The Broken Toy

That Theodore, who is usually so well-behaved, is acting cute like this. Sian was secretly surprised.

But it wasn’t bad that Theodore was acting this way.

No, it even looked cute for his age. Sian soon smiled and picked up another chocolate.

“Okay, Theo. Ah.”

“Ah.”

He popped the chocolate into his small mouth. Theodore munched on the chocolate and then mumbled with his little lips.

That look was so cute that Sian watched Theodore eating the chocolate for a long time.

“Is it delicious?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

“Do you want another one?”

Sian picked up another chocolate, his eyes sparkling. He was excited to see Theodore enjoying it.

“Ugh…”

“…?”

At that moment, Leon stirred in his seat. He wanted to eat more chocolate but found it difficult to ask, so he was only looking at Sian’s reaction.

Sian looked at Leon, who was drooping his tail and ears and whimpering.

“Do you want more chocolate?”

“…!”

Sian understood Leon’s feelings. Leon looked at Sian in surprise.

Even now, his heart pounded when he saw that dark-skinned person.

But perhaps because the chocolate he tasted for the first time was so shockingly delicious, his appetite finally won over his fear.

Sian, seeing Leon nodding frantically, smiled and put the chocolate on the plate.

“Don’t eat too much since it’s dinner, let’s just eat this much.”

Chocolate contained a little bit of caffeine. Of course, it didn’t greatly affect Sian and Carli, but it would be different for Theodore and Leon. Sian was careful to consider the children’s eating habits.

Leon didn’t nod and ate all the chocolates on the plate. Chocolate melted and got on his fingers, but he didn’t care.

Instead, he licked all the chocolate on his fingers.

“Truly, it’s hard to be in the same room with that dog.”

“Carli, are you leaving already?”

“Don’t call me when that dog is around.”

“Then can I use the kitchen as I like?”

“Ugh.”

Carli was tormented just by imagining it. In the end, he couldn’t give up his clean kitchen and promised to come only when grilling meat, and then left. Sian looked at the children with a relieved face.

“Now, let’s wash our hands and get ready for bed.”

“Yes.”

“Grrr…”

Leon, who had been contentedly stroking his full belly, tensed up at the word ‘wash’.

Theodore replied obediently and approached Sian, but Leon once again bristled his fur and was on guard.

As expected, he really hates washing since he’s a beastman.

Still, those hands are so dirty, he couldn’t help but wash them.

Sian reached out his hand towards Leon.

“Come here, come on.”

“…!”

Leon stared at the snow-white hand reaching out to him.

He knew he should be wary, but it was hard to ignore the hand that had given him so much delicious food.

Eventually, Leon slowly walked over to Sian.

“That’s right, good boy.”

“……”

The snow-white hand that had reached out to him stroked his head. Leon wriggled his body at the ticklish feeling.

When he was in his wolf form, his mother often licked his fur, but it was a little different from that.

However, Leon found it difficult to know exactly what this sensation was.

“…!”

“……”

Then his eyes met Theodore’s. Theodore’s eyes were cold. His eyes, brighter than before, were a little eerie.

Leon involuntarily flinched.

“Well, let’s go wash our hands now.”

Was he still scared? Sian misunderstood Leon’s actions and dropped his hand, feeling embarrassed.

And then he turned around.

“……”

Leon, who secretly wanted to be touched a little more, rubbed his head, which still had a bit of warmth on it, with his hands.

Theodore, looking at Leon like that, grabbed Sian’s hand and walked away.

“I don’t want it! This… It’s mine! Give it back!”

“Be quiet.”

“Uaaaah!”

A loud crying sound echoed in the living room. Sian, who was preparing a snack, was startled and returned to the living room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uaaaah!”

Leon started crying even louder when Sian arrived. Sian looked at Leon with bewildered eyes.

“Leon, why are you crying? Stop it, stop it!”

“Huuu, Huuu, Huuuuu…”

The living room was a mess. It had been a little messy a moment ago, but not to this extent.

Sian looked around the living room in confusion, which seemed to have been bombed while he was away.

“Theo, what happened? Huh?”

“……”

However, Theodore kept his mouth shut and turned his head. Sian was taken aback by Theodore’s unexpected reaction.

It had been about a week since Leon had been living in this house.

Leon, who was expected to feel unfamiliar, adapted surprisingly well.

