Chapter 48: Able to Rely On and Get Close

Breakfast was specially arranged by Mond in the place Wen Yuzhi had chosen before.

It was that familiar floor-to-ceiling window again—lift your head and you could see the snowy view of the courtyard.

In the snow, that snow beast that still wasn’t finished was still lying there, looking lonely all by itself.

Wen Yuzhi stared at it for a long time, until he heard Mansendis calling him, and only then did he pull his gaze away from the snow beast.

On the other side, the silver-haired sovereign had already taken the food Mond brought over and cut it into little pieces, one small chunk after another.

With the cub’s current size, even thornthorn fruit was huge, so Mansendis had to use the knife and fork to cut it down further, making pieces small enough for the cub to eat.

And for the tableware, Mond had also found a mini set of baby utensils.

They were very cute—made in the shapes of cat paws and cat ears.

To these adult Saint Clan, the spoons and forks in this set were only about the length of a finger segment, but for Wen Yuzhi’s size, they were just right.

The cub could grip them perfectly in one hand.

There was also another set of small table and chairs on the tabletop, specially equipped for Wen Yuzhi.

The cub sat on it, holding a cat-paw-shaped tiny spoon. In front of him was a cat-ear-shaped little plate, already filled with thornthorn fruit pieces Mansendis had cut.

Just as Wen Yuzhi was about to start—

“Wait!”

Mond suddenly seemed to remember something. Mond left for a moment, and then, not long after, came back with a tiny bib.

“This way, your clothes won’t get dirty.”

Mond fastened the baby bib around Wen Yuzhi’s neck.

To be honest, once it was on, the cub looked even more childish and adorable—those round eyes wide, looking dazed and innocent to the extreme.

If Mansendis weren’t here, Mond would have wanted to reach out and rub that soft little cheek directly.

Wen Yuzhi didn’t know Mond was already staring at his little face. Wen Yuzhi lowered his head and tugged at the bib around the neck.

It felt a little humiliating... but compared to getting clothes dirty, that little humiliation didn’t seem like much.

Mm... clothes were more important!

With that thought, Wen Yuzhi stopped hesitating and started scooping thornthorn fruit flesh with the tiny spoon and eating.

Since Wen Yuzhi had already drunk milk and eaten eggshell earlier, Wen Yuzhi wasn’t especially hungry now, so the eating was slow—chewing carefully before swallowing.

Mond stared at the cub eating for a long time.

Mond realized the little Highness ate very similarly to the King.

Back in childhood, when Mansendis ate, it was also like this—unhurried, measured, not rushed at all, faintly showing the shadow of the later cold composure.

The cub’s manner, though, leaned more toward being well-behaved. It was almost like: whatever was given, he ate. Quiet from start to finish, and everything was eaten very cleanly.

Mansendis cut the pieces and placed them into the little plate. Wen Yuzhi used the tiny spoon to scoop and eat. One cut, one ate. Neither said a word, yet they cooperated with perfect tacit understanding.

For a moment, the atmosphere at the table was exceptionally harmonious.

And in the process of feeding like this, Mansendis gradually felt a kind of satisfaction that had never existed before.

Watching the cub eat the food Mansendis had cut with his own hands—it was as if Mansendis could already see the cub being raised plump and healthy.

...Right now, the cub still looked a bit too thin.

With that thought, Mansendis was just about to cut another piece when Wen Yuzhi put the tiny spoon down, patted the belly, round and full.

He was already full.

But a full cub didn’t forget that the silver-haired sovereign had been cutting fruit for him the whole time and still hadn’t had a chance to eat.

Wen Yuzhi fluttered the little wings and made a round of inspection across the table.

He hugged over the fruit that looked the most plump and set it in front of Mansendis, and also pushed the cup of milk over.

Busy to the extreme.

At first, Mansendis thought the cub was full and just wanted to play a little, but very quickly Mansendis realized Wen Yuzhi wasn’t playing—Wen Yuzhi was helping arrange dishes.

Just like how Mansendis had cut fruit for the cub, now Wen Yuzhi was helping Mansendis eat.

After arranging everything, the cub blinked, blinked, looking at Mansendis with full expectation.

It looked like he was saying: Hurry and eat.

Mansendis instantly collapsed.

Mansendis ate everything the cub had brought over, and even finished the milk.

The energy in that bit of food, of course, wasn’t enough to make an adult Saint Clan feel full.

But the silver-haired sovereign still put on a “I’m full” look, and lowered the voice, saying thank you to the cub in front.

Wen Yuzhi’s eyes became even brighter, and the snow-white cheeks turned rosy.

The two of them washed their hands together and wiped their faces clean.

