CH 23

“Persis.”

Before Persis entered his bedroom, it was none other than Floa who called and stopped him.

“Since I brought May, so you can go and see that kid.”

Persis’s words were somehow cold. He sounded like he had done all he could, and he didn’t want to be bothered anymore.

“Did you apologize…?”

Apologize for sending you to an orphanage.

Persis answered without expression.

“I did, because that’s the only way to bring her in.”

To him, an apology was not sincere, but a means to bring May back.

He spent some time with May, so he knew what kind of child she was. Strong-willed and affectionate.

He thought that an apology was the best way to win over the heart of such a child, and as he expected, it worked.

“May is in her room. She might be crying in the arms of the nanny who raised her by now. 

With a tone that suggested if she wanted to go, she could go, Persis went into his bedroom.

Alone in his bedroom, he took off his green cravat and thought.

May was now his child. Whether biological or not, this fact would never change. He acknowledged it.

Therefore, although he had decided to adopt her, he sometimes feels discomfort.

His father raised Pascal, who was not his biological child as if he were his own child, and as a result, he died miserably due to Pascal’s desire for the family’s estate. Everyone knows that if they hadn’t adopted him out of pity or sympathy, such a tragedy would not have occurred.

It’s so foolish.

This became the biggest factor in making him hate his father.

But now he is also in a position to adopt May. If you only look at it from a superficial perspective, he is no different from his father.

I don’t want to act like my father. I don’t want to be like my father.

However, he had already accepted May as his own child, and he couldn’t allow the child to choose someone else as their parent. He had to raise May himself.

But he didn’t want to become like his father.

The solution he chose was to raise May as his son until it was confirmed that he had a biological child, using the excuse of needing a successor.

If he adopted May as his son for the sake of a successor, then there would be a clear reason for himself and his family.

It would prove that he was different from his father.

It was only because of his shallow pride that Persis decided to raise May as his son.

***

I don’t know how long I cried. By the time I stopped, a considerable amount of time had passed. Ellen and Joan calmed me down and laid me on the bed.

I didn’t want to be separated from them, so I begged them.

“Ellen, Joan, can’t we sleep together?”

Ellen covered me with a blanket and shook her head.

“No, we can’t sleep in the lady’s room.”

“Then I’ll go to the servant’s room. Let’s sleep together.”

“That’s even more impossible. If the master finds out, he’ll be furious.”

“But I still want to be with you…”

Joan, who was next to Ellen, smiled brightly.

“We’ll see each other every day now, and we can be together anytime in the future.”

“That’s true. Dad promised not to kick me out.”

Ellen brushed my bangs aside. Her touch was gentle.

“So, let’s meet tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

I answered as if there was nothing I could do.

“Okay. See you tomorrow, Ellen, and Joan.”

“Goodnight, miss.”

“Have a good dream.”

After leaving me with kind words, they turned off the lights and gently closed the door behind them. In silence, I stared at the familiar ceiling.

Now, I have nothing to fear. Persis killed the swindler, so there’s no one left to harm me. And on top of that, I received a promise from Persis that he won’t kick me out of the ducal residence.

It all seemed like a dream.

As I was lost in emotion once again, someone interrupted me.

“Are you asleep?”

When a familiar voice was heard nearby, I jumped up in surprise and sat up straight.

“Who, who… Floa?”

I had no idea when he came in, but Flora was standing in front of me. He approached me and knelt down on the floor beside me. When he looked up at me, the moonlight coming in through the window illuminated his youthful face.

I looked down at Floa and asked him, “What are you doing now? Why are you suddenly kneeling down…?”

What he said next was unexpected.

“I’m sorry.”

… Sorry? For what?

I looked at him, not understanding the meaning, and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry for leaving you to yourself.”

Oh, for when I fainted?

“Why are you apologizing for that? It was my fault for not listening to those around me and overexerting myself.”

“I should have stopped you, too. If I did, May wouldn’t have collapsed. She wouldn’t have gone to the orphanage either.”

“Did you not escort me to the orphanage because you felt sorry?”

Floa nodded slightly, and I let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that she didn’t hate me.

