Chapter 131 Mischievous Grandson

Chapter 131 Mischievous Grandson
I was left completely dumbfounded, my mind racing in a hundred different directions at once. My legs simply gave out, and I sank down onto the woven mat. I pulled a pillow tight against my chest as my tangled thoughts spun completely out of control.

After a solid minute of trying to digest everything that had just happened, I finally blurted out, "What the fuck?!"

Is he completely insane? Why on earth would he say something like that? Was that just part of the roleplay we're doing? Is he weaving some elaborate story to make our cover seem more believable?

Shit!

It didn't make any sense. Deep down, I knew he wasn't just pulling that out of thin air. The way he looked at me, I felt it. The terrifying sincerity... the lingering pain... the overwhelming frustration. He meant every single word.

He has officially lost his mind!

I let out a heavy sigh. Knowing I'd go crazy if I stayed cooped up in that room overthinking, I decided to step outside to get some fresh air. Thankfully, Azi was nowhere in sight.

I kept my head down as I walked through the peaceful village. A secret? He wants me to be his secret? Is he completely out of his head? He knows as well as I do that this is wrong. If we keep slipping down this dangerous slope, I'm the one who's going to end up in severe jeopardy.

A sudden rustling noise pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced toward a nearby tree and noticed someone crouching behind it, clearly a child, given how terribly they were attempting to hide.

I scanned the immediate area. Is he hiding from someone?

"Gideon!" A woman's voice called out from a short distance away as she paced back and forth. "Come out right now, Gideon! You still have a mountain of schoolwork to finish!"

Ah. That explains it.

Gideon peeked out from behind the trunk, placing a finger over his lips to signal me to stay quiet. He looked thoroughly pleased with his little game of hide-and-seek.

"Oh, hello there! Do you need anything?" The woman looking for Gideon spotted me and walked over. "You're one of our new guests, aren't you? Is there anything I can help you with?"

I offered a polite nod. "Oh, no, I'm fine. Are you looking for someone?"

She scratched the back of her neck with a weary sigh. "Yes, unfortunately. My charge is playing hide-and-seek again instead of doing his studies. Goodness gracious! Every single night! Even if I lock his room from the outside, I always find the lock picked or broken."

Well, aren't we dealing with a little troublemaker.

"Does he have a favorite food?" I asked innocently.

The woman paused to think. "He's obsessed with strawberries. Not a single day goes by without him devouring at least ten of them. Why do you ask?"

"Well, if he refuses to show himself right now, you should probably ban him from eating strawberries," I said, speaking loud enough for the tree to hear. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Gideon peeking out again. "For... say, a whole week."

"You're bad!" I suppressed a chuckle as Gideon stomped out from behind the tree, glaring at me with maximum child fury. "I'm telling my Papa on you! All the strawberries here belong to me!"

I turned to face the boy, crouching down slightly. "Oh, is that so? But since you refuse to do your schoolwork—"

"I was just about to come out anyway!" he argued defensively. He hurried over to the woman, grabbing her arm and looking up with big, pleading eyes. "I want strawberries while I study."

The woman melted instantly, smiling down at him. "You can have as many as you want..."

"And some wine, too..." Gideon added cheekily.

"Uhm... half a glass, max," she compromised softly.

"Yay!" Gideon turned his gaze back to me, inspecting me up and down. "You're really pretty, but you're bad. What's your name?"

I leaned down further so I was eye-level with him. "You can call me Sister Kina."

"You're not my sister, Kina—"

"Gideon." A stern edge crept into the woman's voice. "We've discussed this. Even if you are the Leader's grandson, you must show respect to everyone. It's Lady Kina to you."

"S-sorry..." Gideon pouted, crossing his little arms.

I stood back up, catching that detail. "He's the Leader's grandson?"

"Yes, he's Yorick’s son, which makes him Leader Austin’s grandson," she explained.

My eyes drifted back down to Gideon. Now that I looked closely, the resemblance was undeniable. He had the same angelic, gentle facial features as his father.

"I'm Lady Neera, by the way," the woman introduced herself warmly. "I'm tasked with looking after Gideon and acting as his tutor. He's a handful and a bit mischievous, but he learns remarkably fast."

All I could do was nod. I was still trying to process the fact that Yorick had a son. I had assumed he was a carefree bachelor given how easily the young women in the village flocked to him.

"Well, we should get back to his studies, Lady Kina," Lady Neera said politely before scooping the boy up into her arms. "Say good night to Lady Kina, Gideon."

"Good night, Kina—I mean, Lady Kina! See you tomorrow! I'll bring you some strawberries!"

"Oh, sure. Good night, Gideon."

I watched as the two headed off, Gideon enthusiastically waving goodbye over Lady Neera’s shoulder. I let out a long breath. Speaking of which... where on earth is Azi?