Special Chapter. As the years go by (3)
Upon arriving at the drawing room, Ludwig saw his friends’ faces for the first time in a while, and at the same time he had to hear a cry from the pouting Sophia.
“Why are you so late, brother? How anxiously did I find it?”
“I’m sorry, Sophia. It must have been a lot of trouble.”
Ludwig, realizing what had happened only after hearing the whole thing, had no choice but to soothe Sophia with a wry smile.
In the past and now, she’s a calm and kind little sister in normal times, but once she gets twisted, she shows an uncontrollable side.
It is said that the best solution is to evolve the flame before it grows.
“You too. I’ll be leaving early for that.”
“I don’t want to hear from you.”
Ludwig was dumbfounded when Tanya, who had been making fun of Sophia and driving her into a corner, said this, as if it were someone else.
If only she had been sitting quietly, the current situation would not have happened.
I wondered who was to blame.
“Anyway, it seems that work has been quite behind. It’s not like you.”
Meanwhile, Georg, who was staring at Edgar as he was bickering with Tanya, inadvertently threw his words away.
It was because it took a very long time to come today, unlike him who always hated making others wait.
“I’m not blaming you, but I didn’t expect you guys to come this early.”
“I’m sorry about that. Originally, I was planning to come a little late, but Scarlett urged me to go.”
“So I’m not blaming you.”
Ludwig shrugged his shoulders, saying that he couldn’t even joke about Georg’s attitude, which was always so blunt and serious.
“By the way, what about Russell? I can’t see it.”
Then, looking around, realizing that the one person who should be there was missing, he asked a question.
By the way, Russell mentioned Georg’s biological son.
“I will be playing outside. He’s a very active guy, so I should be able to leave him alone in the drawing room.”
“hahahaha, it looks like it’s still there.”
Russell, a year younger than Anise, was a boy who looked exactly like his mother, to the extent that Ludwig called him Scarlett the boy.
He likes to wander around, jokes well, and most of all, his features are just like his mother’s.
“Then, since we can’t keep Russell waiting long, shall we go out soon? Emilia, are you ready?”
“Yes, I’ve left it to Paula to prepare it, so it should be finished by now.”
The preparations the two were talking about were preparations for the outing.
It’s been a while since we’ve gathered together like this today, because Tanya and Scarlett actively suggested that we go on a picnic somewhere instead of confining ourselves to the mansion.
“Dad, where are we going?”
“yes. I’m going to go where Anise likes.”
“Is it my favorite place?”
Anis tilted her head at the extremely difficult hint and searched all over the place in her head.
To her who has a very positive personality in the first place and likes wherever she goes, ‘favorite place’ is a clue that is quite abstract and has too many cases.
“Shall we guess while we go? If Anise gets the answer right, Dad will cook you a delicious meal again tomorrow.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable promise anyway, as I had easily done what I had to do for the time being in case my acquaintances would come today.
Emilia from the side threw out words of concern, asking if she was okay, but Ludwig smiled and nodded, showing that there was no problem.
“You’re not going to lie, are you?”
“Did you see Daddy lie?”
“Ehehehe… do not have!”
Anise giggled as if she had already guessed the correct answer, thinking that she would be able to eat her favorite father’s homemade dish tomorrow as well.
It was so cute to see her lost in her imagination alone, and a hearty smile appeared on the lips of the adults who were watching.
Anyway, the outing with a large number of people was decided.
* * * * * * *
In conclusion, Anis was able to quickly guess the destination while riding in the carriage.
That’s right, because the difficulty wasn’t as difficult as I thought.
For her, it was a place with quite a lot of memories, so it belonged to the easy axis.
“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
“Well, I guess so.”
As soon as she got off the carriage, Anise rushed into the endless green field and spread her arms wide in joy.
“It’s a nice place. How did you know about this place?”
Scarlett, who got off the carriage with Georg belatedly, also asked Ludwig, breathing in the fresh air exhaled by the vegetation.
The surroundings were open, so it was good to see the scenery, and it was really nice to feel like I was in contact with the sky because it was quite high.
Above all, it was surprising that there were no people in such a nice place.
“I have been here several times with my family. I hope you like Russell too.”
In fact, this is not a meadow, but a place called Bethlehem Hill, where Ludwig often came together as the three of them after Anise was created.
It was a good place and very few people, so it was a good place to go and spend a good time with family.
“Are you sure you like it? I’m a kid who likes to run around anytime, anywhere… yes?”
Scarlett, who had already pictured her son running through the fields, smiled and was about to say something, but something tugged at the hem of her dress.
There was a boy with the same blond hair and energetic look as Georg.
This child was Russell Rahethofen, the son born to Georg and Scarlett, and a strong man who would inherit the Rahethofen family in the future.
“mom! Can I go to that tree first!?”
“yes. If possible, how about going with Anis?”
“That, that… … .”
