***
“First off, I’ve succeeded in getting close to the King of Soren. I’ll keep an eye on the situation while pretending to cooperate with him.”
It was during this report from Serdin, who had arrived earlier than Hiel, to share the day’s events.
“Master… Princess. I’m back.”
Hiel returned late at night after being away from the palace all day. He looked exceptionally exhausted and worn out.
“A lot happened today. I’ve discovered quite a few new things, but before that, do you remember what I said when I came back from the border? About that secret organization?”
“You mean the one that helps those who escaped from the underground auction house? Did you find out who’s behind it?”
“Yes. I met them. And you’ve met that person too.”
Someone near the border? Who could it be…?
“…No way?”
“Yes, what you’re thinking is correct,”
Hiel calmly nodded, revealing the answer.
“It’s Empress Blueny.”
“…..…!”
“The person who established that secret organization was none other than the Empress. She likely lived there deliberately to carry out her work.”
If that’s true, she must have hidden her true intentions from the start, carefully orchestrating her activities there.
“If all of that is indeed true…”
The answer was clear.
It was now apparent why Blueny pretended to lose her memory and returned here with a hidden agenda.
***
“I’m okay.”
I said this brightly to Delight, who was carefully observing my reaction.
“Ollia… I’m sorry that your dad isn’t good enough.”
Around lunchtime today, Delight finally found some time amidst his busy schedule to visit me.
The Empress, my biological mother, had suddenly appeared and then disappeared just as abruptly. For a young princess like me, it was undoubtedly shocking. Delight was explaining the situation cautiously, as if worried about how I’d react.
“Haa…”
“Why are you sighing? You’re not really okay, are you? But you’re pretending because of me… Ollia, you don’t have to act mature if you don’t want to.”
Delight seemed at a loss over my sigh, unsure of what to make of it.
“You can even blame me if you want. It’s all because of my shortcomings…”
He was digging himself deeper into guilt at an astonishing speed.
“No, really, I’m fine. I have you, Dad.”
I said this cheerfully, and I genuinely meant it.
I didn’t necessarily need a mother figure in my life, and I didn’t want Delight to bear any unnecessary guilt on my behalf.
“Besides, there’s Monia… and Serdin too.”
“Why is Prince Serdin included in that list?”
Delight picked up on that, but his usual objections lacked their usual force.
“I’m actually worried about you, Dad.”
“Me? Why?”
Delight looked bewildered, as if the idea of someone worrying about him was foreign.
Every day, I worry myself sick over you, my frustrating disciple.
I never thought I’d reach the point where I even had to worry about my disciple’s love life!
But now that I had figured it out, I couldn’t just ignore it.
For my hopeless disciple.
And for my loving dad, I spoke up with determination.
“Dad, do you like the Empress?”
“Huh?”
“Are you infatuated with her?”
“…What?”
“When you look at the Empress, it feels like you’re looking at me.”
So, I sensed it.
“You adore me immensely, right? So, you must also like the Empress a lot, just like you do with me.”
“…Huh?”
“But what will you do if the Empress leaves?”
“Ollia, what are you talking about? You don’t need to worry about things like that…”
Delight, caught off guard by my straightforward comment, tried to brush it off. But the more he tried, the more my concern grew.
“Why are you looking at me like that? And what’s with those teary eyes?”
Delight seemed to misunderstand my intentions, suspecting some hidden motive.
What?! How could he look at me like that? It hurts!
I let my shoulders slump dramatically as I continued.
“I suddenly thought of you crying every night, missing her. What would happen then?”
The thought alone made me shudder.
“If that happens, I won’t be able to comfort you, you know?”
At my genuine concern, Delight seemed dazed, like someone lost in thought.
But my worry wasn’t over yet.
“Ah, Dad, I’m really worried about you. It just makes me sigh in frustration.”
I sighed dramatically, exaggeratingly raising my shoulders as if to make a point.
“…O-Ollia, that’s not something you should be worrying about…”
“Dad, don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
Did you get that, my stubborn disciple?!
“Got it? Don’t worry about me; you need to be honest with yourself, for your own good.”
I patted Delight on the shoulder as I gave this advice. If he ends up regretting it later…
“If I find you crying alone one day…”
I paused, then gave him a fierce look.
“…I’ll make sure to torment you until those tears are all gone!”
I clenched my hands like claws, giving him a playful but serious warning.
I wasn’t sure if it would work, but…
Please, snap out of it and hold on to what’s important.
Oh, I should add this too.
“And I don’t like King Soren. He looks like a bad person.”
At least Jayren had a friendly face. But who cares about that?
You can’t fool a child’s instincts with a well-groomed appearance.
***
It felt like a storm had passed.
“Ollia was scary.”
All the words the child spoke with those wide, innocent eyes were etched into Delight’s mind.
It felt like something terrible might happen if he didn’t heed her advice.
“I’ll make sure to torment you until those tears are all gone!”
Well, if it’s Ollia who’s going to torment me, that doesn’t sound too bad.
But if she knew I thought that, she’d probably pinch my cheek.
With my head feeling a little lighter, thanks to Ollia, I found myself smiling.
“Come to think of it, there’s someone else who once said they’d ‘torment me’ in the past.”
Delight had heard those words before.
No, he had experienced them firsthand.
“Isn’t comforting someone the usual approach?”
“Does comforting make all the pain and sadness go away?”
“Does tormenting make them disappear?”
“Of course! When you’re overwhelmed with stress, there’s no room to think about how hard things are.”
“Tch, you’re only doing it because you enjoy bothering me.”
“See, this is why having a perceptive disciple is tiring.”
“So it was true!”
“Got a problem? I don’t know how to comfort, but if you’re ever truly wronged*, I’ll get revenge for you.”
“That’s quite reassuring.”
Such a mischievous teacher.
But her clumsy way of showing support actually worked quite well for him.
“Ollia says something similar things now and then.”
Because of that, memories I’d tried to forget would come rushing back.
“Come to think of it, they’re kind of alike.”
Delight mumbled absentmindedly.
Their appearances were completely different.
His teacher had a sharp and intense look, whereas Ollia had large, round eyes and a sweet face. But sometimes, the words and actions that came out of her mouth were eerily similar.
“I must be getting old.”
The fact that I still harbored such unnecessary nostalgia…
“There’s no way they’re connected.”
Besides, if it were my teacher, she wouldn’t have noticed my feelings at all.
She was completely oblivious in that regard.
A faint smile crossed my face.
And that was the end of my trip down memory lane.
“Has there been any movement from the King of Soren?”
“He’s still on guard, but it seems like something might change soon.”
“Keep a close watch on him.”
“And what are you planning to do about the Empress? If you get involved with the King of Soren, things will inevitably get tangled up.”
“I need to find out what the Empress’s plans are first.”
Ollia’s words suddenly came back to me.
“She told me not to do anything I’d regret.”
Right. I can’t just brush off what my daughter said.
How can I make sure I don’t end up regretting this?
🍓; *Refers to a situation where someone has been hurt or treated unfairly in a significant way.
