C 13
Tump, the girl's head dropped. Erno slowly extended his hand and placed his finger under the girl's nose.
The soft and even breaths indicated that the girl was alive.
"Father, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
This is the first time I've unexpectedly lost control like this.
And the fact that the commotion stopped so quickly.
It was truly strange.
Usually, that feeling appears about a week before it happens.
When madness is approaching, there will be anger and even a desire to kill at the slightest commotion.
If it were almost time, I would also go on a journey for a while.
Because there was too much trash in this world that was legally allowed to die.
But until now, there had never been such a dangerous impulse. It was because I couldn't realize that my body was being pushed to the limit.
"Now that I think about it, there should have been a sign about two weeks ago."
If it was two weeks ago...
"That was the day I found this girl."
There was a refreshing feeling when I received the ring. Also, the sweet and bitter taste that lingered in my mouth.
When that smell filled the tip of my nose...
The madness had calmed down.
Not only that, a slightly fishy scent still lingered on the tip of my tongue. It must be the girl's blood.
No wonder the girl's hands were full of scratches.
I started calling this girl "my daughter" to fill my free time.
"The plushie..."
I got up while holding the girl, then picked up the stuffed tiger that was on the floor.
The plushie was covered in dirt from being trampled on, not as clean as the girl usually carried it.
"...I wish I hadn't burned them all," he muttered quietly.
Erno Etham regretted what he had done for the first time in his life.
If he had left some plushies, he could have surely given the girl a new one if something like this happened.
When he slowly looked around, he saw a maid who was so frightened that she couldn't approach him.
She stared at him with a pale complexion, as if she were looking at a time bomb that could explode at any moment.
The prejudiced gaze he had felt since childhood.
"Right, that's usually the normal reaction."
The first thing you should do is run to stay alive.
Stay away from things that could harm us.
Even his children made escaping their top priority. Because that's what they had learned.
Once madness started, there was only one way to stop it.
The stronger opponents must immobilize the entities experiencing it.
But no one in this house was capable of taking him down.
In fact, the only ones comparable, like Duke Miriel or the eldest son of the family, were absent.
"Father, fortunately no one died."
"Good."
Even so, I regained my senses without seeing the blood of a single person.
At first, nothing could stop me.
"But, it stopped."
Because of this young and small girl.
The girl didn't mind how many times she fell, even when her hands got dirty and scraped in order to stop him.
Otherwise, this girl's life would have been taken too.
"Clean everything."
"Yes, Father. I will, so that my brother and father can go back first."
"Ah, yes. In the meantime, find the fruit that this girl was holding and bring it to me. For some reason, it seems that the fruit can calm the madness. I need to take a look at it."
"Understood."
Callan Etham roughly ruffled his red hair, then followed Erno Etham, who was holding the small girl with slightly disheveled clothes.
"Father, is it true that the fruit calmed you?"
"Maybe."
"She traveled to find it... How did this girl know about this fruit?"
"Who knows. She's my daughter, who has many secrets."
Callan Etham frowned at Erno Etham's answer.
"Father."
His steps down the hallway slowed down. Erno Etham nodded as soon as Callan opened his mouth.
"In truth, I'm not used to saying these things."
Callan shook his head as if feeling pressured.
"This time, what if we stop the game here?"
Callan cautiously spoke.
"This time, she even helped you, Father... I actually feel sorry for her. Last year, Dad made a deal with that man, but it's not the same with this girl. Silian agrees with me too..."
"Callan."
"Yes, Father."
"This is not something you should worry about."
"How could I not worry about it? Even so, she shook my hand and told me to run and went to save Father."
"Enough. I don't think this is something to discuss in this kind of place. We'll talk about it later."
Erno refused to talk twice. Callan understood that this was all he could interfere with.
"...Understood."
Erno lay the girl on her bed with his usual care.
After giving some orders to the waiting maids, Erno looked at the girl's rosy cheeks and then turned away.
"I'll take my leave first."
"Yes, thank you."
Callan Etham lowered his head, then walked down the long corridor and disappeared.
"This was supposed to be..."
He blinked slowly.
