I was startled seeing dad cry.
“Dad!”
“If something had happened to you, I…”
“Why would I die? I’ll be with you for a long time!”
I quickly hugged him tightly and patted him on the back.
“Dad, don’t cry. Okay?”
He nodded and looked down at me with wet eyes.
‘To see Dad cry because of me…’
My heart sank like a stone.
It hurts.. but ‘How does my dad look so handsome even when he’s crying?’
Dad, with tears like pearls on his beautiful face, looked like a serene painting.
“Sigh.. What can I do for my fragile hearted dad?”
“Me? Fragile…”
“No, it won’t do. I have to protect Dad by his side forever. I won’t leave until Dad gets tired of me!”
I said, rubbing my cheek against his. He finally smiled back.
“Hanelope…”
As I hugged Dad, I noticed Grandpa, who was smiling and wiping his eyes with his fists.
“Why isn’t there a single tear in my eyes…”
Grandpa, with his eyes wide open, looked at us as if envying.
***
Dad, Grandpa, and I sat around the round table.
We sat close enough to face each other, sipping light tea before dinner.
I gulped down my tea.
‘If I drink a lot, maybe the embarrassing gurgling sound won’t be heard?’
In fact, while trying to comfort Dad, a loud gurgling sound came from my stomach.
Thanks to that, Dad’s eyes got even more teary.
‘It was so embarrassing!’
Grandpa was as shocked as if he’d just seen his granddaughter on the verge of death, so he told us to drop everything and get dinner.
Anyway, while waiting for the food to arrive, I heard an amazing story.
“Are you sure Spigent is coming to pick up the twins?”
Marquis Spigent.
A great knight and magician, he had been faithfully fulfilling his duties on the border for generations.
Spigent wasn’t fond of attention. His children attended the academy in the capital, but he never came to see them. Even when his grandfather invited him to attend Asta’s prayers, he made excuses.
But now, after the twins faced (caused?) a problem, he is rushing here in a month.
Grandfather laughed hysterically at the thought.
“The twins are waiting for their father like death row inmates waiting to die.”
Like a death row inmate waiting to die?
‘I wonder if that’s because they’re afraid of the Marquis, but he’s still their dad.’
Grandfather must be exaggerating, right?
I thought, and asked another question, “What about Brantley?”
“He’s still at the palace, too.”
“What? Brantley is here too?”
“I sent word to take Brantley to Duke Eisen’s residence, but he’s running late. Duke Eisen is the head of the Temple faction, and he’s got a lot on his plate today.”
If Duke Eisen is busy, Grandpa must be even busier today, dealing with the aftermath of the incident.
I was worried.
“And what about Grandfather? Aren’t you busy too?”
“I am busy. But now, feeding you is the priority. Since the culprits are being tortured… I mean rationally, being questioned, I can take some time off.”
Grandpa said. But I was no fool.
‘I was taking up grandfather’s precious time.’
“Then I’ll go eat with my friends!”
“You can’t.”
“But..”
“This, at least this time, I cannot compromise!”
Grandfather firmly refused.
I was embarrassed.
‘Even a dying knight wouldn’t make concessions like that.’
He didn’t seem to have any intention of changing his mind. I looked to Dad for support.
“You’re right.”
But even Dad agreed with Grandfather.
I was at a loss for words.
***
As expected, Dad and Grandfather were busy.
‘Otherwise, they wouldn’t have rushed right after dinner.’
I made my way over to the outer palace, where the Brantley and Spigent twins were.
Even though we were at the place, the distance between the main and star palace was long. I had to take a carriage to get there.
As I entered the palace, I paused, “Huh? But why is it so quiet?
It was normal for the Spigent twins to be noisy when they were together.
‘Are Katherine and Fritzka quietly staying in the imperial palace without fighting? Or are they quiet because they’re tense about their father coming?’
Either way, it was unusual.
‘I should praise them when I meet them.’
Thinking that, I stopped in my tracks at the sight of a giant figure blocking my way.
‘Who is it? No way?’
A man with a beard like a bandit looked down at the twins with fierce eyes.
Katherine and Fritzka had their hands behind their backs, standing upright with bowed heads.
“Katherine, Fritzka. What did father say?”
This person was undoubtedly Marquis Spigent. He asked with a voice as fierce as his appearance.
Katherine and Fritzka replied with pale faces.
