Chapter 11

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: A Father's Daughter
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‘Wow, these two…’

Suddenly, the tip of my nose tingled.

‘They’re good big brothers.’

My heart warmed as I gazed at my dad, who was standing before me.

He seemed to have noticed something too, because he was smiling.

“What on earth is wrong with them? Do you two want a real scolding?”

While my aunt was still flustered.

My grandfather, for some reason, gave me a strange look before picking up his utensils again.

“Father, I’m sorry. I’ll have a word with the boys…”

“That’s enough.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s eat.”

As if my grandfather’s first cut of his knife were a signal, I began to feel at ease.

I speared a piece of meat that Theo had cut for me and brought it to my mouth.

The tender meat melted on my tongue, its sweetness blending with the sauce.

The first taste of food at this uncomfortable meal was…

‘This is divine!’

It truly was divine!

So good it made my cheeks tremble!

“Heh heh.”

My dad, now sitting across from me, was resting his chin on his hand, watching my expression with a grin.

On the verge of tears from the sheer delight, I chewed diligently, only to meet my grandfather’s eyes.

“…Is it good?”

Is it good?

You don’t even have to ask…

I nodded vigorously before chewing and swallowing what was left in my mouth.

“Yes, Grandpa! It’s so, so yummy!”

My grandfather, with a smile so small no one else would have noticed, said.

“…Good. Eat a lot.”

* * *

“Woooow.”

My new room was far larger and more luxurious than the cabin I used to live in.

But it wasn’t unfamiliar, as the storybooks my dad used to read to me and the toys I played with were placed here and there.

“Do you like it?”

“Yessssss!”

My dad, who had decorated the room himself, looked pleased.

“Wow, the bed is so fluffy.”

I immediately ran to the bed and was overjoyed by the feeling of lying on a cloud.

My dad smiled, handed me my comfort doll, Tosuni, and wriggled in beside me.

“Alright, time for bed.”

“Huh? Are you sleeping here too?”

My dad blinked blankly at my curious question and asked back.

“What are you talking about… You want to sleep separately?”

“The old house had only one room, so we slept together, but there are rooms to spare here. You have your own room, don’t you, Dad?”

“No, Princess…”

“What?”

“It’s not that we slept together because there was only one room. I slept with you because I like sleeping with you. I need to be there when you have nightmares, and… when it thunders and storms on rainy days, you get scared…”

“I know, I know. But I’m not a baby anymore; I’m all grown up. What would Grandpa say if he saw? ‘How long are you going to sleep with your grown-up daughter?’”

“Why do you keep worrying about what Grandpa thinks? And you’re not all grown up yet. Where have you grown, exactly…”

My dad muttered with a sad look on his face.

He looked like a father hurt by his daughter’s attempt to leave the nest before he was ready.

I sighed and snuggled into his arms.

“Sigh, fiiiine.”

“Do you want to sleep alone? Already?”

“No. Of course I still like sleeping with you, Dad. Okay, I won’t worry about what Grandpa thinks.”

Only then did my dad look relieved and pull me into a tight hug.

“You were flustered at the dinner table earlier, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. There were so many spoons and forks, I didn’t know which one to pick up. I guess I’ll have to study a bit if I’m going to live here…”

My dad smiled and gently tapped the tip of my nose.

“I know. And my princess is already so busy just playing. I’ll start teaching you tomorrow.”

“No. Now that you’re back home, you’re going to be busy with all sorts of things, right? Just get me a tutor, and I’ll learn on my own.”

“…? No, Princess…”

I quickly patted my dad’s chest as his mouth fell open again.

“Hey, don’t get the wrong idea. I’d love to do everything with you. But I don’t want you to neglect your duties because of me and get scolded by Grandpa.”

“……”

“Besides, I have to show everyone that I’m smart and good at everything, just like you. That way, everyone will see what a good job you did raising me all by yourself and praise you, right?”

My dad stared into my eyes for a moment, then smiled and rubbed his forehead against mine.

“When did my daughter get so big?”

“I’ve been big for a while.”

“You don’t have to grow up.”

“No way. I’m gonna grow even bigger~!”

“Tsk.”

As he held me and patted my back, my dad let out a small “Ah.”

“You know, Princess.”

“Yeah.”

“That boy we met in the alley earlier?”

“Oh, yeah!”

Chessier…

“I’ll look into it right away. We should be able to find him quickly. When we do, let’s ask if he needs any help.”

“Mhm, thank you. But you can take your time.”

It was something I had been thinking about as well.

I felt bad, but for now, it would be hard for Dad to find Chessier no matter what he did.

‘We ran into him by chance earlier, but it won’t happen a second time. According to the original story, Dad and Chessier won’t meet again for another two years.’

Right now, Chessier was being thoroughly hidden by the Marquis Onyx’s family because he was an illegitimate child.

Meanwhile, my dad, having just returned after seven years, was still unfamiliar with the state of affairs in the capital.

