“Could you please tell me what he is thinking?”

“Hey! You’re asking for a way out of this, aren’t you? Minos, if you tell her anything, I will make you pay for it!”

Ios acted as if everyone was unable to think without Minos just like him, but Rubica couldn’t even guess what the dragon was thinking.

However, Stephen and her, playing a ‘game’? It was hard for her, an ordinary human, to catch up with the dragon’s thinking.

Nevertheless, she could now see why he didn’t help when seeing her getting kidnapped in the garden.

“What were you doing in our garden last night?”

It seemed like Ios wasn’t going to explain, so she decided to counter-attack instead.

“What?”

Ios didn’t know what to say at the sudden attack. He couldn’t tell her he was helping Minos to make an escape route in case their negotiation didn’t go well. That would be too embarrassing.

He didn’t even know why Minos insisted on making an escape route when they were dealing with a somewhat stupid nymph who had given her plant and ribbon away without demanding anything in return.

“I was just looking around.”

“You should have asked for permission to do so. It’s not your garden,” Rubica scolded him.

She was somewhat stupid, but she was still a hard opponent. Ios pouted, “Anyway, I’ll keep your secret if you give me that.”

“Give you what?”

“The thing you gave me the other day.”

“You mean the roses?”

Ios shook his head.

“Then, the ribbon?”

This time, he nodded hard and Rubica had to hold back a sigh. All of this had been for just a single ribbon?

That was an exhaustingly small reason. He could have asked for it and she would have given him one right away.

But now that he was troubling her so much, she didn’t want to give him what he wanted unless he told her what this was about.

“Why do you want another ribbon?”

“To decorate my branch with it. It looks like a flower on a branch, so I like it.”

“He tried to destroy a market to get all the ribbons there, and I could only barely stop him by telling him we would get even more ribbons if we asked you.”

Even Edgar looked at the goblin with pity. He had saved a market, so he felt like compensating him.

“Come to me anytime if you need my help. But, come without your burden.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Even if Minos failed to win the nymph’s favor, it seemed like he will be able to get his help.

Ios, however, didn’t notice Edgar was talking about him when he said ‘burden’.

“And you, if you want a ribbon, tell me everything you’ve seen, including how Rubica was playing with Stephen.”

“Ooh.”

Ios smiled brightly at Rubica.

“You shouldn’t have played innocent, and now you’re about to be humiliated in front of your husband.”

He sounded like he was worried about her, but his golden eyes were full of mischief. He indeed wanted to see the nymph be humiliated in front of her spouse.

In addition to that, he was going to get the ribbon, so he was only gaining in this.

Nymphs were said to be wise, but they must actually be very stupid.

“They were playing a ‘kidnapping and teasing game’. I pity you for having a nymph with such weird hobbies as your wife.”

How could he so utterly misunderstand everything? Rubica had been made a victim of many misunderstandings by now, but this one was enough to give her shudders.

“No!”

“Are you going to keep denying it?”

“I was really being kidnapped.”

“Don’t be absurd. A nymph, being kidnapped by humans?”

The fact that Rubica was an ordinary human was about to be revealed, and Ios could do anything once he found out that he had been fooled.

Still, Rubica didn’t want to be thought of as a pervert, and she didn’t even feel like giving him any ribbons at all.

She couldn’t find a way to break his horrible misunderstanding and simply steamed.

“I asked for it.”

Edgar noticed she was enraged and spoke for her, although she didn’t know what he was talking about. However, his calm gaze calmed her down, and she shut her mouth.

“You asked for it? Did you ask them to kidnap your own wife? My, my, you are one crazy couple.”

“I asked Rubica to play along if Stephen ever abducted her, he was being suspicious.”

Minos was truly impressed by the answer. He judged the situation in that short time and came up with the perfect answer. The rumors were right, he was extremely smart.

On the other hand, Ios was now really mad. He thought this could be a good chance to humiliate the nymph, but now he was being humiliated for a stupid misunderstanding.

“I still want a ribbon!”

In the end, he started to throw a tantrum. He could go and destroy a harbor when not given what he wanted. He was no better than a six-year-old boy.

How old was he in human criteria? Rubica held back a sigh again and soothed him.

“Okay, okay. I would have given you one if you asked for it without you blackmailing me.”

“And, what’s the price?”

“There’s none.”

Again, she was asking for nothing. Both Minos, who he would bring to replace his brain, and his underlings took things in return such as gold from him in exchange for their service.

But then, why was this nymph always giving what he wanted for free? It reminded him of Iber, who had gone into slumber a long time ago, which made Ios feel a little strange.

“That’s not right. I was told to pay the price unless you’re family…”

Rubica really wanted to say the price was him not causing any catastrophe, but she managed not to.

Ios always insisted on having his way and would get mad easily, but it seemed like he could become mild when persuaded.

Minos had been taking care of him till now, but he was only a goblin and couldn’t scold Ios even when he did something wrong.

“Then we can be family.”

Maybe he would not get so angry when finding out she was a human later if they were a family.

Ios was very surprised to hear her offer, but he didn’t seem to be offended, so he probably liked it.

However, Edgar frowned hard at hearing that.

“What do you mean, you want to become a family with that dragon who might do anything?”

“Stay out of this, you human!”

“Hey, I’m her husband. If you become part of her family, you will also be a member of this family. I totally deserve to interfere.”

Right now, Edgar was the only family Rubica had, and he didn’t want Ios to join them. He really wanted to get rid of that time bomb from her side.

“Who said I want to form a family with you? I will only have one with Rubica.”

But of course, that stone-headed dragon couldn’t be convinced with logic. He already made up his mind to become part of Rubica’s family.

Then, he would be able to take her gifts without a heavy heart.

“If you’re part of her family, you’re also part of my family.”

However, Ios just ignored him and went to Rubica.

“Then, who are you to me from now on? Mommy?”

“Absolutely not!”

Edgar threw a pillow at him. A grown-up man, no, dragon, calling Rubica mommy? He could never let that happen. He didn’t want a son like Ios.

“Oh, why does this hurt?”

Ios complained shortly after the pillow hit the middle of his face. It was a soft pillow, but it hurt as if he had been hit with a rock. Both the nymph and her husband were so strange.

“Then, what should it be? Sister?”

Edgar shook his head. He didn’t like it. It was better than mommy, but sister was too much. Plus, he didn’t want to have Ios as his brother-in-law.

“She’ll be your aunt.”

“No, I can’t do that.”

This time, Ios objected. He couldn’t call Rubica his aunt when he had Iber. She would be very disappointed if she ever woke up from her slumber.

“Then… second aunt?”

“No!”

Rubica protested. She had lived for long, but she was only 22 now. She didn’t want to be called someone’s second aunt at such a young age. Edgar had to think harder at hearing his wife’s protest.

Rubica wanted to become Ios’s sister as well, but she knew it would disappoint Edgar. Her husband was more sensitive and more possessive than he looked.

“How about cousin?”

She already had a cousin, Angela, with whom she often exchanged letters. She thought that much would be fine. Thankfully, Edgar nodded, although very reluctantly.

Rubica happily clapped.

“Okay, Ios. You can call me cousin from now on.”

‘What’s the difference between being her brother and her cousin?’

Ios’s stupidity was as deep as a trench. He knew nothing about human customs and relationships and just thought the word ‘cousin’ was a title similar to ‘the Great’ or ‘the Conqueror’.