It was a usual farm morning.
The only difference was that I wore thick work clothes to match the cold early morning weather.
I changed my work clothes and headed to the barn, spewing white steam through my mouth.
In the past, it was a time when Yakums would have gone out to graze, but now there were still many Yakums in the barn.
-Poooooo….
– Pow wooo…
The baby Yakums could be seen huddling in front of the newly installed magic stove.
It was like seeing Speranza squirming under the blanket.
“You guys. Do you like the stove that much?”
Pow wo wooo
Pooo wooo
Baby Yakums, who heard my voice, flocked around me one by one.
Surrounded by them, I felt like a ‘human stove’.
After dealing with the sleepy baby Yakums for a while, I began cleaning the barn as usual.
Because of the Yakums who didn’t leave the stove, I had to clean up the surroundings and quit.
After cleaning up like that, when I left the barn, I ran into an unexpected person in front of the farm building.
“Oh, Andras? And… BOSS?”
Andras and Kaneff were coming out of the front door.
It was really rare to meet the two at such an early hour.
“Why are you two up so early?”
“Uh…… well. Good morning, Sihyeon.”
“Did you come to work already?”
“I usually come to work at this hour.”
As I approached and talked to them, the two showed a slight sense of bewilderment.
The thought of something strange crossed my mind for a moment, but I soon brushed it away thinking it won’t be a big deal.
However, I quickly found something even more strange and raised my voice.
“BOSS? Did you wash up and change into new clothes?”
Kaneff looked neat in his new clothes, not disheveled in his pajamas. When I looked surprised, Kaneff frowned back.
“What’s surprising about that? Sometimes I too get up early and wash up.”
“Even when we went to visit the Demon Lord, you came with disheveled hair…”
I gave up hearing Kaneff’s answer and turned to Andras. I asked with my eyes to explain the abnormal phenomenon.
“It’s… because Mr. Kaneff has something important to do with me today.”
“What important? I’ve never heard about that before.”
“It’s no big deal, so don’t worry about it.”
Kaneff cut me off with a casual tone.
I can’t know everything about each person, so I decided to stop asking more questions.
“When will you be back?”
“Maybe, before dinner.”
“Then we’ll go. See you later.”
“Yes, take care.”
Kaneff strode out waving his hand.
Andras lowered his head for a moment and quickly followed Kaneff’s footsteps.
Standing in front of the farm building, I watched the two moving away for a while.
I shook my head to shake off the emptiness that permeated my mind and hurried to prepare breakfast.
Breakfast time
Even though only two people, Kaneff and Andras, were missing, the table felt empty.
“Boss and Andras had something to attend to from early in the morning. We should have breakfast on our own this morning.”
“Oh, I see.”
“…….”
“…….”
Only Alfred gave a formal answer, but Lia and Lilia in their seats did not respond much.
I felt something strange and opened my mouth again.
“Lia, Lilia, you guys are not surprised at all, what’s going on? I was quite surprised to see the Boss preparing to go out early in the morning. Don’t you guys feel something out of the ordinary?”
“Ah, that’s…….”
While Lia hesitated in shock, Lilia gave an answer in her stead.
“A few days ago, Uncle Kaneff said something like that while passing by.”
“Ah, yes… That’s right. I was very surprised at that time.”
“Hmm. Did he? I didn’t hear it.”
“I… I think he said that when Sihyeon wasn’t there.”
……what is this reaction?
It was a trivial question, but the two answered awkwardly as if they were making excuses.
Alfred, who was watching from the side, also peeked at me.
“What? Are you guys hiding anything from me?”
“Huh, what?”
“There’s… nothing, Brother Sihyeon.”
“That’s right, Senior. What do we have to hide…….”
Three people reacted strongly to the lightly asked question.
It was so obvious that they were lying, but I laughed without realizing it.
I tried to ask a little more, but I stopped because I felt sorry for them not being able to eat properly.
It felt like they would try to get away from this place by complaining about their stomachs if the conversation continued.
I stopped asking questions and quietly focused on the food. Only then did the three continue to eat with a relieved look.
‘What the hell is going on?’
‘Did I do something wrong?’
