I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 213



213 – Side Story – The Happy Cabin

A cool breeze passed through the coniferous forest.

When we first came to the cabin it was a bitterly cold winter, but now there was only a pleasantly cold chill.

The hand that held Sirien’s. The cold metal touched it and then fell away.

It was a wedding ring on Sirien’s ring finger.

Come to think of it, it seems like you’re still using the scarf I gave you when you confessed.

How on earth do they keep watch?

Even though a lot of time has passed, it doesn’t feel old.

It’s not like I just keep it somewhere, I use it every time I can, but it still looks like new.

Even the bracelets that Requitas gave me as a gift often showed up.

‘If there were any places that were a bit worn out, they would change it naturally… … .’

It was so well written that I felt it was a waste to give it to him as a new gift.

So I guess I unknowingly put it off too much. It would have been good to choose one or two more with different colors or shapes.

I’ll have to find out what the gift is as soon as I get to the Grand Palace.

It will definitely help you have a happy married life.

While I was lost in thought for a moment like that.

Someone came between me and Sirien and forcibly put some distance between us.

Sirien, who would normally have distorted her expression, smiled broadly as the corners of her mouth went up.

Because it was a young silver-haired girl who came between us.

A slightly younger boy followed immediately, as if he couldn’t lose any time soon.

It was Serena and Leon.

“Dad, Mom. Where am I?”

“It’s a place I’ve always wanted to tell you about. When we were there… …it was a very shabby shack.”

“Your father has protected me here many times.”

“Wow… … !”

The two children’s gazes were fixed on each other in a rather burdensome manner.

It was easy to read what to expect.

The eldest daughter who grew up like a princess. Serena must have thought of a fairy tale about a princess and a knight.

Leon is an aspiring knight, so he probably imagined a story about a villain who defeats bad guys.

Unfortunately, our story wasn’t all that splendid, but we didn’t come here to tell a gloomy story.

“Ahem. Should we go in and talk? It’s cold outside.”

“You’re going to tell the story when you go in, right? Dad, aren’t you beating around the bush again?”

“That’s right. It was like that last time too.”

Is it true that blood is thicker than water?

Even though he was still young, his insight was extraordinary.

It’s obvious who he resembles.

Sirien, the person involved, just covered her mouth and smiled as if she was happy.

I was worried that when my children grew up a little more, they would see right through my head.

But still, kids are kids.

As soon as they entered the newly built cabin, the children’s eyes lit up.

A building that has lost even a trace of its original old and shabby atmosphere.

Fortunately, the children seemed to simply think of it as a curious place.

It was a happy thing. Serena and Leon, or I didn’t want the children I had growing up to have to go through the same experience.

Sirien opened her mouth as she straightened Serena’s hair.

It was soft silver hair, just like hers.

“I don’t really want to imagine it, but there may come a day when you too will be in danger. This place was created so that you can hide when that day comes.”

“Is it a dangerous day? You have dad.”

“Of course your dad will do his best to protect you. But there’s only one dad and there are so many bad people.”

The current Grand Duchy of Illencia is enjoying an unprecedented golden age.

It wasn’t just a story of force, for Sirien had complete control of the empire, both financially and politically.

They were even refraining from further expansion out of consideration for the imperial family’s reputation.

To put it more bluntly, the power of the Grand Duke’s family has long since surpassed that of the imperial family.

Even the current emperor, Karzan Edelmar, seems to have no intention of restraining us.

Naturally, there were voices of concern in some quarters.

The reason this strange balance was maintained was because Sirien did not want unnecessary power play.

What’s the point of rebelling and becoming the master of the empire?

What follows is a continued struggle with unstable power.

The life given to humans is finite. Sirien would rather spend that time with her family.

“So, if something really, really dangerous happens, you’ll come here?”

“That’s right. If you guys grow up well and have kids someday, Mommy will be so happy… … Ahem. When you guys have kids, you have to let them know about this place.”

“Yes! I will do that. Leon may not remember because he is stupid, but I will definitely do as you say.”

“Who’s that stupid! My sister is the same!”

For us, the shabby cabin was always a place we wanted to get away from.

