"An interesting game? What is it, what is it!"
Duren's eyes sparkled.
"We switch roles with each other."
It was a make-believe game.
"I'll be Dudu's mom! Mom, you be the dad!"
"Alright, I'll be the dad."
Duren's gaze shifted to Glesia.
"Auntie can be Dudu!"
Glesia, who didn't particularly want to join the game, didn't even bother to respond.
Then—
Bang!
Something like a soft stick smacked against her bottom.
"… … ?"
"Dudu, you have to get up! It's morning!"
Because Duren was all wrapped up snugly in the blanket, she seemed completely unaware that she had just smacked Glesia's bottom again as she urged her.
"Leave me alone…."
"Dudu doesn't want to get up?"
Duren looked utterly dejected.
That sight reminded her strongly of Lennox when he was little.
He was really cute back then.
He used to trail after her, calling "Sister, sister," and she adored him for it.
But if asked whether Duren resembled Lennox, the answer would have been no.
Even if they were both young, would a puppy and a wolf ever look the same?
Looking closer, rather…
Jeremy.
The moment she recalled that name, Glesia froze briefly before rising.
"Dudu?"
"Dudu got up."
With those words, she finally sat up.
Duren, sitting beside her, reached out to Glesia.
Pat, pat.
"Our Dudu, eat a lot."
Duren patted Glesia's back, imitating Estel's tone.
But when quite a while passed and Glesia still hadn't touched the food, her voice suddenly turned strict.
"Dudu! You can't leave food behind!"
"I'll be picky."
Glesia matched her in a flat, monotone voice.
She had realized this was the quickest way to move away from the food without disappointing Duren.
"But it's really delicious!"
"….."
"It just melts in your mouth, you know?"
Still not eating? Hm?
When genuine sincerity slipped out, Duren stopped imitating Estel and looked as though her world had just collapsed.
"My stomach… isn't hungry."
"Ah!"
It was as if Duren had just had a revelation.
Even if it's a child, you can't force them to eat, right.
She was just feeling relieved when—
"You snuck a sweet potato behind Mom's back!"
"….."
"You shouldn't do that. Snacks have to be eaten together with Mom. But it's fine as long as you don't do it again. Got it?"
Glesia didn't answer.
It wasn't because she lacked the energy or was too lazy to reply—she was simply so flustered that she forgot to.
But Duren seemed to take her silence as defiance.
"You have to say 'Got it!' If you don't, Dudu will become a bad kid! And bad kids can't grow up to be fine adults."
"I'm already bad."
Duren's eyes went wide.
Ah, right. For now, I'm supposed to be Dudu.
As Glesia awkwardly wondered how to smooth over what she'd just said, Duren shook her head firmly.
"No! Dudu is going to grow up to be amazing."
"…"
"Snacks and bread are different, you know. And since Dudu's tummy looks all flat, it's okay to eat bread."
Just then, Duren—already holding a spoon—scooped up a big spoonful of soup.
"Dudu, say ahhh."
Startled by the scolding she had just received, Glesia opened her mouth without thinking.
But since Duren was still clumsy at handling utensils, the spoon wobbled in her grip as it made its way toward Glesia's mouth.
And then—
Plop.
By the time the spoon reached its destination, nothing was left on it.
In the end, all the soup had spilled onto the table and her clothes, and Duren's shoulders shrank in fear.
She was scared she'd get scolded.
Just then, Estel stepped in.
"Duren—no. When a mom takes care of her child, things like this can happen. Why don't you try scooping the soup again?"
"Yeah!"
Realizing too late that she'd called her by name in the middle of roleplay, Estel quickly corrected herself.
Duren nodded vigorously and once again scooped up a big spoonful of soup.
"That's it, that's it."
With everyone's encouragement, the spoon—this time spilling only half—safely arrived at Glesia's mouth.
Glesia opened her mouth.
Gulp.
"Does it taste good?"
"… It does."
Even though the process had been a complete mess, no one minded.
"Shall we wash up first and then continue talking?"
"…Alright."
Glesia and Duren, both covered in soup, headed straight to the bathroom as soon as the meal ended.
They had planned to wash up and then finally have a proper talk—but life rarely goes according to plan.
"Dudu, walk! It's time to go for a walk!"
"Duren, Mom can't go. I have something to discuss with your aunt."
The clever Duren immediately turned her gaze to Glesia.
