Chapter 33
Perhaps I’ll never truly know.
The depth of pain my father once endured.
Because unlike him, I was raised surrounded by love.
Because Father, Harzen, worked tirelessly to make sure I would never feel what he had felt.
“……”
At that very moment—
A slender arm gently wrapped around Father’s neck.
“It’s all right.”
Mother embraced him softly, patting his back as she spoke in a tender voice.
“No matter what you felt, no matter what you thought.”
She wasn’t singing, yet her voice carried a rhythm, clear and pure, like a melody that could heal a wounded soul.
“Here, you don’t need to suppress it. You don’t need to deny it.”
“…I…”
“Because I’m here. Because we are here.”
Her gaze met mine for a brief moment before drifting away again.
I tightened my grip on Father’s hand and nodded firmly.
Father’s broad shoulders began to tremble.
“…At times, I used to entertain childish fantasies.”
The back that had always stood straight slowly curled inward.
“If by some chance the day came when he finally apologized to me, I thought I would laugh in his face with all my strength.”
Father bowed his head for a moment, then lifted it slowly once more. His eyes were red and swollen.
“But when that moment finally came… I couldn’t laugh at all.”
“……”
“When I heard those words, in truth…”
At last, a single tear escaped—falling quickly, as though it did not want to leave a trace. But such emotions could not be hidden.
“I was… a little happy.”
Tears ran down his cheeks, dripping softly from his jawline.
“I thought I had let go completely. I thought I hated him beyond all doubt.”
Father turned his gaze toward Mother, his voice trembling.
“But perhaps… I was still yearning for his affection.”
“Harzen…”
“It would have been better if I had never known.”
The anguish in his tone revealed a storm of emotions he could no longer control.
“But now… I know.
I know my feelings, the hearts of others, the way to love and to be loved.
And in the end… I even know the way to forgive.”
This was the story of Harzen Walker:
A child who had grown up alone, never knowing real affection.
A boy who hadn’t even known what love was until he met someone to truly love.
And who, through that, came to learn forgiveness.
“Do whatever you wish.”
Mother gently wiped away his tears, her words calm yet resolute.
“All you need to do is follow where your heart leads. You already know this now, don’t you?”
“I do… but still…”
Father leaned his cheek against her hand, closing his eyes.
“I don’t yet know what I want to do, nor how I should face him from now on.”
“That’s all right.”
Mother leaned her forehead against his, whispering warmly.
“We’ll take it slow.”
“……”
“I’ll be right by your side.”
“And so will I!”
Unable to resist, I slipped between them, grinning sheepishly.
Forgive me for intruding on such a heartfelt scene, but I wanted them to know—I was here, too.
“Ah.”
Father blinked in surprise at my sudden words. Then, all at once—
“Yes, that’s right… Ha, haha!”
He laughed. Out loud.
Mother and I widened our eyes in shock.
Father… actually laughed out loud?
Was this real?
“It’s such a blessing that you’re here.”
He reached out and stroked my hair gently.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
I laughed awkwardly, but I couldn’t look away. His smile—bright and free, illuminated by laughter—was so radiant, so beautiful.
“Now then.”
Mother, smiling just as brightly, spoke again.
“Shall we talk about who switched your letter?”
Something in her voice felt strangely familiar.
Have you cried enough? Good. Then let’s get to work.
“…Now?”
Father’s voice sounded dazed—“Harzen” and “dazed” being two words I never thought I’d hear together. Truly, life is full of surprises.
“Of course now. If we delay, we might forget, or miss our chance.”
She nodded firmly.
“But we don’t even have concrete proof the letter was switched. And besides, we really must go treat Her Majesty—”
“The Empress is already in a stable phase. Even if we arrive a little late, nothing will suddenly worsen. So it’s fine.”
No, no! Please don’t say things like that—it sounds like you’re raising a death flag!
I fidgeted nervously.
If someone tried to poison Her Majesty again while Mother was away…
That would be a disaster!
But… Mother wasn’t wrong either.
Should I go to the Empress’ palace first, then?
But no—there was no way they’d let me go alone.
As I hesitated, torn between choices—
“Besides, I’ve placed a simple spell on Her Majesty. If anything threatens her life, I’ll know immediately.”
Mother’s calm reassurance was directed at Father, but it eased me too.
“So that side is fine for now. What matters more—”
Her tone sharpened again.
“Even if it’s something from the past, the more reason to investigate thoroughly.”
“……”
“The contents of a letter can’t suddenly change on their own. Someone definitely switched it.”
“But why would they…”
“Maybe because they didn’t want you close to His Majesty. Or maybe simply because they wanted to torment you.”
Father fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.
“True. We do have many enemies here.”
I bobbed my head in agreement.
Yes, exactly. And that enemy… is closer than you think.
“But that makes it even harder to guess who it could have been.”
Ah, how frustrating!
Why can’t you guess, Father?
What’s the problem?
The answer, of course—
To him, Berthold would always be the kind and trustworthy older brother.
If only Father could see the scroll like I can…
I sighed deeply and shook my head.
If he looked just a little more closely, he would see how wrong things were.
How could I make him doubt, even a little?
“Father.”
I swallowed hard and began cautiously.
I had to start small, one step at a time.
“When you wrote the letter… did you sign your name?”
“My name?”
He raised a brow.
“…Now that I think of it, I didn’t. I thought if I signed it, he wouldn’t even read it.”
“Then you didn’t deliver the letter directly, did you?”
“No.”
Father nodded slowly.
“I just left it on the desk in my office.”
That was it.
Good. A contradiction!
“But then… how did Grandfather know that letter was from you?”
I tilted my head innocently as I asked.
Mother, who had been quietly listening, gently interjected:
“Perhaps he recognized your handwriting?”
