...
“Aunt Mima! / Mom!”
Finally, just as Ogre was about to finish his meal, Macar and Maqi finally returned.
“You're back.”
After Mima happily opened the door, she froze—because Eve had also come back with them.
...
“Tell me... what's this about?”
Mima now finally understood why Ogre had returned alone.
“Well...” Macar looked at the girl beside him, momentarily at a loss for words.
He also didn't know how to explain it. He had clearly gone out to ask Miss Gelin out on a date...
Only to end up bringing his former “good brother,” Eve, back home.
“Let me explain instead,” Maqi offered, taking the initiative to clarify...
“That's... basically how it is.”
As Maqi finished her explanation, Mima couldn't help but take a deep breath. She was still a bit flustered.
“You're saying... Eve and Carl are together now?” Mima looked up as she said this, then cast another glance at Ogre, who was flipping through a book not far away.
In truth, she still preferred that pure and beautiful girl.
Most importantly, why now of all times?
To spring this on her out of nowhere.
Didn't this make her previous behavior look highly problematic?
“Um... Auntie, I...” Eve raised her head, peeked at Macar, and then shyly lowered it again, speaking in a quiet voice. “I will work hard to be a good wife to Brother Carl...”
After a moment of silence, Macar also nodded along. “Aunt Mima, my mind is made up.”
“Resolve your affairs between yourselves. Carl, you are a grown man now, and you should have your own will—just don't casually go back on what you've said.”
Mima slipped off the silver ring she was wearing, then solemnly took Eve's hand and pressed the ring into it.
“Ah... Aunt Mima, this is...” Eve's shrewdness and cleverness only vanished when she was in front of Macar.
“Consider it a gift on behalf of this boy, Carl,” Mima smiled, pulling her hand back.
This was originally meant for Ogre.
What a pity...
“You used to look like a little boy, but you've really blossomed now.” Although this was outside Mima's expectations, since it had already happened, there was no point in trying to stop it.
Perhaps their fate only went this far.
As long as Eve wasn't after Macar's money and power, she could accept it.
'Looks like... there's nothing for me to do here either.' Ogre tilted his head up slightly. Watching Mima's family talking and laughing, his mind was put at ease.
'This is good—even the most beautiful appearance cannot compare to a long-lasting relationship.'
Ogre smiled, took a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
He continued flipping through 《The Divine Words of Dawn》 in his hands.
'Power will eventually change hands... and the beautiful outer shells clinging to it will also wither and strip away with time. Only long-lasting knowledge is truly eternal beauty. The more barren and empty a person is, the more they require external embellishments—whereas I, only need a crown of thorns.'
—《The Divine Words of Dawn》 / Chapter of the Lord of Thorns.
...
“Sister Gelin!” At some point, Maqi had walked up behind Ogre.
Aunt Mima was currently preparing lunch again for Macar and Eve.
In order not to disturb Macar and Eve, Maqi had thought about it and made up a casual excuse to leave, sensibly giving the two some space.
With nothing else to do, she came over to seek out Ogre, who was reading.
“Hmm...?” Ogre set down 《The Divine Words of Dawn》 and turned his head to look at Maqi behind him.
He had just reached the part where the fifth son of the God of Dawn took the throne... why was she bothering him again?
“Why are you still wearing a scarf inside the house?” Maqi preemptively unwrapped the scarf Ogre had put back on. “Mmh, now that's cute.”
Ogre: “...”
Why did she have to come after him? He had already been low-profile enough.
“Sister Gelin, what did Grand Friar Fula want with you...” Maqi wound the scarf around her hand, casually pulled up a chair to sit down, and began to ask in a gentle whisper.
Because she was whispering, Maqi leaned in so close she was almost pressed against Ogre's body.
'Is that really something you can just casually ask?'
Being interrogated so closely by a girl made Ogre a little bewildered—he didn't quite understand this knight girl's thought process.
“Grand Friar Fula didn't bully you, did he?” Looking at the somewhat dazed Ogre, Maqi seemed to only just remember Ogre's “persona” of being semi-mute.
She immediately changed her way of asking.
“No...”
After his thoughts spun a full circle, Ogre figured it out—in Maqi and Macar's eyes, Fula's testing of him probably seemed more like an elder's care.
After all, he had returned safely.
Right... so maybe, probably, Maqi was just showing concern for him.
“That's good... Oh right, Sister Gelin, did you let Grand Friar Fula see...” Maqi pulled back slightly from being almost pressed against him, then picked up Ogre's scarf and performed a little act of covering and then revealing her face.
'It makes sense for me to gesture while pretending to be semi-mute, but you're not mute...' Ogre was temporarily at a loss for how to complain about Maqi's desire to perform.
“Did he see it?” Seeing Ogre's blank expression, Maqi asked again, unsure.
“Yes...” Ogre nodded.
“He didn't blame you, did he?” Maqi asked another question.
“No...” Ogre shook his head.
“Just as I thought—Gelin is so cute, it's completely understandable to hide your face.” Maqi smiled and reached out, gently pinching Ogre's cheek.
For some reason, she really wanted to touch Ogre's face.
It felt as if she had awakened some incredible preference.
Ogre: “...”
Great. He felt like he'd rather have Macar clinging to him—were all girls this troublesome?
“I'm sorry about Sister Eve. She's not actually that kind of person, and she didn't mean anything by what she said.” After chatting for a bit, Maqi began to cover up for Eve's wild remarks from earlier.
She hadn't expected Eve to speak so boldly either.
What did she mean by not minding being a concubine?
She'd better not corrupt Sister Gelin...
“Hmm...?” Ogre chose to let his pure eyes explain everything.
If Maqi hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten Eve's wild words...
“Carl, Eve, have a quick bite.”
Just then, Mima brought out the reheated lean meat porridge.
“Oh, you'll understand in the future.”
Maqi didn't know how to explain those words either.
Looking into Ogre's innocent eyes, she felt a sense of guilt, as if she were corrupting a little sister...
Fortunately, Mima saved Maqi from her embarrassment.
“Time to eat, Maqi.”
Mima called out in the direction of Maqi and Ogre. At this moment, Aunt Mima was holding a ladle and scooping out porridge for everyone.
She had specially brewed this batch to be much thicker.
“Gelin, have you eaten?” Maqi asked as she stood up from her chair.
“Yes...” Ogre nodded.
Finally, he could get back to reading.
Rate on N.U.
