“I thought I would die if I didn’t see you. I survived each day looking at the painting that I paid a fortune to the artist to paint.”

Ben, who was crying, took out a piece of paper that he had cherished in his arms.

When Monica received it and unfolded it, the paper split into two. One was a portrait of Monica, and the other was a portrait of Izeline. The paper was so crumpled and wrinkled from being held and taken out every day that it was covered in fingerprints.

“Ben…”

“Monica…”

Watching her parents call each other with tearful voices, Izeline chewed on her meal with a sad expression.

“Izeline seems to like the food.”

Thanks to Monica’s cooking skills, the dining table was filled with delicious smells.

Chew, chew. Om, nom.

Ben smiled with pride as he watched his daughter eat with a fork, thinking that he would still feed her last year. Then, he remembered something and asked.

“Come to think of it, is Izeline not staying at Julie’s house anymore? I went there thinking she would be there, but she wasn’t.”

“Ah.”

Monica wiped her mouth with a napkin, making a helpless sigh.

“I was going to tell you, but Izeline is staying at Armaty Mansion now.”

“What?”

As if he had heard an absurd statement, Ben’s face became blank.

“She’s staying there with the young master to practice swordsmanship.”

“Huh?”

After hearing Izeline’s words, he was shocked and made a strange sound before Ben’s face darkened rapidly. Wasn’t the young master of Armanty suffering from Krug disease?

His head turned to Monica at the thought.

“Why would you do that? It’s too dangerous.”

He blamed her, assuming that she had brought Robert closer to their daughter. It was a possible conclusion.

“It’s the Duke’s orders.”

“….”

It was a series of shocks. Why would a high-ranking Duke give such an order? Was it to give his son, who could die at any time, a commoner friend? As various thoughts swirled in his head, his expression hardened.

Izeline put her tiny hand on her trembling father’s hand.

“Dad. Krug disease is owkay. Don’t worry.”

“….”

Ben, with a complicated expression, did not reply.

In the silence, there was a strong sense of rejection towards his daughter being close to a Krug patient.

‘Sigh…’

Izeline let out a deep sigh inwardly.

She could see by his reaction that he was afraid of Robert. Suddenly, at the thought, she was worried about how Robert was doing.

‘I hope he’s not feeling lonely.’

She wished that the lonely child wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed for the next two days.

* * *

Armanty Mansion.

Robert, who was alone in a spacious room, didn’t know what to do with the time that seemed to flow like a turtle. How could he deal with this boredom and endless emptiness?

“Ugh…”

It was all because of Izeline. He hadn’t been so miserable when he was alone, but now that he had met her, he couldn’t stand it.

“Take responsibility….”

He muttered to himself, although knowing that it was impossible. His voice filled the air, and his heart felt painful.

He missed her. He missed her so much, he wanted to see Izeline…

Bam!

When the door suddenly opened without a knock, Robert snapped out of his thoughts. He glared at the rude visitor.

“What?”

“I was worried that you might be sulking, so I came to check on you.”

“Master, you don’t know how to knock?”

“You only use honorifics when you need something.”.

Michael followed behind him, laughing.

“Though Master, you have never kicked him out before. He tells me to go away every day.”

“Bwecause you kept hanging awound Izeline all the time.”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who sticks to Izeline like gum.”

Watching his two disciples bicker, Oren sighed. He had his hands full with something.

“There, there. Friendship isn’t built like this.”

At his words, the two children pouted.

“Aren’t you friends with each other?”

“This kid is just my classmate.”

“I’m not a kid, I’ve told you several times.”

“Okay, okay.”

As Michael teased him as he pressed his hand against his forehead, Robert didn’t know what to do and just stood there.

“Hey!”

In the end, he couldn’t control his anger and swung his arms like a windmill, charging like a rhinoceros. Michael dodged like a rabbit.

“Ahaha! You look like an idiot!”

“You brat!”

As he ran around the room, kicking up dusts, Oren stepped in to mediate.

“Ah!”

With a swift motion he didn’t usually show, he grabbed the backs of the two squirrels and sat them down on the sofa.

