SIDE STORY 30

I failed math yesterday. It was actually 3 more chapters and not 4… ? Now, it’s 2 more chapters.

“But why did you come here, Violent Avalanche?”

Violent Avalanche was stunned at the question of Cordelia and raised his head.

“Why? I can’t come here?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

Cordelia actually inquired for two reasons.

One was to save Violent Avalanche from an awkward situation, and the other was because she was really curious.

Why did Violent Avalanche follow them this far?

As she had already said, it was not like Violent Avalanche should not come here.

It was nice to meet him because they had a relationship in the past, so she very much welcomed his visit.

But there a fairly huge difference between ‘He’s just a visiting friend’ and ‘Why did he come?’

Violent Avalanche was living well in the wild lands, so why did he suddenly go the Bayer county along with Yuna?

At the question of Cordelia, Jude looked with a curious expression at Violent Avalanche.

‘I can guess to some extent…’

But in the end, it was just a guess.

Moreover, the reason he guessed was not something Jude liked, so he waited for the answer from Violent Avalanche instead of hastily uttering what he had guessed.

And several seconds pa.s.sed.

Violent Avalanche glanced back at Yuna, and opened his mouth after seeing her nod.

“Yuna is not yet in a perfect condition. Originally, she should have been asleep for at least 10 years… no, 20 years, but she was forced to wake up.”

Cordelia was surprised by his answer.

“N-No way… Did her condition worsen because of us?”

Because it was Jude and Cordelia who caused the explosions.

Seeing the pale face of Cordelia, Yuna hurriedly shook her head.

“No, it’s not because of you two.”

“Yeah, I just told you. Originally, she should have slept much longer, but the problem was she woke up too early. The condition of Blue Blizzard… or Yuna, did not worsen due to the explosions. She just woke up before she had fully recovered.”

“E-Even so…”

Either way, it was still because of Jude and Cordelia that Yuna had not choice but to wake up earlier.

But Yuna shook her head once more.

“That’s not true. If you hadn’t woken me up then, I wouldn’t have met Lex again like this. And you too. Moreover, you made that decision to save the wild lands, right? I heard a lot of stories from Elder Violent Avalanche on my way here.”

Yuna firmly grasped the hand of Cordelia over the table, and continued to quietly speak.

“So it’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it. Okay?”

“…Yes, mother-in-law.”

Cordelia slightly nodded her head and Yuna smiled as if she was really fine with it before glancing at Violent Avalanche.

“Elder Violent Avalanche.”

“Okay, I’ll continue.”

Violent Avalanche coughed a few times and spoke after dangling his short legs a few times on the sofa.

“Yuna is not in a perfect condition right now. If she stays in a place far from the sanctuary and is not that cold… If she stays in a place like this, she’ll soon become weak again. It means she has to live in the wild lands until she fully recovers.”

“In the newly created… sanctuary in the wild lands?”

“Yes, her recovery will be quicker there. Thanks to the wild G.o.ds gathering there, it has become a more powerful sanctuary than any other sanctuary that has ever existed. The Golden Dragon King is also there.”

After Violent Avalanche answered the question of Jude, he deeply breathed and turned to Yuna and everyone else before speaking.

“Yuna woke up and came to us not long after you two left for a place called Earth. Actually, I didn’t know until then that Yuna was your mother, or Jude’s mother to be exact. She just said that she wanted to go to the snowy mountain in the territory of the empire… She wanted to go to a place where she used to recuperate, so I accompanied her to the snowy mountain. Yuna had just woken up, so not only her physical strength, but also her mind… To be honest, her thinking skills were lacking compared to now.”

He was not speaking ill of her but just listing a fact.

“And we met Count Bayer in the snowy mountain. Only then did Yuna fully recover her thinking skills.”

It was only then did Violent Avalanche knew that the ‘Yuna’ who Count Bayer had asked about earlier was actually Blue Blizzard.

“I was originally going to create a new sanctuary for her in the snowy mountain, or have her head back to the wild lands. But Yuna said that she wanted to go back with her beloved Count Bayer at least once, so we began on a journey again.”

In short, Violent Avalanche was supporting Yuna who was unstable in many ways.

