Chapter 121
Silver hair, radiant as it caught the glow of the sunset, swaying softly in the breeze.
Kind, upright blue eyes.
And a bright, brimming smile, as if this very moment felt overwhelmingly precious.
That’s really Dad Shion!
Dad really came back!
“Dad!”
I was about to dash straight toward Dad Shion when a sudden thought crossed my mind, and I abruptly stopped in my tracks.
Of course I was happy that Dad had come, but still…
What if someone is disguised as Dad Shion?
What if, while the dads were away, someone disguised themselves as Dad Shion to try to assassinate us?
“…Dad.”
The moment I finished thinking, I wiped the joy from my face and looked at him with wary eyes.
Times like this called for caution.
So first, I needed to ask a question that only my dad could answer.
I swallowed hard and opened my mouth with resolve.
“What’s the name of my favorite doll?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Dad Shion blinked rapidly.
“To—Tosooni.”
Still looking confused, he blurted out an answer.
Tosooni?!
“No! I like Gomsuni the most!”
See? That person isn’t my dad after all!
“N-no, wait!”
At my words, he panicked and rushed out his explanation.
He even looked deeply wronged.
“Before I left, you said Tosooni was your favorite! You even hugged Tosooni instead of me when you went to sleep!”
“Uh?”
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
Up until Dad Shion left, Tosooni really might have been my favorite…
“Mm, guess you really are my dad.”
Well, if he remembered things in that much detail, he had to be Dad Shion.
Letting go of my suspicion, I nodded slowly.
“But then why…?”
While that was happening, Dad Shion’s face turned pale.
“Did you really think I’d forget even that?”
He looked genuinely hurt.
No—more than that, it was a face filled with guilt, almost despair.
“Our princess… were you really that angry at Dad…?”
In the end, Dad even dropped to his knees on the ground in utter despair.
“I’m sorry! Dad was wrong!”
“Gasp.”
A Sword Master kneeling and apologizing in the middle of the imperial palace.
This must be because of my letter.
Was my letter really that shocking?
I only wrote it that way because I thought it might make Dad come back sooner.
“Uh, Mom.”
Not knowing what to do, I looked toward Mom.
Mom smiled gently and lightly nudged my back.
“Instead of this, shouldn’t you go comfort your dad?”
“……”
“He ran all the way here just to see you, Cici.”
“Mm!”
I was planning to anyway.
I was just a little flustered, that’s all.
“Ahem, Dad.”
I hesitantly walked up to Dad Shion and cleared my throat.
First, I needed to clear up the misunderstanding.
“It’s not like that.”
I gently placed my hand on top of his armor and spoke.
“I’m not mad at you.”
I’m not such a petty daughter, you know.
I figured Dad must’ve had his reasons, and I was doing my best to enjoy myself in my own way.
“…Really?”
At my words, Dad finally lifted his bowed head and met my eyes.
“Then… will you talk with Dad from now on?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t hate Dad?”
“Yeah, I don’t.”
And we’re already talking right now, dummy.
Looking straight into Dad’s blue eyes, I spoke clearly from my heart.
“I’m really happy you came, Dad. I’m really, really happy!”
So happy that…
“It feels like I got a birthday present.”
When I finished speaking, I beamed.
At the same time, Dad’s eyes welled up.
“Our princess!”
Soon, Dad Shion cried out in a choked voice and carefully pulled me into a hug.
Such a booming voice, paired with such gentle movements.
Dad Shion really came back.
Wrapped in his arms, it finally felt real.
“Dad Shion.”
Among all the dads—the kindest, the most expressive, and the most soft-hearted eldest dad.
Dad Shion had finally returned…
“I really, really missed you!”
The feelings I’d been holding back completely disarmed me.
Unable to hold it in anymore, I shouted just as loudly and tightly wrapped my arms around Dad Shion’s neck.
I thought it would take longer, but he came back so quickly.
“It must’ve been really hard running all the way here! I’m sorry!”
I never imagined my letter would make him worry this much and suffer like that.
I was bad!
“Hm?”
At that moment, Dad gently pulled me back and tilted his head.
He looked utterly confused.
“Running… who?”
“Huh?”
I blinked rapidly, tilting my head too.
“You, Dad.”
“Me? Running? All the way here?”
“Y-yeah. Mom and the other dads, even Grandma Mago said so…”
I’d believed it completely.
“Ha ha, Cici.”
At my words, Dad Shion suddenly burst into laughter.
Then he gently ruffled my hair and spoke kindly.
“Who in the world could run that distance?”
“……”
“If that were possible, Dad wouldn’t be a knight—he’d be a messenger.”
At his words, my mouth fell open as I stared at him.
So that’s how it was?
I’d trusted the adults’ words without a second thought!
They were all liars…!
“Hey, you could’ve at least played along a bit.”
As I blinked in shock at the wave of betrayal, Mom walked over and teased lightly.
“Anyway, welcome back, Shion.”
“Yuri.”
Only then did Dad rise from his kneeling position, holding my hand as he properly faced Mom.
For the record, “Yuri” is Dad Shion’s special nickname for Mom.
“I really… really missed you.”
He followed up, ears tinged red, his voice trembling.
They’d already been living together for years, yet he was still this bashful.
Is that just what happens when you’re in love?
“What good is saying that when you didn’t actually come back?”
Mom pouted slightly as she complained.
It was a side of Mom she showed only to Dad Shion.
Watching the two of them made everything feel even more real.
Our whole family really was together again…!
“We didn’t even realize you were being stubborn—we ended up resenting His Majesty instead.”
As I was soaking in the moment, Mom spoke again.
Dad Shion scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
“I’m sorry, Yuri, Cici.”
“……”
“At the time, there were so many monsters pouring in, and more than anything… I felt this strange compulsion that I had to stay there.”
At Dad’s words, I wiped the satisfied smile from my face and frowned.
A compulsion to keep staying there?
Could it be…
Was this also the influence of the original story?
Because the original plot had stalled, did Dad’s obsession disappear too?
