Chapter 155………………………………………
“……What?”
Suddenly, asking if they don’t have to get married.
Not long ago, they were eager for Lloyd to be like a father and impatient to have me and Lloyd connected.
I wanted to dismiss it as a usual whim, but their usually playful mouth was firmly set.
Because of the serious reaction, the previously lively dining table became so quiet that even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.
Lloyd looked so shocked that he seemed to have forgotten to breathe, utterly still.
I glanced at Ayla, wondering if she knew why Aslan was acting this way, but Ayla’s reaction was just as frozen as Lloyd’s. Her eyes were wide and trembling, as if she’d forgotten to blink, watching me and Lloyd cautiously.
I realized I’d have to ask Aslan directly.
But they wouldn’t answer here, so I excused myself to Lloyd and Ayla and took Aslan to a quiet room.
Click.
To prevent anyone from entering or eavesdropping, I locked the door firmly and stepped back.
I set Aslan, who had been in my arms, down on the bed and sat across from them.
“Aslan. Why did you suddenly think we shouldn’t have a wedding?”
“…….”
Once we were alone, Aslan shut their mouth even tighter and avoided my gaze.
I could swear I saw their ears droop and their tail flicking in displeasure…
“Gah.”
No, it wasn’t a hallucination!
Once again, cat ears popped out of Aslan’s head, and a dusting-like tail poked out from under their skirt!
‘What on earth is going on this time?!’
Last time, they almost turned into a cat because I said I’d leave them in the Grand Duchy.
More precisely, they thought I considered them a burden.
They thought there was no reason to remain human any longer.
Could it be the same this time?
But that doesn’t make sense—the wedding was something Aslan also wanted!
In a rush, I hugged Aslan.
“Aslan, Mommy will listen. Can you tell me why you don’t want to have the wedding?”
I coaxed and comforted them for a long time, but instead of answering, Aslan just clutched my neck tightly.
Even though Aslan could be mischievous, they weren’t the type to act like this without a reason.
If Aslan truly didn’t want the wedding, perhaps we could postpone it a little.
If the wedding were postponed, my coronation as Crown Princess would also be delayed.
I could already picture Yupiteria clutching her neck in frustration, but I had to put out the immediate fire first.
Especially if that fire was threatening my child!
I made up my mind: I wouldn’t press Aslan further for a reason.
Instead, I stroked their head and tried to speak.
Then…
“Mom.”
Aslan, who had been burying their face in my chest the whole time, finally showed their face.
The room was too dark to see their face clearly, so I moved closer to the window.
But the moon was hidden behind clouds, so not much changed.
I still couldn’t see Aslan’s face.
I could only feel their hands clutching my clothes, and I worried about what kind of expression they might be wearing—if they were perhaps frowning or crying.
Aslan, as if unable to leave my side even for a moment, held my clothes tightly and asked,
“Mom, do you love Uncle Lloyd?”
“Huh?”
The question I had been bracing myself for felt strangely anticlimactic.
I probably liked him rationally.
But why were they asking this?
Were they worried I was going into a loveless marriage?
Now that I thought about it, when we told the children about extending the contract marriage, we never mentioned that we loved each other.
We just said the four of us fit together very well as a family.
At the time, I didn’t realize that could make the children feel uncertain.
So, swallowing my embarrassment, I told Aslan first, even though I hadn’t fully admitted it to the person involved.
“Love… I’m not sure. But I like him.”
“Then does Uncle Lloyd love you?”
This I could answer confidently.
However, it would be rude to state Lloyd’s feelings directly, so I gave a slightly roundabout answer:
“I think Lloyd feels the same way about me.”
After that, Aslan didn’t respond.
I could only tell from the clouds still covering the moon that they were staring at me intently.
I worried I might have answered incorrectly.
Asking a child for approval is harder than asking an adult.
Judging by the fact they still didn’t show their face, their feelings hadn’t changed.
‘There must be something they don’t like, but for some reason, they can’t say it?’
Now that I thought about it, Aslan had been acting odd ever since Ayla got sick.
I had mentally prepared to postpone the wedding.
‘More time to choose a dress—good, right?’
Yupiteria would scold me harshly, and retracting invitations would be awkward, but that was fine.
Then, paradoxically, as I made up my mind, Aslan shook their head as if to say, “I’m fine now.”
“No, I’ll be the flower child. I’ve changed my mind.”
“Huh?”
While I was still processing, Aslan leaped from my arms.
By now, the ears and tail had disappeared cleanly.
The round moon had also emerged from behind the clouds, revealing Aslan’s face.
Though this time, they were turned away, so I couldn’t see their expression.
“Sorry for being stubborn, Mom.”
“……Huh?”
“Let’s go.”
Aslan extended their hand, but I was too surprised—this time in a different sense—to take it immediately.
Aslan… apologized?
The Aslan who used to take pride in being stubborn?
“Aren’t you coming?”
Tilting their head, Aslan urged me, and I fumbled, finally taking their hand.
Then Aslan smiled like they owned the world.
‘Did Aslan always have a face like this?’
Their eyes, which usually barely showed when they smiled, were now fully visible.
‘Come to think of it, they called Lloyd “Uncle Lloyd”… right?’
There was a time when they did call him that, though recently they consistently said “Dad.”
As I walked, almost being pulled along by Aslan, I felt a slight sense of incongruity from that small child who was clearly my daughter.
Since that day, I observed Aslan closely.
The unease I felt that night seemed like a mere illusion—Aslan was exactly as usual.
They laughed as always, called Lloyd “Dad,” and playfully teased him without reserve.
But whenever they were with me, they clung like a cicada on a tree.
Excessively clingy, almost as if they couldn’t bear to be apart for a moment.
“Aslan, it’s dangerous because of the needles. You should sit with Ayla and wait, okay?”
“Eee!”
Clinging to the hem of my dress during the fitting, Aslan was dragged to the sofa by the maids, clearly displeased.
Meanwhile, Ayla’s eyes sparkled from the start.
“It’s so pretty! Is this what you’re wearing for the wedding?”
“Not yet. It’s just a candidate. If you see something you like, feel free to suggest it.”
“Yes!”
A few days ago, we received a catalog from Yupiteria and roughly picked out a few samples.
But Ayla said that wasn’t enough and sent more—eventually sending almost all the samples from the catalog.
I struggled to wear them, Aslan was unhappy being apart from me, but at least Ayla looked happy.
“Aslan, which one do you think suits Mom?”
“……The one you wore earlier.”
Aslan pouted but answered faithfully.
Ayla also particularly liked that dress.
After narrowing down the dresses that both the children and I liked, only about a dozen remained.
Once these went to the tailor’s workshop, details would be added, and after another fitting, we’d pick the one for the actual wedding.
Changing dresses was exhausting.
After wearing and removing them all afternoon, I had no energy to dress again and slumped onto the sofa, with the children immediately clinging to me.
Aslan, as usual, was like a cicada stuck to a tree.
I could understand their strange feelings about Mommy getting married—but even so, this seemed a little much.
Even Ayla felt odd, but not nearly as serious as Aslan.
‘Do kids get marriage blues too?’
