Opportunity

Daughter.

A word that refers to a female child.

Then, why was the cute girl in front of her introduced to her under the name of Rier’s daughter?

It’s simple.

The man named Rier, who should have gotten closer and closer to Tine herself from today until becoming a relationship that couldn’t get any closer, was actually married. Because he was a married man with a lovely daughter who was, so to speak, ‘so precious he wouldn’t feel pain even if he put her in his eye’─

“No!!”

“”?!””

Both Rier and the child were startled by Tine, who denied the breathtaking reality that had arrived without any warning or sign, as she abruptly stood up.

However, now was not the time to worry about such things.

As someone who had been watching Rier for a very long time, she couldn’t easily believe that he was married.

Strictly speaking, she hadn’t monitored Rier’s every move 24 hours a day, but nevertheless, she had never heard from anywhere that the man in front of her was married.

No, if the man who reigned at the top of the Northern Continent was no longer single, surely there would have been at least rumors, which made it hard to accept.

In reality, it was closer to not wanting to accept that the man who should have been hers was already claimed by another woman. But anyway.

“Is this child really Rier’s daughter? Really?”

“W-what’s the problem?”

Of course, she barely swallowed the words that there was obviously a problem.

Even by Tine’s own standards, it seemed too much to question the very existence of the child in front of the young one.

She wanted to cross-verify whether this child was really Rier’s daughter.

No, she wanted to verify through DNA testing.

But it was too much to go that far. In a way, it would be a great discourtesy.

For now, she decided to wait for more things to become certain.

Finally, after taking three or four deep breaths to calm her excitement.

She began to ask again in a relatively calmer and more subdued tone than before.

“You must know what kind of meeting this is, Rier. You probably already know how I feel about you.”

Why had he hidden the fact that he was married until this moment?

If he had just informed her that he was already married, she wouldn’t have arranged this meeting in the first place.

“Did you perhaps intend to make a mockery of me? Did you want me to be pointed at as a woman who was openly trying to commit adultery?”

Was her heart just a toy for Rier to play with?

Did he want to humiliate her by responding for the first time to her calls that he had consistently ignored dozens and hundreds of times?

“I’m a bit perplexed. The Rier I know wasn’t that kind of person.”

Right after that, she asked about his true intention in introducing the existence of a daughter that no one knew about until this moment to her.

Naturally, she also added various questions about the ‘madam’.

However…

“My wife is dead. Quite a long time ago.”

Because it resulted in unintentionally touching on someone else’s painful memory—in reality, it was a memory that never existed, but Tine had no way of knowing this.

“I’ve been hiding the fact that I was married because I didn’t want a person who’s already dead to be the subject of people’s gossip.”

Sure enough, as Rier’s complexion gradually darkened—an act—his voice also—this too an act—gradually became darker.

“But I thought I should let you know why I can’t accept your feelings. That’s why I asked Lua to come out for a moment.”

Because she belatedly realized—was misled to believe—that he wasn’t trying to embarrass her, but rather that he had acknowledged the sincerity of her feelings and tried to be considerate in his own way.

“There will be a man who suits you better, Tine.”

She was momentarily at a loss for words as he indirectly said that surely she wouldn’t want to take a man with a child as her life partner.

Then, gradually, silence began to fill the surroundings.

The heavy atmosphere where no one could easily open their mouth continued for quite a long time afterward.

However, things that Tine had been blind to due to the momentary shocking news gradually began to enter her field of vision.

For example, the fact that not once had the word “dislike” for her been uttered from Rier’s mouth.

In addition, the fact that the position by Rier’s side was, after all, vacant.

Decisively, when she thought about what it would be like if the child awkwardly standing right in front of her became her daughter, it didn’t seem so bad.

No, rather, it seemed like there wouldn’t be a single bad thing, only good things.

‘…Huh?’

An unexpected realization-like thing momentarily passed through Tine’s mind.

Right after that, her firmly closed mouth slowly began to open.

“So you were just worried about me. Afraid that I might have a hard time.”

“Yes. So—”

And so, just as Rier was about to drive in the final nail to the person who finally seemed to have completely given up on her feelings.

“Then let me try to handle the hardship.”

“?”

“Indeed, I should be able to endure that much to qualify to be by your side, Rier. I think I was too hasty.”

Because instead of giving up on her feelings for Rier, she changed her attitude to be even more proactive.

Because she openly declared that she would somehow overcome any hardship or adversity.

“I-I don’t mind! But shouldn’t we consider Lua’s feelings too?”

“M-my feelings?”

An SOS signal toward the child was uttered from the mouth of the person who was quite flustered by the unexpected situation.

And so, as the child also showed signs of being quite flustered at the sudden mention of their name.

Rier’s wavering gaze, suggesting to somehow deflect the situation, and Tine’s gaze, which for some reason was softening by the second, simultaneously turned toward the child.

The voice that eventually landed on the child’s ears was for some reason a kind that had resolution and determination swirling around it.

“I don’t think I can perfectly replace the position of your birth mother. Seeing that she gave birth to such a lovely daughter, she must have been an amazing person.”

“But I’ll try. Learning one by one what you like, Lua, what you dislike.”

At some point, Tine’s eye level, which was gradually lowering in proportion to her bending knees, finally met the child’s low eye level.

Almost simultaneously, swish.

The child’s two hands, which had been wandering in the air with nowhere to go, were taken and held by Tine’s two hands.

The most desperate and sincere request was heard right after.

“So, I would like you to give me a chance. A chance to try to become a family with you.”

The child’s two hands were still being held, so even fleeing was not allowed.

To make matters worse, since they couldn’t even turn their eyes away from the silver gaze that was meeting their own, finally.

“P-please give me time to prepare mentally!!”

They couldn’t bring themselves to refuse.

This time too.

Well, either way. Tine could also understand without much difficulty that it was a bit hard to answer affirmatively at once right now.

“…Alright!”

As someone who had volunteered to become a stepmother, rather than being openly disappointed, she decided to focus only on the point that there was room for her relationship with the child to progress.

She could find nothing but awkwardness from the youthful face in front of her, but it didn’t particularly matter.

Even if it was awkward right now, they could gradually narrow the distance by spending time together.

You know, as they say, there’s no problem that time can’t solve.

“Then, I’ll see you again!”

“Y-yeah. See you later…”

About 10 minutes later, a result opposite to what Rier and the child had wanted was derived.

Naturally, Rier’s question of why the child hadn’t firmly refused was directed at the child.

“B-but we bought time, didn’t we? We can find grounds for a more perfect refusal later…”

“I bet every time I refuse, she’ll say she’ll try somehow. You saw it too, she’s a woman who doesn’t even have the option of giving up.”

“…I’m sorry…”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about… It’s just, disappointing.”

Since it couldn’t be denied that the child had also done their best in their own way.

In the end, they returned to the mansion, only reconfirming that she was not someone who could be easily shaken off.

After that, they received the news that someone who had made an appointment to meet Rier a few days earlier had already arrived at the mansion.

And so, having no choice, they moved toward the person who was said to be waiting for Rier, but.

“…Lua?”

“T-teacher?!”

For some reason, as the mansion’s visitor and his (fake) daughter recognized each other as soon as they saw each other.

His already complicated mind began to become even more confused.

…Could they be filming a hidden camera?