“You told us to go up the stairs!”
“You said not to cause trouble!”
“But what are you doing now?”
“Sorry, Father!”
“Verbal repentance alone is not true repentance. How will you pay for it?”, Marquis Spigent asked coldly.
Katherine and Fritzka closed their eyes and shouted in pain.
“No chocolate milk for 100 days!”
“Cucumber and carrot intake for 100 days!”
“Okay. Such is the cruelty of the punishment for wrongdoing.”
A satisfied smile spread across the man’s tiger-like face.
“?”
I was dumbfounded. But Katherine and Fritzka were shivering at the prospect of being banned from chocolate milk and forced to eat cucumbers and carrots.
“Go to the carriage and wait for me,” he said, “I’m going to pay my respects to His Majesty.”
“Yes, father!”
As the man was about to leave the Star Palace, he paused.
He noticed me watching from behind.
He looked at me as if trying to figure out who this kid was, and I took the initiative to greet him.
“Good afternoon, Marquis. I’m Hanelope von Reinhardt.”
“Oh, you’re the princess?”
Marquis Spigent looked down at me with a cold face.
“It was a pleasure meeting you.”
We hadn’t even exchanged greetings yet.
But Marquis Spigent walked past without saying anything.
“Katherine, Fritzka, you too greet the princess and get on the carriage!”
As Marquis Spigent left, Katherine and Fritzka stiffened and waved at me.
“Alas! We must return home.”
“See you next time, dear friend!”
The twins bowed awkwardly, like machines, and disappeared.
“Just what did I see..”
“I don’t think there are any normal parents here.”
Brantley’s voice cut through my puzzlement.
He was leaning against the wall, with a look of disbelief on his face.
“Brantley!”
I rushed over, excited, and whispered softly, even though we were alone.
“Marquis Spigent must be scary, the twins were acting strange.”
“Don’t worry about them. They’re crazy.”
Brantley grunted.
He had witnessed the Spigent family’s antics that I hadn’t.
‘They must have been worse when I wasn’t around.’
I shuddered at the thought.
When Brantley saw me teared up, he asked me sadly, “It must have been terrifying..”
“Yeah. A lot! Spige…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t keep my promise.”
Brantley hung his head.
“What promise?”
“I said I would follow you and not to worry.”
“When?”
It was the first time I heard this story.
“Don’t you remember?”
Brantley looked perplexed.
“When you left with the palace knights to go to the imperial palace, I gestured to you.”
When I parted ways with Brantley to go to the palace with the knights, he did say something to me without making any sound.
But I didn’t recognise the shape of his mouth, so I just laughed it off.
‘So that was a promise to follow me?’
“But I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry, Hanelope.”
“No! I didn’t even realize you were saying that! If you had followed me, Brantley and the twins would have been in danger. It was lucky that you didn’t!”
Brantley looked at me quizzically, “I did tail you.”
“What?”
“We snuck out after you, saw you get kidnapped, and followed you there.”
“!”
I opened my mouth in surprise.
“How else would we have been able to help the knights capture Asta? We were there because we followed you the whole time.”
After saying that, Brantley blamed himself bitterly.
“I should have got you out of there before something bad happened to you, but there was too much surveillance, and I regret it. I should have killed all the priests.”
I was horrified.
“Y-You don’t have to do something so horrible! You won’t do it, right?”
For some reason, Brantley agreed with me meekly.
I nodded coldly before he could change his mind.
“Y-Yes. Sneaking would only put you in danger.”
“Okay. From now on, I’ll follow you openly instead of sneaking around.”
“…….”
Brantley was being Brantley.
I gave up trying to divert his mind and proceeded to check his body, “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Not at all. The imperial physicians examined me and the twins earlier. We’re all unharmed.”
“That’s good.”
“Priests were nothing to us.”
Brantley pulled something out of his pocket, “Well, this got a bit damaged.”
“This is…!”
It was my pendant. The pendant stabbed by Asta.
Luckily, the gems inside were still intact.
‘But now that the pendant is broken, I won’t be able to talk to Uncle Rabbit or Miss Butterfly.’
The pendant is a linker, a tool that allows me to communicate with them. Without it, there is no way for me, a mere mortal, to communicate with them, a godlike being.
‘I wanted to thank you for your help…’
Now I don’t have that opportunity. I will never see them again. I felt like tears were about to come out.
