Chapter 130
How could one not love such a person?
As Karha said, it was an impossible thing.
At the moment of realization, Theo awakened to another fact as well.
What he had desired that night, foolishly, he now clearly understood only now.
The Basilans who had boldly stepped forward to protect the child.
He didn’t want to just stare blankly at their backs.
Theo wanted to stand side by side with the men of the Basilian family.
To boldly declare that he would protect Cheshire Basilian…
He wanted to become a true guardian knight of the Basilian family.
His heart swelled.
It felt hazy, as if intoxicated by the newly embraced dream.
Unable to contain the overflowing emotions, Theo blurted it out impulsively.
“I… like Lady Cheshire too. If given the chance, I’d want to serve her closely by her side.”
Too excited, he had spoken without order.
Theo blushed and said shyly.
“I want to become Lady Cheshire’s guardian knight.”
It was a statement uttered bashfully, like a pubescent boy confessing to his first love.
Even if it wasn’t accepted right away, he thought at least a positive response would come.
“Haha!”
A loud laugh erupted.
As if he’d heard a hilariously funny joke, Karha mocked gleefully.
After giggling for a while, Karha’s hand lightly tapped Theo.
Even though it was a gentle touch, it felt like being roughly struck in the solar plexus, leaving him breathless.
“Sir Theo.”
Theo looked down at the young boy with tense eyes.
The bright red pupils captured Theo.
“Can you abandon the Nemea family?”
“……”
“Can you detach the ‘Nemea’ from your name?”
Theo moved his lips.
He couldn’t utter any words.
Karha, who had been watching quietly, cut in sharply.
“You can’t, can you?”
“…I, I am.”
“The baby is kind and soft, so you’re dreaming vain dreams.”
Karha’s eyes slowly scanned Theo.
An innocent and merely kind teddy bear.
As if reading the words in that indifferent gaze, Theo bowed his head deeply.
A voice sharp as a blade pierced the thinly trembling Theo.
“I have no intention of assigning someone like you as a guardian knight. Wake up from your dream.”
And don’t spout nonsense to the baby.
With that added remark, Karha left Theo behind and strode away.
The private audience with Holy King Sianor was a very fruitful time.
While securing Kierne’s pardon, it created an opportunity to delve into the fairy experiments Sianor was conducting.
‘I’ll play along just as he wants!’
Pretending to be an obedient and cute baby, she planned to actively cooperate with Sianor.
Sianor coveted the fairy power that Cheshire possessed.
He would surely try to proceed with experiments using Cheshire as well.
Her goal was to worm her way in slowly and reach the laboratory where the fairies were imprisoned.
‘It’s probably not within the Holy Empire.’
To see exactly what was happening to the fairies.
She intended to confirm it all with her own eyes.
Having achieved what she wanted, Cheshire felt generous.
And Sianor, having obtained Cheshire’s promise, seemed to have regained his composure as well.
As a merciful Holy King, he bestowed a blessing upon the fake father impostor.
Clumsy as he was, he was still a black mage.
The man writhed in pain from the divine power pouring over him.
But it was the Holy King himself bestowing the blessing, so he couldn’t show any sign of pain.
With a pale face, he sweated coldly but endured it steadfastly.
After the hellish blessing ended, he bowed his head and offered thanks.
Sianor stroked Cheshire’s round head with his hand and whispered affectionately.
“We’ll see each other again soon.”
“Yes!”
Answering brightly, Sianor smiled contentedly.
Cardinal Milliod politely escorted Cheshire and the man out of the glass greenhouse with due courtesy.
Before completely leaving the greenhouse, Cheshire glanced back.
Remil was looking this way.
Later, when the chance arose, it would be good to grab Remil and ask what that ‘education’ was all about.
‘Maybe I should pretend to be friendly in advance.’
Cheshire grinned and winked one eye at Remil.
Then Remil’s face flushed bright red.
Seeing Remil embarrassed as if his face was on fire, Cheshire chuckled inwardly.
Cardinal Milliod, having successfully completed his mission of delivering Cheshire to the Holy King, seemed completely relaxed.
He casually led Cheshire and the man along, then dropped them off in a suitable garden.
“Then, have your conversation.”
And he hurriedly disappeared somewhere.
Cheshire and the man were left alone.
The man holding Cheshire began to tremble as soon as they were alone.
Cheshire pointed to a garden chair with a flick of her finger.
The man set Cheshire on the chair and knelt on the ground to match eye level.
The entire process happened very naturally, and no one felt anything strange.
Seated before the man who knelt respectfully, the tiny baby solemnly opened her mouth.
“Name.”
“Yes! I’m called Norman.”
“Uncle Normer.”
“…Yes!”
From Norman to Normer, but he responded with a rigidly disciplined attitude, without any complaint.
Cheshire patted his shoulder pat pat.
“Uncle is important from now on. Keep playing daddy. Got it?”
“Yes!”
He seemed ready to respond vigorously even if told to die right there.
As befitting someone from the underworld, Norman was quick-witted.
He asked Cheshire nothing.
He only answered what was asked.
Though he knew almost nothing, so he wasn’t very useful.
‘But he has his uses.’
Pretending to treat Norman as her real father, she planned to exploit the vulnerabilities of the Holy King and the cardinal.
Cheshire coordinated various stories with Norman.
It’s still hard to believe meeting her real dad, but it’s touching, and from now on, they should get to know each other more…
Roughly that kind of content.
After weaving a heartwarming father-daughter reunion story, Cheshire decided to return to the prison.
Before that, she didn’t forget to remind him of the most important point.
“Uncle remembers what I said, right?”
“Of course! Never act out in front of Count Basilian!!”
In the plan to use the fake dad, the most dangerous variable was Kierne.
His jealousy was so intense it pierced the heavens.
If she slipped up, Kierne would slice Norman to pieces in the blink of an eye.
Cheshire let out a sigh, eheo.
Norman, still kneeling, glanced around nervously.
Having been bombarded with divine power during the blessing, Norman must have been suffering.
Even with his ashen face, seeing him kneel made her feel a bit sorry for him.
Wearing the mana restraint must have been quite taxing.
Cheshire waved her hand at him beckoningly.
“Let’s go back to jail.”
It was the moment she nestled into Norman, using him as transport back to the prison.
A strong wind blew.
Leaves rustled softly.
A fluttering leaf gently landed on Norman’s hair.
Since he was holding Cheshire and couldn’t brush it off, she reached out instead.
As she removed the leaf and roughly tidied his disheveled hair.
She felt something subtle.
Cheshire blinked as she looked down at her feet.
“…?”
The sun shouldn’t have set that much yet.
‘But the shadow feels enormously long…?’
Staring at the suspiciously elongated shadow, she suddenly turned her gaze as if pulled.
Kierne was standing there.
“…Hic.”
Cheshire was so startled she hiccuped.
It was clearly Cheshire who had requested Kierne’s release from prison.
‘But there was no need to release him this quickly!’
What Sianor intended as a favor had come back as a blade.
“……”
Even though their eyes met, Kierne said nothing.
With a blank expression, he slowly blinked.
His red pupils briefly fixed on the leaf in Cheshire’s hand.
Cheshire quickly shook it off pat pat and discarded it on the ground.
Kierne slowly lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile.
He called her name in a smooth voice.
“…Daddy’s here, Cheshire.”
