Chapter 7

"Damn it...!!"

With a thud, Viviana watched as Lebeillion, her small hands gripping the low table, leaned his head on his elbows. His attempt to act like a full-grown adult in his small body was both cheeky and endearing.

Her son, born from her own labor, ran his small hands, like fallen leaves, through his golden hair, making it messy. Well, maybe the fallen leaves analogy was a bit of an exaggeration. Children always seem smaller than they are, which is quite a mystery. In reality, his hands were probably about the size of a breakfast roll, Viviana mused as she sipped her tea, finding it delicious.

"Bald you’ll go, Lebeillion."

"If I go bald, it’s your fault, Your Majesty. I’ll curse you for life."

King Leonel von S Albeil Rozest, who was glared at by his 11-year-old son, shrank back. The way he literally clenched his hands and curled into a ball was so irritating. Viviana snorted. Ha, trying to look cute, are you?

"Hey, Vivvy, you laughed."

"How old are you? Don’t think you’re cute, old man."

"I’m not an old man, I’m only 48!"

"You are an old man."

"Both of you are old to me, so can you please be quiet and stay on topic?"

With a bang, Lebeillion slammed his small hands on the table, and Leonel exaggeratedly gasped. That’s what gets under my skin, Viviana thought, tucking her short hair behind her ear, while Lebeillion furrowed his brow even more. Oh my, what a magnificent frown for an 11-year-old. Applause. Clap, clap.

A good teacher indeed, always grinning, his father, and rough, his mother. In contrast to the "heretical royal couple," Lebeillion was serious. And short-tempered.

Well, you’re like that because of them, she thought silently. Despite this, the royal couple continued to enjoy their leisurely cherry blossom viewing and exploring new paths. Viviana looked forward to the sight of her son coming to call them, saying, "What a joke! Hurry up and come!" It was probably known, but that was the good part. Viviana loved the look of distress on her son’s face the most.

"Come now, don’t be so angry."

"I’m not angry, just upset."

How are they different? she thought, but Viviana kept her mouth shut. The intensity in Lebeillion’s eyes as he widened them in exasperation. She wanted to pet his hair and cheeks, to be intimidated. Viviana smiled slyly.

Lebeillion said disdainfully, "Is this the time to laugh?" Because cute things are cute, she thought. Knowing her own character wasn’t good and that her son was intelligent, she wanted to see his face contort even more.

"Since my brother is always an idiot, the fact that things have gotten this big must be due to Miss Sophelia’s scheming. The proof is that she’s running away from the country."

"To say she’s running away when her whereabouts are unknown and her life is in danger is not right."

"If there’s a thief who can defeat the eldest son of the Worrian family, I’d like to recruit them."

Lebeillion spat out, and Viviana thought,

Indeed.

The Worrian family, known for their generations of combat prowess, required the head of the family to fight their parents to inherit the title. The eldest son, who was supposed to inherit the title of "Strongest Spear" along with the family name, was attacked by bandits while escorting the crown prince’s fiancée, and the carriage was set on fire. The knight of the Worrian family? Lost? To bandits or mountain bandits?? What a joke.

Did he bring a dragon or something? What kind of thief is this?

Those who knew the crown prince’s mischievous ways were in despair, while those who didn’t were trembling in fear.

"So, you should have taken care of your brother sooner."

"Taking care of him means abandoning him, which is not an option."

Leonel laughed and Lebeillion spat, "You should have abandoned him." He was merciless and had a bad attitude. Who does he take after?

"I’ve told you many times, Your Majesty. My brother and Miss Sophelia will never work out. Miss Sophelia is too good for him, and the engagement should be dissolved."

"Well, that’s easy to say. Dissolving the engagement would tarnish Miss Sophelia’s name, and besides, Papa doesn’t want to let go of Miss Sophelia or the Lotus family."

"Hah, that’s why Miss Sophelia ran away. Not only her name, but she’s been hurt so much, and yet you act so nonchalant. Does Your Majesty have no shame?"

"Hey, Vivvy, your son’s words are really sharp."

"Isn’t that because he’s your son?"

Eh, what do you mean? As the man tilted his head, Viviana didn’t respond with "That’s the point," out of kindness, but because it was troublesome. Talking to someone who lacks self-awareness is a waste of time. She gently stroked her belly. Phew.

Lately, even breathing is exhausting, so she needs to conserve energy.

"Hey, isn’t your belly getting bigger again?"

"Indeed."

"Creating something inside there is quite mysterious, isn’t it?"

Ha, his innocent smile was so childlike, making him truly a disgusting man, Viviana thought, looking at her husband, the monarch, with disdain. What do you mean by creating? It’s not clay.

