“Nwo, your mom need to say it hewself.”

“Hurry, twell me.”

It seemed like Izeline was going to kiss Robert like this. Feeling the danger in his wildly beating heart, Robert instinctively pushed her away.

“D-don’t!”

“Ouch!”

“Oops! A-awe you okay?”

Robert’s eyes widened in surprise at his actions. He didn’t know what to do and was fidgeting.

“You suwprised me….”

When she hugged the area where he had pushed her with her hand and shed tears, his eyes shook with worry.

“Ah, I-I won’t push you.”

Quickly pulling the blanket at the corner of the bed, he covered her up to her chin and patted her shoulder to show that she shouldn’t move.

“Are you feeling sick?”

“Cough, cough!”

Then, she coughed.

Worried, Robert’s eyes shook.

“I-I’m not mad. I dwidn’t push—”

As he quickly tried to explain that he only pushed her lightly, Robert’s eyes widened when Izeline glared at him.

“Though it huwts more when you hit me.”

“I-I didn’t hit you….”

Robert, who was trying to defend himself, muttered when Izeline glared at him and made a small noise.

“You should go to sleep first.”

“What?”

Izeline wondered if she had heard wrong.

What did it mean to push someone and say such things?! Despite the fact that she was about to ask, she swallowed her words when she heard his voice.

“You hwurt my heart.”

“Huh…”

Her surprised eyes shook. Robert was holding his heart with a complicated expression on his face.

‘Does he mean I have an influence on his Krug disease? What’s wrong with his heart?’

“Don’t you like it when I’m next to ywo?”

“Because, because… If we’re too close…”

He replied with a muffled voice and looked at Izeline anxiously.

“This distance is fine.”

“Umm…”

What was the difference from earlier? Even now, the only thing between them was the blanket, but her arms were still stuck to Robert’s leg.

“Does your heart hurt?”

“No, it’s not lwike that.”

He quickly wiped his face from top to bottom as if he didn’t want to explain any more about his heart. As his eyelids naturally closed, Izeline asked.

“Awe you okay?”

“Yes.”

Soon, the bed shook as he lay down.

Robert turned his back on her, keeping a distance of about his three feet. The moonlight fell on his face facing the window, revealing his cheeks, which were reddened like tomatoes.

He let out a hot breath and checked the scars on his heart as if examining them.

His scars were rough and black. Below that, a small heart was beating rapidly. As he placed his hand on his chest, he closed his eyes and concentrated. The faint red light flickered and disappeared under his chubby hands.

* * *

The entire Souvri was covered in white snow. Just by turning their heads, they could see the beautiful scenery and warm air rising from various places.

“Dad!”

“It’s been a while! You’ve grown so much since I last saw you!”

“Come on, honey.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too!”

When the knights who served under the Flame Knights returned, the family gathered together after a long time and hugged each other with love.

Winter in Souvri was truly the season of harmony. And on a small hill at Armanty Mansion, Izeline was also spending some quality time with her family, drinking warm cocoa with melted marshmallows.

“You look good when you eat well.”

Monica, who had some free time, came to her room.

“Here, drink up.”

“I’ll make more when you finish.”

When Monica spoke gently, Robert, who was next to her, joined in by swinging his legs.

“Me too, me too. Let me have some as well.”

“Yes. I will keep making more for the master as well.”

She smiled as she looked at the children sitting side by side on the sofa. It felt like a miracle to have a same-aged friend by his side, and that friend was also her daughter.

“Drink it all.”

“Yes.”

Monica laughed as she received the empty mug from Robert. And then she opened her mouth again.

“Actually, I took a vacation this weekend.”

“Oh?”

“A vacation…?”

While Izeline asked with an innocent face, Robert’s eyes shook as he watched her use a spoon to scoop cocoa powder and marshmallows before he instinctively turned to her. At the same time, Monica’s voice echoed in his ear.

“Izel, do you want to go home with Mom this weekend?”

“What?”

With her mouth full of cocoa powder, she looked at them with a clueless expression.

Robert asked.

“Why?”

“You’we not going anywhere, are you?”

“Hey, I dwidn’t even say anything about leaving…”

Izeline stuttered in surprise, and he yelled out.

“You’ve been here all winter! Do you want to leave?!”

Monica, who had been busy, heard the conversation between the two children and realized the situation and stepped in to mediate. She gently patted Robert’s shoulder.

“Young master.”

Seeing that he didn’t look at Monica and lowered his head, she tried to persuade him.

“Izeline’s father is back. It will be about two days?”

“….”

“If you can endure just two days, you’ll be with her for a whole year, won’t you?”

“….”

His cheeks shook slightly. When Monica handed him a completed cup of cocoa, he murmured quietly.

“Though you said you would be here all winter…”

“I’ll still be here. Two dways will pass by quickly.”

“….”

Robert was silent for a moment. Meanwhile, Izeline was busy thinking.

‘Did I ever have a father? Is he one of the knights in the Flame Knights?’

As an extra, she had thought that she didn’t have a father. She was surprised to see that even the unseen details were carefully set up in the author’s mind.

‘Can all of this come out of the author’s head?’

She tilted her head in confusion.

“Do you want to see your father?”

When she turned her head, Robert was looking at her with a face that seemed to say, ‘I don’t want to let you go, but I’ll let you go just once if you want.’ His appearance was so adorable that she almost said, ‘No. I’ll stay with you.’

But honestly, she should at least know what her father looks like, right? Izeline resisted her impulses and nodded her head.

“Yes, I want to swee him.”

“Is that so? Fine…”

He reluctantly agreed while fiddling with his fingers.

“Still, you have to come back soon.”

“All right. Just two days.”

Izeline smiled brightly. But contrary to their promise, she did not return to the mansion until a little later.

* * *

It was the time when most academies were on vacation, but Oren continued their sword training without any breaks. Because of this, Monica took a break on the weekend, when there was no training, and went home with Izeline.

What does her father look like?

As she approached the house with anticipation, her nose suddenly stung as she was filled with emotion.

The low fence, the small lawn covered in snow, and the two-story house that felt cozy with the passage of time. It was her home that she hadn’t visited in a long time. Although it was only a place she had been living in for a few months since possessing this body, she felt an indescribable sense of comfort, as if she had returned to her hometown after living in the city.

Creak.

As she slowly opened the dark wooden door, a familiar yet slightly unfamiliar smell tickled her nose.

“It feels good to be back home, doesn’t it?”

Did she sense her daughter’s emotional state? Monica asked softly.

Izeline looked up and smiled at her mother.

“Yes.”

She climbed up the stairs to the second floor with quick steps.

‘Is my room still the same?’

It might have changed a little.

With an excited heart, she opened the door wide.

Thud!

“Oh my!”

“Huh?”

Her surprised eyes widened.

There was a man standing in front of the door, shaking and rubbing his head. Even though he quickly lifted his head and smiled as if he was okay, there was blood coming out of his nose.

“Oh, what to do…”

The man wiped his nose with the back of his hand and murmured, “This is…” while looking at her.

Watching the whole scene, Izeline naturally realized something. A man with chestnut hair and slightly darker brown eyes than hers, with a hazy impression that was never mentioned in the original…

“Dad?”

“My daughter!”

Her father, Ben, laughed with his head thrown back like someone with a loose screw.

“Have you been well? My little girl!”

He then hugged his daughter tightly and rubbed her soft cheeks against his rough face. Without being moved by the first meeting with her father, Izeline had to suffer for a long time because of her father’s foolishness.

—

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