Chapter 45

"Look, Mary, there's a gelato stand over there. I bought one for you too, so let's enjoy it together, okay?"

"Brother and sister enjoying gelato in a flower field... what a beautiful scene..."

While saying whatever they pleased, Lang and Lucian sat down at the table, and Mary deliberately turned her gaze away, ignoring them.

Even so, she took the gelato firmly. The gelato itself was innocent, and they had bought one for Anna too. And a drink for Adi. Perhaps they felt some guilt for tagging along.

Mary glared at them as if scolding them, then licked the gelato and couldn't help but exclaim, "Delicious!" in a bright voice.

Realizing her mistake, she hurriedly tried to return to a stern expression, but it was too late. Lang and Lucian were already looking at her with delighted smiles.

Under their warm, adoring gazes, Mary, who had dug her own grave, turned her head away with a huff. She took another lick of the gelato.

"The gelato is indeed delicious, but that doesn't mean I forgive you for following us. That's a separate matter."

"Mary, we didn't follow you. Lucian and I were just traveling. It was purely coincidental, a real miracle, that our destinations happened to be the same."

"Ridiculous. Then why are you traveling in the first place?"

"Succession battle!"

Lang declared this with enthusiasm and pulled out a booklet.

It was a far cry from the "Albert Family Next Head Overseas Inspection Guidebook" from their previous trip to Fadera. This one was a cheap, makeshift affair, just a few sheets of paper loosely bound together, hardly qualifying as a guidebook.

Mary, curious about what it was, picked up the booklet. The cover had no lettering, just some casual handwritten text:

"Albert Family Succession Battle - Round 1"

"Round 1!? You're in a battle, brothers!?"

"Yes, Lucian and I are in the first round. Mary, you'll have to fight the winner."

"I'm a seed!?"

Mary's voice rose in surprise at Lang's unexpected story.

The Albert family was the most prestigious in the country, and its influence extended beyond its borders. Who would be the next head was a matter of great interest both domestically and internationally.

To think that the succession battle of such a family was being managed with such a flimsy booklet... When Mary lifted the booklet, the fastener must have been loose, and the papers fell out.

They were all blank. Some were even irrelevant documents, as if they had been gathered haphazardly.

Mary glared at them and slowly picked up each sheet, one by one.

"Brothers, what is this supposed to mean?"

"Even without materials, one must always take the best action... It's a journey to assess the judgment and adaptability of a successor..."

"Nice try, Brother Lucian. In respect for your judgment and adaptability, I'll let it slide this time."

Pretending to be fooled, Mary sighed. Lang and Lucian exchanged glances.

Their faces, though opposite in nature, both smiled in unison, "Success!"

"Really, you two... Anna, don't worry, I won't let them play any nasty tricks."

"Gelato, it's delicious."

Anna, who didn't quite understand the complex conversation, smiled happily with gelato around her mouth.

Noticing this, Adi took a handkerchief from his chest pocket and wiped Anna's mouth. The way she closed her eyes and mouth as he did so was as adorable as a kitten being groomed by its mother.

After having her mouth cleaned, Anna hopped off her chair and went to Lang.

"Big brother Lang, thank you for the gelato."

"Oh, oh! What a polite and cute child, for someone Adi created!"

"I didn't create her."

"Big brother Lucian, thank you too."

"Who would have thought that if Adi split, he'd become such a good child... Adi, you can split into two more if you want..."

"I haven't split, and I won't..."

Adi's shoulders slumped at the brothers who never listened. But they ignored his reaction, forcibly stood Adi and Mary up, and sat down around Anna.

They glanced at Mary and Adi, indicating they would take care of Anna for a while.

Just then, Alicia and the others returned. "Oh, Anna, you're eating something delicious," Alicia said with exaggerated delight, and Anna laughed happily.

Deciding to leave Anna with them for now, Mary tugged on Adi's sleeve and led him away.

A narrow path through the flower field, wide enough for two to walk side by side.

