Chapter 12

‘Wow, these guys…’

Suddenly, my nose tingled.

‘They’re good guys.’

With a warm feeling, I gazed at my father standing in front of me.

Father seemed to have noticed something and was smiling.

“Why are the kids acting like that? Are you really going to get scolded?”

While Aunt was still flustered,

Grandfather looked at me with a strange expression, then picked up the utensils he had put down.

“Father, I’m sorry. I… to the kids….”

“It’s fine.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s eat.”

As if Grandfather’s knife work was a signal, my heart felt at ease.

I picked up a piece of meat that Theo had cut into bite-sized pieces with a fork and put it in my mouth.

The soft texture that melted on my tongue and the sweet sauce.

The taste of the food, which I experienced for the first time in an uncomfortable first meal, was…

‘Amazing!’

It was truly amazing!

So amazing that my cheeks trembled!

“Huh.”

Father, who had somehow sat opposite me, was propping his chin on his hand and smiling while observing my expression.

I choked back tears of emotion and chewed hard, then my eyes met Grandfather’s.

“…Is it good?”

Is it good?

That’s a no-brainer….

I nodded vigorously, chewed the remaining meat in my mouth firmly, and swallowed before answering.

“Yes, Grandfather! It’s really, really good!”

Grandfather, who smiled very slightly, said,

“…Good, eat more.”

* * *

“Wow.”

My room was much larger and more luxurious than the cottage I used to live in.

However, it didn’t feel awkward because there were fairy tale books that Father used to read to me and toys I used to play with scattered around.

“Do you like it?”

“Y-Yes!”

Father, who had decorated the room himself, looked pleased.

“Wow, the bed is so soft.”

I ran to the bed and felt as if I was lying on a cloud.

Father, who chuckled, handed me my favorite stuffed animal, Toshi, and crawled into the bed next to me.

“Alright, let’s go to sleep.”

“Huh? Are you sleeping with me?”

At my puzzled question, Father blinked blankly and asked,

“What? Should we sleep separately?”

“Well, in the old house, we only had one room, so we slept together, but now there are so many rooms, right? Father must have his own room, right?”

“No, Princess….”

“Why?”

“It’s not because we only had one room. Father likes sleeping with Princess, and when Princess has nightmares, Father needs to be there, and also… when it rains and there’s thunder, Princess gets scared….”

“I know, I know. But I’m not a child anymore, and I’ve grown up, right? If Grandfather sees us, he’ll say it’s not right. How long does he expect me to sleep with a grown-up daughter?”

“Why do you keep worrying about what Grandfather thinks? And you’re not fully grown yet. What do you mean by grown…?”

Father muttered, looking upset.

He seemed disappointed that his daughter, who wasn’t ready, was trying to become independent.

I swallowed and snuggled into Father’s arms.

“Sigh, Ara.”

“Do you want to sleep alone? Already?”

“No, I still like sleeping with Father. I’ll ignore what Grandfather thinks.”

Father finally relaxed and hugged me tightly.

“Were you flustered at the dining room earlier?”

“Yes. There were too many spoons and forks, and I didn’t know which to use. I thought I need to study if I’m going to live here….”

Father chuckled and poked my nose.

“Right. Our Princess is always busy playing. I’ll teach you from tomorrow.”

“No. Since I’m living with Father, I’ll be busy with other things. If you call a teacher, I’ll learn on my own.”

“…? No, Princess….”

I quickly patted Father’s chest, who was blankly opening his mouth.

“Hey, don’t misunderstand. I like doing everything with Father. But if I worry too much, Father won’t be able to do his work, and Grandfather will scold you… I don’t like that.”

“……”

“Also, I need to show people that I’m smart and capable like Father. If I do, everyone will praise Father for raising me well, right?”

Father, who was quietly looking into my eyes, smiled and bumped his forehead against mine.

“My daughter, when did you grow up so much?”

“I’ve been grown up for a long time.”

“You don’t have to grow up.”

“No, I want to grow more~!”

“Tsk.”

Father, who was hugging and patting me, let out a sigh.

“Listen, Princess.”

“Yes.”

“Remember the boy we met in the alley earlier?”

“Ah, yes!”

Cheshire….

“I’ll find him right away. I think I can find him quickly. When I find him, I’ll ask if he needs any help.”

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

It was something I had been thinking about.

I’m sorry, but for now, Father won’t be able to find Cheshire no matter what he does.

‘Even though we met by chance earlier, it won’t happen again. According to the original story, Father and Cheshire will meet again in two years.’

Currently, Cheshire is being raised in secret by the Onyx Duke family because he is a bastard.

