Side Story – Special Love, Special Person (6)

 Mother, who was wearing a Maid Uniform instead of her usual dignified dress. 

 And Father, dragging Mother by a collar through the mansion hallway. 

 Even though she was a precocious child, it was quite a strange sight for six-year-old Cecilia to accept. Especially for her, who had always observed her Father and Mother’s usual demeanor up close. 

 “Lilith, if you don’t walk faster, here, like last time….” 

 “Father? Mother?” 

 “…….” 

 “Ce, Cecilia?!” 

 As soon as they heard her voice, Father froze like a stone, and Mother startled, quickly getting up from her spot. 

 But already imprinted in Cecilia’s mind were the images of Father looking down at Mother with a scary expression, and Mother crawling on all fours like a Pet. 

 “Ce, Cecilia…? H-how did you get to the 4th floor….” 

 “Even if you ask ‘how’…. I was taking a nap in the Sky Garden and just woke up, and was on my way back to my room. But Mother and Father….” 

 “…First, calm down, Cecilia. It’s not like Mom and Dad were doing anything strange.” 

 “I’m not particularly flustered. Rather, it seems Father is the one who needs to calm down.” 

 “…….” 

 “…….” 

 As Cecilia said, the most flustered ones in this situation were Ethan and Lilith. 

 For the first time in a long while, the two had entrusted Isabelle with controlling access to the mansion’s 4th floor, so that they could share a somewhat deep expression of affection between husband and wife. They never imagined Cecilia would still be on the 4th floor. 

 The cause was that they had spontaneously gotten carried away and hadn’t properly searched the Sky Garden. 

 …The fortunate thing was that they hadn’t started the main ‘play’ yet, and Lilith was still clothed. 

 ‘If we had been caught in the Sky Garden, it would have been a disaster.’ 

 ‘If I had come out naked like last time, it might have been truly dangerous….’ 

 Naturally, the two felt a slight sense of relief in their hearts that they had avoided the worst situation, but that didn’t mean the problem was solved. 

 In this situation, if they couldn’t make Cecilia properly understand what had just happened, rumors might soon spread that the Duke was dragging the Duchess around the mansion by a collar. 

 In fact, given that Isabelle periodically controlled the mansion’s 4th floor, some quick-witted Servants were indeed guessing at the Duke and Duchess’s private life. It was just that because they were quick-witted, they didn’t carelessly speak about it, so it hadn’t spread. 

 While they felt some relief that they were caught by young Cecilia, the fact that it was Cecilia and not Eris made the two feel a bit burdened. 

 Despite being four years younger than Eris, the mentally more mature child was, after all, the second daughter, not the eldest. 

 “Father? Mother? Didn’t you have something to say?” 

 “Th-that’s right…. Th-that is to say….” 

 “If you have nothing to say, I would like to ask a question. What kind of action was it when Father was dragging Mother like a Pet just now?” 

 “W-well, you see, Cecilia….” 

 Ethan and Lilith hesitated, looking at each other as if finding it difficult to answer. 

 Although she had accumulated much knowledge and refinement, Cecilia was utterly lacking in tact. To the extent that she couldn’t display the magnanimity of pretending not to know and letting it pass. 

 Rather, true to her hobby of reading, she was genuinely curious about her Mother and Father’s actions with her curious personality. 

 Why Father, who usually couldn’t move a muscle if Mother spoke, was, unlike usual, dragging Mother around like a Pet, and why Mother wasn’t resisting and was quietly crawling on all fours through the mansion hallway. 

 Once a question arose, Cecilia had no intention of moving from her spot until it was resolved, and Ethan and Lilith also knew her character. 

 “Th-that just now, was a type of Father and Mother’s expression of affection…?” 

 Instead of clumsily glossing over it, Lilith decided to push through with a slightly risky method. 

 “W-wait, Lilith. Surely not….” 

 “You said it was a type of expression of affection? I’m curious why Father putting a collar on Mother’s neck and dragging her around becomes an expression of affection.” 

 “Uhm, w-where should I start? Th-this collar, it’s not like Dad is wearing it because he really wants to make Mom a Pet.” 

 “Huh?” 

 “This is… it’s a kind of proof of love. Like this sturdy chain, it’s a symbol that Mother and Father are bound together forever!” 

 -Clink! 

 With an awkward expression, Lilith desperately continued her explanation, pulling the chain that extended from her neck to Ethan’s hand. 

