The best parents make friends with their children

In the end, he even lowered his head and kissed Barbara's rosy lips.

It took quite a while for Barbara to recover from her mind going blank. Finally unable to take it anymore, her little face flushed bright red. She held down her skirt with one hand to keep herself covered, then kicked Eros flying and vanished on the spot.

In the distance, Eros picked himself up and scratched the back of his head. He seemed to have gone a little too far this time. He should have taken things gradually.

I really was too hasty. But little Barbara is so cute.

What happened next left him rather disappointed. No matter how many times he called for Barbara, she never appeared again, nor did she even answer.

Oh, crap! I pushed it too far!

For many nights afterward, Barbara did not appear.

Even when the Book of the Night and the Moon of Eternal Sleep kept rubbing against Eros, Barbara still refused to come out.

This left Eros feeling rather down. It seemed his earlier actions really had shaken Barbara quite badly.

As for the outside world, after two days aboard the airship, they transferred to this world's most advanced form of land transportation-the steam train.

As the Duchess and the future Duke, they naturally had no need to crowd onto a train with anyone else. They had their own custom-built private train.

Once again, Eros was astonished by the extravagance of this world's nobles. Then again, perhaps only his family was this extravagant. After all, he had yet to meet any other great nobles.

Unlike the unimpressed Eros, Wendy was clearly full of curiosity about the steam train. No, to be precise, she was curious about everything in the outside world.

The train rattled along, and occasionally another train passed them in the opposite direction.

Every time this happened, Wendy could not help exclaiming excitedly, pointing at the train traveling the other way.

"It's so much longer than a carriage!"

Eros nodded calmly. "Mm! Much longer."

Seeing that expression on her younger brother's face, Wendy suddenly lost her earlier excitement. Feeling rather bored, she slumped against the window and gazed outside.

At the sight, the corners of Estelle's lips lifted into a faint smile.

She beckoned to Eros, motioning for him to rest his head on her lap.

Eros was a little puzzled, but he did as she asked. Then he saw Estelle produce an ear pick from somewhere. Well...

Eros did not know what to say. Was cleaning his ears aboard this rattling train really a good idea?

It was not that he distrusted Estelle, but this really was not a good place for it.

Oh well. If Estelle wants to, I might as well let her.

Even if she punctures something, as long as she doesn't poke my brains out, a healing spell on myself should pretty much fix it. Being a healer really does have its perks.

Day after day passed. Wendy's initial excitement had long since vanished, and now she lay sprawled on the sofa in the carriage, looking utterly bored.

"How much longer until we reach the Imperial Capital?" Her voice sounded listless.

Estelle gave her daughter, who was lounging with no regard for posture, a pat and said with a frown, "Sit properly!"

Wendy reluctantly sat up straight, trying hard to look like a lady. Only then did Estelle give a slight nod and say:

"We should arrive in another two days!"

The family's estate was more than ten thousand kilometers from the Imperial Capital. If steam trains had not achieved a breakthrough in speed in recent years, the journey from the estate to the Imperial Capital would probably have taken even longer.

"Two more days?"

At last, amid Wendy's sighs and groans, the train rattled into Intiles, the Imperial Capital of the Holy Chris Empire.