“I’m more upset that you didn’t escort me than that you didn’t stop me. I might never see you again, so how could you not even show your face once? You can teleport and be here in one second.”

“… I’m sorry.”

Floa kept his head down until I answered, and I decided to forgive him, wondering if he felt very sorry.

“Okay. I forgive you. But there is a condition.”

Finally, Floa looked up at me.

“Since you owe me a debt, please always stand by my side from now on. And promise me that you won’t make me sad again.”

“… Is that all you want?”

“Yes, just having you on my side is already a great help to me, Floa.”

Floa is someone with an incomprehensible amount of magical power. What could be more reliable than having Floa on my side?

“Why? Do you not want to?”

As I asked playfully, Floa immediately shook her head.

“Why would I not want to?”

He reached out and took my hand, pressing his lips against the back of it. The touch of his lips and hand felt cool like the evening breeze.

“I’ll do my best to be a strength to you, May.”

I smiled at him.

Floa helped me lie down on the bed and sat on the chair beside me, watching me. I asked him, with sleepy eyes:

“I have a question for you, Floa.”

“You can call me Floa.”

T/N: My bad, she used to call him Floa-nim. That meant she called him Mr. Floa. Sorry, I cut that out because it didn’t look right 

“Then I’ll call you Floa. Floa, I’m curious. You’re a guardian deity, but why do you use honorifics with my dad and me?”

As a guardian deity, Floa is a god, so Persis and using honorifics has always been a question for Persis.

“That’s how the contract was made. I’m supposed to use honorifics with people from the House of Flotina.”

“Isn’t it a little unfair? People from the House of Floretina should be using honorifics with you, as you’re their guardian deity.”

“As you know, the contract was made because of me. I convinced Pasabea to make the contract, even though they were hesitant. So why would I feel unfair about it?”

“I see.”

While talking with Floa, my eyelids became heavy and I unknowingly closed my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was falling asleep or if my voice was just losing strength.

“You may go now… I’ll sleep…”

“I’ll go see you fall asleep.”

Those were the last words I heard before I fell asleep. After meeting with the swindler the day before, I had trouble sleeping due to anxiety, so sleeping for a full day felt no different from sleeping it all away.

***

As Floa sat in the chair, he couldn’t take his eyes off the girl sleeping peacefully in the bed in front of him.

There was a high possibility that she was not of the bloodline of Flotina. Until now, the bloodline of Flotina had only manifested in children around the age of five.

That’s why he was cautious about her becoming a potential successor, but why did he feel like he resembled Passabea when he saw her today?

Although they were completely different in appearance, personality, and aura, why?

As he searched for the reason, he recalled something that Pessabea had said to him once.

“Floa, why do you forgive people so easily?” he had asked.

“The people who have been forgiven may look down on you, Passabea.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know that. They might even laugh at me. But the reason I forgive them is that I have a goal to achieve. Even if I have to forgive them to achieve that goal.”

“Is it okay for you to be laughed at by Passabea just to achieve one goal? I don’t understand.”

“What does it matter? As long as I achieve my goal.”

These are people you won’t see again.

***

After going to bed late last night,   woke up early even though Ellen didn’t come to wake her up, so she could tell it wasn’t even 8 o’clock yet.

May turned her head, wondering if meeting Floa last night was just a dream, and saw where he had been.

“…. Floa?”

Surprisingly, he was still there!

May rubbed her eyes and sat up.

“You said you were just going to watch me sleep and then leave? Why are you still here… Or did you come back?”

He didn’t answer her question and instead went off on a tangent.

“May said that. That you would never overstep your boundaries for the position of head of household.”

With clear eyes, May lowered his hand and looked at him. His face seemed oddly stiff.

“So, you were raised to be the heir of Flotina,” he suddenly asked.

Why is he asking that?

“Yes, that’s right. Why? Are you still on guard against me overstepping my boundaries as the heir? You don’t have to worry about that-”

He interrupted May and asked, “So, does that mean you’re leaving?”

Are you abandoning me and Persis?

His drowsy face became very sad. May couldn’t understand why he was making such a sad expression.

“… Is that so?”