I was embarrassed, so I grabbed my father’s arm to stop him. Still, Caitel’s reaction was so cold. Wow, you are so cold. Uh, um….

  “Well, you know, Dad, I will be in a bit of trouble if you do this.”


  “And why would you be in trouble?”


  “Well, it’s because I like him.”


  “…”


  His reaction to my answer was just so cold. No, it was freezing. It was so freezing that I felt like I was peeling a tangerine in a Siberian plane.

  I tilted my head. Huh? Did I say something wrong?

  My father’s expression didn’t change much, but it felt weird. Well, it looked like the temperature had dropped around here. I felt something cold on my back as if my answer had hit a really bad spot. It’s just my feeling, right?

  “Really?”


  “Yes.”


  Oh, wait. It’s getting colder.

  For some reason, Caitel smiled really sweetly. Huh? What the hell? What the hell did I do wrong? Caitel, who pretended to be gentle, was scarier than his usual frightening version. No, it’s more like getting goosebumps than scary. I had no idea what the hell I did wrong, but dad, everything was my fault. I’m sorry. Please?

  “Then bring him in at once.”


  “Oh, can I?”


  “Yes. I’ll kill him.”


  ‘Hey, you can’t do that.’


  He must be kidding, right? He’s just joking, right…? However, his face was quite severe at my stare, saying, ‘you must be joking.’ I could feel a violent temper in his eyes… he really meant it. Yeah, he was dead serious.

  Oh, he was so pathetic. I couldn’t even describe this feeling. It was more than dumbfounding. He actually surprised me.

  “No, dad. I don’t like him as a man, I just like him as a person. Just like I like Assisi.”


  “Then I won’t kill him. Send him in exile instead.”


  “I don’t like him as a man! Just like how I like Serira and Elyne! I have a good feeling about him! Good feeling!”


  Seriously, why should I be explaining this to him! How could he take it so seriously when an eight-year-old kid said she liked a man who was over 25 years old? Was he out of his damn mind? I seriously wanted to say, ‘I quit,’ but I decided to keep it in my head.

  However, I was a benevolent person… well, only to my dad.