Chapter 77:


    <b>* * *</b>


    Today''s game was a tactile game. It was a game of painting freely on the long white cloth that Sarah had spread out with paint that had a jelly-like texture. Of course, it was not the brush that applied the paint, but the whole body, including the hands and feet. Sarahughed out loud as she watched ude roll over the fabric, already excited and with paint all over his body. Then she rmended it to Ethan, who was also looking at it with satisfaction.


    "Duke-nim, hurry up and do it, too."


    "......I''m okay."


    "You promised to y together!"


    ude, who came running as he watched Sarah pulling Ethan''s arm, also responded.


    "That''s right!"


    ude put his handprints on Ethan''s clothes so that he couldn''t resist any longer. Seeing the yellow handprints on his clothes, Ethan froze on the spot. Seeing him like that, Sarah also grinned and put paint on her hands.


    "Ta-da!"


    Sarah''s fingers, dipped in red paint, grazed the side of Ethan''s lips.


    "......!"


    Veron, who had been watching Ethan who had suddenly painted his face, widened his eyes in surprise.


    ''Can, can she do that to Master?''


    It was at the moment when Veron hurriedly took out a handkerchief for him to wipe his face and was about to deliver it.


    "So it''lle out like this."


    Ethan, who smiled softly, took a bucket of paint and sprayed it on Sarah and ude.


    "Kyah!"


    "Woahh!"


    Sarah and ude screamed and ran away.


    "Haha!"


    Ethanughed loudly as if he was delighted to see their urgent retreating back. Then he backed away when he saw ude approaching with a bucket of paint the size of his body from the distance.


    "I should run away."


    Ethan ran into the garden without looking back. ude, who missed the target, changed his target and rushed towards Sarah.


    "Ash, ude-nim! This is too much!"


    The sound ofughter containing Sarah''s screams that followed immediately echoed brightly under the warm sunlight. Ethan knew that ude had given up on him, and she cautiously took a seat at the table overlooking the two of them.


    "Master, are you okay?"


    Veron came and handed Ethan a handkerchief along with a mirror. Ethan epted them and answered.


    "Of course I''m okay. It''s fun now."


    "Is that so?"


    At Ethan''s soft reply, Veron wiped his chest as if he was relieved. Ethan looked at his face in the mirror that Veron had handed him. He stared nkly for a moment at the thin red solid line on his lips.


    "......"


    It was like blood running down his lips, and he put his head down on the table.


    "Master?!"


    Veron went up to him in surprise, but Ethan said nothing and motioned for him to go away. Veron, who immediately recognized the meaning, looked at Ethan with a worried gaze while stepping back.


    ''As Sir Harper said. I heard he''s been doing that often these days.''


    Veron remembered what Jade had said. It was said that sometimes His Lord thought about something nkly and then banged his head on the table. He didn''t believe it, but seeing it before his eyes made him even more worried.


    "......Haa."


    Ethan sighed deeply, not caring what Veron thought from behind. Sarah might not remember, but the red marks on his lips reminded him of her. It was the memory of Sarah, who couldn''t breathe because of her blood, and he was kissing her and breathing into her mouth.


    "I''m going crazy."


    Ethan mumbled bitterly, raised his head, and looked at Sarah, who was smiling brightly from afar. His eyes twitched softly, and whenever he heard the sound of her sweet, clearugh, he ovepped with his memories of that time, and his heart beat irregrly. Every time Sarah intermittently looked where he was and met his eyes, he could feel his stiff lips softening as if it wasn''t his.


    "......"


    He was aware of his changes better than anyone else. No doubt, this was love.


    "Duke-nim, look at this!"


    "......?"


    Sarah, who made eye contact with him, sprinted over and held out something. It was a picture of a child''s palm expressing leaves on a branch drawn on a piece of white cloth.


    "Our ude-nim, is he a genius?"


    "Would it be okay if he was my son?"


    "I know. How in the world is he so talented in art?"


    Sarah was excited and chatted about ude''s talent and the artistry of this painting. Seeing her like that, pat, Ethan tapped her and said.


    "I''m better at it."


    "Pardon?"


    "It means I can draw better."


    "That''s right. ude-nim is still a child, and Duke-nim is an adult."


    As if he had said something so obvious, Sarah tilted her head and then turned around and ran back to ude. Looking at her innocent back, Ethan thought. So, obviously, this was an unrequited love.


    <b>* * *</b>


    Despite Ethan''s efforts to avoid him, he ended up drenched in paint. It was because ude, who had paint all over his body, hugged him. Now that he knew how to jump into his father''s arms without hesitation, ude was relentless.


    "Ahahaha!"


    udeughed loudly and stamped his feet in Ethan''s arms. It was so good for him to be a mess, for his father who pretended to be a mess, and for Sarah, who was a mess more severely than he was.


    "Did you have fun today, ude-nim?"


    "Yes!"


    At Sarah''s question, ude nodded strongly. Just by seeing his red cheeks and hearing his excited breathing, she could see how excited the child was.


    "Since you had a lot of fun, it''s time to go study with me."


    "Uh ooh."


    ude liked spending time with Sarah, but he didn''t like studying time very much. Sarah was a very sweet nanny, but she was also a very strict teacher.


    "Master, we have a guest here."


    Just in time, Veron approached Ethan and said. Now his ytime was over.


    "Then I should let you go."


    "Yes......"


    ude pursed his lips, but quietly came down from Ethan''s arms. Gently stroking the child''s hair, Sarah snapped her fingers. Then her azure mana enveloped ude, and his clothes that had been soaked with paints became very clean.


    "Wow!"


    It happened many times when he was with Sarah, but ude burst into admiration as if curiously every time. It was the same for the servants of Ambrosia. With a single gesture of Sarah, the paints that had sshed all over the garden disappeared, and the grass, flowers, and small branches that were crushed by ude''s rolling came back as before. Whenever this happened, ude would realize that his nanny was a magician.


    "Sarah, I''ll be in your care, too."


    Like ude, Ethan, who was drenched in paint, also asked her. But Sarah looked at him yfully and shook her head.


    "You''re very cool right now."


    "To greet guests like this......"


    Ethan raised his arms and said, but Sarah smiled and shrugged as if she had no intention of making him clean.


    "If it seems that way in Sarah''s eyes, then so be it."


    Ethan eventually gave up and lowered his arms. It was probably impossible, but Sarah smiled again and snapped her fingers because he looked somewhat sullen.


    "......!"


    Then, like ude, Ethan also became a neat figure with no traces of paint left. Ethan, who had really given up and was about to prepare on his own, blinked for a moment and then smiled briefly.


    "Thank you, Sarah."


    "You''re wee."


    Ethan said, stroking ude''s hair with such a clean state.


    "I''ll be back, so you have to listen to others carefully."


    "Yes! See youter!"


    ude turned and watched Ethan''s back as he and Veron exited the garden until the end. After looking at him like that, when he couldn''t see his back, he ran in front of Sarah and boasted with his eyes shining.