In human terms, one could say that he was attending to her like a doctor.

Jude bowed his head at his continuous explanation, and Cordelia also politely bowed.

“Violent Avalanche, thank you very much.”

“Hmph, you owe me one. And… to Blade Song too…”

It was certainly because of the actions of Jude and Cordelia that allowed them to win the final battle in the wild lands.

But before that, it was because of the n.o.ble sacrifice of Blade Song and his tribe that the eastern forces were not annihilated when the western and eastern forces clashed for the first time on Snow Breeze Plain.

Blade Song could be called the stepbrother of Yuna, or Blue Blizzard, so Violent Avalanche wanted to add this to the honor of Blade Song, even in this way.

‘Blade Song…’

Cordelia pursed her lips inwards and also thought of him.

They had only met him once and even then, they had only treated him as a target to rip off various items, but he was definitely a good wild G.o.d.

He was a great hero who saved the wild lands.

Since most of those present here were involved in the battle on the wild lands, the mood naturally turned somber.

Then Yuna smiled again and spoke to Adelia as though she was trying to change the mood.

“Adel, can I see your children?”

“Yes, mother-in-law. They’re upstairs. Would you like to see them again?”

“Yes, I want to see them.”

When Yuna smiled again, everyone stood up from their seats.

Violent Avalanche also jumped off the sofa and began to take the lead despite not knowing the way in the mansion.

And on the second floor.

The short Violent Avalanche hang from the railing of the small crib as he checked out the babies who looked at such a Violent Avalanche as if they were looking at a zoo bear.

The ecstatic Yuna had sparkling eyes and asked as she held the hand of Adelia.

“Adel, Adel. What are their names? Do they have names already?”

“Well…”

“Well? Is that the name of the baby?”

“No, it’s not like that… My father said that he would give them their names but… he’s already been thinking about it for months.”

Adelia replied with an awkward smile, and Yuna was surprised before she burst out laughing.

“Arthur is still the same.”

Nearly 20 years had pa.s.sed, but not for Yuna who had woken up from a long sleep.

For her, only two months had pa.s.sed.

Yuna thought of Count Chase for a moment, and suddenly smiled as she turned to Jude and Cordelia and asked.

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have children yet?”

Cordelia turned red and could not say anything at the bright question, and Jude cleared his throat and replied.

“Not yet…”

“Not yet? You don’t want to have one yet?”

“Well, um…”

Jude was sweating profusely without realizing it.

He was the slyest and smartest in the world in front of Cordelia, but his opponent now was formidable.

“W-We will have one.”

In the end, Cordelia awkwardly answered and Yuna asked again with a wide smile.

“When?”

“Eh?”

“When?”

“S-Soon?”

Right after she unconsciously answered.

“Yuna?”

Everyone turned their heads at the loud voice coming from beyond the door. A big smile appeared on the face of Yuna who recognized that voice.

“Arthur.”

“Yuna!”

Count Chase slammed the door open and appeared.

He saw Yuna standing next to Count Bayer and was surprised, so he instantly kicked the ground and narrowed the distance.

“Yuna!”

“Arthur!”

Yuna shouted and jumped right into the big arms of Count Chase who hugged her.

“Oh, is this real? Yuna. You’re back.”

“I missed you, Arthur.”

“I missed you too.”

Count Chase once again held Yuna tightly as if he could not believe it, and unconsciously sighed in relief.

Because the small body he felt in his arms and her warmth proved that Yuna existed in front of him.

“No way. You’re still the same as then.”

“Yes, and Arthur, you’ve become more handsome, huh? Just like my Lex.”

“I’m already old.”

“No. You’re still handsome. And even if you’re old, you’ve aged well.”

“Then, thank you.”

Count Chase smiled broadly again, but soon fixed his expression.

Because Jude, Cordelia, Gaël, and Adelia were looking at him with surprised faces.

It was the first time his daughters had ever seen Count Chase smile so widely.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Count Chase coughed again and said to the grinning Yuna who was still looking at him.

“Yuna, this is Edward. Do you remember?”

