C 118
"You ran away? Why?"
"My dad is actually really scary."
The girl, who made a horn with two fingers, whispered that he was like a goblin.
"Your dad?"
"Yes..."
Erno Etham's face looked slightly disgusted.
Because the father the girl is talking about now is not himself. That fact alone made him feel uncomfortable for no reason.
Yes, the girl in front of Erno Etham was Eirin.
To be precise, it seemed that the Eirin from the previous life he had seen before would have exactly this kind of face when she was young.
She was a small girl with tanned skin, quite immature and ignorant of the world.
"I accidentally pushed my younger brother, and he fell... At times like this, dad picks up the rod of love."
"The rod of love?"
Erno Etham's eyebrows arched slightly.
"Yes, the rod of love is used for spanking to grow up well, but it hurts a lot..."
The girl's face filled with tears.
"But when mom and dad love you, that's how it usually is."
Erno Etham had to try very hard not to laugh in front of the girl.
"Do they really think child abuse can be called love?"
Erno Etham couldn't understand it.
Erno Etham knows that not all parents can love their children.
However, if you don't like it, you don't like it, and labeling it "love" is a simple cowardly excuse to alleviate one's guilt.
"Still, he said he hit me because he cares about me. If he didn't love me, he wouldn't even hit me!"
The girl, who didn't know the humble adult's true intentions, just smiled broadly.
"But yesterday I was hit, and if they hit me today, it would hurt too much, so now I'm hiding in secret!"
Also, yesterday, while eating by mistake, the girl whispered that she clumsily dropped a spoon and got her calf hit.
The girl kept smiling cheerfully. It was a face that firmly believed her parents loved her.
The girl, still untarnished by innocence, seemed to think that the punishment she was receiving was solely due to her own fault.
"The rod of love..."
It was a very funny name.
Isn't it a despicable name that contains an excuse for the perpetrator?
Even hearing the name felt unpleasant to Erno Etham.
He tried with all his might not to show his feelings. It was an unpleasant effort on Erno's part, but somehow it seemed like he had to do it.
"Where are you going, sir?"
"I... I was on my way to find my daughter."
The girl's eyes widened at Erno Etham's answer.
"Oh, is your daughter lost too?"
"It seems so."
"It's good, I got lost a while ago, but no one looked for me, so I told the police officer and went home."
"...Really?"
She doesn't know what the police are, but she thought it might be something like a guard.
"Yes, but my younger brothers got lost with me, and they were looking for them first. Since I'm the older sister, they said they would find me later."
Erno Etham pursed his lips, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.
It's because it seemed like it would only be painful to tell the truth to a girl who believed that lies were the truth.
"Still, it would have been nice if they had found me first."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, how many times have you lost your daughter?"
"This is the first time."
The girl's eyes widened at Erno Etham's answer.
"Wow, I wish I were your daughter. I wish I had a father like you too. Oh, of course, it's not that I hate my dad right now!"
Listening to the girl's whispering voice, Erno Etham nodded without a word.
"Come back soon, your daughter must be waiting for you. I know very well how lonely I feel every time I wait!"
The girl muttered something while squeezing her hands tightly and closing her eyes, and before she knew it, a door emitting pure white light appeared next to Erno Etham.
The series of actions seemed so familiar that Erno Etham's eyes widened.
"...Aren't you coming with me, girl?"
Erno Etham extended his hand to her.
The girl opened her eyes wide and smiled forcefully.
"Don't worry, I can't leave from here."
"I'll let you out."
The girl laughed.
"I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet."
The girl shook her head.
"You're not ready?"
The girl didn't open her mouth further at Erno Etham's question. When Erno Etham didn't enter, the door moved.
The door, glowing like a halo, swallowed Erno Etham in an instant.
The girl, watching Erno Etham reach out with a frown, continued to smile broadly.
She could see the shape of a small lizard through the sketchbook fluttering behind the girl.
"My head hurts..."
I held my breath, clutching my head.
"Obviously in the end... It seems like I used my ability against the fox's wish orb..."
When I remembered how dizzy I felt after that, I wondered if I had fainted.
