes. He was looking at me with a somewhat disapproving face.
“Why is that, Oscar?”
“…nothing.”
“…?”
After a bland answer, we arrived in front of ISTY’s mansion. I couldn’t go straight to the guild hideout because I had to evade the escort.
“Kyungs. waiting here You can’t go out like last time.”
“omg. Did you see us last time?”
hot. At that time, I was the one who encountered the knights outside after taking the Growth Elixir.
“I heard from the butler.”
“yes. All right.”
After a rough look, the knights entered the parlor sullenly. Oscar, who watched the whole series of conversations, put on a tired expression.
“Mabel, you are really thorough.”
“Because my opponent is Oscar and my dad. Anyway, you got caught by Oscar.”
“You were lucky.”
We arrived at the guild headquarters after changing to the wagon that was waiting in advance through the secret passage in the mansion. Casey, who had come out earlier, ran to greet us after a month.
“My dear!”
Whatever had happened, Casey’s face was haggard.
“What’s wrong with your face?”
“It’s all because of the lady!”
“Nana?”
When I pointed a finger at me in bewilderment, Casey nodded and exclaimed.
“I’m going crazy because you entrusted everything to me, including Duke Javier and the red Prover!”
It was then.
“…Duke Javier?”
Oscar murmured quietly. Suddenly, the back of his neck felt cold.
‘Didn’t I tell Oscar that I kidnapped Duke Javier…?’
I didn’t. I don’t think I did.
‘Quaaak.’
Suddenly, I became the kidnapper of my brother’s friend’s father!
