Chapter 150
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 150 – [Side Story] The King and Queen and Their Grandson
This happened while Ain was staying in Magna, and when the story of Ain’s ripple reached the royal capital.
It was a morning when the air was a mixture of the warmth of spring and a cool breeze.
Laralua was in the courtyard, enjoying the air.
“Ara, there you are. What’s wrong, you’re holding your head?”
It was about Ain’s stay in Magna.
Sylvird was sitting in the courtyard, holding his head.
Laralua, who was thinking about having a cup of tea, smiled slightly when she saw Sylvird’s appearance.
“This is the reason.”
Sylvird showed Laralua a ripple on the table.
“Ara, it’s a beautiful ripple. And… Hmm? Is that really a ripple?”
“That’s for sure. But it’s the crown prince who made it.”
An unusually large ripple.
Laralua, who had heard the cause, understood immediately.
If Ain had been involved, then this size would have been understandable.
Laralua sat down and picked up the ripple.
“It smells good. And the color and shine are wonderful. Have you eaten it yet?”
“Not yet. I’ve been trying to figure out the circumstances of its creation.”
“Circumstances? Can you tell me about them?”
“――Hah, all right.”
And so Sylvird began to tell the story of the big ripple.
It was something that Ain had done at the Magna Tree Planting Festival, and Sylvird had heard about it but didn’t understand what it meant.
But even though there were many strange points for Laralua, when she heard that Ain had done it, there was a part of her that could somehow accept it and say, “It can’t be helped.”
“Ara, Ara, I’m glad to hear that Ain-kun is fine over there.”
“It’s not good… Why does he always do such things…”
“Beria? Are you here?”
Laralua ignored Sylvird’s nagging and called to a servant.
The woman wasn’t nearby, but she heard Laralua’s voice and appeared from somewhere.
“Did you call for me?”
The woman who came was an old woman, but she had a straight back, and her hair was neatly tied.
She was Beria, the only head maid here at White Knight, who wore the maid’s uniform with great style.
“Can you cut it for me?”
“Oh, my, this is a magnificent ripple. Very well, I will cut it right away.”
As Beria said this, she first poured hot water into the teapot.
After making the tea as if it were a matter of course, she picked up the big ripple.
Then, with a small knife she took from her pocket, she skillfully cut the ripple.
“Here you go. Why don’t you have some? I know it was hard work, but since it’s a gift, why don’t you try it first?”
“Oh, I see.”
Sylvird looked exhausted, but his expression soon changed.
This was because a strong, pheromone-like scent wafted out from the cut ripple.
Even Sylvird, who was used to fine food, was lifted by the scent.
“Hmm… what is that smell?”
“Yes… it’s true. I’ve never smelled anything like it before. Beria, do you remember anything like it?”
“I don’t either. At least I’ve never seen a ripple like this before.”
Sylvird and Laralua couldn’t help but bite into the ripple.
The juice overflowed from the flesh, giving the illusion that they were drinking juice.
They were enveloped in a refreshing sensation that seemed to permeate their entire bodies.
“…Hoh.”
This was not a special dish that had been cut into ripples.
If anything, it was just that Beria has cut it up nicely.
Still, this fruit was wonderful enough to make Sylvird, who had a discerning palate, roar with delight.
Laralua then suddenly fell silent after showing a melting expression.
“Laralua? What’s wrong?”
“Hey, dear. Even though Magna has a big tree that makes this ripple, isn’t it a problem that there isn’t one in the royal capital… or rather, in the castle?”
In other words, Laralua also liked this ripple.
The fact that she tried to find a reason to have such a tree in the castle showed that she was also very interested in it.
“…Well, I’m going to work now…”
“Don’t you think?”
She grabs Sylvird’s clothes as he stood up, preventing him from moving.
“Huh… It seems like a big tree, so we have to decide on a location, right?”
“But the castle grounds are huge, so I don’t think that will be a problem. I think it would be good to have it in the castle as a symbol of the blessing that Ain-kun brings.”
“It all depends on how you look at it. Besides, I don’t feel bad about it…”
Food has always been something that attracts people’s interest.
Ain’s special ripple was no exception, and it piqued their interest.
“You know, I don’t nod my head unless there’s a real reason.”
“There’s no choice. It’s what it means to be a king.”
When he sat down again, Sylvird opened his mouth and answered.
“Yes, yes. Let’s choose a place first. Beria, can you spread the word?”
“I understand. I’ll tell Warren first.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Beria replied and left Laralua’s side.
“Still, I don’t know if it will grow the same.”
“It’s worth a try. If it succeeds, we can only consider it a stroke of luck.”
It’s unknown whether the ripple tree Ain made will grow the same way in the castle.
After all, this was an unprecedented situation, so no one could be sure about it.
“If it’s such an excitement, I’m all for it.”
“You say that, but you always seem to enjoy it, don’t you? You were happy that things got more lively after Ain-kun and Olivia returned, weren’t you?”
Laralua said with a smile, and Sylvird scratched his cheek shyly.
“It’s too late to be embarrassed now, isn’t it? The letters Olivia sent while she was in Heim. Every time you saw them, you couldn’t help but smile to yourself.”
“D-don’t be ridiculous! That kind of thing――”
“Didn’t it happen? Warren told me before, but it wasn’t just then, you smiled every time.”
“Please, keep it our secret.”
While she watched her husband’s troubled expression, Laralua tasted the tea and ripple that Beria had prepared.
These were the most pleasant days for Queen Laralua.
Even her servants and knights were happy to see the two of them being so affectionate.
“Don’t you want everyone to see how sweet you are with your first grandchild?”
“Of course I do! But if I show them, my dignity will be gone. It wouldn’t set a good example.”
“I wonder. Maybe your popularity will go up if you show them your kindness?”
“Give me a break.”
Sylvird took a bite of ripple and moistened his throat.
He hated to imagine what Laralua would say, but the taste of this ripple was wonderful.
“By the way, I hear two people from Roundheart are coming to the meeting.”
“Did Warren tell you that?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hmm. But this is not the time to talk about such things while enjoying such delicious food.”
Since they were enjoying the delicious ripple, Sylvird wanted to continue talking about pleasant things.
But even after hearing this, Laralua did not stop talking; she came up with her own theory and argued with Sylvird.
“It’s because you are enjoying the delicious food that you can talk about such things, right? Otherwise, my heart would be tainted.”
“That’s for sure.”
“I’m asking you to make sure that Ain-kun and Olivia don’t suffer, no matter what happens.”
For them, this reunion with Logas and the others was almost like a decade.
Laralua worried in her heart that they might become mentally unstable.
“I understand.”
“Then that’s good. There is one more thing…”
Laralua said, putting down her teacup.
“At the meeting, you can’t suddenly show your military strength, you know?”
“Hmm, yes. I’ll be careful…”
“I know you can’t stand it either, but please show them what you have to show them, and if that doesn’t work, then use force.”
Laralua tried to make sure her husband didn’t get out of control in her absence.
In some cases, Laralua agreed that force should be used.
“Well, I think Warren thinks about a lot of things.”
“I think so too. I’m sure Warren will be able to make things better.”
“Oh my, could it be that Warren is more reliable than you?”
She laughed like a naughty child and then teased Sylvird.
When he heard this, Sylvird sulked like a sulky child.
“Hmph.”
“I was only joking. Now let’s enjoy our tea, shall we?”
That evening, the location for planting the ripple tree was decided.
The location was a corner of the courtyard, a place where they had talked about wanting shade.
Ain would probably plant the tree when he returned to Ishtalika after the meeting.
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