The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around
Chapter 122: Beautiful Couples

Chapter 122: Beautiful Couples

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The carriages and knights of House Valmont finally arrived at the grand gates of the Valmont estate. Before them stood the towering mansion, an architectural masterpiece of stone and marble, adorned with intricate golden patterns and polished statues. Rows of neatly lined servants awaited them at the front, bowing respectfully as the group arrived.

As the carriage came to a stop, Leon stepped out first and offered his hand to assist Eren.

’Back to my new home, huh?’ Eren thought with a dry sigh, already imagining the softness of his bed and the joy of wrapping himself in a blanket burrito to embrace his favorite shut-in lifestyle.

But just as he was about to enjoy that daydream—

"EREN!!!"

A shrill cry pierced the air. Eren blinked and turned his head, startled. Two figures—one male, one female—were dashing toward him with tears glistening in their eyes like waterfalls about to burst.

’Huh? Who the heck are these people?’

The man looked to be in his early thirties, with messy jet-black hair and sharp crimson eyes. A neatly groomed mustache sat above his lips, giving him the air of a dignified noble. He wore a luxurious deep-blue velvet coat adorned with gold embroidery in the shape of the Valmont family crest. A white silk cravat was pinned at his throat with a ruby brooch, and his gloves shimmered with golden lining. But perhaps most noticeably—there were deep, dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn’t slept in days.

The woman, just as stunning, radiated elegance. Her golden-blonde hair cascaded in silky waves down her shoulders, and her striking blue eyes sparkled with emotion. She wore a light yellow indoor gown that flowed as she ran, but her tears and matching eye bags ruined the otherwise graceful image.

"Eren!" the woman cried again—and to Eren’s utter shock, she barreled into him and wrapped him in a tight, tearful hug.

He froze. His eyes widened as if caught off guard by a magical ambush. What the hell was happening?

"Oh dear... you don’t know how happy I am to see you again!" the woman sobbed, holding him tighter as if afraid he’d disappear.

The man joined moments later, hugging them both with trembling shoulders and tears in his eyes. "Thank the Goddess Sanin... You’re safe..."

The surrounding servants and knights looked on, deeply touched by the reunion. Some maids even wiped tears from their eyes as they watched this heartfelt, cinematic moment unfold.

But inside Eren’s mind?

Total. Mental. Lag.

’Wait... What the hell is this? Who are these Strangers? Why are they acting like we’re best close friends?’

He blinked at the pair of unknown nobles hugging him. His system remained suspiciously quiet.

’Are they... close to the real Eren?’ he wondered.

The woman finally pulled back, cupping his cheek with both hands, her thumb brushing against his skin tenderly.

"Look at you. You’re so thin! You must have starved for weeks, my poor baby!"

The corner of Eren’s eye twitched as she pinched his cheek. His face shifted into a half-lidded stare of irritation.

"Um... who are you?" he asked bluntly.

Silence.

It was as though someone had cast a silence spell over the entire courtyard. Even the birds paused in midair.

The woman blinked in disbelief, then her eyes filled with panic.

"B-Baby? It’s me... your mother! Don’t you recognize me?" she cried, clearly heartbroken.

Eren stood rooted in place, expression unreadable. ’Get lost,’ he muttered internally, unable to process the cringe.

[They are indeed your biological parents, Master,] Useless chimed in with its unusual deadpan voice.

[The man is Marquis Edric Valmont, and the woman is Marchioness Isadora Valmont. DNA match confirmed. 100%.]

Eren stared at them.

His eyes slowly narrowed.

’But... weren’t they fat before?’

[Correct. They stopped eating for a month due to stress and grief. Thus, their original forms returned.]

’...What kind of fantasy diet logic is this world running on?’

Eren thought, utterly baffled but what he saw.

Meanwhile, Edric had turned toward Commander Gareth with a furrowed brow. "Commander. What happened to my son? Why doesn’t he recognize his own parents?"

Gareth hesitated. The other knights all shared awkward glances. And Honestly, most of them also didn’t recognize the couple right away.

But no one dared to say:

’It’s because your son only remembers when you were fat.’

No one wanted to test what the punishment for that statement would be.

"Well, that’s because—" Gareth started to explain, only to be interrupted by a dry, familiar voice.

"It’s because the brat doesn’t recognize you two now that you’re all skinny, depressed, sleep-deprived, and significantly less fat."

