[CHAPTER 122]
Lincia blinked her eyes.
Although Yulias had played wholeheartedly with the child, the child still seemed unable to give up on the desire to go outside.
Lincia hesitated for a moment before parting her lips.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Mm, a little sleepy. But Lus wants to go out.”
It was hard to call it “a little,” since the child cradled in Lincia’s arms could barely keep their eyes half open.
Their words were growing slurred, and it felt like they would fall asleep the moment they were laid on a bed.
“How about going out tomorrow and playing all day? Would you not like that?”
The child shook their head while clutching her clothes.
“Is there a reason you really want to go out today?”
“It’s all dark outside, but it’s sparkly. Lus never saw that before.”
At the child’s words, Lincia turned her head and looked out the window.
Just as the child said, lanterns shimmered brightly, illuminating the darkness that had settled outside.
“It’s like the stars came down to welcome us.”
It was a very childlike and endearing expression.
It was a sight she had often seen while living in the imperial palace, yet the child’s words made it feel new.
“You’re right. Maybe the stars really did come to greet us.”
During the founding festival, the lights on the streets never went out.
They would be bright today, tomorrow, and the day after that.
Lincia did not want to ruin the child’s wonder at seeing something new, so she answered that way.
“Alright. Let’s go out.”
At Lincia’s answer, the child’s face instantly lit up.
Reaching toward her neck, the child hugged her tightly.
“Wow! Thank you!”
“Did you ask your father? Go and get permission to go out now.”
“Okay. Put me down.”
The child smiled brightly, cheeks flushed red.
Their feet dangled and swung in the air as they were held in her arms.
Lincia bent down to set the child on the ground.
The moment their feet touched the floor, the child ran off in a flurry.
When the child reached their room and struggled at the door, a knight opened it for them.
After bowing politely to the knight, the child immediately called out to Harvich.
“Dad!”
The room visible through the wide open door was furnished like a reception room.
The man seated at the desk was reviewing documents even late into the night.
As soon as the child entered, he stood up and lifted the child running toward him high into the air.
“Lucas, you should walk slowly indoors.”
The corners of Harvich’s lips curved upward in a smooth arc.
Watching the picture-perfect relationship between father and child made Lincia feel like she was peeking into someone else’s family.
“Dad, Dad! Let’s go out.”
“No. It’s too late today.”
Harvich spoke firmly as he checked the time.
He wanted to grant Lucas’s wish since he rarely begged, but it was nearly midnight.
Normally, the child would have been long asleep by now.
He had planned to organize his documents and go get Lucas, but going out now was another matter.
“Let’s go tomorrow.”
This really shouldn’t be happening.
Lucas clutched Harvich’s collar and let his eyes droop sadly.
“The Princess told me to get permission.”
“The Princess?”
At the words of the child in his arms, Harvich lifted his head.
The moment his gaze met Lincia’s, his expression stiffened.
“Yeah. The Princess said she’d go out with Lus.”
Lincia silently nodded at Harvich’s questioning look, asking if it was true.
* * *
The outing of the three was carried out in secret.
Without telling even Yulias, Lincia came outside and looked at the child’s brightened face.
“Wow, the sparkly stars came down.”
The child stretched their hand into the air, filled with delight.
Looking at the smiling child, Lincia felt as though she was seeing herself reflected there.
That unfamiliar feeling made her turn her head, only to meet Harvich’s gaze head-on.
Their briefly tangled eyes soon scattered when a street vendor closing up for the night handed cotton candy to the child.
“Hey there, want some of this?”
Though one might expect the child to grab it right away, Lucas instead looked up at Harvich.
“Dad, can I eat it?”
At Harvich’s signal, a knight took the cotton candy, tasted a bite to check it, then nodded and handed it over.
The child accepted it and bowed politely.
“Thank you!”
Lucas held the fluffy cloud-like candy in his hands.
One side was dented where the knight had touched it, but the child did not seem to mind and took a big bite.
“Dad, it’s sweet.”
Saying that, the child tore off a large piece and handed it to Harvich.
Though he did not like sweet things, he swallowed what the child gave him.
The corners of Harvich’s lips trembled faintly.
“It tastes even better because Lus gave it to me.”
Watching the child give away more than half of their treat was surprising.
The moment the vendor disappeared from sight, the child handed all the remaining cotton candy to Harvich.
“Is it tasty? Then Dad should eat it.”
Huh?
Lucas gestured toward the knight.
Seeing the child drink water afterward, it was easy to guess that they did not particularly like sweets either.
