C43
"Hmm."
"Well, is there any chance?"
"I haven't checked."
Callan looked at Erno, then shrugged, sat down next to Eirin, and lay down.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to sleep here because Eirin asked to sleep with me."
"...Don't you know that men and women can't share the same room?"
"She's my little sister."
"You don't share blood."
"You just said you haven't checked a moment ago."
Faced with Erno Etham's quick change of words, Callan quickly held onto Eirin's arm.
It was because he feared they would be forcibly separated.
"Father...?"
"Silian."
"Father, are you going to sleep here too? But there's no empty space next to Eirin."
Silian casually walked past Erno Etham and lay down in the empty space next to Eirin.
"Hey, why are you here?"
"After hyung left, Eirin asked me to lie down with her too."
"You really didn't care if I came back or not."
Silian snorted at Callan's breathless words and closed his eyes while holding Eirin's hand.
"Anyway, I don't mind if my sister becomes matriarch."
"Matriarch? Is Father going to make Eirin the matriarch?"
"Perhaps. That way, she won't disappear carelessly anymore."
"Ah..."
Silian sighed softly and nodded.
Although it seemed like it would take some time due to lineage issues, Erno Etham always managed to do what he said he would.
"Not bad."
Similarly, Silian, who had no interest in the position of patriarch, responded indifferently.
"Right. Father, can you read the language of the Southern continent?"
"Why?"
"They say Suin need a good environment to grow well."
Erno Etham nodded at Callan's words.
"I had some books about Suin from the Southern continent transported by air. They say lizards like tropical jungles or wet swamps."
"... I see."
Erno Etham rubbed his chin lightly.
"Let's try to demolish the remaining lot."
Erno's gaze reached Callan Etham, who had closed his eyes, and Silian Etham, who was tossing and turning.
"Don't stay too long."
"Why?"
Erno's mouth closed at Silian's question. Callan Etham slightly opened one eye upon seeing his silence, as if he was at a loss for words.
"...Whatever."
Erno rubbed his chin a couple of times and then left Eirin's room.
He's doing something foolish.
Erno Etham, sitting in the carriage, clicked his tongue softly.
Children can sleep together, but they shouldn't be understood as something else.
"I'm tired."
Recently, he had firsthand experience of how exhausting it was to be nervous for just one person.
"I don't think it was like this with Callan and Silian..."
The two boys were very stubborn, but there was nothing to worry about.
If you give them one, they give you back ten, so there's no need to worry.
Upon arriving at the imperial palace, he was guided by an attendant and headed to the hall, touching the beads on his earrings.
With the girl's return, the berserk had stabilized considerably.
"Is it because of the earrings...?"
Now that three more fragments had been added, the tumultuous emotions had calmed.
"...Or not."
Could it be because of the balance fragments and Eirin's return?
"It would be nice to see a villa in the southern region."
The girl seemed to like hot things too.
It was just as he entered the hall.
"Ah, has young Duke Etham arrived?"
"...If you're already senile, that'll be troublesome. Didn't I clarify several times that I don't hold that title?"
It was a man in his thirties with beautiful blonde hair and deep blue eyes.
"Still, your roughness hasn't changed. Aren't you being too cold to a close friend you haven't seen in a long time?"
"A friend, you say, tsk..."
Etham clicked his tongue briefly and sat on the couch the man pointed to.
"Yes, I heard you had a big accident recently... thank you."
"There's nothing to thank for; they simply messed with my daughter, and I resolved it."
The emperor smiled as if he had just heard a story he already knew.
"Casually, my youngest son also got caught up in it, so sweeping it away at once was a big help. The rest will be taken care of by the imperial family."
"...Sounds very noble when you say the imperial family will eagerly devour whatever is left, Your Majesty."
"Your words are still sharp. The tip of your tongue is so sharp that sometimes I'm afraid you'll draw your sword."
"Could that wobbling sword even graze my hair?"
The emperor raised his eyebrows and then silently sipped his tea.
"Well, I'm not saying I'm going to eat for free. If there's something you want, tell me without hesitation."
"Let me put my daughter's name in the Etham family registry."
As if he expected it, Erno Etham opened his mouth.
"It seems you're raising a lizard. Haha, is it a trend to raise a Suin these days?"
"A trend?"
"Yes, not long ago, Duke Collin also asked me for permission to adopt a little Suin."
The emperor tapped his chin as if he was very pleased.
"It's amazing how animals can be considered human beings like us when they can only walk and talk like humans."
A crease formed between Erno Etham's brows at the emperor's words.
Then, he briefly clicked his tongue.
"Your Majesty, will you stop doing things that displease me only if I get rid of my little manners?"
"I was just saying what I thought. I have no intention of blaming you."
The emperor shrugged.
"However, weren't you in agreement with me in the past? It's because I'm surprised that you've changed like this."
The smile on Erno Etham's lips widened.
"He got offended."
The worse his mood, the brighter his smile. He was truly a crazy person.
The emperor, who observed his change in silence, shrugged.
"Now that I think about it, I also have to thank you for this."
"This?"
"Yes, thanks to the medicine your first son gave me, the youngest one is doing better."
"Ah..."
"The child who regained consciousness kept asking for medicine from the Etham family, so I sent someone... I didn't know he would make a promise without my knowledge."
Erno Etham narrowed his eyes.
It was probably Eirin who made the promise. Judging by the traces near the cell, there was a high probability they were locked up together.
"As he's a weak child, if I had left him unattended, the worst would have happened, but thanks to you, he survived."
"Ah, yes."
Erno Etham responded soullessly.
"As expected, the Etham family lineage is different, but how did you know such a disease would occur?"
"My daughter told me."
"...What?"
"The girl whom Your Majesty treated like an animal told me."
The soft voice dripping with honey and the radiant smile on her face made the emperor involuntarily swallow saliva.
If she had been a woman, she would have fallen in love with him even knowing that the other person was hostile.
"...I see."
"It seems the disease was intentionally spread, but have you found the culprit?"
"The anti-aristocrats, I'm searching for them. It's just that I haven't been able to find the leader yet."
Erno Etham nodded.
"Alright, what is the girl's name?"
"Eirin."
As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor's face hardened.
"...What?"
"I said Eirin Etham."
"...Ah, yes."
The emperor furrowed his brow as if he were embarrassed, lightly rubbed his chin, and shook his head.
"I was going to accept your request, but this will be difficult to accept."
"...Are you saying you will reject my request in a noble manner?"
Emotion disappeared from Erno Etham's expression in an instant, and he shot a fierce glare.
"Can't you show some respect in front of the emperor?"
"If Your Majesty is courteous to me, there is nothing I cannot do."
"Is that girl a lizard Suin, named Eirin, who is five years old? A mutant with silver scales?"
"...That's correct."
"In that case, I have already approved the adoption."
What kind of nonsense is this?
Erno Etham, rarely, didn't immediately understand the other person's words and pondered them multiple times in his head.
"Has the patriarch arrived?"
"No."
"I don't think Terem was so clever."
"Of course not."
The emperor dragged his words.
Erno Etham's patience had just reached its limit.
"Duke Collin received approval exactly two days ago."
After a long silence, the emperor responded with a brief sigh.
As soon as he finished speaking, the air froze.