"...A fun game."
Erno Etham clenched his fist and moved the feet that had stopped for a moment.
[Eh, you know what? Girls are blind. No matter how terrifying you are, they'll give you infinite affection because you're their father. If a girl is born, surely you'll change too.]
[That must be from your stupid and amusing perspective.]
[Oh, don't be sarcastic. Listen to me. A girl only sees the best in you, no matter the mistakes you make or how bad you are. So, if you meet a girl like that, you will definitely change.]
[Dahlia, as I said, this world you're talking about has always been an ideal world, a place where all kinds of dreams come together.]
[Ah, you're so frustrating! At times like this, a cute daughter is the best! Men are weak when it comes to their daughters, aren't they?]
[Now it's impossible to have more children. Three is enough.]
[It's fine; I hope this child is a daughter. That way, you'll know. That there are beings in this world you can't help but love.]
Having spoken so well like that, she died without giving birth to our third child.
[This child will probably change your world. So, I hope you no longer feel lonely.]
Those words turned to dust.
I didn't know why that suddenly came to mind.
I walked through the empty hallway and headed to my room.
The sour taste and the sour smell of the fruit that lingered in my mouth strangely weren't as unpleasant as usual.
* * *
Suddenly -
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a beautiful chandelier and a ceiling.
When I tried to get up, I groaned in pain from various parts of my body and writhed within the blanket.
"Ouch, I thought I was going to die..."
Luckily, I'm still alive.
"Oh! My jewelry!"
I left the jewelry near the fruits...
The jewelry I always carry with me just in case I revert to my original form and need to escape!
I reached out with my small hands but couldn't grab a piece.
"Did I lose them? My clothes have been changed too."
Did Mayla change my clothes?
I was about to grab the bed and try to get to the floor, but the door opened with a click.
"Oh my goodness, my lady!"
"Mayla..."
"I'm so relieved that you've awakened."
Mayla ran over and hugged me tightly.
"I was so worried because my lady hasn't woken up in a week."
"...Oh, really?"
She said... how long...?
"A week...?"
"Yes, they say my lady suddenly got surprised and overloaded."
"Is that so...?"
"Yes, I was really worried."
I'm pretty sure my eyeballs are clearly trembling, even though I can't see them.
"They didn't catch me, did they?"
Fortunately, I didn't turn into a lizard or anything while I was unconscious.
"She said, a week. No way..."
Why? Because if it's been a week, the heroine would have made her appearance, and the original story would have started.
"I'm screwed..."
Once again, I lost time to accumulate points.
"You must be hungry, right? I'll bring the food right away."
"Mhm, that's fine."
I nodded and sighed heavily.
"My gems are gone, my time is gone..."
Even my ambition might have gone with it.
"Everyone was very worried. Young Master Callan and Young Master Silian came here almost every day, even His Grace visited once. He asked to meet with you as soon as you woke up."
Strangely, Mayla's voice sounds a bit dry as if she were reading a Korean book.
"It must be just my imagination, right?"
I shook my thoughts away.
"Is that so? What about my father?"
"Ah... That... Lord Erno visited once a few days ago, but after that..."
"Is that so?"
It's not a big loss since this was something I expected.
But it's a pity that everything ended while I was asleep.
"Still, his debt has already piled up, so he'll definitely give me his money, right?"
If we don't expect anything, we won't get hurt. So, I became the one who wasn't hurt.
That's right, so I'm fine this time too.
"Yes, maybe because he's busy. The Duke brought his late daughter's daughter here. I heard adoption was discussed."
"Is that so?"
I more or less understand the current situation.
Duke Miriel discovered that the heroine has the power to calm madness on the way to this place.
Duke Miriel wanted to give this girl to Erno, who suffers from the most severe illness.
At first, Erno didn't refuse and accepted the heroine when she went out of control once.
"Ah, then my lady and she will be sisters!"
"Isn't that impossible?"
I smoothed my skirt as I spoke indifferently.
"It's time to prepare for the end quietly."
It wasn't long, but it's a shame.
I thought it would last three months, but I didn't expect it to end in less than a month.
