Prelude (14)

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If you were to pick the most free-spirited person in Astra, everyone would say Aileen in unison.

There’s much debate on whether she should even be considered a ‘student,’ but those who know her true abilities can’t help but agree.

She’s different from us.

Too different. After it was revealed that she was the child of Lecante and Rushellini, even the commoners who had been friendly with her distanced themselves.

It would be more accurate to say they couldn’t approach her due to the pressure.

“Oh, look~ All alone again~”

Well, maybe not completely alone since she has the spirits.

Amelda Cecilia is looking after her, but after the banquet hall incident, she’s been practically abandoned by her family and is spending her days incredibly busy trying to resolve her political isolation.

Amelda has the freedom she so desperately wants right in front of her, so I can’t exactly ask her to play with me while hindering that.

“How boring….

Isolation, loneliness, pain stemming from being different…….

The silence is suffocating.

Aileen, who is perfect without even trying, can’t blend in.

‘I miss Papa.’

The emptiness feels particularly painful.

Aileen, who is mentally connected to Yujin 24/7, can always sense her mother’s presence, but not Shuriel’s. Half-hearted satisfaction can’t fill all the emptiness.

• Pajik.

Then, a sensation of something snapping brushed past her mind.

“?…”

Soon after, Aileen turned her head as if nothing was wrong and went back to meditating.

He’s not dead. If he died, I would definitely notice. I could feel it with my soul.

‘He must have fainted again.’

It’s just that the connected mind was briefly severed.

Her mom fainting is already an everyday occurrence, so it’s not even surprising. Aileen let out a bored sigh, looking beyond the barrier where no one could see.

“…Huh?”

What broke through that boredom was none other than her mom’s presence.

‘Mom’s here?’

Mom came to Astra.

Aileen smiled brightly. There are few things as enjoyable as hugging and snuggling her mom’s small body.

But….

Yujin’s Mana wavelength overlapped with Hajin’s wavelength.

‘…?’

Aileen showed a bewildered expression as the wavelengths overlapped. Two people’s――no, it’s one body, but she felt the energy of two people.

‘Did she do a body transfer or something?’

There were many possibilities she could deduce.

She just didn’t know the reason.

But her mom didn’t come to see her even after two hours. Considering that her mom’s location was close to the Iron Blood Tribe dormitory, it seemed she was probably ‘enjoying’ herself.

So, she didn’t bother to go find her.

‘She’ll come when the time is right.’

That’s how she was spending her time aimlessly.

“…….”

Aileen felt another energy and hardened her face.

It wasn’t Yujin’s wavelength.

And when she realized the identity of that wavelength, her heart beat like crazy.

‘Mom’s not the only one who came.’

The one who crossed the forest full of the scent of soil and leaves, the one who held her tightly in those big arms, the one who awkwardly smiled and stroked her head, the one she worked hard for just to hear a single word of praise……

“Haaa―……”

Aileen trembled.

‘It’s Papa.’

Just thinking about him made her emotions surge.

• Sareuk, sareureuk…

The spirits, reacting to the sudden emotional change, were agitated.

She couldn’t control it.

Because it had been so long, because he was someone she could only meet in her imagination, because he was someone she could never reach out to even in her imagination――

• Kkieeuk.

She opens the door and goes out. Aileen clenched her fist tightly at the gradually approaching familiar energy.

And, a storm raged. Towards the only man Aileen so desperately wanted, the man she held in her heart.

‘Papa.’

And so, she was able to see him. A tall man with his hood pulled down low was walking towards here.

Aileen instinctively knew that he was her father. Because that man had the same scent as the one from the handkerchief.

Yes, the scent.

It’s the same scent.

‘Let’s calm down.’

Aileen, having calmed the wind, moved with the storm. Into the eye of the storm that surrounded her. And to welcome the only guest invited here.

• Sappeun.

She lands without a sound. Aileen desperately suppressed the twitching corners of her lips.

When she lifted her head, which had lowered from the momentum, the man she had missed so much was looking at her.

“Aileen.”

At that voice.

Aileen couldn’t think of anything.

The spirits, not receiving any orders, withdrew the storm, and only a terrible silence remained, surrounding them.

“――Papa.”

Aileen moved forward before the silence could even touch the ground.

“I missed you.”

When she came to her senses, she was hugging Shuriel tightly with a blissful expression.

Aileen buried her face in his chest and rubbed her head. Trying not to forget this scent, not to forget this touch, not to forget this moment.

“….”

But Shuriel didn’t smile. Aileen felt a stinging sensation somewhere in her chest.

“…What brings you here?”

Shuriel.

Her father, hadn’t come to see her.

Aileen’s heart ached terribly, but she decided to bury the painful emotions deep inside.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Is it about Mom?”

