I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 177 - Side Story 16

 

After a long time, I enjoyed the party with some students from Leli-Club, whom I had gotten to know at the academy.

 

Then I realized it was getting late and hurried to the carriage.

 

“Oh no, Caon must have been waiting for me, and Lione should be asleep by now…”

 

Of course, I could call Carson for a quick ride home, but since the Ducal Residence of Lysianthus wasn’t far away, I decided to take the carriage instead.

 

The thought of being scolded by Carson was a little scary.

 

I’d had quite a bit of wine, and I was worried about the odor. If he realized I’d been drinking, he’d scold me even longer.

 

“We’re here, Duchess.”

 

“Took us a while.”

 

At the coachman’s voice announcing our arrival, I slowly stepped out of the carriage.

 

Standing directly in front of the carriage was Lord Lysianthus.

 

Born with silver hair and eyes, Lione was looking more and more like Carson by the day.

 

“Uh… Lione, weren’t you asleep?”

 

The sight of the two of them standing next to each other was very cute, but there was something wrong.

 

I was wondering if I should get back in the carriage.

 

They both stared at me expectantly, their postures and expressions as if they had something to say.

 

“Honey, what time is it?”

 

“What time!”

 

Even Lione, who had always sided with me, was pouting, so apparently he’d been waiting a long time.

 

Like a guilty sinner, I squinted and tried to gauge the time.

 

Around eleven o’clock, I realized it was late, so I hastily boarded the carriage…

 

“Midnight?”

 

One of Carson’s eyebrows arched at the correct answer.

 

“I suppose that means you’re in trouble, then?”

 

“Trouble!”

 

Lione, who had been eagerly repeating his father’s words with his hands on his hips, glanced at Carson in shock.

 

“What, you’re going to punish my mom?”

 

“Yep. I’m going to punish her from tonight until late lunch tomorrow.”

 

“That, that long?”

 

I slapped my forehead. It was obvious that he had a lot of selfish things on his mind as an excuse for punishment.

 

It was my innocent son who took the seriousness of Carson’s expression and words to heart.

 

Lione looked back and forth between me and Carson.

 

He looked at me as if to say, ‘How could you punish your mother so harshly?’ Lione finally decided to defend me and slammed his little fist into Carson’s thigh.

 

“You bad dad, how could you!”

 

Carson smirked and looked down at his son, then crouched down so he was at eye level with Lione.

 

“Keep your nose out of adult matters, little boy.”

 

“I’m not a kid! In ten years, I’ll be older than you…”

 

“You’re going to live twice as long as you do now?”

 

Watching my husband have a heartfelt argument with our 5-year-old son, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

 

They usually fought over childish things, but the good thing was that they were on good terms.

 

“You old man!”

 

“Yeah, kid.”

 

…It’s a good thing, right?

 

Carson stood up from his seat and looked down at Lione with a smirk on his lips and his eyes filled with amusement.

 

“In the first place, your inability to understand that scolding your mom all night proves you’re a child.”

 

“Is it like that…?”

 

“Caon!”

 

I hastily changed the subject, knowing that if I did, the unsuspecting Lione would find out the truth.

 

“Speaking of which, it’s long past bedtime. Would you like to sleep with Mom and Dad for the first time in a while, Lione?”

 

Lione, who had started sleeping by himself early on, his eyes sparkled at the idea of sleeping together.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yep. Lione will protect Mommy from Daddy all night.”

 

Carson, sensing that I was trying to gloss over the situation, interjected, as if to say, ‘Think it over.’

 

“Son.”

 

Lione’s eyelids fluttered in response, unable to choose. 

 

Sleeping with his mom and dad for a long time, Lione felt like he had no choice.

 

Lione finally shook his head.

 

“Mom, I’m sorry… but I did wrong, and I think I should pay for it.”

 

“Li, Lione.”

 

“I’ll be a big boy soon, and I’ll have to understand some of these things.”

 

‘Listen, son. I don’t think you understood what I really meant!’ 

 

Having extracted the answer he wanted from his son, Carson responded.

 

“You’ve chosen well, son, and I’ll make sure your mother never comes home late again.”

 

Lione tugged on Carson’s sleeve, as if it still bothered him that he had picked not to sleep together to be an adult.

