Ferzen, who held his convulsing daughter, Lobelia, in his arms, laid her on the bed and turned her body to the side.
Then, he soaked a cloth in cold water and gently wiped her body.
Febrile seizures occurring in children under 6 years old can be one of the symptoms that prove meningitis.
Of course, it was not necessarily accompanied, and it was a result that appeared in 24 out of 100 people.
As expected, after about 10 minutes, Lobeliaâs trembling subsided and her breathing returned to normal.
Ferzen, who had read information and papers about it since he heard that the child had meningitis, could remain calm, but Lizzy, who didnât know that fact, barely lifted her body and sat in the wheelchair, entering the room.
âShe will be fine now. I will call a doctor to give additional antipyretic injections.â
Ferzen tried to pass by Lizzy, who had approached, and go out the door.
However, Lizzyâs hand, tightly holding his sleeve, desperately conveyed the fear and horror that had not yet subsided to Ferzen.
He tried to say that the seizure had already stopped and there was no need for additional worries, butâ¦
âFine.â
Ferzen, made the maids call the doctor and stayed by Lizzyâs side.
Later, the doctor who arrived after being called closely examined Lobeliaâs condition, mixed antipyretic in the IV fluid, and left the room.
âThe doctor also said it was just a single seizure, so try to get some sleep with Lobelia.â
Giving a consolation that wasnât a consolation, Ferzen squatted down with the ointment he received from the doctor, which was effective for abrasions.
Perhaps injured during the fall, Lizzyâs knees had a blue bruise along with a scabâ¦
Swish.
Ferzen, who gently spread the ointment on it, got up and turned his back.
Tap.
And Lizzy, who was watching Ferzenâs back, unknowingly moved her lips, but in the end, not knowing what to say, she blankly watched the closing door and carefully lay down next to her daughter, who was breathing peacefully.
âHic, sobâ¦!â
She thought there were no more tears to shed, no more cries to let out.
The sobs of the poor mother lingered faintly in the room.
*****4:25 PM.
Lobelia, who woke up from her sleep, realized that she was being held in her motherâs arms and slowly raised her head.
Her mother, who had fallen asleep with a face full of fatigue, exhaled weak breaths.
Lobelia, who was touching her motherâs face with her small hands, felt strangely sorry and buried her face in her motherâs chest, rubbing her cheeks.
The pleasant smell wafted every time the luxurious cloth covering the soft breasts tangled with her chubby cheeks.
Lobelia, who was melting into her motherâs scent, soon felt a hand stroking her head and pulling her face away.
âMom⦠are you hurting anywhere?â
âNo⦠Mom is not hurting.â
Seeing Lobelia, who was relatively much better and wriggling with vigor, Lizzy felt as if her fatigue was flying away, even though she hadnât slept much.
The more so, Lizzy felt an indescribable sense of guilt and self-loathing, thinking about how much futile stubbornness she had shown.
The joy from seeing her childâs healthy appearance was incomparable to the thrill she felt when Ferzen was suffering.
The flower she had once tried to trample had taken root in her heart and replaced the meaning of life to live for revenge.
Is that why?
Lizzy opened her mouth while stroking Lobeliaâs hair.
âDaddy⦠came by.â
Flinch!
Rather than being happy, Lobeliaâs small body trembled slightly.
However, since her mother brought up the subject first, she gradually erased the look of being cautious and asked back with a bright smile, âReally?â
âYes⦠Daddy will come to see Lobelia again laterâ¦â
There was still a lingering rejection of the fact that Ferzenâs image reflected on her daughter was not distorted.
However, with the thought that it doesnât matter if her own stubbornness collapses as long as her daughter is happy, Lizzy hugged Lobelia tightly.
It was a truly long wander, a long and winding journey.
At the end of it, Lizzy finally decided on a direction and took a step.
Burying the stubbornness of Lizzy Poliana Claudia in her heart, and as a mother wishing for her daughterâs happinessâ¦
She accepts the life of Lizzy Poliana Louerg.
*****âAh!â
When her father really came to see her after dinner, just as her mother said, Lobeliaâs heart pounded.
She had a lot to say, but when she actually saw Ferzen in front of her, her small lips, hesitating, wouldnât open.
âMmmâ¦â
Her fatherâs large hand on her forehead.
The sensation was quite cool, but it wasnât unpleasant, so when the large hand came down to her cheek, Lobelia instinctively rubbed her chubby cheek against it.
Then, suddenly remembering a desire, she raised her upper body and tried to spread her arms.
