"Aunt Mima! / Mom."

Finally, as Ogre was almost done with his meal, Macal and Maggie returned.

"You're back."

Mima happily opened the door, but she was stunned—because they had also brought back Eve.

……

"Tell me... what happened."

Mima had some idea why Ogre returned alone.

"This..." Macal looked at the girl beside him, unsure of how to start.

He didn't know how to explain it. He had gone out to meet Miss Geling...

But ended up bringing back his former 'good buddy' Eve.

"Let me explain." Maggie took the initiative to explain...

"That's about it."

After Maggie finished explaining, Mima took a deep breath—she was still a bit confused.

"So you're saying... Eve and Carl are together now." Mima said, glancing at Ogre, who was reading a book not far away.

Actually, she preferred that simple and beautiful girl.

This timing was just not right...

Now this happens.

Doesn't this make her previous actions seem questionable...

"Um... Aunt, I..." Eve glanced at Macal, then shyly lowered her head and said in a small voice, "I'll try my best to be a good wife to Brother Carl..."

Macal was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Aunt Mima, my mind is made up."

"Handle your own affairs, Carl. You're a grown man now, you should have your own will—just don't go back on your word."

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Mima took off the silver ring from her hand, then carefully took Eve's hand and placed the ring in it.

"Ah... Aunt Mima, this is..." Eve's cleverness and wit only showed when she wasn't in front of Macal.

"Consider it a gift from Carl." Mima withdrew her hand with a smile.

It was originally meant for Ogre.

What a pity...

"Used to be like a little boy, but now you've grown up." Although this was unexpected for Mima, it was too late to stop it now.

Perhaps, fate had reached its end here.

As long as she wasn't after Macal's money or power, she could accept it.

'Looks like... there's nothing for me to do here.' Ogre lifted his head slightly—seeing Mima's family chatting and laughing, he felt relieved.

'That's nice—no matter how beautiful the appearance, it can't compare to lasting affection.'

Ogre smiled, then took a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

He then continued to read the "Words of the Dawn God" in his hand.

'Power will eventually change... the beautiful shell it clings to will also fade and peel away with time, only lasting knowledge is truly eternally beautiful; the more barren and empty a person is, the more they need external embellishments—but I only need a bundle of thorns.'

——"Words of the Dawn God" / Chapter of the Lord of Thorns.

……

"Sister Geling!" At some point, Maggie had walked up behind Ogre.

Aunt Mima was busy preparing lunch again for Macal and Eve.

To avoid disturbing Macal and Eve.

Maggie thought for a moment, then casually found an excuse to leave, tactfully giving the two enough space.

With nothing else to do, she approached Ogre, who was reading.

"Hmm...?" Ogre put down the "Words of the Dawn God" and turned to look at Maggie behind him.

He had just reached the part about the fifth son of the God of Dawn ascending the throne... why was he being bothered again?

"Why are you wearing a scarf at home?" Maggie took the initiative to unwrap the scarf Ogre had put back on, "There, that's cuter."

Ogre: "..."

Why does she always find him—hasn't he been low-key enough?

"Sister Geling, what did Great Cleric Fra ask you to do..." Maggie wrapped the scarf around her hand, pulled over a chair, and sat down, then began to softly inquire.

Because she was speaking softly, Maggie was almost leaning against Ogre.

'Is this something you can ask casually?'

The close questioning made Ogre a bit at a loss—he couldn't quite understand the knight girl's thought process.

"Great Cleric Fra didn't bully you, did he?" Seeing Ogre's somewhat dazed look, Maggie seemed to remember Ogre's 'half-mute' persona.

She immediately changed her question.

"No..."

Ogre's thoughts turned, and he figured it out—Fra's probing, in Maggie and Macal's eyes, should seem more like an elder's care, right?

After all, they both returned 'safely.'

Hmm... so probably, maybe, Maggie was just concerned about him.

"That's good... by the way, Sister Geling, did you let Great Cleric Fra see..." Maggie leaned back a bit, then picked up Ogre's scarf and performed a face-covering reveal.

'I can understand pretending to be half-mute, but you being mute...' Ogre was momentarily at a loss for how to critique Maggie's performance desire.

"Did he see?" Seeing Ogre's blank look, Maggie asked again uncertainly.

"Yes..." Ogre nodded.

"He didn't blame you, did he..." Maggie asked again.

"No..." Ogre shook his head.

"I knew it—Sister Geling is so cute, it's understandable to hide yourself." Maggie smiled and reached out, gently pinching Ogre's cheek.

For some reason, she just wanted to touch Ogre's face.

It felt like she had awakened some incredible hobby.

Ogre: "..."

Well, it feels like it would be better if Macal were here—are girls always this troublesome?

"Sorry about Sister Eve, she's not really like that, actually, that, that didn't mean anything else." After her chatter, Maggie began to cover up Eve's previous bold words.

She hadn't expected Eve to say something so wild.

What did she mean by not minding being the smaller one?

Don't lead Sister Geling astray, okay...

"Hmm?..." Ogre chose to explain everything with his innocent eyes.

If Maggie hadn't mentioned it, he would have forgotten Eve's bold words...

"Carl, Eve, just have a little something to eat."

At this moment, Mima brought out the reheated lean meat porridge.

"Oh, you'll understand in the future."

Maggie didn't know how to explain that sentence.

Seeing Ogre's innocent gaze, she felt a sense of guilt for leading her sister astray...

Fortunately, Mima came to Maggie's rescue.

"Time to eat, Maggie."

Mima called towards Maggie and Ogre, at this moment Aunt Mima was serving porridge to everyone with a ladle.

She had deliberately made the porridge much thicker.

"Geling, have you eaten?" Maggie asked as she got up from the chair.

"Yes..." Ogre nodded.

Finally, he could continue reading.