Chapter 131
Tremble, tremble.
Tremble, tremble, tremble.
Cheshire felt a rough vibration.
It was the shaking she sensed from Norman, who was holding her and trembling uncontrollably.
Cheshire deeply understood Norman’s terror-stricken state.
And for good reason—the Kierne standing before them right now…
‘I’m scared too…?’
He was glaring at Norman.
His lips were curved in a smile, but the red eyes above them had pupils narrowed to slits.
They were eyes that perfectly suited the word “snake.”
Norman, shivering like a frog before a serpent, seemed on the verge of wetting himself at any moment.
After being tormented by the Holy King and the cardinals, he’d barely escaped, only to face Count Basilian now.
Cheshire felt a tiny bit of pity for Norman.
‘That’s what you get for getting involved in something like this.’
Cheshire patted Norman lightly.
The quivering Norman finally snapped out of it.
Cheshire slipped out of his arms and landed on the ground.
The moment the soft texture of the grass touched her feet, she started running.
Pitter-patter, her small footsteps led her straight to Kierne, of course.
“Daddy!”
Cheshire spread her arms wide toward him.
It was a gesture asking to be picked up.
But instead of scooping her up right away as usual, Kierne knelt down on one knee in front of her.
Rustle, his hem draped over the grassy field.
Having matched her eye level by sitting, he gazed at her quietly and asked,
“What were you doing?”
“Talking about kitties.”
“…Ah.”
His long fingers lightly grasped Cheshire’s hand.
It was the exact hand that had brushed off Norman’s leaves.
Kierne placed the small hand on his palm and stared at it for a long while.
The tiny hand resting on his large one looked almost like a doll or a toy.
Especially since Kierne had unusually long fingers and large hands.
After gazing like that for some time, Kierne covered Cheshire’s hand with his other one.
Poof, and Cheshire’s hand was trapped between his two.
Like he’d captured a butterfly about to fly away, Kierne folded his hands and parted his lips.
“You seem to have gotten close already. Even though you haven’t known each other long.”
His low voice pressed down subtly.
He murmured with a faint frown in his eyes.
“Must be because he’s the real dad…”
He knew better than anyone that it wasn’t true, yet he insisted on saying it this way.
‘This feels like raising a kid.’
He was blatantly signaling that he was sulking and needed to be soothed right away.
Cheshire was just about to cajole and appease Kierne when it happened.
He muttered a gloomy, sunken soliloquy.
“Am I… the fake dad…?”
Cheshire was utterly shocked.
‘No, what kind of thing to say!’
It was a remark that could turn someone into human garbage.
Startled, Cheshire’s mouth gaped open, then she hurriedly checked from the ground up.
The shadow that had seemed oddly long for a while was now starting to warp slowly.
She felt like she needed to do something quickly.
Cheshire wriggled her hand trapped between Kierne’s palms furiously.
With all that squirming, Kierne reluctantly loosened his grip, though with a displeased look.
Through the opened gap, pop, a small pink flower bud appeared.
Seeing the dainty flower, Kierne whispered its name.
“…Rose.”
“It’s a present!”
Cheshire pulled her gently held hand free and grabbed Kierne’s wrist with both hands, where he held the flower.
The pure pink flower and the man with bewitching red eyes seemed utterly mismatched, yet strangely harmonious.
“You’re not a fake dad. You’re Cheshire’s daddy.”
Right? With that, Cheshire put on her cutest act.
Kierne responded after a long pause.
“…Yeah.”
After carefully tucking the pink rose into his breast pocket, Kierne finally stood up.
He scooped Cheshire up in one swift motion and held her in his arms, then fixed his gaze on Norman.
The frozen Norman yelped.
“C-Congratulations on your release!”
“……”
He’d clearly warned him not to say anything unnecessary.
But in his extreme nervousness, the moment their eyes met, Norman blurted out something idiotic.
Kierne let out a soft, sly chuckle.
Still holding Cheshire, he approached Norman closely.
