Chapter 131
“Sasha, would you sit here?”
The next day, feeling the need to explain the current situation to Sasha, Kirine and Ares had her sit in front of them.
Immediately sensing something was amiss, Sasha clung closely to Reilly, who was sitting beside her. Seeing her obvious tension, Reilly patted Sasha’s shoulder reassuringly. Though this helped Sasha’s expression relax a little, traces of anxiety still remained.
In this atmosphere, finding it impossible to say they needed to be apart, Kirine asked Ares to bring some dessert.
Soon, Ares returned with strawberry cake and orange juice, Sasha’s favorites.
Seeing her favorite dessert and juice appear, Sasha’s expression visibly relaxed.
“Do you like it that much?”
Watching Sasha eat happily with cream smeared on her lips, Ares couldn’t help but ask. While her smiling face made him happy, it also left him feeling bitter.
“Yes. It’s even more delicious because Dad gave it to me.”
Her words, spoken while savoring the sweet cake, made Ares feel even more troubled. Kirine seemed to share his feelings, looking at him with a complicated expression.
But since they couldn’t postpone this forever, Kirine carefully opened the conversation.
“Sasha.”
“Yes?”
Sasha, who was picking up the last strawberry with her fork, tilted her head and held it out to Kirine. She wanted to give her favorite strawberry to her mom.
Kirine hesitated for a moment when she realized this, but then smiled softly, took the fork, and popped the strawberry into Sasha’s mouth instead.
“Eh? But I was giving it to Mom!”
When Sasha looked at her with wide eyes as if asking why she’d fed it back to her, Kirine responded as if she’d been waiting for this:
“Mom prefers watching Sasha enjoy it.”
“Hmm…”
Though Sasha initially pouted with dissatisfaction, she soon smiled as she chewed, enjoying the strawberry flavor filling her mouth.
“When Mom gives it to me, it tastes even better too.”
Just as Sasha was about to ask Ares if there were any more strawberries—
“Sasha, Mom and Dad will be away from home for a few days.”
“…”
Sasha, who had been sipping orange juice through a straw, froze.
The smile disappeared from her face as she seemed to sense the gravity of the atmosphere.
“Why?”
This response was more troubling than an outright refusal.
The night before, Kirine and Ares had worried endlessly about how to explain this to Sasha. They had discussed what to answer if she asked why. But no matter how much they thought about it, they didn’t want to deceive her or hide anything.
“Mom, you’re not feeling well either.”
She was apparently referring to when Kirine had collapsed after taking medicine.
“I’m fine now.”
“…”
“See? I’m perfectly healthy.”
To prove she was strong enough, Kirine stood up, stretched tall, and sat down again.
But instead of responding, Sasha looked at Ares. Her gaze seemed to be asking for his help, making Ares’s lips quiver before he sighed.
“We’ll only be apart for a little while.”
“Last time you said something similar and came back late.”
For a moment, Kirine, not understanding what she meant, was about to ask Sasha but closed her mouth. She was talking about when they were separated for about a month during the carriage accident.
“Sasha, that was…”
She knew she should say something, but it had been such a grave mistake that she couldn’t think of any excuses. Watching from the side, Ares barely swallowed a sigh and quietly said:
“You’ll just be with Reilly for a few days.”
“How many nights is ‘a few days’?”
“It won’t take as long as last time. Dad will miss Sasha too much.”
This time, their goal was to end everything as quickly and perfectly as possible, no matter what.
“We’re going to scold someone who’s been bothering Dad.”
“Someone’s bothering Dad?”
Hearing this for the first time, Sasha lifted her head in surprise.
“There’s someone bothering Dad?”
“Yes, so we’re going to scold that person.”
He was asking for her permission.
But Sasha seemed troubled, tilting her head before clenching both fists.
“Then can I come too?”
She wanted to go along and help scold the person who was bothering Ares.
Understanding immediately, Ares felt like laughing.
“That person is really good at hiding, so it’s hard to find them.”
“Hmm…”
At this, Sasha pushed out her lower lip in frustration. Since she didn’t usually like hide-and-seek, she seemed unable to say she was okay with it.
“Then promise me it won’t take as long as last time.”
Sasha put her fork on the table and held out her pinky finger.
Finally, permission was granted.
As if planned, Kirine and Ares simultaneously grasped Sasha’s pinky finger.
“Yes, we absolutely won’t be late.”
Because this time, they would definitely end it and return to Sasha.
As the initially anxious atmosphere concluded warmly, Reilly, who had been watching from the side, showed signs of relief. But when her eyes met Kirine and Ares’s, she became stern.
“If you’re late again this time, I’m putting Sasha in my family registry.”
It was motivational speech telling them they must return.
***
After finally convincing Sasha, Kirine and Ares once again asked Reilly to take good care of her. Reilly responded by telling them to do their part well and left for the mage tower with Sasha.
Watching them leave, both of them sighed, already feeling Sasha’s absence.
“We really have to do well this time.”
They couldn’t separate Sasha from them anymore. Even now, they felt guilty about what they were doing to her.
“That goes without saying.”
Ares nodded in agreement while looking at Kirine.
“Shall we go then?”
Kirine stared blankly at the hand he held out so naturally before questioning:
“Shouldn’t you report the situation to His Majesty first?”
When she carefully asked if they could move out so quickly, Ares smirked.
“Of course I already explained everything and got permission beforehand.”
“Ah…”
Only then did Kirine realize Ares had also made a big decision internally.
“Alright, let’s go.”
There was nothing more to hesitate about. First, they needed to find that woman’s whereabouts.
Kirine let out a long sigh and took Ares’s hand.
Though they had only taken their first step, she already wanted to find that woman and end everything quickly.
