Delight looked slightly surprised, as if he hadn’t expected to meet me here.
“I was just taking a walk, and then I saw you here.”
A walk at this hour? It seemed like Delight had a lot on his mind as well.
Well, tonight, no one could truly be at ease. Whether lying in bed or wandering outside, everyone carried their own worries.
Would our fake wedding remain undiscovered?
Would we be able to find Luciel safely in the Ilnord Imperial Palace and return without any trouble?
“Ollia, you must be feeling the same as me.”
“I just… I’ve never been away from the palace for this long before. So I came out for a bit.”
I came up with an appropriate excuse.
“Then, do you want to stay with me?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
I readily made room for him beside me.
We sat side by side, quietly gazing at the night sky.
There wasn’t much conversation between us.
But just sitting here like this, it felt strangely like a real father and daughter spending time together before a wedding.
As we sat in silence, lost in our own thoughts—
“Ollia.”
Delight called my name softly.
“Yes, Dad?”
Hearing my response, he turned to look at me.
His expression was careful, hesitant.
He parted his lips as if he wanted to say something, but then closed them again. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke in a slow voice.
“Has it ever been difficult for you… having me as your dad?”
Even though this was just a fake relationship, preparing for this wedding must have made him reflect on our time together.
That’s why I spoke with even more conviction.
“I’m really happy that you’re my dad.”
At first, I had questioned why it had to be Delight.
Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be my own disciple?
It had been baffling.
But now, I felt the exact opposite.
I was relieved that it was Delight who became my father.
If someone else had taken on this role, I wouldn’t have had the same experiences or emotions that I do now.
“I’m glad… that you feel that way.”
“…….”
“Ollia, I had someone like that in my life, too. She was my teacher, but to me, she was like a parent.”
His words came out casually, as if it was just a passing thought.
But perhaps, deep down, this was what he had wanted to say all along.
Delight started talking about himself.
“I never really told you about my teacher before, did I?”
Once the topic was brought up, he continued speaking in a calm voice.
I never expected to hear about this directly from Delight.
I was caught off guard… but at the same time, I was curious.
What had his terrible teacher been like in his memories?
“You’ve heard of the Archmage Sherina from Ilnord, right?”
“Yeah, of course. She’s famous.”
I had hoped that the name ‘Archmage Sherina’ would fade away with time, buried along with my death.
But even after all these years, that name remained intact.
Ilnord had used it to glorify their golden era, ensuring my name lived on.
“She was a great person.”
“.…….”
“That person was my teacher. I learned everything about magic from her.”
Delight smiled faintly and continued speaking.
“When I was a child, I almost died once. My teacher saved me back then.”
It was the first time I had ever heard about his childhood.
“Luciel and Hiel lived in that mountain with me at the time. Well, Luciel would only visit occasionally, but still…”
“……….”
“But back then, we were together.”
There was a sense of nostalgia in his voice.
“I see.”
I chose to say as little as possible, focusing on his words.
It was difficult to react casually to the memories of myself that he was recalling.
Though his speech was occasionally broken, Delight continued talking.
“We were like a family in our own way… though now, we’ve all been torn apart.”
After saying that, he fell into a long silence.
His face turned slightly bitter, as if he were lost in thought.
And then, he didn’t say anything more about the past.
Instead—
“When we return to Promian, would you like to visit the mountain where I spent my childhood?”
He was inviting me to go there with him.
“…Yes. I’d like to.”
I, too, wanted to go.
Going back to the place where I once lived as his teacher—but now as his daughter—would surely feel strange.
Would the mountain’s scenery look different this time?
I was curious.
And so, a thought came to mind—something I wanted to say to him.
“Dad, your teacher would be proud of you.”
“Would she?”
Delight let out a small laugh.
He seemed comforted by my words but didn’t fully believe them.
“Yes. And she would regret leaving without ever seeing you and me together.”
A few years ago, in the room he had prepared for me, Delight had once spoken to himself about me.
Back then, I had watched him in secret—
And this was what I had wanted to say to him.
As the Archmage Sherina, I had spent a long time accumulating regrets.
I had been arrogant, prideful, and indifferent.
I had made countless foolish mistakes.
But among all my regrets, the greatest one was this—
I had left without thinking about the Delight I was leaving behind.
If only I had been wiser back then.
No matter how much I loathed my ties to Ilnord, I wouldn’t have given up so easily.
I would have found another way, no matter what.
Then, instead of offering this clumsy comfort as Violyana, I could have given him the words he truly needed to hear.
But regret held no meaning now.
Delight blinked slowly, lost in thought at my words.
Then, suddenly, he burst into laughter.
“Haha! You’re right. She would regret it. Imagine—she never even got to see our Ollia.”
As his laughter faded, he murmured wistfully—
“There’s no greater loss than that in this world.”
Watching him, I realized—this wasn’t what I should be saying to him.
Rather than speaking in place of the teacher he missed…
I should tell him something else.
And so, I slowly opened my mouth again.
“Dad, thanks to you, I grew up to be beautiful, loved, and smart.”
“…….”
“So be proud of yourself!”
Instead of clenching my fist and shouting encouragement, I cupped my hands together like a flower.
I smiled so brightly that even the moon in the night sky seemed dim in comparison.
“Ahaha! That’s the most uplifting thing anyone has ever said to me.”
Delight laughed heartily, looking lighter and more at ease.
This was the expression I wanted to see on his face.
At this moment, the only thing I could do for him—
Was to speak to him not as his teacher, but as his daughter, Violyana.
***
The day we departed for Ilnord.
The Imperial Palace was bustling early in the morning.
We were leaving under the pretense of a wedding.
Those who weren’t aware of the real situation were simply excited about the princess’s upcoming marriage.
Everyone wanted to congratulate me, hoping for a safe and successful ceremony.
“Your Highness, please take care and return safely.”
Among them, Monia, who knew the truth, spoke with concern.
She had decided not to come with us to Ilnord.
Someone needed to stay behind to manage the palace maids, and in case of an emergency, we needed someone who could quickly relay information.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back safely.”
“Your Highness, have a wonderful wedding. You’ll surely be the most beautiful bride in the world.”
“The wedding is just a…”
Monia, fully aware that this wedding was just a cover, trailed off.
“But still, since your groom is Prince Serdin, no matter how things turn out, it will be a memorable occasion.”
“……….”
“Congratulations on your wedding.”
Just as I was about to respond to Monia’s heartfelt words—
“Hurry and get in. It’s time to leave.”
She gave me a gentle push toward the carriage.
Inside, Delight, Blueny, and Serdin were already waiting for me.
“Shall we go?”
“…Yes!”
At last, our carriage began moving.
Ilnord.
The place where I had once grown as an Archmage.
Where I had fought on the front lines of war.
And now—I was returning.
‘Not much has changed.’
That was my first thought as we arrived at the Ilnord Imperial Palace.
Even though years had passed, much of it still looked the same as in my last memories.
But did that mean I felt nostalgic?
No.
If anything, I wanted to spit on every inch of ground my feet touched!
From the moment we entered the capital, one thing became clear—
‘I despise this place.’
I longed to finish my task and return to Promian as soon as possible.
But there was no turning back now.
With that determined resolve, the carriage came to a halt.