Looking at it as if it were a fish swimming in an aquarium, saying "it’s quite mysterious," as an adult, is creepy. Pure disgust might be a kind of defense mechanism. Stay away from weird creatures. Well, Viviana can’t run away, but that’s the funny part.

"Father, don’t change the subject."

"I’m not changing the subject. Well, then, Lebeillion, what do you think should be done? To make Leaopher the king, Miss Sophelia was a necessary existence. If the engagement is dissolved, will you succeed me?"

"Huh? Why me? I’m not the crown prince. You made the bastard the crown prince before I was born."

"But I never thought I’d meet you, Lebeillion."

"Stop calling me by a nickname. It gives me the chills."

"Harsh."

Laughing and lounging on the sofa, Leonel was a child Viviana couldn’t bear for a long time.

Not that she couldn’t bear children, but she didn’t want to.

Well, who would willingly want this man’s, but Viviana joined the royal family and was the wife of the then-crown prince, Leonel. Her feelings were irrelevant.

Not that she didn’t want to, but at 15, she married into the royal family, and for the next five years, there were no signs of pregnancy. Despite their efforts, it was frustrating. Oh, is that vulgar? Sorry. But even with a fan, the unpleasant gaze and words were unbearable. "You’re still young, so there’s hope for the future," was disgusting. She even thought about burning down the castle.

So.

Tired of the troublesome position of a queen who couldn’t produce an heir, at 20, Viviana suggested to Leonel that he take a concubine.

Leonel’s first words were, "Eh, I don’t want to, it’s too much trouble," so Viviana, frustrated, hit him and quickly made the preparations. Of course, "in the blink of an eye" was an exaggeration, but she wanted to avoid crushing the irresponsible gazes of those around her. Wasn’t she merciful like a god?

To begin with, there was no love or any such noble emotion between Viviana and Leonel. They were engaged, married, and called king and queen because that’s how it was. For both of them, as long as an heir was born, it was fine.

So, when the concubine quickly gave birth to a son, Viviana jumped for joy. She was genuinely happy. Thank you, God. Thank you, concubine.

They silenced the people who said, "It’s wrong to make the concubine’s son the heir," and made Leaopher the crown prince. The concubine, who was so quiet and gentle, suddenly became assertive after giving birth to a prince, and both Leonel and Viviana found it too troublesome to argue with her.

Still, the quick pregnancy was surprising.

Is it really my fault, Viviana thought, stroking her light belly. 11 years ago, when Leaopher was born, and 7 years later, when she gave birth to Leonel’s son, she almost fainted, and when she saw it was a boy, she was at a loss.

Read the room.

She blurted out. Not to her child, but to her husband, who visited her chamber and said, "It’s not good to be seen as not getting along," with a casual smile. Well, since Viviana nodded and took off her nightgown, it’s not right to blame only Leonel. After childbirth, women get irritable, so she clenched her fist, ready to punch him, but Leonel laughed and ran away. That’s the kind of man he is.

As expected, there were many people who made a fuss about the birth of the legitimate son, but Viviana ignored them. Why? Because it was too troublesome. Viviana was fine as long as the country was healthy. It’s not that she lacked ambition, but she found everything too troublesome. Too troublesome.

Most people, unlike Viviana, were diligent.

They never stopped nurturing their position and power. Wow, impressive. She was truly in awe. It wasn’t sarcasm. The lazy Viviana, who didn’t want to use her brain or energy for anything other than work, deeply respected the concubine who loudly defended the legitimacy of Leaopher as the crown prince. Is that what parental love is? She once asked her unusually intelligent son, Lebeillion.

"Lebeillion, do you want to be king?"

"Huh? No, it’s too troublesome."

He was surprisingly like Viviana and Leonel’s child.

"But you talk about politics with the king and ministers, don’t you?"

"Organizing the country is fun. So, I want to do as I please in a place where someone else takes responsibility. The responsibility of being the top is too troublesome, so please, Mother, continue to raise the concubine and my brother as good puppets."

He was surprisingly like Viviana and Leonel’s child.

What a bad character.

But the world is not so simple. At the time, the foolishness of the crown prince, who was already despised by a handful of living brats, was far from over. Puppets are supposed to be obedient, but if they cut the strings and start jumping around, and then jump off the stage, what can you do?

"If Lebeillion could be king, it would be much easier."

Lebeillion smiled and said, "Absolutely not," to Leonel, who glanced at him from the sofa. It was a good smile.

"Don’t worry, a younger brother will be born soon. I’ll make sure to raise him into a fine crown prince."

