Chapter 17 ….
Without any warning, My Lord showed up, sat down in a chair without a word, leaned one arm on the table, propped up his chin, and stared at me.
He looked… strangely serious.
And kind of anxious.
What’s going on?
Tremble-tremble-tremble-tremble.
One of his legs was shaking uncontrollably.
His usual relaxed and confident aura was nowhere to be found.
“…Do you have something you’re worried about?”
“Huh? No.”
“Then why is your leg—”
“Ah.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore and just asked, and only then did My Lord seem to notice his own ridiculous leg.
“It’s nothing. …So. Did you enjoy your outing?”
He asked in this fake-casual tone.
“Yeees. There were so many people so it was kind of exhausting, but Grandpa kept carrying me, so it was super comfy and great!”
At my answer, My Lord slowly turned his head away.
“…Tch.”
I even heard him click his tongue, clearly displeased.
What the heck…?
“Oh, right! Grandpa and my brother bought me presents too. Look at this!”
I trotted up to him and lifted my face, showing off the hairpin stuck in my hair.
“…Pretty.”
“And this one! It’s a lucky charm. Isn’t that amazing? Does it suit me?”
“…Mm. Perfectly.”
When I showed him the norigae next, My Lord just stared blankly and nodded.
Um…?
Why such a lukewarm reaction?
‘Is it not that good? But everyone else said it was pretty…’
While I was thinking that, My Lord suddenly blurted out:
“Should I buy you something too?”
“…Huh?”
“I can buy you something. Say what you want. Anything.”
“…All of a sudden?”
My Lord raised one eyebrow.
“What do you mean, suddenly? You bought gifts for your father and Hyeon too.”
“I mean, that’s—”
“They were bragging about it a lot.”
I was about to explain, but froze when I saw his expression.
His lips were slightly pouted, his face clearly annoyed.
No way…
“My Lord, are you jealous right now?”
I tilted my head and asked playfully, expecting him to deny it, obviously.
But—
“Ha. Jealous? Yeah. I am. I’m so jealous it’s driving me crazy. I don’t think I’ll even sleep tonight.”
“…Eh.”
He answered with dead seriousness.
I rolled my eyes in disbelief.
‘Jealous of what?’
They bought the gifts with their own money…
I actually thought about My Lord too, but since I didn’t have even a single coin, the idea died immediately.
But who knew he’d be this jealous?
“Aw, but My Lord doesn’t need anything like that! You’re already the strongest in the whole world! The Sword of Garea! The greatest man!”
I showered him with compliments and gave him a big double thumbs up.
“Nope. I almost died during the last subjugation. It was really dangerous.”
And I got sent back…
“This winter feels colder than usual. Will I make it through safely? I might fall ill. Who knows if I’ll even survive the next expedition? I have a bad feeling.”
Not stopping there, My Lord shook his head, basically cursing himself.
Then he lifted his sword slightly by the scabbard.
“If someone blessed me, maybe it’d be okay…”
My jaw dropped.
But then I noticed something attached to his sword.
A small ornament — a crescent-shaped jade charm, tied with red braided string.
“…Huh?”
I’ve seen that somewhere.
“I wonder if no one will give me a present…”
But any thought I was about to have evaporated with his pitiful voice.
Sir, excuse me. Could you not beg indirectly like that?
The next day.
Doha sat in his office, as usual.
“And next… the matter of distributing rewards for handling the village raid and the Pacheonsan subjugation.”
His adjutant, Taewoo, was giving a report.
Doha was listening — but his brain was spinning elsewhere.
‘Well… thinking about it, presents aren’t even that important. I don’t need something like that.’
A grown man wanting a gift from a kid…
How petty.
But every time he recalled those two men proudly bragging with their gifts, he felt… something.
‘A little jealous.’
Actually, really jealous.
Jealous enough that his organs felt like they were twisting.
They said they spent a long time choosing the perfect color just for her.
That they agonized over what would suit her the most.
Imagining that made his chest hurt.
It must have been adorable.
Well, she is always adorable.
‘…I want to see that too.’