 

“Dad, don’t be too hard on her, though.”

 

“I’ll think about that.”

 

…It seemed to me that it would take a lot of time for my son to understand what Carson was saying.

 

🍼

 

“Aww, my little boy is so pretty!”

 

Leen laughed heartily as she looked at her son, who looked like a little princess in his pretty dress.

 

Carson had made this dress for me when I was pregnant with Lione, and it was a waste.

 

It fits him so well because he has such a beautiful face.

 

No wonder, Carson wanted to have a girl.

 

Finally, Leen tied Lione’s short hair into a parted bun and, unable to resist, took out her camera and snapped away.

 

Leen smiled bashfully at the picture.

 

“If mom likes it, then I like it too.”

 

Aww. Even saying it was adorable.

 

How could I have given birth to such an angel?

 

My worries that he would take on Carson’s rambunctiousness or my mischief were for naught.

 

Leen wrapped her arms around her son and turned to Carson, who was beside her.

 

“What do you think, Caon? Isn’t my little Lione so pretty?”

 

“You should have had a girl after all…”

 

Well, the words don’t really matter, but they do go over well with Lione.

 

“My son is so beautiful, what if someone takes him?”

 

At that, Lione turned serious and spoke up.

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll marry my mom when I grow up.”

 

At his son’s bold statement that he was going to steal his wife, Carson let out a blood-curdling laugh. Such was the leisure of the haves.

 

“Why would you want to marry your mother?”

 

“Because I want to live with her for the rest of my life, and she’s pretty, and nice, and capable, and…”

 

“But she’s already married to Daddy.”

 

“But?”

 

Lione glanced at Carson with a questioning look.

 

“Why bother with marriage if divorce is the end of it, Dad?”

 

“You’re being cheeky, my son.”

 

Carson tilted his head askance.

 

“You have no money, no title, and no more magic than I do. Why would Leen abandon me and marry you?”

 

“But she likes me.”

 

“Fool, that’s obvious, and kin can’t marry.”

 

“…Really? Why?”

 

“Because we’re related by blood.”

 

At the mention of blood, Lione thought for a moment, then nodded, correcting his statement.

 

“Hmm. Now that I think about it, I think son is better than husband.”

 

“Why?”

 

I was surprised. I expected him to be shocked that he couldn’t marry his mother.

 

But when Lione continued, Carson was slapped in the back of the head.

 

“My father can divorce my mother and become unmarried, but I can never become unmarried because I am related by blood.”

 

“… I told you I wouldn’t divorce her even if I were to die.”

 

It was then…

 

The butler knocked on the door to announce the arrival of a visitor.

 

“I apologize for interrupting your enjoyment. But Madame Jane and her son are here.”

 

Leen suddenly realized that today was the day she was supposed to have them over.

 

“Tell them I’ll be in the parlor in a moment.”

 

As Leen turned to lead Carson and Lione to the parlor, she paused.

 

“Oh, what about the dress Lione is wearing?”

 

Changing wasn’t a problem, but I felt bad that we hadn’t seen each other for so long.

 

Hearing the regret in Leen’s voice, Carson added lightly.

 

“Leave it. Jane would rather praise it for being pretty.”

 

“I see.”

 

But it was the child’s opinion that mattered, so Leen cautiously asked her son.

 

“Lione, are you sure you’re okay with being seen like that?”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

Lione decided that if his mom liked it, it didn’t matter what anyone else thought.

 

And so the meeting was sealed.

 

“Wow, Lione. You’re so cute, and your dress looks great on you.”

 

Jane clapped her hands in delight when she saw the dress Lione was wearing.

 

As often happened, Lione smiled brightly and curtsied.

 

“Hello, Aunt Jane. By the way, the person next to you…”

 

“Oh. By the way, this is your first time meeting Ian, isn’t it?”

 

Jane interrupted, stroking the child’s head affectionately as he hid behind her.

 

“He’s Auntie’s son. Why don’t you say hello, Ian?”

 

But the child remained silent, burying his face in Jane’s leg.

 

“Well, Ian’s not usually shy, but today he’s acting weird.”

 

Jane was puzzled and tried to ask Ian what was wrong.

 

Until she saw his reddened ears.