The eldest son of Count Chase, Edward Chase, was standing by the doorway and approached at his beckoning gesture. Edward walked to Yuna and bowed.

“It’s been a while since I met you. I’m Edward Chase.”

His greeting could be seen as polite among n.o.bles, but Yuna did not see it like that.

For Yuna, Edward was the treasured troublemaker of Aerith.

“Ed.”

When Yuna spread her arms and called him by his nickname, Edward was embarra.s.sed but soon smiled and embraced her.

He used to be the one who got hugged when he was young, so it felt very strange because he was the one hugging her now.

‘She reminds me of my mother…’

Edward unknowingly got teary-eyed, but did not let his tears fall easily as he was the next count.

After releasing Yuna from his arms, he skillfully adjusted his expression.

But it was only for a short time.

Yuna blinked as she looked around and behind him. So he could not help but furrow his brows and ask her.

“Lady Yuna? What’s the matter?”

“Ed.”

“Yes, Lady Yuna.”

“You don’t have a wife? Or children?”

Gaël is married, Adelia is married, Jude is married, and Cordelia is married, so what about you?

Yes, what about you?

A pure question with no hint of malice.

That was why Edward was struck even more, and he replied while maintaining his expression.

“Uh… I’m still single.”

“Hmm…”

At the answer of Edward, Yuna contemplated for a while and soon turned to Count Bayer as she pulled his sleeve.

“Lex, Lex.”

“Yes, Yuna.”

“Gaël and Adelia are in a relationship, and Jude and Cordelia are in a relationship, right?”

“It is a happy occurrence.”

“Yes, yes. So, our kids and Arthur’s kids are married to each other, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then will it be all right if Ed is engaged to our third?”

“Pardon?”

The last one who spoke was Edward.

Or rather, it was the thought of almost everyone in this place.

“Third? A third one?”

Count Bayer could not answer the question of Count Chase.

Because Count Bayer was also confused.

“Y-Yuna?”

“A third one. Soon.”

Yuna said and put her hands on her belly, and only then did Count Bayer understood the situation.

And it was the same for everyone else in the room.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Count Chase coughed.

“Father?”

Jude and Gaël looked at Count Bayer in amazement.

“Eeeeh?”

Cordelia and Adelia turned to Yuna.

And one more person.

“I mean, how long has it been since you met Yuna again…?”

Violent Avalanche tried to count the days with his small hands.

Isn’t it two months ago at most? And in that time, you’re already having a third child?

Count Bayer was embarra.s.sed at the complicated gazes directed at him, but reflexively pointed out one important fact.

“By the way, Yuna. Did you say an engagement?”

“It’s a daughter. A daughter will be born.”

Everyone was surprised at the calm answer of Yuna.

And Edward said.

“Oh.”

“What kind of guy says ‘Oh’!”

Adelia quickly slapped the back of his head, and Edward groaned as he bent down, frowned, and shouted.

“Hey! Do you want me to say ‘No way’ then?”

“Anyway!”

Adelia shouted back and hurriedly turned to Yuna.

Cordelia hesitated before saying with a big smile.

“Congratulations. Mother-in-law.”

“C-Congratulations.”

The still shocked Jude also congratulated Yuna who puffed up her chest while Count Bayer finally came to his senses.

He smiled like a fool and hugged Yuna again.

“Yuna, Yuna, my treasure.”

“The kids are watching.”

So not now, okay?

Count Chase chuckled, and everyone else laughed out loud.

And the last one again.

“It runs in the family.”

He’s similar to his sons.

Violent Avalanche clicked his tongue, but soon smiled and clapped to congratulate them.

***

Deep at night in the Bayer county.

With the return of the countess and the news that a new baby would be born soon, the mansion was in a festive mood, so the family and the servants all had a good time until late at night.

And now.

Close to midnight.

While standing in the greenhouse and gazing at the flowers, Maja slowly turned around.

She smiled at the sound of footsteps that let itself be heard on purpose.

“Young master.”

“Maja.”

Jude approached with a shawl which he put on the shoulders of Maja, and Maja silently looked at him.

“Young master.”

“Maja.”

After calling each other again, they simultaneously smiled.

Yuna was back.