While eating quietly, I thought about the recent events carefully.
However, no matter how much I tried to recall, nothing special came to mind.
I looked at the fox girl sitting next to me just in case.
The girl mumbled cutely, ignoring my gaze.
I watched the lovely figure for a moment with satisfaction.
‘Oh! This is not the time.’
When I came to my senses after falling in love with Speranza’s cuteness for a while, it was already time for breakfast to end.
“I have something busy to do today, so I’ll go first.”
DASH!
After finishing her meal first, Lilia left the dining room as if she was running away.
I just stared blankly at how fast she moved.
Cleaning up the dishes, I thought maybe I should slowly find out what was going on……. But at that moment…
– Beep beep!
– Beep beep beep!
A beep sound started ringing from my pocket.
It was the sound made by the artifact for communicating with the Elden Village.
I quickly took the artifact out of my pocket.
-Sorry at the early hours, my lord.
“Lagos? What’s the matter?”
-The merchants will be arriving in a few days, and there are things I would like you to check about the transaction. Could you spare some time?
The word ‘Again?’ came to my throat, but I tried to swallow it with patience.
Then, in a calm voice, I asked back to Lagos.
“Is it urgent?”
-It’s important, so I think my lord should check it himself.
“Ugh… I see.”
– I’m sorry, my lord.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Lagos. I’ll come there soon, so please wait.”
I ended the conversation by saying that I would come soon.
Perhaps because of the aftermath of the winter preparation, Lagos often called me.
Especially these days, he has been calling me every single day.
But I couldn’t complain to Lagos.
He was the one who did many things in the Estate, and the one who suffered the most because of me.
“Senior, are you going to the Elden Village again?”
“There’s something I need to check.”
“It must be something important, so hurry up and go.”
“Yes, Sihyeon. I’ll do the cleaning up with Elaine.”
Alfred and Lia pushed my back, saying they would clean the dishes.
“Elaine, if you don’t have anything to do today, do you want to come with me to Elden Village?”
“Me, me? Ah, I forgot, I think I need to help with the strawberry field today.”
“Didn’t you do that yesterday?”
“There’s still some left.”
Alfred has work to do today.
I turned to Lia, nodding slowly.
“Hmm. How about you, Lia?”
“I’m sorry, Sihyeon. Mr. Kaneff and Andras are gone, so I was going to clean up the whole building today.”
“Oh… Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”
I scratched one cheek and showed a hint of disappointment.
Still, I turned my head to the side thinking that there was still the last hope.
“Speranza dear, do you want to go to Elden Village with Papa? Miru kept saying that she wanted to play with you.”
“Sister Miru?”
“Yeah. It’s been a while since she saw you, right? Do you want to go with me?
Speranza’s eyes twinkled as soon as she heard the name Miru. The fox girl, who seemed to nod at any moment, suddenly changed her expression.
“……I’ll go next time.”
“What?”
“I’ll play with Grify, Finny, and cheese at home today.”
“Re..ally?”
Shocked by the unexpected rejection, my voice trembled.
I thought Speranza would definitely follow me…….
“Sihyeon, I’ll help you get ready.”
“Have a nice day, Senior.”
“Papa, bye-bye!”
“…….”
I was sent off by the three as if making an uninvited guest leave.
“Uncle, look at this.”
The cat girl turned round and round in front of me.
She was wearing a pretty and warm-looking coat as if she had newly prepared it for winter.
“Yeah, it looks so good on you, Miru.”
“Heehee! My mom made it for me. Isn’t it pretty?
I smiled pleased at Miru showing off her new clothes.
Soon, a little baby rabbit popped out next to the delighted Miru.
“Mew too, mew too!”
“Is Kathy also wearing a new dress?”
“Un!”
Baby rabbit Kathy was wearing a fur hat and a sweater.
It was a pity that the rabbit ears, which were attractive, were not visible because of the fur hat, but the overall fluffy feeling increased the cuteness of Kathy.
I smiled softly, putting Kathy on my lap.
“Kathy also looks good in her new dress. You look sooooo cute.”
Perhaps embarrassed of my praise, Kathy buried her face in my arms.
