#2
When Elisa standing next to him knocked, the door opened slightly.
“Papa!”
As soon as the door opened, Noah rushed into the dining room.
“Aco…”
It was good that he had boldly rushed in, but after taking only a few steps, Noah’s feet tangled and he fell forward.
Oh no. The physical response of a three-year-old with a three-head-to-body ratio and heavy head was much duller than he had expected.
“Young Master.”
He didn’t catch himself with his hands, nor did he fall on his knees.
Having planted his face directly into the carpet, Noah couldn’t move a finger due to the overwhelming embarrassment.
“Noah!”
When people around him called Noah’s name and someone put their hands under his armpits to lift him up, Noah was already crying with tears and snot flowing.
“Waaaaaah…”
Perhaps his mental age had also regressed along with his body, as the instinctive crying that burst out wouldn’t easily stop.
His nose hurt, his forehead hurt, and his knees seemed to hurt too.
And so, three-year-old Noah greeted his mom and dad for the first time with a nosebleed.
Ah, how embarrassing.
With a soft cloth stuffed in one nostril, Noah claimed Lucas’s lap and buried his face in Lucas’s chest.
Having fallen right upon his entrance and startled everyone, plus bleeding from his nose, the dining room was in complete chaos. And why wouldn’t his crying stop?
“Noah has been waiting a long time for the Duke.”
Lucas’s heart could be felt beating faster at the warm, gentle voice.
“You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you.”
Feeling the large hand awkwardly patting his head, Noah carefully raised his head to look at Lucas. Even when looking up from below, he was truly a handsome man.
Of course. The male lead he liked had to be like this.
Among the numerous alphas and betas he had met at balls in his past lives, none were as handsome as Lucas.
The male lead is the male lead. How common could such a face and body be in this world?
Though he had already known his attraction to men during his pre-transmigration adolescence, honestly, even if he had met such an ideal man, he definitely wouldn’t have dared to speak to him.
With an overwhelming presence and authority, plus disheveled black hair and pitch-black eyes that, as the author described, made one not even dare to look at him.
So this is how different Lucas in his 50s is from Lucas in his 30s.
Though his mature, dignified appearance was also attractive, the current Lucas with his strong, unrefined power was definitely more appealing.
But what does it matter? He’s my father.
Should I be grateful to at least have a handsome, capable, and cool father?
Absentmindedly admiring Lucas’s face, Noah snuggled deeper into his broad, firm arms. Though awkward, Lucas patted his back as if trying to comfort him, making Noah’s whole body feel like it was resonating, but this much was fine.
After staying in his arms for a while, hunger started to creep in. It made sense after all that crying and commotion.
Seeing Lucas’s hand holding a cookie between his thumb and index finger—which would require both hands for Noah to hold—Noah instinctively reached out with both hands as the cookie came closer.
“Ah—”
Wasn’t he going to give it to me?
Noah watched helplessly as the cookie moved upward, despite having opened his mouth and reached out his hands to receive it.
“…Can he eat this?”
Noah, who had stretched out both hands toward the cookie with his mouth open, slowly closed his mouth when his eyes met Lucas’s.
If you don’t want to give it to me, just say so. Don’t look at me so fiercely.
“Of course.”
Hearing Loren’s soft, warm voice, Noah slowly lowered his outstretched hands.
What does it matter if he’s my favorite? He’s already paired with someone. I guess it’s time to get down from here. It’s not attractive to be too forward from the start.
Since he had at least 15 more years until adulthood, he had plenty of time.
I’ll try to be a good, lovable, and proud son. And if my abilities are recognized too, even better.
“Babies drink milk.”
“He’s already three years old. He can eat whatever the Duke eats. As long as the flavor isn’t too strong.”
Lucas, who had briefly glanced at Noah, was now absorbed in conversation with Loren.
Yes. You two, enjoy your time together.
You must have met after a long time. I shouldn’t be tactlessly getting in the way.
Elisa, let’s go.
And can you give me five of those cookies?
To get out of Lucas’s arms, Noah placed his hands on what felt like a solid wall—his chest, or somewhere between his chest and abdomen.
“Now what’s the problem?”
Despite pushing hard against Lucas’s arms that were holding him, they didn’t budge at all, and instead, Noah couldn’t laugh or cry at the words he heard from above.
It’s unfair to wave a cookie right in front of me while saying that.
Since Noah felt that Lucas didn’t seem to dislike him that much, he obediently reached out his hand to receive the cookie.
