seira parted ways with louis and returned to the d-arc. she requested that he just drove her at a reasonable distance from the building, and louis complied without asking why. then, the carriage turned and disappeared into the distance.
she liked that about him. keeping a certain line that should never be crossed was one vital condition for her.
âdad, iâm home.â
when she entered the dark castle alone in broad daylight, dozens of candlesticks lit up on their own as usual.
seira, over here.
although she stayed out for several days, nathanâs face didnât show signs of reprimanding his daughter.
âitâll probably be the same even if i leave and wonât come back for a few months,â she thought.
she was purely telling it to herself where and when sheâd go and leave. maybe seira didnât have to worry so much about nathan if one day sheâd soon die on the battlefield and never come back. perhaps sheâll even meet the real him then.
did you eat?
âyes, i ate already.â
truth be told, she only had breakfast at the mansion, but it was better to skip meals than to eat some tasteless stew she made on her own. anyways, sheâll be going to franto tomorrow, so sheâd get her fill there to compensate.
you did a good job.
nathan nodded with satisfaction.
did you say hello to the crown prince?
âahâ¦â
now that she thought of it, nathan did make such a request when she went to jeff with baron. she snorted back then, saying there was no reason to meet him. in the end, seira did end up encountering calrad.
âwe metâ¦â
really?
aside from the meeting, they also talked for a long time. of course, it wasnât how nathan wanted it to be. but he didnât know that, and his translucent face began to glow with what little information seira told him.
did you happen to talk about marriage?
âwellâ¦â
seira rolled her eyes. if there wouldnât be any problem, it was highly likely sheâd start a contractual relationship with louis tomorrow. if that happened, wouldnât it be just reasonable to talk to nathan first?
âdad, the truth isâ¦â
she quietly looked at his expectant face and continued, âwell, iâm thinking about getting engaged to louis franto.â
huh? what about calrad?
seira thought about it for a while, and then decided to just be honest with him.
âcalrad made a mistake. heâd done something he never shouldâve done with me, so i think now i can get married to him.â
she couldnât fool her father forever. one calrad was enough to wander with absurd hopes.
âiâm sorry, dad.â
at her words, nathanâs expression slowly hardened. it was the very first time sheâd seen him look at her like that after he became a spirit at the dukeâs castle seven years ago.
why?
nathanâs voice rang low.
why are you apologizing? baby, why is your face like that?
seira thought it was strange for nathan to ask her that. he looked like he was on the edge of a cliff, but he was worried about her.
did something serious happen? talk to your dad.
the whole duchy seemed to resonate with his voice. it wasnât just a feeling â the candles shook wildly she thought theyâd go out. it was clear that nathanâs spirit resonated with the castle, and his negative emotions spread like wildfire.
ââ¦â
seira bit her lips in silence.
seeing nathan as if he was about to run out and scold calrad made her both happy and upset. if he had been truly alive, she knew he wouldnât just scold him at all. calrad was sure to pay.
âno, i donât think calrad wouldâve done such a crazy thing to me in the first place.â
he wouldâve kept his manners in place so as not to offend nathan askan, someone who was considered one of the best masterclass slayers in the entire empire.
âiâd want to see that happen, butâ¦â
but what could nathan do now? it was just upsetting.
rather than protesting and repaying calrad from using his powers to forcibly have her imprint on him, she didnât want nathan to find out how helpless and terrified she had been. she couldnât even get out of his clutches and escape to safety on her own that night.
âdad,â seira said, looking at nathan with serious eyes. âlouis franto is a very handsome man.â
what?
âi have high standards,â she continued, âjust like my mother was.â
nathanâs eyebrows, which had been horribly twisted with anger, twitched awkwardly with what she said.
âlouisâ personality is much better too,â seira added, âhe is friendly, kind⦠and i think he can solve the problems in our estate.â
that was what was most important, but since nathan couldnât know exactly the duchyâs situation, she only added that information as a bonus.
âthatâs why iâm getting engaged to louis,â she said with a determined look, âapart from how calrad had been mean to me.â
are you sure? then whyâ¦
âitâs just that i couldnât fulfill your wish dadâ¦â seira smiled awkwardly. âso, iâm sorry.â
seira knew well what nathanâs wish was. even if she wasnât a princess, he wouldâve wanted his only daughter to live happily. protected, cared for, and loved.
but that was a life that seira knew she could never achieve or reach on her own.
âpoor dadâ¦â
had she not cried loudly on the day she returned seven years ago, had she been well enough, perhaps her fatherâs spirit might have rested in peace. in that way, he wouldnât have remained as a spirit.
baby, iâve told you so many times, but your happiness is the most important thing to me.
nathan said with a look of lingering worry.
if you like franto, do it. i canât help it if heâs more handsome to you than the crown prince.
âyes, dad. iâll do my best this time.â
if their barren land came to life, prosperity to askan was guaranteed. louis franto had the key to making that possible, so seira had to deal with him and figure out the secret. no matter what it cost, in exchange for anything.
yeah, that would be nice.
nathanâs expression in reply was still not bright, but seira smiled pretending she didnât notice at all.