The once lively banquet hall suddenly became noisy.
As the tension between the Crown Prince and Serdin grew, people’s gazes gradually focused on them.
“What is this commotion?”
The Emperor, sensing the situation, spoke up.
“This banquet is for Serdin’s marriage. Do not cause trouble.”
“Your Majesty, I apologize. The Crown Prince is only emotional because of me.”
The Empress interjected, speaking on his behalf, before sternly addressing the Crown Prince.
“Crown Prince. Why are you ruining the atmosphere of the banquet with unnecessary words? I already told you that I am fine.”
“…I apologize.”
At the Empress’s sharp glance, the Crown Prince lowered his head.
His expression, however, seemed somewhat distressed.
‘He’s doing this on purpose.’
The realization struck at that moment.
But before she could figure out what to say next, the Empress spoke in a melancholy tone.
“Serdin, please understand the Crown Prince.”
“I am fine.”
Serdin responded with composure. However, it seemed that the Empress was not actually trying to mediate between the two of them.
“You’ll be leaving soon after your marriage, so I felt a bit emotional and vented a little. That’s all.”
“What happened?”
The Emperor, noticing the Empress’s somber expression, asked.
“No, it’s just… I feel a lingering attachment…”
“Empress, do not hide it. Just speak.”
At his urging, the Empress finally opened her mouth with a troubled expression.
“…The truth is, I already knew.”
Her wounded voice weighed heavily on Serdin.
“I knew that you don’t think of me as your mother.”
“……..!”
Serdin’s eyes wavered slightly.
She had not expected the Empress to bring up that topic.
“Even so, I tried my best for you.”
Her voice was bitter, and a single tear fell from her eye.
“But you still haven’t opened your heart to me… To be honest, I can’t help but feel hurt.”
She let out a quiet sigh before continuing.
“Once you leave Ilnord after your marriage, our relationship will probably end like this.”
“…..…”
“I worry that I’ll never be able to resolve the misunderstandings between us as a mother.”
The Empress confessed the feelings she had been suppressing.
At that, the Emperor frowned and reprimanded Serdin.
“Serdin. No matter how important your marriage is, that does not mean you can neglect your duties.”
“……..”
“From now on, do not go against the Empress.”
“I was wrong. I believe my shortcomings have caused you pain.”
Under the Emperor’s stern rebuke, Serdin bowed deeply to the Empress.
He could apologize and accommodate her as many times as necessary.
“Do you really mean that?”
However, the Empress was not easily swayed.
At her probing question, Serdin instinctively hesitated.
And as expected…
“Serdin, then would you call me ‘Mother’ again?”
“…What?”
“When you were young, you always called me ‘Mother’ and followed me around. But ever since returning to Ilnord, you have never called me that again.”
The Empress’s voice carried a bittersweet yet earnest weight.
It was enough to evoke sympathy from everyone present.
“I may not be your birth mother, but I have always thought of you as my son.”
“………”
“But you didn’t feel the same, did you? I thought maybe you resented me. So I decided to wait… But now that your marriage is approaching, I can’t help but feel anxious.”
Now, I understood what she truly wanted.
I quietly turned to look at Serdin’s face.
He, too, seemed to grasp the situation. However, he kept his lips tightly sealed, clearly reluctant.
‘He meant it when he said he wouldn’t use a title he didn’t want to.’
When he was younger, he had no hesitation in calling people by any title if necessary.
But if he hadn’t called the Empress ‘Mother’ even once in the past ten years…
‘It must be because of what I told him.’
If that was the case, I wanted to help him stay true to the belief he had upheld all this time.
“Serdin! Are you really disregarding the Empress?”
The Emperor’s anger flared.
“Will you not address her properly?”
At his stern demand, Serdin’s lips parted slightly.
Everyone’s eyes were on him, watching intently.
To maintain a harmonious atmosphere until the plan succeeded, avoiding unnecessary conflict was crucial.
If Serdin resisted here, it might only lead to further suspicion.
After a brief hesitation, he seemed to decide there was no reason to hold out any longer. Slowly, he opened his mouth.
“…Mo—”
Just as the word “Mother” was about to be completed—
At that moment, I quickly spoke up.