Though he tried to take the cookie, it seemed Lucas wanted to feed him directly, as when the cookie approached his lips, Noah quickly opened his mouth.
And at that moment, Noah’s eyes met Lucas’s black eyes.
He thought he had bitten into the cookie that should have crumbled softly with a crunch and spread sweetness in his mouth, but when nothing entered his mouth, Noah blinked in confusion.
“…”
“Does Noah like meat?”
At Lucas’s words, Noah gently released what he had been biting firmly. Ah, he should have eaten the cookie, but the moment he saw those long, firm, callused fingers, he unconsciously bit his finger.
After awkwardly releasing his finger, Noah quickly bit into the cookie again without meeting Lucas’s eyes.
This is all your fault. How can I see properly when I’m in my favorite character’s arms…
* * *
Living as a child was not as easy as he thought.
Noah lay on the daybed beneath the window, listening attentively to the fairy tale Loren was reading.
In any country, in any era, fairy tales were filled with dreams, fantasies, and moral lessons. Above all, whether it was a characteristic of this place, there was always a background of magic, dragons, and political conspiracies.
“Dragon?”
Having experienced the embarrassment of childish pronunciation when trying to speak long sentences, Noah tried to communicate with single words as much as possible. At least he could pronounce short words accurately.
He had heard that they would soon have to leave the capital, Feyrn, and return to Austen as summer was approaching.
Loren was truly a mother straight out of a fairy tale. She always wore a gentle smile and spoke to him in a soft voice. She enjoyed reading fairy tales to him and taking walks in the garden together.
Today, since it was raining, their time reading fairy tales had extended. But being a child, Noah found it difficult to concentrate for long periods and quickly changed the subject.
“Are you curious about dragons?”
Enjoying Loren’s hand stroking his head, Noah nodded. Such stories seemed more interesting than predictable fairy tales.
“Ung.”
“Shall I tell you about the Silver Dragon Derik who rules the Austen region?”
Noah, who had been lying quietly, quickly got up and snuggled into Loren’s arms. Being in her embrace, full of fragrant flower scents, was always enjoyable.
Nouveau riche. Jihun’s background could be described perfectly with that word. Jihun’s parents, who had received enormous land compensation due to redevelopment, literally raised him with money. Everything was the best, and he had everything he wanted.
He did everything he wanted, but had no memories of being with his parents. His mother, always adorned with flashy accessories and busy going out with similar-looking women, and his father, who was occupied with golf and other activities, only giving him cash and cards without coming home—these were the parents he knew.
As if compensating for her own unfortunate past, Loren always offered her side and embraced him. When he carefully snuggled into her arms, Loren playfully hugged Noah tightly until he could hardly breathe, then released him. She didn’t forget to kiss his forehead.
While patting his back, Loren told him the story of the legendary Silver Dragon Derik.
“Derik. Bad.”
“Good. Bad. Dragons aren’t beings that can be described in such terms.”
“No. Bad. Home cold.”
Austen was an unbearably cold region, cold enough for his pathetic first husband to flee. It was maintained only because it was nestled in mountains that produced various ores; without that, no one could live there. All food ingredients had to be imported from other regions, and due to the cold, it was difficult to find people on the streets.
The atmosphere dominating Austen was bleak and closed off. Everyone locked their doors to block the cold wind and chill, and shops were only open briefly during the relatively warm daytime before closing.
When heavy snow fell, they could be isolated for days to weeks.
According to legend, the reason Austen became like this was because of Derik. The Silver Dragon Derik, who loved the cold, brought coldness when he built his lair in the once-mild Austen region. Young dragon Derik, who needed to sleep deeply for a long time to grow, also frequently caused heavy snowfalls to prevent the approach of noisy humans.
Still, considering the people who might settle there, he showed consideration by creating short springs and autumns.
Giving the disease and then the medicine too.
“But in exchange, homes have large fireplaces, and you can always play in the snow.”
…That’s nonsense. He wanted to say, “Bring that bastard here right now. He basically told everyone to get lost because they disturbed his sleep and made everything like this,” but Noah, nestled in his warm mother’s arms, rested his head on her shoulder.
He listened to Loren’s hands gently patting his back and her voice singing a lullaby, almost whispering as if trying to put him to sleep.
In the lazy afternoon, Noah closed his eyes, unable to resist the approaching sleep in Loren’s arms. He wanted to hear more of Loren’s lullaby and feel her warm touch, but he couldn’t overcome the creeping sleep that enveloped him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
