While I was frozen in place, Hyperion finished kissing my hand and smiled at me, still holding my hand with both of his.
When the ice-cold boy smiled brightly, it felt as if a radiant halo was shining behind him. The duchess’s words were truly not a lie. He had looks that he could proudly show off to everyone.
“Let’s be good friends from now on.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“How much longer will you be staying in the capital?”
“Well? I should ask Dad about that… Huh!”
Turning my head towards my father, I was startled.
He was glaring intensely at my hand, which Hyperion had just kissed, with his eyebrows furrowed deeply.
I quickly let go of his hand. Was it just my imagination, or did he seem even angrier now than before?
“Your Highness, how much longer will you be staying in the capital? If you have time, perhaps Arcadia and I could…”
In response to Hyperion’s question, my father coldly replied, in stark contrast to his earlier gratitude.
“We plan to leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?!”
I strongly protested at those words.
“But I haven’t even been to the cake shop that Jas recommended yet! And there are so many other things I want to buy!”
“You can get them on the way tomorrow.”
“Ugh…”
I made a whimpering sound, but my father seemed eager to leave the capital immediately.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait a minute! I have something for Hyperion!”
My father looked at me as if to say, “What could you possibly have for him?” but I quickly asked the maid beside me for a few things. The maid soon brought me the paper and quill I requested.
I began to draw a simple picture with them. Then I handed the finished piece to Hyperion.
“This is a thank-you gift for helping me. Please give it to your younger sibling.”
“…To my younger sibling?”
“I promised the duchess that I would visit your sibling, but it seems I won’t be able to keep that promise. I heard your sibling is unwell, so I hope this will bring some strength, even if it’s not much.”
The paper had a simple drawing meant to convey encouragement. I also wrote the phrase, “From Arcadia to Ivette” beneath it.
Hyperion quietly gazed at my drawing. Seeing his bright blue eyes tremble greatly, I scratched my head.
It seemed he cared deeply for his sibling. It was touching to see him so moved by such a crude drawing.
Hyperion closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. He slightly pressed his lips together and then smiled at me.
“Thank you. Ivette will really like it.”
“Let’s go now.”
My father pulled my hand. As we walked together, I glanced back slightly. Hyperion was waving at me.
“Let’s meet again next time, Arcadia.”
I nodded slightly. The sight of Hyperion smiling gradually faded away.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
In the carriage returning to the duke’s residence, I threw the first punch before my father could scold me.
“Dad, you told me to hit him a few more times and to not get hit by royalty.”
“…That’s right.”
“I just did what you said. I’m not at fault. And I’m definitely not going to tell you why I hit him, so don’t ask.”
I turned my head to the side. I absolutely didn’t want to mention that my mother was insulted. It had happened yesterday too, and if my mom found out, it would only upset her.
“Who told you that you did something wrong?”
At those words, I was surprised and lifted my head again. Since I had made the prince’s face look like that, I expected to be scolded.
However, instead of reprimanding me, my father took my cheek, shook it gently for a moment, and then let go. Ouch.
“Well done, Arcadia.”
“Karim!”
My mother, who had been listening to the conversation, rarely got angry at my father.
“How can you teach her that way? No matter the circumstances, you should teach her not to hit her friends!”
“It’s okay for royalty, but not for other people.”
“Karim!”
My mother gave my father a stern look and then grabbed my shoulder, earnestly advising me.
“Arcadia, friends are very precious. So, don’t fight with your friends and get along well. Do you understand?”
In fact, my mother was somewhat right about this.
It’s a basic principle of social life: you shouldn’t create unnecessary enemies. You never know when you might encounter someone you parted with as an enemy later on.
As I nodded obediently, my father spoke.
“Next time, don’t knock them down with your fists, but with something else.”
I widened my eyes at that.
“What do you mean by knocking them down with something else?”
“Sometimes, words or clever tricks can inflict greater damage than fists.”
Ah, I had temporarily forgotten that my father was a mastermind character.
“From now on, you’ll take down your opponents in an elegant way. I’ll teach you slowly how to do that.”
I nodded vigorously. It seemed there was a lot to learn from my mastermind father.
“By the way, Young Master Acanthus is truly a good kid. He’s handsome and has a good character… The duchess must be very proud.”
The conversation had gradually turned to Hyperion. My mother had a delighted expression when talking about him.
“It’s still early, but if the two of them grow well like this, they might marry later…”
“Enough. Arcadia is only 6 years old.”
My father had a very displeased expression and grumbled inappropriately.
“Why are boys already getting close to my daughter when she’s only 6? I don’t like it.”
I agree, Dad. Still, it seems unlikely that I will become His Majesty’s daughter-in-law. The prince is probably grinding his teeth at me by now.
“By the way, Karim, is Hyperion learning swordsmanship?”
“I heard he started learning a year ago. Usually, kids begin to wield swords around that age if they want to become knights.”
“But Hyperion is from the Acanthus family.”
“Sometimes, children are born without mana.”
That’s when I realized something strange. Yes, Hyperion was definitely using a sword. But why? In the original story, it was said that he was born with exceptional mana.
“Are you saying Hyperion has no mana?”
My father nodded at my question.
“Yes, usually mana manifests before the age of 5, but Hyperion showed no magical power. After that, he started learning swordsmanship at his own request.”
“……”
Since I intervened in the original story, many parts of the novel have changed. My father abandoned the rebellion, and as a result, he and my mother survived.
This would likely change many aspects of the original story.
However, it was quite strange that the protagonist’s son suddenly lost his mana. My existence shouldn’t have affected that.
“…But Arcadia.”
Suddenly called by my father, I turned my head.
“Yes?”
He was looking at me with a very displeased expression.
Huh? Why is he looking at me like that?
“Why did you give that brat a drawing?”
“I didn’t give it to him; I gave it to his younger sibling.”
“Regardless, I’m asking why you gifted drawings to those kids.”
“…Huh?”
As I was taken aback and confused, my father made a face as if he would rather die than endure this. My mother, noticing something, quietly chuckled beside him.
That day, when we returned to the Grand Duke’s residence, my mother called me aside and spoke softly.
“Arcadia, it seems your father wants to receive a drawing from you.”
Only then did I realize why my father was sulking. He had been a bit hurt that last time I drew only my mother and me, leaving him out.
So that evening, despite feeling drowsy, I pulled out some paper and began to draw.
This time, I placed myself in the center, with my mother on the left and my father on the right. Just as I finished coloring roughly, I couldn’t fight off my sleep and collapsed onto the table.
Then I felt my body gently lifting. Someone was carrying me to bed. I could barely open my eyes due to sleepiness, but I knew it was my father.
I heard a rustling sound, like someone handling paper. There was a soft chuckle, and something gentle touched my cheek before pulling away. It tickled a bit, but it wasn’t bad at all. Honestly, it felt very pleasant.
And when I opened my eyes the next morning, the drawing that had been on the table was gone.
