Chapter 22

However, Caitel still didn’t understand me. I was sure. He must have a communication problem, too. If not, he couldn’t be bothered by the level Serira understands!

At that moment, Caitel laughs. That was a slightly different smile.

“You’ve got quite an improvement—I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

‘So you like it? Dad.’

‘Yeah, I like it, too. Now I can talk shit about you. Of course, you will not understand.’

‘But I’m not cursing you to understand, so I’m fine. You’re gonna get my neck blown off when you understand me.’

I smiled. Should I start with idiot?

‘Hey, you idiot.’ Should I say it?

I was hesitating whether to try it or not, but Caitel smiled again. He patted me on the head.

“You’re a bit like a dog now.”

… huh? What did you just say?

I lost my word, and I’ve lost my laugh. I literally lost all my words.

What did this bastard just say? Dog? Huh?

Ha, a deep sigh. I looked him up with a serious face. I seriously thought about it.

‘Hey, you. I’m asking you because I’m really, really serious… When the hell am I gonna be human to you?’

There’s one change that’s been blowing into the palace for the last eight months, and that’s where I’m going, there’s always a baby’s toy and baby’s supplies.

It didn’t seem like much, but it was more surprising than I thought. That’s because there were always things I used in Caitel’s office and also in his bedroom!

Considering the notoriety of Caitel, it was easy to understand.

Well, yeah.

I didn’t really know how scary and cruel Caitel was, because I didn’t have a chance to experience it myself, but all the maids including Elene, praised the new atmosphere of the Solay palace. They said that now, Emperor was becoming like a ‘human’, of course, man changes after a baby’s birth, or something like that.

… How ridiculous.

“Uba-”

In my cradle, my toys were always close to me because I could not walk but crawl with my belly.

I would try to match the animal picture today. Oh, I think I’m having fun even if I’m left alone. I was such a good baby, weren’t it?

Caitel was such a blessed man. He got blessed on his child too.

He would be perfect if he got a better personality and a better behavior.

I put the toy out of my hand and raised my head for a moment. My dad was still sitting sulky and turning over the papers, umm.

Tomorrow was his birthday, and my dad was not like everyone else. He’s still spending the day looking at files and reports.

Someone said so many people came, fill the whole palace, but that all the people from different countries came to celebrate his birth, but Caitel, the main event of the celebration, was not interested. Rather than him, Ferdel seemed more excited than Caitel.

Again today, the envoys are Ferdel’s, and Caitel was stuck in his office looking at documents.

“A taunt from Langres.”

People did say men are more charming when they’re focused. Looking at my dad, I had to agree with that. Roll up your sleeves and focus on paperwork…

He’s like some corporate CEO. If he wore glasses, it would be perfect. The title would be, ‘The concentrated Emperor, Caitel’. Uh, that sounded great!

Well, the main character was agonizing over his brow, but I was too busy looking at him.

If he sold his beauty for money, he’d be very rich. Of course, he didn’t have to do that since he’s an emperor. Still, I didn’t think it’s right to let that beauty rot away. He had to spread his splendid genes as much as possible for humanity.

“When did you get here?”

Eh.

I was surprised because I heard that while I was imagining stupid things.

I thought he caught thinking nonsense.

I thought he could now read other’s mind or something, but I guess not.

“Just now.”

With a big smile, Dranste leans over my cradle. Then he reached out and tried to stroke my head.

‘You don’t treat me like a dog, do you?!’

I ran away from his hand with a sulky face. When did he come? He’s like a ghost. He;s a ghost.

It was then. Suddenly, Caitel raised his head.

“Get your hands off my daughter.”

Dranste shruged at Caitel’s warning. He reached out even more and eventually stroked my head. The look on his face, looking back on Caitel, was nasty.

“Oh, my. You’re not some animal that marks your territory…Why do you keep emphasizing she’s yours?”

‘Oh, by the way, hmm?’

Now that I look at him, his eyes were a different color. I always thought his eyes were his only pride, so it was a little bit more heartbreaking than I thought.

He lost his only pride.

However, it’s a bit weird. What he looked like was not that different from what I used to see. However, judging from the reaction of Caitel, he certainly appeared.

Oh, wait! Did that mean his eyes didn’t shine when he revealed himself? How fascinating!

