“I’m actually having a hard time holding back too……”

Signs of wavering appeared. Erica grabbed onto Roderick and clung to him.

“Roderick, please. I’m hungry for you.”

Roderick, who had been quietly looking down at Erica, took a deep breath and then exhaled like a sigh.

“Honestly……”

“Yeah?”

“When you want me this much, it’s hard to resist.”

Large hands burrowed under her dress skirt, and the other hand untied the strings behind her back. Erica stayed obediently still as if being careful not to let a dog she had barely coaxed escape, but inside she was shouting with excitement.

‘Finally!’

It was finally the moment when the gentle puppy Roderick was about to transform into a beast.

Knock knock knock.

“Head maid.”

As soon as the maid’s voice was heard from outside the door, the hands that had entered her clothes quickly withdrew.

‘We were almost there! Why now of all times?’

Erica tried to ignore it and continue by pretending not to be in the room, but Roderick was already retying the strings he had untied.

“They came all the way to our house to find you. It might be something important, so go check.”

“I really won’t let this slide. You, I mean you. Wait and see tonight.”

After making threats and going out, it turned out to be nothing important, making her even more frustrated.

“Dinner time is approaching, but Her Majesty is nowhere to be seen. We sent guards throughout the palace to look for Her Majesty, but……”

No wonder they couldn’t find her.

“I’ll take care of finding Her Majesty and bringing her meal, so you may go now.”

It was obvious where Elodie and Eric were.

“Let’s go wash dishes.”

“We’re eating dinner at the cabin today? Okay.”

Erica came out properly dressed with Roderick and gathered dinner supplies before leaving the annex.

“Those kids have no intention of coming home.”

On the way out, she checked just in case and found that the wyvern nest in the annex forest was also empty. The children had called out Snowball too.

After winning an argument with Roderick who wanted to call a carriage, Erica walked on her own feet toward the cabin in the forest.

Grrowl.

Shortly after passing the markers, they heard Snowball growling in recognition after catching their scent.

“What’s wrong, Snowball?”

“Is our baby hungry?”

“I’ll warm up the fresh milk Dad milked this morning for you.”

The two children were playing house, treating the wyvern, which was bigger than the cabin, as their baby.

Soon the sight of a wyvern that could swallow a cow in one gulp sucking on a toy bottle unfolded before their eyes. Only then did the children, sensing their presence, turn around.

“Mom! Dad!”

Now that there were no listening ears, Elodie called out “Mom! Dad!” loudly and ran to hug Roderick. Meanwhile, Eric, who had grown a bit lately, didn’t come to hug them.

“Oh, what brings you here?”

What was that? That reaction was like what parents who barged into newlyweds’ home without notice would get.

“Mom and Dad are coming to the house Mom and Dad built, do you have complaints, son?”

So Erica responded with words that only a wicked mother-in-law would say.

“Wow, we’re eating dinner here tonight?”

Elodie looked into the basket in Roderick’s hand and became even more excited. She seemed to have thought they would tell her to go back to the palace.

Soon the family of four began preparing dinner together like when they lived in the cabin.

The only difference was that now Roderick wouldn’t let Erica stand in front of the fire. While the men stood in front of the stove doing all the cooking, the women sat at the table preparing ingredients.

“Wow, Elodie cuts potatoes so neatly now?”

“Hehe……”

Erica gathered the chopped onions in a bowl, placed it on the table, and called Roderick.

“Roderick, take the onions.”

“Eric, take the potatoes.”

Elodie also called Eric to take the sliced potatoes, but Erica felt something was different from usual.

‘Why is she being so cold?’

She was a child who always called Eric affectionately, but now she was the epitome of bluntness.

‘Did Eric do something wrong?’

She found out that wasn’t the case when the cooking was almost finished.

“Erica, taste this for me.”

“Hmm……”

“Something seems to be missing……”

“It tastes like it’s missing pepper.”

“Ah, pepper.”

“Ugh, how old are you and you still don’t know that?”

Elodie, who had been staring at the two, quickly ran over to Eric who was slicing bread with a bread knife.

“Eric, shall I taste it for you?”

