~Chapter 44~
When I think back to that time, I still get angry sometimes… and I often wonder. Why did he oppose my adoption so strongly?
Aska really hated the idea of me being adopted.
‘He even went on a hunger strike back then, even though he usually didn’t care about anything.’
In the end, the Duke and Duchess took their son’s side.
“We’re so sorry, Relshiz. Could you stay by Aska’s side a little longer?”
That’s when I realized. They were Aska’s parents. They could never truly be my guardians.
After that, I stopped expecting anything. As I got older, I started to distance myself from them. I thought I would slowly drift away from the Willovis family.
‘That’s what I believed… yet here we are now.’
After hesitating for a bit, I finally said,
“…Thank you. Truly.”
And I’m sorry! Once I send Shiz back to her rightful timeline, I’ll come crawling back to beg for forgiveness with all my heart!
Ugh, my conscience wasn’t just wearing thin—it was vanishing completely.
While I stayed silent, drowning in guilt, Aska finally spoke up.
“There’s something you both should know.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“The Crown Prince knows about this too.”
The Duke and Duchess froze.
“You mean… His Highness the Crown Prince knows Relshiz has a daughter?”
“He even tried to use that as blackmail to force her out of the royal magic circle.”
“My goodness, that’s awful…!”
“So…”
Aska trailed off and casually crossed one leg.
“For now, I made it seem like I’m the real father of Shiz.”
Shocked, I turned to look at him.
“You—You never discussed this with me…!”
“Huh? Why would I need to?”
“…!”
I was too stunned to even speak.
Why would he do that? What good could possibly come from blocking his own marriage prospects?
Clenching my fists, I looked toward the Duke and Duchess, expecting anger.
But their reactions surprised me.
“Aska… you went that far for her…?”
“Good job, son! If you’re okay with it, let’s just go with that story for now.”
This should’ve been the moment for them to scold him, right?
But despite the fact that their only son was now misunderstood to have a child out of contract by the royal family, they weren’t the least bit upset. In fact, they looked… cheerful.
I always knew they were a bit unusual, but this felt like too much.
“If things get worse… It might be a good idea for you two to have an engagement ceremony…”
“Dear! That’s too soon, don’t you think…?”
I sat there stunned while the duchess grabbed my hand warmly.
“You two have gotten close, haven’t you? I was worried, but I’m glad. You used to fight so much back at the academy. I can see you’ve tried hard, Aska.”
“I had to. If the rumors spread, Relshiz could lose her job and end up buried in debt. When that happens, I hope you’ll help protect Shiz.”
“Of course, of course. The White Swan estate will always be open to her.”
“Wha…?”
I shot Aska a look, but he just kept talking like nothing happened and sipped his tea.
The Duke and Duchess were clearly very interested in Shiz.
“She looks just like little Relshiz. Doesn’t this remind you of the old days, dear?”
“Yes, indeed. And she’s learning magic from Aska, I hear? What kind of spells have you learned, sweetheart?”
“U-Um…”
Shiz hesitated a bit, then gathered some mana and created a soft light.
“Like this…?”
“Oh my, my! She’s so young, but she can already do that?”
“She might become an even greater magician than Aska!”
Shiz’s lips curled into a bright smile as she soaked in their praise.
“I can do this too!”
“Wow, well done!”
“A-And this!”
“You’re so clever!”
Just moments ago she had been shy, but now Shiz was showing off every skill she had in front of the Duke and Duchess.
When she pulled a flower out of a napkin, I was shocked.
Did I ever have that kind of talent back then?
The feeling was… strange.
We chatted for a long while, and before I knew it, night had fallen.
“It’s gotten late. Stay the night and head back tomorrow. Aska, will you show them to their rooms?”
Aska got up from the sofa.
“Let’s go, Rel.”
His casual tone gave me a headache.
‘Am I the only one here who finds this whole thing weird? Just me?’
I asked myself over and over in my head, but of course, no answer came.
***
Shiz, who had been nodding off ever since meeting the Duke and Duchess, finally fell asleep in my arms. I carried her to our room.
As we walked down the hall, I seriously started thinking about my life—past and future.
I had asked the Willovis family for help because I couldn’t take care of Shiz alone anymore…
But now Aska was carrying a burden far heavier than I expected.
‘Ansif is suspicious of him for no reason, and now I’ve tagged the poor guy with the ‘has a secret child’ rumor.’
I could always say later that Shiz went back to her real father… but what about Aska?
‘Not that a small rumor like this will really ruin his arranged marriage chances, but still…’
How was I supposed to pay back this massive emotional debt?
“It’s going to be fine,” he said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.
“What part of this is fine?”
“My parents. They accepted everything without hesitation.”
Oh, that.
“Yeah, they did seem happy…”
Almost like grandparents meeting a grandchild.
Honestly, even if I had gotten married and had a child, they probably would’ve reacted the same way.
But still, just because they looked fine on the outside didn’t mean they weren’t secretly disappointed.
‘They’re probably having a serious talk about it right now…’
Even if they were, I didn’t have the right to feel hurt.
“As for Shiz, things are mostly settled. Now we just have to deal with that investigator.”
Ah… right. Felix.
I sighed and adjusted Shiz in my arms.
“Why did it have to be Felix?”
Aska muttered dryly.
The fact that the Crown Prince’s investigation team had sent Felix—the one I got along with worst—was really bothering him.
“Felix doesn’t like mages. So we can’t use the same tricks we used on the Crown Prince. We need a different plan.”
Listening to him made me realize again how weird this whole situation was.
“Aska, aren’t you bothered by all this?”
“Hm?”
“Being misunderstood… with me, I mean. Just asking, but… are you in any marriage talks right now?”
I seemed to remember hearing about some engagement in the past…
I looked at him curiously, but he didn’t answer.
“…Aska?”
“Well…”
He narrowed his eyes, like trying to recall someone. His tone trailed off.
Cold panic ran through me.
“W-What?! Are you crazy?! Have you lost your mind?!”
My voice rose, and Shiz shifted in my arms. I quickly lowered my tone.
“How could you forget a marriage proposal? What family is it? Fletcher? Whoever it is, go apologize right now! Tell them we’re not like that—”
I was whisper-shouting, trying not to wake Shiz, when suddenly Aska burst out laughing.
He rarely laughed out loud like this, so I was stunned.
“W-Why are you laughing?”
“Because you jumped to conclusions. It’s funny.”
“What?”
“Relax. There’s no marriage right now.”
“Oh…”
I let out a deep breath. Then I got mad.
“Ugh, then say that earlier! You scared me…”
“Your face was funny.”
Aska giggled for a while, then opened the door to the guest room.
He must’ve told the servants in advance—there was a warm fire in the fireplace, and clean clothes had been laid out.
“Good night, Relshiz.”
He didn’t walk away. He just stood there, looking at me.
“…What?”
“Aren’t you going to say it back? ‘Good night.’”
“…Ugh…”
Normally I’d say something like “Have a nightmare!” but the words wouldn’t come out today.
“…You too.”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Sleep well… or not…”
He laughed softly, and his voice echoed down the hall.
I didn’t know why, but I felt irritated and slammed the door shut.
***
Meanwhile, back in the Willovis couple’s bedroom…
They were having a very different kind of conversation than Relshiz had imagined.
