CHAPTER 49…………
Aslan asked excitedly,
“Uncle, is there one for me too?”
Id put Ayla down and answered,
“Of course there is.”
“Wow! Did you hear that, Ayla? There’s one for me too!”
“That’s great, Aslan.”
The children burst into laughter.
Watching them with a smile, Id turned to me and said,
“There’s also one for you, Madam.”
“What?”
But I clearly said I didn’t need a gift.
Did he ignore my words and bring back something extravagant like jewelry? My eyes narrowed automatically.
Id quickly denied it.
“It’s nothing burdensome. Just a token of gratitude, so please accept it.”
Well, if that’s the case… it would be rude to turn away something he had gone through the trouble to bring. I nodded reluctantly.
“Mom, I want to see the presents right now!”
“Me too, Madam.”
The children tugged at me impatiently, as if the snacks spread out on the table no longer existed.
Hopeless little things. Smiling as though I had no choice, I took their hands and said,
“Before we open presents, let’s wash up and change clothes first.”
“Okay!”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Sir Mente, if you’d like, you should freshen up too.”
I offered the same to Id.
He looked clean enough on the surface, but traveling such a long distance quickly must have left him feeling uncomfortable.
“Then I’ll gladly accept.”
Id smiled softly, as if he had been waiting for the offer.
Come to think of it, he seemed to be smiling more than usual today.
What’s this? Did things go that well for him?
There was a mix of pride and relief in his smile.
I had only ever seen him expressionless or with a faint smile, and it had been a while since I’d seen him, so maybe I was imagining things.
Shaking off the sudden doubt, I entered the mansion.
The living room was filled with gift boxes the servants had carried in.
The first one to step inside was Id.
Freshly washed and dressed neatly in spare clothes, he sat on the sofa waiting for everyone else.
Thud-thud-thud!
Before long, the sound of children racing down the stairs echoed through the house.
“Ah! Uncle Id is first place!”
“We thought we’d be first.”
Aslan puffed up his cheeks, and Ayla looked disappointed.
Id chuckled softly and asked the children gathering around him,
“Where’s Madam?”
“Mom’s changing her clothes.”
“Then she’ll be down soon.”
The moment Aslan and Ayla spotted the mountain of presents stacked in the living room, their disappointment vanished as their eyes sparkled.
“Uncle, what did you bring us?”
“I’m curious too, Father.”
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you already.”
“Aww!”
“Sit down and wait patiently.”
Id tried to calm them, but with the presents right before them, the children could hardly stay put.
They fidgeted around the pile of gifts noisily. Especially Aslan, who kept eyeing the packages, scheming to rip one open.
Ayla, on the other hand, glanced curiously at the largest box tied with a sky-blue ribbon.
After about five minutes, the children grew restless and sidled up to Id.
“Uncle, can we open just one?”
“Me too, can I just open one?”
Their eyes sparkled as they pleaded.
They shone so brightly and adorably that Id, who had no immunity to such gazes, began to feel guilty as though he were tormenting them.
Sensing his hesitation, the children clung to his arms and sparkled their eyes even more.
“Pleeease, Uncle…”
“Yes, Father…?”
“T-Then maybe just one each…”
Just as Id was about to surrender—
“Sorry, I’m a little late, aren’t I?”
Minerva hurried down the stairs.
Snapping back to his senses, Id realized he had almost been tricked by the children.
“Ah, we were so close.”
“Right?”
Disappointed, the children whispered to each other and even clicked their tongues in annoyance.
Just a moment ago they were batting their eyes sweetly, and now this—such cunning little things.
Id felt especially betrayed by Ayla’s act.
Of course, Minerva could read the situation immediately.
With a knowing look, she asked Id,
“They must’ve been pestering you to open the presents early?”
“Well… yes.”
“I should’ve come sooner. You must’ve had a hard time.”
“Not at all.”
Id gave a weak smile and thought to himself,
Maybe I should actually be glad Ayla has gotten bolder…
In just two weeks, Ayla had learned how to throw a bit of a tantrum.
With that thought, it didn’t feel so burdensome after all.
When Minerva sat on the long sofa, the children looked to Id expectantly.
“Now that Mom’s here, can we open them?”
Aslan asked on behalf of both, and Id chuckled as he nodded.
“The one with the sky-blue ribbon is Ayla’s. The one with the yellow ribbon is Aslan’s.”
“Wow!”
Overjoyed, the children untied the ribbons and tore into the wrapping.
While Aslan fumbled with the paper, Ayla managed to open the largest box first.
Inside was a three-story dollhouse.
Even Minerva gasped in admiration.
“My, that’s exactly what Ayla’s been wanting. How perfect.”
“Yes! Father, I love it so much! Thank you!”
Ayla’s cheeks flushed as she thanked Id, unable to contain her excitement.
Meanwhile, Aslan finally tore apart the wrapping and lifted up his gift.
The moment he saw it, he shouted in delight.
“Wow!”
It was a porcelain doll—
with beige hair and green eyes, looking just like Aslan himself.
Clutching the doll, Aslan beamed at Id.
“I’ve never gotten a doll like this before! I love it! Thanks, Uncle!”
Id had bought it because it so closely resembled Aslan, and seeing him love it so much filled him with pride.
The children moved on to open the rest of the gifts:
Matching clothes and shoes in different colors, handkerchiefs, quill pens, storybooks, crayons, toys, and more—presents spilled out like a mountain.
Even Minerva could tell many of them were quite expensive.
Concerned by the endless stream of gifts, she whispered cautiously to Id,
“I really appreciate you including Aslan too, but isn’t this a bit too much?”
“It’s fine. I owe Aslan a lot as well, so honestly, I wanted to give him even more.”
Speaking as though these gifts hardly dented him, Id pulled out a separate small box and handed it to Minerva.
“And this one is for you, Madam.”
Minerva’s eyes widened.
“There’s one for me too?”
“What? Mom got a gift too?”
“What is it, Madam?”
Even the children swarmed around, curious about Minerva’s gift.
Seeing her hesitate, Id quickly added,
“It’s truly nothing special. But after all you’ve done for me, it wouldn’t be right to come empty-handed.”
“Still…”
Minerva trailed off, staring at the small box in his hands.
It was much smaller than the children’s gifts, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that it was far more valuable.
“Please, it’s just a token of my gratitude. I hope you’ll accept it.”
At his earnest request, Minerva glanced at Ayla.
Ayla urged her silently with pleading eyes.
“Please take it, Madam.”
“Mom, hurry and accept it! I want to see what’s inside!”
Aslan even stomped his feet impatiently.
Even Id looked as though he would be hurt if she refused, so Minerva had no choice but to surrender.
“Then… I’ll accept it gratefully, Sir Mente.”
“I hope it pleases you.”
With a brightened expression, Id handed her the gift.
Minerva carefully untied the ribbon.
All eyes were fixed—the children on the gift, Id on Minerva.
Finally, the gift was revealed.
“Wow!”
“Woooow…!”
The children gasped in awe.
Minerva, just as stunned, whispered softly,
“This is…”