"I'm not really a sick beauty who faints every day..."
I scratched my head and jumped out of bed.
"Laurent?"
There was no one in the room.
I slowly scratched my cheek, opened the door, and stepped out.
"Are we going to see dad?"
As I walked down the hallway, I met Laurent's eyes coming from afar. When I waved my hand, Laurent opened his eyes wide and hurried over.
"My lady!"
"Laurent, hello."
"Yes..., I heard that the cruel people from the Suin Kingdom tried to chase and kill my lady...!"
"Oh...?"
They didn't try to kill me. It was rather my dad and my brothers who tried to kill him.
"No, it was just an attempted kidnapping..."
"Sorry?!"
"......"
"There's no way they'll kidnap our sweet lady! Our little delicate girl!"
Did they try to kidnap me because I was small and delicate?
I smiled as I looked at Laurent, who was angry, excluding her common sense.
Laurent's mouth corner dropped once as she looked at me.
"Laurent, how long has it been since I fainted?"
"It's been three days..."
"Three days?!"
I became a little more serious than usual.
"Besides, Duke Erno... No, even the previous duke fell asleep yesterday and didn't wake up all day, so the atmosphere in the mansion is not normal."
Dad didn't wake up?
I opened my mouth with a slightly nervous look as I felt the blood drain.
"... Is dad sick?"
"No, they say he's generally stable. It seems he can't open his eyes."
Laurent quickly added a comment as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Master Charniel called a doctor to examine him, but there was nothing special. Prince Callan said he would investigate in case there was a problem with his Berserk state or something."
I shook my head and nodded.
Even after saying that, I missed my dad for some reason, so I walked slowly, and Laurent followed me.
"Young Duke Collin and High Priest Lucilion, who had heard about the lady's fainting, also came to visit."
"Richard and Lucy?"
"Yes."
"Besides that, His Highness the Second Prince and Lady Lillian Daisy also sent gifts."
My eyes widened at the unexpected words.
"Ah, and the Rosemont family also sent medicine."
It must have been Phil since Hill Rosemont would never do something so kind.
I just felt a tickle in my chest.
"There are people who take care of me when I'm sick."
"Yes?"
Laurent's eyes widened as if she had heard my murmurs. My face turned red with embarrassment.
"Not just..."
"Of course I'm worried. Didn't I say, the atmosphere in the mansion was crazy?!"
Laurent raised her voice as if it were unfair. I involuntarily opened my mouth and pursed my lips.
"I couldn't sleep well either. Can you see these shadows under my eyes?!"
Laurent abruptly pushed her face and poked the darkness under her eyes with her index finger.
"Yes..."
Unconsciously, I opened my mouth and laughed. After talking to Laurent, I arrived at Dad's room before I knew it.
Laurent opened the door carefully. Dad, who thought I was sleeping, was unexpectedly awake.
He was sitting on the bed, looking out the window, his face seemed lost in thought.
"Dad?"
Dad, who didn't know I had come in, only turned his head when he heard my call.
"Eirin."
"Papa is sick..."
Dad suddenly opened his arms.
"Come here."
With a bewildered expression on my face, I ran and jumped onto the bed.
Then Dad hugged me.
"It must have been very hard."
"What...?"
At his sudden words, I looked at my dad in perplexity. Dad looked at me and opened his mouth again.
"There."
"....Where?"
My father's expression hardened slightly as I blinked.
When Dad looked at Laurent, quick-witted Laurent quickly bowed and left the room.
"The world where you used to live..."
"The world I used to live in? Ah... would you like to know about this?"
My father's expression hardened at my question.
"How many days have passed since you fainted?"
"Laurent said this is the third day."
"Have you had any dreams while you were sleeping?"
"Hmm..., my head hurt a little when I woke up."
Dad looked at me silently, then nodded and stroked my hair.
"It's alright, then it's a relief."
My father murmured a little and fell silent while holding me in his arms for a long time.
Kiiiik, crack-!
Oddly enough, it seemed that the sound of a broken spring was constantly ringing from somewhere.
The sound seemed toxic and unpleasant to hear today.
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