Chapter 98

“Then you can’t feel Mom’s power?”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“…”

Damian couldn’t answer again.

She truly had no aura, no magic, no divine power at all, so there was nothing to sense.

And this was especially awkward to explain to Reina’s daughter.

“…I’m not close with Reina Botn.”

“If you’re not close, you can’t read it?”

“Th-That’s right.”

Trying to lie in front of such a pure child made Damian feel guilty, so he ended up stuttering in a way that didn’t suit him.

Bonita didn’t doubt him at all and simply nodded like, oh I see.

A moment later, a strange, unsteady figure came into view near a tree.

“…What are they doing?”

To be precise, Reina was lifting Estelle up by the waist. Estelle was reaching toward the upper branches of the tree, as if trying to grab something.

Damian and Bonita stared at their inexplicable behavior, then lifted their gazes at the same time.

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

And at the same time, they spotted a hat caught on a tree branch.

“Bonita, let me pick you up for a moment.”

Damian lifted Bonita up easily and strode toward them.

The hat that Reina and Estelle couldn’t reach no matter how hard they tried was effortlessly plucked from the branch by Damian.

“Was this why you were late?”

Even after being helped, the two somehow looked a little hollow.

“Th-Thank you, Your Grace.”

“Thank you, Dad…”

“Mhm.”

The four of them headed back toward where the picnic mat was laid out.

Bonita walked in front wearing Estelle’s hat, while Estelle wore Reina’s.

Damian spoke first.

“So you were late just because of a hat.”

“Ah, we ran into a strange person.”

“A strange person?”

“She seemed like a lady, but she thought I was a rural noble’s maid.”

“Well, the Winternight territory is pretty far from the capital.”

“But it’s not the countryside.”

Damian didn’t respond much and simply nodded.

Reina lightly lifted the hem of her dress.

“Maybe it’s because my clothes look too cheap. They don’t look elegant like a noble’s.”

Even Dean had worried that Reina might be looked down on because her clothes were too plain. Reina thought she probably should prepare at least one expensive dress of her own.

‘I am a baron now too. I really prepared too late.’

She’d been too busy researching magic stone powder and negotiating contracts afterward to have any leeway.

Damian didn’t answer right away, as if lost in thought.

“But you chose that outfit carefully, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You wore it because you thought it was the best thing to wear today, right?”

“Th-That’s true.”

Damian clasped his hands behind his back and walked a few steps ahead.

“Then it doesn’t matter.”

Reina hurried after him.

Before long, they arrived near the picnic mat.

Estelle and Bonita had already arrived and were sitting close to the picnic basket.

They clearly wanted to open it but had been holding back, waiting for Reina and Damian.

“Mom, can we open it now?”

“Dad, can we look inside?”

The children were brimming with anticipation.

When Reina and Damian nodded, the children hurriedly opened the basket.

Inside was a generous spread of appetizing food.

“Wow. Wow.”

“It looks delicious.”

Compared to the meals they usually ate at the mansion, it was a simple spread, but the excitement on the children’s faces was unmistakable.

Reina stepped forward and began taking the food out one by one.

Watching her, Damian remembered what Bonita had said earlier about a blueberry allergy.

Should I ask now? As he opened his mouth,

“And also, Reina Botn, earlier about blueberries…”

“Waaah!!!”

The moment Damian brought up blueberries, Bonita screamed.

“Yes?”

“Those blueberries…”

“Mom, look at this! The sandwiches look super tasty!”

Once again, Bonita raised her voice and cut Damian off.

“Boni, His Grace is speaking.”

“B-But still. They look so good…”

Only then did Damian realize why Bonita was acting like this.

It was because of their earlier conversation about keeping the cookies a secret.

Reina pulled Bonita into her arms and asked Damian,

“So, Your Grace, what were you going to say?”

Bonita sat quietly in Reina’s arms, but her pupils shook violently.

After watching the child’s restless eyes for a moment, Damian spoke.

“…It looked like some of the cookies had blueberries in them. Just be careful.”

“Ah, okay.”

