The Youngest Hides a Lot of Things [Novel] Chapter 75

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 75

Chapter Title: The Youngest is Hiding a Lot

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"......"

"You were here this morning too."

"Is she asleep?"

Khalid muttered something off-topic.

"If you're so curious, why didn't you just go in earlier?"

"......Never mind."

The boy spoke coldly and crossed his arms.

He looked perfectly natural standing among the knights.

"......I don't have the right."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll guard the front here."

Khalid turned his head away from Leviathan, speaking as if making a vow.

There was an arrogant resolve not to exchange another word.

'Our little ones are all so stubbornly headstrong.'

Judging by that face, sending him away right now would be impossible...... Leviathan signaled to another knight standing nearby.

It meant to take him away at an appropriate time. The knight gave a subtle nod.

The couple headed up to the floor with their bedroom.

Rosetta could no longer hold back.

"Who was that kid?"

"Ruby's friend."

"Friend?"

Hmm. Seeing his wife's eyes narrow, Leviathan asked, "What's wrong?"

"Rubian's male friend......"

Rosetta stroked her chin thoughtfully.

Leviathan still seemed fixated on the word 'friend,' but... well.

For some reason, she kept emphasizing 'male.'

"Rose, that look in your eyes right now... it's a bit scary."

"You're imagining things."

A faint smile curved her lips as the dim moonlight settled over it.

Leviathan stared at her face, entranced.

Come to think of it...... it had been far too long since he'd been alone with his wife like this. With one thing after another piling up, he hadn't even properly welcomed her home.

"But what's that you've been holding in your hand since earlier?"

Leviathan, about to take her hand, glanced at it.

"Oh. This?"

Rosetta opened her palm, revealing a cute pin shaped like a strawberry.

"I must have unconsciously picked it up from the nightstand earlier......"

Watching her fiddle with the pin, Leviathan felt a complex swirl of emotions.

"I'm sorry."

"Suddenly?"

"That room."

"......"

"I opened it without discussing it with you."

Rosetta fell silent.

She remembered as vividly as yesterday when, where, and with what feelings they had bought that pin.

Everything in that east room—from the thin ribbon straps—had been personally chosen by her and Leviathan.

"What a silly thing to apologize for."

"......"

"You did the right thing. I would have too. It suits Rubian perfectly."

She didn't know how Rubian had ended up with that pin, but Rosetta thought it was for the best.

"And honestly, I was planning to talk about it when I returned from the south. That room...... let's put it away."

"Rosetta."

"We can't stay bound to bad memories forever. Oh, of course, our baby isn't a bad memory!"

Leviathan nodded at her hasty addition.

"I know."

"I just think we've......"

A gentle breeze slipped through the slightly open window. The spring-scented wind felt like a comforting touch, warm and soothing.

"......grieved long enough."

Pain flickered clearly in the man's violet eyes.

But it wasn't as intense as before. A love of equal strength stood beside it, holding it steady.

'It's thanks to Rubian. That's why your pain has eased.'

Rosetta smiled faintly.

She had believed nothing could fill the gaping void of loss.

But there was Liam, there was Void, and then Rubian had arrived like a gift.

No wound stayed eternally painful.

"Yeah...... it's been ten years already."

Leviathan murmured.

"You're right. Maybe we've grieved enough."

The scars remained, but they were no longer captive to that dark past. Days with Rubian had become his greatest healing.

"When we return to Zelox, let's visit the memorial garden together."

He said calmly. Rosetta shot him a playful glare.

"......She might get mad that Dad took too long to visit."

"I'll have to beg forgiveness."

Rosetta chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Leviathan......"

"Yes."

"Rubian is so lovable. Isn't it weird? We haven't known her long."

She recalled the image of Rubian shedding tears in the cabin, overwhelmed by her secrets. Her heart ached at the memory.

"If Rubian wants it, I want to give her that room......"

Rosetta continued, sniffling.

"Yeah."

"I picked out only the cutest, prettiest things. Honestly, it felt wasteful to pack them away."

"I know."

"Levi."

Rosetta called him again and buried her face against him.

"I'm so happy to have a daughter......"

Leviathan nodded heavily at her words, pouring out like a burst dam. They shared their warmth, silently comforting each other.

"Why do you keep crying? You've gotten more teary lately."

"That's what I'm saying."

Rosetta pulled away, her eyes red like a rabbit's.

"You used to cry more......"

"I never......"

"Forgot? You cried when I accepted your confession, and when I accepted your proposal, tears just......"

"Don't lie."

Leviathan scooped her up, refusing to hear more.

As he kissed her, he whispered.

"I've never cried. But looking at you always makes me want to."

"Whenever I'd complain, you'd make up for it with your body."

Leviathan paused while peppering small kisses over her face.

"Speaking of, how's your body?"

"You're the only husband who doubts my health. Stop treating me like a glass doll......"

"Ah, right."

Hmm.

A peculiar smile tugged at his lips, and Rosetta belatedly realized her mistake.

"S-suddenly, I feel a bit unwell?"

"Too late."

His long legs carried them swiftly. They reached the bedroom in an instant.

Rosetta hurriedly clung to her husband's neck.

"Wh-why are you doing this...... Your eyes are scary, Duke."

"You said to make up for complaints with my body."

"That's not what I......"

"Got it. I'll do well."

The bedroom door slammed shut. Before Rosetta could protest, their long lashes met in a dizzying overlap.

This time, it was her utter defeat.

Khalid frantically scanned his surroundings.

That day, at the Jebert Private Hot Springs.

"Ruby! Where did you go?"

He had wandered nearby, but when the rain started, he grabbed an umbrella and hurried back. Yet he couldn't sense Rubian's presence.

He kept trying to connect a magic circuit to Rubian, but there was no response. A familiar anxiety crept up from his toes.

"No way......"

Standing on the damp ground, the boy's arms dropped limply.

"Did she abandon me again?"

The realization hit just as the ground trembled beneath him.

Cal staggered slightly. After all, how had he found Rubian when contact was lost in the Canalran Gorge?

What did I do wrong?

Does Rubian...... hate me now?

'Ah, the mana......'

Cal clenched his fists tightly.

There was a vast amount of mana within him.

But when he lost his reason like this...... an unfamiliar mana he didn't recognize stealthily reared its head.

A power sunk deep, even unknown to Rubian.

'I can't communicate with Rubian using mana like this.'

His original mana mixed with the muddy kind.

The energy quickly turned dark, heavy, and filthy.

'This mana doesn't suit Rubian......'

The boy took a steadying deep breath and lifted his head.

"Calm down. I need to go find her."

Right. Go find her again. Mobilize Allen from the mercenary corps again...... and send animals across the continent.

If abandoned a hundred times, he'd find her a hundred and one.

But contrary to his resolve, the surging mana lashed out wildly.

"Ah, please."

Cal bent at the waist, exhaling roughly.

The bracelet on his wrist grew burning hot. The mana, tangled messily despite the magic tool's restraint, seemed ready to overload at any moment.

'The price for tampering with a person's soul is severe.'

A voice echoed from somewhere.

'Will you abandon the infinite memories like this?'

What was that?

He clutched his forehead and staggered slightly.