Chapter 235: Sweet Gifts and Unexpected Visits
Why was that? Even he, as her mother, couldn’t fully understand.
"...That just means Lian really likes you. Yeah, definitely."
"R-Really? Then that makes me happy, I guess."
He then patted Naz’s head, who was smiling shyly.
"Thank you both as well. Thanks to you, I feel much better."
His body, which had felt heavy lately, seemed slightly lighter.
"Are you done now?"
Hearing Katarina ask this while holding papers made him feel guilty.
He couldn’t indulge any further.
"Yes. I finally slept soundly again. Thank you—"
"It’s done!! Look! How is it? How do you like it?"
"Wow~"
"Yeah, yeah"
"Amazing"
"Huh? It’s done?"
Before he even realized, Sarin’s hands held two adorable hand-knitted children’s hats.
How skilled he was.
"It’s a shame to hide them since they’re so cute, but I thought it’s better than having them bothered by weird people. Rui gets the blue one, Yue gets the red one."
"Thank you. They’re very cute."
They would wear the hats when going out.
"You’ve got some time, right? Take it easy while you’re here."
"No, I’d just be in the way of your work. Next time, then—"
"Wait a bit longer. That guy will be here soon too."
"That guy?" He wondered who he meant, when suddenly—BAM!—the door slammed open with force.
"Don’t forget about me!"
It was none other than Mr. Paulo.
Who had called him?
"Long time no see. I’m relieved to see you’re well."
His booming voice, which betrayed no hint of age, startled everyone, and the twins and Lian immediately cried out.
"...Sorry about that."
He seemed to notice the accusatory looks from everyone.
While comforting the three children, he was introduced to the twins.
"Qiong Rui and Qiong Yue."
Paulo didn’t expect to be offered to hold them, so he had planned only to introduce them, but surprisingly, he held out both hands.
He handed the twins over to him.
"Ah, they take after you, a fine pair indeed. I’ve never seen young beastmen like this... they’re truly adorable."
"So you don’t dislike beastmen, then?"
"I neither like nor dislike them. To be honest, I didn’t care much, but now that I’m told they’re your children, they do seem charming."
That probably meant he didn’t care about beastmen in general unless they were Qiong Xing’s children.
From the way he spoke, it seemed he wasn’t particularly interested in beastmen themselves.
Still, it was better that he found the twins cute.
"Today I also brought Lian. I recently found out she seems to have magical power, probably from me."
"What!? Well then, Little Lian, come here, come here!"
He was like a grandfather from the countryside.
However, perhaps due to the earlier commotion, Lian shook her head and clung to Naz.
Mr. Paulo sank into despair, thinking he had been rejected, while Katarina and Sarin laughed heartily.
"It seems impossible for now. Another time, then."
"Damn my foolishness..."
He buried his head in his hands, completely despondent.
"Hahaha, serves you right."
"Idiot. It’s because you scared Little Lian."
Katarina and Sarin took the opportunity to scold Mr. Paulo.
Qiong Xing couldn’t help but think he seemed just like a child.
"By the way, why is Mr. Paulo here?"
"You said if I wanted to come, I should come. I thought it would be a good chance since I haven’t seen you recently. Ah, that reminds me, I have a message for you. Sergei said your protective healing charms are running low."
"Isn’t it a bit early?"
"Hahaha, I knew you’d say that. If you’re a mother, you should be grateful to me, he said."
He must be doing all this for Brat.
Even though he was busy, he hadn’t refused and had properly listened to Qiong Xing’s request.
"I see... then this, and... also this."
"What’s this box?"
"This one is for Prince Brat and the Princess. And for the prime minister, who might need a little extra—"
Aside from the extra candies he had given before, he now handed over a jar of candies.
The colors varied because he had made them from the ingredients available at the time.
"These are similar to what I gave before, but these are specially made. So there’s one thing you must do: give only one piece per day, and make sure they follow that rule."
"What? What is it? Some kind of dangerous thing?"
Qiong Xing wondered if Mr. Paulo looked like he was handing over something risky.
However, he laughed heartily as he dismissing the thought.
He then saw Mr. Paulo took a piece from the jar and eat it without any hesitation.
Should he be happy that it was trusted enough to be eaten without hesitation or should he warn them that it might be dangerous without checking first?
"Hm? This... seems small, but it has a healing effect."
"That’s right. I diluted the healing potion you gave ne before and put it in. It works while you lick it, so using too much could actually be dangerous—ugh!"
Before he could finish, he was suddenly hugged and a strange sound escaped him.
Sarin and Katarina hurriedly pulled him away.
"What are you doing, old man?!"
"Get away from Qiong Xing, you crazy old man!"
"What a thing! I see! That’s right! So this candy would gradual recover you while you keep licking it. Not just a temporary effect, but a lasting one! Wonderful, amazing!"
He seemed excited, but Qiong Xing worried if his cheeks that was just smacked by Katarina were okay.
Ah, but he was licking the candy, so the effect was already in play.
The candy was made for those little but long-lasting effects, not just instant recovery.
Mainly for the prime minister who was constantly under stress.
If it could relieve even a little of Sergei’s fatigue, it would be worth it.
"Ah, but that’s for the prime minister. Mr. Paulo, please don’t eat it yourself. No, you have to hand it over properly, okay?"
Qiong Xing gently stopped the hand that had reached for another piece and made sure the jar was sealed before handing it over.