While Mond cleared the table, Wen Yuzhi looked out the window. The weather today was very good—bright sunlight, warm and clear.

A thought immediately rose in his heart.

Mansendis felt as if the edge of the clothes was being tugged.

He lowered his head and saw the cub looking toward the courtyard, then looking at him.

The silver-haired sovereign understood instantly. “You want to go outside and play?”

Yes!

As if afraid Mansendis would refuse, Wen Yuzhi kept looking at him with those eager eyes.

Winter was almost over. Before long, the snow would start melting. Since the little Highness wanted to go play outside, and the weather was good today, the King naturally...

Wen Yuzhi arrived on Dark Tower Star right at the end of winter.

The long, cold winter was about to pass, and the Saint Clan would be welcoming a warm, gentle spring.

Mond felt that this year, spring on Dark Tower Star might become especially warm.

......

Because they were going outdoors, even if the sunlight looked warm, Mond still added a thick outer layer for Wen Yuzhi.

Mansendis also used the cloak to wrap the cub curled in his arms tight and snug.

Only after taking every precaution did they finally go out.

Sunlight fell on the snow, and everything around seemed to turn glittery.

Wen Yuzhi’s goal was very clear—he wanted to go to the snow beast he had made before.

He tugged at Mansendis’s collar and pointed toward where the snow beast was.

“...Guji!”

...Here, here.

Mansendis understood and paused slightly, then walked in the direction Wen Yuzhi pointed.

That snow beast was still standing quietly in place.

Up close, Wen Yuzhi realized there was a transparent energy shield covering it.

This was something you could only call extravagant.

The cost of an energy shield wasn’t cheap. Once activated, the energy consumption was also a hefty number.

Not to mention, to preserve the snow beast’s state, the energy shield in front of Wen Yuzhi had to be kept on twenty-four hours without interruption. If people from other races saw this, they’d probably complain about wasting resources.

But the benefits were obvious, too. With the snow beast inside, it wouldn’t melt, and it wouldn’t be covered again by new falling snow. Whatever it looked like when Wen Yuzhi pinched it before, it still looked like that now.

Very clearly, someone had intentionally set up an energy shield here to protect this snow beast.

“...Gu?”

Wen Yuzhi lifted his head in confusion and looked at the silver-haired sovereign holding him.

Unfortunately, Mansendis’s expression was still calm and indifferent. Wen Yuzhi stared for a long time and still couldn’t tell whether it was Mansendis who set up the energy shield.

With a light flutter of the wings, Wen Yuzhi wriggled out of Mansendis’s arms.

Mansendis turned the energy shield off.

Wen Yuzhi touched the snow and tried to squeeze a snowball. A snowball formed, yes—but compared to the snow beast next to it, the snowball was so small it was practically invisible.

If Wen Yuzhi kept shaping the snow beast at this size, three days and three nights might not even be enough to finish it.

Before the gloomy mood could rise, Wen Yuzhi suddenly felt the silver-haired sovereign move at the side.

Mansendis took off the cloak and outer layer, revealing the shirt underneath, then rolled up the cuffs.

Mond also handed tools over at the right time.

Both Saint Clan looked at Wen Yuzhi at the same time, as if silently asking what the cub wanted to do.

“...!”

Wen Yuzhi’s eyes widened in instant delight.

He hadn’t expected Mansendis and Mond to be willing to keep him company while doing something this childish.

Seeing the cub’s stunned look, Mond smiled and spoke. “When this subordinate was learning how to be a chief affairs officer back then, this subordinate got perfect marks in handicraft class every term.”

It was just that what Mond made by hand back then were weapons.

Wen Yuzhi didn’t know that. In Wen Yuzhi’s impression, “handicrafts” were the things learned at Omega academy—knitting, sewing, embroidery, and so on.

Hearing Mond say that, Wen Yuzhi immediately clapped very politely, giving Mond plenty of face.

Mansendis hadn’t learned handicrafts. The only time Mansendis did handwork was weaving clothes for the cub earlier.

And the finished product really was... hard to describe.

But carving wasn’t difficult for Mansendis.

The snow beast already had a rough shape. Mansendis only needed to follow what Wen Yuzhi had made before and continue refining the shape.

It was slow, delicate work—something that took time and energy.

And Mansendis didn’t feel doing this kind of thing harmed dignity or status at all. On the contrary, sleeves rolled up and wearing only a shirt, ignoring every shred of a sovereign’s dignity, Mansendis carved the snow beast in the courtyard with full seriousness.

Instead, Wen Yuzhi was the one who felt a bit unaccustomed to seeing the silver-haired sovereign so... “down-to-earth.”

But there was no denying it—this Mansendis felt closer, without that usual distant fear.

Like...

