“Senika!”
At the sound of my crying, Hale rushed over and pulled me into his arms.
Tears had started falling before I even realized it. I must’ve been overwhelmed by the pressure Grandfather gave off. It had genuinely frightened me.
More than the emperor I feared the most in my previous life, my grandfather was scarier.
“Father!”
“I—I didn’t do anything!”
Everyone looked startled by my big, teary sobs. Especially Grandfather.
Thankfully, I stopped crying quickly. It had only been because I’d gotten scared on my own.
Still, Hale didn’t let go. He held me tightly, like he had no intention of ever letting me near my grandparents again.
Even though I was fine now…
“I just can’t seem to get used to seeing you like this.”
My grandmother, sitting across from Hale, spoke as if to herself.
Then she gave me a kind smile. Unsure of how to react, I glanced around awkwardly and let out a sheepish giggle.
“Grandfather’s face must’ve scared you, huh?”
“……”
I couldn’t exactly say yes or no. But Grandmother didn’t pressure me for an answer, as if she already understood.
“See, dear? Didn’t I tell you to smile more?”
“I did smile…”
“Smile at me the same way you smiled at Senika.”
At her request, Grandfather smiled and seeing it, Grandmother let out a long sigh.
I hadn’t even realized that was what his smile looked like. I’d been too overwhelmed by his pheromones to even lift my head and look at his face properly.
“I’m sorry, Senika.”
“…It’s okay.”
With a faint, apologetic smile, Rosalyn turned to Hale after a moment of thought.
“Son, could you give us a moment alone?”
“No.”
Hale rejected her request without even a second of hesitation. Not even pretending to consider it.
I peeked up at his face. His expression was unflinchingly firm, like he wouldn’t change his mind no matter what.
It made me feel… a little guilty. I hadn’t meant to cry, but everything was kind of my fault, wasn’t it?
Grandmother and Hale exchanged a few more words, but both of them were too firm in their stances, and it didn’t look like they’d reach an agreement.
‘Can’t I just be alone with Grandma and Grandpa?’
Sure, Grandpa was a little scary but I figured it’d be okay as long as Grandma was there too.
Honestly, I didn’t really understand why Hale was being so stubborn about keeping us apart in the first place.
“Dad, I’m fine.”
“…Huh?”
“I wanna play with Grandma and Grandpa.”
Hale blinked at me with a dazed expression.
Grandmother, of course, didn’t miss the opportunity.
“You heard her, didn’t you?”
“……”
“Your daughter’s practically dying to spend time with her grandparents. Are you really going to stand in her way, as her father?”
Uh… I didn’t say I was dying to play with them…
Still, I didn’t bother correcting her.
Eventually, Hale let out a sigh. And it wasn’t hard to figure out what it meant.
“…I’ll step aside, but the guards will stay nearby.”
“Of course!”
Grandmother’s voice grew noticeably brighter. For her, the presence of guards didn’t really make a difference. She probably still felt like it was just the three of us.
So, in the end, Hale gave in. Not that it was surprising. Hale always gave in when it came to Senika.
He left the garden, leaving Joshua behind with me. Even as he walked out, he kept turning back to nag me all the way until the door closed—honestly, he was hopeless.
“Senika, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Grandma’s not scary!”
“Honestly, Grandpa does look a little scary. He didn’t used to be so rough-looking, though.”
Grandma paused, clearly lost in old memories.
I glanced over at Grandpa, sitting next to her. The moment our eyes met, we both quickly looked away.
And then came an awkward silence. We didn’t really know what to talk about. After all, they were strangers to me until today.
“Ah!”
Then Grandma suddenly clapped her hands together, like she’d remembered something.
“We brought you a gift.”
“A gift?”
I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of a present!
And from Grandma and Grandpa, no less? I was really curious now.
Grandma had Joshua go fetch the present from somewhere in the garden. They must’ve hidden it before I arrived.
Joshua returned with a pink box tied with a yellow ribbon and handed it to Grandma.
“Your grandfather helped pick it out. I hope you like it.”
I took the box. It wasn’t very heavy for its size.
I shook it slightly, set it on my lap, and undid the ribbon.
