44. Klee, the Angel of the Realm

Before meeting that young lady, Jean had also harbored doubts about the rumors of a "beloved partner."

She was merely willing to extend basic trust out of respect for the Honorary Knight.

However, upon seeing the young lady in person, she instantly felt that the rumors might not be entirely groundless.

She even suddenly understood the Traveler's feelings!

Although the Traveler hailed from another world, people everywhere looked more or less the same with comparable aesthetic standards; why couldn't he fall in love with a local?

Who could resist falling for such a delicate beauty, as charming as a flower yet as ethereal as drifting mist?

If she were a man, she would likely be willing to open her arms to catch that gentle, flowing cloud of smoke.

Her gaze involuntarily softened with tenderness, affection, and admiration.

Seeming to notice her intense gaze, the young lady gave her a dignified and reserved nod, offering a slight smile as serene and lovely as a delicate flower reflected in water.

Jean could not help but feel a pang of emotion.

*(The Traveler... truly is blessed.)*

...

"Amber! Jean!" Paimon greeted them excitedly.

Over there, Aether had already caught the running Klee, lifting her up in a joyous toss high into the air. Little Klee laughed and shouted with sheer delight. Seeing her innocent and carefree appearance, Peinana's smile softened with a touch of genuine warmth.

Albedo stood to the side, watching them play with a smile. After a few seconds, he turned to address the silent young lady standing beside him with an identical smile, "Hello? I am Albedo. Are you that guest of mine?"

Peinana’s smile stiffened slightly before she slowly turned to look at Albedo. Her bright, watery eyes reflected the twinkling, fragmented lights of the courtyard, concealing her emotions.

Albedo reached out a hand to her, tilting his head slightly with a puzzled look.

The young lady smiled faintly, gently shaking Albedo's hand and greeting him with dignified restraint. Her shy voice was clear, sweet, and gentle, "Hello. I am Peinana."

Her soft palm was boneless and frail, as light as a feather. A gentle shake yielded almost no substance before she withdrew her hand.

*(Like a fluffy dandelion that looks pleasant to touch, only to realize upon contact that it scatters at the slightest brush.)*

Albedo thought, withdrawing his hand to look at Klee once more.

Klee had already been set down. She stretched out her fair, chubby arms, bouncing and acting spoiled as she still wanted to play.

"Not this time, little Klee!" Aether squatted down to look her in the eye, smiling as he said, "Big brother will play with you another day. Today, if big brother only plays with you, the other big brothers and sisters will be sad! Come, big brother will introduce you to a new big sister!"

He took Klee's small hand and led her over to Peinana, introducing her with a smile, "Little Klee, this is Nana. You can call her Big Sister Nana!"

"Hello, Big Sister Nana!" Klee immediately shouted back, sweet and obedient. Her round face bloomed with a brilliant smile, as sweet as a garden full of spring flowers bursting into bloom.

"Such a good girl~" Even though her nerves were stretched to the breaking point, Peinana could not help but be distracted by Klee's cuteness. Forgetting the dangerous Albedo and the Knights of Favonius for a fleeting moment, she broke into a doting, motherly smile.

Unconsciously squatting down as well, she retrieved a prepared gift—a chubby, fluffy bunny small messenger bag packed to the brim with candies. Using a sweet, exaggerated baby voice, she smiled warmly at Klee, "Good babies get candies, this is for you, little Klee~"

"Wow—such a cute bunny! Thank you, Big Sister Nana, Klee loves it!" Klee covered her little face in pleasant surprise, eagerly taking the bag and strapping it onto herself. Spinning around in a circle, she patted the pouch at her waist proudly, then looked up expectantly at Albedo, "Big Brother Albedo! Does Klee's bag look nice?"

The handsome youth's eyes and brows flowed with gentle warmth, gazing at her as if she were his most precious treasure. He nodded without hesitation, "It looks great!"

"Hehe!" Klee gave him a sweet, radiant smile, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, right..."

She hurriedly shook off her shoulder bag, her sweet voice sounding innocent as she said, "Big Sister Nana gave Klee a gift, so Klee has to give a return gift!"

