Well…… I guessed it was true. I couldn’t say Ferdel didn’t have any influence on me.

  That thought soothed me again.

  “Things were better when I was a child.”


  “That’s true.”


  Ferdel laughed at my grumpy complaint.

  “Because a child only has one responsibility, and that was to grow up well. Of course, it’s better.”


  Then, looking back at me, Ferdel chuckled silently. I was embarrassed by his father-like happy smile, so I turned my eyes away.

  Should I say it’s embarrassing?

  Yeah, Ferdel always acted like an idiot. Then he would suddenly act like a different person. It’s hard to get used to it, really. Still, I didn’t hate it when he smiled at me like that. It’s just that I would be confused about who my father really was when he smiled at me like that, and that’s sad.

  “.…… don’t you have a council meeting to attend? I heard the secretary say that.”


  “Oh, that’s right. There is. I must leave now.”


  I asked because I remembered that he said, “I stopped by” on his way to the meeting. Ferdel clapped his hands and nodded as if he just remembered.

  I nodded to tell him to go away.

  Ferdel said he would leave, but he just stayed, standing in the same place. As I stared at Ferdel, who’s also staring at me, he grinned.

  ‘.…… why do I feel so anxious?’


  “See you next time, my dear princess. Don’t cry while I’m gone, and make sure to eat your meals! Don’t cry because you miss me!”


  “.……”


  How come my ominous premonition always turned out wrong?

  We’re not parting lovers, nor was he my mom. What was he talking about? As I frowned, Ferdel wiped away his tears and gave me a heartbroken look.

  “Now then, we must part ways until fate brings us together again.”


  What should I say? I asked back seriously.

  “How about we let fate end things here and now?”


  “Aww!”


  “.……”


  In an instant, a lot of thoughts came into my mind.

  ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’ ‘Why is he like that?’ ‘Does he have a grudge against me?’ ‘If not, why else would he be like that?’ ‘What’s he aiming at?’


  Of course, it was apparent why Ferdel was doing this, but the reality was that I had nothing to say when he did this right in front of my eyes.

  Ferdel laughed when he saw my face harden because of the cutesy act of a 40-year-old man. Was he happy now? Was he satisfied? Hmm?

  I opened my mouth to say something, but a step ahead of me, Ferdel jerked out of the room.

  “Hehe! See you later, then!”


  ‘.…… geez, that rascal.’


  “Phew.”