I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

212 – Side Story – The Game Imprinted in Genes

We did our best to raise our children.

Serena burst into tears at random times, as befitting a child who had just emerged from the world.

So, it was natural that she would get tired at some point, but Sirien never showed any sign of displeasure no matter how much the child whined.

Rather, I felt like I was pushing myself too hard, so I had to force myself to sleep.

It seemed like he had no intention of compromising, even though he could leave it up to his employees to some extent.

My wife is taking care of our child with utmost sincerity, so I can’t just sit back and worry.

When Sirien rested, I stepped forward, and Serena grew up well as if to repay our attention and love.

A little over three years later, their second son, Leon, was born.

Both children grew up healthy.

So much so that it makes you wonder if it’s overly healthy.

On the way back after looking around the knights’ quarters.

On the second floor balcony, Serena was jumping around as if to ask me to look this way.

I frowned because it seemed a little dangerous because it was high up.

“Serena. What are you doing there?”

“Ah, Dad… …! Open the door! Leon locked the door from the inside!”

“The door? Ah… … I get the general idea. Just stay there for now. I’ll open the door for you.”

It suddenly dawned on me what had happened to my daughter.

Reheim’s balcony had a door that could be locked from the inside.

It was a natural thing. If there was an intruder who climbed up the wall, it had to be stopped at least once.

The same was true for the Grand Duke’s family as well as the empty guest rooms.

What this means is that if the door gets locked from the inside while you’re out on the balcony, you could get trapped.

If Leon had locked the door, little Serena would not have been able to force it open, nor would she have been able to jump down.

So I guess they just waited for it to be structured like that.

According to Serena, Leon played a very dangerous prank.

I should have scolded him harshly since he could have been hurt… … .

‘Actually, this is a pretty embarrassing situation. I wonder who’s going to scold whom.’

Is this what they call the power of genes?

There was a reason why the two children’s pranks were familiar.

Actually, I’ve done something similar.

When Sirien and I were young.

That is, it was the time when I lived in the castle with Therion and Henna.

This ‘locked in the balcony’ prank was a fad among us for a very short time.

The first person to come up with this prank was, of course, Therion.

As always, older brothers and younger sisters were born to torment each other.

In other words, the first victim was Sirien.

‘Actually, I’ve been hit a few times too… … .’

When I was young, I was quite confident in my physical strength.

Why, didn’t boys originally think that jumping from a high place was a sign of courage and manliness?

I had a time like that too.

Maybe because I was young and my body was light, I didn’t feel any hesitation.

When I got stuck on a balcony, I would just jump off or go to another balcony.

After Therion realized that imprisoning me was pointless, he mainly targeted Sirien.

It is only natural that Sirien, who was always being treated badly, would harbor resentment.

One day, Sirien and I conspired to successfully imprison Therion, and he would not be easily released.

It was the middle of winter. Therion, who had been shivering in the cold for over an hour, was rescued by Henna.

Thinking about it, it was fortunate that the adults didn’t see it.

Well, I did get scolded by Henna that much.

“Okay, I opened it. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No! I haven’t been locked up for long.”

While I was lost in my old thoughts, I soon arrived at the balcony.

Am I getting old?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the old days lately.

As I freed Serena from her imprisonment, the little girl ran towards me, laughing loudly.

A face that resembles Sirien’s when she was young. She looked like she was born to be loved, so I gently stroked her bangs.

If there’s one thing that makes Serena different from her younger self, it’s that she’s a bit more assertive.

I guess it was probably my influence.

I was quite precocious as a child, but I never got bullied.

“Now I’m going to get revenge on Leon!”

“Um, Leon, your dad will scold you later, so why don’t you go to your mom for now? I saw you were making cookies for you this morning.”

“Mom, are you going? I want to go now!”

Recently, Sirien has taken up the hobby of confectionery and baking.

This was because I liked sweet snacks and because the Grand Duke’s system had become more stable and I had more free time.

More than anything, it seemed like the two children enjoyed seeing each other eat deliciously.

“I made something like this yesterday to give to my mom.”

“Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes! I have Dad’s too. Do you want to see it now?”

