She hurried to the tree she always used to climb and climb up the tree with agile movements.
Although fall was approaching, the window was slightly open because it was still hot. she felt like she could easily overhear the conversation at this level.
‘Are we in the cloud yet?’
She looked around the room, but only Byron was sitting inside, looking tired and as if he hadn’t slept well.
To be honest, it seemed like she had taken a shortcut and arrived earlier than Cloud, who had taken the stairs.
At that time, Ayla looked around anxiously, waiting for Cloud to arrive. There was a knocking sound at the door.
“come in.”
Byron spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. Soon, Cloud came in through the open door.
“My lord, “the news your lord has been waiting for has arrived.”
“What? “What did it say?”
Byron was sitting helplessly as if his life was about to end at any moment, but he jumped up in surprise at Cloud’s answer.
It seemed like this was the news that had been so eagerly awaited.
Ayla nervously listened to the conversation in the room. If this was the news that Byron had been waiting for so long, it would be important information for her as well.
“Fortunately, he has recovered safely.”
Dump. At Cloud’s words, Byron seemed to have lost strength in his legs and sat down on the bed again.
“I’m so glad.”
Ayla swallowed her dry saliva at the sound of relief in her voice.
Was someone sick? That’s why Byron was so depressed.
She was concentrating to see if she would hear their name in the conversation, but their conversation ended without a subject until the end.
“The reason is? Why did she suddenly collapse?” It’s not like there’s a name for the disease or something.”
Byron asked urgently.
“According to the informant, several doctors came and went but could not determine the exact reason.”
“Anyway, you’re saying you’re healthy now, right?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Ayla bit her lip nervously. This was because no matter how intently she listened, she could not hear detailed information.
And to make matters worse, a voice was heard looking for her.
“Miss, lady!”
Laura, who came out of the building, seemed to be confused and looking for Ayla when she was not there where she always was.
‘Is it too much to dig up more information than this?’
Ayla put her regrets aside and hurried down the tree. She roughly picked up a tree branch she could see nearby and naturally appeared from behind the tree.
“Laura, I’m here.”
“Lady! “What on earth were you doing there?”
Laura’s inquisitive expression was not good, so Ayla looked several times more innocent than usual.
“Oh, that… ” I picked up a tree branch to practice holding it at night instead of a dagger.”
“Do you know how surprised I was when I thought you were gone? How upset would the master be if he lost the young lady? “You really only know yourself as a young lady.”
There was a certain amount of harm to do with something that was out of sight for just a few minutes, but Laura said that while criticizing Ayla with all her might.
“I’m sorry. “I’ll be careful from now on.”
“I wish you knew what you did was wrong. Stop training now and come in. “You need to wash up and get ready to eat.”
When Ayla lowered her head sullenly, saying that she had made a mistake, Laura finally said that with a satisfied expression.
* * *
“Lady. Today I will eat with my master. “Are you happy?”
She heard Laura’s voice whispering from behind. After she got out of the wash, she sat her down in front of her and dried her hair with her soft towel.
“Yes, I’m glad.”
It was truly a dramatic change. Until this morning, Byron was sitting listlessly with a miserable expression on his face.
They can recover their strength so quickly because of their recovery.
‘… A selfish man who doesn’t care about other people’s pain.’
Ayla was scathingly criticizing Byron in her mind and looking down at her freshly washed and soft hands. Something occurred to her, and she froze.
This was because there was only one person whom Byron cared for as if he were his own body.
‘Mother. ‘ She said her mother was ill.’
Ayla raised both hands and covered her mouth. It was to prevent moaning from coming out.
‘Why did my mother…?’
Ophelia was healthy. Although she appeared frail on the outside, she had always boasted that she had rarely suffered from a cold, let alone a major illness.
She heard that she had a constitution that made it difficult to have children, but she was told that it was not a health issue.
The image of Ophelia showing off her slim forearm muscles and saying that even Roderick, the strongest man in the empire, could not beat her came to mind, and her hair seemed to turn completely white.