Right before opening the lid, I gulped. After taking a deep breath, I slowly lifted it.
“…Huh?”
My eyes widened in surprise at what I saw—completely mismatched to the pretty pink box. I looked up at Grandma in disbelief.
She smiled sweetly.
“Do you like it, Senika?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer right away.
Because inside the box were… a whip and handcuffs. Things that didn’t suit me at all.
I was flustered. I had no idea why they would give me something like this.
“We gave your dad a hatchet when he was little, and he didn’t like it. So we picked something different this time.”
A hatchet…?
If they gave him something like that when he was my age, no wonder he didn’t like it. I probably wouldn’t have either.
To be fair… I wasn’t thrilled about the whip and cuffs either.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say that. More than the gift itself, the thought behind it mattered more.
In my past life, I never even received things like this. So it didn’t matter what the gift was, it was still precious to me.
Besides, Grandma might just have different standards. Not everyone chooses presents the same way, right?
“It might look strange, but it’s actually really useful. If you find someone you like, inject your pheromones into these cuffs to bind them. That way, no one else can unlock them.”
“Ah…”
Okay, maybe her intentions were a little… intense. But there was no doubt she and Grandpa had prepared the gift for me with care.
Still… it felt like Grandma had had a stronger influence on the final choice.
Note to self: Grandma’s a bit possessive.
“Well? Do you like it?”
Her violet eyes sparkled with hope as she looked at me.
“Thank you very much!”
All I could offer in return was a heartfelt thank-you and a bright, sincere smile.
I caught the briefest flicker of surprise on both their faces but it only lasted a second. Soon, they were smiling gently back at me.
***
After that day, Villard and Rosalyn spent nearly every waking hour of their three-day stay at the manor with Senika.
The ice-cold heart of Villard had been melted by her.
Even after receiving what he probably thought was a ridiculous gift, she had smiled brighter than the sun. After that, he just couldn’t act cold anymore.
***
The night before they left, Villard visited Hale in his study.
“Sit down.”
Hale had already expected Villard would come see him, so he obediently sat on the sofa.
“Forget what I said before… I was talking nonsense.”
“It’s alright.”
Even as Hale accepted the apology, Villard coughed awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
“Let me get to the point.”
“Yes.”
“Be careful.”
Just before he said what he truly wanted to say, Villard paused to gather his thoughts.
“…You already know, but Elder Licht isn’t someone to take lightly. He’ll sink his teeth into anything if it helps him achieve his goals.”
“……”
“Even if it’s you, he won’t stop.”
“…I’m aware.”
There was a reason Licht was so bold in opposing Hale within the manor.
He wasn’t just any elder. He was a direct descendant of the first elder who had worked alongside the founder of the Evienna Clan.
Even with his position, there were lines he shouldn’t cross but Licht was clearly preparing to cross them.
You could see it in the manor’s current atmosphere. The rumors were clearly spread with malicious intent.
“That family has done worse than you can imagine.”
“Then why is their clan still standing?”
Villard’s face darkened.
Eventually, he shut his eyes tightly and sighed.
“…Because their roots go deep into the Baekryong Clan. Which means, one day, those roots must be severed.”
The thought of leaving such a weighty task to his son made Villard’s heart heavy.
“It won’t be easy. That man and his family are tricky foes.”
“I’m prepared.”
Hale’s pale blue eyes stared straight into Villard’s.
In them, Villard saw new emotions and determination that he hadn’t noticed before.
It was hard to believe this change had been sparked by just one person but he chose to believe it.
After all, the power of a parent for their child was immense.
“…Alright. If you ever need help, reach out.”
“Yes, Father.”
Licht was a thorn buried deep in Villard’s heart. The more he tried to pull it out, the deeper it sank.
There were many nights he’d lost sleep, consumed by guilt for having done nothing and leaving the burden to Hale.
But now, for the first time, he felt like he didn’t have to shoulder it alone. Maybe he couldn’t let go entirely but he didn’t have to carry it by himself either.
They would pull it out, together.
Looking at his fully grown son, the father smiled with genuine relief for the first time.
