CH 101

“If I do as you say, do you mean that I will become close with my father?”

“I don’t know how the conversation between the two of you will go, so I can’t guarantee that.”

I wanted to listen to the little child for once, but the little child quickly evaded.

“What the hell do you want me to do!”

“I mean, you don’t have to try to look good to the Grand Duke. Just tell the story that comes to your mind. If you don’t remember anything in your life, think of keeping a diary and tell him what happened recently.”

It was a nonsense to say that Father wanted to know what the little child was talking about. There was no way that such a busy person would want to know the daily life of a child.

“There’s no way my father would want to know that!”

“He’s going to want to hear that now.”

“How do you know that? Are you sure?”

“No. I’m not sure.”

I was taken aback by the little child’s words.

“You mean you said such a dangerous thing when you weren’t even sure?”

“Aren’t you convinced when I told you to accuse me in front of the Grand Duke before?”

I know the little child is fearless, but she must have a bigger guy than I expected.

“You said that to Father, even though you thought he could be angry?”

“Yes. I thought I might get scolded.”

I clenched my teeth not to ask how she could do that. I wanted to ask if she wasn’t afraid of Father.

“So you don’t have to tell a special and difficult story. Of course, you will need it later, but now is the time to get closer instead.”

No matter how much the little child told me, I was still hesitant.

“Can I really say anything? Is that okay?”

“Say anything. Even such nonsense would be more helpful than silence.”

She added sharply, as if she had seen from the side how I had spent time with Father before.

“No matter how we use our heads, adults still see us as children. Candid behavior is more attractive than clumsy behavior. We’re still young, so use it well where it could work!”

However, since the little child insisted consistently until the end, somehow I felt like I had to follow her advice. And I had no other choice. I’ll be seeing Father in a little while and I haven’t decided yet what to say.

“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”

I made that promise in front of the little child. However, when I stood in front of Father, my mouth couldn’t open easily. The second time we spent together also became a stressful time. This time too, Father just drank tea without saying anything.

He was busy, but isn’t this kind of time itself a burden? Would that make him hate me? My heart beat faster with anxiety. I was afraid that Father might say something like, “Let’s stop because we don’t need this kind of time anymore.”

Yes, it was the time that I worked hard to get, so I didn’t want to just blow this opportunity. It seemed that I would not regret it even if I had to say nonsense.

“Today….”

When I suddenly spoke, my voice sounded strange. So I spoke again.

“Today, I met Arendine.”

Even after saying it, I couldn’t lift my head. I was afraid that I would be scolded for saying such nonsense.

“Yes, today is when you meet Captain Hertman’s daughter. How was it?”

The bowed head was raised till it made a whizzing sound. I was so surprised that even though Father had asked me a question, I couldn’t answer for a moment. Father…… he asked me a question. Besides, his eyes didn’t seem as cold as before.

I thought Father was an existence that I couldn’t reach, but could I exchange such a trivial story with Father?

Even though I didn’t understand it, I noticed that the trivial remark was the trigger. I almost shed tears because I liked this moment and felt something hot rising up inside me. I can’t miss this opportunity.

“She really likes sweets. She is small and eats a lot. And…..”

I stammered and continued the story. It was nonsensical. The little child ate till her cheeks were full of food, so she looked like a squirrel. And she doesn’t express her feelings well, so she acted bluntly.