Chapter 130……………………………………………
No… of course, he might not even be a criminal.
Maybe he’s being wrongly accused and chased…
“But he is Kyle Dad’s stepfather.”
Somehow, I had that feeling.
Not that he was falsely accused, but that he likely became a criminal purely through his own abilities…
“So that must be why Mom and Dad reacted that way.”
No wonder something felt off all along.
“Th-then…”
I couldn’t even organize the chaos swirling in my mind. Swallowing hard, I asked the next question.
“Why… why is he in prison…?”
Right, first the charges matter.
No matter that he’s Kyle Dad’s dad—if the charge is murder…
“Well…”
Grandma Margo tilted her head to one side.
“To put it in a way that’s easier to understand… yes, I think I should explain it like this.”
I swallowed.
“Treason against the regime.”
…That’s not exactly an easy set of words, is it?
“Oh, I guess this is hard for you too.”
Noticing my confused expression, Grandma Margo quickly added.
“It’s a charge given to someone who opposes the emperor, and more broadly, the empire, and misleads people.”
“……”
“So, think of it this way: imagine you, CC, disobeying your mother and joining your father to disrupt the household’s order.”
“Ah!”
A perfectly tailored explanation!
I let out a small gasp the moment I heard Grandma’s further clarification.
It’s a charge that really suits Kyle Dad.
He always hated the palace anyway.
“So, he didn’t actually kill anyone, right?”
Then maybe that’s okay…?
Even if I feel sorry for Grandpa.
“But why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
Lost in thought, Grandma Margo asked, eyes still wide.
“You haven’t… had contact with him, have you…?”
“Gah, no, no!”
Immediately, I shook my head to snap out of the thought.
Grandma mustn’t find out that Kyle Dad’s dad approached us.
If she caught wind of that, she might drag him away herself.
‘The person who’s supposed to tell us about the so-called World Guardian would disappear!’
Besides, he’s Kyle Dad’s dad.
No matter how bad their relationship is, who would want their own dad in prison?
“J-just… curious.”
I rolled my eyes nervously and blurted out an excuse.
“Since Sion Dad has a mom, and Harzen Dad has a dad and mom, I wondered if Kyle Dad also has a father…”
“Hmm.”
Grandma Margo pursed her lips and let out a small snort.
Her expression clearly seemed skeptical of me.
‘Uh, what do I do?’
I never imagined Kyle Dad’s dad would have a charge like that.
If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared ask Grandma Margo…
“Well, it doesn’t really concern me much.”
At that moment, Grandma Margo placed her hand on my head and smiled gently.
“Catching him wasn’t really my duty from the start, and it’s been quite some time since he stopped his public activities.”
Phew.
What a relief.
Even knowing, she let it slide.
Grandma really is on my side more than Grandpa is.
“And besides, weren’t your parents the ones trying to find him first? That quiet child seems to roam outside the palace unusually often, so it seems like it.”
“Gah, th-that’s a secret…”
“Well. It didn’t seem like they were trying very hard to hide it.”
Grandma Margo shrugged.
If they had truly tried to approach secretly, they would’ve worn an invisibility cloak and snuck around.
But I never imagined Grandma Margo would notice this much.
“If they insist on snooping around, there must be a reason. So I won’t intentionally stop them. And most importantly—”
“Most importantly?”
“I now understand the heart of grandparents who wish to see their grandchildren.”
After speaking, Grandma lowered her hand and gently caressed my cheek.
Her touch was rough yet strangely soft.
“Of course, if anyone threatens you, I won’t stand idly by.”
Gah.
Half resting my head on Grandma Margo’s hand, I flinched at her words.
The roughness probably comes from always holding a sword.
So scary…
“By the way, dear.”
Grandma Margo stopped stroking my cheek and spoke again.
“So he really did make contact with you. I was partly testing the waters.”
“Huh?”
So she wasn’t saying it because she already knew everything?
I thought I had been completely found out!
“You’ll need to train in hiding your true intentions from now on. Of course, if you grow up as purely as you are now, I’d be perfectly happy…”
She continued, looking at me with fondness.
“But I won’t let the environment around you force you to grow any other way.”
“……”
“Well, people around you, including me, will protect you as best we can.”
Grandma looked away from me and smiled at Per.
“The world isn’t full of evil intentions alone.”
I tilted my head, not understanding.
Why was she saying that while looking at Per?
“Remember this, CC.”
Regardless, Grandma continued speaking gently, still smiling.
“You must know the give-and-take. If you reveal your feelings completely, you’ll be dragged along.”
“Eh?”
“That’s a story for far in the future.”
Having said that, Grandma Margo ruffled my hair once more.
At the same time…
“Mother?”
Sion Dad, who had gone to get water, arrived in front of us.
“Sion.”
Grandma Margo finally stood up to meet his eye level and looked at him.
“It’s truly been a long time.”
Huh, so Grandma Margo is seeing Sion Dad properly for the first time since he returned?
‘She must have missed Sion Dad all this time.’
Maybe this would become an extraordinary parent-child reunion, different from Harzen Dad and Emperor Grandpa!
“You…”
But my expectations were quickly dashed. Grandma suddenly raised her hand.
Whap!
She struck Sion Dad firmly on the back.
With that same rough hand that had gripped countless swords.
“You useless fool!”
“M-Mother?”
H-Her?
“After all the trouble to return to Hwangdo, and you don’t even come greet me? You knew I was in the palace!”
All the while, Grandma kept hitting Sion Dad’s back.
The whack, smack sounds echoed throughout the armory.
Even passing knights peeked at us.
“You ignore the mother who raised you and only care about your own child, only your own child!”
“N-no, Mother. I’m sorry, ugh!”
Sion Dad curled his shoulders and groaned in pain.
The legendary Sword Master who defeated the Demon King and protected the border… acting like a child under his mother’s hands.
“Per, come here.”
Watching this, I smiled faintly and gestured to Per.
Now I had no idea what was happening.
I might as well just drink some water.
