“When did you arrive?”

How did I not sense your presence?

Luna looked up at Oedipus, who had suddenly approached.

“Just now.”

Oedipus smiled at Luna, his eyes curving gently. His golden eyelashes, matching his hair color, drew an arc.

“For Lucy and Luka?”

Oedipus bent his waist, gesturing at Luna’s blocks.

Princess Lucy Hunt, Prince Luka Hunt.

Luna Hunt’s twin siblings, and Hector and Charlie’s other angels.

“Yes.”

Perhaps recalling her mischievous younger siblings, a smile spread across Luna’s face.

* * *

“I think it’s enough reason to be angry.”

On the table.

Noel, who was observing Kaisis’s cards, muttered quietly.

Noel, Michael, Kaisis, and Hector, who had arrived late, were sitting around a round table playing cards.

Kaisis replied, puffing up his shoulders.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Duke Noel.”

“Fold.”

Thud–

Noel threw the cards he was holding on the table.

This meant he was giving up.

“Are you sure he’s not using his ability to cheat?”

Noel, who was leaning back in his chair, looked at Michael with eyes full of resentment.

“……”

Michael’s divine power nullifies even abilities.

In other words, it means Kaisis didn’t use his ability while playing the game.

Michael, who answered with a silence filled with affirmation, also put down all the cards he was holding.

At this, Kaisis’s lips stretched into a smirk.

“All in.”

“?!”

“!”

The surprised gazes of Noel and Michael turned to the remaining Hector.

“Shall we check now?”

Kaisis waved his cards triumphantly.

In contrast, Hector’s expression was impassive.

It was then.

“Luna~”

Charlie’s voice was heard from afar. At the same time, one corner of Hector’s mouth curled up.

“Well, it’s mealtime.”

Hector rose reluctantly.

Kaisis grabbed him.

“Wait! Where do you think you’re going?”

Hector answered nonchalantly with an expression that seemed to say ‘isn’t it obvious?’

“To eat.”

“No…”

Huh–

Kaisis took a deep breath as if to calm himself and said,

“You should finish what you started before going.”

“Why?”

“What?!”

Hector shook off Kaisis’s hand, who was rather flustered, and walked away.

“It’s mealtime.”

Thud thud–

His steps moving forward showed no regret or hesitation.

Soon, an agitated Kaisis followed after Hector.

“Hey!”

“Tsk, I told you the children can hear.”

“You’re running away like this?”

Michael, who had been watching the two walk away, slowly got up.

“Oh my, where’s Gabriel?”

And so, everyone left the round table.

Noel, left alone, keenly surveyed his surroundings. Then he carefully flipped over the card Hector had left behind.

“W-What…!”

Noel’s aquamarine pupils dilated.

“It was a joker.”

Then why on earth…

Noel blankly stared at Hector’s diminishing figure.

At that time.

“Luna~”

At Charlie’s voice, Luna, who had been playing with blocks, suddenly raised her head.

“Mother!”

Charlie, who opened her arms wide towards Luna running over, wore a gentle smile.

The block pieces thrown away without hesitation were rolling on the floor.

Hop–

Luna stood on her tiptoes and snuggled into Charlie’s arms.

“I told you not to use magic.”

Charlie easily picked up Luna and smiled bitterly.

Although Luna had grown considerably, Charlie didn’t find it difficult at all. It was because Luna was using magic to float.

“Mom can still carry our Luna.”

“I’m practicing.”

Luna hugged Charlie’s nape and nuzzled her face against it.

Mmm–

Always good.

It was the scent of her mom that would always be pleasant.

Charlie, who had been patting Luna’s back, spotted the blocks and said in a raised voice,

“Oh my, is that a dragon?”

“Yes! I’m going to give it to Lucy and Luka. This time I put a protection spell on it so it won’t break.”

The always mature Luna was gone, and her chattering to show off to her mom was just like a seven-year-old.

“Lady Marsha.”

Then Kieran extended her hand to Marsha and Yuria.

“Mother!”

Marsha too, with all her prim and proper manners gone, ran to Kieran.

“Why run when it’s not that far?”

Yuria followed leisurely behind.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yes!”

“Did you also have a pleasant time, lady?”

“Well, it was okay.”

Yuria answered gruffly. But she couldn’t hide the rising corners of the mouth.

Lastly, Michael stroked Gabriel’s head.

“Y-Your Holiness.”

Gabriel blushed with embarrassment. But he didn’t reject Michael’s touch; it seems he didn’t dislike it.

A white hand opened up in front of Oedipus, who was quietly observing him from a step away.

“Eddie.”

Oedipus looked up.

Eventually, his blue eyes met silver hair that had turned red like a diamond bathed in the sunset glow.

Just like Luna’s eyes.

“Did you have fun?”

Oedipus couldn’t read Charlie’s thoughts.

He couldn’t read Hector’s, Luna’s, Yuria’s of the elf clan, or Michael and Gabriel’s either.

Oedipus didn’t read Marsha’s thoughts.

After all, even if he looked, it would only be full of thoughts like ‘Our princess is beautiful today too. I must take good care of the young lady.’

