TL: Zimmings
At dawn, he looked at Leblaineâs face after she fell asleep on his bed.
âThere was a message from the emperor to return before dawn.â
âSend Javelin instead.â
âBut the ladyâ¦â¦.â
When Theodore was silent, Nos bowed his head and left the room.
He gently stroked the hair of his sleeping daughter.
Why couldnât he protect her?
The oath that he haved lived to keep was broken. In the end, he thought love was not worth it. If the feeling of love that makes him wander in the desert without an oasis for the rest of his life, he vowed to live without it.
Then, she suddenly appeared in his life.
âPwease be my dad.â
He was a cowardly father who turned away from her earnestly clasped hands, and even though he was such a stupid father, she did not give up.
âIâll like her because sheâs my dadâs daughter.â
She loved him that much. He couldnât forgive himself for not being able to recognize his own daughter even when she was in front of him all along.
âHow could I live without you in my arms?â
âLeblaine.â
His voice was filled with sorrow and guilt.
Her emotion that he tried to turn blind eye for eventually completed the family. It saved him, and made him embrace the people precious to him.
[The day will surely come when a child will show you how great love is.]
It was as if he could hear the voice of the woman he had loved all his life in his ears.
Lisette is right.
[See?]
Yes, she is right
She is always right.
***
When I woke up, it was already morning. But my body felt very heavy.
âUgh.â
I thought I was sick, so I slowly opened my eyes.
âWhat is this?â
When I turned my head to the right, Isaac was sleeping with one of my legs on his legs as if I was a doll. When I turned my head to the left, Henry was asleep, sitting upright, without making a sound. And looking at the frontâ¦
âDid you sleep well?â
âAh!â
Johann suddenly appeared and I screamed in surprise. He opened his eyes and said.
âI didnât mean to surprise you.â
âHow⦠No, why are these people sleeping with me? In dadâs room too?â
âWe came to wake you up in the morning, but we couldnât wake you up so we fell asleep together.â
âWhat time is it now?â
âTwelve oâclock.â
I screamed again.
Crazy!
No matter how tired Iâm from various things, I must be crazy to wake up at this hour.
âThey will search for me in the Imperial Palace. Oh my, I couldnât get back at the promised time, soâ¦!â
âJavelin was sent instead.â
My dad suddenly said so. As I turned my head, my father, who had been seated, approached me.
âSo sleep more.â
âItâs okâ¦â¦.â
âYou can sleep more.â
As I hesitated, my father patted my head. Johann smiled, Henry and Isaac, who were asleep next to me, frowned because we disturbed their sleep. I felt somewhat embarrassed.
âIf other people see it, we really look like a real family.â
In my first life, I envied Mina and Duke Amity, lying on the sofa in the living room while taking a nap together.
Mina, who fell asleep on the arm of the duke of Amity, looked very peaceful, so I desperately wanted to be together with someone like this.
âThen a littleâ¦â
I smiled, lying on the bed, and pulled the blanket towards us slowly. As soon as the blanket came to Isaacâs chin and Henryâs stomach, Henry turned around and lay down.
âOh, itâs easier than expected.â
As I laughed, Johann smiled and pushed Isaac away, as he lay down on the spot.
âAgh!â
Isaac fell off the bed and rubbed the back of his head.
Johann completely ignored Isaac, spread his arms and glanced at me.
âYou want me to lie down there?â
âYouâre smart. You are indeed our motherâs daughter.â
âMaybe itâs because sheâs my daughter.â
Dad said it but Johann ignored him.
I chuckled and laid down on Johannâs stiff arms.
Isaac, who wasnât fully awake, pushed Johann and sat down next to him. Dad looked at us with a displeased expression.
âDonât you guys have work to do?â
âI have been managing it so that there is no problem even if I take a rest on days like this.â
âYeah, if you work too hard, youâll get punished.â
As I, a former beggar, nodded my head, Johann smiled as Dad watched us roll on the bed happily. Sunlight poured in through the huge window, and a pleasantly cool breeze ruffled my hair.
âIâm happy.â
I felt so sad yesterday, but I am so happy today. Even if sad things happen, the memories of today will give me hope for tomorrow. I thought, maybe this is a gift from my mother.