Miru, who saw the figure, came up to me and raised her arms. I burst out laughing and put her on my lap.
“Ohh! Miru is such a baby.”
“Hehe!”
While accepting the childishness of the two children, Adela appeared from the kitchen with a tray.
“Oh, you guys! You shouldn’t bother the lord who is working.”
She found two children on my lap and talked softly.
Kathy blinked her eyes with an innocent look, and Miru looked at her mother’s eyes with a flinch.
I made an excuse to Adela on behalf of the children.
“It’s okay. I’m playing with the kids because I want to rest.”
“Oh, my lord is too weak in front of the children.”
“Hahaha. I can’t help it because the kids are so cute.”
I replied with an awkward smile.
She came to me and put down the tray she was holding with a smile.
“I brought you some tea and snacks.”
“Thank you.”
On the tray were tea and cookies made with strawberry jam. They gave off a savory scent.
I first handed out cookies to the children who saw the snacks and brightened their eyes.
Adela looked uncomfortable as all the cookies to go with the tea disappeared into the children’s mouths.
However, saying it was okay, I also gave the rest of the cookies into the hands of the children.
Instead of cookies, I picked up the teacup and brought it to my mouth.
Soon, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth and felt like my body was clearing up.
Adela, who was watching me from the side, carefully opened her mouth.
“Do you like tea, my lord?”
“Yes, very good. I think it’s refreshing, it’d be nice to drink it from time to time while working.”
She smiled softly and asked again.
“It’s a relief that your expression seems to have loosened a little.”
“Pardon?”
“When you came to the village earlier, I thought your face was stiffer than usual.”
“Ah…”
I raised my hand reflexively and fiddled with my face.
I felt ashamed because I seemed to have expressed my emotions as they were.
“Do you have any concerns, my lord?”
“…….”
“If you need someone to listen to, I’ll be happy to help. Just sharing your worries with someone can help you a lot more than you think.”
Using a warm tone that suited a mother, Adela persuaded me.
After a moment of hesitation, I told her about the strange things that happened today one by one.
It was a usual farm morning.
The only difference was that I wore thick work clothes to match the cold early morning weather.
I changed my work clothes and headed to the barn, spewing white steam through my mouth.
In the past, it was a time when Yakums would have gone out to graze, but now there were still many Yakums in the barn.
-Poooooo….
– Pow wooo…
The baby Yakums could be seen huddling in front of the newly installed magic stove.
It was like seeing Speranza squirming under the blanket.
“You guys. Do you like the stove that much?”
Pow wo wooo
Pooo wooo
Baby Yakums, who heard my voice, flocked around me one by one.
Surrounded by them, I felt like a ‘human stove’.
After dealing with the sleepy baby Yakums for a while, I began cleaning the barn as usual.
Because of the Yakums who didn’t leave the stove, I had to clean up the surroundings and quit.
After cleaning up like that, when I left the barn, I ran into an unexpected person in front of the farm building.
“Oh, Andras? And… BOSS?”
Andras and Kaneff were coming out of the front door.
It was really rare to meet the two at such an early hour.
“Why are you two up so early?”
“Uh…… well. Good morning, Sihyeon.”
“Did you come to work already?”
“I usually come to work at this hour.”
As I approached and talked to them, the two showed a slight sense of bewilderment.
The thought of something strange crossed my mind for a moment, but I soon brushed it away thinking it won’t be a big deal.
However, I quickly found something even more strange and raised my voice.
“BOSS? Did you wash up and change into new clothes?”
Kaneff looked neat in his new clothes, not disheveled in his pajamas. When I looked surprised, Kaneff frowned back.
“What’s surprising about that? Sometimes I too get up early and wash up.”
“Even when we went to visit the Demon Lord, you came with disheveled hair…”
I gave up hearing Kaneff’s answer and turned to Andras. I asked with my eyes to explain the abnormal phenomenon.
“It’s… because Mr. Kaneff has something important to do with me today.”
“What important? I’ve never heard about that before.”
“It’s no big deal, so don’t worry about it.”
Kaneff cut me off with a casual tone.