A place with no good memories whatsoever.

That may be why my time here was more miserable.

“Don’t fight. Anyway, I hope that even if that day comes, this cabin won’t be a painful place for you.”

“That’s why we came here to hang out for a bit. I hope you guys have a fun experience here too.”

“Mom. Dad. Then can I go inside and look around?”

“Okay. I’m planning on sleeping here today, so just be careful not to get hurt.”

“Yes! Sister, let’s start from the second floor! I saw a while ago that there was a window on the roof!”

It’s not built very large, so the kids’ adventure won’t take long.

The structure hasn’t changed much either.

Our impressions aside, the cabin wasn’t really a bad place to live.

I focused solely on creating a much neater and more livable hideaway.

“The kids were really excited. I was worried they might not like it.”

“Leon takes after me, so that’s understandable, but it’s surprising that Serena is also excited. I thought she was a bit more of a saintly person.”

“That’s right. When I first came here, I even cried. I was like, ‘What is this? It’s dirty and smelly.’”

Sirien and I each made a cup of tea and sat across from each other at the table.

There was a chess board there that I often played with when I was young.

I never intended to do that. Never.

Fortunately, Sirien didn’t offer me chess.

Have I become someone I can’t even find fun in?

That’s sad in its own way.

“When the kids come home later, should we play cards together?”

“Okay. Since we came here to have fun, let’s have some fun too.”

I thought something like a card game would be okay.

Perhaps because there was an area that relied on luck, Sirien surprisingly wasn’t good at card games.

When I, Therion, and Henna were there, there was a time when we came in last.

At that time, Sirien played the game while laughing heartily.

I also remember comforting him on the day I was depressed after hearing of my father’s death.

If I think about it, that was the only time I beat Sirien in this type of game.

Okay, we win today.

* * *

“This time, Dad came in last.”

“What a shame. I could have won first place this time.”

“I will never lose to you, sister.”

I slid the cards down helplessly.

While Sirien laughed and shuffled the cards, I stood up for a moment and stretched.

… … The outcome of the game is somewhat strange.

There was quite a fierce competition going on among the children.

Sometimes Serena wins, sometimes Leon wins.

Of course, the number one spot also changed quite frequently.

However, I have never won first place.

To be exact, I’ve never defeated Sirien.

‘Could this be a coincidence?’

It doesn’t seem like Sirien is using any strange tricks though.

They say it’s hard to catch card tricks with the naked eye, but my eyes must be normal.

If Sirien had played with her hands, there was no way she wouldn’t have noticed.

But I still hadn’t defeated Sirien until quite some time had passed and the sun had set.

The children ended up drawing after a fierce competition.

To be honest, I didn’t understand… …so I mustered up the courage to ask.

The rooftop we came to follow the kids who wanted to see the stars.

I sat down next to Sirien and started to have fun.

“How did you do today?”

“Huh? What?”

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“It’s a card game.”

“Huh. I thought it wouldn’t work.”

I thought it wouldn’t work.

Did you actually do something?

“It’s just that, when we played together before, you were in last place. I thought you’d changed a lot. Coincidentally, the game ended in a draw between the kids.”

“Hmm… … If Leon wins, he’ll tease Serena, and if Serena wins, Leon’ll be depressed. Either way, it’ll all be happy memories in the end. But I wanted to see you smile right now.”

“You didn’t want to lose to me?”

“Yeah. I didn’t intend to give in. Actually, I gave in before too, but you didn’t notice it then, did you?”

what?

An unbelievable story came out of Sirien’s mouth.

Her eyes were crescent-moon shaped and showed a look of joy.

Eventually, I couldn’t hold back my laughter and burst out laughing.

I was at a loss and asked Sirien for a solution.

“So… … what did you do?”

“It’s nothing special. I just shuffled the cards, memorized their positions, and dealt them out from wherever I wanted. I guess I have good instincts, so I can feel the cards touching my fingers.”

“Is that possible?”

“Yeah. I made a few mistakes because I didn’t practice.”

The more I listened to Sirien’s story, the more I nodded.

Today I made a resolution.

I won’t play games with you anymore.