“…Hic.”
More accurately, I lowered my head and let my shoulders tremble.
A small sob.
Soft, yet clear enough for everyone to hear.
“Ollia?”
“…Sniff… Hic….”
In the end, I couldn’t hold back my tears.
Not only Serdin, but also Delight and Blueny hurried over, worriedly asking,
“Ollia, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“Hic… I suddenly feel so guilty toward my dad…”
I barely managed to speak through my tears.
Everyone was caught off guard by my sudden outburst, staring at me in confusion.
“I remember… Even when I was little, I didn’t call him ‘Dad.’”
“……..”
“Thinking about how that must have hurt him… I feel like I did something terribly wrong. I’m so sorry… Hic…”
I finally broke into sobs, my words spilling out between gasps.
“Seeing the Empress so sad… I finally understand how my dad must have felt. I was so cruel…”
Tears streamed down my face as I reflected on my actions.
“What are you even talking about?!”
“I was too young… I’m sorry… Hic.”
“Ollia. This time, I really can’t let this slide!”
Realizing the reason for my tears, Delight exploded with fury, scolding me harshly.
People were taken aback, not expecting the Emperor of Promian, who cherished his princess, to be so angry with her. The atmosphere grew even heavier.
With a fierce expression, Delight grabbed my shoulders and spoke firmly—
“Why are you apologizing on your own? I never once cared about that!”
“…Hic. But still—”
“Feeling guilty over something you didn’t do wrong is unacceptable!”
Seeing that I was still upset, Delight’s expression grew even sterner.
“Ollia, answer me properly.”
“H-Huh?”
I hadn’t expected him to suddenly start questioning me.
I was caught off guard.
But Delight had already made up his mind to ask.
“Have you ever avoided me or treated me badly?”
“Of course not!”
From childhood until now, not even for a moment.
What kind of ridiculous question was that?
“Then have you ever thrown away a gift I gave you?”
“What are you talking about?! I’ve kept every single one of your gifts!”
Even the ones I had outgrown—I had kept them all safely.
They were precious memories between us.
Delight nodded, as if he had expected my answer, and continued questioning me without hesitation.
“If not that… have you ever hidden something difficult from me?”
This time, he seemed slightly tense as he asked.
This was something he truly wanted to know.
“I never had to! Because I had both you and Mom!”
My firm and unwavering response made Delight relax.
He then gave me a soft smile and said,
“Then tell me—what exactly did you do wrong?”
He looked at me with an expression full of love, just like always.
“Ollia, as my daughter, you’ve grown into someone I’m incredibly proud of.”
“…Dad.”
“Whether you call me ‘Dad’ or just ‘Delight,’ I don’t care about that at all.”
His warm yet strong words—
Though they were directed at me, everyone else listening couldn’t help but be affected by them.
“Trying to force something like that would just be selfishness on my part.”
At that moment, everyone was reminded of the conversation between the Empress and Serdin earlier.
Just moments ago, people had pitied the Empress and judged Serdin for not calling her ‘Mother.’
But now, the atmosphere had shifted—
Instead, people were starting to see the Empress as the one being unfair, pressuring Serdin to call her ‘Mother’ against his will.
And given that Serdin had once been held hostage in the past, the contrast was even starker.
As expected, the Empress’s expression was beginning to stiffen.
“One day, Ollia, when you called me ‘Dad’ because you truly meant it… I was so happy.”
Delight’s eyes softened as he recalled the first time I had ever called him ‘Dad.’
It was a memory that still filled him with emotion.
“So don’t ever let yourself feel guilty over something like this again, alright?”
“…Okay.”
At that moment, Delight and I embraced.
A warm and heartfelt scene between a father and daughter who truly understood each other.
“Well done.”
Delight whispered quietly, just for me to hear.
“You too, Dad.”
I responded in a whisper, smiling at him.
The truth was, this had all been a performance.
The moment Serdin was about to call the Empress ‘Mother’—
I had suddenly burst into tears, apologizing to Delight, and in that instant, he had immediately caught on to my intention.
‘We understand each other so well now, we don’t even need words.’
Feeling satisfied, I snuggled into Delight’s embrace.