The occasional breeze was pleasant, and Mary walked in a good mood.

However...

"Miss, be careful. There's a stone on the ground. Are there any bugs? Any bees? The scent of the flowers might make you feel unwell..."

Adi had been worried the whole time, preventing Mary from fully enjoying the beauty of the flower field. No matter which way she looked or what she did, he was always worried.

This was out of concern for her and the baby in her belly.

But when he asked if he should carry her up the stairs, she was more exasperated than flattered by his paternal instincts. She patted his arm and showed him how easy it was to walk down the stairs herself.

She walked down them rhythmically, then turned around once to show off her agility.

"I understand your concern, but you're worrying too much."

"Even so... I want to wrap you in a soft blanket and carry you right now."

"Feeling like you might bury me in the flower field. My nutrients will make beautiful flowers bloom!"

Mary joked, and Adi sighed.

But he must have realized he was worrying too much, because he caught up to Mary and, as a compromise, took her hand. She didn't mind walking through the flower field holding hands.

"It's nostalgic. We used to walk this flower field holding hands like this."

"Yes, it's very nostalgic. The first time we came here, you were about five years old, about the same age as Anna."

"I remember. You were always holding my hand, saying 'Be careful, be careful.'"

"W, was I?"

It was an embarrassing topic, and Adi turned away, pretending not to remember.

But his attitude was as good as saying he did remember. Mary couldn't help but smile and squeezed his hand tightly.

"If I was five, you were ten. Quite grown up."

"Yes, I was still an apprentice as a servant, but I was probably half an adult."

"Nostalgic. I have a question about that time."

Mary squeezed his hand even tighter, and Adi looked at her curiously, then narrowed his eyes. His expression grew serious.

He must have had a bad feeling. Even though he had taken her hand, he tried to pull it away. Mary, of course, wouldn't let him, and instead held his hand with both of hers.

"W, what is it...?"

"At ten, you were quite a young man. Were you already in love with a little lady by then?"

Mary asked with a sly smile.

The young man, of course, was Adi, and the lady he loved was Mary.

Even if she used roundabout words to tease him, Adi couldn't miss what she was getting at.

"Such a thing... Miss, you've always been the important young lady of the Albert family, and a very important master to me."

"Don't try to fool me. Tell me, when you held my hand here, were you thinking of me as an 'important young lady' or an 'important girl'?"

Mary asked with a mischievous grin, and Adi's cheeks turned red. They were so red that there was probably no flower in the field redder than his.

But he seemed to have made up his mind and gently placed his free hand on top of Mary's. It was hard to tell who was holding whose hand now.

"I may have asked casually, but I've been in love for a very long time."

"Yes, you must have been, to the point of having a child alone or splitting yourself."

"Yes, that's true. A long time ago, when we held hands here, my heart already belonged to you."

Adi narrowed his eyes as if recalling, and spoke of the past.

To Mary, it was a vague memory, something she only vaguely remembered. It was that long ago.

But even back then, Adi had been in love with her.

Mary's heart felt sweetly numb. Sweeter than the gelato she had just eaten.

"It's ticklish."

"You're the one who asked... I'm far more ticklish."

Adi scratched his head awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment, and complained in a sulky tone.

Mary smiled mischievously in response. It was ticklish, but it felt even better.

"When we have a child, let's come back here. And tell me the story again then."

"W, with the child!?"

"Yes, especially to our child!"

"Spare me... Let's end this conversation and go back!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Adi quickened his pace.

However, he was still holding Mary's hand, so she had to match his stride and walked briskly by his side.

"You're being mean, not adjusting your pace for us."

Hey, she said to the baby in her belly in a deliberately playful tone, and Adi immediately slowed down.

Returning to Anna and the others, they got back into the carriage and set off.

"See you later, Mary. Let's be friends again if we meet somewhere by chance!"

"...I don't know if we'll meet. But I hope you'll be there for me..."

As Lang and Lucian got into the carriage with a fake smile, no one commented on the absurdity of the situation.