I was startled seeing dad cry.
“Dad!”
“If something had happened to you, I…”
“Why would I die? I’ll be with you for a long time!”
I quickly hugged him tightly and patted him on the back.
“Dad, don’t cry. Okay?”
He nodded and looked down at me with wet eyes.
‘To see Dad cry because of me…’
My heart sank like a stone.
It hurts.. but ‘How does my dad look so handsome even when he’s crying?’
Dad, with tears like pearls on his beautiful face, looked like a serene painting.
“Sigh.. What can I do for my fragile hearted dad?”
“Me? Fragile…”
“No, it won’t do. I have to protect Dad by his side forever. I won’t leave until Dad gets tired of me!”
I said, rubbing my cheek against his. He finally smiled back.
“Hanelope…”
As I hugged Dad, I noticed Grandpa, who was smiling and wiping his eyes with his fists.
“Why isn’t there a single tear in my eyes…”
Grandpa, with his eyes wide open, looked at us as if envying.
***
Dad, Grandpa, and I sat around the round table.
We sat close enough to face each other, sipping light tea before dinner.
I gulped down my tea.
‘If I drink a lot, maybe the embarrassing gurgling sound won’t be heard?’
In fact, while trying to comfort Dad, a loud gurgling sound came from my stomach.
Thanks to that, Dad’s eyes got even more teary.
‘It was so embarrassing!’
Grandpa was as shocked as if he’d just seen his granddaughter on the verge of death, so he told us to drop everything and get dinner.
Anyway, while waiting for the food to arrive, I heard an amazing story.
“Are you sure Spigent is coming to pick up the twins?”
Marquis Spigent.
A great knight and magician, he had been faithfully fulfilling his duties on the border for generations.
Spigent wasn’t fond of attention. His children attended the academy in the capital, but he never came to see them. Even when his grandfather invited him to attend Asta’s prayers, he made excuses.
But now, after the twins faced (caused?) a problem, he is rushing here in a month.
Grandfather laughed hysterically at the thought.
“The twins are waiting for their father like death row inmates waiting to die.”
Like a death row inmate waiting to die?
‘I wonder if that’s because they’re afraid of the Marquis, but he’s still their dad.’
Grandfather must be exaggerating, right?
I thought, and asked another question, “What about Brantley?”
“He’s still at the palace, too.”
“What? Brantley is here too?”
“I sent word to take Brantley to Duke Eisen’s residence, but he’s running late. Duke Eisen is the head of the Temple faction, and he’s got a lot on his plate today.”
If Duke Eisen is busy, Grandpa must be even busier today, dealing with the aftermath of the incident.
I was worried.
“And what about Grandfather? Aren’t you busy too?”
“I am busy. But now, feeding you is the priority. Since the culprits are being tortured… I mean rationally, being questioned, I can take some time off.”
Grandpa said. But I was no fool.
‘I was taking up grandfather’s precious time.’
“Then I’ll go eat with my friends!”
“You can’t.”
“But..”
“This, at least this time, I cannot compromise!”
Grandfather firmly refused.
I was embarrassed.
‘Even a dying knight wouldn’t make concessions like that.’
He didn’t seem to have any intention of changing his mind. I looked to Dad for support.
“You’re right.”
But even Dad agreed with Grandfather.
I was at a loss for words.
***
As expected, Dad and Grandfather were busy.
‘Otherwise, they wouldn’t have rushed right after dinner.’
I made my way over to the outer palace, where the Brantley and Spigent twins were.
Even though we were at the place, the distance between the main and star palace was long. I had to take a carriage to get there.
As I entered the palace, I paused, “Huh? But why is it so quiet?
It was normal for the Spigent twins to be noisy when they were together.
‘Are Katherine and Fritzka quietly staying in the imperial palace without fighting? Or are they quiet because they’re tense about their father coming?’
Either way, it was unusual.
‘I should praise them when I meet them.’
Thinking that, I stopped in my tracks at the sight of a giant figure blocking my way.
‘Who is it? No way?’
A man with a beard like a bandit looked down at the twins with fierce eyes.
Katherine and Fritzka had their hands behind their backs, standing upright with bowed heads.
“Katherine, Fritzka. What did father say?”
This person was undoubtedly Marquis Spigent. He asked with a voice as fierce as his appearance.
Katherine and Fritzka replied with pale faces.
“You told us to go up the stairs!”