“You’re kicking up dusts in this room. What if it got to the food.”

“Oh.”

“Did you go to the kitchen?”

Robert’s eyes lit up at the sight of the food. The table was now filled with delicious-looking meat as if it had been set there a while ago. On the other hand, Michael vaguely smiled as he remembered the maids who used to complain about the disappearing ingredients at the Wilbright mansion in the capital city.

“I cooked with the fresh ingredients that just came in today.”

As with most foodies, Oren was quite skilled in cooking. Not because he was formally trained but because he would adjust the seasoning until it satisfied his taste buds.

“You can’t have a man’s friendship without meat and alcohol.”

He uttered as he poured himself a beer. He also handed out a similar-looking drink to the children so they could join in the fun.

“This is how you cheer. Try it. Cheers!”

Michael had already experienced this several times, so he clinked his glass comfortably. On the other hand, Robert’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he awkwardly followed along with the unfamiliar gesture.

He regretted not being able to share this wonderful experience with Izeline and followed Oren’s movements as he downed his drink. When they had finished every last drop and put their glasses down, Oren smiled broadly as if he was in a good mood.

“Hahaha! You’re a good man! You’re just like me, a real man!”

As Robert averted his gaze at the strange compliment, Oren glanced at the glass Michael had just set down. There was still half left in the glass.

“You downed it in one shot, huh, Robert?”

“I like it.”

“Michael, what about you?”

“What are you trying to do by getting us drunk, master?”

Michael covered his body with delicate movements like a fragile young boy at the thought of drinking even a drop of alcohol, even though the drink held no alcohol.

“….”

When Oren made a disappointed expression, Robert, who was trying to act tough, laughed and reached for the meat. After he took a big bite of the largest chunk, Oren spoke.

“You won’t even offer your master the largest chuck of meat? You can’t let that happen. If I’m too skinny, I might become a target for the slave trade.”

“You don’t have to worry abwout that.”

Robert, who was chewing the meat noisily, chimed in.

“You’re hideous. They won’t swell you.”

“Hahaha!”

Oren was so pleased that he laughed heartily. Even though his cocky apprentice may have been an asshole, he was handsome, so he couldn’t refute it.

Michael retorted in disbelief.

“I’ve never heard such a thing before.”

“Nowbles only talk nonsense.”

“Is that so?”

“Idiot. You’we fwiend will always tell you the ugly truth.”

“….”

“….”

There was a moment of silence.

Robert’s face turned as red as a beet once he realized what he had said. It was because what he just said was no different from telling Michael, ‘I am your true friend.’

In the meanwhile, Michael’s expression became strange. He looked around as if he was considering whether to mess with him, but in the end, he only let out a dry cough, feeling like it wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Hehehe.”

Oren, who was watching the awkward moment of the boys, smiled to himself.

‘Why are they so cute?’

He thought to himself. He decided to rescue his two disciples, afraid that they would become awkward and distant if he waited too long.

“It’s the magic of meat and alcohol.”

As the two pairs of eyes turned to him, Oren continued.

“It’s the bond of men. Even if you are meeting for the first time, if you clink glasses together, you become sworn brothers. I made over ten thousand friends back in the day.”

He shook his glass as if to prove his point. How much had he drunk to have shared glasses with over ten thousand people?

“A drunkard.”

Just as Robert tried to hide his embarrassment by being brazen, Michael also tried to lighten the mood by adding.

“Now you only have me, master, so I’ll grow up quickly and be your drinking buddy.”

“Forget it. I’ll just drink with Robert and Izeline.”

“Ywes! I’ll be your drinking buddy.”

“That’s strange. Wasn’t I your first disciple?”

“I will always be fair to my disciples.”

Michael chuckled at Oren’s teasing, while Robert was impressed by the idea of fairness.

As the drinks and meat on the table lessened, the atmosphere became more relaxed. Meanwhile, the bond between the men grew stronger. Robert chattered on happily, not even realizing how fast the time was passing.

He thought he would be lonely, but he was actually making new memories on the weekend.

—