A Morning Around the Breakfast Table
Cecelion, who had been enjoying his meal, suddenly turned toward Eiji.
"Um, Ejji-kun, is there anything you need help with on the farm? You can ask me for anything. I promised that I would see what I could do to help."
Eiji paused for a moment, seemingly considering his request.
"Well, Cecelion-sama, if you don't mind... Could you help us transport the wine we're planning to sell to the capital? We have quite a lot of it, and transporting everything ourselves would be difficult."
"Of course! I'll gladly help with that. I'll also see if there are any available carriages heading toward our destination. That should make things considerably easier."
"Papa..."
Yui suddenly called out.
Both Cecelion and Eiji turned toward her.
"Yes?"
"Yes, dear?"
Yui hesitated, fiddling with her fingers before finally asking the question that had been bothering her.
"Will Haruwiko-san be leaving us?"
Her little voice carried a hint of sadness.
"Um... Cecelion-sama, could you stay with us a little longer? I still want to play with Haruwiko-chan."
Cecelion and Eiji exchanged glances.
"No."
"Ah, I mean..."
Eiji quickly corrected himself.
"Haruwiko-chan will be staying with us a little longer, so don't worry. I'm sure the two of you will have plenty of time to play together."
Yui's expression immediately brightened.
"Really?!"
"Of course," Eiji replied with a gentle smile.
Cecelion chuckled at the sight.
"Your father is right. We might be staying here for a while, so please, could you take good care of him for me?"
"Of course!"
Yui answered enthusiastically, raising her little hand as though accepting an important mission.
Watching the exchange, Yuna couldn't help but chuckle.
"My, my... I see. So this is what it feels like to have two husbands in the household. No wonder some people enjoy this sort of arrangement."
Cough! Cough!
Both Cecelion and Eiji nearly choked on their breakfast.
Yuna tilted her head, looking at the two men with genuine confusion.
"Hey, you two! What happened?"
"Um... Nothing!" Eiji hurriedly replied.
"That's right. Nothing at all," Cecelion added, awkwardly returning his attention to his plate.
Yuna simply shrugged.
"Well, if you say so."
A few minutes passed before Haruwiko, who had been quietly eating, noticed something peculiar.
"Um, Nee-san?"
"Hmm?"
"What's that extra plate beside you?"
Yui followed his gaze.
"Ah! That's for Julius-san. He's my brother from a different mother!"
Haruwiko blinked.
Meanwhile, Cecelion slowly turned toward Eiji.
"...Eiji."
"Yes?"
"Are you cheating on someone?"
"WHAT?!"
Eiji nearly dropped his utensils.
"N-No! I wouldn't do something like that!"
"Then who exactly is Julius?"
Eiji sighed, realizing that his explanation had somehow become considerably more complicated than necessary.
"Julius-san is a child who lives in the forest. He's a rather pitiful boy."
"Why?"
"Well..."
Eiji's expression softened.
"He doesn't have much. The only place he has to sleep is an old shrine deep in the forest. As for food and proper clothing, he barely has anything."
Yuna joined the conversation.
"We actually tried to adopt him, but he refused. Still, we check on him from time to time. Whenever he doesn't come over to play with Yui-chan, we make sure to visit him."
Haruwiko looked at the empty plate again.
"Um, Nee-san... Where is he? Why isn't he here?"
Yui looked toward the window.
"I don't know. He's usually waiting in front of our house before breakfast."
Her expression became slightly worried.
Yuna noticed this and gently reassured her.
"Don't worry, Yui-chan. If we don't see him by lunchtime, we'll go into the forest and look for him, okay?"
Yui nodded.
"Okay!"
Haruwiko, meanwhile, remained somewhat curious about this mysterious Julius.
An old shrine in the forest, huh...?
He wondered what kind of child would choose to live in such a place.
But before he could ask anything else, breakfast continued.
Eventually, everyone finished their meals.
"Thank you for the meal!"
The familiar voices echoed around the dining room.
Eiji stood up and adjusted his clothes before turning toward his wife.
"Yuna, honey, we'll be taking our leave now. Take care of the children, alright?"
"Of course. You two take care as well."
Cecelion also stood up, giving the family a friendly wave.
"Well then, Yuna, Yui, Haruwiko... Bye-bye! We'll see each other again soon."
"Goodbye, Cecelion-sama!"
Yui waved enthusiastically.
Haruwiko gave him a small wave as well.
With that, Cecelion and Eiji left the house, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
The morning returned to its peaceful atmosphere.
However, somewhere deep within the forest, a certain boy who usually appeared before breakfast was nowhere to be seen.