No, she clearly tried to spread her arms, but she was so embarrassed that she couldnât do it and hung her head down.
However, Ferzen, who had already learned through Carlea and Linea, read Lobeliaâs intention and put his hands under her armpits, lifting her into his arms.
At first, Lobelia was flustered, not knowing what to do, but soon, when the large hand gently patted her back, she quickly regained stability.
âD-Daddyâ¦â
Perhaps it was because it was an unfamiliar word that she rarely spoke.
Lobeliaâs voice was so small that it couldnât be heard, but Ferzen, who managed to hear it, answered kindly.
âYes. Lobelia.â
âD-Daddyyyâ¦!â
As if that answer was a trigger, Lobelia, crying but smiling brightly, stretched out her hands and hugged Ferzenâs neck.
The embrace of her father, whom she had never been held by since birth.
The warmth and happiness couldnât be compared to the sensation she felt from the snowman.
Feeling as if the affection that was always lacking, that Lizzy as a mother couldnât fill, was being filled, Lobelia was held by Ferzen for a very long time.
Yes.
A very long time.
Until she fell asleepâ¦
*
Looking down at his deeply sleeping daughter, Lobelia, Ferzen bent his waist and laid her on the bed.
However, since her small hand was tightly gripping his collar, he had to carefully uncurl her fingers one by one.
As Lizzy silently watched Ferzenâs actions, she finally opened her mouth when he turned his back.
âYou can stay the ni⦠No, never mind.â
She was going to say he could stay the night, butâ¦
She thought that while she had accepted being a mother, it would take more time to accept him as her husband and herself as his wife, separate from that.
âWhen Lobelia fully recovers⦠come find me.â
Therefore, Lizzy changed her words.
At a glance, it may seem like nothing, but Ferzen noticed that Lizzy had some kind of resolution in that one sentenceâ¦
âAlright. On the day Lobelia fully recovers, Iâll make sure to clear my schedule for you.â
After answering sincerely, he left the room.
*****Ten days passed.
The fully recovered Lobelia no longer stayed only in the annex, and moved her small legs to arrive in front of the office where Ferzen was.
She then asked the maid to open the door for her, but when the maid hesitated with a troubled expression and gave a bitter smileâ¦
âD-Daddy!â
She called out to Ferzen in a rather loud voice.
Euphemia and Yuriel had told Carlea and Linea not to look for their father when Ferzen was in his office, and Ferzen also wanted to concentrate fully when he was working, so he didnât make any exceptions.
Ding-a-ling.
As if Lobelia was that exception, when the sound of a bell rang from inside, the maid grabbed and turned the doorknob that Lobelia couldnât reach even on her tiptoes.
Immediately after, Lobelia ran in and familiarly settled on Ferzenâs lap.
âItâll be time for your nap soon⦠Wonât your mother be looking for you?â
âMmm. Thereâs still time left.â
When those small lips spoke clearly without any hesitation, Ferzen stroked Lobeliaâs head as if she were admirable.
âItâs a bit messy.â
Perhaps she came after playing.
Seeing her unkempt hair, Ferzen put down the pen he was holding, took out a comb from his dimensional storage, and skillfully combed Lobeliaâs red hair.
Lobelia, humming a tune at the pleasant sensation, wriggled her cute little hands.
Even after Ferzen combed her hair like that, Lobelia, who had no intention of getting off his lap, quietly watched him handle documents while being held tightly by Ferzen.
Although it felt good just to be held in her fatherâs wide and large embrace, from a childâs perspective, there was a sense of boredom, so Lobelia, who yawned at the approaching drowsiness, nodded off and fell into a deep sleep with her face buried.
Ferzen, who was working, also noticed the change in Lobelia and stopped his hand for a moment, gently patting her delicate back.
Then, he got up, left the office, passed through the long corridor, and entered the room where Lizzy would be.
Perhaps it was because the gaze they exchanged was quite uncomfortable and awkward.
Ferzen laid Lobelia on the bed, watching Lizzy quickly turn her head to the side.
But even though she didnât say anything, he remembered the conversation they had that day about making time separately when Lobelia fully recoveredâ¦
âLizzy. Will today work?â
He casually asked for her opinion.
Lizzy didnât answer until the end, but seeing her head nodding slightly, Ferzen left the room.
There was still a lot of time left until evening, but was it an illusion that the sun seemed to set unusually fast today?
As Ferzen walked away like that, he quietly recalled the sensation of Lobelia remaining in his arms.