“Hm? Sure.”

What, what is there to taste in bread? Erica wondered if Elodie had picked up Eric’s strange habits.

“Hmm……”

“Is it good?”

“Something seems to be missing.”

“What?”

“Ugh, how can you not know that?”

You…… are you…… copying me right now?

It turned out Elodie wasn’t angry at Eric but had been continuously copying Erica’s words and actions toward Roderick.

“Elodie, did you decide today is ‘copy Mom day’?”

“No. From now on, Elodie has decided to become a cool woman like Mom.”

I’m cool? What is this about now?

After hearing the whole story, Erica held her forehead.

“……So you copied me?”

“Yes!”

“Uh…… were the things I just did cool?”

Erica reflected on her actions and tone that Elodie had copied.

“……”

It wasn’t cool, it was cold.

“Does Mom always call Dad so bluntly like this?”

“Yeah.”

Roderick, why are you the first to answer?

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

“……”

Why does no one hesitate?

“Always like you’re angry?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

“Nagging a lot too, and acting exasperated asking why he doesn’t know things?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my……”

Why are there so many reasons to hold my forehead today?

Her relationship with Roderick began as childhood friends. Besides, to Erica, who was a transmigrator, Roderick had always felt much younger than her.

‘So treating him like a child became a habit.’

Treating the children’s father like a child in front of the kids. No, calling this treating like a child is too cute. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say she was harsh?

Erica reflected and made a resolution. From now on, she would fix her attitude and tone toward Roderick.

The first step was acknowledging her mistake.

“The way Mom just spoke to Dad and her attitude weren’t desirable.”

“I still like it though.”

“You just stay quiet……”

No. The habit almost slipped out again.

“Still, I’m sorry to you.”

“Still, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The simple-hearted Roderick just smiled happily when Erica hugged him and said she loved him.

“Anyway, Mom will fix it too, so Elodie shouldn’t copy things like this.”

“But Eric said he likes cool women like Mom better……”

“The cool woman Eric mentioned would be a woman who doesn’t obsess excessively.”

It was a good opportunity to make Elodie reflect on what happened this afternoon.

“An Elodie who doesn’t get angry and drag him away when Eric hangs out with other friends.”

“But Eric has Elodie, so why does he need other friends?”

“He needs them.”

Elodie’s gloomy expression brightened at the following words.

“To become the king’s husband.”

To become a king’s consort, a power base was essential. Although Roderick and Erica would build up the count family by then, having just one family of origin as backing wouldn’t be enough.

“The more allies the better. That way they’ll fight alongside you against enemies.”

She didn’t say obvious things like ‘humans can’t live without friends, so everyone should get along well together.’ What true friends could power holders have in this world? If you made friends with such naive thoughts, the moment you turned around, a knife would be stuck in your back.

Erica explained in simple terms that socializing with noble children was all about forming connections with future power holders.

“So Eric needs to get along well with those children for Elodie’s sake too.”

“I see……”

From her expression, she still didn’t like it emotionally but seemed to understand rationally.

“The same goes for Elodie. No, it’s even more important for a king.”

“So try to become good friends with those kids starting today.”

“Yes.”

She’s a smart child. If she could make judgments based on reason rather than emotion, she would do well on her own.

“Good. And you know there’s one more thing to reflect on, right?”

Elodie looked puzzled.

“The guards.”

“Ah……”

The child who remembered that she was talking about blocking the pursuing guards with a wall of fire made an anxious expression. She knew it was wrong too.

“Should you do that to people who protect you, or shouldn’t you?”

“I shouldn’t.”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll apologize.”

“No, that won’t work anymore.”

One of the things forbidden since Elodie became king was apologies.

“Kings don’t apologize.”

Now, to apologize in the king’s name, she had to go through official procedures and get the ministers’ consent.

“So don’t apologize, but still feel sorry and don’t do it again.”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Erica spread both arms. Just like when she disciplined the child while living in the old cabin. Elodie also hugged her like back then, rubbing her cheek against Erica’s embrace. The corners of her mouth were turned up greatly.

‘Somehow she seems happy to be scolded?’