“Yes, thanks to you, it was a very enjoyable time.”

Oedipus grasped Charlie’s hand and smiled brightly.

* * *

“Let’s play rock-paper-scissors fairly.”

After the enjoyable dinner ended and the adults started drinking,

The children were in serious discussion over the last piece of chocolate cake.

This happened because Marsha had left it, saying she was full.

“I should eat it.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Yuria at once.

“I…”

“Objection to the elf’s reason.”

Luna cut off Yuria’s words mercilessly.

Yuria turned to Luna, looking wronged.

“We don’t have things like this in the forest.”

“Don’t lie. Last time Uncle Noel brought a gift saying it was ‘Elf Special Chocolate’.”

“……”

Tch– Busted.

Yuria folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

“When I was young…”

“Objection to the adopted child sympathy appeal too.”

Oedipus stopped Gabriel, who was trying to bring it up subtly. Then he smiled brightly.

“If we’re going that route, I don’t have a mother, you know.”

This snake-like crown prince.

Gabriel turned away from Oedipus with a huff.

“Then what shall we do?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

The silence of the children continued — the crown prince, the princess, the child of the pope, and the descendant of the spirit king.

Restricting sweets was the same for royalty, nobility, the pope, and even elves.

That’s when it happened.

“I’ve thought of a good idea!”

Luna slammed the table.

“Let’s just have Marsha eat it.”

Marsha wore a bewildered expression at the sudden arrow flying her way.

In fact, Marsha had left it for Luna to eat, who always gives it up to her siblings despite liking chocolate herself.

“I…”

“I agree.”

Oedipus said, raising his palm.

“It was Marsha’s portion originally.”

“That’s right, it’s Marsha’s.”

When Yuria nodded in agreement, Gabriel chimed in.

“Yeah, Marsha, eat it.”

Luna brought the chocolate cake she had picked up to Marsha’s mouth.

“So, aah–”

It’s not like she could refuse what the princess was giving her.

In the end, Marsha hesitantly took a bite of the chocolate cake.

Soon, a sweet yet slightly bitter taste spread throughout her mouth.

Luna watched Marsha’s reaction, wondering if she had eaten it reluctantly.

“It’s delicious, right? They say it was made by the imperial’s best patissier.”

As Marsha’s puffed-up cheeks twitched, satisfaction spread across Luna’s face as well.

“When I grow up, I’m going to eat only cake for all three meals every day.”

Yuria said, reaching for the warm milk.

Oedipus smirked at that.

“Then you won’t grow tall.”

Gulp–

Yuria’s glass of milk tilted.

“By that time, I’ll be taller than you, won’t I?”

Yuria, with white milk on her philtrum, stood up proudly.

Whether it was because of her elven blood, Yuria was showing rapid growth, not unlike Grand Master Oedipus.

Moreover, stimulated by seeing Oedipus who had grown significantly last year, she had been consistently drinking milk, resulting in considerable height gain over the past year.

“No way.”

Oedipus, pushing down the words ‘I’m eating twice as much as you’ under his tongue, looked down at Yuria.

“It’s true! You were just born earlier than me, but by then we’ll be the same!”

“Then how about calling me big brother?”

“Elves don’t have such titles!”

“They do.”

“And I’m not even a boy, why should I call you that!”

“Then do you want to be a girl?”

“I don’t know!!”

Tsk tsk–

What’s the use of only growing taller?

Pretending not to see Yuria’s trembling tiptoes under the table, Gabriel threw his gaze out the window.

“I want meat.”

Luna asked Gabriel in surprise.

“Why? Don’t they give you meat at the temple?!”

The temple had regained its former glory due to reforms.

Especially the Grand Temple. It’s bustling with visitors who wanted to receive its energy, as rumors spread that it was ‘where the saintess awakened being a Miracle’.

Therefore, the temple’s finances were so abundant that they didn’t need donations from the imperial family.

“Is someone bullying you?”

As Marsha’s eyes narrowed, Oedipus, who had been bickering with Yuria, interrupted.

“Excessive muscle hinders growth, you know.”

“Muscle?”

What’s this sudden talk about?

Luna looked Gabriel up and down.

A delicate body that seemed to have no muscle at all and a cute appearance that stimulated protective instincts.

Gabriel, like Michael, had an appearance reminiscent of a herbivore.

But oddly enough…

“What muscle?”

“Well, wouldn’t Gabriel know best?”

Oedipus glanced sideways at Gabriel.

“……”

He’s really a snake.

A golden viper pretending to be nice only in front of Luna.

Gabriel glared at the smiling Oedipus with eyes full of irritation.

Looking back and forth between the two, a memory flashed through Luna’s mind.

[I appreciate your words, but if I skip exercise even for a day, I lose muscle strength.]

Muscle on that cute face…

To think Gabriel would become a muscle monster like Uncle Rapha!

Luna made a disgusted expression.

“Don’t eat meat from now on, Gabriel.”

“Huh?”

“No, don’t exercise.”

At the words that felt like a bolt from the blue, Gabriel’s face crumpled.

“Why…”

“No, just don’t play with Uncle Rapha!”