Never in my life had I seen such a sharp countenance. My father’s sharp eyes.
I had always been beaten by my mother with a bewildered look on my face, and sometimes I used to worry, ‘Will it be possible for my father to show dignity as the head of the family.’
But now I realize that I was wrong.
Because the man in front of me now looked more dignified and sober than ever.
And it was because my father was so unfamiliar.
Normally, he would have said, ‘What kind of joke is this?’
I couldn’t manage a straight face, and my father’s face was colored with surprise.
“You’re serious, Goldman?”
“Um, how do… you…?”
I stammered, and my mother, who had been looking at us with strangely calm eyes until then, spoke up.
“Oh, my goodness, it was real?” (Chloe)
“Mother?”
“I just thought you might have gotten a letter from Lord Goldman lately, and it’s well known that he has no wife or fiancée.”
Oh, no, what does mother know about it?
“So I mentioned it in passing to your father, I didn’t think you’d remember.”
I wiped the sweat from my face as my mother covered her mouth and gave me her trademark smirk.
People don’t change in an instant, and it’s not like he’s the first to notice.
I’m relieved to see that my dad remains the same…
‘That’s impossible!’
As I looked at the two bright-eyed figures in front of me, I suddenly realized. My troubles were just about to begin.
“So, how long have you been seeing each other?” (Chloe)
“At the victory banquet, I suppose? It seemed to me like I was being introduced to Rudrick, and before I knew it, I was…” (Dahlia)
“Come to think of it, didn’t you also ask me if there was anyone else besides Rudrick at the knighthood ceremony? Was that, by any chance, Goldman?”
“Then you met him then too…”
I covered my face with my hands, conscious of the spontaneous blush.
Even though I knew I was aiming for Lord River, I felt strangely embarrassed to bring up the subject of romance in front of my parents.
Still, if I’ve made up my mind, I’ll have to say something. I braced myself, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth.
“Wouldn’t you like to have a blonde grandchild?” (Dahlia)
“Oh my!” (Chloe)
“Dahlia!” (Adelio)
I wondered if I was being too direct. My parents’ reactions were mixed.
My mother’s cheeks were flushed with excitement, while my father had a look of disappointment on his face.
“It’s well known in social circles that the current Goldman’s second son is the best groom, and from what I hear, he’s got a nice personality.” (Chloe)
“What? That’s right. Speaking of good personality, he’s not shy, and he’s good at being persistent.” (Adelio)
“Then he’ll get along with us quickly. You should bring him over later. Mom’s wish was to go shopping with this son-in-law.” (Chloe)
“Dad already knows him, so it’s okay… No, not like this.” (Dahlia)
My dad, who had been strangely silent up until then, finally spoke up with a straight face.
“Then what’s going to happen to Rudrick?” (Adelio)
I asked like I’d misheard it, “What?”
“Oh, no, not that, um. I mean, does Rudrick also…… know?” (Adelio)
I stared at my father, who had been frowning at me for a while now, constantly mentioning Rudrick whenever Lord River’s story came up.
Furthermore, I glanced away from my father with a sudden thought.
‘You must have gotten to know him a lot in the meantime, You’ve been secretly eyeing him as your son-in-law.’
“… Ahem! Hmm. No, not necessarily, it’s just that.” (Adelio)
That’s right, my mother said, glancing at my father with a knowing look.
I sighed heavily and shook my head.
“He’s a good friend, really. I’ve seen him since I was so young that I have no sensible feelings or anything.” (Dahlia)
“Do you …feel for Goldman?” (Adelio)
“A little?” (Dahlia)
I giggled, feeling a spontaneous burst of excitement at the thought of Lord River.
“I’m a little thrilled.” (Dahlia)
“Oh, my dear, you must be serious.” (Chloe)
“Oh, come on, Dahlia, you can’t be…” (Adelio)
Dad said, shocked, “What about going up north?”
“I’ll have to get my fiancé and bring him with me.” (Dahlia)
Not to mention that for a while, my mother’s squeals of delight and my father’s worried nagging followed.
✿
Adelio looked after his daughter as she scurried away, saying, ‘Then I’ll go get ready, assuming you’ve given me permission.’
It was a strange feeling to see such a tiny child, barely up to my waist, all grown up and struggling to find her companion.
Chloe clicked her tongue at the sight of him, but despite that, he couldn’t help but feel a little fond of him. At the same time, something was bothering him.
‘Surely Rudrick is…’
Adelio wasn’t exceptionally perceptive like his wife, but he’d lived long enough to know where a man’s heart goes.
He thought it was obvious that they would be together.
They’d been together since they were children, so their feelings would have a different depth than anyone else’s.
At least that was the case with Rudrick, whom he had seen from the sidelines. To exaggerate a bit, to him, Dahlia was more than precious, it was almost endearing.
Dahlia realized she cherished Rudrick, too.
But that was it. She saw him as a good friend with whom she shared childhood memories, but nothing more.
‘I wonder if they feel differently.’
But then he realized what Dahlia was expecting to see in Goldman.