It seemed better to look for another chance to ask the rest later.

* * *

‘It was strange.’

The picnic itself had been enjoyable, but there was a subtly odd atmosphere.

More precisely, Damian felt a little off.

After that, they ate lunch, played ball, and even took a short nap, enjoying a proper picnic…

‘His Grace was strange.’

He seemed distracted at times.

Damian would normally catch any ball, but he even got hit by one Bonita threw.

“Baron of Lian, what are you thinking about again?”

At the same time as Madam Beanz’s strict voice rang out, something heavy thumped onto the desk.

“Ah, n-No. It’s nothing.”

“You have a habit of sinking too deeply into thought. Fix that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should also fix your habit of apologizing so much. The more you apologize, the less value it has.”

Reina was afraid of what Madam Beanz’s expression would be if she knew that this was already Reina cutting back on apologizing.

Then Madam Beanz asked,

“You haven’t reduced your apologies already, have you?”

“…”

Reina clamped her mouth shut and only rolled her eyes.

Madam Beanz’s expression turned fierce, like a dragon that had just woken up.

“That’s enough. You’ll fix it someday.”

“Yes…”

“For now, memorize this first. You don’t need to memorize everything. Start with the nobles who have more power than Duke Winternight.”

What Madam Beanz placed down was a list of nobles.

Reina scraped her fingernail along the edge of the overwhelmingly thick stack of papers.

“Can I really memorize all of this?”

“If it truly doesn’t work, there’s a method.”

“What is it?”

“Never leave the duke’s side.”

“…”

“There are very few people who’d dare approach when the duke is standing right beside you.”

Reina looked at Madam Beanz with eyes that asked if that was really possible.

Madam Beanz, however, looked completely calm.

“If it’s you, Baron of Lian, it’s possible.”

“Shouldn’t His Grace be interacting with others?”

“Exactly. Others will want to interact with the duke, so that’s where you come in.”

Reina thought about what that meant for a moment, then realized.

“Ah.”

Madam Beanz nodded.

“Yes. Under the pretense of escorting you, the duke can fend off others.”

“So it’s mutual benefit.”

“That’s right.”

Reina felt relieved, thinking that meant she only had to memorize the truly important people.

She already had countless things to worry about and study, so anything that reduced her load was a relief.

“You look relieved.”

“Honestly, yes.”

Madam Beanz pulled out a thin document from among the thick stack.

‘That got thin really fast.’

Reina thought it might’ve been better to bring the thin one from the start.

Madam Beanz, as if aware of her thoughts, added,

“If you finish memorizing and still have time, we’ll move on to the others step by step.”

“Can you really see what I’m thinking?”

“Yes.”

Reina rolled her eyes and rubbed her cheeks with both hands.

Madam Beanz quietly observed her behavior.

“…Only I know.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You don’t act like that with everyone.”

“Then?”

“Only with me and the duke.”

Madam Beanz paused after saying that.

“I understand it with the duke, but I don’t know why you do it with me.”

Reina and Madam Beanz hadn’t known each other long.

From what Madam Beanz had heard from Peter, Reina wasn’t as soft as she seemed.

‘She’s not someone ruled by affection.’

Despite being very close to a maid who had sided with Count Embron, Reina had permanently exiled her from the territory without wavering.

She had also selected the administrators of her newly granted land purely based on competence, not personal closeness.

Madam Beanz had heard many such stories from Peter.

That was why she found it even stranger.

Reina let out a small groan.

After thinking for a long time, she gave an unexpected answer.

“Uh, maybe because you remind me of my mom.”

“…Your mom?”

Calling her mother Mom rather than Mother felt oddly out of place with the image Reina had given so far.

“Yes, my mom. I think it’s because of what you said during the last dance lesson.”

“Did you usually have conversations like that with your mother?”

“Ah, no. Not really.”

Reina waved her hands and forced a smile.

“My mom, no, my mother and I separated a long time ago. I just imagined it on my own.”

“…”

“I wondered if, if she were here, she would’ve given me advice like that while I was raising Boni.”