The Squirrel Will Raise the Baby Tiger — Chapter 15

HOKAN...?!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HOKAN?

DID SOMETHING ABOUT MY POEM UPSET HIM?

B- BIG BROTHER HOKAN...?

WHAT'S WRONG...?

DON'T LOOK!

?!

I-I'M NOT CRYING!

IT'S JUST SWEAT!

BLANTIGER BLOOD DOESN'T CRY SO EASILY!

Ok...

HE WASN'T ANGRY. HE WAS TRYING TO HOLD BACK HIS TEARS.

...HOKAN. IT'S OKAY TO CRY.

WHEN YOU LOSE SOMEONE, YOU NEED TIME TO MISS THEM AND GRIEVE FOR THEM WITH ALL YOUR HEART.

BUT I WAS TAUGHT THAT I'M NOT ALLOWED TO CRY...

THEY SAID IT WASN'T PROPER BEHAVIOR FOR A FUTURE LORD.

AND THAT'S NOT WHAT I'LL TEACH YOU.

BUT NOW I'M YOUR TEACHER, HOKAN.

SO IT'S ALL RIGHT.

YOU CAN CRY, AND YOU CAN BE SAD.

SO...

JUST TRUST YOUR TEACHER THIS ONCE.

HIC...

HICC...

WAAAH...

FATHER...

FATHER...

HONESTLY, I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT FATHER WOULD BE BY MY SIDE FOREVER...

YOUR FATHER WILL LIVE ON IN YOUR HEART FOREVER.

HOKAN, YOU SEE...

IN MY HEART?

OF COURSE. EVERYONE HAS A HERO IN THEIR HEART WHOM THEY'LL NEVER FORGET.

AND HOKAN'S HERO IS HIS FATHER, RIGHT?

YES. EVER SINCE I WAS LITTLE, FATHER HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY ONLY HERO.

THAT'S RIGHT. AS LONG AS YOU REMEMBER HIM,

YOUR FATHER WILL ALWAYS BE IN YOUR HEART, WATCHING OVER YOU.

DON'T EVER FORGET THAT.

...OKAY. I UNDERSTAND.

SHOULD CHIRPIE BLOW ON THEM FOR YOU?

BIG BROTHER, YOUR EYES ARE RED. THEY MUST HURT.

IT DOESN'T HURT THAT MUCH!

TIGERS DON'T MAKE A FUSS OVER A LITTLE PAIN!

...HOW DO YOU WRITE A POEM LIKE THAT?

HM?

I WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING LIKE THAT TOO...

SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOUR HEART FEEL... ALL STRANGE, AND GIVE IT TO DAD.

HOW DO I WRITE ONE?

HE MUST HAVE LIKED MY POEM MORE THAN I EXPECTED.

I'm even more touched~

WELL, YOU SEE~

WHEN WRITING A POEM TO EXPRESS SOMEONE'S FEELING,

YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE STANDING IN THAT PERSON'S SHOES

WHILE HOLDING THE HAND OF THE PERSON RECEIVING THE POEM.

THEIR SHOES?

WOULDN'T THEIR FEET HURT IF YOU STOOD ON THEM?

IT'S NOT GOOD TO HURT OTHERS. THAT'S BAD! YOU'RE A BAD PERSON!

I DON'T MEAN LITERALLY STANDING ON THEIR FEET. IT'S A FIGURE OF SPEECH.

IT MEANS TRYING TO BECOME THAT PERSON, EVEN IF ONLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

WHEN I WROTE THIS POEM, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WONDERING HOW THE DUKE MIGHT BE FEELING.

WHY WOULD YOU THINK ABOUT UNCLE'S FEELINGS?

BECAUSE THE DUKE WAS THE ONE WHO ASKED ME TO WRITE THE POEM.

UNCLE DID?!

WHEN FATHER PASSED AWAY,

UNCLE DIDN'T SEEM PARTICULARLY SAD. SO WHY...?

THAT'S NOT TRUE. YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT'S IN SOMEONE'S HEART JUST BY LOOKING AT THEM.

THE LATE DUKE WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS PLACE, OR ABOUT OUR HOKAN.

THE DUKE SAID THAT HE HOPED

IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND RIGHT NOW, BUT...

EVEN ADULTS OFTEN HAVE TO HOLD BACK OR HIDE THEIR FEELINGS.

WAS UNCLE...

WAS UNCLE... SAD, TOO?

I'M NOT THE DUKE, SO I CAN'T GIVE YOU THE ANSWER...

BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, AFTER LOSING SOMEONE DEAR TO HIM,

HIS HEART COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN AT PEACE.

Big Brother, there's something interesting over there!!

IT WOULD BE GOOD IF YOU STAYED WITH THE YOUNG MASTER.

...IT'S FINE. WOULDN'T I JUST BE IN THE WAY IF I STAYED?

...IT SEEMS I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE IN HIRING THAT TUTOR.

I WAS SURPRISED WHEN I HEARD IT EARLIER TOO.

THE TUTOR IS QUITE SKILLED AT WRITING POETRY.

I NEVER EXPECTED YOU TO PERSONALLY COMMISSION A POEM.

AND I WAS SURPRISED BY YOU AS WELL, COMMANDER.

IT WASN’T ANYTHING PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT.

I SIMPLY THOUGHT MY BROTHER MIGHT BE LONELY AND NEED SOMEONE TO TAKE HIS MIND OFF THINGS.

THIS SHOULD HAVE SATISFIED MY BROTHER TOO.

SHE WROTE SUCH A WONDERFUL POEM. I SHOULD REWARD HER.

HAVE THE FINEST SPECIALTIES FROM THE NORTH SENT TO THE TUTOR.

SEND THREE SACKS EACH OF BLANC JAMÓN AND TEA LEAVES TO THE YOUNG LADY'S MANSION.

PARDON?

AH, YES. UNDERSTOOD.

GOING THAT FAR?

NO MATTER HOW WONDERFUL THE POEM WAS,

THAT'S QUITE AN EXTRAVAGANT REWARD FOR JUST ONE POEM...

AS I THOUGHT, COMMANDER...

HE MUST REALLY BE QUITE FOND OF LADY DURHAMS!!

WHAT? WHAT'S WITH THAT LOOK?

N-NOTHING AT ALL!

DON'T WORRY. LEAVE EVERYTHING TO ME!

I'LL PREPARE THE ABSOLUTE, ABSOLUTE, ABSOLUTE FINEST GOODS AND DELIVER THEM!!

...Y-YES. DO THAT.

I'LL MAKE SURE COMMANDER LEAVES A GOOD IMPRESSION ON LADY DURHAMS.

THIS JAEL WILL DO HIS VERY BEST!!

All of this is for our Commander...!

WHY DOES IT SUDDENLY FEEL SO HEATED OVER THERE? AM I IMAGINING THINGS... ?