Episode 35
“Lift your head.”
“I swear, hic, I swear there was a cabin. Really… sniff… I lived there with Dad and Theo… hic… I had a home to return to…”
“I know. We watched the recording sphere together, didn’t we? Then what do you think that place in the recording was?”
“But… sniff… it’s gone… If someone says I made it all up… hic…”
Tear stains dotted the pale yellow dress the child was wearing.
“I don’t know anymore…”
And just like that, the floodgates burst open again.
Kalec’s large hand gently stroked the small back.
She must be confused because the house burned down.
Losing shared memories, having only one person remember—perhaps it was an incredibly unsettling and disorienting experience.
Just as he was unstable from losing his own memories, Lirin must have felt the same.
Like she had been left alone in the dark, afraid and lost.
Realizing this anew, Kalec let out a deep sigh.
“I thought… if you saw our home, you’d regain your memories. But I was wrong. There’s nothing left that can bring your memories back…”
“What do you mean, nothing?”
He carefully cupped her tear-streaked cheeks and lifted her face.
Her eyes, brimming with endless tears, filled his entire vision.
“Then why did you come to me?”
“…That’s…”
Kalec took a deep breath.
As always, his lips moved on their own, beyond his control. But for some reason, this time, he didn’t feel like stopping them.
“Alright.”
“…”
“If that house was so precious to you, Lirin…”
“…”
“Then do what you said before.”
“…sniff… What do you mean?”
“The eastern forest.”
Lirin blinked in confusion.
Heavy tears dripped onto the back of Kalec’s hand.
“Build an identical cabin in front of that lake.”
“…!”
“If there are any recording spheres left, use them as a reference. I’ll give instructions to replicate it as closely as possible. If my father gets involved, it’ll turn out quite convincing.”
Kalec lightly tapped Lirin’s nose.
“Will that make you feel better?”
“…”
Her flushed face remained blank for a moment before she slowly, hesitantly nodded.
“You’ll eat your soup, too?”
Nod, nod.
“C-Can I make a vegetable garden, too…?”
“Recreate everything exactly as it was.”
Kalec didn’t actually expect to regain his memories just by looking at that cabin.
But he had already decided to ensure Lirin could live safely and comfortably while staying in this estate.
…If this little one is going through so much trouble to help me regain my memories…
He figured he should at least make an effort as well. More than anything—
“I-I’ll eat my soup right now. And wash my face. Then I’ll watch the recording sphere, go to Grandpa, prepare the materials, and draw the designs…!”
Seeing the frail girl suddenly regain her energy made the tightness in his chest finally loosen.
“Fine, but blow your nose first.”
Kalec held out a handkerchief, but instead of taking it, Lirin pressed her face into his palm.
“Hnnng!”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
Oh well.
“Healing complete! Hurry! Hurry!”
After wiping her face clean with a warm towel, Lirin straightened up, her eyes sparkling.
…Why do I feel like this little one is taking up more space in my life?
Could he really let her go?
As Kalec absentmindedly fed soup to the child eagerly opening her mouth like a baby bird, he couldn’t help but pull a slightly reluctant expression.
***
I still feel sad.
I barely managed to hold back my trembling lips.
Even just thinking about the sight of our house burned to ashes was horrifying.
Why did our home have to end up like that?
According to Secretary Ruska, even the villagers didn’t know the exact cause.
Maybe there had been embers left in the fireplace that no one noticed.
But Dad had installed protective magic devices, so the fire shouldn’t have spread that badly.
For even the plants in the surrounding vegetable garden to be completely incinerated, the fire must have been so intense that even the protective devices failed to work.
Just picturing the charred remains of our garden made my heart sink again.
The mere thought of it made my chest tighten, as if I had been trapped in the fire myself, my lungs suffocating.
I rubbed my eyes roughly and shook my head.
Of course, it was said to be a particularly windy day, so maybe the flames spread quickly…
Something still felt off.
Maybe Dad thought the same, which was why he ordered a more detailed investigation.
Now there really is no home to return to.
Remembering that fact made me a little sad, but…
It was okay.
— Build an identical cabin in front of that lake.
Because the cold-hearted Duke had permitted me to build a new home here!
Dad would never know how much those words had felt like salvation to me.
If Dad regains his memories and realizes our home is gone, he’ll feel as devastated as I did.
I didn’t want him to experience the same despair I had felt.
So right now, I needed to do what I could!
Besides… in the end, I got permission to make a vegetable garden, which meant I could prepare for the next Four Dukes’ Conference!
See? There’s always a way!
“Ahem.”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I reached into my turtle-shell backpack and pulled out the recording sphere. Then, I looked straight ahead.
“Thank you all for gathering here.”
This was the largest reception room in the ducal estate.
I glanced around at the people sitting closely together on the sofa.
Hmm, the estate maintenance manager, the expansion and new construction planner, the garden manager, the materials manager, the interior decorator… Good.
Everyone was here.
“It’s truly an honor to have experts from all fields assisting with this.”
I bowed politely.
Then, I placed the recording sphere on the table with a soft tok.
“Now, let’s begin the first official screening of the recording sphere.”
“Ahem, hem-hm.”
The estate staff fixed their wavering gazes on the sphere.
Of course, Grandma Eliza and Grandpa Blaine were also present, and it seemed like they were barely holding back their grins.
“There’s a limit to the number of times this can be played, so please focus. Watch carefully and engrave it into your brain as if you’ll never forget it.”
I spoke clearly.
The reason so many people were gathered was simple.
Building a house wasn’t something I could do alone, so I had gone around the estate, asking the friendly servants—uncles and older sisters—for help.
Of course, I needed proper reference materials…
And fortunately, the recording sphere captured exactly what our house looked like!
Unintentionally, it had become a perfect visual reference for construction.
Without hesitation, I placed my hand on the round magical device. Somehow, it felt as if the entire atmosphere shifted at that moment.
“Dear, do you think I can endure this without bursting into laughter?”
“…This is a crisis of a lifetime.”
Hearing my grandparents whisper sweetly to each other, I firmly prepared to press the activation button.
“Alright then, three…”
Just as I was about to shout “two, one!”—
“Wait.”
A deep voice, belonging to the large figure that had been silently seated at the head of the room, spoke.
“Huh? Why? Oh, Duke—no, I mean, Dad.”
“I just want to confirm something… That bastard… he appears in it, doesn’t he?”
His voice was strained, as if the words were being squeezed out.
“Daaaad.”
Strictly, I made a mark on my Dad Counter memo, which hadn’t been used in a while, and spoke.
“The Dad in the recording sphere is still undeniably Dad. You shouldn’t speak so badly of yourself.”
“Whose daughter is this little smart aleck, really?”
Grandma Eliza pinched my cheeks as if kneading dough.
“…Hah.”
Dad lowered his head and let out a deep sigh. His broad shoulders rose and fell heavily.
At that moment, the materials manager (Kate) calmly spoke up.
“Master, I will try to keep my vision blurred when looking at the person in the recording sphere.”
Yet, she had even brought a telescope with her?
Oh dear. It seemed like facing Alec Dad was really difficult for my dad.
I gently patted his clenched fist.
“If it’s hard to face yourself, you can step out… Though, according to the picture book I read yesterday, avoidance isn’t the fundamental solution to a problem…”
Dad gritted out through clenched teeth,
“…Play it.”
< Liriiiiiiiin! Ohh, my daughter! >
“Turn it off. No, play it. No, just turn it off. Just turn it off. Right now.”
“It’s too late to take it back.”
Grandpa Blaine’s weighty remark was followed by Dad burying his face in his hands.
“Damn it.”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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