Chapter 242: A Sudden Change, A Rising Threat
"Leander."
"...Yes."
After he made him to sit properly on his knees, Leander looked up as Qiong Xing stood in front of him.
It’s scary.
What’s wrong with him?
"I don’t want to say this either. I’m sure there are many things you’ve had to endure. But Lian is a child and you are an adult."
"...Yes."
"And yet, why would you do something so childish as taking Lian’s snack?"
It wasn’t on purpose!
It really wasn’t!
If he had to explain, Leander hadn’t intentionally taken Lian’s snack.
"I thought she was done with it! You were reading a book with her, weren’t you?!"
That was right, Qiong Xing and Lian had stopped eating midway and started reading a picture book.
Leander assumed that Lian had gotten bored and left it unfinished, so he ate it.
At that exact moment, Lian saw it and burst into tears, while Qiong Xing who hadn’t been looking nearly fell off his chair in surprise.
"I thought it’d be fine if she wasn’t going to eat it anymore... I’m sorry."
He had been a bit hungry and ended up eating it, but he admitted he should have properly checked first.
Seeing Leander apologize honestly, Qiong Xing gave a wry smile and forgave him.
"I’m sorry, Lian."
"...No... bad."
Even though he was being scolded, Leander almost collapsed from how cute it was.
"You’re right, Papa was wrong. I’m sorry."
Finally receiving forgiveness, he let out a sigh of relief.
"That’s what happened the other day."
"Pfft!"
Sarin and Katarina who had been listening immediately burst out laughing and Lian who is sitting on someone’s lap looked up at them in confusion.
"Hehe... Little Lian, that’s amazing. You scolded your papa?"
"?"
"Hahaha! It’s looks like she takes after you."
Qiong Xing gave a wry smile seemingly aware of it while they laughed out loud.
"Grandpa, does it hurt?"
Lian worried by their sudden laughter reached out and patted Sarin’s head.
The cuteness nearly stopped his heart.
"My great-grandchild is so cute I could die."
"Please stay alive."
"Grandma, sleepy?"
Just like Sarin, Katarina had been struck by the same overwhelming cuteness and lowered her head.
Lian tilted his head at her.
Too cute.
"I could die."
"Please stay alive."
Why was this parent and child pair so incredibly cute?
When Qiong Xing gently patted Lian’s head and reassured her, Lian seemed to relax and happily resumed eating her cake.
As Qiong Xing watched with a soft smile, he said, "Well, you see... we’ve decided to move."
"...! ...!?"
The statement was so sudden that Sarin blinked his eyes twice in disbelief.
Beside him, Katarina’s eyes widened in shock as well.
"M-move? ...Huh?"
Move. Relocation. Changing residence.
Knowing Qiong Xing, there was no way he would remain in this town with his family.
That meant somewhere farther away and even now, the chances to see them each month were limited.
Would they become even fewer...?
"K-Katarina..."
He turned to her for support, but...
"Grandma? Are you alright?"
Seeing her completely frozen, Qiong Xing worriedly shook her shoulder.
"Ha!! W-what are you saying?!"
"???"
In her confusion, she blurted out something incomprehensible.
"Uh... Katarina, are you okay?"
"W-why?!"
Why what?
It was rare to see Katarina so shaken and it oddly made Sarin calm down instead.
"Let’s settle down first. So, where are you moving to?"
"It’s a secret."
"..."
He replied with a bright smile.
In other words, he couldn’t tell them.
If that was the case, they couldn’t press him further.
"Please don’t worry. It’s true that it’s farther than our current home, but we have a means of transportation, so the number of times we visit here won’t change much. And we’re not leaving immediately either. There are still preparations to be made, so we’ll be here for a while longer."
At those words, the tension left their shoulders.
If Qiong Xing said so, then it would be fine.
More than anything, they were happy that he had thought about them as well.
"Then there’s no problem. Come visit anytime."
"Yes. Lian loves you both very much too, right, Lian?"
"Yeah, I like Grandpa."
Once again, their hearts nearly stopped.
"W-what about Grandma?"
"I like Grandma too."
"...No, both of you, please stay alive."
As Sarin and Katarina clutched their chests and bowed their heads, Qiong Xing laughed.
Was there no way to preserve this smile somehow?
With looks like Qiong Xing’s and a personality like his as well, the child was nothing short of a bundle of pure adorableness.
Sarin and Katarina were completely smitten with their great-grandchild.
"I know you’re busy, but let us know when you move, alright?"
"That’s right. If there’s anything we can help with, we will, so don’t push yourself. Especially you, take care of your body. These kids depend on you, after all."
It was said that to a child, a mother’s presence was stronger than anything.
Hearing Katarina say not to overdo things for the children’s sake, Qiong Xing smiled and nodded.
...
"Let go of that child right now. Otherwise—"
"Or what? Oh, you gonna take her place instead? Hahahahaha!"
"Seriously? Isn’t that a guy?"
"With a face that pretty, who cares?"
"No way! You into that kind of thing? Hahahahaha!"
Disgust churned in his stomach, making him want to vomit.
Even as he confirmed the trembling girl crouched on the ground, he kept his focus on the men who wore lewd grins making sure they didn’t turn their attention back to her.
Katarina and Sarin would arrive in a few minutes.
Until then, he would not allow them to lay another hand on that girl.
"Let’s make Cari’s favorite Rice Casserole tonight."
They had come to buy ingredients for dinner after stopping by the guild and as he walked alongside Albe who was enthusiastically talking about how happy Cari would be Qiong Xing suddenly noticed movement in a narrow alley nearby.
The frantic motion caught his eye and he realized it was a pair of legs struggling, because just beyond them stood several men with vulgar smiles.