Ch. 13

"What? Is it closed today?""That can't be possible...."

Please, just leave! Hurry!

I was holding my breath, waiting for the warriors to leave before my dad and Uncle Dex came out. 

The warriors were talking among themselves in front of the store before finally leaving. 

Only then I was able to breathe in relief. 

'I thought I would be safe in the capital!'

Rather, the capital city was more dangerous. I chewed my nails, recalling the faces of the main characters I saw earlier. 

'I shouldn't have worried if I couldn't recognize the protagonist's face. What a useless worry.'

As soon as I saw their faces, I instantly knew they were the main characters, as if someone had drilled the novel descriptions into my head. 

I waited for my dad to come out quickly while keeping on the lookout in case the warriors decided to return. 

And not long after, my dad and Uncle Dex finally came out of the basement. 

Without any time to waste, I changed the sign back to OPEN, ran to my dad and pulled him by the hand.

"Dad, let's go. Let's go back..."

"Hm? Eve...? Is something happening?"

"No, nothing. Let's just go back. Okay?"

It'd be best to return to the palace before those warriors may come back. 

I really had the worst luck today. If I carelessly walk around in the market on a day like this, who knows if I may encounter something worse?

As I whined, my dad grabbed my hand and left the store after saying goodbye to Uncle Dex. 

I tightened my grip on my dad's hand as we rushed out the door.

But at that time. 

Thud-

My vision turned white along with a loud thud. I bounced off in an instant and rolled on the floor.

"Eve!"

My dad rushed over to me and quickly bowed to the person I bumped into. 

"I-I'm really sorry. My daughter is..."

Why did he pause? 

Rubbing my sore forehead, I slowly opened my eyes. The person that I bumped into was a noble, no matter how I looked at him. When I was about to apologize in a flurry...

"...Y-You, you punk...!"

The old nobleman's face turned red in anger. A thick vein bulged on his forehead, and his wrinkled hands trembled in anger. 

....Huh?

Amid the strange atmosphere, I glanced up at my dad. 

My dad trembled violently in front of that old nobleman as if he were a prey in front of a predator.

"Umm...."

I watched my dad shaking violently and held him by his collar.

At that time, something unexpected came out of my dad's mouth. 

"F-Father-in-law!"

...Father-in-law?

Did I hear it right?

What do you mean?

I looked at my dad and the old nobleman alternately with a bewildered look on my face. 

The two were looking at each other in silence. Silence lingered in the air for a moment. 

I tried to analyze the situation amid this terrible silence. 

'Dad, why did you call this old man father-in-law?'

I knew very well what 'father-in-law' meant. It was a term for the father from the wife's side. 

(TL/N :  장인어른 is a specific term in Korean for 'father-in-law' of the wife's side.)

And since my dad only married my mom....so dad's father-in-law must be my grandfather!

Huh? But it doesn't make sense.

My dad said that my mom was a very ordinary commoner from the countryside. And so my dad was also a very ordinary man who sold weapons in the village next to it. But suddenly, this noble-looking old man was my dad's father-in-law, my mom's father and also my grandfather. Where did things go wrong? Did I hit my head too hard? 

I looked back at my dad with a face filled with questions. 

But at that time.

"Who do you call father-in-law?! You bastard!"

The old nobleman shouted with a flushed red face. His face was so red as if it were about to burst.

His sudden outbursts made us tremble at the same time. I grabbed my dad's sleeve out of fear. 

So my dad hid me behind his back before the old man could fly in rage again. 

I could feel my dad's hand tremble as he tried to hide me. 

I was bewildered by this situation, so I quietly hid behind my dad's back as soon as he pulled me. 

Fortunately, the old nobleman seemed to have already forgotten that I bumped into him earlier because he was too distracted by my dad. 

It was when my dad hid me behind his back and tried to say something to the old man.

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"...F-Father-in-law. That's....the situation is...."

"Weren't you the one who left saying that you would never set foot in the capital again!"

I was listening to the argument between the two, hiding behind my dad. 

I wasn't sure if this grandpa was my dad's father-in-law, but the two seemed to know each other from the way this conversation went on.

I carefully fiddled my shiny golden hair, which didn't seem to fit with the typical look of a country girl.

'I was told that my mom also has golden hair like me.'

My dad has dark brown hair, so my hair would naturally resemble my mom's.

Golden hair was considered a distinctive feature belonging to the nobles in this empire.

There was only a small case of commoners born with golden hair. Except for the illegitimate children of the nobles. 

'That's why the villagers are amazed by my hair, too.'

There was also a time when bad guys tried to kidnap and sell me to a noble family! 

I reminisced about how rare my hair was while twisting my shiny golden hair with my finger. 

So was my mom really born in a noble family?

And that grandpa is my mom's dad?

But I stopped entertaining that idea up until this point. 

Because it seemed too far-fetched. 

If my mom were really a noble lady, me and my dad wouldn't have struggled to barely feed ourselves in such a desolate village. 

There was no reason for my dad to hide me. 

What was it he was so desperate to hide?

So maybe these two were in a more complicated situation than that. 

At least, that was how I understood it. 

Though, I had no idea why my dad called him father-in-law...

Maybe there was another meaning of 'father-in-law' that I didn't know about?

Yeah, that might be the case!

I nodded and stopped worrying about why my dad called that old nobleman 'father-in-law'. 

By the way. 

'I should've looked ahead!'

Listening to their conversation, it did feel like it was my fault. 

'I ran like a fool and bumped into people...'

My dad wouldn't have been scolded like this if I hadn't bumped into that grandpa. 

Tears welled up in my eyes when I thought about how sorry I was to my dad. 

[Hey, brat. It wasn't your fault. Don't cry like a fool.]

Ex tried to comfort me, but it just made the tears welled up more.

[I shouldn't have comforted you!]

I heard Ex grumbling, but I didn't really catch what he said. 

'Why am I so stupid?'

I promised to never run carelessly again if we could get out of this situation. 

Never again....!

Just before tears rolled down my cheeks from the overwhelming guilt.'

Clang-!

"Get out of here! Or else...."

The old nobleman screamed angrily as he drew his sword out.

'Sword?'

It was definitely the sound of an unsheathed sword..

There was no way I didn't recognize it. After all, I had been hearing the sound of swords clashing in my dad's workroom ever since I was a baby.