Chapter 2

“D-Dad?”

“Oh, my little princess, did you sleep—wait a second.”

The handsome man, who had turned his head at Lirian’s voice, smiled widely for a moment, then suddenly dropped his tone, cold and sharp.

“Who dared to stamp a royal seal on my daughter’s forehead?”

“Uh… I fell off the bed while sleeping.”

“Oh no. Did it go thud? That must’ve hurt. See, that’s why I said you should sleep with me. Come here, let me check.”

As soon as Lirian admitted it was her own fault, the man’s stern face melted back into a soft smile. He reached out to lift her off the floor where she sat.

But when she instinctively dodged, his hand froze in the air.

A silence stretched between them.

And then his face fell apart like the world had ended.

“L-Lily?”

Lily.

That was her childhood nickname.

Of course, her father, Duke Caesar Ersioni, had always called her by a dozen names—princess, treasure, darling daughter, and more—so it was only one of many.

Still, when the man who looked just like her father wore such a devastated expression, Lirian felt guilty.

I shouldn’t be getting attached to an illusion.

The Abyss warlocks used illusions to lull people into letting down their guard—so they could kill them easily.

Lirian thought for a moment, then decided—

Well, if it comes to it, I’ll just knock him out cold with a chop to the neck!

—and boldly threw herself into the arms of the man who had sunk down in despair, forgetting even his dignity.

“Lily…?”

It felt good, being in her father’s embrace again after so long.

But… why do I feel so small?

Her view was low, like when she’d been about five years old.

“You don’t hate me, do you? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t hate you.”

“Ohhh… why are you so cute… muah muah muah! Too cute to handle!”

“Ahhh! Dad, your beard! It’s prickly!”

Her overly affectionate father rubbed his unshaven jaw against her cheeks while smothering her with kisses, making her scream.

She wriggled and tried to escape his arms—

Why… why can’t I break free?!

Normally she could’ve slipped out easily, but his strength now felt like a giant’s grip.

Had the Abyss Dragon grown stronger while she wasn’t looking?

Cold sweat ran down her face.

“Why are you sweating so much, sweetheart? Did you have a bad dream?”

A bad dream…?

“Did you see scary monsters in your dream?”

The sensation was too vivid. For a moment, Lirian faltered.

Could everything she had gone through… really just have been a dream?

“Dreams can have monsters, right? Big, ugly, pitch-black ones?”

“They’re not real, so yes. Anything can appear.”

She lifted her hand.

A hand no bigger than a maple leaf.

With such a tiny hand, she wouldn’t even be able to grip the hilt of a sword properly.

She opened and closed it, over and over.

Then Caesar, overcome with affection, caught her little fist and pretended to nibble on it.

“Did my Lily have a scary dream?”

If anyone else had seen the dignified Duke of Ersioni acting like this, they’d be speechless.

Lirian just stared blankly at her father, who looked more like a silly fool than the cold noble she remembered.

It had been eight years.

Eight years since she’d last seen him.

The last time had been the winter before her coming-of-age ceremony at seventeen, when the “Abyss” had erupted and dragged the world into ruin.

Dimensional rifts opened everywhere, spewing forth Abyss creatures. Ordinary people, too, were consumed by the darkness and turned into monsters called “Abyss Fiends.”

That was the Abyss.

The world collapsed in an instant, and Lirian had never seen her family again.

Was all of that… really just a dream?

“….”

Caesar blinked at the sight of his little daughter clenching her tiny fists so tightly.

Something about her seemed different today.

It must’ve been a terrible nightmare.

Growing serious, he gently rested his hands on her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Lily. Daddy will always be here.”

“You monster.”

“…?”

He blinked as his daughter lifted her head, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Not that it was frightening—Lirian was only five, after all. Even the fiercest expression only made her chubby cheeks puff out.

She looked like—

A grumpy kitten?

Her little wisps of hair stuck up like cat ears, completing the image.

“You bad monster! Stop pretending to be my dad!”

“What? Lily? Lily! Wait—!”

“Haaah!”

Whether he adored her or not didn’t matter—Lirian was convinced the man before her was an Abyss creature in disguise. With no sword in hand, she raised her tiny claws instead and pounced.

Crash! Bang!

The father-daughter morning reunion turned into chaos, with the sound of breaking furniture echoing through the house.

“Are you all right, my lord?”

“Ah, Sever. Thank you.”

The butler, Sever, offered a handkerchief to Caesar, who sat slumped on the sofa.

His hair had been yanked, his cheek bore scratch marks, and even his hand had tiny bite marks.

And yet, far from looking pitiful, the man still looked like a tragic, handsome hero—utterly unfair.

“Grrr.”

When he glanced at the culprit, he found Lirian glaring at him fiercely from beneath a blanket.

She looked genuinely menacing.

“…Looks like Lily has entered a rebellious phase,” Caesar muttered wearily.

Sever smiled gently.

“Children often go through a stage of asserting themselves. Perhaps you should think of the third young master.”

