Chapter 15
Marcelo smiled brightly—a smile so radiant even Solphy had never seen before.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No… I’m fine.”
“Even emotional wounds count. Are you really okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
As Solphy nodded, Marcelo’s expression turned cold.
Sensing the shift, Solphy tensed.
The children, picking up on the icy atmosphere, immediately adjusted their stance.
“W-We were just doing what children chosen for this task are supposed to do.”
“Y-Yeah. We didn’t mean any harm…”
“Look at this. It’s a prophecy book.”
Lycoris pulled a crumpled prophecy book from her pocket and held it out.
Marcelo skimmed through it in an instant, biting his lower lip.
“Everyone unharmed?”
“Yes.”
The children answered simultaneously. Marcelo checked each of them carefully before standing up.
“Alright… you little troublemakers, let’s head home. It’s late.”
He called his aide and instructed them to escort the children home.
“Oh, except Solphy.”
Solphy flinched, thinking she might sneak away.
“T-Then… see you tomorrow, Solphy!”
“Good job! We won!”
“What should I tell my parents…”
Solphy waved enthusiastically at the departing children.
Marcelo rubbed his forehead as he looked over the wrecked Candy Tree.
“Camp, huh…”
“Dad, I can explain everything.”
“Go ahead.”
Marcelo crossed his arms, leaning slightly, ready to listen.
‘Dad is seriously angry.’
This was the first time Marcelo had been this upset. Solphy’s tightly clenched fists were damp with sweat.
“So here’s what happened…”
“Ah, wait.”
Marcelo interrupted her and called out, “Let them in.” The door opened and someone entered.
“What… is happening here?”
An elderly man with graying hair examined the shop in disbelief, adjusting his glasses several times.
“Th-This… is the owner of the Candy Tree…”
“Now, explain everything.”
“…This is how it happened.”
Solphy recounted everything, leaving out only the future prophecy. From receiving the prophecy warning of the candy tree fire to teaming up with her friends to stop the arsonist.
After finishing, she bowed to the owner.
“I’m sorry.”
“Give her a stern scolding. A child entered my shop without permission.”
Marcelo spoke firmly.
Solphy, who had been so excited to catch the arsonist and protect the Candy Tree, finally realized her mistake.
You can’t just barge into someone’s shop, even to protect it.
“I’m sorry.”
Solphy bent over, closing her eyes tightly.
‘Am I going to be dragged away like that man earlier?’
Would she end up in jail?
The story Marcelo told her last night was firmly etched in her mind: jail was a frightening place, full of dangerous people. She felt dizzy imagining being unable to endure it.
“Miss Solphy.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Thank you.”
Huh?
Startled, Solphy looked up to see the elderly shop owner holding her hands tightly in his wrinkled ones.
“Miss Solphy, you protected my shop. It’s a place that holds my entire life’s work.”
Listening to his next words, Solphy straightened up. The owner’s eyes were filled with a mixture of nostalgia and regret.
“But the shop is a mess.”
“That’s okay, we can clean it.”
The owner chuckled heartily, prompting Marcelo to interject.
“Sir, you don’t need to go easy on Solphy just because she’s young…”
“No, this building is particularly vulnerable to fire. It’s all wood. If someone had poured oil and started a fire here… ugh!”
The owner shook his head, unable to imagine it.
Solphy recalled the future she had glimpsed—the Candy Tree reduced to ashes.
This place held memories not just for her, but for the owner too.
Though she had worked hard to stop the arsonist and kept an eye on Marcelo’s expression, she still felt proud of herself.
“This may be small, but it’s a gift from me.”
The owner took something from a drawer and placed it in Solphy’s hands—a golden ticket that shimmered brightly.
“What’s this?”
“A golden ticket that lets you take as much candy as you want.”
“Wow! Really?”
Solphy jumped with joy, holding the golden ticket.
“Is it okay to give me something so precious?”
She couldn’t believe the reward.
‘I just had fun adventuring with my friends!’
