Chapter 76 Eager to see his brother, he spouted lies to deceive the dragon…

Leosley had a long-lost dream about some things from the past.

"Everyone."

The perspective in the dream was from a low angle, allowing for easy eye contact with the boys and girls.

"Have you seen Little Mayin? Sigh, I've been looking for him for ages but I can't find him. I wonder where he's hiding to play hide-and-seek with me again."

"I don't know, and I don't care."

This was just a normal question, but it was met with a disgusted retort: ​​"Let me correct you, he's not my family. He's just a troublemaker."

"How can he not be family?"

In the dream, I was a little angry and tried to defend myself in an immature voice:

“He grew up under our watchful eyes, from a limp baby to a healthy child, and he has the same parents. Doesn’t that count as family?”

"No."

Someone chimed in:

"I don't want little monsters with claws and teeth as family members. It's disgusting. Only an idiot like you would pick up this kind of junk."

"...Hey, Tao, you'd better take that back."

Leosley felt his younger self clench his fist:

"Otherwise, otherwise I will..."

"What, you...you still want to fight? I...I was just expressing everyone's thoughts!"

"Alright, alright, calm down."

A kind-hearted adult arrived just in time to stop the impending conflict.

"But he—"

"Koukou, don't blame Tao either."

He bent down and patted the young man's shoulder, affectionately calling him by an old name that even the duke had long forgotten:

"He got up to use the bathroom last night, and when he opened the bedroom door, Mainkun's two bright yellow eyes were floating in mid-air, which scared him so much that he peed himself on the floor! Haha, he's embarrassed right now, so it's normal for him to have some complaints about you, after all, you and Mainkun are such good friends."

"ah!"

The orphans started shouting and yelling:

"Dad! Didn't you say you'd keep it a secret?!"

"Tao, you're so shameful."

“It’s not Tao’s fault. Mainkun is really creepy at night, and I was scared too… He should have been locked up all along!”

How could this happen... Little Mei, how many times have I told you to sleep well at night and not to play in the hallway? Sigh, you forgot again!

Temporarily ignoring some discordant words, the boy with the unruly hair immediately grabbed his adoptive father's sleeve:

"Have you seen Xiao Meiyin? I've searched all the closets and under the bed, but I can't find him anywhere."

"Ah, little Maine..."

The adoptive father scratched his neck in distress, a kind sigh escaping his throat: "How can I keep you in line... I hope you don't get so agitated that you cause trouble?"

Why do you look so embarrassed?

What could possibly happen to Maine if he stayed at home?

“Oh, my dear, you are so considerate, but I think it’s really unnecessary, after all, the lambs are powerless to play.”

The adoptive mother suddenly appeared behind them, interrupting the husband's hesitation and giving a direct and blunt announcement.

"That naughty boy has been adopted."

"Adopt?"

“Yes, adoption. I personally handed him over to his new father.”

She deliberately slowed down her speech and looked down at the boy's face with delight.

"He is a generous, wealthy, and strong man, enough to ensure your brother spends a peaceful and happy life in bed."

"What do you think, □□?"

The Duke felt his lips move awkwardly a few times.

Adoption is normal; the children in this family will all be suddenly adopted one day and never come back.

"But, how sudden..."

At that time, he was not perceptive enough and his reaction was slow, so he couldn't perceive the expectation and malice in his adoptive mother's eyes.

"What do you think, □□?"

The foster mother was not satisfied with this reaction. She squatted down, put her hands on the boy's shoulders, and frowned.

“Your younger brother came later than you and is younger than you, yet he was adopted before you and has a wealthy and prestigious new home. Aren’t you jealous? Aren’t you angry? He’s going to be a young master, while you, who saved him, have nothing. You should be angry.”

Why get angry?

Leosley still can't understand her logic.

"Don't hold back anymore. Mom can understand. Forget about him and don't try to contact him. Rely on me."

Two real tears welled up in the corners of the foster mother's eyes, and behind her came the envious gasps of her brothers and sisters.

"I really wish my adoptive parents were rich, so I could eat as many cookies as I wanted... Why did it have to be Mainkun?"

Oh! Eat as much as you want!

Upon hearing this, the boy couldn't help but laugh.

"That's great."

"Mainkuhn is such a picky eater, he won't listen to anything we do."

"Now I finally don't have to worry about him starving to death!"

"...? What are you talking about?"

"Dad, Mom, has Xiaomei been taken away? Will I have time to say goodbye and wish him all the best?"

Under the farmer's astonished gaze, the boy pleaded with a mixture of sadness and joy:

"Or please tell me where his new home is? Don't worry, Mom, I won't bother him. I just want to see him from across the yard, to see if he's lost weight, if he's eating meat every meal, and if he's being bullied—"

"That's enough!"

Leosley felt that his request was reasonable and not greedy.

He just didn't expect that nearly ten years later, even after he had become a duke above thousands of people, this small request still wouldn't be fulfilled.

"ah..."

"What's wrong, Your Grace? Didn't you sleep well? Would you like to rest for a while before starting your work?"

The human-like Melusin cast a concerned glance at him.

"Don't worry, Head Nurse, I'm just a little uncomfortable in my own bed after sleeping at sea for a few nights." Leosley rarely complained.

"How come I never noticed how humid Melo Petersburg was before? If a furry little animal lived here, it would probably grow mushrooms very easily."

"Are you talking about mushroom pigs?"

Higewen was confused.

"Fungi cat is a more fitting description... cough, don't mind it, it's just a spontaneous thought. Head Nurse, did you bring the person I asked for?"

