~Chapter 38~
‘That mean prince—I thought he was a fairy!’
After the incident at the palace, Shiz realized that Relshiz and Prince Reyester didn’t get along at all.
And she knew clearly it was that mean prince’s fault that Relshiz had to suddenly leave the mansion.
Since that day, the little girl had been secretly plotting revenge.
‘If I’d known he was that bad, I never would’ve given him that heartfelt present!’
She was so mad that she even took back the happy wishes she’d made for him in her heart.
If she ever saw him again—which hopefully she wouldn’t—even by accident, she’d be sure to tell him, “You’re a mean prince!”
While Shiz sat fuming to herself, Aska continued calmly.
“I made a kind of deal with that prince.”
“W-With that mean prince?”
“Yup. And thanks to that, I helped your mom and the prince make up.”
“Make… up?”
Shiz’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.
“That’s right. So from now on, you don’t need to be scared or hold back. Just do what you want to do.”
“…”
“If you’re scared of being alone, it’s okay to say you miss your mom. Anytime.”
Aska’s kind words tugged at her heart, and her round eyes filled with tears.
“So… so Mommy won’t get in trouble anymore? No more punishment?”
“That’s right. Now let me ask again. Do you want to see her?”
“Sniff… I miss her. I wanna go see her…”
“Good girl.”
Aska gently patted her head as praise.
He actually quite liked how things were going.
When he first met Shiz, Relshiz treated him like a dangerous chemical—wouldn’t let him near the kid. But now she trusted him enough to leave them alone together.
That meant Relshiz had opened her heart to him, even just a little.
Spending time with the child was also more fun than expected. Every time he spotted something that reminded him of Relshiz, it made him smile.
At that moment, Aska realized something: his world had gotten a bit bigger. Or rather, Shiz had expanded it—just like Relshiz had, once upon a time.
Looking down at her, Aska suddenly smiled in a way that felt… mischievous.
The prince believed Aska was Shiz’s real father—but if Shiz herself didn’t know that, it could become a problem someday.
He might as well prepare now.
“Shiz, if I take you to your mom, will you grant me one wish?”
“A wish?”
Shiz thought for a moment, then nodded. He helped her with homework and helped her mom, too—she could grant one little wish.
“Yup! As long as it’s something I can do!”
“Good. Then repeat after me.”
“Okay. What is it?”
Aska’s smile deepened.
“Say: ‘Daddy.’”
“⋯⋯?”
“Come on, say it. ‘Daddy.’”
Shiz’s eyes went as wide as saucers.
***
Suddenly, I got chills down my spine.
“Is it cold in here?”
I rubbed my arms as goosebumps spread across my skin.
I’d walked all around the gallery, but nothing unusual had jumped out at me.
Rift phenomena had no clear pattern, which made them especially tricky to identify.
‘Maybe I really should’ve brought Shiz. She can see rifts with her eyes. That would’ve helped a lot.’
But after thinking it over, I felt better about leaving her at home. I mean, if I were alone, sure—but this gallery also had that mad dog of the Investigation Bureau roaming around.
Besides, Shiz wasn’t alone. Aska promised to watch her until evening.
‘…Wait. Since when did I start trusting Aska so easily?’
It hit me like a slap.
That guy is just as dangerous to have around, Shiz! What was I thinking?
‘Wow… I’ve totally lost it, haven’t I, Relshiz?’
Apparently, I’d lowered my guard over the last few days.
He’d been acting so helpful lately that it threw me off.
Thinking about it just made me feel weirder.
That rival I used to hate so much in the academy… had somehow slipped into so much of my daily life.
‘Now that I think about it, I’ve run into Aska a lot this year…’
After graduation, I thought I’d never see him again. Life is full of surprises.
That’s when I stopped walking—right in front of a wide-open hall.
‘Wait, did I already come here?’
Nope. I hadn’t seen this room yet.
It was a spacious area filled with large sculptures. But what really caught my eye was the massive domed ceiling painted with detailed artwork.
“Wow… that’s beautiful…”
Without realizing it, I stepped inside. The painting showed angels flying gently among clouds.
Maybe that was what Angel’s Nap looked like?
I was scanning the ceiling when—
“Huh?”
Did something just move?
I squinted and looked more carefully.
At the far left of the artwork, there was an angel with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. For some reason, it felt like we made eye contact.
“…”
We stared at each other for a long moment—like a staring contest.
Then… the little wings trembled, and the angel blinked first.
I stared, stunned, and shouted:
“⋯⋯That painting just blinked!”
The baby angel giggled, then floated out from between the clouds.
Then—whoosh—it flew across the wall and started darting away fast.
I watched in disbelief, then pushed off the ground.
“Hey, hey! Get back here! Stop!”
And just like that, I was chasing a flying baby through a gallery. Yep. This was really happening.
***
Meanwhile, the Third Investigation Unit finally finished going over the gallery’s artwork records.
The collection was massive, so it took a long time.
“Aside from Angel’s Nap, it looks like nothing else is missing. Director Blair didn’t report anything either.”
“Looks like there’s not much we can do. Lady Relshiz will probably have to handle this one.”
Felix’s already sour expression darkened even more.
“So you’re saying I’m supposed to just let that mage do whatever she wants?”
“Well, I mean… isn’t she just doing her job…?”
“Your mouth feeling empty? Want me to stuff it with my fist?”
“N-No, sir… Sorry…”
One investigator mumbled and shuffled away in shame.
“Any other damage reported around the area?”
“None so far.”
“In that case…”
While his team discussed next steps, Felix tried to calm himself down.
Not that it worked. His fury still burned.
One investigator, sensing the tension, whispered nervously:
“Um… Captain, why do you hate mages so much?”
“Personal reasons. I can’t say everything, but just know it has to do with my eye.”
Everyone’s gaze went to the scar across his right eye. Just one look made it clear—there was a painful story behind it.
“Still, Lady Relshiz doesn’t seem like a bad person. She’s just… not great with people.”
Another investigator widened his eyes.
“Wow. You really don’t know anything. She became a mage under the support of Willovis, you know.”
“Yeah, so? Because Willovis is a noble mage family?”
“Well, that too, but…”
The more experienced investigator tapped his chest like he was trying to knock some sense into his partner.
“⋯⋯Hey.”
Felix, who’d been quiet, suddenly spoke. The two investigators jumped. Did he hear that?
“Y-Yes, sir?”
Felix didn’t explain. He just raised a finger to his lips—and everyone immediately held their breath.
“Someone’s coming.”
Rushing footsteps. A voice is getting louder.
“Huff… please, PLEASE stop running!”
They instantly recognized the voice—it was that mage they were just talking about.
At the same moment, something strange zipped past them.
Something no one could identify—not right away.
Except Felix.
“⋯⋯It’s an angel.”
“Huh? What did you say, sir?”
“RUN, YOU IDIOTS! That was the angel from the painting!”
Like lightning, the whole team snapped into action.
The once-quiet gallery erupted into chaos.
