“Say hello, this is my uncle. You can call him Sir Jul. He’s the coolest uncle in the world.”
“Wow, I see….”
“You’ll see him often from now on. Make sure to greet him properly. I can’t tell you the details yet, but my uncle is an amazing person. He’s almost as popular in our village as His Majesty the Emperor. You should feel grateful for being introduced.”
“Mhm.”
Latil nodded repeatedly. Her scarlet eyes, filled with admiration, made Julios smile awkwardly.
The last time Julios saw Latil was when the child was about one hundred days old. The face of the bright-eyed child overlapped with the infant he had seen back then.
‘Still a spitting image of Banessa.’
Strangely enough, Latil resembled Banessa closely. If you looked at each feature individually, they all came from her father. But somehow, her overall impression was the exact opposite. If Banessa was like a wildcat blinded by hunger, Latil was more like a rabbit saying, ‘Go ahead and eat me,’ completely limp.
‘Seems like her delicate nature hasn’t changed. I wonder if Banessa could really adapt to his daughter’s delicateness.’
So, going back, here’s how it happened.
After it was decided that he would marry Dana, Banessa had come to the Principality. Although he was to be Dana’s husband, Banessa’s lord was Dietrian. Naturally, he had to report the change in his status to his lord.
Additionally, he had to meet Lehira and Abel.
At one point, he liked those children enough to dream of becoming their swordsmanship teacher.
And then, there was one more thing.
Banessa had confided a secret ambition only to Julios.
“I talked to sister. As expected, the Holy Empire and Genos should form a marriage alliance.”
After becoming a duke of the empire and giving up his dream of being a swordsmanship teacher, Banessa joined forces with Leticia’s devotee, Dana, to pursue a new dream.
“So, we must get on the good side of the little ones. I don’t know if I’ll end up becoming their father-in-law or their father.”
Unfortunately, Banessa’s ambitious dream was shattered as soon as he met Lehira.
For some reason, the moment Lehira saw Banessa, she burst into tears.
She screamed that she didn’t want to see him and told him not to appear in front of her again.
“Sir Julios, why is the princess acting like that? Did I do something wrong? Could it be that I made a mistake without realizing it?”
Banessa was in complete panic. Julios was equally taken aback.
The normally gentle child suddenly became so hostile. There was no way she would reject Banessa without reason, which made the situation all the more confusing.
“I heard the princess inherited Gilead’s power. Could she have seen some awful future involving me…?”
“Calm down and go for now. Lehira’s just young. I’ll talk to her later.”
Despite Julios’s comforting words, Banessa’s shoulders were completely slumped as he turned to leave. He vividly remembered his half-dazed figure, trudging away.
After Banessa left, Lehira stopped crying as if it had all been a lie.
She laughed, played, and became the same lovely angel as before. She was sometimes a bit moody due to her dreams, but otherwise, she seemed fine.
‘The problem was Banessa.’
Perhaps because of the shock of being rejected by Lehira, Banessa began to struggle with an unspoken worry after Latil was born.
His daughter was truly lovable. Even more beautiful than Lehira, who he once thought was the most adorable baby in the world. He finally understood the saying, ‘I love you so much I could put you in my eyes and it wouldn’t hurt.’”
For several days and nights, he stuck by the baby’s crib without sleeping properly. He was terrified someone might take her away, so he stayed there the entire time, like a loyal guard dog, even as Dana scolded him.
When the chubby little baby hand grabbed his hand, he couldn’t move an inch.
And so, he became even more worried.
What if his daughter ended up hating him like Lehira did?
In the end, he asked Julios for help once again.
“Sir Julios! Please help me! I don’t know how to interact with my daughter! What if Latil hates me like the princess does?”
The memory of Lehira rejecting him still lingered with Banessa.
It wasn’t a deep wound anymore, given how much time had passed. But it still bothered him.
Banessa even instinctively sensed that his daughter was a completely different kind of person from him.
If he was like a bloodstained sword, his daughter was like a dandelion seed. Just a slight breeze could blow her away, and the slightest touch could crush her.
He couldn’t help but wonder how such a child could be his daughter. But when he thought about it, there was some rationale.
His late nephew had been as gentle as Latil. According to his sister, the boy had taken after their late father.
