Chapter 1083: Afternoon at the Estate ( 1083 )

That afternoon.

Alf’s residence inside the Armand estate.

"Dear, your food."

Alf sat at the dining table, sighing heavily.

Erinnette smiled. "Worried about something, dear?"

"Mm... There’s a lot to worry about. First, our King. Second, about Varrick."

"Mm... I’m also worried about Lord Garius... ah, His Majesty~"

Alf chuckled. "Yeah... it’s hard to get used to the new title after Garius became king. He also prefers us to call him ’Lord’ instead of ’Your Majesty,’ but..." He trailed off, his expression serious. "We can’t allow that. He is the king and ruler of the Armand Nation now. Everyone must respect him as such, just as we do. Even if we’ve cared for him since he was a child."

"Let’s hope Garius doesn’t try to go out." Alf sighed again.

"Mm... Even with Hesbeirn and Gilmon guarding him, I still worry about Garius."

"Mm... That’s why I asked the others to guard King Garius from all angles. I’ve deployed the Shadow Leader’s units throughout the entire estate."

"I know... I’m sure the Shadow Leader is restless now too."

"Yeah..." Alf chuckled. "Since none of us have ever taken a break like this... and now we have to do nothing for two days except worry about Garius’s safety."

Erinnette hugged Alf from his side. "Mm..."

Alf sighed again. "I hope Varrick will relax a bit while assigned to Prince Javier. The reason I assigned our third son to him is because we might have overdone his training. It’s hard for someone with such rigid discipline to learn to ease up."

"Mm... I think we overdid it with our third son’s training."

"Yeah... Even our first and second sons, and our daughter, aren’t as strict as he is."

"The reason I want our son, Varrick, to be assigned to Prince Javier is because Prince Javier hates excessive formality. I hope that by working with Prince Javier for two days, Varrick will see how the prince operates and learn to relax a bit."

"Mm... I hope so too."

Alf sighed again, pressing his temple. The mana talkie in his ear remained silent.

"If you want, we can go look at him at the main manor." Erinnette smiled and suggested.

"No... we can’t do that. Lady Francesca has already commanded us to rest and not think about work." Alf glanced at her.

"How about if we just walk around, enjoying our time while staying near the manor?" Erinnette suggested with a smile. "If we see Garius with Francesca, that means we don’t have to worry too much. Besides, we have the mana glasses to check if he ever leaves the manor, right?"

"Yeah... I know Giddie will be around to check on him too."

Erinnette smiled gently. "We worry about Garius as if he’s still the child we promised to protect."

"Mm... Since we both failed to protect Lady Armand..." Alf’s voice grew quiet. "And we both promised her to look after him."

"Mm... I still remember that promise, dear~"

"The late Klimbert family took everything from Garius. His whole family... they killed them. Even after Garius was married and had his own family, and Prince Javier was still only 11 at the time, they still tried to kill Garius and his family."

"Mm..." Erinnette smiled while sitting on Alf’s lap. "But that bastard Klimbert and his whole family were finished during the late King Edmund’s corruption by the celestial war, right?"

"They were killed by the late King Edmund and absorbed as raw power." Alf’s expression darkened. "A fitting end for those who lived by betrayal and cruelty. They reaped what they sowed. Their ambition and cruelty consumed them in the end without Garius need to dirty his own hand."

"So, about our date~?" Erinnette leaned in and pressed her forehead against Alf’s.

Alf looked into her eyes. "Where do you want to go?"

"How about after lunch, we take a walk around the manor and the gardens outside? Hmm?"

"That’s a good idea."

"Of course. We can enjoy our time, and also keep an eye on our ’little brother~’ And perhaps we could check on how our third son is doing~"

Alf chuckled and planted a quick kiss on Erinnette’s lips. "Let’s eat first."

"Okay~"

Meanwhile, inside the Armand Manor.

Javier’s room.

Liana, Gloria, Felicia, and Delya were asleep on the huge bed.

While Mimi sat on the floor, trying to build a small tower out of books, her tail swaying lazily behind her as she focused.

Nya... This is boring...

I don’t know why, but without husband around, it’s super boring...

She glanced at everyone who was already asleep.

If only it was easy to sleep like them.

Growllll~

Mimi glanced at her stomach.

Nya! I’m hungry!

She stood up and slowly skipped over to the bed, shaking Liana’s shoulder. "Nya? Liana?"

She kept shaking Liana’s body. "Lianaaa~"

Liana slowly stirred. "Hmm? What?" She glanced at Mimi, who grinned, her tail swaying behind her.

"I’m hungry, nya!"

"Ugh..." Liana turned around and closed her eyes again. "Just go to the kitchen and ask them... I’m tired."

"Eh?" Mimi puckered her lips. She tried shaking her again but was ignored.

"Hmmph!"

Mimi turned and slowly skipped toward the door, heading out.

"Nya~ Nya~ Nya~" Mimi skipped down the hallway, heading toward the main dining hall.

She paused and looked at the huge painting of a Pekko on the wall.

Nya? Isn’t this Father-in-law’s Pekko? The golden one? What’s its name again?

Mimi shrugged and continued skipping while humming happily.

Hmm?

Sniff sniff.

Nya~ This is a meat smell!

The rich, savory aroma of perfectly roasted meat, seasoned with herbs and spices, glazed with a sweet and tangy sauce, filled the corridor. The scent of simmering soups and other hearty, meaty dishes wafted through the air, making her stomach growl in anticipation.

Nya! I want to eat this~

Mimi drooled and followed the scent, her tail swishing eagerly.

Until she stopped in front of Garius’s private study.

She pushed the door open without a second thought.

Javier, who had just been served a meal by a household maid, noticed Mimi opening the door.

"Nya! Husband!!!!" Mimi ran toward him and jumped onto his lap.

Everyone in the room paused from what they were doing, but Javier simply raised his palm, signaling them to remain calm.

"Nya~ Husband!" Mimi settled on his lap, biting her lower lip. "Uoh!! Meat, nya! Can I eat?" She glanced up at Javier, her back pressed against his chest, her expression irresistibly cute.

"Sure... we’ll share it." Javier smiled and kissed her forehead. He glanced at the maid. "Tell the chef to prepare more meat for us, okay?"

"As you command, Your Highness."

( End Of Chapter )