CHAPTER 41………………………….
After that encounter — like something out of a midsummer night’s dream — had passed,
I was briefly lost in the breeze brushing against my cheek, then blinked a few times and came back to my senses.
Time hadn’t actually stopped for me, but it felt like I’d been under a spell.
Anyway, that was strange.
‘His name was Fer, huh?’
It sounded more like a nickname than a real name.
‘I’ll have to ask him properly next time we meet.’
Only then did I finally get up, brushing off my clothes.
He had suddenly pulled me, and I ended up sitting down on the grass.
Still, since I hadn’t fallen into the bushes this time, just brushing off a little would be fine—
“……Sisi?”
Right at that moment.
I locked eyes directly with my dad, who was staring right at me.
That is to say—at me, who had just suddenly risen up from the grass.
“Ahahaha~”
You must’ve been surprised to see me suddenly pop out of the lawn like that, huh?
It’s okay, things like this happen from time to time.
“There was such a pretty flower over here, I just had to jump in~ Super jump~”
I mumbled as casually as possible and hopped back into the grass again.
Dad just kept staring at me for a moment, then sighed.
“……Don’t roll around too much.”
“Yes, sir!”
I nodded with an intentionally bright smile.
Fer, that rascal—wait till I see him again.
I’ll make him roll all over this grass.
‘Whew, that scared me.’
Only after Dad’s gaze finally shifted away did I let out a long sigh of relief.
He’d been staring so intently that I actually got nervous.
Especially since Dad’s a Great Mage—he might’ve sensed something off…
‘Wait a second, though.’
As I exhaled, I tilted my head.
If all we did was have a harmless conversation, why was I so tense?
Even if I got caught, what’s the big deal?
‘It’s not like he’d die—or I would.’
And even if I did get caught…
‘Hmm. No. Never mind.’
No, it’s definitely better not to get caught.
Now that I think about it, there is a reason I got so nervous.
‘It’s just a conditioned reflex born from experience, that’s all. Yep, that’s it.’
As I recalled my past, I quickly retracted my earlier thought.
Looking back at Cecilia Miller (age 7)’s short but eventful romantic history—
It all started when a boy in the village held my hand while we were playing house.
Kyle Dad, who had been watching us play in the sand, collapsed in despair, knocking down the sandcastle he’d painstakingly built.
“Just in case it breaks… I can’t even hold Sisi’s tiny hand properly, ♪♬!”
Even now, the sound of Kyle Dad’s heartbroken wailing still rings in my ears.
Of course, after that, he got scolded hard by Mom for saying things like that in front of kids.
‘The second time was when another boy gave me a flower.’
He was known around the village as a big, quiet kid.
I’d never even talked to him before.
So when he suddenly handed me a wildflower, I was a little startled.
Maybe he sensed my confusion—
“……Take it.”
That’s when Derek Dad, who happened to be nearby, reached out to take the flower for me in his typical tone.
And after that unintentionally intense staring contest between the two of them, the boy never approached me again.
To this day, I still don’t know what they were silently fighting over.
Anyway.
‘Harzen Dad was the worst of them all.’
That one was relatively recent—just a few months before my seventh birthday.
I had gone to the village nursing home with Mom and met a boy who was there with his grandmother.
He kept sneaking glances at me, so I just hid behind Dad for a bit—and then…
‘He cast a spell on the poor kid.’
What kind of spell, you ask?
A spell that made me invisible to him.
That was the first time I learned that such a spell even existed.
At least Zion Dad had told the other dads off, saying, “What’s so wrong with her having friends her age?” but…
“My princess, before Daddy leaves, I want you to remember this. Listen carefully and don’t forget, okay?”
The night before his royal deployment, Zion Dad lectured me for two whole hours about “proper, wholesome relationships with the opposite sex.”
That was also just before my seventh birthday.
‘Yep, it’s definitely better not to get caught.’
I’ll keep this secret as best as I can.
I can’t lose my first real friend over something stupid.
With that settled, I turned my attention back to Dad and Bertolt’s conversation.
He said I didn’t need to be wary of Bertolt—but still, I needed to stay sharp.
‘Never let your guard down!’
The more tense things get, the more careful I should be!
“I heard you had quite a loud argument with Father recently,” Bertolt said at last, his tone full of concern.
He placed a hand on Harzen Dad’s shoulder.
“I’ll try talking to him myself, but for now, it’s best if you avoid seeing Father as much as possible. There’s no point in needless conflict.”
“……”
“You’ve only just returned to the capital. It wouldn’t do to have your heart weighed down like this.”
At a glance, he sounded like a deeply caring older brother.
And his eyes, too, seemed sincere.
“Brother…” Harzen Dad said quietly after a pause.
“You’ve always been considerate toward me. I’ve always been grateful for that.”
“There’s no need to say that.”
Bertolt smiled warmly, patting his shoulder.
“I just want you to live well here, that’s all.”
“……”
“That’s the truth, and it’ll never change.”
From a distance, Bertolt looked like the perfect brother—
just as Dad had described: someone who always put his younger sibling first.
They seemed like model brothers, close and affectionate.
“I…”
Harzen Dad stared at him for a moment, then spoke carefully.
“I believe in you.”
Though somehow, it sounded more like, “I want to believe in you.”
“You’re not only my brother,” he continued, “but also my friend—and like a parent to me.”
He paused briefly, then added,
“I hope… you’ll stay that way.”
His voice was quieter than usual.
“I don’t know why you’d suddenly say that,” Bertolt tilted his head, looking directly at him.
“From what you’re saying, it seems your argument with His Majesty was quite serious.”
“……”
“But don’t worry, Harzen.”
He softened his tone.
“As long as you’re by my side, I’ll always be everything to you.”
Something about the way he said that sent a chill down my spine.
What did he mean by everything?
The love of parents he destroyed?
The loyalty of a friend he stole?
“Anyway, it looks like that young lady over there is waiting for our conversation to end,” he said, glancing at me with another smiling gaze.
“We’ll talk again soon.”
I quickly stepped forward and bowed.
“Goodbye, mister.”
Harzen Dad’s face darkened even more.
Please just leave already!
“Let’s go home now, Dad.”
Once Bertolt finally walked away,
I tugged gently at Dad’s arm, still lost in thought.
“Ah.”
He blinked, as if returning to himself, then quietly removed his glasses and murmured,
“Yes, let’s go.”
As I looked into his sad blue eyes, I wondered to myself—
What had he realized during that conversation?
Or was he simply confused, not understanding anything at all?
Only the Scroll would know the answer.
A special emotional deviation detected — one significant enough to alter the course of the side story.
Analyzing impact on side story progression…
And then, the next morning—
News arrived that the dads had successfully passed through the Imperial Capital’s inspection gates.