 At the somewhat difficult explanation for young Cecilia to understand, she still had an expression as if a question mark floated above her head, and merely looked at the two. 

 “I don’t quite understand. Mother and Father usually have such a good relationship, is there really a need to express affection in such a way?” 

 “…….” 

 “And if it’s a chain, it would suit Father more than Mother. Usually, Mother scolds Father more often, so why is Mother wearing the collar as if she did something wrong now?” 

 “…….” 

 Pure questions about the usual relationship between the two and the necessity of the collar were added. 

 At the same time, Lilith’s eyes, feeling flustered by the question that hit the mark, wavered complexly. 

 ‘…What should I do.’ 

 The current Lilith had absolutely no confidence in giving Cecilia a proper explanation. 

 In the first place, the excuse she just made to her was just something she came up with on the spot and was nothing more than a worthless lie. Lilith hadn’t anticipated the follow-up questions and answers. 

 “That’s because, originally, love is something you don’t know unless you express it outwardly, Cecilia.” 

 “…Huh?” 

 Taking Lilith’s place, who was in a difficult spot, it was Ethan who continued the excuse… in the name of explanation. 

 “What do you mean, Father?” 

 “Cecilia, when you think of Leonhardt, don’t you feel something special, different from other people?” 

 “…As Father said, sometimes my chest feels strange. Are you talking about the sensation of my heart beating faster than usual, or the feeling of my face turning red?” 

 “Yes. That’s usually called love. It’s a relief that you seem to understand it well.” 

 At first, starting with making her understand the emotion of love. 

 And then, naturally continuing the explanation about that emotion, it was Ethan trying to carefully escape the current situation. 

 “Cecilia, do you think Leonhardt also feels such emotions when he thinks of you?” 

 “That’s obvious. How long have we spent together? There’s no way Leonhardt-nim wouldn’t harbor such feelings for me. If this feeling of mine were only mine, I would surely be disappointed in Leonhardt-nim.” 

 “Then, have you ever heard Leonhardt say ‘I love you’?” 

 “Not yet. But even if he doesn’t say it, I know Leonhardt-nim’s love, so it doesn’t matter.” 

 “No. That’s not true, Cecilia. The emotion of love is something you don’t know until it’s expressed.” 

 “Huh?” 

 Intentionally changing the topic, shifting his young daughter’s questions in a different direction, and naturally matching her level of understanding, it was Ethan who calmly continued his explanation. 

 Before she knew it, Cecilia became more interested in her relationship with Leonhardt rather than the fundamental questions about her Father and Mother’s actions. 

 “Love is such a hot and strong emotion that people often mistakenly believe it’s naturally conveyed to the other person. But that emotion is only one’s own until it’s directly conveyed to the other, and you don’t know it until you express it directly.” 

 “…Is that so?” 

 “Dad also once made a mistake with your Mom because he didn’t understand that part. Of course, Mom also made similar mistakes with Dad. Still, it’s a relief that it all worked out somehow. If it had gone even slightly wrong, Cecilia’s Mom and Dad might not be the Mom and Dad they are now.” 

 “…….” 

 “That’s why expressions of affection are something that need to be done periodically, even if you both know you love each other. If you don’t express it properly, you can’t know if the other person truly still loves you. Do you understand, Cecilia?” 

 “…Then, was Mother wearing the collar and being dragged by Father just now also one of those periodic expressions of affection?” 

 “……Yes, that’s right.” 

 With a slight pang of conscience, Ethan carefully nodded his head, and Lilith, beside him, couldn’t say anything and quietly blushed. 

 Had the prayers of the Duke and Duchess of Blackwood reached the heavens? Cecilia, as if she understood, carefully nodded her head and replied. 

 “I understand. I’ve learned that Father and Mother weren’t doing anything strange, but merely expressing pure affection.” 

 “I-is that so…?” 

 “Yes, thank you for understanding.” 

 “Since my question has been resolved, I will return to my room. I apologize for interrupting Mother and Father’s time for expressing affection.” 

 “O-okay….” 

 “…Go down carefully.” 

 Carefully descending the stairs one step at a time, Cecilia moved towards her bedroom on the 3rd floor. 

 Silently watching their young daughter’s retreating figure, the Duke and Duchess of Blackwood quietly sighed in relief only in their hearts. 

 ‘To confirm love, you just need to give a collar to the male. I’ve learned new knowledge from Father and Mother.’ 

 …They hadn’t anticipated that the second daughter of the Blackwood Family had come to hold somewhat incorrect knowledge because of them.