But not knowing what it meant, she just stared at the cute child with wide eyes.
“Sister, what about me?”
The child asked again with the same words.
She was still lacking an explanation.
Rieta was at a loss, so Vernon reluctantly helped her to understand.
“He wants you to call his name, Sister.”
“Name?!”
“Sister, my name, don’t you know?”
“I, I know! Eddie, it’s Eddie.”
Rieta was afraid that the children would say something resentful towards her, so she replied quickly.
“I’ve never forgotten. It’s true. I know it doesn’t sound very believable, but…”
She bowed her head in guilt.
She was reminded of the fact that these children had been neglected for a long time.
Rieta’s hair, which happened to be caught in the dress, fell lightly onto her shoulders.
They both seemed to have finished untangling it at the same time.
Vernon said, “Excuse me,” and pulled back the heavy dress at once.
The white dress bloomed like a flower in the air and soon fell onto the arms of the maid waiting behind her.
Vernon looked back and ordered in a businesslike tone.
“Fix it.”
Eddie didn’t forget to add another word.
“Beautifully.”
The maid bowed her head and left the parlor with the order.
The two boys looked back at Rieta.
“…Oh.”
The moment Rieta was trying to say something, embarrassed by their piercing gaze.
“I believe you.”
They spoke at the same time. As if they had planned on it beforehand.
“Yes.”
Rieta was a little surprised, and was going to ask again. But she soon knew what their answer was for.
It meant that they would believe her when she said she had never forgotten about them.
But even with those grateful words of gratitude, Rieta still felt apologetic.
“But I… I can’t even get in touch with you properly. And I haven’t done anything right for you…”
Rieta, who had managed to finish her words, bowed her head deeply in shame.
She had no face with them that she couldn’t even properly say sorry.
“We believe you!”
Then the two boys shouted again at the same time.
This time, they looked at each other in wonder as they said the same thing.
“We too.”
“We never forgot.”
Not even once.
Rieta finally raised her head at that surprising answer.
The boys’ expressions were still somewhat blunt.
“Sister Rieta.”
However, their voice that was calling her somehow seemed to contain affection, which had not changed from their childhood.
Rieta grabbed the hands of the two boys that were sitting on her side.
“You see.”
Rieta mustered up her courage and managed to open her mouth.
The two boys immediately replied, “Yes!”
“If you don’t mind—”
“We don’t mind.”
Vernon said so without listening to the whole story.
“…I haven’t said anything yet?”
Rieta asked in surprise, and Eddie laughed as he pulled Rieta’s hand towards him.
“Because if it’s Sister’s request, we’ll do it no matter what.”
The boys looked at each other and smiled.
“So what were you going to ask?”
“Yes, about that. I was wondering if I could hear a story.”
“A story?”
The boys asked, clinging a little closer to Rieta’s side.
“Yes. About the last banquet.”
Rieta recalled the moment when she was reunited with the boys after a long time.
She thought she was hated.
“At that time, it was our clumsy strategy.”
“Strategy?”
Rieta asked, and Vernon nodded.
“We heard from the Maureen couple that you were very ill. In fact, you looked that way too.”
“Then at that time . . . You were trying to send me back?”
“We were afraid that our feelings would be revealed.”
No, their acting was too perfect. Rieta was sure that no one knew the boys’ true feelings.
“Well, no. It was perfect.”
Was he happy to be praised? Vernon added proudly, “Finding a way that doesn’t go against Father’s heart is what we do best.”
“Why did you do that?”
Rieta was proud of the boys who somehow managed to find a way to live, but on the other hand, she was worried that they would get into trouble by incurring the King’s wrath.
“Yes, we have always admired Sister’s great work!”
“. . . Mine?”
“You made a great statement right in front of Father.”
Great statement? What great statement?
Rieta wondered when she had left a remark that it could be called a great statement.
“Low reproductive capacity.”
“That’s Father’s only good point.”
The boys answered one word at a time and then clasped their palms together.
Judging by the look on their face, they seemed to like those words quite a bit.
“Sister, I heard that you said that directly to Father.”
“And on several occasions.”
“That’s our greatest pride.”
Unlike them, who were happy, Rieta was a little troubled.
That was definitely their father’s only strong point…
Want to read more chapters and support us? Please consider becoming a patron to read up to 40 chapters in advance!
