I was quietly observing, and then my mom sighed deeply, pressing her hand against her head.
“Ugh, my head hurts so much. Benedict, I need to rest.”
My dad’s expression turned serious as soon as mom mentioned her headache.
“Alright, Mel. Come with me. I’ll stay with you.”
My dad tried to help mom, speaking in a worried tone. But mom gently pushed him away, shaking her head.
“No. I want to be alone right now.”
“………..!”
I widened my eyes, looking at my mom. It was rare for her to push dad away.
Usually, when I caused trouble and made things difficult for mom, my dad was always by her side.
My mom wanting to be alone was unusual.
My mom and dad were always a set, so when her wanting to be alone like this was strange.
Something didn’t feel right. And I knew my dad felt the same way.
“…Okay.”
My dad’s response came a beat late. He smiled at my mom, but his hands were trembling slightly.
My dad had no immunity to mom’s rejection. I was quietly watching, and as soon as mom left my room, my dad called me.
“Cherry.”
“Yes.”
I answered with a tense voice. My dad seemed dangerous. Since mom’s headache was because of me, I thought I might get scolded for the first time by my dad. Seeing me gulp nervously, my dad’s eyes glinted as he smiled.
“After the ceremony events, your mom went with His Majesty, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Duke Jade Gray didn’t attend the party.”
“Yes. I didn’t see him at all.”
My dad folded his arms and fell into thought.
Tap, tap. The sound of my dad tapping his arm with his fingers at regular intervals seemed especially loud to my ears.
“Something must have happened in Kratyn Forest….”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind, Cherry. I should go to your mom.”
My dad gently patted my head before moving. I quickly followed behind him, speaking up.
“But mom said she wanted to be alone.”
“No. Your mom needs dad right now. More than ever.”
I was doubtful since I clearly heard my mom say she wanted to be alone.
But my dad’s face was full of certainty. His steps towards mom’s room showed no hesitation. Seeing me worriedly following him, my dad reassured me.
“When have I ever let your mom down?”
“Never.”
“Exactly.”
My dad smiled brightly. That smile was so beautiful.
I was dazzled by my dad’s beauty, making my mind go blank. Truly, my dad’s beauty would bring glory to the empire someday.
No, even now, his presence alone was making the empire better.
“I know Mel the most.”
“Yes, absolutely.”
I nodded, now less worried. Even if I didn’t understand my mom as well as my dad, I was sure that just by smiling in front of her, my dad would drive away her headache.
“Okay, dad, I’ll go back to my room now.”
“Alright, my daughter.”
I was about to return to my room, relieved that my dad would comfort angry mom. Just then, I saw the butler running towards us from a distance.
“Huh? Why is the butler….”
It was the first time in my seven-year life that I saw the butler, who managed the Emblem mansion, running in such a hurry. My dad seemed just as surprised, meeting my eyes with a puzzled look.
“Huff, huff! Here you are!”
“What’s going on?”
“Sir, the head of the family has returned!”
It was news about Grandfather, who had gone to Kratyn Forest by the Emperor’s order.
While it was indeed good news, was it really something the butler needed to run to deliver?
My grandfather had returned to the mansion, so we could meet him anytime. My dad seemed to have the same thought and asked the panting butler again.
“Did the head of the family return injured?”
“No, it’s not that…”
The butler pounded his chest as if he were choking.
Seeing his pale face, I started to get anxious, wondering what had happened. Just as I was about to step forward and urge him to speak, the butler almost screamed.
“They started a fight as soon as he arrived!”
“………!”
“………!”
Though the subject was left unspoken, my dad and I instantly knew who was fighting.
We looked at each other in shock, then, without saying a word, both of us ran in the direction the butler had come from.
“Mel!”
“Mom!”
In this mansion, the only one who could have a confrontation with my grandfather was Melsia Emblem, his only daughter.
We even knew where they were fighting: the Emblem training ground.
As we neared the training ground, we could already hear the booming sounds and feel the faint tremors in the ground. My mom and my grandfather were seriously going at it.
“You didn’t save her on purpose, did you? Because she was a Gray, because she was a Gray!!”
“Melsia Emblem!!”
My mom’s shouts and grandfather’s roar echoed loudly.
My heart pounded.
I had never heard my mother’s voice filled with such rage, nor my grandfather’s voice like that.
The training ground was already a mess. The Emblem knights stood far back, using their swords to deflect flying debris and protect the onlookers.
Everyone was frozen by the intense atmosphere.
“Cherry, step back.”
“Dad…!”
“Go back to your room. Now!”
I looked at my dad in confusion. How could I go back to my room with mom and grandfather fighting like that?
I shook my head in protest, about to cry, when mom and grandfather clashed again.
– Boom!
The sound of their swords clashing was unbelievably loud. It was powerful enough to be felt as a vibration on my skin.
“I should have gone to Kratyn. From the beginning, it should have been me!”
My mom repelled my grandfather’s sword and charged at him, shouting.
“If I had gone, Dad would have saved me! Because I’m not a Gray!”
“Melsia Emblem, are you insulting me?”
My grandfather’s face flushed with anger.
His thick neck veins bulged, and the muscles in his arms holding the sword twitched.
They said a Swordmaster’s fury could level a small city, yet my mom faced that fury head-on without retreating.
“Is this an insult? You’ve lived your whole life hating everything Gray!”
My mom’s voice, cracking with emotion, was filled with resentment, hatred, and a mix of love and sorrow. It was a voice that carried a storm of feelings.
‘What should I do? What am I supposed to do in this situation…?’
I couldn’t say a word or move closer. My grandfather, too, seemed stunned by my mom’s words, standing still with wide eyes. My mom hung her head and sobbed.
“In Kratyn Forest, Diana…”
I couldn’t hear the rest of what my mom was saying. It was then that I realized my dad had covered my ears with his hands. I looked up at ead, who was still watching my mom, his hands firmly over my ears.
“……….”
From my dad’s expression, I could tell one thing: though there were many things adults kept from a child my age, something truly serious had happened this time. The next morning, the news broke:
[Diana Gray. Missing in Kratyn Forest.]
The Lutinas Empire was turned upside down.