Norman wore an expression like he was about to faint at the sight of the stunning beauty approaching with a seductive smile.
“What’s your name?”
“N-No-Norman…”
“You said you’re a black mage. And the underworld master vouched that you and my child share the same blood?”
“Y-Yeees…”
Kierne stared at Norman intently, then suddenly burst into low laughter.
It was a somewhat spasmodic laugh, short and sharp.
“Yes, Norman.”
Kierne pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat beading on Norman’s forehead.
Then, he tossed the soiled handkerchief at him like discarding trash.
Hit by the handkerchief, Norman gasped sharply.
Kierne tilted his head and whispered softly to him.
“Let’s get along as dads.”
For a moment, Cheshire wondered if “get along” had changed meaning to something like “dismember and kill” or “sever limbs.”
After delivering the greeting laced with murderous intent, Kierne turned away cleanly.
He said affectionately to Cheshire,
“Let’s go home.”
“Yes!”
Cheshire answered energetically, then felt something off and asked again.
“…Home?”
“Our home.”
He wouldn’t call the lodging in the Holy Empire “our home”…?
To the puzzled Cheshire, Kierne smiled brightly.
“I’m quitting the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly.”
Kierne was insane.
No, he’d always been insane, but he must have gone even crazier in the meantime.
‘Uwaaaah!’
Cheshire let out a silent scream.
When he suddenly said he was quitting the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly, she thought there must be some hidden meaning, but he meant it literally.
On the second day of prayers.
The Basilian County declared they were withdrawing from participation in the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly midway.
The sudden withdrawal by the most注目 family in this assembly caused an uproar.
Everyone wondered about the reason, but just like with the previous monster incident, the county expressed no position.
After dropping the bomb, while the other participants attended the assembly.
The Basilian County was busily packing up, saying they were leaving the Holy Empire.
“Send this over there. And… Ah, why are you packing this? Leave it!”
Ishuel bustled around, meddling with the servants packing the luggage.
Meanwhile, Cheshire sprawled on the sofa with Hata, blankly watching this absurd scene.
‘What about the Fairy Queen’s Crown?’
He’d said it was necessary to revive the deceased countess.
He was a man who couldn’t forget his dead wife, even hiding her coffin in the Black Forest.
Someone as obsessive as Kierne wouldn’t easily give up on the crown.
He must be plotting something to pull this off now, but she couldn’t even guess what it was.
‘And I have to stay in the Holy Empire!’
She hadn’t even gotten to swing an axe at the Holy King’s head yet; she couldn’t leave like this.
It was while Cheshire was fretting anxiously.
Cardinal Milliord burst into the chaotic Basilian lodging.
“What in the world are you doing right now!”
His face flushed red, even his beard trembling as he shouted.
With the revelation that Cheshire was a fairy, Holy King Sianor had personally targeted her as an experimental subject.
Yet here they were, abruptly declaring non-participation in the assembly and leaving.
For the Holy King, who planned to exploit Cheshire in various ways during the assembly, it was like a bolt from the blue.
Thus, Cardinal Milliord had rushed over in a panic, forgetting his dignity.
Kierne, who was checking the packed luggage by the servants, looked at the frantic Milliord and instead wore a puzzled expression.
“Why are you like this?”
“Withdrawing from the prayer assembly!”
“Isn’t that only natural? My child is said to be of black mage and fairy blood. With heretical blood in her veins, how could I leisurely offer prayers at the assembly?”
Kierne gave a wistful look.
“I plan to go find the underworld master myself and learn more details about the child’s birth. And confirm if he’s truly the biological father.”
“Wh-What…!”
The cardinal asked in disbelief.
“How does the count plan to meet the master?”
“It will be difficult, of course. But I can’t just sit idle. It’ll work out somehow, right?”
Saying he’d try until it did, Kierne smiled lightly.
With a smile reeking of genuine madness, Milliord bellowed.
“I will!”
The reddened Milliord panted heavily.
With a trembling voice, he said,
“…I will arrange for you to meet the underworld master.”
