#6
“Apppa…”
Contrary to Lucas’s feelings of never wanting to experience again those few seconds of terror after hearing from the imperial nanny that Noah had disappeared, Noah was particularly busy today.
Usually, when held like this, Noah would sit quietly and eat snacks, but today he kept struggling. The small hands that had been hitting Lucas’s hand were now grabbing his fingers and trying to push them away.
“…”
As Lucas lowered his head, sparkling green eyes were looking up at him. Noah’s large eyes crinkled, and with a broad smile, he tapped Lucas’s hand again. Being in a new space, perhaps the child’s curiosity had been aroused.
As Lucas relaxed his grip and set Noah down on the plush carpet, Noah moved faster than ever before. He immediately went to Raymond, who had already earned credit for safely finding the lost Noah and couldn’t leave the room, as he was engaged in conversation with the others.
The Emperor and the Grand Duke of the North. And being in the presence of the Crown Prince and the precious Omega son of the Grand Duke of the North was like sitting on pins and needles for Raymond. Although he was the promising talent of the Imperial Magic Tower, for a seventeen-year-old boy, only Noah could lighten the weight of this heavy gathering.
“Show me fire.”
Raymond had been using mana on trivial things at Matthew’s requests, who was sitting right next to him asking to see fire, water, and simple magic, when his gaze fell on Noah approaching him.
Noah, smiling brightly as he ran over, immediately clung to one of Raymond’s legs. The small baby’s chin reached Raymond’s knee. As the short arms reached toward him, Raymond ended his frivolous magic show and quickly picked up Noah, sitting him on his leg.
“Would you like some milk?”
Feeling Noah’s gaze, bright enough to be overwhelming, on his face and the small hands firmly gripping his collar, Raymond wrapped his hand around Noah’s stomach. The child’s soft, warm, and squishy little body fit perfectly in his arms.
“Cookie.”
The reception room filled with laughter at Noah’s determined reply, asking for a cookie instead of milk. It seemed he really loved cookies. Raymond’s hand, which had been reaching for a milk glass, touched the cookies beside it.
The cookie that Raymond had picked up went into Noah’s two hands, and as Noah bit into it with an “ahm” and ate it diligently, he tilted his head back to look at Raymond.
Matthew was eating fruit, while Alex and Lucas were drinking tea and conversing. In contrast, Raymond hadn’t touched anything since entering this space.
Noah, who had been completely captivated by Raymond’s appearance, only now realized how uncomfortable this situation must be for him.
“Remona…”
He wanted to say his name properly, but his uncooperative tongue was strangely calling him.
“Yes.”
“This delicious.”
Though it was the cookie he had been eating, Noah raised both hands and brought it to Raymond’s lips.
“Little one, you should eat a lot and grow big.”
“Remona… eat too. Want that?”
Judging that cookies might not be to his taste, Noah pointed to the fruit with one hand.
“I’m fine.”
“Milk?”
If not fruit, then milk? Noah pointed to the milk beside them, but quickly closed his mouth when Raymond’s hand touched his mouth. With each gentle touch of Raymond’s fingers, Noah’s small, plump lips twitched.
Though he had tried to eat carefully, the crumbly cookie crumbs had quickly settled on Noah’s mouth, hands, and clothes.
“Sparkle sparkle.”
Noah said while waving one hand.
“Pardon?”
“Sparkle! Ebebibibi. Sparkle!”
Wondering if he should practice pronunciation at home with a pencil in his mouth, Noah tried hard to correct his mispronunciations while still waving one hand. With Raymond’s sparkling touch, he would be clean in an instant.
As if understanding his words, a smile bloomed on Raymond’s face. Handsome people become even more handsome when they smile.
Noah was entranced, admiring Raymond’s face. Then he clapped as he watched Raymond’s touch reach him like before. As a result, the cookie he had been holding in one hand fell to the floor, and the powder that had been on that hand scattered in the air, but that wasn’t important.
“Wow.”
When Raymond, who had cleaned Noah’s face, hands, and clothes, opened his palm, a small water droplet danced above it. The water droplet floating in the air created a beautiful light and disappeared as soon as Noah’s fingertips touched it.
Was this what playing with soap bubbles was like as a child? Clear laughter flowed from Noah’s mouth as he popped each water droplet that formed on Raymond’s palm.
After playing the water droplet popping game for a while, something else caught Noah’s eye. A water droplet had formed on the tip of Raymond’s index finger. And Noah’s small hands, driven by instinct rather than reason, firmly grabbed Raymond’s hand, and his round open lips lunged toward his finger.
