Episode 8
***
As the saying goes, parents’ wallets are like black holes, and I learned to be wary of phrases like, “I’ll hold onto this allowance and give it back when you’re older.”
But hearing that from a villainous father who lost his memory?
‘It’s obvious you plan to steal the ring and kick me out!’
I tightly gripped the bag with the ring inside and ran.
Carefully, I slipped back into the inn through the back door and safely reached my room.
Although more time had passed than I expected, I was relieved that the lady hadn’t returned yet.
“Dad must’ve really been off his guard. The weight of the box would’ve been different.”
I sat on the bed, giggling.
Anyway, it seemed like I could soon part ways with Lady Masha and head to the duke’s mansion with Theo.
I’d use the ring as an excuse and cling to him like a barnacle, no matter what!
“…”
But after a while, my legs, which had been dangling, slowly came to a stop. The smile that had been on my face disappeared.
‘He really wants to kick me out, even if it means deceiving me.’
It stung a bit…
But I shook my head vigorously, as if to dispel the dark thoughts.
Now wasn’t the time to be sad, it was time to move!
“Alright. Let’s gather the things I’ll need before heading to the duke’s mansion.”
Something had come to mind when I saw Dad earlier.
And I suspected I might be able to find it at the temple.
“Yes! There’s always a way out! Don’t get discouraged, Lirin!”
I was patting my cheeks to pump myself up when suddenly, a strong wind blew, rattling the window.
“Whoa!”
That scared me. Why is it so windy?
‘Could it be raining?’
The weather in the capital was said to be unpredictable. Could it be?
As I stared at the cloudy sky, feeling a bit uneasy, I rummaged through my bag.
“There aren’t many recording orbs left.”
Only three were left.
And I had used up most of the viewings secretly while on the way to the capital with Lady Masha.
“I’ll have to save them.”
Theo might want to see Dad too, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to use all the viewings alone.
So, I decided to hold back today from watching the warm, kind version of Dad.
To warm my cold body, I did some stretches, but stopped when I noticed my knee was pulling.
A blue bruise had spread around the scab.
I was usually pretty insensitive to pain, so it didn’t hurt too much.
‘But my heart stings a little.’
I thought about how Dad used to fuss over even the smallest scratch on my finger.
Remembering his blue eyes, which had gazed indifferently at my bleeding knee, made my shoulders slump slightly.
The next day.
I headed to the temple with Lady Masha.
I had intended to go the day before, but I was so exhausted that I fell asleep and had to postpone it to today.
“I thought you were peacefully napping, but you were running around outside and fell? Goodness.”
Lady Masha sighed as she combed my hair. She seemed quite surprised by how disheveled I had been when I fell asleep the day before.
“Hehe, I’m sorry…”
“Are you alright? Does your knee sting? Oh dear, it’ll leave a scar. If Alec finds out, he’ll cry for three days and nights!”
He didn’t seem to care much, though.
Anyway, after putting a bandage on my knee and fixing my hair, I crossed the grand entrance of the temple.
‘Did they turn it in as lost property? Hopefully, no one recognized it.’
By the way…
“Hey, Theo! Aren’t you going to look at me?”
“Hmmph.”
“Oh dear, it seems Theo is quite upset. He probably thinks you went outside and had fun without him.”
Theo had buried his face into Lady Masha’s shoulder, ignoring me. It seemed he was holding a grudge for being left behind.
He was as round and chubby as ever, and his adorable back was still as irresistible.
“Hey, come on, don’t be mad. I’ll give you, um, two baked potatoes!”
“…”
Theo’s tiny shoulders twitched. He was a three-year-old connoisseur who loved holding fluffy baby potatoes in his hands and nibbling on them.
“Maybe I’ll sprinkle a bit of sugar on them too?”
“Sniff.”
Alright. Success.
Theo wiggled and then snuggled into my arms.
I rubbed my nose against his head, which smelled like warm milk, and held his little hand as we walked.
Meanwhile, Lady Masha was far ahead, talking to a lower-ranking priest, explaining the purpose of our visit.
“Shh, Theo. We’ll part ways with Lady Masha once we leave the temple. So let’s stay quiet for now, okay?”
“Hmm?”
“And, well, I found Dad. But he might seem a bit strange, so don’t be too surprised…”
“Hmm?”