âMom is a wonderful person.â
As I muttered, Johann looked at me quietly and said,
âVery.â
âI went to the past yesterday. The day mother died.â
â⦠Is it possible?â
âIâm sure mother left some of her powers purposely in the temple. I found it accidentally. Iâve seen Cecilia as a knight, and Iâve seen the sweet Reina. She looked just like Lea!â
âI remember Reina too.â
At Johannâs words, Dad laughed and added.
âYou said youâd marry Reina before.â
ââ¦â¦ I was a child at that time. Donât mock me.â
âDidnât you give her your grandmotherâs ring?â
ââ¦â¦.â
Johann was quiet. I opened my eyes and rummaged through the pockets of my dress.
âIs this it?â
âHow do youâ¦!â
âReina gave it to me. Because I found a cave so that my mother could give birth. At the time, I didnât know I was the child.â
After saying that, I told him.
âBrother, Iâll give it to you.â
After I handed it over, Johann smiled and handed the ring back to my hand.
âThen Iâll give it to you this time.â
âIs marrying easy for you?â
âHeâs like a playboy. Leblaine, itâs hard if you marry a man like that, so youâd better get married to me.â
Isaac and Henry were up and uttered. Johann replied, âNoisy.â As he shuts his mouth.
Henry tapped Johannâs hand and asked.
âAnd?â
âHuh?â
âDid you talk to mother as well?â
My family is full of strange people. Even if I told them a story that was hard to believe, they would still believe me if I told them. I was so happy that I laughed and continued,
âOf course! My mother called me too.â
âMust be nice.â
âMom is a very nice person. She kicked the bad guyâs crotch.â
Then, dad muttered with a bitter expression, âLisetteâs kick hurts.â as if he was the one who suffered.
âDid dad experience it too?â
âKid, my aunt said it, but if my father hadnât been trained, some bones would have been broken.â
âMom only hits bad people!â
When I said that, Henry raised an eyebrow.
âThereâs no one as bad as us or dad.â
âHenry.â
Henry shrugged, as father called him grimly.
âYou taught me to interpret everything from an objective point of view.â
âThatâs right, you said so!â
âYes.â
When did my older brothers who were afraid of our father change like this?
I giggled and said, âThatâs right.â and nodded. Dad only clicked his tongue.
âWhen we first met, your mother was like a wildcat.â
âWildcat?â
âShe was always skeptical of people. And she doesnât know what to do when people are being considerate with her.â
âSheâs like you.â
My brothers laughed at my words.
âThatâs the right interpretation from an objective point of view, Leblaine.â
âAs expected sheâs our motherâs daughter.â
âYes.â
My dad frowned as my brothers and I laughed together
âAnyway, mom is a strong person. Even when Paul confronted her for abandoning her saint duties.â
âPaul?â
âSaint?â
Henry and Isaac got up and looked at me.
âItâs Cardinal Paul. One of the Popeâs closest aides.â
âThere is no cardinal with that name, Leblaine.â
âNo way.â
A lot has changed from the first life to the present, but Paul never disappeared.
And in this lifeâ¦no wah.
âI didnât change anything in the end.â
âObviously something has changed.â
Adrian.
I buried my face in my hands.
âKid.â
âLeblaine?â
âMaknae*.â
*TL note: this means the youngest child.
My older brothers looked at me, and my fatherâs gaze was also curious.
âYou were right, Adrian.â
There are definitely things my mom and I have changed. I want to tell him this.
When will he come back? Can he come back? Can I get him back?
Even in the midst of happiness, anxiety that filled my head reappeared.
But I changed something. Adrianâs misfortune can also be turned into good luck. When I put it that way, I felt surprisingly comfortable.
âAh, the weather is great today.â
Mom, the weather is very nice here.
And itâs nice to be able to think of my mom on such a nice day.
The cool breeze ruffled my hair again. As if my mother was stroking my head.
***
Popeâs Office.
A man with a hood was walking near the lake while holding a jar.
When he reached the lake, the man involuntarily looked into the water.
Crash-!!
The man who missed the jar hurriedly threw off his hood and grabbed something.
âAâ¦big news! A prophecy has appeared!â
Faint letters were peeking from behind the manâs back as he ran out.
[Child of God. On the night when the red moon rises, escape from the wrong world and come here to save us.]
The prophecy of a new child of God has finally arrived.