I tamed my ex husbands mad dog

14

"Wilhelm, long time no see."
Reinhardt greeted the boy as she sat at the desk. The boy straightened from his slouch, rounded the desk between them, and stood in front of her.
"Dietrich has something to tell you."
"Oh, aye."
"Mdm. Sarah called Dietrich earlier and said... ... ."
"Wilhelm."
She cut off the boy's words. The boy looked away. Reinhardt lifted his chin and gestured.
"When you talk to people, you should look into the other person's eyes and speak."
"... ... Yes."
Wilhelm was still bad at dealing with people. Even though he spent a period of time that could be called two seasons in one season, he still lacked. Considering that babies were taught by their parents from a very young age, two seasons were not enough.
So Reinhardt taught Wilhelm etiquette whenever she had spare time. Wilhelm slowly shifted his eyes and stood in front of the desk. She smiled because he was standing so straight that it was adorable, but Reinhardt kept her mouth shut as she looked at the boy in front of her. It was because it had been a long time since she had been alone with a boy.
Dietrich roomed with the boy all winter. Reinhardt sometimes put the boy to sleep in her room on cold days, but one day Dietrich forbade Wilhelm from crawling into Reinhardt's room.
"It would be quite a scandal if rumors spread that a woman who even served as the Crown Princess, even though she was divorced, was caught dragging a young boy into her room."
That was right. Reinhardt nodded. Of course, that didn't seem to be the case. Dietrich was exceptionally strict with Wilhelm.
'Is he like a little brother?'
Dietrich had younger siblings, but they were all girls. He used to regret that when he was still a boy. If he had a younger brother, he would also teach them how to use a sword and hunt with him.
So Reinhardt wondered if Dietrich was treating Wilhelm like a little brother. Of course, when she said so, Dietrich... ... .
"You really don't have a clue, do you."
He said and walked away whistling.
She had raised her eyebrows. He didn't care that Reinhardt was the first one to notice that Michel was having affair with a princess of Canary who came as a hostage with no power. Ever since Michel dared to take such a woman... ... .
'Let's stop thinking like this.'
She felt like there was a cloud over her head and waved her hand to disperse it.
It was not good to be immersed in such useless thoughts.
Instead, Reinhardt looked at the boy before her. At first glance, the boy had grown a lot.
Reinhardt remembered the Bill Colonna she had seen in her previous life and compared him to the boy. Michel was also tall and muscular, but Bill Colonna had broader shoulders and a wider chest. She remembered how pleasing to look upon he was in his jointed, heavy armor with segmented waist.
If it was a previous life, that would be long after Michel met the boy. She didn't know how the boy lived before he met Michel in his previous life, but it was probably not much different from when he was wandering in the mountains. It would take a while for his stunted body to grow bigger. Reinhardt believed that the boy would grow very big if sufficient nutrition and training were guaranteed, and Wilhelm seemed to repay it.
Because of the cold season, the rough patches that had covered his face had disappeared long ago. When Reinhardt saw that the boy had a rash on his chin and neck, she would take a little butter from her food and apply it before the meal, which made the boy's skin shiny. Now it was soft and strong, and it was enough to make him look like a young man from a good family.
'Of course, if I ask what kind of family he is from, he'll be seen as the son of a knight's family.'
The sunlight in winter was more harsh than in summer, and the boy's skin was slightly tanned. The thin and skinny neckline was firmly set under the chin. It was also nice to see his chest begin to expand as Dietrich beat and trained him nonstop. It was still hard to call him a man, but he had a great physique that would make any girl in this estate his age blush.
The best thing about him was probably his face.
Under the straight forehead, fast growing and hardening brow bones, grew a tall nose, and large, slender eyes. His pitch-black eyes were like those of a gentle calf, and the way how his eyes brightened just by looking at her were lovely. He would be a really handsome man when he was a little bit older.
She reached out and brushed apart Wilhelm's hair. Wilhelm, who had been watching her blankly, flinched and pulled away, but Reinhardt was faster. A clear scar located in the middle of the right eyebrow. It was the only thing that didn't change even though his body grew and his face healed.
Reinhardt looked back at the memory of the time when they had only met once in their previous lives. She thought she saw this wound even then.
<I advise you, tearing that human apart will help your life a hundredfold.>
She deliberately challenged him, but the man who heard the words just stared at her in silence. She couldn't remember what expression he had on. She only vaguely recalled the scar on his eyebrow, revealed through the swaying hair.
'How could this child not be Bill Colonna?'
Reinhardt looked at the scar and fingered it. When she saw him standing next to Michel, she thought that he looked really nasty. It was a surprise to find that even though the boy standing in front of her now wasn't all grown up yet, she didn't even think of him that way.
"... ... Rein."
"Ah."