Wen Yuzhi secretly glanced at Mansendis.

Then completed the thought silently in the heart—

Like a dad.

The way Mansendis had felt these past few days was like a dad, not some high, unreachable king.

He wove clothes for him. He let him sit on the shoulder. And now he was even willing to play in the snow in the courtyard together.

These were all things Wen Che and Madam Jilanya used to do with him.

As long as it was at home, Wen Che never had any “Wen Clan head” attitude. The identity was only father and husband.

Providing the wife a stable home, and doing everything possible to give the child a dad who was fun and safe and full of security.

Beside Wen Che, Wen Yuzhi could always rely on and get close, relaxing and being a protected child.

And now, beside Mansendis, Wen Yuzhi also had a similar feeling.

—Dad.

He silently called that name in the heart.

Mansendis didn’t know if he sensed the cub’s emotions at that moment. Mansendis turned the head as if aware of something, only to see the cub’s brows and eyes curved, little wings unconsciously fluttering as he flew around the snow beast, like the mood was very good.

“The little Highness is having a lot of fun,” Mond also saw it, voice carrying a bit of relief.

The little Highness looked very well-behaved, but was also a sensitive child.

Maybe because of past experiences, Wen Yuzhi «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» was used to shrinking into a shell. That well-behaved, considerate side of him was more like a thick layer of protection.

It was an instinctive defense mechanism—only children who had been hurt would be like this.

So while Mond sighed over how considerate the little Highness was, Mond also couldn’t stop feeling heartache.

But for this situation, Mond had discussed it with Mu Luo and knew it was best not to intervene harshly. All they needed to do was wait silently.

Wait for the day the cub was willing to open his heart.

Mond had always thought it would take a long time to slowly make the cub willing to accept them.

But now it seemed the little Highness’s heart was far softer than they imagined.

So soft that after touching a little kindness, he was willing to forget the hurt and take the initiative to step out of the protective shell.

Compared to how he looked when he first arrived, the expression on the cub’s face was clearly getting more and more lively.

Wen Yuzhi himself didn’t even notice he was getting more and more childish.

And only children who are loved have the right to be childish.

Under the care the Saint Clan around gave him, he regained the foundation to be willful like before.

Mond felt relieved about that too.

Mansendis’s gaze also softened without realizing, but the hands never slowed.

Very soon, a lifelike snow beast was completed under those hands.

Wasting an entire afternoon carving his own beast form like this—this was also the first time for Mansendis.

But seeing the smile on the cub’s face, Mansendis felt it was worth it.

At least, just like Mond said—the cub was having fun. That was enough.

Wen Yuzhi really was having fun.

This overbearing, imposing snow beast looked almost exactly like Wen Yuzhi’s memory of the first time he saw Mansendis.

Just...

It felt like something was still missing.

Wen Yuzhi thought about it.

He folded the wings and squatted somewhere, tinkering alone for a while.

When Wen Yuzhi stood up again looking like the big work was done, Mansendis and Mond saw that in the spot the cub had crouched, there was now a small winged snowman.

Wen Yuzhi moved it beside the snow beast. Tiny, sitting by the big snow beast, it looked like it was tightly snuggling up to it.

And this way, the big snow beast wouldn’t feel lonely anymore. It wouldn’t be all by itself.

Because it now had the little snowman’s company.

After finishing, Wen Yuzhi looked a little embarrassed and glanced toward the silver-haired sovereign.

The next moment—

Wen Yuzhi was lifted and pulled into an embrace.

Mansendis didn’t even know why he did it.

But the moment he saw the cub place that little snowman beside the snow beast, a sour, swelling emotion in the chest began growing wildly.

In that instant, Mansendis followed instinct and hugged his child.

The child who gave Mansendis such intense feelings, who made Mansendis worry and soften.

The sudden hug also made Wen Yuzhi freeze.

But after the brief blankness, Wen Yuzhi carefully spread the wings and “hugged back,” wrapping them around Mansendis’s wrist.

Mond stood at the side, watching this, and the smile at the corner of the mouth lifted slightly.

In that moment, what Mond thought was...

The Saint Clan’s winter really was about to pass.

......

Even when he was carried back to the room by Mansendis, Wen Yuzhi stayed in that happy mood.

But the moment he entered the room, Wen Yuzhi noticed the changes.

On the bedside table, at some unknown time, there was now a big, beautiful box, tied with a ribbon bow like a gift.

This was...?

Wen Yuzhi moved closer.

Before any puzzled expression could appear, Mansendis had already nodded slightly at him. “Open it and take a look.”

It was for him?

Wen Yuzhi curiously pulled the ribbon loose.

He didn’t know what he touched, but the box in front slowly opened on its own.

And inside was...

A crown.