Chapter 22: The Yellow Bird (3)

Seeing Louis’s unease, one of the twins asked, “What’s wrong, Louis?”

“You got to poop?”

Watching Kani suck on candy given by the grand duchess one after another irked Louis.

“Aren’t you choking on that?”

“Nope, it’s fine.”

“This tastes good! Want to trade with me?”

“…No thanks.” Louis sighed at the sight of the saliva-drenched treat being offered to him.

The carefree attitude of the twins made Louis feel guilty for overthinking things.

We need to leave soon…

Even if they hurried along, it would take them ten years to reach their destination. Yet the twins seemed completely unconcerned, showing no intention of leaving the castle anytime soon.

I could just grab these two and make a run for it…?

Despite the tight security, Louis knew it wouldn’t be difficult to sneak out of the castle with the twins. After much internal debate, he finally asked them:

“Aren’t you two going home?”

“But we like it here.”

“That’s right! The maids and auntie are all so nice. Everyone is kind to us!”

Louis stared at them incredulously as they spoke.

If you don’t leave, this land where these good people live might get destroyed.

The twins’ father, Karlos, was recommended by Genelocer to become one of Silver Flower City’s elders, which meant Karlos had also reached Zero rank. If two Zero-rank dragons went berserk searching for their missing hatchling, not only would the grand duchy fall but the entire winter continent could be razed to the ground.

“Ack!” Louis groaned as he tried to make sense of the twins’ stubbornness.

“Oh boy… We have no choice but to go.” After much deliberation, Louis shook his head, feeling conflicted.

Ugh, whatever! I don’t want to think about it anymore!

He understood why they felt this way. As the twins had said, everyone at the grand duke’s castle was incredibly kind—from the grand duke and his wife down to the guards and maidservants. And therein lay the problem.

It’s because they’ve spoiled us too much…

Their hospitality went above and beyond, so much so that not only the twins but also Louis hesitated to leave without saying goodbye.

Adding fuel to the fire, something had happened just days ago that made him even more hesitant. His thoughts drifted back to that day.

It had happened three days ago. Louis left his room while the twins were napping and aimlessly wandered around the grand duke’s castle.

Grand duke… The abode of nobility truly is on another level.

Louis marveled at the vintage elegance that couldn’t be found in modern architecture back on Earth.

Everything here looks so expensive!

The grand duke’s castle boasted priceless decorations throughout its halls, reflecting its long history. A single item could easily sustain an average family for several months.

Lost in thought as he strolled, Louis suddenly realized he had run into a problem.

“…Where am I?” He was lost amid the maze-like corridors of the castle.

Louis had gotten lost amid the maze-like corridors of the grand duke’s castle.

“Why did I leave my room again?” Louis scratched his head.

Even retracing his steps didn’t help him figure out where he was.

Well…I should eventually recognize something if I keep walking.

As Louis made up his mind and passed by a display case with full plate armor—

Klunk!

The suit of armor toppled over, covering Louis just as two maids screamed at the sight.

“Aiee!”

A thick metal armor falling on someone would crush even a grown man, but Louis handled this crisis differently than most.

I wondered why it was so quiet.

This kind of incident had been commonplace since Louis was young. He narrowly avoided getting hit by ducking just as the armor came crashing down toward him.

Clang!

The maidens rushed to his side after seeing the armor fall to the floor.

“Oh dear, are you okay?!”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Louis nodded at their concern. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Phew… That’s good.”

“You must’ve gotten quite a fright…” One maiden stroked his hair gently.

Having given up on stopping people from petting his head recently, Louis quietly accepted her touch. Once she confirmed he wasn’t injured, she scolded him lightly.

“What were you doing wandering around here? What would we do if something happened to you?”

“I was bored…”

“Oh…”

The maidens understood well why Louis and his friends were confined to their room every day. With sympathy on her face, one of them patted him gently on the shoulder.

“You shouldn’t stay out too late. Go back to your room now.”

“…Yes.” Reluctantly, Louis nodded as the maid stroked his hair once more before giving him a piece of candy and continuing on her way.

As he watched her leave, Louis’s keen dragon hearing picked up on the conversation between the two maids.

“She brought those children here, didn’t she?”

“Yes. I heard rumors, but they’re truly lovely.”

“Aren’t they?”

“They seem like ones madam would cherish.”

The conversation between them was faint, but Louis stopped and focused his keen dragon hearing on their voices.

“She might be seeing her son through those children since she lost him not too long ago…”

“Oh dear. Poor Madam. Such a kind woman… Her son took after her, gentle and sweet as he was. It’s heartbreaking that he passed so suddenly.”

“It was just an unfortunate accident. And at only seven years old…”

“So sad. I cried my eyes out when the little prince died.”

