Translator and Editor: Bunny and Wyvern

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Chapter 11

“….”

Dad was speechless.

‘Was it too bad? I didn’t mean to be too honest.’

I flinched and acted clumsy to avoid my Father even just a little. He passed me by without saying anything.

Startled, I turned to look at my father, who was striding away.

Dante, who came after closing the door, saw me and didn’t know what to do. “Miss, you’re up early? Haha… He, His Excellency had a lot of work in the morning so… It isn’t because he hates Miss…” He was scrambling for words to say.

I shook my head as I saw my father disappearing from a distance. “It’s okay. That’s nothing.”

I was the first one who said that he smelled like blood.

‘By the way, I don’t smell alcohol on him today.’

As I approached the front door pretending nothing was wrong, Dante opened the door again in surprise. “Y-you want to go out. I will open it for you but don’t go too far. I will be in big trouble if you lose your way.”

I quickly ran down the stairs without looking back at Dante, only loudly answering him. Then suddenly, I remembered how my father looked and abruptly stopped running. “…He will be okay, right?”

[Descendant–]

While I was contemplating. Kuhn appeared just in time, flying around my head and calling me. Fortunately, no one else could hear nor see him.

“Let’s go over there.” I quickly ran under the shade of the tree while Kuhn followed me behind then turned into a cat and went down the tree. I sat under the tree and pretended to be playing with the grass. “Where have you been?”

Kuhn slumped down next to me. [I’ve circled the whole empire. It was really wide. There weren’t that many forests.]

“Really? It’s also spacious here. I’ll have to look around sometime.”

[Descendant, it must be difficult for you because you don’t have wings.]

“I can travel without wings.”

[With your legs?]

“Aish.”

But somehow, Kuhn somehow calmed down.

“…What’s going on?”

Kuhn sighed and lay down with his chin resting on his front feet. [As you said, there’s really nothing.]

“What?”

He raised his head and met my eyes. [There should be at least one force, but there was really no witch. You know, I tried to see if there’s anyone who can help you.]

Kuhn must’ve meant he was looking for a witch when he said he was looking around the forest.

“Hmm, it’s all the temple’s fault. It may be hard to believe, but they’re really sinister.”

If it weren’t for them, then Mom wouldn’t have been on the run with her sickly body. Then I would’ve lived with both Mom and Dad. We could’ve gone to a picnic together just like what I’d dreamed of.

[Did something happened to you too?]

“Me?”

[Yes, your expression is dark.]

“Uh… that is. I think I made a mistake with my father.”

[What mistake?]

“I avoided Dad because he smelled like blood. But I think it was really bad…”

[Smell of blood. But he also smelled like herbs.]

My eyes widened at Kuhn’s words. “Smell of herbs?”

[Yeah, my nose hurts. You don’t know?]

“I didn’t know…”

Did my father fall ill without me knowing? Maybe because of my desire to survive, I didn’t know the original novel was twisted somewhere. That was a big deal if that was the case. What if he had drunk alcohol that was bad for his body?

Thinking that my dad might be sick, I forgot to consider everything and now I was agonizing over it.

* * *

“…”

Callen had been staring out of the window of his office since earlier. He was staring for a long time as if he was oblivious that Dante was also looking at him.

Dante was gauging the best time to speak.

“Dante.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Is it normal for a six-year-old girl to play alone?”

Dante felt puzzled then looked out the window. Under the tree in a distance, he saw Mariette playing with a black cat he had no recollection of. It was only then that he understood the meaning of his question. “Six-year-olds usually have friends.”

“Friend.”

“Yes, they can quickly make friends when the wives hold tea parties for children. But it seems that Miss has already made a friend. A very cute cat.”

“…”

The warm sun was shining outside, and the child under the shade was smiling brightly and talking with the cat. Callen imagined what that little girl and the cat were saying to each other.

‘Where are you from?’

‘What is your name?’

‘Why do you have black hair?’

‘…Where’s mommy?’

Callen couldn’t take off his eyes from the child.

Dante then opened his mouth carefully. It was also his job to give a push to his lord. “Your Excellency.”

“Say it,” Callen answered with his gaze still outside the long window.

“You’ve been staring at her for a long time already.”

