Claudia pushed open the ornate garden gate, and she, Rossweise, and Rebecca walked over to where Leon lay sprawled on the grass, looking dazed.
Rossweise bent down, resting her hands on her knees. Her silver hair cascaded forward, framing her delicate face as it came into Leon's line of sight.
"Was the last time you had a nosebleed when I wore that bunny suit for you?" she asked, her voice a playful whisper.
"...That's... let's keep that particular memory between us, alright?" Leon stammered, his face flushing. He was immensely grateful that Rebecca and Claudia had already moved on to interact with A-Donkey, sparing him this embarrassing inside joke.
Rossweise handed him a clean handkerchief. Leon accepted it, sat up, and wiped the blood from his nose, while she leaned down to gently brush the dusty hoofprint off his cheek.
Meanwhile, across the garden, A-Donkey had undergone a complete personality shift. The very same donkey that had just kicked Leon without mercy was now nuzzling Rebecca affectionately, his floppy ears drooping contentedly as he rubbed against her cheeks.
Leon gritted his teeth, clutching the handkerchief tightly. "Darn..."
Rossweise thought he was about to curse A-Donkey for his fickle nature. But instead, he muttered under his breath:
"Darn Rebecca, stealing my donkey like that."
Rossweise blinked. So, he was actually jealous... over his "first love" donkey being stolen?
Strangely enough, she sensed a hint of genuine rivalry in the air. It wasn't a typical romantic love triangle. No, this was something far more unique.
It was a donkey love triangle.
"Do not get too worked up over Rebecca," Rossweise teased. "Something even more frustrating is coming."
Leon glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
Rossweise smirked, nodding toward A-Donkey. "See for yourself."
Leon looked back and saw that Rebecca had stopped her petting, only for A-Donkey to trot straight into Claudia's waiting embrace.
Claudia, ever the picture of elegance, stroked A-Donkey's ears fondly, cooing, "A-Donkey, you are the sweetest, most well-behaved little one, aren't you? You would never kick anyone, right?"
A-Donkey let out a cheerful, agreeing "Eee-aw!"
"Good boy. You will get extra carrots tonight."
Leon: = =
Rossweise watched with amusement as he struggled to maintain his composure. "I think I just heard the sound of something shattering."
"...What?"
"Oh, probably just someone's heart breaking into tiny pieces~" Rossweise said, feigning deep sympathy.
Before becoming a queen, Rossweise had read countless romance novels. She had never quite understood why authors included "third-party interference" or "unrequited love" in their stories. Weren't those scenes just heartbreaking for the reader? Why write them?
Now, however, she totally understood.
Seeing her husband's "true love" seemingly stolen away right before his eyes, his palpable despair was no longer just on the page—it was playing out in real life, and it was quickly becoming one of her new favorite pastimes.
Especially since the despairing hero was her own husband.
"Me? Heartbroken? Who's heartbroken?" Leon jumped to his feet, dusting off his pants defensively. "Rebecca's played with A-Donkey plenty of times before, and Claudia's probably been feeding him for years now. It's only natural he's close to them. Totally, completely normal."
Rossweise kept her gaze fixed on him, a small smile playing on her lips. It wasn't that Leon was her entire world; she just loved watching his defiant, stubborn expression when he was flustered.
"So... was that explanation meant to convince me, or yourself?" she asked, her smile widening.
"Obviously, it's for... I mean, of course, I'm explaining it for you—" He caught himself mid-sentence. "Er, I mean, I am just stating the objective facts here."
"Of course, of course," Rossweise nodded with mock solemnity.
"Hey, lady, are you doubting me?" Leon protested.
Rossweise tilted her head slightly. "No, I believe you."
"You don't! You might as well write 'I don't believe you' across your forehead!"
Rossweise's smile turned downright mischievous, her playful side fully ignited. "And if I do not believe you, what would you do about it?"
"Tch, my donkey's not usually like this! He's just... emotionally confused because it's been so long since he last saw me."
An idea crossed Leon's mind. If he couldn't salvage the situation with A-Donkey, he could at least drag Rossweise down with him. "Want to bet? If you try to get close to him, I guarantee he'll give you a good kick, too."
"Oh, really?" she replied, intrigued.
Leon was certain. A-Donkey had been trained to be incredibly alert, letting out a warning bray the moment a stranger got within ten feet. If they dared approach further, they'd be met with a swift, powerful hoof.
His master had never needed a guard dog. With a donkey like A-Donkey, who needed one?
He didn't answer directly, just shrugged with an air of mystery. "Why don't you try and find out for yourself?"
"Alright, I will."
The couple strolled over to where Rebecca stood with A-Donkey.
"Captain, did your nose stop bleeding?" Rebecca asked, glancing at him.
"Yeah, it's fine," he replied dismissively.
Before they could continue, Rebecca noticed Rossweise reaching out to touch A-Donkey.
"Sis, be careful!" Rebecca warned urgently.
Rossweise paused, looking at her. "Why is that?"
"A-Donkey doesn't like strangers touching him. He'll kick you," Rebecca explained earnestly.
"Oh, I see..."
"Let her try, if she insists on ignoring the warning," Leon interjected, clearly ready to enjoy a little schadenfreude.
"Well then..." Rossweise said with a nonchalant shrug.
"Just be cautious, sis. A-Donkey's got a fast kick! The first time I met him, I barely dodged in time," Rebecca cautioned again.
Rossweise just gave a confident smile. "Noted."
She shot a quick look at Leon, who was practically grinning from ear to ear, waiting to see her get kicked.
Idiot, she thought, a sly smile gracing her own lips.
Slowly, she extended her soft, pale hand, moving it closer and closer to A-Donkey's head.
Rebecca and Leon both watched, holding their breath. Rebecca was tense, worried her sister-in-law might not escape A-Donkey's sudden attack, while Leon was secretly hoping Rossweise would join him in his misfortune. If he had to be the only one kicked, that just wouldn't be fair!
But—
Rossweise's hand came to rest gently on A-Donkey's head. She began to stroke his fur in a slow, soothing motion.
No sudden kick came. A-Donkey stood there, perfectly calm and still under her touch. He even leaned in closer, nudging her hand to encourage her to scratch behind his ears.
"Wow~ Sis! A-Donkey likes you!" Rebecca cheered, rushing over to pet him alongside Rossweise.
Claudia watched the scene with a warm, approving smile.
↑
At that moment, it looked like the four of them—Claudia, Rossweise, Rebecca, and A-Donkey—were one big, happy family...
Meanwhile, I, Leon Cosmodeous... am just the odd one out.
Leon's composure finally began to crack.
"How... how could this happen..." he muttered, his world view shaking.
"Where's your donkey radar, A-Donkey? What about your swift, defensive hoof? Where's your majestic, untamable spirit!"
"Shi.t!"
"You see a pretty woman and just go soft, huh? Shameful! Absolutely shameful!"
Meanwhile, Rossweise turned to look at him, her hand still gently stroking A-Donkey's soft ears. A smug, triumphant smile spread across her face.
Her expression said it all: What's wrong? It seems your 'first love' is mine now.
In that moment, Rossweise felt she finally, truly understood the unique satisfaction of being a "donkey-stealer."
Long live the joy of donkey love triangles