I looked him up with what I had figured out. That made Caitel’s face more distorted. Caitel warned Dranste.

“I said, hands off.”

Dranste just patted my cheek with a smile on his face.

Oh, pervert.

Eventually, the cap of Caitel’s anger seemed to have been opened. He stood up and held a sword to Dranste’s neck, which I didn’t know when Caitel had held.

“Three, two.”

“Ah, okay.”

Dranste released his hand at Caitel’s relentless warnings.

He smacked his lips, and Caitel stared at him with sharp eyes. With a smile, Dranste touches Caitel’s sword.

“That’s mine. You know it can’t hurt me because it’s mine. Remember?”

“Shut up.”

“Well well, like father like daughter.”

‘You look at me as if you are sad, but what can I do?

Fuck off. We’re not friends yet.’

“Tsk.”

As Dranste took a step back with a disgruntled look, Caitel, who put his sword back, immediately took me out of the cradle and hugged me. I hugged Caitel back and watched his sword disappear into the air. It’s not my first time seeing it, but it’s amazing every time I saw it.

Was that sword summoned whenever Caitel called it? Amazing.

Caitel, who carried me back to the sofa, picked up the documents he had seen earlier. I lifted my head in his arms. Dranste still followed Caitel’s footsteps with a smile.

“How’s your work going?”

With Caitel’s attitude, he certainly didn’t like Dranste that much. However, I couldn’t feel the wall between them. He was closer than I was. For Caitel, Dranste was.

“I’ll have to wipe out Langres soon.”

It’s only been seven months since I came back from the battlefield, and it’s another war. He’s a real war buff.

Was it true there were two or three wars a year?

I thought it was just an exaggeration. Now, judging from the attitude of Caitel, these were credible words from the health service. However, my dad was crazy. He wasn’t normal.

So was Dranste, who plays with him. He was more of an artist to answering Caitel’s.

“Why? Are you mad?”

“They annoy me.”

‘Daddy, do you kill people because they annoy you?’

When I grew up, I would send all of them somewhere because it would be annoying if I fought with my peers.

Yeah, I was glad you didn’t kill me, that ignorant bastard.

Turning behind the sofa where Caitel was sitting, Dranste leaned over the sofa and peeped at the documents he was reading. My dad seemed to know that, but he didn’t mind.

Was it irrelevant?

“Will you go there yourself? Just like Icharta?”

“I wonder.”

‘Huh? You’re not going yourself?’

When I looked up at my father, he looked back at me. I was a bit curious.

‘Why are you looking at me, daddy? Do you have something to say? I didn’t borrow any money from you. I’m still a baby!’

“Oh, this is interesting.”

What does that mean? He frowned over Dranste’s laugh behind him, and he got back to his paper works again. That was kind of a relief. Even though he was my father, he was not a person who one would want to have long eye-contact with.

“I’m contemplating about whether to go myself or send Assisi.”

“Isn’t your Black Knight in the north right now? Isn’t he kind of far from Langres? That’s all the way in the south.”

“He can take care of himself.”

Assisi? Who’s that?

I had never heard of that name before. I was wondering if I’d heard it before, and from behind Dranste yelled out with an exaggerated face.

“Wow, that was really cold just now.”

“Why should I care?”

However, Caitel ignored Dranste anyway.

Oh, Dranste, you were…

I thought I’d know a little now. That word he said before. He hated him. No, rather hate, he seemed to annoy Caitel very much. No, he was annoyed.

“It’s boring.”

Dranste moved forward, perhaps feeling slighted because he was behind him.

“You’ve been always like that.”

However, what he gets was…

“Move your face.”

… what a pitiful guy.

Even worse than me! What should I do with that poor guy? I was tearing up seeing him gritted and boar it when he got scolded all the time. He was happy even though he was being ignored.

Here you go, an ounce of my attention.

“It’s not like I come here often, but you always seem to hate me.”

Now he was sad to be ignored, but Caitel just ignored Dranste’s grumbling. I was a little sad because of the eyes of Caitel who came back to me for no reason.

“Adda, Adda-”

Yes, acting cute was the best at this time. I called Caitel and hit my head in his arms, and my dad reached out and patted my head. He was obviously treating me like a dog, but I didn’t cry!

I was not sad, okay?