Chapter 57: CH 57

“D-Dad!”

I woke up with my eyes wide open to Dad’s terrifying face.

Chirp, chirp.

This was my bedroom.

I hurriedly raised my upper body and looked around.

Beyond the bedroom window, blue birds were flying with the morning sun.

It was a leisurely Vallois morning as usual.

“…It must have been a dream.”

Hoo.

Tapping my pounding heart, I finally wiped the cold sweat from my hair.

I had scary dreams all night.

A terrifying dream in which Dad, who finds out Sian’s identity, destroys the Law Kingdom.

‘It’s not impossible.’

But, no.

Now, my dad is.

“Surely Agatha said he was invited to the banquet. He must be busy chatting with the nobles, haha hoho, by now.”

And the original story was also wrong.

He was no longer the villain I knew.

He, who thinks of his daughter’s future more than anyone else!

“Such a rational dad…”

“Billie.”

I was screaming because I wanted to hide my anxiety.

“Huh?”

The heavy bass I had heard in my dream came softly.

When I turned my head, Dad was sitting in a simple chair reading a book.

“Dad?”

Yeah. My dad came back from attending a banquet like this.

There was a light of tranquility on his sculpted face.

I pulled my hand out of the blanket and wrigglingly lifted my arms. Dad, who was closing the book, picked me up and sat me down on his lap.

“Is Dad already here?”

“Mm. I won’t be going out for a while.”

There was a hint of laughter in his voice.

The banquet seemed to be quite satisfactory.

I felt the warmth of family for a moment in Dad’s arms.

I raised my head and spat out what I was curious about.

“You should tell me before going to a banquet! How was the banquet? Was it fun?”

“Banquet?”

“Yep. I heard you were going to the Marquis of Esther or something.”

I asked with my purple eyes blinking, and Dad, who had been silent for a while, stroked my hair.

“It’s no fun without my daughter.”

…Phew.

You see this perfect daughter fool.

With a satisfactory answer, I dug deeper into Dad’s arms.

It seemed like yesterday when we had three meals together, but lately I haven’t had a full meal with Dad, so I miss it a little bit.

“Dad, that’s the life of an ordinary duke.”

He smiled, probably feeling me procrastinate in his arms.

“Billie, are you hungry?”

“Yep.”

“Then we should eat.”

The word ‘eat’ sparked my mind.

Come to think of it, since I became close with my twin brothers, I always ate with them.

“Ah, right. Dad. The twin brothers came home this time…”

In my previous life, the relationship between Dad and my older brothers was a little awkward, wasn’t it?

Should I take this opportunity?

I, who had grabbed Dad’s sleeve trying to pull the rope, hesitated.

“?”

My eyes froze at the incredible sight.

Grab the sleeves of the blue jacket with my small hands and pull them down.

There was a red stain that hadn’t been wiped off the part of Dad’s wrist that was exposed under it.

Exactly like bloodstain…

“…Blood?”

It was then.

Hearing the small murmur, Dad’s hand stopped.

“Dad. This blood…”

“Ah, this.”

After observing my actions for a while, he calmly wiped the red stain on his wrist.

“Ketchup.”

The corners of his lips rose affectionately.

“…It’s not ketchup.”

Dad and ketchup, you said.

Who would believe that.

My head shook slowly at the absurd excuse.

“It’s obviously blood…”

“Ketchup.”

“Blood…”

“Ketchup.”

“Blood.”

“…”

A state of resolute confrontation.

Did he recognize that my expression gradually changed to that of crying?

He was silent for a moment.

Dad’s purple eyes reflected my face, which was even dripping with cold sweat, like a mirror.

“My daughter must have been very surprised.”

Dad, who grasped my condition, naturally removed his hand and stroked his hair.

He, who can never be a villain,

With such gentle touch to love his daughter.

“It seems that Daddy got it while making Billie’s sandwich.”

“…Sandwich?”

My mouth, which had been stiff in vain, only then began to move.

“Dad did?”

I asked in a suspicious voice.

He was nodding his head with a confident expression, whether he was shameless or sincere.

At that time.

“Princess. Good morning! Ah, Your Grace was also with the Princess. Shall I prepare breakfast for you?”

“Lisa! Perhaps, did Dad…”

“The sandwich I made.”

“Pardon me?”

I’m trying to figure out the truth, though.

My question was buried in Dad’s low voice that stopped me like that.

After all, the person with the loudest voice wins!

“The sandwich I made. Got it?”

“…Sandwich…”

Lisa, who had been blinking her innocent eyes, winced for a moment when she saw Dad, who smiled rarely.

“I-I’ll find it!”

“If you ask Higgs, it’ll be there.”

“Yes!”

Lisa bowed her head at the cool voice telling her to make one if it isn’t there, then hurriedly disappeared and came back.

“I went to the kitchen and there really was a sandwich.”

Lisa, who had returned, glanced at Dad and muttered.

It was really a sandwich.