It had been about two days since he was scared of Sian and avoided him.

Instead, recently, Leon had been the first to ask to be petted.

The problem was the relationship between Theodore and Leon.

The two, who were supposed to get along well, were fighting almost every day. Sian had clearly recognized that fact recently.

Was it a problem that they had met at a young age? Or was it because the original work was distorted due to his intervention?

Or both? Sian sighed in the middle of the living room, where toys and dolls were scattered.

“I won’t scold you, so tell me. Leon, stop crying, huh?”

“Huu, that guy, that guy…”

“Yes, Theo?”

“Broke my… toy…”

“Oh, is that so?”

Sian glanced at the toy on the floor, seeing Leon’s tearful words. The horse-shaped toy’s neck was broken.

“It was originally mine!”

Theodore, who had been silent, shouted. He hadn’t seen it directly, but he knew what the situation was.

Leon had no ‘things’ of his own here. Even the clothes he was wearing were slightly large, and they belonged to Theodore.

The toys scattered in the living room were, in fact, all Theodore’s.

But young Leon didn’t quite grasp that concept, and he probably saw Theodore playing with the toys and was purely envious.

So he also played with Theodore’s toys and had a fight. As a result, the horse toy’s neck had been broken.

Sian, guessing the situation, first soothed Leon, who was crying.

“Leon, did you want to play with the toy? Shall I make another one for you?”

“Sniff, sniff… My toy…”

“Yes, do you want the horse toy?”

“Sniff… The bear toy too…”

“Okay, okay.”

The horse and the bear toy, right? Sian nodded. He should tell Kunta to get more toys.

It would be good for them to have their own things, even though they were children.

They wouldn’t fight then, it seemed. Sian, having barely calmed down the crying Leon, approached Theodore belatedly.

“Theo, did you dislike Leon touching your toy?”

“……”

“I’ll make your toys again, too.”

Theodore, pouting, was also cute. Sian, holding back a creeping smile, reached out his hand. And he stroked Theodore’s small head.

But it was unexpected. Theodore would have lent his toys to Leon. No, he shouldn’t think that was natural. Sian quickly corrected his thoughts and embraced Theodore.

“…Do you dislike me because I’m a bad child?”

Theodore, held in Sian’s arms, mumbled in a gloomy voice.

“Huh?”

“……”

Sian widened his eyes and looked at Theodore in the discouraged words. Theodore, with his eyebrows lowered, looked frightened.

“Dislike? The teacher would never do that.”

“But I didn’t lend my toys to him.”

“Umm, no, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong, Theo.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Sian patted Theodore, who was twitching as if looking around.

Theo is good, after all. He was, perhaps, mistaken because he wasn’t used to the other child. This kind child couldn’t have broken the toy on purpose. Sian was secretly relieved and sighed in relief.

“……Hmph.”

“……!”

Because he turned and hugged Theodore, Sian didn’t see Theodore’s face as he stuck his tongue out at Leon. Leon glared at Theodore indignantly.

But this was only the beginning.

‘…I can’t get rid of Leon.’

Sian, who was picking out a book in the study, pressed his throbbing head with his hand.

He had to admit it now. He couldn’t become such a ruthless person.

If they hadn’t met in the first place, it would be different, but he had already met Leon.

He couldn’t coldly send him away, knowing that such a young child would suffer as a s*ave and live according to the original work.

“Should I just keep him…??”

Let’s just think that he met Theodore a little earlier. In the end, there would only be a few episodes.

The huge main stream of the original work wouldn’t change.

For example, the two becoming companions and traveling around the Outer Chamber, and Theodore becoming Emperor and marrying Yurina.

So Leon could live with them for a while and be sent away when Theodore met Yurina.

Sian nodded, thinking so. His gaze turned to the bookshelf again to find a book to use as a textbook.

Clang!

“…!”

The sound of something breaking was heard. Sian turned his head. It was a noise coming from where the children were.

What happened? Sian hurriedly left the study and ran to where the children were.

“What…!”

Sian stopped as he entered the living room. It was because there was no one in the living room.

Only the toys and things the children were playing with were scattered around in the living room.

Sian turned his head and found that the door was half-open. His heart was pounding with anxiety.

Sian urgently kicked open the door. And he stopped his movement at the sight that was unfolding before his eyes.

Sian screamed.

“Leon…!”