Chapter 68
Ravian was able to answer all the questions he had thrown out earlier—except the ones about family.
Nina’s favorite color was red.
Her favorite food was desserts loaded with sugar, and the foods she couldn’t eat were anything spicy or sour.
Her favorite clothes were the latest releases from the White Doll brand.
And her favorite animal was a dog.
Yet, Nina’s father, Leopart, couldn’t even answer such simple questions.
“I didn’t do anything…!”
When Leopart raised his voice, there was something almost like a scream mixed in.
Because, quite literally, he had done nothing.
And because he had done nothing, he lost Nina.
Moreover…
“I didn’t kill her! Neither Diana nor I—no one could have done that, and I would never allow it…!”
“Why? Why couldn’t that be the case? Spare me the cliché nonsense about familial bonds.”
It was a question that blatantly challenged the natural order of things, but for Ravian, who had spent years in the underworld, it was just a question worth asking.
Leopart glared at Ravian, gritting his teeth, and a sudden, inexplicable glint of resentment crossed his eyes.
“You’ll never understand… but no matter what anyone says, Nina is my child.”
Ravian frowned unconsciously.
It wasn’t because the answer was literally incomprehensible, but because an inexplicable sense of discomfort had suddenly crept in.
‘Annoying.’
Claiming ownership out of nowhere while acting like a clueless new dad—how frustrating.
“You talk dangerously recklessly.”
“What’s dangerous about claiming my child as mine…?”
“I just did as I pleased because she’s my child. Everyone always makes that excuse.”
Looking down at the pale, horrified Leopart, Ravian’s tone dripped with biting sarcasm.
“You… really think I’m the kind of guy who would do that?”
“Not necessarily. It’s just that the situation is a bit strange.”
Ravian casually shrugged his shoulders.
Having pressed this far, it was probably best to back off slightly.
“By the way, shouldn’t you get up? I admit it’s nice to see you kneeling before me, but suddenly acting like this feels weird. I’d hate for someone to misunderstand.”
Leopart was dumbfounded by Ravian’s brazen attitude—stirring up all this tension and then talking about ‘getting used to it.’
“You’re going to help…?”
“Well, I can’t promise anything. What does your wife say?”
It was an ambiguous question, so Leopart hesitated briefly.
“Don’t tell the empress. If she finds out I entrusted this to you…”
“Why? Does she suspect me?”
It wasn’t Diana who was suspicious, but Leopart nodded.
In any case, it would be bad if Diana found out about this.
Ravian shook his head once and immediately changed the subject.
“Where are all the kids from the princess’s palace?”
“…I left them where they were. There are eyes watching.”
A short, weak reply echoed.
At the same time, a cold flame sparked in his absinthe-colored eyes.
“Good. That’s perfect.”
Meanwhile, at the same time…
Like everyone else, Nina had no clue about Ravian’s true intentions. She had dressed herself in a light, pink, fluttering dress from the White Doll brand and stepped out into the festival streets of Lohas.
“So noisy.”
Messi, standing beside her holding her hand, muttered.
Of course, he wasn’t referring to the festival crowds but to their companions.
“Did you come just to eat? Make sure to flush properly in the public restroom.”
“You’ve been getting hit less lately, huh?”
“Ah! Being violent in front of a baby is bad for her emotional health, you psycho!”
Kiss and Mira had been tussling non-stop the whole way, embarrassing the companions who had come with them.
Smoky, the only peer-level subordinate, pretended not to notice and focused on watching, while Lisa shyly apologized to everyone around, inadvertently casting a tiny shadow over the otherwise cheerful festival streets.
On the other side, Katya, holding Nina’s hand and scanning the surroundings, let out a soft groan.
“Are they always like this? It didn’t seem this bad when Ravian was around.”
“Of course. Ravian can’t stand seeing anyone being more of a nuisance than he is.”
“Oh, right.”
Nina didn’t scold her friends for mocking Ravian. She was too busy enjoying the scenery.
‘It’s even more amazing than what I saw in the dream.’
Although she had only seen the final moments in her dream, it was hard to compare.
In the middle of the main street, people in elaborate costumes carried massive sculptures in a procession.
Elsewhere, people and animals were decorated as unusually as those in Dita’s world, street vendors lined the streets and the beaches, and even the grand Ferris wheel in the distant theme park shone magnificently. It was a dazzling, lively scene.
Half-dazed, Nina glanced around and suddenly pointed toward a street vendor.
“Huh? That’s Messi.”
“Eh? What are you talking about? Messi’s here with us.”
“No, look. Over there, that’s Messi.”
Following Nina’s finger, Katya’s gaze landed on the display and she gasped in admiration.
The vendor was selling a doll modeled after the prince from the classic storybook “The Little Prince,” written by an artist from Lohas.
With white hair, golden eyes, and a subtle smile, the doll looked exactly like Messi.
“Really?”
“Right? Messi, there’s a doll that looks just like you.”
“Wait, Messi, were you a prince? Isn’t that a violation of your image rights?”
Messi, inadvertently subjected to a violation of likeness rights, made a comical expression but spoke generously.
“It’s a world where we help each other—what’s the big deal?”
Then, Günter, the only adult walking quietly alongside the children, suddenly turned and disappeared somewhere.
Smoky muttered darkly.
“What’s that guy doing now, disappearing without permission…?”
Before Smoky even finished, Günter returned—instantly. In one hand, he held the prince doll.
Everyone gaped in astonishment as Günter silently handed the doll to Nina.
Nina’s eyes widened.
“Huh? Is this for me?”
He nodded awkwardly.
Nina eagerly took the doll, hugging it tightly with a bright smile.
“Thank you, sir. This is my first time receiving a doll as a gift.”
Messi, watching with a reluctant glare, muttered to himself.
“Should I demote him completely…?”
“Th-This doll gift…!”
While Smoky held his head in disbelief, Mira and Kiss finally stopped fighting and glared at Günter in unison.
“That guy’s been annoying from the start.”
“How dare he, giving a gift to the baby without our permission?”
Günter narrowly avoided being scolded by his demonic superiors.
Just then, an unexpected figure appeared.
“Oh? Nina, hi!”
“…Charlotte?”
The person waving cheerfully across from them was Charlotte.
Charlotte had let go of the hand of a nanny-like woman and immediately approached them, her twin braids of red hair fluttering.
“Did you come to watch the festival too?”
“Yeah, I just got here. Did you come to watch too? I don’t see the captain today?”
“Uncle’s on duty today. And Uncle Ravi went to the Eastern Capital, right?”
As Nina and Charlotte chatted, Kiss explained to the rest of the group who Charlotte was.
It went something like this:
“What’s with her?”
“She’s the sickly niece of the guard captain.”
“Ah.”
“I figured out she’s related by blood to the boss too.”
“Oh, that explains it.”