And he wouldn’t dream of turning to some illegal, under-the-table guild that finds people.

‘Hmm. I guess I’ll have to help him out.’

I burrowed deeper into the arms of my dad, whose eyes had grown distant as he thought of Chessier.

“Let’s sleep now, Dad. Don’t worry too much.”

*Because your daughter will take care of everything.*

* * *

Is there some law of this world that dictates children must act like children?

When I first wake up in the morning.

Or when I’m hungry and have no energy.

At times like those, it was hard for me to think like an adult, no matter how hard I tried.

So—

‘Oh no, this is bad.’

Hungry, first thing in the morning.

Holding my dad’s hand, I walked into the dining room with the hazy mind of a sleepy child, feeling tense.

“Lilis, welcome.”

“Morning, pipsqueak.”

“Lilis! Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning, Auntie! Morning, big brothers!”

My aunt and the twins were one thing, but I was worried about my grandfather.

“G-good morning, Grandpa…”

“Yes. Have a seat.”

I swallowed hard with worry.

“Here, let’s get my princess some breakfast!”

Still, it was okay today because Dad was right beside me.

I paid close attention to the utensils Dad handed me and focused on my meal.

“Hmm, why is Lilis so small and thin?”

Just then.

My aunt stopped eating and looked at me with pity in her eyes.

My grandfather clicked his tongue. “Tsk.”

“That good-for-nothing hid away in the countryside without a penny to his name. Do you think he could have provided a proper meal? It’s a miracle she wasn’t starved.”

“Ahem.”

At his father’s jab, my dad let out an awkward cough.

‘N-no, that’s not it.’

I wanted to correct my grandfather’s misunderstanding.

“That’s not true, Grandpa…”

I said very carefully, glancing around.

“Daddy, Daddy always made me yummy food every single day…”

“……”

“He even bought flour to make bread.”

Carbohydrates…

“And he cooked eggs for me.”

Protein…

“We even grew our own carrots and pumpkins in the yard…”

Vitamins…

“Oh! And he bought milk from the market… I drank two glasses of milk every single day!”

Even calcium…

Mr. James Brown was a super-dad, a master homemaker who was more serious about his daughter’s healthy diet than anyone!

My eyes widened as I tried to impress upon my grandfather all of my dad’s hard work.

“……”

My grandfather, however, still looked displeased.

‘I-is it because of the meat?’

I squeezed my eyes shut and added a little white lie.

“M-meat was a little expensive… but we still ate it once a week for sure…”

In reality, we ate it three times a month.

“Pfft.”

My dad was resting his chin on his hand, watching me with a smile.

*Sigh*, what a silly dad. I didn’t know what he found so amusing when Grandpa was giving him the evil eye.

“…Alright. So you ate well. I understand.”

My grandfather said reluctantly, though his expression had softened a little.

I cheered inwardly.

Finally, I had gotten my grandfather to acknowledge Mr. James Brown’s efforts!

“My goodness. Lilis is so sweet and mature. My boys weren’t like that when they were seven.”

My aunt smiled warmly, then shook her head as she looked at the twins eating beside her.

I felt my shoulders straighten with pride.

It felt good to be called more mature than my cousins, who had lived their whole lives as young nobles.

“And she’s so well-spoken.”

“Yes! Daddy told me to always be polite to adults.”

“Ho ho, did he?”

My aunt laughed.

My grandfather was looking at me too, with an expression of approval.

My chest puffed out a little more.

“Do you remember what the twins were like at Lilis’s age, Father? Always crying and throwing tantrums.”

“I don’t cry, Auntie! I don’t cry, and I listen to my daddy. I don’t throw tantrums, either.”

“That’s very good.”

My grandfather praised me.

My chest puffed out even more. I let out a little huff of pride.

“And you have no idea how picky they are. Just look at that.”

My aunt pointed at the twins’ plates.

On their otherwise empty plates were only beans, carrots, and broccoli.

“I’m not a picky eater at all! I eat beans and broccoli and every…”

I trailed off and glanced down at my own plate.

Two giant pieces of broccoli sat there shyly.

“Oh my, you eat your vegetables too?”

To think the boast I’d started with such confidence had snowballed into an outright lie.

I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint my aunt and grandfather, who were looking at me with such pride.

I ended up nodding.

“Yes, yes!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad smiling wickedly.

I stabbed a piece of broccoli with my fork.

‘Ugh. This is too much.’

Perhaps because it was broccoli served at a noble’s table, it was different from what I was used to.

It was very, very large and robust.

“My, my, what a good girl, not a picky eater. You eat your broccoli well, then.”

“……”

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

My hand, holding the fork, trembled as I deliberated.

Then, I came up with a clever idea.

“A-and when there’s something yummy, I always share it with my daddy!”

I thrust the fork with the broccoli toward my dad’s mouth.

“Here, Daddy? Ahhh~!”

My dad let out a disbelieving “Ha,” and laughed.