Episode 27
When did he come in?
“Dad?”
I tilted my head while rolling the candy around in my mouth.
It had a slightly bitter taste—probably a dissolvable pill.
Whoa, what happened to his face?
Dad looked like he hadn’t slept for a week.
Not only that, but his usually neat clothes were slightly wrinkled, and his hair was a little disheveled.
A red bloodstain on the sleeve of his white shirt… Ah, could that be my blood? If he personally wiped my nosebleed, that’s kind of touching.
“Mother, please handle the aftermath. The imperial palace has sent people to assess the situation.”
His low voice gave a clear dismissal.
Eliza furrowed her brows and pulled me into a light embrace.
“But I have to take care of my baby.”
“Ha, since when were you two so close?”
“Well, that’s… true…”
Eliza hesitated before suddenly exclaiming,
“But she called me Grandma!”
“Huh?”
“She said she liked me from the start! That I was the best grandma in the world and that she never wanted me to get hurt…! Ah! I get it now. Maybe I survived because Lirin said that. This little one protected me!”
No, that’s not it.
Well, it’s kind of true, but also not really.
Dad clicked his tongue.
“Spending three minutes together now or three days together later—which will you choose?”
“Three minutes now.”
“…”
Faced with his razor-sharp gaze, Eliza eventually grumbled and got up from her seat.
“Ugh, fine! Your glare is going to kill me.”
As she turned to leave, she hesitated for a moment before leaning toward me again.
“But, little one.”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you… call me Grandma anymore?”
I blinked.
“…Can I?”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“I can?”
Honestly, I had been holding back because I thought I was acting too familiar earlier.
But if it’s okay, then I’ll call her as much as I want!
“Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!”
The truth is, I always wanted one! A kind and amazing grandma!
Not someone else’s grandma from Lepi Village, but my dad’s mother—the real one!
“Oh, you precious thing.”
Eliza kissed my forehead, then froze, as if startled by her own actions.
“Come to think of it… this is the first time.”
“…?”
“But it’s not bad.”
Having a child to cherish like this.
She whispered softly before smiling, looking strangely relieved, and then left the bedroom.
***
The maids also withdrew, leaving only Dad and me behind.
“…”
A deep silence settled over the room.
Dad sat there without saying a word.
In the end, as I fidgeted with the blanket, I spoke first.
“Dad, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
At that moment, a crack appeared in Dad’s icy, rigid expression.
“…Right now, who’s asking who…?”
Gritting his teeth, Dad turned his head away as if trying to suppress his emotions. He let out several deep sighs, his chest rising and falling heavily.
Oh no, am I about to get scolded for acting recklessly?
Thinking back, I had snuck into the carriage, wandered around the streets, and even collapsed in the end.
Yeah… I think I’m about to be scolded.
Of course, it wasn’t like Dad had never scolded me before.
Despite being overly indulgent toward me, he was strict when I truly did something wrong.
Though, whenever he scolded me, he always looked more heartbroken than I did and would stay gloomy for days afterward.
“Dad… say something…”
I tugged lightly at the hem of his clothes—then flinched.
Wait. Is he upset because I called him Dad? How many times did I say it today?
I didn’t have my memo pad with me right now!
Just as I was about to correct myself and call him “Duke,” I was pulled into his firm embrace before I could react.
“…Judging by all this chatter, you really are alive.”
His voice was incredibly subdued.
I could feel his heartbeat pounding rapidly against my cheek.
No way… was he scared when I passed out?
Even though he had lost his memories, did he still worry about me, even just a little?
“I’m really fine.”
I pulled back and grinned. But when I looked up at him, his cold, composed face was filled with unreadable emotions.
“…If you’re hurt anywhere, say so now.”
“I’m not! Besides, I’m just relieved Lady Eliza didn’t get hurt. It’s a good thing the mages from the Magic Tower were nearby!”
I spoke quickly, trying to change the subject and reassure him.
But for some reason, Dad’s gaze sharpened.
“…Mages from the Magic Tower, huh?”
His voice was dangerously low. I instinctively pressed my lips together.
“Do you really think that?”
“…”
“Lirin.”
“…”
I knew exactly what that look meant.
He wasn’t asking—he already knew.
My instincts screamed at me.
Dad…
I swallowed hard.
He figured it out.
Before I lost consciousness, someone had called my name… That wasn’t just my imagination.
Even if he hadn’t seen me use the artifact, he at least knew I was the one who activated it.
“…Little one, how did you manage to activate that artifact?”
At the piercing question, my body trembled involuntarily. A large hand gently stroked my back.
“I’m not angry. I’m asking because we need to keep it a secret that you activated the artifact. We need to get our stories straight.”
“…….”
“Don’t be nervous.”
The firm yet warm touch was familiar.
After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“That artifact… actually… I found it by chance while exploring the mansion. It was pretty, so I put it in my bag and forgot about it.”
“I see. The head maid told me you’ve been wandering around the mansion.”
“Yeah… I snuck into the carriage because I was curious about the parade, but I got motion sickness on the way. So, I left it in the carriage because it was in the way.”
“And then, when you saw Mother’s carriage in trouble, you used it?”
“Yeah…”
“How did you end up at the accident site?”
“A toy store.”
Dad let out a short sigh.
“I just wanted to look at toys again, so I went when Kate stepped away for a moment…”
I mixed just the right amount of truth and lies.
Since my magic wasn’t a secret from Dad, I could tell him that part honestly.
But I couldn’t let him know I had prepared in advance for Eliza’s carriage accident—otherwise, he’d realize I knew the future.
Dad let out another short sigh before asking again.
“And that power of yours? I think I have a rough idea, but…”
“…Actually, I’m really good at growing plants. With some of them, if my magic resonates, I can even… communicate with them.”
“…….”
“But you told me that this type of magic is extremely rare and that I shouldn’t talk about it to others. That’s why I never showed it before…”
“I see.”
Dad fell into deep thought, his expression growing frighteningly dark.
“Did I… do something really wrong?”
For some reason, my eyes felt hot.
Seeing him with such a serious expression felt strange and unfamiliar.
Normally, I wasn’t easily intimidated, but today, I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling. My body felt sluggish, and I kept shrinking back.
Even my breathing felt oddly unsteady.
“What… what’s going to happen to me now?”
“…Lirin?”
Had I spoken too much just now?
“Am I making things difficult for you, Dad…?”
No, that’s not right. I’m fine.
“What’s wrong with you?”
My vision spun.
A dull ringing echoed in my head, and only then did I realize I had stayed up for too long.
I was still sick.
I had always been strangely insensitive to pain.
Dad doted on me excessively, not just because he loved me, but because I tended to brush off pain too easily.
“I should go sit on the bed…”
“Lirin!”
“So don’t be mad…”
My strength completely gave out, and my body collapsed.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