It was definitely a happy thing.

It was also a very good thing for Jude.

But Maja felt a bit lonely.

She knew very well that she should not have this kind of feeling, but it was inevitable that she felt lonely.

Cordelia and Yuna.

Jude now had a wife and a mother.

Maja was no longer needed.

“Maja.”

“Yes, young master.”

“Do you remember that?”

“Remember what?”

“I…”

“You saying that you’ll marry me when you become an adult?”

Maja said with a smirk, and Jude turned red and was speechless.

It seemed like he was going to say something else, but the playful Maja stabbed him with her words.

“Liar.”

“M-Maja?”

“You promised me with your pinky finger… Did you forget everything? I remembered that…”

When Maja said that, Jude turned redder in embarra.s.sment.

And Maja burst out laughing at that sight.

The servants usually called her Ice Princess because she rarely smiled, but she was different in front of Jude.

Or not, as it seemed to be the first time she laughed like this in front of Jude.

“I’m kidding.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m really kidding.”

After saying that again, Maja stretched out her hand and caressed the cheek of Jude.

“You grew up really well.”

When did you get this big?

The small child who barely reached my waist has now grown up so large that I can’t even see your face if I don’t look up.

“It’s all thanks to Maja.”

Maja just smiled.

‘Yes, I raised the young master’ – those words did not come out of her mouth.

“Maja.”

“Yes, young master.”

Maja looked up at Jude again, and Jude directly stared into her eyes.

And he soon blushed again, but spoke in a clear voice as if he had made up his mind.

“Maja is family to me. You’re really like an older sister to me.”

Even if he married Cordelia, and even if his mother returned.

That fact did not change.

It would not change.

Jude reddened again and clumsily smiled.

He was the kind of person who told Cordelia all sorts of stories without his expression changing, to the extent that she suspected him of being a former scammer, but he could not do that in front of Maja.

His swirling emotions, embarra.s.sment, and grat.i.tude could only make him say a few words.

But that was enough.

Maja softly giggled and hugged Jude.

Jude also embraced Maja and smiled.

“Maja.”

“Yes, young master.”

“I’m asking just in case.”

“Yes.”

“Is Maja… seeing anyone?”

“Not yet.”

But what if I see someone?

How will Jude react?

Maja imagined it for a moment and soon giggled while Jude frowned as he imagined it too.

He thought that it was very childish and selfish of him when he felt seriously complicated at the thought of someone else standing next to Maja.

‘Is this what you call a siscon?’

But it was unavoidable.

Because it was Maja.

Because she was a really precious person to him.

“It’s late at night. You have to go in and sleep now.”

“Yes.”

“Now I don’t have to read you a fairy tale, do I?”

“Perhaps sometimes?”

Jude slyly answered and Maja giggled again before bowing to him.

“I’ll be heading back first.”

“Good night, Maja.”

“Good night, young master.”

Maja slowly walked out of the greenhouse, and Jude stood still as he watched her back.

And a voice was heard.

“Hnnnn… Hnnnn…”

Cordelia let out strange sounds as her eyes narrowed, and Jude crossed his arms, saying.

“Hey, she’s Maja, okay?”

“Still, hnnnn… Hnnnn…”

Cordelia still teased him.

If it was not a joke, she would have fired a magic missile at him.

“Stop joking around and let’s go and sleep.”

“Hnnnn?”

“If possible, let’s make a baby.”

“Excuse me?”

Jude hugged the waist of Cordelia and slyly smiled instead of answering. Cordelia grumbled and snorted before leaning her head against the arm of Jude.

“Cordelia.”

“Why?”

“Nothing. I just like you.”

“What did you say?”

But contrary to her words, Cordelia was smiling too.

Jude lifted his head and looked up at the sky.

He gazed at Selene and Helene outside the gla.s.s ceiling of the greenhouse, and unconsciously whispered.

“For a perfect happy ending.”

“And then everyone will live happily ever after.”

Cordelia softly spoke in response and stood on her tiptoes. Jude soon matched his lips with Cordelia.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Jude looked up at the night sky as he hugged Cordelia who snuggled in his arms.

They had happy smiles on their faces.