When Noah’s red, cute tongue tip touched the water droplet on the index finger, the droplet instantly disappeared. As he tasted something sweet yet cool, with a refreshing sensation as if it contained carbonation, Noah’s eyes widened.
This feels like drinking cider!
As another water droplet formed in the blink of an eye, Noah touched it with his tongue instead of his fingertip.
“Raymond.”
Noah, who had been holding Raymond’s hand tightly with both hands and was sucking on his index finger, only rolled his eyes at Lucas’s voice.
Why are you interrupting when I’m eating something delicious?
The corners of Noah’s eyes lifted as he consumed the water droplets that kept forming at Raymond’s fingertips like a small bubbling spring.
“It’s safe to eat.”
If it’s safe to eat, why isn’t it coming out anymore? Noah bit down firmly on Raymond’s index finger with his teeth. Contrary to Noah’s desire to eat more, when Raymond’s hand moved away, Noah stuck out his lips.
“Noah, come here. We need to go now.”
Though he was clearly smiling and his voice was gentle, why didn’t Lucas seem happy? Noah sharply turned his head away from him.
Then he buried his face in Raymond’s embrace.
Raymond, do you want to come home with us? You know there are a lot of mines in the Austen region, right? Magic stones come out of there, and many magic materials too. If you marry me, they’ll all be yours. You can have it all.
“Before that, I should hold you too, Noah.”
Even Alex, who had been quiet until now, uttered the shocking statement that he wanted to hold him, to which Noah shook his head and snuggled deeper into Raymond’s arms.
Raymond, don’t misunderstand. I’m not that kind of easy man.
I’m not someone who just hugs anyone who says they like me.
“Eh…”
But as usual, nothing went according to Noah’s wishes. Although he was firmly hugging Raymond, the hands grabbing his sides carried him away at their will.
When he smelled an unfamiliar scent instead of Raymond’s fragrance that made him feel good, Noah looked at Raymond. Though his body was in Alex’s arms, and he almost choked because Alex hugged him too tightly, his heart was still with Raymond.
“Papa! Me too, me too!”
These people.
A small sigh escaped from Noah’s lips as he was forcibly held by Matthew after Alex.
“So when are you returning to your territory?”
“Tomorrow.”
Noah, who had been passed from Matthew’s arms to Lucas, kept his gaze fixed on Raymond, who was also looking at Noah with a gentle smile.
How touching this is. Noah stretched his maple leaf-like hand toward him, but it couldn’t reach.
“So early?”
“I can’t leave the territory empty for long. Strangely, Loren also wants to go back early. She says she wants to show Noah the snow.”
Noah, who had been focusing only on Raymond regardless of the conversation going on around him, quickly looked back and forth between Raymond and Lucas. Out of gratitude for finding him, Lucas was inviting Raymond.
Noah’s eyes drooped at Lucas’s offer to give Raymond the magic stones and various magic materials that Noah had already decided to give him. Since he didn’t have charm yet, he had planned to win Raymond over with such material things, but Lucas had beaten him to it.
And when Raymond responded to Lucas’s words with a bright smile, saying it would be an honor, the corners of Noah’s mouth dropped.
“Waaaaaah!”
As Lucas, who was holding him, stood up and the final farewells between those leaving and those staying began, Noah couldn’t hold back and burst into tears.
He wished he were thirteen instead of three. Lamenting the situation that was unfolding regardless of his will, Noah wailed loudly.
“Noah, are you sleepy? Or should we take some milk with us?”
At Lucas’s words, someone appeared with a milk bottle, and Noah quickly grabbed the bottle given to him. Though he knew he was at an age when he should be weaned from the bottle, lying down with a bottle of milk was quite a pleasant experience, so he enjoyed it once or twice daily.
Hiccup, hiccup.
Swallowing his tears, Noah put the nipple in his mouth.
Raymond was said to become the next Tower Master. So if he wanted to see him, he could visit the Imperial Magic Tower. Although he was only three now and had to be satisfied with just making an impression on him, he would visit him every year when they came to the capital.
In that way, by continuously making impressions, affection would grow, and when he became an adult, then…
With tears in his eyes, Noah looked at Raymond and sucked the milk from the bottle.
—Little one, I’ll definitely come to see our little one.
Noah, who had been waving to Raymond, Alex, and Matthew out of courtesy, blinked at the sudden voice. Since it was Raymond’s voice, he looked at him, but Raymond was just bowing his head towards them.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