He was said to be a gentleman who neither said nor heard a harsh word.
In any case, Banessa was having many difficulties raising a child who was entirely different from him.
“I’m not exactly known for my delicacy, am I? I tend to cause trouble without realizing it. The princess might have disliked me for that reason, too. I probably made a mistake without even knowing it. I mean, I am pretty clueless, aren’t I?”
At Banessa’s plea for help, Julios headed to the empire. That was when he met Latil. At Banessa’s request, Julios observed Latil for a while.
“I think you’re worrying too much. Your daughter clearly likes you. Kids are honest. If they don’t like an adult, they usually cry as soon as they’re near them. But Latil doesn’t do that. She smiles every time she sees you. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Really? Is that really true? Is it really okay for me to be her father?”
“If not you, then who else could be the father of the Holy Empire’s princess?”
“I’m worried because she’s so gentle. She seems so delicate and fragile.”
“Don’t worry. Personalities change over time. And who else would she take after if not her parents? Neither you nor Her Majesty is an ordinary person. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Banessa felt greatly relieved after hearing Julios’s words. That incident ended as a mere happening.
After that, Latil gradually faded from Julios’s mind.
‘Her gentle nature seems to have remained.’
Julios carefully observed Latil.
Her sparkling eyes, her rosy cheeks, her innocent smile.
Then, as if snapping back to reality, she checked Lehira’s expression. When Lehira glared at her, Latil flinched but soon smiled bashfully again when she saw their hands were still clasped together.
Lehira, seeing Latil’s reaction, raised her nose as if she had expected it all along.
The sight of the two children, meeting for the first time today, felt like he was witnessing something very peculiar.
Something difficult to express in words. Julios finally thought of an appropriate word.
‘Taming?’
Yes, that was it.”
The scene before him resembled a haughty cat taming a baby rabbit.
The rabbit shrank back when the cat unsheathed its claws, but when the cat used those claws to stroke its head, it swayed, as if intoxicated like a cat with catnip.
Seeing this reaction, the cat was even more pleased, sharpening its claws before bringing the rabbit its favorite carrot and feeding it directly.
“Latil, you skipped breakfast? Honestly, you’re hopeless. First, eat the snack I’m giving you! We’re busy today. Eat it and get your strength back!”
“Are we… busy today?”
“Of course! I’m a very busy person, and I’m taking precious time off for you! Do you know how many people are waiting for me at home?”
“Oh, I see.”
“Now hurry up! Open wide! Quickly!”
“Mhm.”
Lehira, glaring, shoved a cookie into Latil’s mouth. Latil blushed but obediently ate the chocolate cookie.
Lehira, satisfied and smirking crookedly, watched Latil with a pleased expression before suddenly whipping her head around. She tugged at Julios’s clothes.
“Uncleee, give me a handkerchieeef. Latil used mine all up.”
The whiny tone was that of the young niece Julios knew so well. He smiled and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket.
He was about to wipe Latil’s mouth when Lehira quickly snatched the handkerchief and haughtily held it out.
“You can wipe your mouth, right? You’re not a baby. Your big sister believes in you. I can trust you, can’t I?”
“Big sister?”
“Yes. You’re my little sister, aren’t you?”
“Wow!”
Latil, excited, nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes! Sister, you can trust me. I can do it well!”
“Good. Your answer sounds much more confident than earlier. I like it a lot.”
“Really? I did well?”
“Of course! Stop slouching around like you did before. Stand tall and walk confidently! What do you have to be shy about? Why are you so timid?”
“Hehe….”
“What are you smiling about? Hmph, well, it’s better than crying. Now, hold my hand and follow me before you get lost. Let’s go change your clothes. That outfit is way too frilly.”
“Clothes? Why?”
“You didn’t know?”
Lehira glanced back at Latil, as if surprised that she still hadn’t figured it out.
“You and I are going to play all day today. I’m going to show you what an amazing day really looks like.”
“All day?”
“Yes. You’re not against that, are you?”
Latil’s eyes widened. A friend her age! And a big sister! And they could play all day! She nodded vigorously.
“I love it! I love it so much!”
“Huhu.”
Lehira finally smiled in satisfaction. She then lifted her chin toward Julios.
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