I can’t know everything about each person, so I decided to stop asking more questions.
“When will you be back?”
“Maybe, before dinner.”
“Then we’ll go. See you later.”
“Yes, take care.”
Kaneff strode out waving his hand.
Andras lowered his head for a moment and quickly followed Kaneff’s footsteps.
Standing in front of the farm building, I watched the two moving away for a while.
I shook my head to shake off the emptiness that permeated my mind and hurried to prepare breakfast.
Breakfast time
Even though only two people, Kaneff and Andras, were missing, the table felt empty.
“Boss and Andras had something to attend to from early in the morning. We should have breakfast on our own this morning.”
“Oh, I see.”
“…….”
“…….”
Only Alfred gave a formal answer, but Lia and Lilia in their seats did not respond much.
I felt something strange and opened my mouth again.
“Lia, Lilia, you guys are not surprised at all, what’s going on? I was quite surprised to see the Boss preparing to go out early in the morning. Don’t you guys feel something out of the ordinary?”
“Ah, that’s…….”
While Lia hesitated in shock, Lilia gave an answer in her stead.
“A few days ago, Uncle Kaneff said something like that while passing by.”
“Ah, yes… That’s right. I was very surprised at that time.”
“Hmm. Did he? I didn’t hear it.”
“I… I think he said that when Sihyeon wasn’t there.”
……what is this reaction?
It was a trivial question, but the two answered awkwardly as if they were making excuses.
Alfred, who was watching from the side, also peeked at me.
“What? Are you guys hiding anything from me?”
“Huh, what?”
“There’s… nothing, Brother Sihyeon.”
“That’s right, Senior. What do we have to hide…….”
Three people reacted strongly to the lightly asked question.
It was so obvious that they were lying, but I laughed without realizing it.
I tried to ask a little more, but I stopped because I felt sorry for them not being able to eat properly.
It felt like they would try to get away from this place by complaining about their stomachs if the conversation continued.
I stopped asking questions and quietly focused on the food. Only then did the three continue to eat with a relieved look.
‘What the hell is going on?’
‘Did I do something wrong?’
While eating quietly, I thought about the recent events carefully.
However, no matter how much I tried to recall, nothing special came to mind.
I looked at the fox girl sitting next to me just in case.
The girl mumbled cutely, ignoring my gaze.
I watched the lovely figure for a moment with satisfaction.
‘Oh! This is not the time.’
When I came to my senses after falling in love with Speranza’s cuteness for a while, it was already time for breakfast to end.
“I have something busy to do today, so I’ll go first.”
DASH!
After finishing her meal first, Lilia left the dining room as if she was running away.
I just stared blankly at how fast she moved.
Cleaning up the dishes, I thought maybe I should slowly find out what was going on……. But at that moment…
– Beep beep!
– Beep beep beep!
A beep sound started ringing from my pocket.
It was the sound made by the artifact for communicating with the Elden Village.
I quickly took the artifact out of my pocket.
-Sorry at the early hours, my lord.
“Lagos? What’s the matter?”
-The merchants will be arriving in a few days, and there are things I would like you to check about the transaction. Could you spare some time?
The word ‘Again?’ came to my throat, but I tried to swallow it with patience.
Then, in a calm voice, I asked back to Lagos.
“Is it urgent?”
-It’s important, so I think my lord should check it himself.
“Ugh… I see.”
– I’m sorry, my lord.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Lagos. I’ll come there soon, so please wait.”
I ended the conversation by saying that I would come soon.
Perhaps because of the aftermath of the winter preparation, Lagos often called me.
Especially these days, he has been calling me every single day.
But I couldn’t complain to Lagos.
He was the one who did many things in the Estate, and the one who suffered the most because of me.
“Senior, are you going to the Elden Village again?”
“There’s something I need to check.”
“It must be something important, so hurry up and go.”
“Yes, Sihyeon. I’ll do the cleaning up with Elaine.”
Alfred and Lia pushed my back, saying they would clean the dishes.
“Elaine, if you don’t have anything to do today, do you want to come with me to Elden Village?”
“Me, me? Ah, I forgot, I think I need to help with the strawberry field today.”