“You weren’t alone. He had many admirers.”

As the maids’ voices grew more distant, Louis nodded once they were no longer audible.

“Maybe that’s why she treats us so well?”

The grand duchess had been sorrowful ever since Louis first met her. It turned out her grief stemmed from losing a child. Perhaps she saw the shadow of her lost offspring in Louis and his twin sister.

This realization dawned on Louis. “We should leave soon.”

He thought it would be better for the grand duchess if they severed ties before she grew too attached to them.

However, what happened next confused him.

“What?” Louis was heading back to his room after sightseeing when he heard a familiar voice as he passed by a door several times larger than others nearby.

“Madam… How long do you plan to keep those children with us?”

“My lord.”

“They’re not Linus.”

“I know that, but—but… When I’m around them, I don’t hear Linus’s voice anymore. Our son’s voice used to haunt me constantly, but it doesn’t when they’re near!”

The grand duke sighed at her anguished cry.

“No one understands your pain better than I do. Do you think my heart isn’t heavy as well? But projecting Linus onto these boys is unfair both to him and to them.”

“My lord…”

“It’s time we let go of Linus.”

“How… How can you ask a mother to forget her child?”

“Madam!” A small sob came from beyond the door.

Soon after, his wife continued. “Grand Duke, no—Khan.”

It was the first time she had addressed him by name since their marriage, and it momentarily caught Khan off guard. But what followed next shocked him even more.

“Khan… Please adopt them as your children.”

“Madam!” The grand duke exclaimed in surprise.

His wife’s resolve, however, remained unwavering.

“Every day has been hell since Linus passed away. I can only breathe when those children are with me. If they leave…then I…”

“Sigh.”

Her husband sighed at her pleading tone, his love for her evident. “For now…let’s think about it some more. Adopting children is not a decision to be made lightly.”

“Yes, I understand that you shouldn’t rush this decision. But my lord, you know very well how wonderful these children are. Please observe them a bit longer…and whenever you make your decision, I will wait patiently.”

“…Very well.”

It was neither a rejection nor acceptance, but it was the best answer he could give under the circumstances.

Having overheard their conversation from afar, Louis quickly stepped away from the door. From that day forward, he began agonizing over what to do.

“We should leave…but I can’t bring myself to go just yet.”

They knew the grand duchess liked them, but they hadn’t expected her to consider adopting one of them as her own.

We’ve only been here ten days… What made her think about adoption so soon?

Perhaps losing their son had left such deep wounds that she was already considering taking another child under her wing after knowing him for merely a few days.

“Hmm…” Louis found the grand duke more impressive than he’d initially thought.

As a member of the royal family from the most powerful nation among the four kingdoms comprising the Winter Continent, becoming his adoptive son would mean securing a key position within this country.

I need to shake off these chains before getting any further entangled with them. But…

The problem was, it felt wrong.

What will happen to the grand duchess if we leave here as well?

He knew all too well what would become of her if she suffered another loss when they departed.

“It feels wrong somehow. I know it’s best for us to go, but leaving like this…” Louis glanced at his carefree twin siblings sprawled out comfortably on their beds.

I wish I could be more like you two, without a worry in the world.

It was always he who fretted over everything. Not that asking them for advice would have been helpful anyway.

If only Fin were here during times like these…

In fact, one reason why Louis couldn’t bring himself to leave the castle was because of Fin. The twins had been forcibly separated from each other, and there was a chance their paths might cross again if Louis left now.

Thus, Louis had been waiting for Fin at the grand duke’s castle, but for some reason, Fin hadn’t shown up yet.

“What is he doing out there…?”

As Louis missed his absent friend, there came a knock on the window of his room.

Although nothing was visible to the naked eye, Louis sensed a familiar presence nearby. Soon, a small figure materialized seemingly out of thin air like a ghost.

Louis excitedly exclaimed, “Fin!”

Overjoyed, Louis rushed toward him and yelled, “Hey, you idiot! You should’ve stuck close by using Stealth instead of hiding away! Do you know how long I’ve waited for you? From now on, if anything happens, immediately use your Stealth right next to me, got it?”

“Ohhh noooo! I’m sorry! I’ll definitely stick by your side from now on!”

The two embraced for the first time since their reunion. Fin remembered all the hardships he endured searching for his master over the past ten days, while Louis was relieved to finally have someone with whom he could communicate normally.

Their commotion gently roused the twins.

“Huh? Is that you, Fin?”

“It’s me!”

The twins rushed toward him as well.

“My lords! Hnnng!”

Despite being constantly tormented by them, Fin welcomed even the twins at this moment.

With everyone back together again, Louis scolded Fin for returning so late.

“What took you so long?”

“Well, sir…” In response to Louis’s question, Fin began recounting his tale.