With that, she plunged her small hand into her backpack and rummaged around, pulling out a small, round, red bomb.

Albedo's gentle smile vanished instantly, his expression changing drastically. He lunged forward in a single, lightning-fast stride, grabbing Klee's little hand with astonishing speed and shoving both her hand and the bomb back into her bag. Under the courtyard lights, a faint sheen of crystal sweat beaded on his forehead.

He shot Klee a warning glare and called out her name in a deep voice, "Kle—e!"

Klee shrank her head back, a look of grievance and guilt washing over her round, adorable face. Her soft, baby voice carried a hint of tearful fright, "S-Sorry, Big Brother Albedo. Klee, Klee forgot she wasn't supposed to take that out..."

Peinana had no idea what had just happened, but from the reactions of the siblings, she knew the return gift Klee had intended to give her must have been something strictly off-limits.

How could she stand by and watch Klee get scolded because of her?

She hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, saying softly, "It's alright! Klee is such a cute little darling, whatever she gives big sister, big sister will love it! Would Klee like to give big sister a hug as well? Let's treat that as the return gift, how about it?"

"Eh?" Klee widened her pretty eyes slightly, thought about it for a single second, and decisively pushed Big Brother Albedo aside. Spreading her arms wide, she launched herself in a flying tackle straight into Peinana's embrace.

Though tiny, wrapped in her pretty red cloak, she felt like a soft Christmas doll, and her flying tackle packed quite a surprising punch.

Peinana, who had been squatting on the ground, was nearly knocked over, stumbling backward and almost landing ungracefully on her backside.

"Oof!"

Such a powerful little cutie!

"Careful!" ×2

Aether and Albedo moved with lightning reflexes. One hurriedly grabbed Peinana by the shoulder while the other reached out to catch Klee by the collar.

The two men silently exchanged a glance, shared an awkward smile, and then, with mutual tacit understanding, slowly let go as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you, Big Brother Albedo!" Klee chirped gratefully to Albedo, then turned back to give Peinana a sweet smile. Blinking her large, innocent eyes, she asked, "Big Sister Nana, do you want another hug? This time Klee will be very gentle!"

Peinana: "......!!"

*(Ahhhhh! Why is she so sweet, so cute?!)*

Peinana was utterly captivated. In a wave of impulse, she leaned in to share a blissful cheek-to-cheek cuddle with little Klee, her sweet baby voice sounding even softer and sweeter than Klee's own: "Okay~"

Wuwuwu, that little face was so soft, tender, and bouncy—it was simply heavenly!

"Heehee!" Klee immediately wrapped her in another big hug.

Aether had been closely monitoring Peinana's emotions and her interaction with Klee. Seeing Peinana's tension visibly melt away—to the point where she almost seemed to have forgotten about the members of the Knights of Favonius and Albedo—he quietly breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly congratulating himself on his brilliant idea to bring Klee along to break the ice.

*(The effect is even better than expected.)*

*(As long as she doesn't look guilty, not even Kaia would casually suspect an ordinary person.)*

Striking while the iron was hot, he eagerly suggested, "Would Klee like to go inside and tour big brother's new house with big sister? It's very big. To welcome little Klee, big brother and big sister hid treasures in a few places, but I won't tell you—you'll have to find them yourself, clever little Klee! What do you say, little Klee? Want to give it a try?"

"Treasures?!" Little Klee's eyes widened as she hopped up and down in excitement. "—Yay, yay! Klee is going to find the treasures!"

With that, she dashed eagerly into the house.

Albedo was just about to follow when Peinana seized the opportunity, spinning around to chase after Klee's retreating figure. A single sentence drifted back on the breeze: "I'll go keep an eye on her. You guys be good hosts, Aether!"

Albedo, "......"

Jean and the others, "......"

To be honest, even with a barely plausible excuse, as the "lady of the house" making her formal debut in high society, was it really appropriate to abandon all her guests just to chase after a child?

Everyone silently turned to look at the Traveler.