Anton was the main reason I avoided his father.
“Noah. You came.”
“Grandfather.”
“Wait up, Noah. Long time no see, Father-in-law.”
The residence of my Father-in-law, Count Garland, was right by the forest. When the carriage stopped by the gate, the great man and the head of the family himself, Denis, came out. He must have been waiting after receiving the message from Fii. Naoh, who got off the carriage rushed to Father-in-law Denis, who lifted him up in his arms. When I tried to get off the carriage, chasing after Noah, Father-in-law helped me down with his free hand.
“Thank you very much, Father-in-law.”
“Yurika. Thank you for coming. That fellow must have been stopping you from visiting, right?”
After helping me down from the carriage, Father-in-law who had a good stature took a proper hold of Noah with both of his hands. It seems that the wise Father-in-law was aware of the situation. My husband Anton was avoiding coming here.
“He’s got his stubbornness from his birth mother.”
I smiled wryly without saying anything. Anton has been fighting with his father for a very long time. That did not change even after I married him. Even though I realized that Father-in-law is a good person on our first meeting, Anton reminded me strictly to not be concerned with him.
Even so, Father-in-law seemed very delighted to be able to see his grandson as when Noah asked “What kind of flower is that?”, he would answer patiently one by one.
I thought so when I came here before too, but this residence is very colorful for the residence of someone who spent most of his time on the battlefield. Especially this flower garden, it’s arranged so beautifully that I want to live here myself and let my heart be healed as I watch the flowers flutter in the wind.
In the center of the garden was a marble statue of a beautiful woman holding a water jug, filling the pond before her with an arc of water coming out of the jug. The flower garden spread around it. Walking on the cobblestone leading around it, my Mother-in-law Margot, was waiting at the entrance of a white building with a red roof. Her characteristic hair stands out as always. She has blonde hair tinged with red, fascinating reddish-brown eyes and beautiful face that matched well with her hair. Being greeted by her beautiful smile, I felt my mood cheering up instantly.
“Welcome, Noah, Yurika.”
“Long time no see, Mother-in-law.”
When the petite Margot stands next to a man of great stature like Father-in-law, she appears just like a small animal. My Father-in-law is in his mid-fifties while Margot is in her forties. She’s so youthful and beautiful that she looks like a grown-up child.
From my point of view, Mother-in-law who possesses such enviable beauty is ironically the reason that causes Anton to avoid his father. According to Anton, Father-in-law Denis and Margot got to know each other when Anton’s late mother was ill in bed. Anton’s mother passed away, and as soon as the mourning period finished, his father took Mother-in-law and Brother-in-law to live with him, which left bad impression on Anton who called Mother-in-law “Father’s mistress” in front of me.