“…”

“How relieving it is even if it’s only for Miss, that you’re safe. If Your Excellency can only give her a slightly warm hug…”

“Dante.”

“…Yes, Your Excellency.”

“I couldn’t protect her.”

Dante closed his mouth. Callen’s eyes darkened even more. Today, he took someone’s life as he was caught up in his past. It was an act of revenge in place of Yurie, who was always the cause of him losing his sanity, and half of it was to resolve his anger.

He might be right.

You should warmly care for a child who had already lost her mother if you’re her father… But did a father that couldn’t protect her mother deserve it?

Callen had no more words, and Dante couldn’t say more to him.

* * *

“How is it?”

[Well, I don’t know.]

“Can you focus more?” I grabbed Kuhn and pressed him earnestly.

[Stay still.] Kuhn was trying to find out what kind of powers were hiding in me if I had any.

I also wanted to know my abilities quickly, so I was in a very impatient state. Even now, the temple was still growing in power while I was struggling. It would be great if I could know what power I had so I could blow it up in one strike before the temple got stronger.

Not knowing my anxious heart, Kuhn kept his front paw on my hands and gently closed his eyes.

“…How about now?”

[It’s small, very little. Yours are all small.]

“Ah, what a shame! Then… can’t you force it out and maybe it will get better? Don’t you have that ability?”

He opened his eyes and frowned. [Do you want to be short-lived at the age of six?]

“No.”

‘Hmph, hmph.’

[It’s not that there’s no way… There are no witches now.]

“Hmm.”

[With the help of a witch, you can do it faster and without side effects.]

“Ugh.” I sat down with a dark expression and stretched out my legs.

In the end, it was lunchtime, but the miracle I wanted did not occur. It’d only been a day since I’d been here, but my impatience did not go away easily.

I came to the dining room with Pihne for lunch, but I didn’t see Dad. It was clear that he was in the mansion but hadn’t come down yet.

‘Maybe because I spoke too harshly earlier?’

If that was the case, should I step forward and ease his anger, or wait? I needed to see him to know.

Until I finished my meal, he didn’t show up, even until dinner time.

“Miss, it seems like His Excellency has no plans for dinner. I apologize but it looks like you should have dinner first.”

“Again…? What about Dad’s lunch?”

“Though he didn’t come to the dining room, Sir Dante was with him so I think he probably got one for him?”

This couldn’t keep going like this. I had to keep the promise I made with my mom to take care of my dad. I got up from my seat without lifting my fork. “Um, I want to eat with my dad.”

“Yes? Oh, that’s a bit…”

“What does Dad like? Meat? Soup?”

I asked about what food my Dad likes so I can go up there with his favorite, but neither Pihne, the other maids, nor the chef said anything.

“His Excellency… likes nothing in particular. He only eats enough to fill his stomach.”

“Anything? Really?”

Everyone just nodded at my question. Oh my gosh… there were so many options.

“I’m going to see Dad,” I said to Pihne with a loaf of bread in my hand. I left the dining room not too long after for fear that Pihne would stop me, climbing upstairs to get to my Dad’s room. “My dad gets upset too…”

I didn’t know.

“Haah, haaah.”

I was still breathless when I ran up the stairs from the dining room. Moreover, I was still not used to this spacious house so whenever I went upstairs, I felt like I was seeing an unfamiliar house.

“Ahem.” I stood in front of the tightly shut door and cleared my throat. “Dad.”

Knock, knock.

I called my father and knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

“Maybe he didn’t hear me?” I knocked again, but there was no response.

Reluctantly, I put the bread inside my pocket then put my hands together in a circle and put my mouth close to the door. “Ah~ppa~ are you there? It’s Mariette.”

(T/N: Appa = Dad)

Still, there was no response.

I didn’t think he would go out unless there was a commotion.

‘Is he in the restroom?’

Nothing was really easy. I gave up seeing my father and decided to leave him the bread I brought. He would probably wonder if I had come and go.

‘I think Pihne put a handkerchief somewhere in the pocket of my clothes…’

I searched my clothes and found the handkerchief in my pocket, then I spread it, put it on the floor in front of my father’s door, then put the piece of bread on it.

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