The atmosphere around the dining table wasn’t gloomy in the slightest.
In fact, host and guests alike were having a wonderful time.
Terrans possessed excellent constitutions to begin with, and a Pegasus like Margaret, being an Elder, was even more physically gifted.
The little bump she’d gotten from the collision earlier was already beginning to go down.
Clarus, on the other hand, was only an “ordinary” Kuranta.
So now he had no choice but to hold an ice pack against his chin with one hand while gripping a fork with the other.
Even in his current state, however, nothing was going to stop him from eating.
Kirill and Henry were already getting rather tipsy.
The two old men had started playing drinking games from their military days and even dragged Schnitz Nearl—Margaret’s father and a fellow campaign knight—into it.
Schnitz was quickly kicked out by the two old men, though.
Their reason?
He was “too weak.” The poor man kept losing so badly that they decided he wasn’t worth playing with.
Then there was Zofia.
No one knew how a two-year-old child had learned to be so elegant, but she was delicately enjoying her meal with knife and fork like a perfect little lady.
If one ignored the pair of tiny legs kicking wildly beneath the table, then yes, Zofia really was an adorable little lady.
One-year-old Margaret, meanwhile, sat in her high chair poking at her food with a plastic fork.
Every so often, she would quietly lift her head and sneak a glance at Clarus before immediately looking away again.
It was both hilarious and unbearably cute.
Naturally, Clarus didn’t fail to notice what the adorable little baby was doing.
The hand holding his fork hovered over his food for quite a while before he finally did something no one expected.
Clarus climbed down from his chair and, under everyone’s curious gaze, trotted over to Yolanta Nearl’s seat.
“Auntie~ Can we switch seats?” Clarus blinked his large eyes at Yolanta, his expression the very picture of innocence.
“Oh?” Yolanta smiled as she picked little Clarus up and placed him on her lap.
“And what does little Clarus want to do?
You know, changing seats in the middle of a meal isn’t very polite.” “But I want Margaret to feel better.” Clarus blinked once before the expression on his small face gradually became serious.
“Margaret hit me and left me like this, so she feels really guilty about it.” Margaret, who had been absentmindedly stabbing at her food with her plastic fork, immediately stopped sneaking glances at him.
Then she began stabbing her food even more vigorously, reducing it to an increasingly unrecognizable mush.
“Mom told me that when you do something wrong, there has to be a consequence.
Margaret did something wrong, so she should make up for it.” Clarus’s little face remained completely serious.
“If I just forgive Margaret right away, she might feel less guilty, but then that guilt could turn into worrying about whether I really forgave her.” “If you do something wrong, you should make up for it.
That way, it’s better for everyone.
Once you’ve actually done something to make amends, you can feel at ease instead of continuing to feel guilty.” “When you make a mistake, you admit it and accept the consequences.
That’s what Mom taught me.” The entire table fell silent.
Every pair of eyes immediately turned toward Clarus’s mother, Lucia.
Lucia herself looked rather startled.
“I only taught little Clarus that he should openly admit when he’s done something wrong.
I didn’t expect him to…” “Did you come up with all of that yourself?” Yolanta gently stroked Clarus’s head.
“Yes.
I think it’ll help Margaret feel better.” Clarus nodded.
“What a genius.” Kirill had one arm around Henry’s shoulders, his eyes narrowed drunkenly.
“He might not possess the strength of a knight yet, but he already has the spirit of one.
That’s truly rare.” “The spirit of knighthood is, at its heart, simply the gathering of every good virtue into one.” Henry let out a drunken burp.
“But then again, he is my grandson.” Kirill snorted twice before chuckling quietly.
“How about bringing him to our estate for a visit in a few days?
What do you think?” Henry turned his head.
Reflected in Kirill’s pupils was the aged campaign knight beside him, and only then did Kirill suddenly notice just how much hardship had accumulated within the eyes of his old friend.
“Kirill, it’s been a long time since we last sparred…” Henry whispered beside his ear.
“You remember the rules from the army.
When words aren’t enough, we speak with the swords in our hands.” Kirill blinked and fell silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
“No problem.
Let me see whether your skills have really gotten rusty!” Meanwhile, Yolanta continued gently stroking Clarus’s head.
“What a sweet and clever child.
Auntie really does like children like you.” She smiled.
“But then, how do you want Margaret to make up for what she did?” Margaret tightened her grip around her little plastic fork and raised her head to look at Clarus with an expression that practically screamed, Do whatever you want to me.
I’m ready.
There were still many words in the adults’ conversation that little Margaret couldn’t understand, but she had grasped the general meaning.
And just as Clarus had said, kindhearted Margaret genuinely felt guilty for hurting someone.
Strangely enough, knowing that she would receive some kind of punishment…
really did make her feel much better.
Clarus bit lightly on his finger and thought for a moment.
“How about Margaret holds the ice pack for me?
Eating with only one hand is really inconvenient.” “In that case, Margaret, what do you think?” Yolanta looked toward little Margaret for her answer.
“H-Hold…
hold!” Margaret began struggling excitedly in her tiny high chair, waving her little hands as though she couldn’t wait to get started.
Everyone around the table burst into laughter.
Clarus’s mother, Lucia, stood with a smile.
“I’ll go get a pair of gloves.
That way her hands won’t get cold.” “Thank you for the trouble.” Yolanta smiled and nodded before turning toward little Margaret.
“Margaret, did you learn something today?
When you do something wrong in the future, you must admit it properly.
Don’t let your heart bear the punishment in your place.” “Sin is like a raging flame—it scorches the soul clean.” Even Młynar seemed somewhat moved.
“The wisdom of children.” Yolanta lifted Margaret from her chair, then took Clarus by the hand and led them back toward Clarus’s original seat.
“Little Clarus, your idea really is wonderful, but Auntie still needs to tell you something.
You aren’t allowed to change seats in the middle of a meal~” Yolanta crouched down, set little Margaret on the floor, and brought herself level with Clarus’s eyes, still smiling warmly.
“When you’re doing something important, you mustn’t forget the little details.
Just because you want little Margaret to make amends doesn’t mean you can ignore proper table manners.” “Yes, Auntie.
I’ll remember.” Clarus obediently nodded before climbing back into his seat.
“What a good boy.” Yolanta smiled in satisfaction before turning to Margaret.
“All right, Margaret.
Make sure you hold it properly!” Lucia slipped a pair of Clarus’s winter gloves onto little Margaret’s hands.
Margaret immediately hurried over and very earnestly pressed the ice pack against Clarus’s chin.
“H-Hold…
hold tight!” “Margaret’s doing such a good job!” The dining table was once again filled with laughter.
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Clarus blinked and met little Margaret’s intensely serious gaze.
Then he used the serving fork to pick up a piece of cake and held it in front of her.
Margaret blinked her enormous, adorable eyes.
“Om!” She swallowed the piece of cake in one bite, and a delighted smile immediately blossomed across her face.
“Y-Yummy!”