Chapter 125
I never expected Sion’s dad to react like this.
“I didn’t see this coming.”
Completely flustered, I rolled my eyes in disbelief this time.
Of course, before leaving, Sion’s dad had gone on a long lecture about “proper ways to date the opposite sex.”
But at the same time, unlike other dads, he was the kind of person who said it was fine to have male friends.
So then… who is this goblin-like dad standing right in front of me now?
“D-Dad?”
Is this really the same Sion’s dad I know?
Still unable to hide his embarrassment and tilting his head, Sion’s dad spoke in a gentle voice.
“My princess.”
A deep smile lingered at the corners of his lips.
“Can you tell me who that boy, Per, is?”
“Uh… uh?”
“For months, I’ve had no idea who my princess was spending time with, how she’s spending time, or whether she’s doing well.”
No, that’s only because Dad wasn’t around us!
“I’m really, really curious if you’ve made a new friend.”
Before I knew it, Dad had placed both his hands on my shoulders and tilted his head toward me.
It was incredibly gentle and careful—but that made it even more frightening.
I swallowed hard once more, stammering as I tried to speak.
“P-Per is my friend, but…”
Why is this so nerve-wracking?
“Friend?”
At that moment, Kyle’s dad interrupted me before I could say anything.
“I don’t think he sees Cici as just a friend.”
“Ah, Kyle’s dad!”
Suddenly snitching like this!
What happened to our alliance? Why betray me now?
“Really?”
At Kyle’s dad’s words, Sion’s dad’s smile deepened even more.
Kyle’s dad, following Sion’s dad, continued with a wicked grin.
“Besides, he didn’t seem promising either.”
“Agreed.”
Even Derek’s dad slyly jumped in, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Th-This…!”
I blinked rapidly in shock, looking back and forth between the two dads.
At the same time…
“I saw impure intentions.”
Even Harzen’s dad casually stated in a calm tone.
I stared at the dads, mouth agape.
They had been holding this back to tell Sion’s dad all along?
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have chimed in one by one like they’d been waiting for it!
“Even when Harzen’s dad was around, Per was fairly well-behaved!”
I can’t say there were no impure intentions… but still!
I didn’t think it was enough to get fully reported to Sion’s dad!
“Sorry, Per!”
There was no stopping my dads—they were just too relentless.
“Really…?”
Feeling unnecessarily guilty toward Per, I tried to greet him, and at that moment, Mom quietly spoke up.
“I’m not sure if Per was really that bad.”
She tilted her head and continued in a cheerful, bouncing tone.
“He seemed very responsible in protecting Cici, and it was clear he genuinely cared about her.”
“Right, right!”
Of course, Mom knows. She recognizes Per’s true value!
“Protect? Him? Cici? Why?”
Sion’s dad asked, clearly unable to comprehend.
Before Mom could answer, I confidently spoke up.
“Of course, Per is my bodyguard!”
“Bodyguard? How old is he?”
“Well…!”
Uh, I don’t even know.
“…Eight? Nine?”
Somewhere around that, I guessed.
Rolling my eyes while speaking, I saw a crack appear in Sion’s dad’s perfect smile.
He was probably thinking, “And yet, without even telling me his age, he’s playing the role of a friend as he pleases.”
“One thing I’ll say is, you can’t underestimate that kid’s abilities.”
Harzen’s dad, listening to our conversation, casually added.
“He was undeniably a genius. More than capable as Cici’s bodyguard.”
“See?”
If even Harzen’s dad, who never flatters, says that, you can roughly gauge how skilled he is.
Feeling a little proud, I shrugged my shoulders.
Sion’s dad raised one eyebrow slightly.
“Wow… where did a kid like that suddenly roll into the royal palace?”
Smiling as he said it, it was terrifying.
Why is he so wary of Per in the first place?
Usually, he goes after the other dads so relentlessly!
“Anyway, I don’t think he was impolite at all.”
Mom tilted her head once more and spoke.
“At least, from what I saw, he was polite. When I ran into him in the hallway a few days ago—”
“Ran into Per in the hallway?”
He usually sticks close to me, so it’s rare for him to be alone with Mom.
“Just right here.”
Mom smiled warmly at my words.
It seems she ran into him just before he came to see me.
Still, from what Mom said, he must have been really polite.
He keeps his promises to me, just like he said he would.
“He greeted me very respectfully.”
Lost in thought, Mom added with a small smile.
“‘Hello, ma’am.’ Something like that.”
“…Ma’am?”
At the same time, Sion’s dad tilted his head to the left and asked again.
Still smiling, his eyes were curved brighter than they could ever be.
“You’re telling me he called you ma’am?”
Just imagining it gave me goosebumps all over.
Mom!
I couldn’t help it—I squeezed my eyes shut.
Dropping bombs like this… Mom wasn’t on my side after all…!
After that, I had to listen to Sion’s dad’s lecture for hours.
Far surpassing the two-hour record from last time.
This time, even the other dads joined in.
By the time it finally subsided, Mom had stepped in.
Anyway, because of this, any topic not about Per had to be completely dropped.
I couldn’t even tell the story about the person who sent the handkerchief.
It wasn’t a story that should have ended like this.
“Sigh.”
The next morning, I sat in a corner of the training yard, letting out a quiet sigh.
“I wish the dads would realize that they can’t keep wrapping me up like this forever.”
Will the dads ever learn this truth?
“Hmph.”
Per, who was sitting next to me, twitched his eyebrows and spoke.
“Cici, you’re still seven, though.”
“Huh?”
Hearing that, I turned to look at him.
“Per, I didn’t expect you to say that.”
Normally, it should be my words and his being swapped.
“Well—”
Per rolled his eyes lazily and looked to the side.
I followed his gaze, then frowned.
At the edge of the training yard bushes, silver hair peeked out.
Clearly not hiding, awkwardly sticking out—the person was definitely Sion’s dad.
“Haha.”
When our eyes met, Sion’s dad laughed, folding his blue eyes slightly.
“Don’t worry about me. Go play.”
Go play… how can I not worry, Dad?