But she couldn’t show her worry and confusion.
“Okay, that’s it. Now, you can put on some pretty clothes and go see your master, young lady.”
The words of Laura, who had dried Ayla’s hair and even braided it beautifully, made her come back to reality.
It was her father, whom she had not seen in a long time. How joyful and happy it must be for her, who only knows her father!
If she didn’t show that much sincere happiness, it was clear that people around her would think of her as suspicious.
“Yes! “I want to wear that dress.”
Pretending to be an excited child, Ayla pointed to a piece of clothing.
It was a white dress with a light blue ribbon.
It was an elegant style that seemed a bit unsuitable for a child to wear, but Byron liked it when he wore it, so it was her favorite outfit as a child.
Clothes that can only be worn on special occasions.
But, looking at it now…
‘This is the style my mother often wears.’
Thanks to her fair skin and fine silver hair, Ophelia could pull off any style well, but nothing went better with her than a soft, shiny white dress. And I used pastel tones as a point.
The image of Ophelia smiling sweetly and wearing a similar style of clothing seemed to come to mind clearly.
‘To what extent are you obsessed with your mother?’
As she remembered her past, wearing clothes that reminded her of her mother and showing off all kinds of charms to Byron, she felt goosebumps rising all over her body.
“Are you cold?”
As Ayla was rubbing her goosebumps on her forearms, Laura asked curiously.
It was not a voice filled with pure concern for her. She was just asking because she knew that if Ayla caught a cold, she would be bothered.
“No. It’s because I just washed up.” Let her get dressed quickly and go to her Father.”
When Ayla shook her head and urged Laura, she helped her get dressed with a helpless expression.
When Ayla had finished dressing up with Laura’s help, entered the restaurant with a brisk pace.
Unusually, Byron arrived before her and was waiting.
“Welcome, my daughter.”
Byron welcomed her with a bright smile.
It was a strange thing.
Although it took Ayla longer than usual to get dressed, Byron came first and was waiting for her.
Moreover, he hates waiting more than anyone else, so unless Ayla arrives first and waits patiently, that moment is the beginning of the nightmare.
It would have been better to scold or point it out loudly.
He was so sarcastic that she had a nervous breakdown, and he told her how deeply she had been hurt by her actions, which eventually made her fall to her knees and beg that she was wrong.
But then Byron greets her, who is later than me, with a smile. It was absolutely not a normal thing.
“Father!”
This situation was strange, but that didn’t stop her from running over to Byron, who was waiting for her with open arms.
Ayla smiled brightly and ran into Byron’s arms, and he immediately reached out and smoothed her hair.
“I wanted to see you so bad, father.”
Ayla slyly blurted out something she didn’t even mean to say. No, it wasn’t something that didn’t contain any sincerity. In fact, how long did I wait for Byron to find his own pace and return to his daily life?
Only then would he be able to follow in Byron’s footsteps again.
“okay. ” You must have been training hard even when your father wasn’t looking, right?”
“Sure. I worked hard. For my father. Because I exist only for my father. In the past and now… and always in the future.”
As she recited the spell she had always said, Byron smiled in satisfaction.
“Yes, that’s right. Then let’s check it out.” Is what you say really true?”
But as if he couldn’t believe her words alone, Byron raised his left hand and made a clicking sound with his thumb and middle finger, calling out to Cloud.
“Cloud.”
“Did you call me?”
Cloud, who was waiting one step behind Byron, quickly bowed and answered.
“Is what my daughter said true?”
“Yes. The young lady devoted herself to training every day. “She also improved a lot.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Her legs were a little numb from kneeling in front of Byron, but Ayla didn’t show it and just endured his hand carefully stroking her hair.
She fell into a fantasy of cutting off Byron’s only remaining hand, waiting for this moment to end quickly.
“Then, let’s start doing what I instructed you earlier.”
“Master, “you are still young.”
However, as the conversation continued, she could no longer fall into the delusion of harming Byron.