He felt a sense of defeat he had never experienced in his life.
He clenched his fist without realizing.
She picked those gifts herself…
“…For the soldiers who distinguished themselves during the subjugation… special awards…”
Ha. Yes.
‘Special.’
Surely, they’d feel special.
“The list is here… Sir, are you listening to me?”
“Huh? Y-yeah. Keep going.”
He clearly wasn’t listening.
Taewoo glanced at him with cold eyes.
What’s wrong with him now?
“Sigh… anyway, this is the list.”
“Right. The list.”
But Doha was already deep in thought again.
‘Yeah. Why should a present matter so much?’
Even without something material, she tells him he’s handsome and cool.
What else did she say?
Whatever it was.
‘What matters is sincerity. Sincerity.’
Yeah. That’s enough.
“…Words alone don’t mean anything. Something visible is the best.”
“…What?”
Just when he finally let go of the thought, lightning struck his heart.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh. So you really weren’t listening.”
Taewoo scratched his cheek.
“For the rewards. Rather than saying vague things like ‘You are a proud soldier of the North,’ it’s better to give something visible and certain.”
What…
Why did that hit him so hard?
“Taewoo… why are you such a materialistic human being?”
“Why are you attacking me out of nowhere?!”
Taewoo looked bewildered.
“I don’t get you. Before the expedition, you said the same thing.”
“….”
Doha flipped the list pages aggressively.
“What? Only the soldiers who achieved results get rewards? And what about those who didn’t? Won’t they be devastated? They risked their lives too. …Why are you so petty?”
“That was also your opinion, Sir.”
“…Ha. So the old me was a petty bastard.”
He didn’t know he’d been such a small man.
“Just give it to everyone! How much does it cost? Add it on top of the normal reward.”
“…Yes, yes.”
Taewoo shook his head and walked out.
After briefly looking at his back, Doha stared at the papers on the desk.
‘I can’t focus.’
He exhaled deeply and stood up.
Maybe moving will clear his head.
That day, the training ground turned into a disaster zone.
Because Doha suddenly barged in, saying he’d spar with the soldiers.
And in his strangely dazed state, he had already sent three soldiers flying across the yard.
“Uwaaah!”
One more just got launched.
“Ughhh…”
“I’m gonna die…”
Training was already exhausting, but this…
This was actual death.
Collapsed soldiers could only scream internally:
‘Even during the subjugation, it wasn’t this bad. Not even then!’
Only Doha stood perfectly fine among the carnage.
He drank a sip of water and sat to the side, ignoring their resentful looks.
Then, among the groans, a voice reached his ears.
“So this is how I die… I think I see my grandma…”
“Hey, snap out of it… You can’t die before your little daughter grows up…”
“R-right. I can’t leave my pretty girl behind…”
The soldier pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his chest.
“What’s that?”
“A drawing my daughter gave me… Pretty girl… give Daddy strength… smooch smooch…”
Then a shadow fell over his head.
“Huh? G-Guild Master.”
Doha stared at the drawing.
“She drew it herself? That’s precious. How did you get it?”
“Uh…? How did I? She just gave it to me.”
“…”
“Well, a child is a mirror of the parents. The love you give returns as great happiness.”
“…What?”
Those words struck like revelation.
‘So… have I been neglecting her all this time?’
What if she was secretly hurt?
Damn it.
And he was busy wanting to receive something.
Seo Doha, you trash.
Where is your conscience.
He clicked his tongue at himself.
He remembered soldiers complaining that their children grew distant as they got older.
If he stayed like this, she’d drift away too.
Completely irrational, but his reasoning had already flown across the continent.
“Young Lady, I brought what you asked!”
“Waaah, thank you!”
I received the basket that Sibi-unni brought.
“Oh, it’s nothing. What are you going to do with these?”
She tilted her head.
“I’m going to make something!”
“Oh my, really?”
Inside the basket were threads of many colors and tiny beads.
It had been a few days since we returned from our outing.
I decided to make a present for My Lord myself.
Because that day, he clearly acted like he wanted one.
‘Well… not exactly subtly.’