It was Cedric, who had just arrived with his usual deadpan expression, arms crossed.

He didn’t seem to care how blunt or savage his words were, but at least he answered the question.

In truth, many within the estate—especially those who hadn’t seen the marquis and marchioness in recent weeks—weren’t used to their slim appearances. It wasn’t even a secret; it was just that the couple had a known habit of binge-eating to the point of becoming chubby, and once they stopped, they bounced back to their original youthful figures. Some nobles even speculated it was due to a rare body-type Skill or Unique Ability they shares

Both Edric and Isadora blinked, finally understanding.

"Ohhh... so that’s why," Edric let out a chuckle and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Isadora, however, pouted and crossed her arms. "Cedric, that’s rude. You shouldn’t call your mother fat!"

Cedric rolled his eyes, not even bothering to respond.

"Agreed. You don’t look fat anymore," Eren commented without thinking.

"..."

Silence fell.

Then, every head in the room turned toward him, eyes wide in stunned disbelief.

Only then did Eren realize—he had said that out loud.

Trying to recover, he quickly switched gears, putting on his most acting innocent childlike face as his tone softened dramatically.

"I mean... Mom, Dad... Why do the two of you look so pale and sickly? Have you been eating and sleeping properly?" he asked in a gentle, worried voice.

Immediately, the awkwardness from before was erased as if it had never existed. Isadora’s eyes shimmered with tears, overflowing with warmth and emotion at her son’s concern.

"Oh, my sweet, kind child! So caring about your mother..." she cried, hugging him tightly and burying his face into her chest—which, to Eren’s surprise, was as impressively large as Raven’s.

"It’s okay, dear. Mother and Father are completely fine. You don’t need to worry about us," she said, still clutching him.

Eren’s expression dulled as he stoically endured the tight embrace of this woman who definitely no longer looked overweight.

"But you..." Isadora pulled back and grabbed his cheeks again, rubbing them gently as she inspected his face with worry. "You look thinner than before. Have you not been eating properly? You must’ve gone days without food!"

’I’ve been eating just fine, thank you very much,’ Eren thought to himself, recalling how he’d been purchasing food non-stop from the system’s shop.

Seeing her distressed, Edric gently placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder to calm her down.

"Don’t worry, dear. I’ve already asked the chef to prepare a proper meal for Eren. Come on, we can continue talking while he eats."

Isadora nodded quickly, then grabbed Eren’s hand and started pulling him along toward the mansion.

"Come, dear. Mother will prepare a feast for you," she said with a bright, teary-eyed smile, her earlier sadness already drying up.

As Cedric watched his mother walk off, hand-in-hand with Eren, his frown deepened. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he turned and began walking away.

"Wait, Cedric," his father called out.

Cedric paused.

"Aren’t you going to join us for dinner? Where are you going?"

The elder son turned around and looked at his father, his expression tired but composed.

"I’m busy," he replied curtly.

"I still have a mountain of work to deal with. Thanks to that brat’s return, I can finally get back to my schedule."

Because Cedric was out searching for his annoying brother, he had to push everything else aside. Now there’s a some leftover mess in the territory he needs to clean up before he depart on his trade expedition.

"You guys go ahead and enjoy your family dinner. I don’t have time to waste."

Edric’s expression darkened slightly with sadness at his son’s words. He knew Cedric didn’t truly mean them—he was just stubborn, short temper, and perhaps a little jealous of his younger brother, even if he refused to admit it.

Besides, Edric still felt guilty for pushing more of the territory’s responsibilities onto Cedric. While Edric was caught up with troublesome nobles—mostly due to his own mistakes with excessive spending to find his missing son—and busy trying to comfort his wife, Cedric had been doing most of the actual work... and searching for Eren.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Edric offered a weak but warm smile.

"Alright... Please take care of yourself."

Cedric didn’t respond. He turned again and began walking toward his squad of knights, who were waiting for him nearby.

But just as he was about to leave the courtyard—

"One more thing!" Edric called out.

Cedric stopped in his tracks.

"If you ever run into a problem you can’t handle... You can always come to me, alright, son?"

"....."

There was a brief silence.

Cedric said nothing. He didn’t turn around. He simply resumed walking, his back straight, his steps steady—his silence saying more than words ever could.

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