“Sorry, Leonard.”
“What are you sorry for?”
Yellian cautiously observed his reaction. However, Leonard responded nonchalantly, keeping his eyes fixed on the documents.
“Well…… it’s because of me that you’re raising cats, bears, and even a dragon.”
“Ah, that. Well, it keeps things lively, so I like it. It’s not bad.”
“Were you ever lonely before?”
“No.”
“See…….”
At the timid response, Leonard lifted his eyes from the documents and looked at Yellian.
Yellian couldn’t even lift their head and was fidgeting with their hands. It pained Leonard to see them so hesitant, worrying over his feelings when he was completely fine with it.
“Yellian, it’s really okay. You don’t need to feel sorry. Besides, this estate is so vast that a few more mouths to feed won’t be a problem at all.”
“Really……?”
“Of course.”
With that gentle reply, Yellian seemed to feel relieved. Though it was unclear when Leonard, once known as a cold lord as Elton had said, became such a warm person, it undeniably made Yellian feel much more at ease.
Meanwhile, Leonard thought to himself that it was all thanks to Yellian that he had developed such a generous heart.
Leonard had always lived only for himself, centered solely on his own needs. So, the fact that he was now caring for all sorts of animals felt strange to him, but it wasn’t bad. If anything, it leaned toward the good side.
Having concluded their brief conversation on a refreshing note, Yellian tossed two stuffed toys they had won as prizes to Geumdong and Gamja.
Geumdong instantly tore open the belly of the toy, sending white stuffing flying everywhere, while Gamja hugged the toy tightly with its front paws and busily kicked it with its hind legs.
“No, Geumdong. That one’s Gamja’s. You’ve already ruined yours, so why are you eyeing Gamja’s?”
[Kyuuung!]
When Yellian scolded Geumdong for snooping around Gamja’s toy, Geumdong let out a pitiful cry as if wronged. Not satisfied with that, he started rolling around on the floor, whining.
The once tiny Geumdong had now grown big enough to reach Yellian’s waist, so every time he rolled around, dust wafted up from the carpet.
Of course, the problem was that in Yellian’s eyes, Geumdong still looked as small as the palm of their hand.
“Geumdong, no matter how much you act cute, no means no. Your big brother gave you each one toy. Instead, I’ll get you another one next time. But when I do, don’t destroy it right away like today-play with it for a long time. Got it?”
[Kuuung.]
As if understanding, Geumdong let out a long reply, and while Yellian was stroking his head, Gamja quietly came over and sat next to Yellian, pressing its buttocks against them.
“Aeow! Aeowww!”
As if urgently begging to be loved too, Gamja’s cries made Yellian barely hold back a laugh.
When Yellian stroked Gamja, it purred happily, singing a rumbling song. It didn’t forget to wag its tail excitedly either.
And so, a peaceful and serene night deepened.
* * *
“Hah! Ugh, it won’t fall again!”
Yellian clutched their head with both hands and let out a cry of frustration.
Right now, Yellian was at the festival square, playing a ball-throwing game. The goal was to knock down a target by throwing a ball at it, but the ball was as light as a feather, so no matter how hard they threw, it barely tapped the target.
They had ten chances to throw, and they had already thrown the seventh ball. Of those, three hit the target, and four missed.
But even the three hits didn’t yield any results because the ball was so light. With only three chances left, Yellian doubted anything would change and felt their enthusiasm wane.
“Let me try.”
“Even if you throw, Leonard, it’ll be the same.”
“What do you take me for?”
“I’m not underestimating you, Leonard. It’s just that the ball itself isn’t heavy enough to do anything.”
Yellian spoke as if to soothe Leonard. But Leonard, seemingly not hearing Yellian’s words, focused solely on gripping the ball and aiming at the target. He threw the ball carefully.
“Oh, oh! Ah……. See, I told you so.”
The ball thrown from Leonard’s hand hit the target dead on, but once again, it failed to knock it down.
It seemed this game was designed from the start so that no one could win a prize.
“Wait, it’s not over yet.”
His words weren’t wrong. There were still two balls left. Taking more time than before, he took a deep breath, adjusted his aim, and finally threw the ball.
“Hey, come on. This time you didn’t even hit it.”
“It’s because of the wind.”
“The wind always blows. When has it ever not blown…….?”
“Be quiet.”
With a firm retort, Leonard picked up the last ball. He hesitated as if about to throw, took his time aiming, and finally let it go after a while.
“Ah, so close.”
This time, too, there was no surprise. The ball narrowly missed the target. Even if it had hit, it didn’t seem like much would’ve changed, so Yellian felt no lingering regret. They put back on the robe they had taken off.
“Leonard, aren’t we going?”
“Let’s do one more round.”
“One more round? Well…… I don’t mind, but do you think one more round will make a difference?”
“Of course it will.”
“I don’t think it will…….”
Yellian’s muttering ended up sparking Leonard’s competitive spirit. Yellian had no idea what kind of ripple effect their words would cause. It was just a thoughtless remark.
Leonard seemed to grit his teeth, then neatly placed the ten new balls he received on the table. And then, as if throwing a shot put, he began hurling the balls with powerful thrusts.
The ball that left Leonard’s hand struck the target. The target wobbled precariously before finally crashing to the ground.
“I did it! Yellian, did you see that?”
“Whoa, amazing! You did it?!”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t see it?”
Leonard narrowed his brows. Sorry to say, but Yellian hadn’t seen it. Feeling awkward, Yellian rubbed the bridge of their nose with their hand. At that, Leonard stared at Yellian with a shocked expression, as if betrayed.
“Sorry……. But honestly, isn’t watching up to the 170th throw enough……? I feel like I’ve seen plenty…….”
Indeed. Leonard’s competitive spirit was beyond imagination, and it didn’t subside even after throwing 170 balls.
Yellian’s focus started to waver precisely at the 171st throw, and they couldn’t watch the ball-throwing any longer. They kept turning their head at every sound around them and even yawned from drowsiness.
Of all times, the target had to fall at that exact moment. Yellian felt half sorry and half unfair.
Leonard, too, seemed to have nothing to say when the number 170 was mentioned and didn’t press the issue further. Instead, he handed the giant bear stuffed toy he received as a prize to Yellian.
“You’re telling me to carry this?”
“Should I carry it then?”
“…….”
Still seeming a bit prickly, Leonard’s sharp tone made Yellian pout as they tightly hugged the stuffed toy. Burying their face into the toy as big as their torso, they didn’t forget to mouth curses silently.
* * *
“Wow…… it’s refreshing.”
Yellian leaned against a towering tree. A cool breeze blew refreshingly.
As the sun was setting, they followed Leonard to wherever he was leading. Even when asked where they were going, he didn’t answer, so Yellian assumed he was still sulking over the earlier incident.
But upon reaching the destination, they realized his mood wasn’t bad at all. It was a quiet hill, free of the bustling crowds of the festival and without any tall buildings.
“Why did we come here?”
“Just wait a little.”
How long am I supposed to wait, exactly?
Though pouting, Yellian obediently waited and soon let out a gasp of awe at the spectacle unfolding before their eyes.
Bang, Boom, Bang!
With the sound of bursting fireworks, vibrant petals bloomed across the pitch-black sky.
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