TPTD 21

She had never once thought about what her favorite food was.

“I eat anything well, though….”

“Still… wasn’t there anything you found delicious?”

At Aelius’s question, Estrella shook her head again. There wasn’t anything she particularly wanted to eat.

And talking about the tree fruits she had eaten with relish felt a little embarrassing.

‘…Because I’ve been eating such amazing food.’

The food Hern had brought her before had also been very fascinating.

It was incredibly delicious.

But Estrella didn’t know the name of that food.

So she couldn’t talk about it. She lowered her head.

“Then I’ll have them prepare various things.”

Seeing Estrella lower her head as if discouraged, Aelius hurriedly waved his hands and added,

‘Am I dreaming, or has His Majesty’s soul changed?’

Uriel, being disrespectful, rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand in front of the emperor and repeatedly squinted.

Though Aelius didn’t notice at all, as all his attention was on Estrella.

“…If I eat, do I go back home?”

“Home, you mean…?”

Aelius asked back awkwardly.

Estrella’s jewel-like eyes sparkled.

Looking into the child’s pure eyes, he let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his face.

“Do you want to go back?”

“Yeah, it’s my home.”

“…How about we eat first and talk again after that?”

Aelius explained as clearly as possible.

The child stared at him for a moment, then nodded instead of answering.

“Alright, I’ll put it that way. Perhaps, um… no. For now, would it be alright if just the two of us have a meal today?”

“…You and me?”

“Yes.”

“….”

The child kept her lips tightly shut and gave no answer.

Aelius, anxiously waiting for her reply, looked at her unmoving lips for a long time and smiled as gently as he could.

“If it’s too much, it’s fine. Hern is okay, right? Then I’ll have him bring your meal.”

“It’s okay.”

“Then I’ll send Hern shortly.”

Aelius gave a bitter smile and stood up.

Estrella looked up at him with slightly surprised eyes.

“You’re okay too.”

“…What?”

“You and me… we can eat. Together.”

At Estrella’s words, Aelius’s eyes widened.

He hesitated for a moment, then knelt down on one knee again to meet her gaze.

Uriel, from behind, could only stare with his mouth agape, unable to hide his shock.

Aelius Rudrick Grandel.

Who was he?

A ruler famous for never bowing his head or kneeling before anyone.

A king born with divine authority so powerful that no one dared lie in his presence.

“Really?”

“…Mm.”

Estrella nodded.

“Thank you… for the name.”

She had finally gotten what she had long wished for. That alone made her very happy.

Now, when the spirit came again in winter, she would be able to tell it her name.

“No, I should be the one thanking you.”

Aelius carefully reached out and pulled the child into an embrace.

Startled, Estrella widened her eyes and squirmed for a moment, but soon relaxed and leaned her cheek against his shoulder.

When she didn’t reject the warmth, it seeped in and made her feel even warmer. Estrella let out a small smile.

As the child plopped down on the floor, Aelius also sat down across from her without hesitation.

Uriel was finally given permission to leave and, hiding his joy, bowed properly before quickly disappearing.

‘I must have been dreaming.’

Dismissing everything he had just seen as a dream.

“…Your Majesty?”

“What is it?”

“Forgive me, but… will you be dining there?”

“Yes.”

Answering Hern calmly, Aelius looked at Estrella, who was sitting across from him playing with Sion.

Despite having a perfectly fine table and dining hall, the two of them were sitting face-to-face in the middle of Estrella’s room.

As if sensing the strange atmosphere, the child glanced between Hern and Aelius.

Aelius silently glared at Hern.

Hern hurriedly moved and began placing the food one by one on the floor.

“Waaah.”

Shiny, extravagant dishes began pouring out from the tray.

Estrella had never seen so many dishes come out like that before.

A gasp escaped her mouth on its own.

“Sion, look at this.”

As Estrella held out Sion toward the food, Sion used her arms as support, then jumped straight toward it.

“Wait—!”

Hern quickly grabbed Sion midair.

“Kyuu! Kyuu kyuuu! Kyuuk!”

Sion struggled wildly with all four limbs—and even its tail—trying to escape Hern.

Its shining eyes were already fixated on the food and smell, as if it had lost its mind.

“This is for Lord Sion.”

Hern placed a plate of raw chicken and raw meat on the floor.

Sion tilted its head, then began tearing into the chicken with loud chomping sounds.

Meat it couldn’t eat immediately was pinned down with its hind claws while it devoured the rest.

“Gulp.”

And Estrella was no different.

Even with her mouth full of food, she held more in both hands—swallowing one bite only to immediately stuff another into her mouth while grabbing yet more.

“….”

“….”

Hern and Aelius simply watched in silence.

Because they could vividly feel just how harsh an environment she had lived in, having to eat like this to survive.

Aelius was struck speechless for a long time.

Gulp.

After eating greedily for a while, Estrella finally noticed the silence around her. She swallowed and rolled her eyes.

Her gaze eventually landed on Hern, then on Aelius.

‘Did I eat too much…?’

Looking closely, Aelius hadn’t touched his food at all.

The child’s eyes quickly dimmed.

‘What if he takes my name away?’

Worried she might have done something wrong again, she hesitated and carefully put the food she was holding back onto the plate.

“Are you done eating?”

“…Yes.”

“If you’re not full, you can eat more.”

Estrella shook her head.

In truth, she was so full it felt like her stomach might burst.

But if she returned there, she didn’t know when she would eat again, so she had wanted to eat as much as possible.

“You should eat too.”

“I’m fine. If you’re done, then… shall we talk a bit?”

“…Talk about what?”

As the child tried to wipe her sauce-covered hands on the floor, Hern quickly stepped in and gently wiped them clean with a handkerchief.

Looking at her now-clean hands, Estrella glanced at him, then crawled over to Sion.

Sion, having stuffed its small body full of chicken and meat, was lying there with a swollen belly, unable to move.

For something called a hatchling, it was quite a comical sight.

“Little one, about the place you lived…”

“….”

At the mention of her home, Estrella’s eyes sparkled.

Seeing her excited gaze, filled with the expectation that she would soon return, Aelius swallowed a short sigh.

“That place will be very difficult for you to live in alone. Winter is coming soon—it’ll be cold, and you’ll be very hungry.”

“Huh?”

“So… um… would you consider moving?”

“…Moving?”

“Yes. It means taking everything you want from your old home and going to a new one.”

“…I’ve lived there until now.”

The child said, puzzled.

There had been hard times and painful times, but still, Estrella had managed to live there alone until now.

Well, technically, she had lived there with Sion.

And when the yellow one occasionally came, hugging it helped her stay a little warm even in winter.

At her words, Aelius thought hard, looking troubled.

“But if you move, you’ll have a soft bed like this, and that dragon…”

“That’s Sion.”

“Yes, Sion. We can make a home for Sion too. And for that cat you saw before. And every day, there will be lots of delicious food.”

As he spoke, Aelius let out a hollow laugh inwardly.

The emperor of the great Grandel Empire, and the best he could offer was a pet’s home and a soft bed.

For the first time in his life, he wondered if he was a rather pitiful man.

If the child had understood money, he would have offered countless treasures of gold and jewels—but those didn’t seem necessary to Estrella.

Right now, simply sustaining her life seemed most important.

“I like that you gave me a name… but I don’t like you.”

Estrella said it bluntly.

Like most children, she had no hesitation in speaking her mind.

Even knowing that, Aelius couldn’t stop the sharp sting and ache in his chest