Aileen tried not to look at her father, who nodded, with sad eyes.

“Is this your first time here, Papa? Let’s go to my room quickly. Hehe… It’s humble compared to the mansion, but it’s not bad.”

“……Okay.”

Shuriel only hesitated slightly and didn’t say anything.

‘…There must be a reason.’

Shuriel was very confused.

The stiff reaction I’m seeing now must be because of that.

At first, I almost cried because I felt so hurt, but I felt better when I knew the reason.

“Here we are.”

• Kkieeuk.

Shuriel, who arrived at the room, didn’t take off his hood until he closed and locked the door.

• Tuk.

And, he put down the box he was carrying on his back as well.

“What’s that?”

“….”

“Can I open it?”

Shuriel closed his eyes tightly without answering.

“Papa?”

Aileen stared blankly at his seemingly resigned appearance. If he came out like this, she would be more embarrassed than hurt.

But if they just kept facing each other like this, it felt like it would never end. Aileen ignored her father, who was maintaining silence, and reached out to the box.

• Kkieiiik…

“Ah.”

And everything became clear.

“Mom, died.”

She died and moved into Hajin’s body. That’s why I suddenly felt Mom’s energy.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“If you want, I’ll die in this spot.”

“Die――wh, what?”

She was startled by the sound of him saying he would die.

‘Doesn’t he know Mom is alive?’

If I tell him Mom is alive, the situation will end right there. But Aileen hesitated to speak, only watching Shuriel’s reaction.

‘Wait a minute.’

Aileen immediately checked Mom’s wavelength.

‘I don’t know why…… but it’s stopped there.’

She checked three more times after that, but Mom didn’t move. Aileen hurriedly retrieved the Mana she had spread out and said.

“J, just a moment. I’m just confused. Can you come to me for a moment?”

“…Is there any way?”

“Ah…”

Shuriel.

Is looking at me with desperate eyes.

Aileen, feeling a strange sense of guilt from that gaze, couldn’t stop herself from speaking, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

“Ah, haha… This, I think it’ll be hard for me, too….”

“…Is that so.”

She didn’t understand why she was acting like this, why she was saying these things.

“Ah, it’s not Papa’s fault!”

“….”

“It was something that was going to happen someday. Mom can’t live without doing that, you know? We all know that, right?”

Aileen shook her head, rambling.

‘What am I doing.’

I can just say Mom is alive.

That’s all it takes.

Why do I keep hesitating?

“Ah, uh. So.”

Aileen couldn’t choose the right words and just turned her gaze this way and that.

“U, um, Papa.”

Then, in the end, she took action instead of speaking.

• Kkoook.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, turning her cheek over his neck so he couldn’t see her face.

She had to.

If she showed her flushed face now, Shuriel would definitely suspect something.

‘…I did it.’

Aileen felt like she was screwed in many ways.

“What is this to Papa.”

Was I this trashy?

Wasn’t I the one who pursued justice with Papa?

Extreme self-loathing pierced her heart.

Shuriel was still lying there without resisting. Lying on the floor, being hugged unilaterally by me.

‘….’

Her head felt like it was about to explode.

If I just kept my mouth shut a little longer. I can get Papa. But by doing that? What am I going to do? Mom is alive.

She agonizes while riding on her father’s body. I don’t think I’ve ever worried this much before.

“Papa, Papa.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I… that’s, actually.”

It felt like Shuriel would grant any wish right now.

Then should I just ask him to kiss me? Just kiss me, and then tell the truth. Mom didn’t die. Or should I pretend I don’t know? Until Mom comes, with Papa……

Her face gets closer.

“Actually……”

Actually, actually――

• Kung.

At that moment, the flow of Mana began to swirl.

“―?!”

“Uh, uh?”

It was so sudden that she had no choice but to face the storm-like flow without even being able to release her posture.

‘…I’m screwed.’

Aileen, knowing who the owner of that Mana was, even used a swear word that she didn’t usually use and closed her eyes tightly.

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I thought there would be no answer if I kept doing this, so I forcibly teleported.

―Wouldn’t it have been better to do this sooner?

‘Because your perverted brain was hindering my judgment.’

Hajin’s onahole bitch subjugation mindset was hindering my thoughts at every opportunity.

It was because onaholes don’t need to think.

They just have to be quietly fucked, making rational deduction impossible.

But the problem was that I was just as much of a hopeless pervert, so I didn’t feel any sense of incongruity.

It took me a whole two hours to realize that I had become stupid.

• Jiing…

I activated the portal before I forgot what I had thought of again, and was able to go straight to Aileen’s room.

“…….”

But……

“…What are you two doing?”

I doubted dozens of times that I was seeing things because I had become stupid.