A warm feeling was radiating from the child’s small and fragile body.
As Erich flinched in surprise, the child looked up at him and said,
“Dad, you had a tough day, didn’t you?”
“No, nothing happened…”
As he tried to deny it, the child’s small hands clutched his collar tightly.
Then, standing on tiptoe, the child rubbed his cheek against Erich’s.
“Dad, I’ll protect you! So, when things get tough, don’t push yourself and lean on me. Okay?”
Seeing that sun-like smile, Erich couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘This little one…’
It was truly absurd and unbelievable.
No matter how much of a magician he was, a mere three-year-old saying he would protect him…
But more than anything, Erich felt a swell of emotion and gratitude.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like this in my life…’
In that moment, Cornelia came to mind.
<If you do that, you won’t be able to leave unscathed.>
Her figure stood up for him in front of many people.
And those firm violet eyes were strikingly similar to the child’s.
‘They really do look alike.’
Erich smiled at the child briefly and then said,
“Thank you for saying that.”
Then the child burst into a bright laugh and replied to Erich.
“Thank you? It’s only natural! I love you, Dad!”
At that moment, Erich came to a realization.
‘Ah, so I…’
The reason he wanted to be by Cornelia’s side when they reunited.
He had thought it was merely out of a sense of debt to her.
He had cherished her in his heart, knowing she was his brother’s lover, and felt guilty for deceiving and hurting her.
He had rationalized his actions as wanting to make up for her lost years and ensure her happiness.
But now he could finally reflect on his own feelings.
‘I was acting foolishly.’
He had suppressed his desire to approach her.
He believed he wasn’t worthy of her and thought she wouldn’t want him near.
Yet he still hoped she would understand his one-sided feelings.
That’s why it has been so difficult.
‘I just needed to repay her for what I hadn’t done all this time…’
Affection shouldn’t involve the calculations.
Just like the way Demian had shown him just now.
And just like when she had run to him with a handkerchief in hand.
All he had to do was love her.
“Dad, what’s wrong? Are you crying? Your eyes are red.”
At the innocent question, Erich slowly shook his head.
“I’m not crying. I just realized how pathetic I’ve been.”
The child shook his head vigorously.
“Dad’s not pathetic! Dad is the best dad ever!”
At those words, Erich laughed.
‘I don’t know if I deserve such affection from you…’
Erich held the child’s tiny hand that was gripping his collar.
“Dad?”
Even though he wasn’t the child’s biological father.
Moreover, if Cornelia rejected him, he would never be able to be the child’s father.
If that happened, the child would gradually stop calling him “Dad.”
But even so, he would continue to protect and love the child without change.
‘You reached out to me first, and now I consider you… my family.’
Finally, Erich spoke to the child, who had a dazed expression.
“Yes, I am very happy to have you, Demian.”
Hearing that, Demian began to cry, his voice trembling.
“Why are you crying?”
At Erich’s question, Demian couldn’t answer and just cried out loud.
“Dad, Dad… hic!”
Not understanding why the child was crying, Erich’s expression hardened at the next words he heard.
“I’ve always… wanted to see you, and now that I can… hic! I’m so happy.”
At those words, Erich inwardly cursed the child’s biological father and gently patted the child’s back.
“Yes, I will always be by your side.”
Even if Cornelia asked him for a divorce, Erich was determined to protect her and the child until the end.
At that moment, the child, covered in tears and snot, spoke.
“Daddy, I’m hungry. Let’s go eat!”
Taken aback by the sudden shift in emotion, Erich slowly nodded.
‘At least there’s no suspicious presence in this hotel, so it should be fine.’
“Alright, what do you want to eat?”
“Um, meat!”
With that, Erich took the child’s hand and went down to the restaurant.
‘Indeed, there are no suspicious individuals.’
But then something unexpected happened.
Bang!
A loud explosion filled the area with red flames.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Crash!
When I dropped my teacup, Reinhardt became flustered.
“Are you alright? Any scratches…”
“I’m fine. My hand just slipped. It seems I need to change seats.”
I then shifted diagonally instead of sitting across from him.
Reinhardt then snapped at the servant who brought the tea.
“What are you doing? Clean it up immediately!”
