CHAPTER 53……………………………
“My dad’s really good at hiding.”
He’s a master of hiding, so even if you searched this whole place, you wouldn’t find him.
I smiled sheepishly at the maid, who still looked at me suspiciously.
“Um, I have to keep playing hide-and-seek, so… could you please go back out for now?”
“……”
“If you stay here while we’re playing, I think my dad might get embarrassed…”
After a moment of silence—
“…Alright.”
The maid finally let out a quiet sigh and stepped back.
“If you need anything, please call me anytime.”
“Yes!”
I held my position completely still until she left the room. Only when the door clicked shut did I let out a long breath.
“Phew…”
Lying through my teeth just to protect one friend…
Guess I’m out of the “good kid” club.
“Okay, now—”
Just as I turned back toward Fer—
“…Huh?”
I blinked blankly at the empty window.
He was gone already?
No wonder he stopped joking around halfway through.
‘Why does it feel like every time we meet, we never get to say a proper goodbye?’
Seriously, he’s such a free spirit—coming and going as he pleases.
Feeling oddly disappointed, I was about to close the window when I noticed a small pile of wooden fruits stacked on the sill.
Beneath them, the corner of a piece of paper peeked out.
I quickly moved the fruits aside and picked up the note.
It was written on a torn corner of a book page, the handwriting far too mature for a child.
When you’ve gathered enough evidence,
try telling your family too.
Don’t carry it all alone.
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
He’s still pretending to be my big brother right up until the end!
After that, despite the “original story” having supposedly begun, the day was rather ordinary.
Dad Derrick came back safely from his mission, and Mom and Dad Harzen returned without incident as well.
That evening, our family gathered and chatted for the first time in a while—
about how we got here, whether we locked the doors properly, things like that.
Of course, Dad Kyle wasn’t there, since he was still holed up in his lab…
“So what’s Kyle doing now? Not even coming out for dinner?”
“I heard he’s using the lab His Majesty gave to Sisi like it’s his own.”
“As expected… Kyle can’t go a day without research, even here.”
Whether that was good or bad, Mom and Dad Harzen didn’t seem particularly concerned.
Well, that’s Kyle for you—odd as ever.
As night fell and the world grew quiet, I couldn’t fight off my drowsiness any longer.
“Oh my, Sisi—are you sleepy?”
Mom cupped my drooping head in her warm hand.
Mmm… Mom’s hands are so warm.
“She didn’t nap earlier, so she must be really tired now.”
“Nooo…”
I still have to protect Mom… zzz…
“She should lie down,”
Dad Derrick murmured, lifting the blanket slightly.
“Ehh…”
I whined, nestling closer into Mom’s arms.
I wanted to stay awake longer—
It had been so long since we were all together,
and Dad Kyle wasn’t even back yet.
And now that the main story had started, I shouldn’t be wasting time sleeping… I had to protect Mom…
“Mom…”
“Yes, Mommy’s right here, Sisi.”
Her voice, gentle and warm like spring sunlight, echoed softly in my ears.
I instinctively grabbed her arm, but soon lost the fight against sleep and was laid down on the bed.
“Don’t go…”
“Mm-hm, Mommy won’t go anywhere.”
Then she pulled the blanket up to my chin and began to pat me softly.
Soon, she started humming the lullaby she’d sung earlier that day.
“This is…”
Before I could finish my sentence, I was swept away by sleep.
Lullabies are cheating…
I don’t know how much time passed.
Lullabies are… cheating…
Half-awake, I started to sense the sounds around me.
Still heavy with sleep, I couldn’t open my eyes.
My body felt like it was floating, then sinking again—
as if I might slip back into dreams at any moment.
“She’s already asleep?”
Dad Kyle’s voice rumbled distantly through the haze.
I thought he wouldn’t come out of the lab tonight—guess I was wrong.
“She must be tired. She didn’t nap at all today.”
“Seems like she’s had trouble sleeping ever since we changed environments.”
That was Mom and Dad Harzen speaking next.
No, it’s not because of that—
I couldn’t sleep because I was worried something might happen to Mom while I was asleep…
“Poor thing. It must be lonely for her, staying all alone in this big place with no friends.”
Mom’s voice drifted softly as she stroked my forehead.
That’s not true! I have a friend!
I even saw him today—Fer…
“She keeps moving her lips. She really does look like a baby when she sleeps.”
“She is a baby.”
“But she acts so mature sometimes.”
“Yeah, sometimes she’s too mature.”
Mom nodded at Dad Derrick’s comment, then said with a laugh:
“But she’s still so cute~”
She gently pinched my cheeks.
“Mmmph…”
I frowned and squirmed.
I love Mom, but please—don’t poke me while I’m sleeping…
“She’ll wake up if you keep that up,”
Dad Kyle gently scolded Mom, pulling the blanket back over me.
Then, they started talking quietly among themselves.
“It really is strange, though. I never thought we’d all be together like this again.”
“When we left the Imperial Capital, I swore I’d never set foot here again.”
“I always thought we might someday, you know~ ♪♬”
There was the sound of a chair scraping.
Then Kyle spoke again, voice lower than usual.
“When has life ever gone the way we wanted it to?”
“That’s true,” Mom agreed quietly.
“But still, I never imagined Sisi would end up here with us.”
“Or that she’d be so… loved.”
“Right? Every time His Majesty dotes on her, I’m shocked all over again.”
Well, that’s just because I’m too cute to resist…
“He seemed fond of her from the very beginning,”
Mom said wistfully, as if recalling the past.
Kyle chimed in flatly,
“He’s definitely senile.”
“Kyle.”
“What? I’m not wrong.”
Ugh, Kyle Dad, you’re so rude.
It’s not senility—it’s just a grandpa’s heart, wanting to spoil his grandchild.
“Still,” Mom said brightly, “thanks to Sisi coming with us, a lot has changed for the better, hasn’t it?”
Who is she asking?
I wanted to open my eyes and join the conversation,
but my eyelids were still too heavy to lift.
“Lately, I’ve been thinking…”
Dad Harzen’s deep voice came next—so Mom must’ve been asking him.
“If she hadn’t come with us… what would’ve happened?”
A large, warm hand gently brushed my cheek.
“At first, I was shocked—worried, even angry. But now…”
“…”
“Now I’m just grateful she’s here with us. That she came along.”
That’s right, that’s right.
I’m glad I came, too.
“I’ve always thought so,”
Mom said softly after a moment.
“I’m so glad Sisi came to me as my daughter—and that we can be together like this.”