When Scarlett, knowing that Russell was secretly in love with Anise, pokes him on the arm and playfully asked, Russell showed a moment of bewilderment.
Unlike his lively and confident appearance, he was quite a shy boy in this respect.
‘Shall I help you a little?’
While Ludwig looked so cute on such a Russell, he remembered himself who had not been able to confess his feelings to Emilia in the past, and decided to lend a helping hand.
Obviously, Anise has no special intentions, but there is no tree that does not fall after being cut down ten times.
“No, it’s been a long time, so why don’t you come and play with Russell?”
“With Russell? Yes, Dad.”
Regardless of Russell’s feelings, the two were quite close friends anyway.
Even though we don’t see each other often, it might be unfair to call them close friends, but whenever we do, we get along well.
And as if to prove this, Anis, who had come running to her father’s words, immediately stretched out her hand to Russell.
I couldn’t afford to be quiet because I wanted to observe the big tree in front of me.
I wanted to run right away and roll my body under the wide shade.
“You go first, Russell. We will follow slowly.”
“ah… Yes, Dad!”
Georg stepped forward and pointed with his chin at a beech tree in the distance. Russell, who was dazed for a moment, quickly came to his senses and started running away with Anise.
The adults who had been watching her back, as if they were innocent children at the height of their innocence, followed slowly behind them with a hearty smile on their faces.
It was very cool under the shade.
Recently, the weather has not been quite warm, but it is gradually getting hotter, so it feels like a sweet rain to those who have been reluctant to go outside.
As the servants started laying the mats brought by them on the grass, Ludwig returned to his seat with the basket next to him.
The contents inside were snacks that must always follow on outings.
“I brought a lot.”
Soon, Tanya licked her lips and muttered as she watched the food being placed on the mat one by one.
None of them looked appetizing.
In particular, the eclair at the end of her field of vision was glistening thanks to the chocolate coated on the outside, making her mouth water.
“How many people are there? Above all, you are there.”
“My, how much do I have to eat… … .”
Tanya, who was stabbed in the heart, quickly ran away and headed to Scarlett’s side, and Emilia came over and helped Ludwig with his work as if taking turns.
“Why are you doing something alone that we could do together?”
“Alone is enough. Besides, we have to make up for the delay.”
“You too.”
When the two succeeded in bringing out the snacks, Paula, among the servants who brought out the luggage, handed over an apology as a representative.
“I’m sorry, master. We’re sorry for the delay… … .”
“done. It makes no difference whoever does it. Rather, what about a carriage?”
Usually, they send the carriage back and tell them to come back around the late hour, but since there was no sound of the carriage turning, Ludwig asked just in case.
“I told you to put it in the right place. There seemed to be very few people, so it didn’t seem to matter.”
“yes? Then go over there and catch the kids running around. It’s been quite a while since we’ve eaten, so let’s fill our stomachs first and play.”
Following Ludwig’s order, Paula, Grita and other servants headed towards the two children who were running around.
Ludwig was dumbfounded, wondering why such a large group of people could come when he was only calling two children, but he thought he must have noticed that he had to do something as he was a servant, so he moved on.
Eventually, after finishing all the tidying up, Ludwig was half-lying on the mat, supporting himself with both arms, and Emilia, who had approached him, moved his gaze over his head.
A fallen leaf was on his head like an ornament.
“Ah, Ludwig. on the head… … .”
“Are there any worms?”
“It’s not a bug… Wait. Please stay.”
Emilia reached out her hand and brushed Ludwig’s hair, and the leaves fell to the floor with a fluttering sound.
In the meantime, the distance between the two became quite close, but Ludwig lightly kissed Emilia on the lips, not wanting to miss it.
“hehehe, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Isn’t that what you said?”
Ludwig smirkingly asked back, and this time he kissed Emilia’s side and smiled softly.
“I heard you. It was a high-level operation.”
“Anyway, I play a bit of chess. I won’t lose by fighting over my head.”
“It was true. As usual, my father asked me to bring him to play chess with his son-in-law.”
“Let’s see you this week. It’s been a long time, so bring a good drink.”
Towards Emilia, who asked if it was okay, Ludwig shrugged as if there was something difficult about it.
Anyway, the urgent work is over, so I will be quite relaxed for the time being.
Besides, Anise had once casually said that she missed her maternal grandfather and grandmother, so I wondered if it would be the perfect time.
Enjoying the wind blowing through his body, Ludwig gently closed his eyes.
Then, Emilia quietly reached out and placed his head on her thigh, carefully tidying up her hair.
Could it be so peaceful?
Today, as usual, the two faced each other smiling at the passing happiness.
Eventually, the wind weakened and before the two children and the rest of the people who were playing in full swing came back, the two kissed once more, thinking that there would be no chance otherwise.
Even though time passes, if there is one thing that does not change, it is this heart.
In the peaceful daily life, I suddenly had such a thought.