Their taste being so similar to Harvich’s was intriguing, and the child’s thoughtfulness toward the vendor was admirable.
Holding the unexpected lump of sugar, Harvich asked the child,
“Thank you. Won’t you give any to the Princess?”
“It’s too sweet.”
The child answered after gulping down water.
“Then what about Dad?”
“Dad is super, super strong. He can beat cotton candy too.”
The innocent logic that someone would enjoy what they disliked simply because they were strong was very childlike.
Seeing Harvich stare at the cotton candy with tragic eyes, Lincia could not help but laugh.
“Give it to me. I’ll eat it. You’re bad with sweets.”
“You knew?”
Lincia nodded at Harvich’s question.
When they had spoken privately at the academy, she had brought cookies and chocolate, but Harvich would only take one out of courtesy and never touch them again.
It was an obvious preference.
“That’s really sweet. You should have given it to Dad.”
Seeing Lincia take the cotton candy, the child exclaimed in surprise.
“I like sweet things. Is it okay if I eat it?”
“Gasp! Yes! Princess, please eat it all!”
As Lincia casually began eating the cotton candy, the child asked,
“Princess, do you like sweet things?”
“Yes.”
“Chocolate too?”
“Yes.”
“Candy too?”
“Of course.”
“Then, then I want to eat them too!”
“If you eat too many sweet things when you’re young, you’ll get cavities.”
Lincia gently stroked the child’s round head.
“You already have great self-control.”
Self-control?
Though the child did not seem to fully understand the word, they recognized it as praise and laughed happily.
Perhaps because knights were stationed everywhere even past midnight, the streets remained lively.
More shops were open than expected, and the child asked for many foods like skewered chicken and other snacks.
Their fondness for salty and spicy food was remarkably similar to Harvich’s tastes, which was fascinating.
“Lus doesn’t have picky eating habits.”
Perhaps bothered by having handed all the sugar over to Harvich, the child repeatedly tried to explain their eating habits to Lincia.
While enjoying the streets like that, the child suddenly stopped at one corner.
It was an area filled with game stalls where people could win prizes.
Families and couples crowded the space.
“Dad, let’s play here.”
Inside a space filled with dolls were boxes arranged for a game.
It seemed to be a game where balls were thrown into the boxes.
“Welcome. You get a doll for every three balls you land in. Each round gives you fifteen chances.”
The merchant greeted them cheerfully.
“Thirty silver per round.”
Harvich paid with a gold coin.
After refusing the change, he lifted the child into his arms.
“Lus, you try first.”
The merchant quickly placed a box beneath the child’s feet.
After tapping it lightly with his foot, Harvich set the child on top of it.
“You just need to throw the ball into any box. If you use your shoulder, you can throw farther.”
The child nodded at the kind explanation and began throwing the balls.
“Ah, so close.”
Lacking strength, the child could not quite get the balls in, but they were happy nonetheless.
“Should I pull the box closer?”
“No, it’s okay!”
After climbing down from the box, the child looked up at Harvich.
Standing there with his arms crossed, Harvich could not ignore the look in the child’s eyes and paid again.
When he started throwing the balls, the man was excessively good.
“Wow, Dad is the best.”
The child’s eyes sparkled as every ball landed neatly inside the box.
“Oh my, sir, you’re incredible.”
The merchant, who had initially praised him with thumbs raised, began to pale once Harvich’s successful throws exceeded twenty.
He looked close to tears.
Lincia grabbed Harvich’s shoulder as he continued throwing with fervor.
“That’s enough now.”
Harvich’s gaze dropped to her hand, then shifted to the merchant.
Only then did he seem to notice the merchant’s about-to-cry expression and put the balls down.
“Dad, Lus only needs one.”
The child pointed to a pitch-black dragon doll.
“Give them that one. We don’t need the rest.”
“Y-yes, thank you very much!”
Afraid he might change his mind, the merchant hurriedly wrapped the doll in a bag and handed it to the child.
“Wow, thank you!”
Seeing the delighted child, the merchant also gave Lucas a bookmark made with a pressed four-leaf clover.
The surface shimmered under a transparent coating.
“You see,”
The merchant whispered as he handed it to the child.
“This is a wish-granting bookmark.”
“Really?”
“Of course. But you have to read lots of books. The more you read, the higher the chances.”
He winked toward Harvich, as if thanking him while encouraging the child’s interest in reading.
Harvich uncrossed his arms and smiled faintly.
“Dad, let’s go there too.”
The child grabbed Lincia’s collar.
Being gently tugged along, Lincia thought that this moment was not so bad.
She did not realize that it was not a feeling she alone held.