"Walk!"
She realized the one she needed to persuade wasn't Estel, but Glesia.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Her pure, innocent eyes shone with absolute confidence that she wouldn't be refused.
"No, I'm not going."
Thud—
Duren's expression darkened as though she'd taken a heavy blow.
Her bright, sparkling eyes filled with sorrow.
Surely she wasn't about to cry, was she?
Only then did Glesia realize she had made a huge mistake.
Duren's shoulders drooped.
"But walks are fun…"
"..."
"Walks are fun…"
"..."
"Walks are really nice…"
"Walk…"
Glesia didn't have the energy to go outside.
And yet, strangely, she couldn't bring herself to just watch that Jeremy-like face cloud over with sadness.
"…Let's go."
Glesia answered on impulse.
"Yay! Walk!"
Before Glesia could change her mind, Duren dragged her outside.
"Duren! You have to go slower!"
Startled, Estel hurriedly chased after them, while Glesia, swept along in the moment, found herself being pulled around at Duren's pace.
"Huff, huff…"
Glesia was breathing hard.
It seemed her stamina had dropped a great deal.
For someone who normally didn't tire easily, to be this out of breath after just a bit of running—it said a lot.
"Th… this is as far as I go."
In the end, after running nonstop with Duren for a whole hour, Glesia finally declared her surrender.
"Here?"
"Walk is over."
"Mm! Got it!"
Duren nodded firmly—then darted off, leaving Glesia behind.
Apparently, that "got it" meant she would just continue the walk on her own.
Because her legs were short, where Glesia took a single step, Duren had to take two or three.
Even so, it was impressive that she still had the energy to keep running.
"Maybe it's because she's a child, but she's overflowing with energy, isn't she?"
Estel, who had been watching them from a little distance away, approached and spoke to Glesia.
Glesia blankly nodded.
Then Estel held something out.
"Since the days are getting warmer, the flowers have started blooming beautifully."
It was a single red rose.
"It made me think of you, Lady Glesia, so I picked one."
As Glesia just stood there staring at it, Estel seemed to interpret her silence differently.
"Flowers wither quickly, so even when you receive them as gifts, it doesn't always feel right. But if you press them inside a favorite book, you can keep them forever."
"..."
"It could even double as a bookmark. Do you have a favorite book, Lady Glesia?"
She had nothing she liked.
Because everything was gone.
For a moment, bitterness welled up inside her.
Smack—
Glesia knocked aside Estel's hand that was holding the rose.
The beautifully blooming rose fell miserably to the ground and rolled.
"Don't give me things like this."
"..."
"There's only one thing I have to say to you, the wife of Lennox."
Glesia glared at Estel.
"Get a divorce."
To Glesia, those words meant run away.
"I'm against this marriage. Get divorced quickly."
Hurry and run away.
Run away, run away, run away.
Swallowing the words she couldn't bring herself to voice, Glesia turned back along the familiar path.
"Auntie!"
From far away, Duren called out.
When she turned her head, Duren was waving cheerfully, his round little belly puffed out.
"Let's play again tomorrow!"
For her, there was no tomorrow.
And yet, it felt as if she were looking at someone who might have lived safely in this world if they had never met her.
As if he were the child of the one she had once again failed to protect.
She couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh.
All she could do was remain silent.
Middle Chapter
Meanwhile, at that very moment—
Lennox had arrived at the location marked on the map.
The upper reaches of the Gehenna River.
Monsters were rarely found here.
Which was why, for Lennox—whose main duty was exterminating them—this was his first time visiting the place.
"Hmm."
With his arms crossed, Lennox gazed intently at the torrent of magical energy pouring down like a waterfall.
"So there really is a sacred relic here."
But no matter where he looked, there was only magic energy.
He could have gotten angry, claiming he'd been tricked, and simply turned back—but instead, Lennox studied the map more closely.
In fact, there was a small cipher inscribed there, one he hadn't been able to fully decipher.
As he stared fixedly at the tentacle-like characters, Lennox caught sight of something glimmering beyond the waterfall.
He strode toward it.
There's space in there.
Sure enough, hidden behind the waterfall was a hollow chamber.
A bit of magical energy sprayed out, but Lennox paid it no mind as he stepped inside—only to be left speechless.
This…
It was an even greater jackpot than he had imagined.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE: https://payhip.com/pokemon1920