Serena handed me a leather knot with both hands.

It was a decorative string tied to the end of a sword. It seemed like it was meant to be a hair tie for Sirien.

When I think about how much work must have gone into creating it with those tiny hands, my nose starts to tingle.

No, no.

I couldn’t show an awkward expression after becoming a father.

I hugged Serena secretly, trying to hide my expression.

Serena’s heehee- laughter could be heard faintly.

Peace and happiness are not that far away.

The Grand Duchy of Illencia is a family that places only the imperial family above itself.

It goes without saying that Reheim, which is like a symbol of the family, is a castle of enormous scale.

Finding the boy who wanders around this vast castle without rest is not as easy as it sounds.

First of all, there were a lot of people in Reheim.

Not only are there a considerable number of servants managing the castle, but there are also a considerable number of guards.

Simply amplifying the senses does not produce refreshing results.

So Leon was planning to find it a little later.

It has saved me a lot of trouble.

“You, come here!”

“Eww! It’s my sister! How did you get out?”

Serena, who discovered Leon, ran towards him.

The physical differences between men and women begin to emerge after childhood.

Sirien suffered because she was the younger sibling, but Serena had no reason to suffer because she was the older sibling.

Leon, who had been running hard, was eventually unable to shake off Serena.

The angry older sister’s retaliation was directed at her younger brother.

Sirien looked at her blankly as if wondering what was going on, but her lips twitched as if she found it amusing.

“What happened?”

“Remember when you were little? Therion used to play a prank on you by closing the terrace door.”

“Ah… Leon too?”

“Yeah. I guess all children think similarly. I was the one who saved them and brought them home.”

“Phehe. I should have gotten revenge like that.”

Sirien smiled brightly.

Before I knew it, the two children were tangled up on the sofa, arguing fiercely.

There were traces of cookies being eaten on the table.

I guess he was lured by Cookie’s temptation after locking Serena up, but he probably didn’t know he would fall for it so easily.

When the children grow up, even those fights will be happy memories.

So, even though I had no intention of stopping it, I didn’t take my eyes off it.

After all, happy memories are about not getting hurt.

It is the role of parents to ensure that their children grow up healthy.

As I was looking at the children like that, a white finger was thrust near my mouth.

The texture that touched the tip of my lips was like a crunchy cookie.

Sirien put a snack she made herself into my mouth.

“What do you think? Is it too sweet for you, but it suits the kids’ tastes?”

“It’s okay. I didn’t really like sweets before, but I’ve been eating a lot of them lately, so I’ve gotten used to them. Oh, the texture is better than last time.”

“Really? I tried making it softer this time. That one is a crispy butter cookie. Should I get that one too?”

“If you feed me again.”

A bright smiling face.

A smile as bright as sunlight graced her.

After I swallowed the cookie that was in my mouth, Sirien immediately put the next cookie in my mouth.

Then, a finger briefly touched the corner of her lips.

A much softer texture than the cookies I ate earlier.

Even though there was clearly no chocolate in it this time, it tasted distinctly sweet in my mouth.

The children’s fight was eventually put down by Sirien.

A fight that seemed like it would go on forever ended with one word: “Why don’t you stop now and come? The tea will get cold if you keep doing this.”

Sirien originally had a strange power to control people.

Now that she has achieved the status of a mother, it is only natural that her children listen well.

Our kids are so kind, you know.

“Oh. I think I’ll have a few days free soon. Does the Knights have a busy schedule or something?”

“What’s the big deal here? Actually, it’s been the most peaceful lately.”

“Then, I’d like to take the kids to the cabin later. What do you think? Since the building is newly built, I think I should show it to you at least once.”

The cabin that came to mind still looked shabby.

That won’t be the case anymore.

That old building would have been reduced to ashes long ago.

Instead, a newly constructed building was built and it will look much neater.

Still, it was a place that symbolized misfortune for us – you never know when a crisis will strike.

It was absolutely necessary to teach children where to hide in case of emergency.

It would be great if we could plant good memories in advance.

“A hut… … Okay, let’s do that. No matter how much you prepare, it’s never enough.”

“Okay. I’ll set a date and let you know soon.”