C 106
"Oh, my lady, why do you seem so tired?"
"Laurent, it seems like I've been having strange dreams these days."
"Strange dreams? What kind of dreams are they?"
"I don't know."
Even if it was a dream, I couldn't remember it at all when I opened my eyes, so it was ambiguous to say anything.
When I opened my eyes a moment ago, my heart ached, and I wanted to cry; it was painfully frustrating.
"I just don't remember anything when I open my eyes."
"Is that so? But dreams are weirder when they come to mind."
"...Is that right?"
"Yes, the clearer the dream, the stranger it is. That's why, in my dreams, everything I want comes true if I just think about it. That's why God said space and time were separated so that dreams wouldn't get confused with reality, and life wouldn't collapse."
"I see..."
Well, if you think about it, it's quite strange that you can remember your dreams so well.
It's probably natural that you don't normally think about it.
Even though I knew that, I couldn't understand why it made me uncomfortable. I scratched my cheek and nodded.
"Anyway, you were tired throughout the entire banquet, so are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
It's not a banquet that only I attend.
Besides, once you become the matriarch of the family, you can't escape it. I should think of experiencing it in advance.
"Is Dad going to be okay?"
In fact, I didn't even know about Eirin. However, it was true that there was something to hide.
How can I tell him that I grew up in another world and still have memories of my previous life?
"I'm my father's daughter...."
However, Dad said his son had died. Is it possible that the fetus in my mother's womb is me?
Is that possible?
"Moreover, the ties of my previous life weren't cut...."
Am I still asleep in the other world?
I wasn't comfortable. That means the body in the other world is alive, and my soul hasn't settled yet...
"Does that mean I have to wait until I die there?"
That's a bit embarrassing.
It's not like I can go back to that world, so there shouldn't be any other way.
"I thought I was already dead."
I crossed my arms and thought.
It was a room where I lived alone, so I wondered if I would have died if no one had come.
"Did someone come to that empty room?"
Maybe the landlord came because I didn't pay the rent.
I don't know; I need to go see my dad.
I got off the chair as I waited for Laurent to finish fixing my hair one last time.
"Kyaah, it's really cute!"
"Hehe, really?"
"Yes!"
Laurent stomped on the floor with his foot and nodded.
Unbeknownst to me, my cheeks turned red, and when I pressed my cheek, Laurent shouted again.
"Maybe I'm getting too used to compliments like this?"
I always felt embarrassed, probably because I wasn't used to receiving them.
"By the way, my lady, where are you going?"
"To see Dad."
"Oh, I saw him going to the greenhouse a moment ago."
"Yes, then I'll go!"
"Would you mind if I don't go with you?"
"No, I can do it on my own. I'm not a child. I'm already ten years old."
When I spoke, puffing up my cheeks in dissatisfaction, Laurent's mouth opened slightly.
"Pfft, that's right. You're already ten years old."
Laurent responded with a voice mixed with laughter, as if he found something very amusing.
"Please be careful."
"Yes."
I quickly hastened my steps to where my father was.
"Shouldn't I reveal that I have memories of my previous life?"
Actually, I can't keep hiding it.
Maybe it's okay if I don't tell him the details?
"Is this world in a novel...?"
If I talk about that, wouldn't Dad help me fully belong in this world?
All the time I was walking, I felt anxiety enveloping my body.
No matter how many assumptions I made, for some reason, I still felt anxious and wanted to fall into his arms quickly.
***
"She's really my daughter..."
Erno Etham murmured very softly.
Since the High Priest gave a definitive answer, the likelihood of being wrong was probably low.
Erno Etham knew that as well.
However, he didn't know if the child in his wife's womb was a girl or a boy.
Such was the case with the child who died before birth.
[—"I'm sorry..., Erno. I guess...."]
[—"Dalia, don't say anything. Because I called the doctor."]
[—"My son must be greedy. It was too much for me to handle my son...."]
The subdued voice still echoed in his ears. Erno Etham's wife, who was pregnant, was growing weaker and weaker.
During the first month, she was slightly pale, but after four months, her entire body became as thin as a tree branch.
[—"I wish I had been a little stronger...."]
She was also a very strong person. He thought it might be an illness, but no one knew what kind of illness she had.
[—"Dalia, don't say any more. You'll be fine."]
He wondered if she lacked magical power, so he shared his magical power and called all sorts of people, starting with the healing priest.
But no one could cure her illness.
[—"Mom...."]