Unlimited candy? She could take ten, a hundred… as much as she wanted!
Excitedly, Solphy paused.
“But I didn’t guard the Candy Tree alone. My friends helped. So this ticket…”
She handed the golden ticket to the shop owner.
“Please divide it into five. We’ll all come together. Hehe.”
The owner’s eyes widened, then returned to normal. He carefully cut the golden ticket into five pieces.
“You could keep it all for yourself, but you’re sharing it?”
“But I’m the leader. It’s my role to look out for my friends’ share too.”
Solphy said confidently. If her friends had been here, they might have objected, but for now, she was the unquestioned leader.
Watching Solphy, the owner recalled distant memories.
“That small child in Celine’s arms has grown to protect the Candy Tree herself.”
A soft smile formed on the owner’s lips as he reminisced.
“It felt as if… Celine herself had returned.”
Hearing this, Solphy, fiddling with the golden ticket, lifted her head.
Celine…
‘That’s my mom’s name?’
The carriage ride home was quiet.
Solphy, piecing together the golden ticket fragments, glanced at Marcelo. He leaned against the window, a complicated expression on his face.
“Dad, are you disappointed in me?”
“What are you talking about?”
Marcelo leapt up.
“Disappointed? No way. You admitted your mistake and apologized. You were forgiven.”
“But you keep staring out the window.”
“Just… lost in thought.”
He muttered as he drew the curtain, blocking the view.
“Dad, raising a child isn’t easy, is it?”
“Definitely not.”
Marcelo placed Solphy on his lap. She kicked her legs, dangling in midair.
Taking advantage of the relaxed mood, Solphy asked something she had been curious about.
“How did you know to come?”
“Oh, that. The notice about going to camp. From the start, it seemed suspicious.”
Marcelo smoothed Solphy’s messy hair.
“When I looked again, it was your handwriting. That’s why I came.”
“I tried writing differently this time.”
“Yes. You wrote with emphasis. But do you think I wouldn’t recognize your handwriting?”
Even if other parents could be fooled by her mature writing, Marcelo wasn’t deceived.
“What about that man?”
“He’s going to be thoroughly dealt with.”
“Dealt with how?”
“His life will be completely ruined.”
Solphy smirked, knowing that man—the mercenary—had probably gotten a harsh lesson.
“He was a mercenary. They’ll find the one who hired him. But Solphy, princess?”
“Huh?”
“Forgery is a serious crime.”
“You’re letting it slide because I’m cute.”
“Hmm.”
Even saying that, Marcelo patted Solphy’s head gently.
“Can’t really scold you now. Raising a child is hard work.”
“Why not hire a professional mom?”
“What?”
Marcelo scoffed, amused.
The carriage jolted over a bump—home was near.
Stopping along the way to handle the aftermath had taken quite a while.
“I take after Dad, right? But the candy shop owner said I look like Mom.”
Celine had become a faint memory. Instead, she recalled the portrait on the second floor.
In the portrait, Celine was graceful and elegant—not the spirited child Solphy was.
“Solphy, you take after Mom.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Celine… she was incredibly strong.”
Marcelo’s voice carried complex emotions—longing, sadness… and love.
Mixed emotions, like the various flavors of a candy shop.
Solphy pressed her hand to her chest, thinking.
“Mom may not be here, but she’s inside me.”
“That’s right.”
“I have to tell Joshua too.”
Solphy thought of Joshua mentioning her mother. He had been unusually talkative.
“Joshua? Oh, the chancellor’s son? What’s your relationship?”
“Rivals!”
“Rivals?”
Marcelo tilted his head in confusion.
“We’re after the same thing.”
“Oh, they were competing for class president, right?”
“That was the first round.”
“Oh. So there’s another competition now?”
“Yeah. A really important one.”
Solphy answered seriously. After all, it was a rivalry involving her mom—could anything be more important?
“I hope our Solphy wins this time.”
“I will. Even for you, Dad.”
“Me?”
Marcelo tilted his head, puzzled.
