Chapter 114 …
Angelica smiled as she briefly recalled the past—her siblings who had accepted Helion, and now, after six years together, she herself had grown comfortable with him.
Of course, it’s a little surprising that Helion has suddenly grown so much…
Over the past six years, Helion had grown a lot. Angelica had discovered that he had exceptional talent in magic. Of course, she had already known that he was destined to become the head of the magic tower.
But his talent wasn’t the only thing remarkable. Helion, like a proper male protagonist, had gradually become more handsome.
I didn’t even realize Helion was the same age as Leonard…
Angelica’s knowledge of Helion was limited to what the original story provided. Over time, some of that information naturally faded, including his age.
In my previous life, I didn’t have any real connection with Helion anyway.
Now that Angelica was thirteen, Helion was sixteen. Because of this, he already looked like a well-grown, beautiful boy.
So if Helion grows even more…
He would inevitably become as handsome as the male protagonists she had met in her previous life.
No, Helion is even more handsome than those trashy guys.
Indeed. Angelica still remembered the prophetic dream she had years ago—the dream of the future Helion offering her flowers in the Respel family garden.
Yes… the Helion I saw back then was truly…
Angelica unconsciously blushed at the thought. The future Helion was the most handsome male protagonist she had ever met.
No, stop it. I shouldn’t be thinking like this.
She recalled the vow she had made in this life—not to get involved with any male protagonist.
Angelica’s parents watched as her cheeks flushed red and then returned to their normal color.
“Rika, what exactly are you thinking about, hmm?”
Celia asked with a gentle smile, and Angelica was startled, her eyes widening.
“Huh? W-What?”
“Well, it’s just that your face went bright red and then returned to normal—it’s fascinating.”
Celia’s tone was playful. Angelica quickly shook her head.
“It’s nothing, Mom.”
“Eh? That doesn’t seem like nothing.”
Celia became even more excited at Angelica’s response. A child hiding something, and a mother teasing her—this harmony made Aiden smile.
“Celia, stop teasing Rika.”
Aiden also smiled as he said this, which made Celia laugh aloud.
“Haha, but Rika was so cute! Just now, when her face turned bright red… she looked like a girl in love.”
At the word “love” from Celia, Angelica’s face turned even redder. She hurriedly shook her head.
“No, that’s really not true!”
Their child’s denial only made the two adults even more amused. Their smiles wouldn’t fade.
“Oh, alright. I’ll say it’s not true then.”
Celia stroked Angelica’s hair as she spoke. Angelica lowered her head in embarrassment, and to the couple, even that looked simply adorable.
“Love… huh.”
Aiden, laughing beside her, suddenly felt bothered by the word. The smile faded briefly as he became serious.
“Celia, now that I think about it, it’s still too early to talk about love with Rika.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Celia tilted her head at Aiden’s words. He looked at her seriously and continued.
“Rika is only thirteen. Talking about love or boys… that’s something she can do when she’s an adult. That should be enough.”
Celia couldn’t help but laugh at Aiden’s serious words. Aiden, seeing her reaction, tilted his head, wondering if he had said something funny. But Celia’s reason was entirely different.
“Oh, thirteen is plenty.”
“Plenty?”
“Yes. It’s old enough to understand love.”
Aiden shook his head at Celia’s words. He stroked Angelica’s hair as he said:
“No, it’s still too early for Rika.”
“No, it’s fine!”
Angelica watched the two adults with conflicting opinions. In the past six years, she had never seen them fight. They loved and understood each other deeply.
But now, she thought, she might be witnessing their first quarrel.
“But Celia, I don’t think that’s right…”
“Oh, Aiden.”
The two adults looked at each other. Celia straightened her posture and looked up at Aiden.
“I fell in love for the first time… when I was thirteen.”
Celia said this with a radiant smile, and Aiden’s expression stiffened.
“…First love?”
Aiden’s mind raced with various thoughts, and Angelica was flustered.
Huh, what on earth is happening?
As Angelica struggled to figure out what to do, Celia cheerfully continued.
“Haha, don’t you remember? When we first met—at your birthday party.”
At Celia’s words, Aiden’s eyes widened slightly. Memories from long ago surfaced. Time had passed, so not everything was clear, but one thing was certain.
“…Right. I remember. You fell in the garden.”
“That’s right. And it was you who helped me up, darling.”
Celia said this, folding her eyes gently, and Aiden smiled, his face softening. They were reminiscing about that long-ago time together.
“So your first love was…”
Aiden asked as if hearing it for the first time. Celia nodded with a bright smile, and Aiden’s ears reddened.
“I see.”
“Yes. If it weren’t you, would I have even brought up first love?”
Celia asked playfully, making Aiden’s face turn even redder.
“…You wouldn’t do that.”
“Exactly! So our Rika can love as much as she wants too.”
“Phew… if you put it that way…”
In the end, Aiden surrendered completely to Celia. He smiled warmly and said:
“Alright. I understand.”
“Of course, that’s my husband.”
Celia beamed at Aiden’s words, then looked at Angelica.
“Now, Rika. Don’t worry about Dad—just love however you like!”
Angelica unconsciously nodded at Celia’s words, then quickly shook her head.
“No, really. That’s not it.”
“Hehe, yes. I thought the same way at your age too.”
Celia softly stroked Angelica’s hair and smiled.
“But later, when you look back, you’ll understand what love is.”
Angelica fell into thought at Celia’s words.
Love… for me, what is love?
Memories from her previous life flickered by. But in this life, Angelica had come to understand that love could take many forms—especially the endless love her family gave her.
Grandmother, Mom, Dad, brothers…
She had felt their care for her over six years, sometimes thinking they were almost doting too much.
Even now, Mom and Dad love me so much.
Angelica finally smiled. At her words, the two adults’ eyes widened for a moment, then they smiled brightly and hugged her together.
“Yes, Rika. Mommy loves our Rika so much.”
“…Me too.”
Though Aiden didn’t directly say “I love you,” Angelica knew. Both of them loved her deeply. And over these six years, Angelica’s love for them had also grown.
“Yes! I love you too, Mom, Dad!”
Angelica raised her short arms and hugged them both as best she could. For a brief moment, the three of them held each other closely.