On the other hand, Father, who has returned after seven years, is still unfamiliar with the current situation.

He wouldn’t even think of reaching out to illegal guilds that find people in the underworld.

‘Hmm. I guess I have to help, huh.’

I snuggled into Father’s arms, whose eyes deepened as he thought of Cheshire.

“Let’s go to sleep, Father. Don’t worry too much.”

I’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry.

* * *

Is there a law in this world that children must act like children?

When I just woke up in the morning.

Or when I’m hungry and weak.

At those times, no matter how hard I try, I can’t think like an adult.

So—

‘Oh, this is bad.’

It was morning, and I was hungry.

With a drowsy mind, I held Father’s hand and went to the dining room, feeling nervous.

“Lilith, come in.”

“Hey, kid.”

“Lilith! Did you sleep well?”

“Aunt, good morning! Big brothers, good morning!”

While Aunt and the twin brothers were fine, I was worried about Grandfather.

“G-Good morning, Grandfather….”

“Good. Sit down.”

I swallowed nervously.

“Alright, let’s eat breakfast, Princess!”

But it was okay because Father was right next to me.

I focused on my meal, familiarizing myself with the utensils Father had prepared for me.

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

Then,

Aunt stopped eating and looked at me with pity.

Grandfather clicked his tongue.

“Living in the countryside with no money, how could he provide proper meals? It’s a miracle she wasn’t starved.”

“Ahem.”

Father let out an awkward cough at Grandfather’s reprimand.

‘No, that’s not true.’

I wanted to correct Grandfather’s misunderstanding.

“No, Grandfather….”

I cautiously spoke, gauging the situation.

“Father always made delicious meals for me….”

“……”

“He even made bread by buying flour.”

Carbohydrates….

“He cooked eggs too.”

Protein….

“He also grew carrots and pumpkins in the yard and ate them….”

Vitamins….

“Oh! He even bought milk from the market. I drank two glasses of milk every day!”

Calcium too….

Mr. James Brown was a 9th-degree housewife and a single father who was more serious about his daughter’s healthy diet than anyone else!

I opened my eyes wide to appeal to Grandfather about Father’s efforts.

“……”

But Grandfather still looked displeased.

‘Is it because of the lack of meat?’

I closed my eyes tightly and added a little lie.

“Meat was a bit expensive… but we ate it once a week….”

Actually, we ate it three times a month.

“Haha.”

Father was propping his chin on his hand and smiling at me.

Oh, silly Father. I don’t understand why you’re smiling when Grandfather is giving you a look.

“…I see. You took good care of her. I understand.”

Grandfather reluctantly said, but his expression softened a bit.

I cheered inside.

In the end, I managed to get Grandfather to recognize Mr. James Brown’s efforts!

“What a good and responsible girl Lilith is. Our kids weren’t like that at seven.”

Aunt, who was smiling contentedly, shook her head at the twins eating next to her.

I subtly puffed out my chest.

It felt good to be called more responsible than the noble boys who had lived their whole lives as nobles.

“How can you speak so politely?”

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

“Huh, did he?”

Aunt laughed.

Grandfather was also looking at me, and he seemed impressed.

My chest puffed out a bit more.

“The twins were always crying and throwing tantrums when they were Lilith’s age.”

“I don’t cry, Aunt! I don’t cry and I listen to Father. I don’t throw tantrums.”

“You’re a good girl.”

Grandfather praised me.

My chest puffed out even more. My nose was flaring.

“How picky they are. Look at their plates.”

Aunt pointed to the twins’ plates.

The plates were empty except for beans, carrots, and broccoli.

“I don’t have any food I can’t eat! I can eat beans and broccoli….”

I stopped speaking and glanced at my plate.

There were two large broccoli florets shyly placed on the plate.

“Oh, you eat vegetables well?”

My boast, which started confidently, grew into a lie.

I couldn’t disappoint Aunt and Grandfather, who were looking at me with pride.

So, I nodded.

“Yes, yes!”

I noticed Father was smiling evilly out of the corner of my eye.

I picked up a piece of broccoli with my fork.

‘Ugh. This is tough.’

The broccoli, which was served at a noble’s meal, was different.

It was very, very large and tough.

“Oh, our good daughter who doesn’t pick her food. You eat broccoli well, don’t you?”

“……”

I was sweating.

I trembled, holding the fork, and thought.

Then, I came up with a trick.

“Also, when there’s something delicious, I always share it with Father!”

I pushed the fork with the broccoli towards Father’s mouth.

“Ah, Father? Ah~!”

Father laughed, looking surprised.

“Haha.”