CH 57

The next day.

Today, it was the day before entering the training center. 

‘Now, let’s start! Meeting with the final boss, the Emperor! If I go to the training center and make a mistake, it will be a catastrophe, so let’s be alert!’ 

I began to pack my things with firm determination.

Jetty, who was helping me, suddenly took something out of her pocket. 

It’s Princess Lara’s letter, right?

Jetty whispered in my ear.

“This is a gift from our boss. He asked me to give it to the Lady. It will be quite useful in the training center.” 

“Oho.” 

I put Rico’s letter in the front pocket of the bear bag.

“Ugh. How can I live without my Lady? I can’t, I can’t!” 

“Jun, are you really crying? I, it’s not like I’m going to die….” 

Is it the feeling of a mother who sends her children to the army? 

I felt bad for Jun as I tried to look at her while she was sobbing. Jun cried even louder when I hugged her and patted her.

“Wow, it’s loud.”

Then I could hear a rough voice.

It was Oscar, sitting crookedly in his chair.

“What are you doing during study time?”

“Ehem. I apologize, Lord of the Magic Tower. I’ll go out.”

“Good work, ehem, good work.”

Jetty and Jun left the room in tears.

I gave Oscar a discontented look.

“Why are you kicking them out! I solved all the questions today!”

Oscar jumped up and approached me as I was packing my bag.

He looked down at me while arrogantly crossing his arms.

“What is the volume of a cuboid with length, width, and height of 3, 4, and 8?”

“96.”

“What is the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides 2 and 4?”

“2 root 5.”

“What is the area of a circle with a radius of 12?”

“144 Pi.”

Oscar then nodded happily.

“At this rate, you’ll be able to graduate from the training center in just one month, right?” 

“You’re arguing for no reason….”

I murmured and began to pack my bags.

“Here, a gift.”

“Ung?”

Oscar suddenly held out something.

It was a bracelet.

A chain of pearls with a large heart-shaped crystal in the middle.

“I designed it myself.”

Oscar said proudly.

As I watched it hang in front of me, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. 

“So childish!”

“Do you want to get scolded?”

Tuk, Oscar hit my head lightly. 

“Ack, why are you hitting me!”

“Give me your hand.”

Oscar put the bracelet on my hand.

Hmm, when he put it on, I didn’t think it was as bad as I thought—.

“This is a magic tool.”

“Really? What kind of magic tool is it?” 

“You’ll know when you go to the training center. Wear it with care. That’s it for today’s class.”

The backstabbed Oscar waved his hand.

I can’t believe he finished 40 minutes early. Oscar may be a surprisingly good person.

“Thank you, Teacher! Goodbye!”

I was running past Oscar with my teddy bear bag on my back.

“….?”

—Tuk, the bag strap was caught and lifted.

“What is it?”

“Where are you crawling like you’ve been waiting for so long?”

“I’m going to play with my friend.”

“Who’s your friend?”

“Cheshire.”

Oscar stared at me with a strange look on his face, then slumped back into his chair.

“I take back what I just said. Sit down to study more.”

“W, where do you do something like that?”

“Here~”

“A man speaks two words with one mouth?” (t/n: Means something like going back on one’s word) 

“My heart~.”

I can’t communicate. It felt like I was talking to my younger brother in elementary school.

I had to force myself to put my bag down again and sit at my desk.

“Hey.” 

“What?” 

I frowned and glared at Oscar.

“Do you like that kid?”

“Who? Cheshire?”

“Yeah.” 

“…? Of course I like him? He is my best friend.”

“Not friends.”

Oscar drew a heart on a piece of blank paper.

…What is he saying, really.

“Why are you curious about that?” 

“Was he 11 years old now? He’s so young. But you still like him?” 

“…?” 

I’m not sure what he means by that question.

“You know Cheshire is four years older than me, right?” 

“….” 

Oscar stared at me.

I didn’t lose either and glared at him.

Oscar, who was the first one to hold the white flag, eventually leaned back in his chair and muttered.

“It’s ridiculous.”

“What are you complaining about?”

“I have no complaint.”

“I think you have?” 

“Open the book. let’s study.”

Oscar opened the book. I clenched my trembling fists.

“Ooh, I’m scared. What, are you going to hit me with that cotton bat?”

Oscar chuckled.

It’s so annoying, really…

***** 

The next day.

On the day of Lilith’s admission to the <Imperial Training Center>.

Enoch Rubinstein got up as soon as a ray of sunlight came through the window.

“Haa.” 

He has dark circles under his eyes because he worried about his daughter all night and tossed and turned all morning.

Looking to the side, his daughter is still in dreamland.

She pressed her chubby cheeks against the pillow.

Enoch laughed at her cute face and got up to get ready. 

Wash and change clothes—.

Even though it was the beginning of a day like any other, his heart was heavy.

“Princess, you must wake up.”

With a voice the size of an ant.

Actually, he doesn’t want to wake her up. No, he didn’t want to send his daughter.

“Ugh.” 

After washing his face several times, