TEWMDD06

Chapter 6

At the point where the side story begins, the original Cecilia and the male leads probably hadn’t accompanied Yuria to the imperial palace.

That must be why comments like that appeared.

But what if I suddenly barged in?

What would happen if someone completely unplanned in the original story were to follow Yuria and Harzen?

And if I went to the palace—

—then there’d be no reason for the other dads to just sit quietly at home.

They’d probably rush straight to the palace to drag me back.

Of course, both Mom and Harzen’s dad would never agree to take me there in the first place.

“CiCi?”

Right then, Mom’s voice slipped into my ears.

“Did you understand what Mommy said?”

I quickly pulled myself together and gave a slow nod.

If I agreed too readily, it might seem suspicious.

I needed to keep acting a little sulky, just a tad aloof.

“Well…”

I had only just decided to go with them, so now I felt fine!

“I’ll really be back in ten nights. My CiCi can count to ten now, right?”

“Of course!”

“Good girl, my princess.”

Mom’s hand began to gently ruffle my hair.

I obediently leaned into her touch.

Mom’s hands were so nice—so warm.

If I closed my eyes like this, I’d drift right off…

“How about you sleep with Mommy tonight?”

“Gasp—no.”

I almost gave in to that instinctive comfort.

If I’m going to carry out my plan, I need to be alone.

I clung to my runaway thoughts and quickly shook my head.

I must have clung to them too hard, because my refusal came out far more firm than intended.

“What, you don’t want to?”

Mom looked genuinely surprised.

I tried to smooth things over, pretending nothing was wrong.

“Mm-hm. You promised you’d be back in ten nights. And since I’m seven now, I can sleep by myself.”

I’m fine, thank you, and you?

“My God, our CeeCee’s grown up so much already…”

Squaring my shoulders proudly, I made Kyle Dad sniffle.

“What if one day she suddenly announces she’s getting married and brings home some shady guy?”

“She’s still a kid. Why worry about that now?”

“Why? That girl from the lower village got herself a boyfriend just the other day and brought him home.”

“…So that screaming I heard the other day was because of that, huh.”

Huh? Why’s the atmosphere turning weird?

Seeing my dads’ increasingly grave expressions, I flashed them a bright smile.

“You don’t have to worry about that. CeeCee’s not interested in that kind of thing.”

I mean, how could I be, when Mom’s life was in danger? Playing house was the last thing on my mind.

“Right? With such ♩♪ amazing dads, how could anyone else catch your—”

“I only need Mom.”

“…Wait. What about Dad?”

“CeeCee’s sleepy. G’night.”

I wriggled under the blankets and pulled them up to my nose.

Through the small gap, I could see my dads’ stunned expressions.

Like the look of people whose entire world had crumbled.

“Good night!”

I said cheerfully, then shut my eyes tight, pretending to sleep.

The night has fallen.

Everyone, please return to your respective places.

It’s time for the Mafia to take action.

“Gasp.”

Hours later.

A sudden sense of foreboding jolted me awake.

Oh no, I actually fell asleep.

This treacherously cozy blanket!

I’d nearly slept straight through until morning.

If I had, my plan would be ruined, Mom would die, the family would collapse, and the world would end…

That took ten years off my life.

I threw off the blanket and carefully climbed out of bed.

The darkness outside told me it was still deep in the night.

Quietly…

On tiptoe, I slipped out of the room.

I hadn’t brought a lamp for fear of being spotted, so the hallway was as dark as my future.

But I, CeeCee—

Born with the DNA of a hero who once defeated the Demon King—

—wasn’t going to be cowed by a little darkness.

Better sit and slide down one step at a time, so I don’t trip.

With that decision made, I plopped down and slowly scooted down the stairs on my backside.

The reason I was making this slow, awkward descent to the basement?

I needed to get to Kyle Dad’s workshop.

Because that’s where the incredible item I needed for my plan was kept.

One of the five heroes who defeated the Demon King, and the greatest inventor the world had ever seen—

Genius of geniuses, king of foul mouths—

That was my Kyle Dad.

In the main story, the inventions he created saved the protagonists from death countless times.

And the one I was here to steal was—

—the Invisibility Cloak!

The magnum opus of my foul-mouthed father’s career.

Even he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to invent it. A masterpiece among masterpieces!

With this, I could get to the palace without being caught—

Because it could conceal not only the wearer’s presence, but even their unique magical signature.

It could even shrink or expand to perfectly fit the wearer’s height!

By now, Dad should be asleep.

Kyle Dad was the kind of adult who fell fast asleep at exactly midnight.

And once he was out, you could carry him away and he wouldn’t wake until morning.

Same for Derrick Dad.

Mom and Harzen Dad are heavy sleepers too, so it’s fine.

At last, after much effort, I reached the workshop door.

Phew, that was tough!

Sliding from the second floor to the basement had nearly set my butt on fire.

Hopefully my pajamas didn’t have a hole now.

I rubbed my backside and stepped up to the door.

Normally, the moment you approached this door, dozens of Kyle Dad’s inventions would spring into action to expel intruders—

But…

“…”

Even as I crept forward, the area stayed quiet.

Naturally.

Because I was special.

I was one of the few people Dad had given permission to visit anytime.

Though I’d never actually been here before.

Before remembering my past life, the basement was just a place of fear to me—

Dark, dingy, and creepy enough to make me think something might jump out.

Of course, now that I was a mature child, I wasn’t scared at all.

Taking a small breath, I turned the doorknob carefully.

No creak—Dad must keep it oiled.

Good father, good father.

I stepped inside and scanned the room.

Let’s see…

I’d never been shown the cloak before, but I already knew what it looked like—

Because it had been described once in the main story.

Before you put it on, it’s just a ragged, worthless-looking cloth.

The workshop was a complete disaster, practically a junkyard—

Which was actually good.

In this mess, no one would notice if something went missing.

In fact, maybe I should grab a few more gadgets while I was here.

Thoroughness never hurt.

“Found it.”

While rummaging for useful items, I spotted it shoved carelessly into a corner.

So this is the Invisibility Cloak…

Definitely rag-like enough to match the “burlap sack” description.

Honestly, if I didn’t know what it was, I wouldn’t touch it.

Alright, now to just snatch it and—

The moment my fingers closed around the cloak with a sly grin—

Creak.

From somewhere beyond the workshop door, the faint sound of a door opening echoed down the hall.