“Hmm.”

Jeryl, indeed. He’d been even more of a troublemaker than Lirian.

“But can children really change so suddenly?”

“Perhaps she’s just confused, my lord. You did mention she had a rough night. For someone her age, distinguishing dream from reality isn’t always easy.”

At the butler’s calm advice, Caesar slowly nodded.

“That makes sense.”

After all, he was a father of four—three sons and one daughter. He had already lived through every kind of chaos children could cause.

So, deciding to give her some space, Caesar rose reluctantly from his seat, his face still full of longing.

Lirian’s violet eyes trembled. He looked so much like her real father.

“Lady Lirian.”

She perked up at Sever’s warm voice.

“What would you like for breakfast? How about a scone with strawberry jam?”

“…Not strawberry.”

“Then blueberry jam, perhaps? We just received some fresh this morning.”

“…Okay.”

The answer slipped out before she realized it. Crap.

He tricked me!

She had always been weak to this old butler.

What if the Abyss warlocks had noticed that too, and made him appear?

No—it had to be that.

Determined not to fall for it again, she steeled herself.

“How about two fried eggs?”

“No, three!”

…Though fried eggs were impossible to resist.

This isn’t right…

But a few minutes later—

Crunch! The pastry layers melted in her mouth.

The rich butter, the sweet blueberry jam.

And the tang of freshly squeezed orange juice filled her nose.

Her violet eyes began to sparkle.

It’s delicious!

She forgot her suspicion entirely, cheeks puffing as she stuffed her mouth full.

“Careful, my lady. You’ll choke if you eat too fast.”

Sizzle. The eggs hit the pan.

Soon a plate was set before her, with three golden fried eggs and two strips of bacon—her favorite breakfast.

Sever even cut them neatly for her.

“Ahm!”

She showed off her skill, popping bacon and egg together into her mouth.

“Mmm! So good! Sever, want some too?”

“I’ve already eaten, thank you. Would you like more juice?”

“Yes!”

She didn’t stop eating until her little belly bulged round.

It was a perfect breakfast.

Like a happy little piglet, Lirian patted her full stomach—then froze.

Wait a second.

Could illusions really reproduce taste like this?

She had heard it was impossible.

“Princess…”

Her father’s gentle voice called from behind the door.

“Are you still upset?”

The moment Sever told him breakfast was done, Caesar had rushed over, dropping everything.

Tall, sharp-featured, a man who looked far too dignified to be a doting dad—

And yet he was exactly the father she remembered.

If this is really him…

She spoke solemnly.

“Dad.”

“Yes?”

“When Moonlight Witch Rose transforms, what magic wand does she use?”

Caesar paused, took a deep breath, then answered calmly:

“Of course—the Flora Moon Ruby Wand.”

“And in Cookie Garden, when Rose sneaks in, what name does she use?”

“Luna.”

“And every time she transforms, what does she shout?”

Caesar grinned confidently.

“In the name of villains, I’ll reform you!”

Lirian’s eyes filled with tears of joy. She ran to him and hugged him tight.

“Daddy!”

“Lily!”

Back then, she had been obsessed with that puppet show starring “Rose.” She knew every line by heart—and had repeated them endlessly.

Even she could barely remember them all now. No way the Abyss could have known.

Which meant—this really was her father.

She nodded firmly, stamping him with her mental “Pass!”

But… if it’s really him, then how is this possible?

She tilted her head, then shook it off.

Whatever! I’ll think about it later.

As a die-hard muscle-brain, she decided to leave the thinking for another time.

Right now, seeing her father after eight years mattered more.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Mm-hm!”

“I was so worried. I thought my princess didn’t want to play with Daddy anymore.”

“Hehe, sorry. I thought a monster had turned into you.”

Father and daughter shared a heartfelt reunion.

Lirian excitedly ran all through the duke’s mansion, exploring everything like it was new.

And soon—

“She’s asleep.”

“She ran all around the house—it’s no wonder she’s tired.”

On the hall sofa, Lirian had dozed off clutching a toy sword almost as big as she was.

Though Sever offered to carry her, Caesar shook his head and lifted her himself.

“Isn’t this Jeryl’s sword?”

“Yes, the young master’s toy sword.”

“But didn’t we just get her a new Rose doll? The Starlight Kingdom special edition? Where is that?”

“Perhaps she’s grown tired of it.”

“These kids’ fads change too quickly. I can’t keep up.”

He carried her back to her room and laid her gently on her bed.

He tried to pry the sword from her hands, but she clutched it too tightly. Not wanting to wake her, he gave up.

Sitting beside her, he watched her sleep for a long time.

That alone eased his worries.

“What kind of nightmare could make her like this…”

He couldn’t bring himself to ask.

He was afraid dredging it up would trap her in its shadow again.

Caesar brushed her hair back gently, leaned down, and kissed her forehead.

“Sleep peacefully now, Lily. No more bad dreams.”