The boy called her thoughtfully. It was only then that Reinhardt was startled. It was because she was lost in her thoughts and was caressing Wilhelm's face from a position too close to him without realizing it.
"Sorry. That's too close."
"... ... No."
The boy still used a mixture of polite words and honorifics towards Reinhardt. Dietrich taught him so that he could speak respectfully to everyone else, but he didn't seem to want to do that to Reinhardt. Several times Dietrich scolded him firmly, but Reinhardt would wave her hand.
"Leave it. What's the matter with that child and me being a little closer?"
Since then, it has been almost official between the two of them. And Wilhelm continued.
"What's wrong with being close?"
... ... That was what she said to Dietrich. Reinhardt's eyes widened and burst into laughter.
"Aye, what's wrong?"
He was smart and lovely. Reinhardt unconsciously pulled Wilhelm closer and patted him on the butt. Wilhelm's face stiffened slightly. Oops, this was a bit too close. When Reinhardt hesitated, Wilhelm immediately noticed that she was flustered and smiled as he opened his arms and brought her in his arms. Leather-gloved hands touched her back.
"Ah."
Reinhardt was startled. She was only wearing a cotton dress right now, because she had left her shawl on the chair. She felt Wilhelm's fingers press over the thin dress.
He had just finished training and was warm. It wasn't as if his hands were cold and fine every day.
"uh... ... ."
As Reinhardt flinched, as usual, Wilhelm immediately noticed and tried to remove his hand. The boy was ever more sensitive to Reinhardt's feelings than the others, and still was. Reinhardt, who had always thought that Wilhelm stared at her too much, was even more surprised and grasped his wrist.
"No, Wilhelm."
"Ah."
"It's all right."
Reinhardt pulled Wilhelm up and patted him on the back. Soon a warmth warmed her arms.
"Is there anyone here as close to me as you? It's all right."
Wilhelm raised his arms awkwardly again. However, his hands were limply hung in the air. The nape of his neck was moist, as if he had been training. Reinhardt grinned and pulled away from the boy, twisting his nose lightly. Wilhelm wrinkled his nose.
"So, where is Sarah?"
"Ah. Mdm. Sarah talk... ... ."
"She said it."
"Ah. She said."
Wilhelm followed her words and blushed in embarrassment.
"Dietrich should talk to Rein about this."
"I see. Now?"
"Yes. Dietrich was supposed to come, but he came to the stables to tell me that there was something you needed to see urgently."
"He asked me to come?"
"... ... ."
Usually, when Reinhardt corrected his words, Wilhelm immediately copied her words and repeated them several times. But oddly enough, Wilhelm didn't always do it for Dietrich. If he used a mix of familiar and respectful words to address Reinhardt, he used utterly disrespectful words to Dietrich. It was the same no matter how hard she tried to fix it.
They seem to not get along well, but when the two always quarreled, Reinhardt thought that Wilhelm might also have affection for Dietrich as an older brother.
"Don't be so impolite again. Dietrich is your teacher."
"... ... ."
Wilhelm's face became very subtly sore. She decided not to care. He already had a lot to learn, so there was no need to worry about these things. As he got older and learned how to get along with people, things would naturally be fixed.
***
Dietrich was usually not shy about coming to Reinhardt's office. He said it was very good, except that it was so warm that it unintentionally made him sleepy.
So she entered the yard, wondering why Dietrich had called her to the stable. The castle yard was lined with stables and wells, and servants were busy coming and going. Dietrich was lining up the guards in the yard without going a long way. Although there were only about 30 people, the yard seemed to be full because the yard was small.
"Dietrich, what are you doing?"
"Oh, you just came. Viscountess."
For the most part, the man with a faint smile was wrinkling his face strangely today. Wilhelm stood behind her and fixed her shawl.
"Have you ever heard from Mdm. Sarah?"
"No, what is it?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong. Before reporting to the Viscountess, I first wanted to determine the status of your men, so Mdm. Sarah is completely unaware of the situation."
"Aware of what?"
Reinhardt tilted her head. Dietrich sighed and dismissed the guards. The guards saluted and dispersed themselves to their places.
"A conscription order has come from the capital."
Reinhardt at that one phrase frowned.
"Why did it even come all the way here?"
"Yes. You don't have to know why the order came down here."
Dietrich reached out and flicked Reinhardt's forehead. Somehow Wilhelm flinched more. She asked, lightly lifting Dietrich's hand.
"It must be because of me. No?"
"It looks like he hated me too."
"Why?"
"The number of conscripts is thirty."
Reinhardt's face stiffened without any more words from Dietrich. Dietrich added.
"... ... This is ridiculous."
Michel, you crazy bastard. Reinhardt let out a harsh sound from her mouth. Dietrich smiled bitterly.