Chapter 58

If I had studied more, I would be able to say something clever at a time like this.

Marivelle looked at Allo, who was sitting next to her, and thought about such things.

The long silence was quite a trial for Marivelle.

Unable to bear the heavy atmosphere, she wanted to say something, but she didn't want to hurt Allo with a careless remark.

In the end, she could only accept the heavy silence.

Accepting this silence required a great deal of patience.

For quite a long time, Allo remained silent.

"...Oh, I'm sorry, my hands..."

Suddenly, Allo, as if noticing for the first time, looked at his hands.

He must be referring to holding hands.

Marivelle gripped Allo's hand even tighter as he tried to pull away.

"Since we've already held hands, why let go?"

"I shouldn't be doing this..."

"Why not?"

"Why... why..."

In the past, Allo would have mentioned the difference in status or manners. But recently, Allo's mind wasn't working properly, and he seemed to be thinking hesitantly.

"Holding hands with you makes me feel happy. So, please..."

Marivelle had no intention of letting go. Perhaps she wanted to keep holding hands until Allo's complexion improved.

"...Okay."

Allo, ultimately, was persuaded and continued to hold hands.

Marivelle's small hand was soft and delicate, almost frighteningly so. But for Allo, the touch was also a source of comfort.

"Hey, Allo. What happened?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Marivelle finally asked.

To her surprise, Allo answered quite straightforwardly.

"I was called by the Duke and his wife..."

"Did they say something?"

"—I was forbidden from seeing my father."

Marivelle's eyes widened at the unexpected words.

Father.

The terrifying man from that time. The sound of a man yelling at Allo echoed in her mind.

"You met your father..."

"Yes."

Allo said it as if it were a matter of course, perhaps because he didn't consider it special.

To meet such a violent father?

Marivelle swallowed hard.

The reason she found Allo's father's voice so terrifying might be...

If there was something she remembered within herself.

Allo must have—

"Princess?"

The hand they were holding seemed to be gripping tightly. Marivelle was startled by Allo's curious voice.

"...Your father must have hit you."

"That's because I did something wrong."

"Allo, you did nothing wrong."

Marivelle said firmly, looking at Allo.

How could someone she loved so much always lack confidence?

It must all be because of that father.

If Marivelle were told she was a bad child by Rias or Cynthia, she wouldn't be able to bear it. They always evaluated her positively, no matter how much she failed.

Let alone hitting her.

"I don't want you to see him anymore. Allo, you came home covered in bruises. I never want to see that again."

There's no need to meet such a violent father.

So, the outings he mentioned before were actually meetings with his father. The sudden decline in his condition after the last outing must have been due to that.

Why did they let him meet his father? —No, Allo must have wanted it...

"—Because of me, my father became like that."

Allo spoke matter-of-factly.

"Because of my ability, I damaged my father's leg."

"Dark...?"

When dark magic is directed at a person, it's not just about controlling, Marivelle said curiously. Allo quickly replied.

"Ah, that... When I was young, I used it forcefully, and it went out of control. That's why I didn't have any power until now. Now that my body has grown, it won't happen again."

Although he said it to reassure her, Marivelle's expression didn't clear up.

"How old were you?"

"—Six years old."

Marivelle thought for a moment.

Then she raised her head again.

"But you were only six, right? And you were forced to use it."

A six-year-old using magic beyond their body's capacity is unheard of.

It must have been because they didn't care about the child's life.

"At that time... If I did it well, my mother would come back. I think my father was trying to do something. In the end, I failed..."

Marivelle wanted to say that was impossible but closed her mouth again.

Allo truly believed it.

His eyes showed no doubt.

He hadn't questioned the insincere, manipulative words of such a father even until now.

"Because I'm not strong enough, my father can't get out of there... and can't even get alcohol. In the end, I can't fulfill any of my father's wishes."

Allo's words were like a monologue.

Allo's father is a terrible person.

She wanted to say it, but in front of Allo, she couldn't.

He is undoubtedly a villain.

But to Allo, he is an important father.

Does Allo believe it more than anyone else, or does he want to believe it? The true feelings deep in his heart, even Allo himself might not know.

But one thing is clear: Allo and his father should not meet.

"Then, I'll go too."

"—What? Where?"

"To your father's place. Let's go together."

"No, no!"

"Why not? If Allo cares about someone, I care about them too."

"Father is..."

Allo looked desperate.

Even knowing she was causing him trouble, Marivelle wouldn't back down.

"If you can't show me, then Allo can't either."

She moved closer and looked at Allo with determined eyes.

His black eyes were trembling.

Allo's gentle eyes.

He could do anything with his power if he wanted to, but he never used it for himself.

He would rather hurt himself than hurt others.

Marivelle felt like crying and hugged Allo, not wanting him to see her crying face.

"Princess..."

Allo's body had become much stronger.

His muscles had grown, and he didn't budge even when Marivelle leaned on him.

Feeling Allo's warm body, Marivelle forgot about wanting to cry and was drawn into the warmth.

"Allo, I'll definitely go with you when you meet your father."

"Princess..."

"—Because I can't do without Allo. You know that, right?"

"Yes, —but..."

"No buts."

She held him even tighter as he tried to pull away.

"Allo's body is also mine. You're my attendant. I need you to be happy and healthy by my side."

"...Yes."

Allo's hand gently and hesitantly wrapped around Marivelle's back.

For Allo, hugging would usually be unthinkable. But somehow, it felt natural now.

Hugging gave a sense of unity and comfort, as if something warm was overflowing from within.

They remained silent for a while, close enough to hear each other's breathing and heartbeats.

Leaning on each other, it felt as if they were originally one, a peaceful moment.

From that day on, Allo stopped meeting Lennon.

Or rather, he couldn't meet him anymore.

But Allo himself stopped saying he wanted to meet him, and Rias continued to forbid it.

Allo didn't become as troubled as Cynthia had worried, and his injuries didn't worsen. Life went on.

Allo's mind was more stable than ever.

Allo and Marivelle sometimes hugged each other, as they had that day.

It could be in a private room or during a walk.

For any reason, at any time. When Allo felt overwhelmed, Marivelle would hug him without hesitation. Sometimes they held hands.

The hugs were for comfort, almost like those between family members.

Perhaps because of this, even if the guards saw them, no one said anything.

Just hugging Marivelle made Allo's heart, which had once relied so heavily on pain, feel light.

It was probably improper for a noble lady, but for Allo's peace of mind, it was tacitly accepted.

Whether Rias allowed it or not, Marivelle believed Cynthia did.

As days passed, Allo gradually regained his vitality.

There was still a bit of fragility, but he no longer engaged in reckless training, and his wounds had healed completely.

"—I won't go to see my father anymore."

One day, Allo firmly told Rias.

True to his word, Allo no longer spoke about Lennon.

Allo had severed ties with his father.