Breeding Season - Chapter 61
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Siren was flustered as she looked at the little child who had come to find her.
“So… you don’t have a name?”
“Yes! I don’t!”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask why.
Partly because of the child’s bright reaction, but also because she was worried it might hurt him.
But if he didn’t have a name, what should she call him?
As she pondered, she decided to just ask.
“Then, what would you like me to call you?”
“Hmm, you can make one for me!”
“N-Nuna?”
“Yes! Nuna!”
The beautifully featured boy beamed brightly.
The child, whose striking beauty rivaled Yasamin’s, seemed to be about ten years old.
Eltan, who had brought the boy, had offered no explanation.
He had simply handed her a sheet of paper listing menu items for the banquet and left, telling her to pick the dishes to be served.
He had said the boy would be helpful, but without a proper explanation, everything seemed puzzling.
“But… for me to name you…”
Perhaps this child was an orphan.
She didn’t want to think that he had parents who never gave him a name.
That thought was too painful.
“It’s okay, I like Nuna. If it’s the name Nuna gives me, I’ll love it no matter what!”
The boy cheerfully responded and leapt into her embrace.
Then, he giggled.
It was so endearing that Siren found herself unconsciously stroking his hair.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you not like that…?”
When the boy flinched and trembled slightly, Siren immediately withdrew her hand and apologized.
She should have asked before touching him. Not getting permission had been wrong.
After all, didn’t she dislike it when someone touched her without permission?
“Mm, no. I liked it a lot. Do it more.”
“Really?”
“Yeah!”
What a relief.
Relaxing a little, Siren stroked the child with more sincerity.
The boy narrowed his eyes and nuzzled against her.
Maybe it was because of his appearance, but he really was adorable.
‘What should I name him?’
She would need his help moving forward, so he needed a proper name.
She couldn’t just keep calling him “child.”
Siren quietly observed the boy’s blue hair. She also took in his sapphire-like eyes.
Would a Wilkeron-style name work?
That was all she knew.
After some thought, Siren softly spoke to the boy.
“Chris.”
“Chris?”
“Yes. I’ll call you Chris.”
“That’s awesome! I’m Chris!”
It was a Wilkeron-style name, but depending on how it was pronounced, it could sound Southern as well.
Satisfied, she smiled at the boy, who sparkled like a star.
“Yes, Chris. Can you tell me about the banquet?”
“Of course! First of all, a banquet is about eating and drinking. A lot. Until you get drunk!”
That… was a little different from Wilkeron.
In Wilkeron, a banquet was a social battleground.
A place where people fought with their tongues, not swords.
One wasn’t supposed to overeat, nor get drunk. One must not give others any room for criticism.
“Is getting drunk considered polite?”
“Yes! And everyone finds a partner. If you meet someone at the banquet and spend the night together, you get married.”
“…Huh?”
Isn’t that way too fast?
Marriage was supposed to be an alliance between families.
It was something done for political reasons.
And yet… they just got married if they liked each other?
“But you don’t have to get married. Instead, those people wear a badge on their chest to show they’re just there for fun.”
“Huh???”
What was he even saying?
Siren was bewildered, doubting whether she had really just heard those words from a child’s mouth.
“It’s a copper badge shaped like a bird! So people wearing bird badges have fun together.”
“Ah… ha?”
Their s****l customs were… extremely uninhibited.
Blinking, Siren tried to recall the types of dishes that would be served at the banquet.
The task Yasamin had entrusted to her.
‘Honestly, I still don’t know what’s what, and everything is a mess, but…’
If, in the end, what takes place there is… spending the night together, then it would be best to avoid spicy foods. Also, anything that might leave a strong odor in the mouth.
Lighter and fresher dishes would be preferable to heavy ones.
But would such things even be available…?
“To check, should I go to the kitchen…? Or the food storage…?”
As she muttered to herself, the boy—now Chris—smiled brightly.
“We can just check both!”
“Hm?”
“No one will say anything if Nuna walks around. Let’s go.”
Is that really… okay?
But she hadn’t received Yasamin’s permission.
Or had she? The fact that she had been given this task—was that permission in itself?
Uncertain, she found herself already in the hallway, holding Chris’s hand.
“This is the floor with the VIP rooms. The building has four floors, and the banquet hall is on the first. The food storage is in the basement. Oh, and the kitchen is on the first floor too, but it’s quite a walk. If your legs get tired, let me know, Nuna! I’ll carry you.”
“That’s reassuring. Thank you.”
She wasn’t small enough to be carried by a ten-year-old, but she appreciated Chris’s thoughtfulness.
‘A kindness without reason.’
That was something truly rare and radiant.
Siren walked down the corridor and descended the stairs. Down, down.
When they finally arrived at the kitchen, the place was bustling with movement.
“This is the kitchen!”
“Wow…”
She had never once set foot in the royal palace’s kitchen in Wilkeron.
