A Stepmother's Marchen

Chapter 61

“Yeah, I finished eating too.”

“I’m done too, mom.”

“Me too.”

I think everyone was quite shocked that I showed a ferocious appearance. So, we left the restaurant with delicacies and returned to the villa. As soon as I returned to the accommodation, I fell asleep without realizing it. It was in the middle of the night when I opened my eyes because I heard something sharp hitting against each other. I lay for a while, looked at the ceiling, and soon got up. It clearly came from the outside.I approached the window and pulled the curtain back, then I yawned.

Soon after, the scenery that caught my eyes was none other than the appearance of the two boys swinging swords excitedly on the snowfield. It’s amazing how they smiled and faced each other like rivals.

Do they have to be like this at night?

Black hair and gold hair colored by the white moonlight sparkled side by side. And the swords they each held were none other than the ones I gave them.

Jeremy had a white sword with a golden handle while Nora had a black sword with a platinum handle…

Somehow I looked at the scenery half-dazed, and then staggered to make sure the other children were sleeping well. Then I was surprised. The bedroom with pink curtains where Rachel was supposed to be sleeping was empty. The same was true of other bedrooms. For some reason, I couldn’t see Leon, Elias, or even Rachel!!

I ran downstairs on that road and went out to the backyard where the two boys were fighting excitedly.

Both of them immediately paused and turned around at the sight of me running out.

“You woke up because of us…”

“Jeremy, where have your siblings gone?”

Jeremy, who was breathing hard and wiping away the sweat dripping in this cold weather, opened his eyes wide as if wondering what that meant.

“Everyone was sleeping just now”.

“Didn’t you see them leave? There’s no one inside right now!”

“What?”

It’s a mess. The knights, who gathered around the fire, were completely unaware of the sound of the children going out.

Sure enough, the kitchen window on the first floor was open. Why did they sneak out through the window on this cold night? Even the twins!

“Don’t worry too much, ma’am. The area is well guarded. Nothing will happen.”

Even though I know that the surrounding area is well guarded, I couldn’t stop myself from panicking.

No matter how good the resort is, it is a place where bad things could happen. What if they met a robber? Or if they slip on a cliff?

In addition, isn’t Elias afraid of heights? There’s a lot of snow piled up, so it’s dangerous everywhere. Guys, where did you go?!

“Calm down and wait. I’m sure you’re preoccupied with useless things. We’ll look for them, so go back,” Jeremy, who calmly spoke, grabbed my shoulder, turned his head and looked at Nora.

Likewise, Nora, who was standing with an unusual expression, nodded, “We’ll look for them with the help of the knight my family brought. They wouldn’t have gone far.”

Even though I was anxious, all I could do was nod my head.

While the two boys went out to search for three children with the knights, all kinds of thoughts came to my mind.

Did he run away from home because I shouted at him earlier?

Even so, why did he take the twins out? Why did he keep doing things that he didn’t do in the past?

“Marchioness Neuwanstein?”

A second felt like a few minutes. How much time has passed?

While sitting on the entrance of the villa waiting, Duke Nurembert came.

Nora took their knights and left, so it wasn’t strange that he came.

“Duke.”

“What’s going on? It was quite noisy outside. Did my son cause an accident?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

After I talked about how Elias and the twins disappeared, the Duke of Steel only listened silently with a calm face, and then smiled , “Oh, that’s what kids at that age do. There is no need to panic. They’ll be back safe and sound.”

Even though it was a rather obvious way to calm someone, the anxiety that had been on high alert seemed to subside, perhaps because it was said by an adult of my father’s age.

Even though I went back in time, I guess they have a long way to go before they mature…

“Really?”

“They’ll be back holding the knight’s hands and crying. So please wait inside. The wind is cold.”

The Duke, who responded with pity, took off his coat and put it on my shoulder. The feeling on my frozen hands and feet suddenly came at this time, which was a little embarrassing. It didn’t seem like a big deal, but it made me feel like a child.

“Did they wake up from sleeping?”

“No, I fell asleep first. I just have a lot to think about. As you know, I will start to get busy after this vacation.”

The duke frowned slightly as if he was troubled. He’s so gentle and elegant. He’s a nice guy. But how come he treats Nora that way?

“You know, your son… He’s such a good kid.”

I said that unconsciously. As a result, the duke looked at me with his head tilted slightly and smiled.

“I appreciate that you think that way. By the way, I heard that my wife made a weird request last time regarding our son, so I think I have to apologize again for that.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize… It wasn’t a burdensome request.”

“It won’t be easy for you to take care of the children when they’re at this age.”

That was true.

While I didn’t know what to say and blinked awkwardly, the kind Duke stared at my face with such light in his deep blue eyes that were similar to Nora’s. The mysterious gaze that I often encountered in the past was never impure or vain. It was just…

“Madam!”

When I thought that the surroundings were brightening up, I heard the knights shouting.

I jumped straight up. From the opposite side, I saw my eldest son, who was moving forward this way with knights holding a torch, and Elias, who was holding his shoulders beside Jeremy.

But where are the twins…?!

“Elias! You… Where did you go?”

“Woo woo!”

“Why are you crying? Where are your younger siblings?”

Hearing my ferocious cry, Elias sat on the floor with his legs stretched and sobbed, saying strange words that I couldn’t understand, so in order to make him talk clearly, Jeremy smacked him hard.

“I climbed up to the ridge to pick flowers, but I was shaking because I was afraid of heights.”

At this time, Elias put a white flower in one hand.

The rare flower that only appears in the snowy alpine regions shone alone in the middle of this chaos.

“Why did you go to pick flowers in the middle of the night? Where are the twins?”

“Woo woo, I’m in pain!”

“Why are you changing the subject?”

“It’s not like that. I really hurt my arm!”

It took a very long time for us to understand what Elias was trying to say. After dinner, Leon saw a rare flower from a book, so somehow the three of them went on an adventure to collect it.

While climbing up to the ridge, Elias was in panic because he was afraid of heights, and the twins left first, saying they would bring Jeremy!

While I couldn’t find anything to say and I just looked like a fool with an open mouth, Duke Nurembert, who seemed desperate to hold back his laughter, asked Jeremy, “What about the rest of the search party?”

“We decided to look for them separately earlier. I don’t know where they’re right now, but I’ll have to go…”

“Mom!”

Jeremy, the Duke, and the knights, who were talking, turned their heads. The same was true of me.

“Leon! Rachel!”

God, thank you! I saw a black-haired boy walking right in front of my eyes that were filled with tears.

It was Nora holding Leon’s hand in one hand with Rachel on his shoulder and a sword in the other hand!!