“Didn’t you do that yesterday?”
“There’s still some left.”
Alfred has work to do today.
I turned to Lia, nodding slowly.
“Hmm. How about you, Lia?”
“I’m sorry, Sihyeon. Mr. Kaneff and Andras are gone, so I was going to clean up the whole building today.”
“Oh… Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”
I scratched one cheek and showed a hint of disappointment.
Still, I turned my head to the side thinking that there was still the last hope.
“Speranza dear, do you want to go to Elden Village with Papa? Miru kept saying that she wanted to play with you.”
“Sister Miru?”
“Yeah. It’s been a while since she saw you, right? Do you want to go with me?
Speranza’s eyes twinkled as soon as she heard the name Miru. The fox girl, who seemed to nod at any moment, suddenly changed her expression.
“……I’ll go next time.”
“What?”
“I’ll play with Grify, Finny, and cheese at home today.”
“Re..ally?”
Shocked by the unexpected rejection, my voice trembled.
I thought Speranza would definitely follow me…….
“Sihyeon, I’ll help you get ready.”
“Have a nice day, Senior.”
“Papa, bye-bye!”
“…….”
I was sent off by the three as if making an uninvited guest leave.
“Uncle, look at this.”
The cat girl turned round and round in front of me.
She was wearing a pretty and warm-looking coat as if she had newly prepared it for winter.
“Yeah, it looks so good on you, Miru.”
“Heehee! My mom made it for me. Isn’t it pretty?
I smiled pleased at Miru showing off her new clothes.
Soon, a little baby rabbit popped out next to the delighted Miru.
“Mew too, mew too!”
“Is Kathy also wearing a new dress?”
“Un!”
Baby rabbit Kathy was wearing a fur hat and a sweater.
It was a pity that the rabbit ears, which were attractive, were not visible because of the fur hat, but the overall fluffy feeling increased the cuteness of Kathy.
I smiled softly, putting Kathy on my lap.
“Kathy also looks good in her new dress. You look sooooo cute.”
Perhaps embarrassed of my praise, Kathy buried her face in my arms.
Miru, who saw the figure, came up to me and raised her arms. I burst out laughing and put her on my lap.
“Ohh! Miru is such a baby.”
“Hehe!”
While accepting the childishness of the two children, Adela appeared from the kitchen with a tray.
“Oh, you guys! You shouldn’t bother the lord who is working.”
She found two children on my lap and talked softly.
Kathy blinked her eyes with an innocent look, and Miru looked at her mother’s eyes with a flinch.
I made an excuse to Adela on behalf of the children.
“It’s okay. I’m playing with the kids because I want to rest.”
“Oh, my lord is too weak in front of the children.”
“Hahaha. I can’t help it because the kids are so cute.”
I replied with an awkward smile.
She came to me and put down the tray she was holding with a smile.
“I brought you some tea and snacks.”
“Thank you.”
On the tray were tea and cookies made with strawberry jam. They gave off a savory scent.
I first handed out cookies to the children who saw the snacks and brightened their eyes.
Adela looked uncomfortable as all the cookies to go with the tea disappeared into the children’s mouths.
However, saying it was okay, I also gave the rest of the cookies into the hands of the children.
Instead of cookies, I picked up the teacup and brought it to my mouth.
Soon, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth and felt like my body was clearing up.
Adela, who was watching me from the side, carefully opened her mouth.
“Do you like tea, my lord?”
“Yes, very good. I think it’s refreshing, it’d be nice to drink it from time to time while working.”
She smiled softly and asked again.
“It’s a relief that your expression seems to have loosened a little.”
“Pardon?”
“When you came to the village earlier, I thought your face was stiffer than usual.”
“Ah…”
I raised my hand reflexively and fiddled with my face.
I felt ashamed because I seemed to have expressed my emotions as they were.
“Do you have any concerns, my lord?”
“…….”
“If you need someone to listen to, I’ll be happy to help. Just sharing your worries with someone can help you a lot more than you think.”
Using a warm tone that suited a mother, Adela persuaded me.
After a moment of hesitation, I told her about the strange things that happened today one by one.
