Chapter 18
It had been three days since I arrived here.
The room, where I’d slept soundly without even dreaming from the first night, now truly felt like mine.
Every morning, Sara would prepare warm water as soon as I woke up, and I’d walk to the dining room holding Erev’s hand, where the three of us—Erev, Mr. White, and I—would have breakfast together.
Every day, meat side dishes.
Freshly squeezed fruit juice.
Vegetables that weren’t wilted or moldy.
I’d eat so much each morning that my cheeks already looked puffed up in the mirror.
And after breakfast, I found joy in wearing a different colored dress each day. I even developed a new habit—previewing the dress I’d wear the next day.
Yesterday, I even watched Erev’s sword training again after we made up.
Although we ended up fighting again shortly after.
“Alright, time for today’s exercise, silly.”
“I said I’m not doing it!”
“Then just watch.”
“Not even that!”
“…”
“Well, maybe just a little…”
Erev swinging that massive greatsword with ease was kind of impressive.
If only he’d stop trying to make me exercise, I wouldn’t really mind him.
And Erev had something special—he was a dragon knight.
Is he really though? Dragon knights hunt actual dragons, right?
Erev looked a little mature and was definitely big for his age, but still, he didn’t seem like someone who could kill a dragon.
Dragons are said to be the strongest beings in the world, after all.
“I live while retaining memories of my past lives. It’s a special ability granted only to those who’ve slain dragons. I’ll probably remember this life in my next one, too. But why don’t you remember anything, silly?”
“W-Well, not everyone remembers! I probably just forgot because I’m dumb, okay? Also, are you even allowed to say stuff like that so casually?”
“Most people don’t believe it anyway. Maybe a few mages at most?”
He said that with a surprisingly bitter expression.
Since I figured he was just being silly and I’d believe anything, I let it slide.
At first, I was going to brush him off and walk away, but seeing that face… I just couldn’t.
So I sat down beside him and mumbled.
For some reason, I just couldn’t ignore him.
“…I can believe you, though.”
“Really? Then I won’t be lonely anymore.”
Even then, he looked sad, and I found myself staring at Erev for a long time.
Then he suddenly pressed down on my head—with so much force I thought my skull might crack.
So of course we ended up fighting again just a few minutes later.
I wanted to tell him I had memories like his too, but I couldn’t because of my promise with Mafius.
And it wasn’t even anything cool, like slaying dragons…
No heroic tales, nothing worth bragging about.
I also got a little closer to Mr. White.
Actually, I started trying harder to be nicer to him—because whenever Mr. White cried, the sky would roar with thunder. Unlike Erev, who said it was all coincidence.
But there’s no way that many “coincidences” could always be right.
Though Erev and Mr. White constantly bickered the moment they saw each other, they were both unbelievably kind to me.
Most importantly, no one here had ever hit me, not even once.
No one had ever gotten mad at me.
Even when I couldn’t answer their questions right away, no one scolded me.
Maybe Mafius was right—maybe this was the kind of life I was meant to have.
When I thought about the past, it made me so upset I could scream.
“Alright, while our Ion is busy thinking, Daddy will stay quiet.”
He even waited for me like that.
I did kind of break out in hives from all the kindness at first, but now… it didn’t feel so bad.
And Tail really was working alone in the mansion. Sara was technically here too, but she was my personal attendant and stayed by my side 24/7.
She didn’t follow me around when I wandered the gardens alone, but whenever I called her, she appeared immediately, no matter where I was.
I had no idea how Tail managed to run such a massive estate all by himself, but he never once looked tired.
Maybe Tail is secretly some powerful figure too! Like one of the empire’s top butlers or something.
Today, I decided to earn my keep and help organize Mr. White’s paperwork—part of the task Mafius gave me.
All I had to do was gather any papers Mr. White accidentally dropped or scattered while working and stack them up to the side. It was surprisingly easy.
So much had happened in just three days…
“Ah…”
The moment I opened my mouth, I locked eyes with a pair of golden eyes.
Gasp.
“Mm? Did you call me, sweetheart? Want to stop working and go play?”
“N-No! Picking up papers is fun!”
I shook my head quickly, and Mr. White gave a small smile before returning to his documents.
That’s right.
Three days had passed, and I still hadn’t made any progress on a single one of the assignment goals from Mafius.
Only seven days left—and I hadn’t accomplished anything!
So today was goal number 4: Try calling someone by a term of endearment.
Clutching a piece of paper like it was my lifeline, I stared at Mr. White.
While he was focused, another sheet of paper slipped from under his elbow.
I quickly picked it up and placed it on the desk.
“Another one fell.”
“Oh, when did that happen? Thank you!”
Aside from his reactions being a little exaggerated, everything was going smoothly so far.
Now I just had to say it—but it was like some kind of magic was blocking me. My lips wouldn’t move.
So I kept hovering around Mr. White, waiting for the right moment.
Just then, while stamping some documents, he suddenly stood up.
Huh? He’s done already?
“There! All done. Thanks to my daughter’s help, I finished quickly!”
“Already?”
But I haven’t said it yet.
“Bored, right? What should we do now? How about a nice snack out in the garden? Or maybe a little outing just the two of us? How about we go look at pretty clothes for our sweet Ion? That sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
An outing?
1. Go on a family outing.
That sounded like a great idea!
And Erev was home too!
“Let’s do it!”
Opportunity unlocked!
But of course, trials came quickly.
“Sweetheart, this side is more comfortable.”
“Hey, silly girl, sit over here. If you don’t, you’ll go flying the moment we hit a bump.”
At first, I had comfortably climbed into the carriage in Mr. White’s arms.
Erev, who had joined a little later, successfully got in as well.
But then—Mr. White, seated on the right, and Ereb, on the left, both started patting the seat next to them, insisting I sit beside them.
“This side has better lighting. You’ll be able to see the fields!”
“It’s easier to get out from this side, Ona.”
The plan today was family outing!
I wanted to respect both of their opinions, but I ended up hopping back and forth from the right seat to the left—and finally, I snapped.
Is this what normal families are like?
Can’t I just sit wherever I want?!
“Just sit together!”
Raising a baby might actually be easier than this!
I said this with my hands on my hips, and silence fell over the carriage like someone had poured cold water.
“…”
“Sitting on the right might be best.”
The moment I said that, Mr. White couldn’t hide his smile.
Then, pretending to look out the window, he turned his head, a thin sheen of sweat on his hand.
He’s thinking: ‘Erev is easier to deal with. Let’s make this seem natural. Totally casual.’
Blink blink. Ready…
I plopped down in the middle seat and, with my face flushed, patted the empty spot next to me.
“O-O-Oppa, sit here!”
I did it!
It almost felt like I could hear imaginary applause echoing around me.
I put so much effort into saying that—but Erev didn’t react at all.
Maybe I was the only one who cared.
Sneaking a glance at him, I found Erev wearing the dumbest expression in the world.
“F-Fine, whatever.”
But then, Erev quietly slid into the seat beside me.
And with that, the carriage carrying the three of us on our very first outing set off.
