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Diegon pretended not to hear Carmen’s disrespectful remarks and walked past him.
Carmen, dressed in pajamas, followed closely behind, bombarding him with questions.
“What are you carrying? Did you go to the sanctuary? Have you had a change of heart… You’re not leaving tomorrow, are you? If so, please let me know in advance so I can look for another job.”
Diegon, who had been quietly listening to the nonsense, finally spoke in a low voice.
“Quiet.”
“Alright. I was just curious because it’s so unusual.”
Soon, they arrived at Diegon’s bedroom.
After seating Shupetty on the sofa, Diegon gestured toward Carmen.
“Watch over the child.”
“Yes. Even though I just came out for a moment, I’m always happy to watch Miss Shu.”
Ignoring Carmen’s murmurs, Diegon entered the dressing room with the box in his hands.
The excuse was to change his wet pants, but in reality, it was to—
‘I can’t bear to open it.’
To look closely at this precious box, the last remnant of Aurora.
And, a little bit, to cry.
***
While Carmen played a heartfelt hand-clapping game with Shupetty, Diegon collected his emotions.
He organized his thoughts on how to explain this astonishing and shocking matter.
“If that is true, then Miss Shupetty…”
“Don’t speak of it recklessly. Investigate her birth mother discreetly.”
“Understood. However, even if we don’t know her origins, it’s clear that the young miss background is clean. Even Cedric himself dug into it thoroughly.”
“I’m not doubting that. It’s something else. Perhaps Shupetty…”
The two had a quick conversation in a small conference room within the bedroom, making sure the child couldn’t overhear.
When Carmen saw the box that Shupetty had found, he also wore a serious expression; this wasn’t an ordinary matter.
If Shupetty wasn’t Aurora’s daughter, then how could she have known about this at all?
“Hmm. Could it be that the Water Spirit King informed her?”
“…That’s a more plausible explanation.”
Diegon agreed readily with Carmen’s suggestion.
It wasn’t something he hadn’t considered before.
It was just a hope so great that he had ignored it.
“Since Miss Shupetty is still too young to provide a detailed explanation, it seems she only mentioned that ‘a song was sung to her.’ Considering it was found near the pond, it’s reasonable to think the Water Spirit King told her.”
“Indeed.”
That must be it.
Barely regaining his composure, Diegon looked at the box in front of him.
“When do you plan to open it?”
“It would only be proper to open it in front of the person who found it.”
In other words, he intended to open it now. Carmen respected his intention and nodded.
“Even though I don’t remember her face at all, I miss her. Lady Aurora was truly an extraordinary person.”
“Especially her appetite.”
“Yes, she was quite proud of being a glutton. Though I don’t remember her expression while eating, I do recall how she always prepared a hearty meal whenever our navy returned from battle.”
Carmen stopped speaking and bowed his head.
Aurora was a noblewoman who was highly respected.
No one in Pashayen disliked her.
Even the prickly Cecilia allowed her to stay by her side, despite her grumbling.
So, it was quite remarkable that Diegon was still maintaining his sanity.
Not only had he lost two loved ones, but he couldn’t even remember what their faces looked like.
Aurora often appeared in his dreams, but her face was always blank.
‘Even after all these years, the longing continues to well up and swallow me, without any sign of letting go.’
He was still in the depths of the abyss.
Perhaps in an everlasting, unreachable vastness.
Diegon rubbed his dry face to calm the turmoil in his heart, then stepped outside.
There, a crab-like creature was making soft ‘coo, coo’ sounds as it dozed off.
As he lowered his head, the creature’s chubby cheeks stood out so much that he couldn’t resist poking them.
When he did, the child opened its eyes wide.
“Tempura shrimp!”
“Shrimp tempura?”
“I was about to eat it!”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Shupetty, now fully awake, was different from earlier.
The strange atmosphere had disappeared entirely, replaced by her usual bright expression and sparkling eyes.
She was indeed a charming child.
“I’m going to open this now.”
“What is it?”
“It’s what you found.”
“Chuu found it…?”
Shupetty seemed clueless about the earlier incident, further convincing them that what had just happened was indeed the work of the Water Spirit King.
“Carmen, go get some snacks.”
“Understood.”
Carmen tactfully left the room, making it quiet again. Shupetty showed curiosity towards the box.
“Precious items are usually locked with this magical lock. That way, whatever is inside is safely stored.”
“Wow.”
“No matter what’s inside, I’ll give you a present. Thank you. You’re remarkable.”
Whether Shupetty remembered it or not, Diegon’s gratitude didn’t change.
He stroked the child’s pink hair before reaching for the lock.
Click.
The lock responded to his touch and released, opening the box. Inside were…
“Baby clothes!”
There were clothes for his lost daughter, a letter, and a music box.
***
‘Ahh, I’m full.’
After a while, I patted my rounded belly. My second-favorite person, Mr. Carmen, had brought me a big pile of shrimp tempura!
I ate it all without leaving a single piece.
“You got something on you.”
“Please wipe it off.”
I giggled and extended my cheek towards the Admiral, waiting. But then, instead of scolding me, he wiped it off right away!
I was so surprised that I looked at the Admiral as if he were a stranger.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just like it.”
My stomach was full, and the Admiral was unusually kind. My lips curled into a smile.
‘Come to think of it, I don’t remember.’
How did I end up in the Admiral’s room?
‘They say I found that box…’
Well, I’m happy to be praised.
‘The atmosphere’s good, so can I ask the question I’ve been wondering about?’
While the Admiral was wiping my mouth with a handkerchief, I secretly watched him and then cleared my throat.
I wanted to sound mature, so I tried to cough seriously, but it came out as a cute little ‘komkom.’
“What is it, crab?”
“I have a question.”
“Ask away. I’ll answer.”
He was unusually generous today.
“I read in a book that bijou (precious stones) should only be touched by a special partner.”
“That’s true.”
“Why?”
I’ve always wondered about it.
The Spirit Kings seemed to have all agreed to keep their mouths shut.
The only person who would answer was the Admiral.
“And, if you get too excited, bijou appears.”
“Mm.”
“If you let someone touch bijou, it’s supposed to be bad, but why does it work for a partner?”
I’m curious! I’m curious!
[Ah, it has finally arrived. The next challenging stage of parenting—The ‘Question Bomb’ phase! (；◔д◔)]
Just then, Yupyrhos appeared for the first time in a while, pouring out bright scarlet letters.
[And now they’re even asking ‘that question’! Will our dad manage to get out of this situation? Dugudugudugun! ʅ（´◔౪◔）ʃ]
Beyond the disappearing letters, I could see the Admiral looking perplexed.
But for some reason, seeing him troubled made it all the more amusing.
“That is…”
“What is it?”
As I persisted, catching the end of his words, the Admiral rubbed his chin and sighed.
“You’ll understand when you meet your partner.”
“Why? Why will I understand?”
“Bijou is precious. It’s something you only show to the most important person and allow them to touch.”
“Why?”
Although I half-understood, it was still fun to say ‘why,’ so I asked again like a parrot.
Then, the Admiral picked me up and tickled my belly.
“Gyaaaah!”
“You little rascal.”
After laughing for a while, I felt my energy draining.
At that moment, the Admiral held me firmly and spoke more seriously.
