Heart-warming Meals with Mother Fenrir - Chapter 52

Fret Helenslight.

He is a man who married into the family.

He originally came from a commoner background, and his late wife's father was a baron.

Fret was once a knight, but he retired as soon as he got married.

His father-in-law passed away soon after his marriage, and rumors circulated that he married solely for the estate or the wealth.

Fret didn’t care about any of it.

On the contrary, he thought he wouldn’t mind standing in the line of fire if it meant protecting Systia.

On the day that Myris was born, Fret spoke to Systia.

He told her he would hand over the family estate as soon as Milis came of age.

"That might be best. You are too kind for a noble."

Systia said this while laughing.

However, she had always been frail by birth and had been told she couldn’t endure childbirth.

Still, Fret couldn’t deny Systia’s wish to have a child.

That very night, she peacefully passed away with a calm expression on her face, holding the newborn Myris.

And then, the tumultuous journey of raising a child began.

The house had been small to begin with (for a noble residence), and thanks to the neighborhood interactions, he managed to keep going, though exhausted, while struggling with raising his child.

He received a strange invitation from the Misheria Trading Company, which also had connections with the royal family.

He was probably being seen as an easy target.

However, he couldn’t move freely given the current situation.

He felt discomfort at the idea of buying slaves, but he went to the trading company hoping to help a few by hiring them as servants.

Since there was no need for luxury, financially he was able to help a few.

It was there that he met the young Johns and the others, still children at the time.

It was just when he had been thinking of taking in one more.

There, he encountered a woman who looked strikingly like his late wife Systia.

He ended up meeting Whitney by chance.

Fret decided that he would spend all of his savings from his days as a knight to purchase her freedom.

And thus, their life with Johns and Whitney started.

Myris also grew attached to Whitney.

Johns and the others also supported the household.

What’s more, they said that even after their contract ended, everyone would stay.

Fret was happy.

Thanks to everyone’s support, Myris grew up strong and healthy.

He thought there was no greater happiness than this.

At that time, the baby from back then grew up and appeared before him.

The child Systia had been concerned about had become a very respectable young man.

He mentioned that he was working to free the beastfolk as well.

However, through his "gracious arrangement," he was able to meet the late Systia.

And then, he was teased by her regarding Whitney.

Even so, Systia forgave him regarding his relationship with Whitney.

He was happy to finally say, "I'm sorry."

　▼

At this moment, Whitney is out on a walk with Myris, passing through the noble district and heading to the town below.

Naturally, she brought Johns and the others with her.

Due to having been unable to leave the mansion for several years, they have been going for walks almost every day in recent days.

Johns has been keeping an eye on them, accompanying them on their strolls.

In the meantime, it seems that Frenda and the others are doing some shopping.

The reason Fret stayed alone in the empty mansion wasn’t to watch over the house.

He was supposed to be called to the royal castle eventually, but he decided to meet with the king on his own before that.

There are still no other species, other than humans, to be seen in the noble district.

However, he has heard from everyone that they have started to be seen occasionally in the lower town.

The atmosphere in the noble district has gotten better, now that the tension from before has faded.

It’s thanks to the improvement in the atmosphere of the town that Myris can go for walks with Whitney.

Everything is because of that boy, Rude.

Though he was walking slowly as if it were a leisurely stroll, the destination was right in front of him.

Under normal circumstances, it would be hard to meet the king, but he was admitted right away.

"My name is Fret. May I come in?

"Ah, it’s you, Fret. No problem, come in."

"Excuse me for intruding—"

Fret opened the door and entered.

What caught Fret’s eye was the king, whose complexion had improved even more than before.

At the same time, he witnessed an unbelievable sight.

Evans, seated on the throne, had Lynetta sitting on his lap, and he was stroking her ears with an expression of ecstasy.

Lynetta’s face was red with embarrassment, but she didn’t appear to dislike it.

"...Ah, this is so soothing. This must be the 'fluffy' that Rude was talking about."

"Evans-sama, we have a guest. Please, have mercy..."

"...Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy..."

"...Sigh. Evans, are you even listening?"

"Yeah, I’m listening. But this fur, I just can’t resist..."

"Oh, my..."

To Fret, it only looked like the two were flirting with each other.

"Fret, what’s wrong? I was planning to call you in a few days, so you coming today was actually helpful."

"...Ah, Your Majesty. This is..."

"You know this, right? It’s so soft to the touch. I’ve been curious about it for a while."

"Certainly, ears and tails are nice things... No, that’s not what I mean. Why was someone like me made a duke? I’m not even of royal blood."

"Ah, that’s the thing. I actually asked Rude, but he turned me down. That’s when Rude suggested you instead."

"Why someone like me...?"

"Rude said, 'There’s no bad person who likes fluff.' Since you share the same interest, I thought I could trust you with it. Also, Rude said, 'Fret is family.'"

"I’m very honored that Rude would say such a thing. However, to base it on such personal preferences..."

"This country will become one that can engage with non-human races in the future. I promised Rude that. If they are capable, I plan to include them as knights or officials. Having someone like you, who is close to beastfolk, would be a big help."

"I understand. But even so..."

"Is it something you dislike?"

"No, not in that sense..."

"Then there’s no problem. This conversation is over. Now, would you mind leaving me to enjoy this peaceful moment?"

"Evans-sama!"

Lynetta gave Evans a sharp look, as if telling him, "Stop it already."

"Ah, I’ve upset you, haven’t I? Rude is scheduled to visit again soon, so maybe we can discuss it in more detail then."

"Yes... Well then, excuse me."

"Mm. Good luck."

Evans waved his hand lightly, sending Fret off.

It certainly feels like the atmosphere in the castle has improved compared to before.

However, the number of servants and officials is still far too small.

In exchange, the expressions of the people passing by are brighter compared to when Erald and his group were in power.

Half of the nobility in this country has ended up in the dungeons.

The reason might be that all the influential nobles were under Erald’s influence.

In that sense, it seems this country is on its way to becoming healthier and more stable.

Until now, they had been purchasing things related to food, clothing, and shelter from merchants who came and went from the mansion.

It was never something cheap.

However, now they can select and purchase good things cheaply.

The family’s financial situation has also become more favorable.

There were times when he wondered how much he had been treated like an easy mark.

This tremendous achievement was completed by Rude alone, the one Systia had worried about as much as Myris.

Fret has no time to waste playing around either.

That is how much Rude is counting on him.

To repay Rude, who created smiles for his family, he plans to work as if his life depends on it.

Fret thought to himself that he would return to the mansion and greet everyone with a smile when they came home.

Chapter length 3517 characters.

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