I felt a strange sense of discomfort from Reinhardt’s imposing demeanor, which was unlike his usual self. But I didn’t show it and spoke calmly.
“It’s alright. It was my mistake. Take your time.”
Eventually, the servant cleaned up the broken pieces and went outside.
“Apologies. They’re quite slow.”
I laughed.
Even though it was my fault, he was still blaming his subordinates.
‘He’s still the same.’
Reinhardt Adolf Tarrant was one of the few people who had always treated me kindly.
And that was the reason I couldn’t open my heart to him.
‘You always treated me courteously, yet looked at me like you would crush me if given the chance.’
Currently, he was the damn mastermind who was messing up the capital and manipulating every situation.
I pondered deeply about the identity of the mastermind.
The conclusion I reached was that it must be someone who would benefit from this, likely someone among the royalty.
And Reinhardt was one of my prime suspects.
‘So that’s why I willingly came here.’
After a moment, I replied calmly.
“It’s fine, really.”
Then I called him.
“Reinhardt, let’s get straight to the point.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“Do you have any desire to become emperor?”
To gauge his reaction, I watched him closely, but he showed no sign of disturbance.
“No, how could I possibly covet that position? I have no interest in the throne.”
The way he said that made him seem like someone completely devoid of greed.
But there is an old saying.
Those who claim to have no interest in money and power might be the ones who are truly obsessed with it.
I then smiled and said to Reinhardt,
“Right, I thought you would say that. You’ve never shown any greed until now.”
“Haha, thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
“However, it’s concerning. Aside from you, there aren’t really any suitable candidates for Emperor…”
At that, he smiled and replied,
“Isn’t Duke Hauzen your uncle? Plus the Queen of Alsera, Reda, has grown sons as well.”
“That’s true. But Duke Hauzen has fallen out of favor with His Majesty, so that’s difficult. My cousins are probably the most viable options.”
Excluding Crown Prince Allen, my aunt had two more sons.
Soren, who possessed exceptional combat skills, and Loren, who was highly educated.
“But neither of them is truly an imperial citizen. I don’t want to entrust the Empire to such individuals.”
I then gazed at Reinhardt and spoke.
“What I want is an ideal ruler who will love and cherish this empire.”
His expression still showed no change. But I could faintly see it.
A subtle desire flickering in his eyes.
‘Should I push a little more?’
Just as I was thinking that,
Knock, knock.
The knock interrupted our conversation, and Reinhardt spoke irritably.
“What is it?”
A voice filled with urgency came from outside the door.
“Your Grace, I apologize. I have an urgent matter to report.”
Reinhardt furrowed his brow and then looked at me with a smile.
“Your Highness, I apologize for interrupting our important conversation, but it seems my aide needs me for something urgent. May I step out for a moment?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
As Reinhardt left, I stood up.
‘Finally, I’m alone.’
I had been wondering what excuse to use to get him out, but he conveniently left on his own.
It couldn’t have been better.
I quickly moved toward ‘that.’
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“So, what do you have to say?”
With tension in his voice, Reinhardt’s aide quickly replied.
“I have good news, sir. It was successful.”
Reinhardt’s golden eyes widened at those words.
He then asked in a stiff voice,
“Are you saying that Duke Blant and the child have been dealt with?”
“Yes, they happened to come down to the restaurant, so they used explosives. Currently, the hotel is said to be engulfed in flames. No matter how formidable Duke Blant is, he cannot survive that fire.”
At that, Reinhardt smiled brightly.
‘Ah, it was indeed worth developing the new weapon.’
After Cornelia had urged Parakel to advance the development of firearms, Reinhardt had developed explosives to gain an advantage over her and to kill the monster known as Erich Blant.
And, as he wished, the explosives had fulfilled their purpose.
He licked his lips with his tongue.
‘Ah, I wonder what expression Cornelia will have when she hears this joyful news.’
Would she collapse in tears? Or would she sit down in helplessness?
As he excitedly anticipated Cornelia’s reaction, Reinhardt calmed himself.
‘Right, there’s no need to show it yet. Even if I don’t say anything, she will surely react interestingly when she returns to the hotel.’
Reinhardt entered his office.
“Princess, I’m sorry I’m late…”
Reinhardt froze, a chill running down his spine.
Cornelia was standing at the entrance with a gun aimed directly at him.