Never in my life had I seen such a sharp countenance. My father’s sharp eyes.
I had always been beaten by my mother with a bewildered look on my face, and sometimes I used to worry, ‘Will it be possible for my father to show dignity as the head of the family.’
But now I realize that I was wrong.
Because the man in front of me now looked more dignified and sober than ever.
And it was because my father was so unfamiliar.
Normally, he would have said, ‘What kind of joke is this?’
I couldn’t manage a straight face, and my father’s face was colored with surprise.
“You’re serious, Goldman?”
“Um, how do… you…?”
I stammered, and my mother, who had been looking at us with strangely calm eyes until then, spoke up.
“Oh, my goodness, it was real?” (Chloe)
“Mother?”
“I just thought you might have gotten a letter from Lord Goldman lately, and it’s well known that he has no wife or fiancée.”
Oh, no, what does mother know about it?
“So I mentioned it in passing to your father, I didn’t think you’d remember.”
I wiped the sweat from my face as my mother covered her mouth and gave me her trademark smirk.
People don’t change in an instant, and it’s not like he’s the first to notice.
I’m relieved to see that my dad remains the same…
‘That’s impossible!’
As I looked at the two bright-eyed figures in front of me, I suddenly realized. My troubles were just about to begin.
“So, how long have you been seeing each other?” (Chloe)
“At the victory banquet, I suppose? It seemed to me like I was being introduced to Rudrick, and before I knew it, I was…” (Dahlia)
“Come to think of it, didn’t you also ask me if there was anyone else besides Rudrick at the knighthood ceremony? Was that, by any chance, Goldman?”
“Then you met him then too…”
I covered my face with my hands, conscious of the spontaneous blush.
Even though I knew I was aiming for Lord River, I felt strangely embarrassed to bring up the subject of romance in front of my parents.
Still, if I’ve made up my mind, I’ll have to say something. I braced myself, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth.
“Wouldn’t you like to have a blonde grandchild?” (Dahlia)
“Oh my!” (Chloe)
“Dahlia!” (Adelio)
I wondered if I was being too direct. My parents’ reactions were mixed.
My mother’s cheeks were flushed with excitement, while my father had a look of disappointment on his face.
“It’s well known in social circles that the current Goldman’s second son is the best groom, and from what I hear, he’s got a nice personality.” (Chloe)
“What? That’s right. Speaking of good personality, he’s not shy, and he’s good at being persistent.” (Adelio)
“Then he’ll get along with us quickly. You should bring him over later. Mom’s wish was to go shopping with this son-in-law.” (Chloe)
“Dad already knows him, so it’s okay… No, not like this.” (Dahlia)
My dad, who had been strangely silent up until then, finally spoke up with a straight face.
“Then what’s going to happen to Rudrick?” (Adelio)
I asked like I’d misheard it, “What?”
“Oh, no, not that, um. I mean, does Rudrick also…… know?” (Adelio)
I stared at my father, who had been frowning at me for a while now, constantly mentioning Rudrick whenever Lord River’s story came up.
Furthermore, I glanced away from my father with a sudden thought.
‘You must have gotten to know him a lot in the meantime, You’ve been secretly eyeing him as your son-in-law.’
“… Ahem! Hmm. No, not necessarily, it’s just that.” (Adelio)
That’s right, my mother said, glancing at my father with a knowing look.
I sighed heavily and shook my head.
“He’s a good friend, really. I’ve seen him since I was so young that I have no sensible feelings or anything.” (Dahlia)
“Do you …feel for Goldman?” (Adelio)
“A little?” (Dahlia)
I giggled, feeling a spontaneous burst of excitement at the thought of Lord River.
“I’m a little thrilled.” (Dahlia)
“Oh, my dear, you must be serious.” (Chloe)
“Oh, come on, Dahlia, you can’t be…” (Adelio)
Dad said, shocked, “What about going up north?”
“I’ll have to get my fiancé and bring him with me.” (Dahlia)
Not to mention that for a while, my mother’s squeals of delight and my father’s worried nagging followed.
✿
Adelio looked after his daughter as she scurried away, saying, ‘Then I’ll go get ready, assuming you’ve given me permission.’
It was a strange feeling to see such a tiny child, barely up to my waist, all grown up and struggling to find her companion.
Chloe clicked her tongue at the sight of him, but despite that, he couldn’t help but feel a little fond of him. At the same time, something was bothering him.
‘Surely Rudrick is…’
Adelio wasn’t exceptionally perceptive like his wife, but he’d lived long enough to know where a man’s heart goes.
He thought it was obvious that they would be together.
They’d been together since they were children, so their feelings would have a different depth than anyone else’s.
At least that was the case with Rudrick, whom he had seen from the sidelines. To exaggerate a bit, to him, Dahlia was more than precious, it was almost endearing.
Dahlia realized she cherished Rudrick, too.
But that was it. She saw him as a good friend with whom she shared childhood memories, but nothing more.
‘I wonder if they feel differently.’
But then he realized what Dahlia was expecting to see in Goldman.