"Of course, who would dare disobey the Duke's order?"

Melusin blinked hesitantly and advised, "Although she is no longer a patient after her malnutrition was cured and her mental state is normal, I still hope you can interrogate her gently."

"Huh? Hahaha, you've misunderstood. Amélie didn't do anything wrong." Waving his hands with a wry smile, Leosley quickly explained:

"I really just have a few questions I want to ask her."

Higgin recalled the constant, close surveillance that Leosley had maintained ever since Amélie went to prison.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it."

She waved, beckoning her anxious mother to come to the door:

"Mrs. Amélie, come here."

"Don't be afraid. The Duke is a tolerant man. Just answer whatever he asks. Nothing will happen. Remember to come to the infirmary for a follow-up examination after the questioning is over."

How could I not be afraid?

Ame was muttering to herself in a frenzy.

On my first day in prison, I was stopped and interrogated by this young man. After answering him according to the script I had used to reply to Villette, I was immediately treated as a mental patient and taken into custody. I never want to experience that again...

"Please sit down, madam."

"OK."

That's it! With such a polite attitude, he very courteously locked me into the ward!

"Higgwen likes you very much."

“After all, I’m considered quite well-behaved as a mental patient.” Amélie held a grudge and taunted him, “Can you hurry up with the questioning? I’m in a rush.”

"Hmm... So that's his personality. Well, that makes sense. That kid has always liked being taken care of in a strong way since he was little."

The young duke muttered to himself for a while in front of her, and finally spoke again before she could lose her patience.

"I want to ask about your eldest son, Mr. En."

"I've already told you!"

Amélie had never regretted her ramblings so much: "You may not believe it, but what I said was the truth, and you can't doubt that I have delusions because of it!"

At most, I've just concealed some facts! But that's because if I lie, that Melosin will see right through me!

"Don't get excited, don't get excited, madam. I won't ask about Mr. En's behavior today."

"Then what are you asking about? Appearance? Personality? Behavior?"

"No, none of those are the cases. I want to ask..."

After a moment of contemplation, the young duke suddenly picked up a pen and paper with great seriousness:

"I'd like to ask Mr. En's waist measurement, chest measurement, shoulder width, height, shoe size..."

"???" Amyne slowly opened her eyes wide and stared blankly at Leosley.

"lady?"

"Pervert!" the mother exclaimed in shock, inexplicably recalling the half-demon's beautiful face. "I won't tell you!"

"...He's involved in a criminal case, and the Shadow Court ordered me to gather intelligence." Leosley lied.

"oh!"

Oh, it was a criminal case. That's perfectly normal. I'm relieved.

Completely unaware that there was anything wrong with her thinking, Amélie answered cooperatively:

“I remember that minors get reduced sentences, right? It’s better to arrest him sooner so I can keep him company.”

"?"

The person who was shocked became Leosley:

"They haven't even mentioned the details of the case, so how can you be so certain that the culprit is Mr. En?"

"Huh? Eh? Um, um—weren't you the ones who suspected it first? I was just going along with what you were saying!"

"......"

That would be best.

Suppressing his doubts, Leosley continued to write down the information, but the more he wrote, the more alarmed he became.

"Are you sure that's the waist measurement? I'm not asking about Femini's waist measurement."

"Really! Fimini isn't that fat!"

Amélie practically swore, "I didn't measure it precisely, but it's roughly that size. I changed his clothes myself!"

How could this happen...?

"No matter which statistic you look at, he is far from being a typical teenager, even his height is below average."

Is it a developmental problem, or is it due to insufficient nutrition?

Sure enough, you can't tell anything just by looking at his cat form.

However, it's impossible to find where the other person lived in their human form, and it's even difficult to sneak a peek.

"The Duke?"

On a bench outside the Mo Mang Palace, Funina combed the half-demon's fur in her hand, looked up and met Leosley's gaze with a puzzled and uneasy expression.

"Your eyes are a little scary."

"Meow?" The cat listlessly looked up at him.

What's wrong, brother?

"......"

Leosley reached out and grabbed the cat by the back of its neck.

bass!

"Meow!?"

"Wow! Cat thief! Cat thief!"

He snatched the cat, and without a trace of gentlemanly manners, strode off, leaving the furious water god far behind.

I'm sorry, Mainkuhn, I know you may not want to see me, but I really can't wait any longer.

I need to touch your shoulder with my own hand to feel at ease!

"Navilette!"

He called out the dragon's name as soon as he entered the door.

"What's wrong!"

The dragon was startled by the shout, and the cat in his arms was also bewildered.

"I'm cursed and have a terminal illness."

Leosley tossed the cat onto the sofa behind him, trying to hide his stiff face from the other person.

"...What!?"

"Meow!?"

“Naviette, you might not believe it, but this terminal illness is quite rare, and few people have heard of it.”

He frantically winked at the dragon, carrying the anxious cat on his back, trying to make the dragon understand his hint.

"Is it an eye disease? This is difficult to handle. Don't worry, I will do my best to help you."

"...Higwen said that I was cursed with the thought that I would die if I didn't see my brother, so I had to see Mainkuen."

"Oh, that's so unfortunate."

The dragon immediately glanced at the cat discreetly, its worry evident in its eyes:

"I feel this is really difficult. Is there no other way to break the curse?"

"...No."

"If I were to seek a solution from another country on your behalf, in an official capacity..."

There is no other way.

Leosley, expressionless, held up a finger to cover his mouth:

"I must see Mainkuhn."

"Just one meeting is enough."