"Well, that’s still a long way off."

"Please live a long life, Papa."

"Ugh, not cute."

"Ah, I kicked you."

Did he hear the voices of the men who always say whatever they want? With a thud, he was kicked from inside, and Viviana laughed.

"It seems it won’t go as you wish. First, he’s not Leonel’s child, so he has no right to the throne, and we don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl."

"Since that idiot brother was the crown prince, anyone can be."

"Harsh words."

The laughing king, a few years ago, didn’t blame Viviana for having a lover.

Probably, he wasn’t interested.

He didn’t like sneaking around or being the subject of rumors. When Viviana, who had accidentally fallen in love, asked him directly, "Is it okay to have a lover?" Leonel said, "Sure, go ahead," with a casual tone. Then he asked, "Can I come to your room today?" so Viviana hit him.

It was around the time their marriage was approaching its 20th year. Leaopher had been called the crown prince for a long time, and a smart child had been born to Leonel and Viviana. No one would say anything about the relationship between the king and queen now, but Viviana laughed at their consistent lack of tact. Take care of the concubine’s mood.

The intelligent Lebeillion, who knew long ago that his parents had a business-like relationship, was even happy about it. Viviana openly doted on her lover. From the outside, it might look like a strange family, but to Viviana, they were important family members, and it was a great joy to know that the concubine seemed relieved by this. Oh, the concubine was quite formidable.

Her enthusiasm grew year by year, which was truly impressive.

To make an incompetent man a king, and to ensure he wasn’t overshadowed by the reputation of the excellent second prince and his excellent fiancée, extraordinary efforts were required. By the mother.

Because the son himself didn’t make any effort. The concubine used every means available, even dirty ones, and worked hard.

But. The son messed up, and it was a mess. Parents’ hearts are not understood by their children, indeed. How much of the situation the other side understood, Viviana, who had a smart and bad-tempered son, didn’t know.

Leonel, sitting across from Viviana, sighed dramatically.

"So? What do you want me to do, Lebeillion? What punishment should be given to Leaopher?"

"Cut it out! How long do you plan to joke around when the country’s treasure has been lost, you damn bastard!"

Ha ha ha. Rude. I really don’t know who he takes after.

With a thud, Lebeillion slammed his fist on the table and stood up. He glared at Leonel, who was sprawled on the sofa, and then looked at Viviana.

"Mother!"

"What is it?"

"I’m leaving! Please take care of yourself and give my regards to Verios!"

While expressing his anger, he didn’t forget his concern and manners towards his mother, and Viviana, who wanted to tease him, said, "You too," as he left. It’s lonely for a mother if her child really gets upset.

With a loud bang, the door closed, and Leonel sat up and said, "He’s smart."

"Leaving in a huff, pretending to be angry, huh? Trying to avoid getting involved?"

"Well, I meant the ‘damn bastard’ part seriously."

"Ha, cute."

"Sounds fake."

It sounds fake.

Well, it probably is.

Leonel has no affection for either of his sons. Affection, huh. Yeah, yeah, the thing in the dictionary.

In fact, Viviana knows very well that this man is a character with no charm, a personality disorder. He’s a bit short on screws in his head, or rather, he’s missing important screws from the start.

I realized pretty quickly that this man can understand emotions but can’t empathize, and yet, Viviana still sat on the throne as queen.

"What a waste. At his age, he understands his position and can suppress those who try to make him king."

"Also, while criticizing you for being arbitrary, he wants to do as he pleases. He’s a lot like you."

"Eh, me? Isn’t he more like you?"

Leonel, who said this as if he didn’t agree, was laughed at by Viviana. Feeling bad, she didn’t want to hear it from a grumpy old man.

"But why is the Worrian family’s son involved?"

"He was apparently a devotee of Miss Sophelia. He couldn’t bear to see her suffer."

"Ha, you know a lot. Information from Verios?"

"Maybe."

When Viviana lifted her cup, Leonel said, "Well, it’s fine," and brushed his golden thread.

"Ah... but, even though both of them have half of my blood, why are they so different?"

"...This is my theory, but..."

Huh? Leonel took a sip from his cup. Despite his words and actions, his gestures were refined. He’s the king, after all.

"People are not made by blood, but by their environment. For example, what do parents do when their child falls? It’s not about what’s right, but the accumulation of such differences that shape a person’s character and disposition. Of course, I don’t deny the influence of innate traits."

For example, Leonel was born this way, so Viviana doesn’t deny the influence of talent and inheritance. It’s just a theory, so those who find it unpleasant can ignore it. Leonel, who seemed indifferent,