Chapter 125 Who's Being a Pervert?
Isabella's face went beet red in a flash.
"Who's the pervert here?!" she stammered, flustered.
"You," came the blunt reply.
Isabella was mortified.
"Cut the crap! I'm not! Just looking at you makes me a pervert? Get over yourself!" she shot back, trying to sound confident before quickly turning away, her heart racing.
Frederick just smirked and gave her a sideways glance, not even bothering to argue.
With some time to kill before dinner, he decided to chat with Dennis.
They needed to discuss Isabella and the Valdemar family’s memorial plans.
When Frederick walked in, Dennis was playing with Blizzard. They were at a small round table, locked in a staring contest.
Frederick's expression softened a bit.
Even though he wasn't a fan of Isabella, he had to admit Dennis had been doing a lot better lately, thanks to her.
Frederick took a seat where Isabella had been sitting.
Both Dennis and Blizzard looked at him.
Blizzard, unlike most animals, wasn't scared of him at all. It tilted its little head, flicking its thin red tongue, looking all cool and collected.
Frederick squinted, checking out Blizzard up close.
At first glance, Blizzard was just a cute, all-black creature. But up close, dark patterns on its body shifted and shimmered like waves.
It was like looking into a deep, ancient pool, with those patterns hinting at some powerful force beneath the calm surface.
Mysterious, dangerous, and kinda chilling.
Frederick squinted again. Blizzard was no ordinary pet.
No wonder Dennis was so taken with it. It was small and cute but also cool and aloof, just like Dennis.
Plus, Blizzard wasn't just rare-looking; it seemed pretty smart too.
Its eyes darted around, clearly taking everything in.
Frederick asked, "Do you like it?"
Dennis didn't say anything, but his silence spoke volumes.
"Did Isabella give it to you?" Frederick asked.
Dennis replied coldly, "It's her son's pet, so she can't give it away."
"Do you want it?" Frederick pressed.
"A gentleman doesn't take what others love," Dennis said earnestly.
Even though he wanted it, he couldn't just take it.
Frederick ruffled Dennis's hair. Isabella was right; despite his issues, Dennis was a good kid and pretty sensible when he wasn't having an episode.
Frederick promised, "I'll find you one like this."
Dennis didn't respond. Frederick asked again, "Do you like Isabella?"
Dennis looked at him and shot back, "Do you like her?"
Frederick answered straight up, "Isabella's good to you, so I don't dislike her. But that doesn't mean I like her. I interact with her because of you, not because of any personal feelings."
Dennis gave him a meaningful look, then said coldly, "She's so dumb and clumsy!"
Frederick knew he was talking about Isabella. It sounded like criticism, but it was full of affection.
Dennis liked her.
"Isabella's kids must be really happy. She loves them a lot," Dennis suddenly remarked.
Frederick said, "Isabella loves you too. She's always trying to make you happy."
Dennis didn't argue.
Frederick continued, "If you don't mind, I'll talk to her later and see if she can stay with you all the time, okay?"
Dennis frowned, "What if my mom comes back? Will we have to send Isabella away?"
"No, it’ll be up to Isabella. If she wants to stay, she can, just like John. She can stay with us, and I’ll pay her a salary," Frederick said gently.
Mentioning his mom made Dennis’s face cloud over. "Didn’t you say you had news about my mom? When’s she coming back?"
Frederick frowned slightly and lied, "She’s been held up by other things and needs more time."
"Did she say that?"
"Yes."
"Does she not like me?"
"Huh? No, she likes you."
"Does she miss me?"
"Of course."
"Then she doesn’t miss me that much," Dennis said, a bit hurt, turning to look out the window.
His little brows furrowed, stubborn and unhappy.
If she really missed him, she’d come back to see him as soon as possible. What could be more important than seeing him?
Frederick knew what Dennis was thinking and felt a pang of heartache.
At times like this, he couldn’t help but complain. 'Dennis loved her so much, how could she be so heartless to leave him behind? How could she go so many years without caring for Dennis, not even willing to come back and see him? Even if she was angry about what happened back then, what did Dennis do wrong?'
Frederick complained in his heart but said, "No mother doesn’t love her child. She must have her reasons for leaving you. Let’s give her some more time. I believe she will come back, and I believe she loves you."
Dennis was silent for a while. Then he asked, "What kind of person is mom?"
"She…" Frederick sighed, "She’s very gentle, cries easily, and when she cries, she looks like a cat."
"Why would she cry in front of you? Do you always make her angry?" Dennis asked.
Frederick was at a loss for words.
Dennis asked again, "What does she look like when she smiles?"
Frederick didn’t know either.
But he didn’t dare tell Dennis that, so he forced a reply, "When she smiles, she looks like the sun, like a flower, just like when Isabella smiles."
Dennis looked out the window again, not speaking.
"You have to believe that love is mutual. If you love your mom so much, she must love you too. If you miss her, she must be missing you too," Frederick said softly.
His words were meant to comfort Dennis and himself.
He missed her and hoped she was thinking of him too.
The room was quiet for a moment, and Frederick changed the topic to the family memorial activities.
He said formally, "Dennis, in a few days, it will be the Valdemar family’s memorial day. We need to go up the mountain."
"I’m not going," Dennis said without thinking.
Frederick wasn’t surprised by his answer and said seriously, "Everyone has to attend; it’s a requirement. And your grandpa must miss you too. We’re going to pay our respects to ancestors and your grandpa."
Dennis’s little brows furrowed tightly.
Frederick knew he didn’t like such occasions but continued, "And this year is different. You’re already five. According to tradition, you need to present flowers to the ancestors, get to know them, and prepare a speech to deliver in public."
Dennis turned to look at him, his voice resolute and cold, "I’ll only present flowers to grandpa!"
That was only for Frederick’s sake!
"Dennis…" Frederick wanted to continue.
"Please leave," said Dennis.
Frederick was speechless.
If it weren’t for Isabella forcing him to announce that Dennis was better, he could have refused the other processes entirely.
Now he didn’t even have a reason to refuse!
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