C 150
One thing that became clear as time passed was that the guardian of the stars' ability to strangely control people's minds didn't actually have much influence on the relationships I had built myself.
Even those who were briefly affected at first returned to normal within a week.
However, people who were not my relatives now felt curious about me and didn't like me or show favors for no reason.
The fact that I was a dragon seemed to instill fear in quite a few people.
"You dropped this."
"Ah! Th-thank you. Excuse me!"
As she pointed to the fallen towel, the maid shuddered, picked it up, bowed, and quickly walked away.
Seeing her flee with the towels piled up like such a huge mountain that she couldn't see in front of her was truly surprising.
"Mmm."
"Eirin."
"Dad?"
"I guess I'll have to re-educate the lower ones."
"It's okay, why re-educate them?"
I shrugged.
My father returned to normal, and people I had known for a long time seemed a bit hesitant at first, but gradually returned to normal.
That maid was clearly a newcomer.
"Anyway, what do you think of what I said earlier?"
"Um, do you mean about the dye?"
"Yes, I wrote a letter to Sharnae, and I received a response saying that it might be possible to manufacture that chemical."
"If you follow the plan you're talking about, you'll definitely end up with a great product."
Dad said, reaching out and gently stroking my hair.
The gentle touch remained the same as before, but I felt that my father's gaze was somehow different from before.
Not that he didn't love me. It felt as if some kind of thought was mixed with the gaze that used to be light.
"Dad, I heard you're looking for someone these days. Can I ask who?"
Not only that, but he also seemed to have gone to see the bastard who was imprisoned in the palace dungeon several times, the one everyone thought was my father.
"It was more surprising that he was still alive."
After attending the banquet for the family heads held a week ago, my father handed over all the authority to me as the family matriarch.
Although he didn't directly order me to do so, he asked for my opinion and followed my decision in everything, from external affairs to everything else.
So, the attitude of Terem, Etham's shadow group, also changed.
I was informed of every move of every important figure in Etham.
However, if I went on a long expedition or was out of Terem's surveillance range, they couldn't report.
They must have also placed people in the academy, so I received reports from Callan and Silian, as well as from Sharnae.
"I was glad that everyone was doing well."
Of course, that wasn't the only thing.
Reports continued about other collateral children of Etham attending the academy and about every department receiving money each year.
This was the part that helped me understand how my grandfather, Miriell Etham, used to beat people like this every year at the New Year's meeting.
"Terem's attitude hasn't changed at all."
I wasn't that close to Terem, and that didn't mean we talked much.
"Is it because the need to serve me remains the same?"
Or, since Terem himself wanted a somewhat intimidating ruler, he thought it might be fine for it to be a dragon.
"Are you curious?"
"Yes."
"I'm looking for the person who handed you over to that bastard."
"Ah... Is that so?"
For a moment, I looked at my dad in incomprehension, feeling as if I had been stabbed in the back.
"Yes, I found signs that the grave had been dug up."
"...the grave?"
"Someone unearthed Dahlia's grave a long time ago. And then covered it up with soil again."
My father no longer hid anything from me because I became the family matriarch.
If I had a question, he answered it in detail, and if I had a doubt, he investigated it faithfully and presented the results.
My father was quietly helping me.
My father, who had always been accustomed to being above others and receiving from others...
He began to play the role of an assistant by my side. When I realized that fact, I could no longer act childishly with my father.
It's disappointing and a little sad not to be able to... I was a little upset.
"So... Do you mean he took me out of the grave?"
"I buried Dahlia after her death. The coffin..."
After saying that, Dad kept his mouth shut as if he had difficulty speaking, and then continued speaking.
"We all saw the earth covering it. It wasn't just me, everyone witnessed it."
"...Yes."
"That day, I thought that you, I thought you had never been born, were buried together."
But I came back to life.
And not as my father's daughter, but as someone else's daughter, not a direct descendant, but a collateral daughter.
When I discovered the whole truth, my dad naturally understood, but now that I think about it, maybe it was my fault.
Because I created this world, I may have disguised my father's obvious doubts as a favor to me.
And this time, it occurred to me that it might be an act of faith that the question that had been buried while my father was confused had resurfaced due to the guardian of the stars.
"No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand it. How did you come back to life?"
"......"
"The reason why the person who discovered that you were alive and dug up the grave and took you was directed towards him and not me..."
Dad spoke softly.
"Maybe there was another reason for Dahlia's death."
I understood what my dad was saying. I know he doesn't blame me. But for no reason, one side of my chest felt heavy.
"Eirin."
"Yes, Dad."
"I'll tell you from the beginning, I'm not investigating this to blame you or find someone to blame."
Dad said and lightly cupped my cheek with his palm. It was a very gentle touch.
Dad's hands were still warm, and my skin was a little cold, and I liked the warmth created by the two overlapping temperatures.
"This is not your fault either."
"...Yes."
"You were just a lonely child."
Dad hugged me and whispered sweet words as always.
Dad knew what kind of world I lived in, and that I was the one who created this world.
And after returning from the imperial palace for a few days, I told him why this happened.
Dad listened to everything and, as always, said it wasn't my fault.
"It's not surprising that a lonely child imagined something, and a world was born, and you became a special person in that world."
Dad hugged me and whispered sweetly.
The hand that patted my back also felt nice.
"You were simply fighting to survive. To escape the created misfortune."
Yes, maybe it started with a small misfortune.
Perhaps I could have escaped. Isn't there someone in the world who lives firmly even in the same situation as me?
"You said you will enjoy the happiness you have now, and there will be no one to stop you."
I smiled awkwardly and nodded at what my dad said.
"Even if there are, I'll get rid of all of them."
I was still not used to hearing kind words, but it seemed like he was giving me a chance to have a little more confidence in my hesitant steps.
"I never understood the term 'blind parental love' before..."
I felt like I understood it now.
Because I came to this world and learned firsthand that affection poured out for no reason is so sweet.
"I will be very, very happy."
"Yes."
"I will be happier than anyone... so, Dad, let's live together for a long time."
I said, burying my face in my father's chest.
"Because I'll be so happy that the guardian of the stars won't be able to do anything..."
Dad ruffled my hair and chuckled softly. Seeing that expression, I hugged my dad a little tighter.
"Please, watch me become happy."
This was perhaps a mission given to me.
"I look forward to it."
"I will earn a lot of money and be filial."
"If you earn more than you do now, you'll have to start a kingdom, right?"
"...That's not a bad idea either."
Dad laughed as if my words were amusing. The atmosphere became lighter, and my mouth naturally relaxed.
Have we grown up together before we realized it? My father also felt like an adult.
"And you also have to see your grandchildren."
"...Grandchildren?"
"Yes, you can see..."
"That..."
Dad smiled.
It was an unsatisfied but bright smile that I hadn't seen in a long time.
"I don't like that."
"Is that so?"
"Because your marriage is not on my mind yet. There are many bastards eyeing you."
"Is that...?"
I tilted my head in curiosity.
However, to this day, I had never received anything resembling a proposal or marriage request that everyone else had received.
"Yes, I burned all the requests as soon as they came."
The expression on my father's face as he spoke with such confidence seemed genuinely proud.
Perhaps I need to slightly correct the statement that it seems like he's grown a bit.
"I'll burn them again in the future, so don't worry."
No, I might need to correct it a little.