“You said not to cause trouble!”
“But what are you doing now?”
“Sorry, Father!”
“Verbal repentance alone is not true repentance. How will you pay for it?”, Marquis Spigent asked coldly.
Katherine and Fritzka closed their eyes and shouted in pain.
“No chocolate milk for 100 days!”
“Cucumber and carrot intake for 100 days!”
“Okay. Such is the cruelty of the punishment for wrongdoing.”
A satisfied smile spread across the man’s tiger-like face.
“?”
I was dumbfounded. But Katherine and Fritzka were shivering at the prospect of being banned from chocolate milk and forced to eat cucumbers and carrots.
“Go to the carriage and wait for me,” he said, “I’m going to pay my respects to His Majesty.”
“Yes, father!”
As the man was about to leave the Star Palace, he paused.
He noticed me watching from behind.
He looked at me as if trying to figure out who this kid was, and I took the initiative to greet him.
“Good afternoon, Marquis. I’m Hanelope von Reinhardt.”
“Oh, you’re the princess?”
Marquis Spigent looked down at me with a cold face.
“It was a pleasure meeting you.”
We hadn’t even exchanged greetings yet.
But Marquis Spigent walked past without saying anything.
“Katherine, Fritzka, you too greet the princess and get on the carriage!”
As Marquis Spigent left, Katherine and Fritzka stiffened and waved at me.
“Alas! We must return home.”
“See you next time, dear friend!”
The twins bowed awkwardly, like machines, and disappeared.
“Just what did I see..”
“I don’t think there are any normal parents here.”
Brantley’s voice cut through my puzzlement.
He was leaning against the wall, with a look of disbelief on his face.
“Brantley!”
I rushed over, excited, and whispered softly, even though we were alone.
“Marquis Spigent must be scary, the twins were acting strange.”
“Don’t worry about them. They’re crazy.”
Brantley grunted.
He had witnessed the Spigent family’s antics that I hadn’t.
‘They must have been worse when I wasn’t around.’
I shuddered at the thought.
When Brantley saw me teared up, he asked me sadly, “It must have been terrifying..”
“Yeah. A lot! Spige…”
“I’m sorry I didn’t keep my promise.”
Brantley hung his head.
“What promise?”
“I said I would follow you and not to worry.”
“When?”
It was the first time I heard this story.
“Don’t you remember?”
Brantley looked perplexed.
“When you left with the palace knights to go to the imperial palace, I gestured to you.”
When I parted ways with Brantley to go to the palace with the knights, he did say something to me without making any sound.
But I didn’t recognise the shape of his mouth, so I just laughed it off.
‘So that was a promise to follow me?’
“But I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry, Hanelope.”
“No! I didn’t even realize you were saying that! If you had followed me, Brantley and the twins would have been in danger. It was lucky that you didn’t!”
Brantley looked at me quizzically, “I did tail you.”
“What?”
“We snuck out after you, saw you get kidnapped, and followed you there.”
“!”
I opened my mouth in surprise.
“How else would we have been able to help the knights capture Asta? We were there because we followed you the whole time.”
After saying that, Brantley blamed himself bitterly.
“I should have got you out of there before something bad happened to you, but there was too much surveillance, and I regret it. I should have killed all the priests.”
I was horrified.
“Y-You don’t have to do something so horrible! You won’t do it, right?”
For some reason, Brantley agreed with me meekly.
I nodded coldly before he could change his mind.
“Y-Yes. Sneaking would only put you in danger.”
“Okay. From now on, I’ll follow you openly instead of sneaking around.”
“…….”
Brantley was being Brantley.
I gave up trying to divert his mind and proceeded to check his body, “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Not at all. The imperial physicians examined me and the twins earlier. We’re all unharmed.”
“That’s good.”
“Priests were nothing to us.”
Brantley pulled something out of his pocket, “Well, this got a bit damaged.”
“This is…!”
It was my pendant. The pendant stabbed by Asta.
Luckily, the gems inside were still intact.
‘But now that the pendant is broken, I won’t be able to talk to Uncle Rabbit or Miss Butterfly.’
The pendant is a linker, a tool that allows me to communicate with them. Without it, there is no way for me, a mere mortal, to communicate with them, a godlike being.
‘I wanted to thank you for your help…’
Now I don’t have that opportunity. I will never see them again. I felt like tears were about to come out.