Theo gave me a confused look.
As we waited for the lady, we admired the grand temple murals together. As usual, I was the only one chattering nonstop.
Perhaps that’s why…
“…”
Far off, behind a thick temple pillar, a shadow was quietly watching us. But I didn’t notice.
“Lirin! Come over here!”
“Yes!”
When I approached at Lady Masha’s call, I overheard the lower-ranking priest flipping through a ledger as he spoke.
“Alec Valt is not on the list of injured persons. Everyone involved in the southern Great Labyrinth incident is listed here. If the person you’re looking for isn’t on the list, then…”
“Then what?”
“…Unfortunately, I recommend you check the morgue. There’s one unidentified body there.”
“Oh dear. Oh my.”
Lady Masha staggered.
‘It’s alright. Alec Valt is living comfortably at the duke’s mansion right now.’
But I couldn’t say that out loud, so I just looked up at the lady.
“Oh goodness, what should we do? Well, let’s go take a look.”
Lady Masha sighed deeply and led us onward.
‘So the monster labyrinth in the south has been upgraded to a “Great Labyrinth.”’
That’s what I gathered from the conversation.
The Labyrinth that appeared in the South was far beyond what the Mage Tower had predicted. It was on a completely different scale from the small-class labyrinth initially announced.
“A large-class Labyrinth requires a summons for all four dukes.”
Yet he managed to take it down all by himself.
Dad was truly a monster. Of course, he was gravely injured because of it.
“Ugh, ever since the Master of the Tower passed away, the Mage Tower has been powerless. It’s concerning.”
“Is there still no new Master of the Tower?”
“Who can fill the vacancy of a hero who died protecting the nation?”
As I listened to the murmurs of the people, I arrived at the mortuary.
Three coffins lay in the center, desolately.
The priest pointed to the one furthest in the corner.
“The damage is severe, as he was attacked by a beast. It seems Duke Wintervalt tried to minimize external damage, but… as you know, the labyrinth was no ordinary size.”
Aunt Masha nodded with a pale face.
“Yes, I understand. If Duke Wintervalt hadn’t been there, our village would have suffered too…”
“Anyway, we’ve gathered all the belongings found near the body here. Please check them first. Since there are children, opening the coffin might be a bit too much…”
I quickly peered into the basket the priest had pointed at.
My eyes widened as I spotted a small, ring-shaped ear cuff inside.
‘It’s here!’
Though it had lost its shine, I knew exactly what it was.
‘Dad’s earring…’
A magical artifact that changes one’s appearance.
It’s such a rare magical device that it’s not commonly known. Only high-ranking wizards from the Mage Tower would likely recognize it.
Even the junior priest guiding us seemed unaware of what it was.
‘If I hadn’t foreseen the future in my dreams, I wouldn’t have recognized it either.’
I was fortunate to retrieve it before anyone else noticed.
“Oh my goodness! That’s Alec’s earring!”
Aunt Masha exclaimed.
Then, with trembling hands, she rummaged through the box and pulled out a jingling key.
“This is the keychain Alec treasured… Ah, Lirin…”
Attached to the end of the cabin’s key was a drawing I had doodled out of boredom.
It was a crude and poorly drawn picture of Dad’s face surrounded by hearts.
To be honest, it was more of a scribble than a drawing, but Dad had rushed to the forge the moment he received it and turned it into a keychain.
“What are we going to do, Lirin! Theo! These poor things!”
“…….”
Aunt Masha sobbed softly as she hugged Theo and me tightly.
I awkwardly clutched Dad’s earring and the keychain. My shoulders grew wet from her tears.
‘Huh? That’s strange.’
My dad isn’t dead.
He’s doing just fine, puffing up with pride somewhere in a place like the Demon King’s castle.
I know that.
“…….”
So why do I feel a little sad?
“Who are you?”
“Then you’ll never be my daughter for the rest of your life.”
Dad, who had lost his memory, was colder and more distant than I expected.
It was as if the days we lived together were a dream.
‘Dad probably doesn’t even realize these things are missing.’
As if he had forgotten the very fact that he had forgotten me.
‘I see.’
The kind, gentle Dad who used to smile at me was gone.
Now, all that remained for me wasn’t the affectionate Alec Valt, but the cold and ruthless Duke Kalec Wintervalt.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