Higgs’ food is amazing, so I munched on the sandwich to test it out.

“…It’s tasteless.”

It’s not made by Higgs.

Then Dad clearly made it.

“…Did Dad really make it?”

I asked one last time, yet he asked back.

“It’s not delicious?”

“Yep.”

“…”

Dad, taken aback by my answer, stared at Lisa.

“T-Then, something delicious…”

She looked like she wanted to go down a mouse hole for some reason.

Lisa hurriedly ended the conversation, nodded her head and disappeared.

“I’ll try to make it better next time. Sorry.”

‘Gasp! It must have really been made by Dad!’

“No! Everything Dad made is the best!”

Then he was actually making a sandwich.

‘Of course, of course! My dad is now good!’

Only then did I realize Dad’s sincerity and burrow into his arms.

“Dad is the best! Dad is the best in the world!”

“…So, is Daddy a good dad now?”

“Yes!”

Dad, who was watching my reaction, raised the corner of his lips only then.

An expression as if he was satisfied with everything.

***

“It seems that the treatment is complete.”

“Then is he as healthy as his normal state?”

“…It will take a little while to return to his normal state, but the wounds accumulated from before can’t continue to heal…”

Click.

A quiet yet clear teacup sound.

The serious doctor came to his senses and stared at the Empress.

Isilis was still concentrating on the chess game, wearing a gentle smile.

“So he’s in treatment?”

“Yes. But the condition is serious…”

“Anyway, if he’s treated, he will return to normal.”

There was a chess piece between her long, sleek fingers.

It was the simplest and weakest pawn on this board.

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

The doctor was puzzled as he saw the Empress showing little interest in Prince Peter’s condition.

As a saintess, she was praised as an ‘angel’ by those who were weak and pitiful.

He thought that when Peter was mentioned, she would move right away.

“The important thing is that the Prince recovers his body. As you know, I’m a saintess without knowledge, so I like simple explanations. Like a fool.”

The saintess who was observing the face of the doctor smiled.

“Absolutely not! In any case, I will focus on treatment.”

He had no reason not to lower his head in front of the Empress, who humbled herself as she was praised.

The Emperor glanced disapprovingly at the back of the doctor as he blushed and disappeared.

To think that he fell for that.

Was the Empress clever, or were the Imperial people foolish?

“The Law Kingdom was destroyed.”

Five minutes after the doctor was away.

The Emperor, who was contemplating the location of the chess piece, finally opened his mouth.

“Anyway, the royal family has already collapsed. Prince Peter could have been handed over to Vallois, but did we have to? What if he sets a boundary.”

“It’s fine if the Duke pays a price that’s acceptable.”

Isilis was a flower in the greenhouse.

It was her serenity that kept her smile in everything she did.

But the Emperor knew that the laughter was carefully planned for her image.

It was the reason he didn’t even respond to the Empress’ beautiful laugh.

From the Emperor’s point of view, Vallois was his favorite horse.

He also has the modesty of not increasing the power of the family while giving the Emperor the credit for the war.

‘Of course, I don’t know if it’s because of his missing wife, but.’

If Duke Cassis was the typical head of the four largest families, the Emperor would have already kept him in check.

But now Cassis was out of his mind.

In the midst of this, he cut the throats of the disaffected forces.

As an emperor, he had no choice but to spare Vallois.

So, the Emperor exalted Vallois at any banquet.

That was the reason why Vallois, whose face wasn’t visible in society for five years, was still able to maintain the four largest families.

“I cherish Vallois, Empress.”

“I cherish this Imperial Family, Your Imperial Majesty the Emperor.”

A chill crept across the face of the Empress, who smiled.

The maids were watching.

Although they couldn’t hear the conversation, they must be carefully examining the expression of the Emperor and Empress playing chess in the distance.

Thanks to that, the Emperor forcibly raised the corners of his mouth and sighed inwardly.

The chess knight piece in his hand rattled.

It was regrettable for the Emperor to use the only remaining knight piece.

“I wonder what kind of punishment the Duke can be satisfied with at the trial of the hostage Prince. You already know that the presiding judge is formal, so you have to decide properly… Ah!”

While having a serious talk.

The Empress’ pawn knocked over the knight.

“To kill a knight with that pawn. Isn’t that too cruel?”

“It seems that making the most profit with the least risk isn’t limited to business.”

“…Empress. What on earth happened to you?”

“Why are you disappointed. I’m on your side, am I not?”

As the Emperor sighed in surprise and despair, Isilis burst into laughter like an elegant bell.

“Do you trust Vallois, or me?”

Until five years ago, she was an ordinary empress.

But what happened was Isilis, at some point, was making what she said come true.

As if she knows the future will happen.

Or did she go back to the past?

He didn’t have to make an enemy out of the Empress.

With many thoughts locked inside him he smiled and kissed the back of Isilis’ hand.

“Of course I trust you, my wife. My empress. And the prophet of the Rolls Empire who foresees the future.”