[—"Mom...."]
Callan and Sillian cried as they looked at her, who had become so thin that it was even difficult for her to breathe.
[—"Why are you crying, my children? Is your dad bothering you again?"]
[—"Who's bothering you...?"]
[—"That's right, because you promised me that you'd be a good father to your children."]
You must keep your promise.
With that said, the faintly curved corners of her eyes looked dangerous, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
[—"Dalia, give up on the child."]
There was no other way.
She somehow had to get the child out and prevent it from depriving her of nutrients.
[—"No."]
Dalia was adamant. She shook her head, clutching her swollen belly with her bony arms like dry branches.
[—"It's alright, just wait a little longer... This child can be born. Just a bit more..."]
However, after saying that, Dalia's heart stopped a few days later.
[—"...While you said you'd stay by my side for the rest of my life."]
Erno Etham whispered as he held her cold hand.
[—"You truly are the only person who can deceive me. Liar."]
Soon, a small puddle formed on the back of Dalia's hand.
Erno Etham slowly tilted his head at the memory that suddenly came to his mind. Yes, the child had already gone to an unreachable place.
"My daughter..."
Does this mean the girl even came back to life?
"Or maybe I went crazy and mocked the lower part of my body."
Neither of the two made sense.
Considering that the girl's origin was a dragon, the likelihood of her being alive was the highest.
That made more sense, Erno Etham knew that very well.
However...
"Was she under that dark, cold earth? For how long?"
This was a truth he didn't want to believe. He pressed his eyes with his large hand.
"Is it because I didn't check properly?"
Basssss-
He reflexively turned at the sound he heard behind him. Erno Etham's gaze reached the pale-faced girl.
Perhaps she had run all the way here, the breathless girl stood hesitatingly at the entrance of the greenhouse with an anxious expression on her face.
Then, when our eyes met, she opened her mouth and smiled.
"D-dad... Good morning... Let's eat..."
Eirin brought out the most pitiful of the 50,000 words and excuses she had thought up in her head.
Seeing that expression without a smile, I was startled with fear.
"Dad, is it strange that I'm your real daughter?"
Maybe she thought she was a monster.
"...Yes, it's about time."
Erno Etham, who fell silent for a moment, slowly opened his mouth. It was a different voice from usual.
Only then did Eirin smile widely in relief and cautiously approached Erno Etham.
"Haven't you been able to sleep?"
"No, I slept well."
It was a lie.
Callan and Sillian, whom she met on the way, told Eirin that her father hadn't slept after drinking some strong drinks last night.
"I see."
However, Eirin didn't bother to point out his lie. Instead, she said some words she had thought of when she arrived.
"Dad, I've been thinking about it! Maybe the High Priest made a mistake. I'll tell Lucy!"
Eirin smiled cheerfully, approached, and chatted.
That there must have been a problem, that she shouldn't worry, that since she's a dragon, she must have come out of an egg, that there's no way she can come back to life after dying...
All of the girl's comforting words to Erno Etham were based on selflessness.
"I'm just as pathetic."
Erno Etham thought.
He stared at Eirin, then slowly knelt down and met Eirin's eyes.
"Eirin."
"Yes!"
"I didn't say it clearly, so I made you uncomfortable."
Eirin's head tilted slightly. Looking at the girl with wide-open eyes, Erno Etham grabbed Eirin's hand.
"I'm glad you're my daughter."
"......"
Eirin's eyes widened at that resolute statement.
"I just needed time to think because I was taken aback by the unexpected little words. I never wanted to deny you."
As if surprised by Erno Etham's words, Eirin kept her mouth shut.
"The High Priest didn't make a mistake, Eirin. Because you're my daughter from the beginning. Whatever the outcome, the fact that you're my daughter won't change."
Erno Etham hugged Eirin.
Eirin's face contorted as if she were crying as she collapsed into that firm embrace he held tightly.
"I'm sorry for making you anxious."
"......"
Faced with that sincere apology and heartfelt words, Eirin buried her face in Erno Etham's shoulder.
I felt like I couldn't deceive my dad anymore.
I don't know if it's because of the partial imprint or not, but I kept feeling anxious.
"...Dad, I'm sorry."
"Eirin?"
The time had come to answer the question from yesterday that I hadn't been able to answer.
"...I'm hiding something."
My instinct seemed to whisper that it was time to be honest.
It was only then that this frustrating tangled ball of yarn seemed to unwind a little.
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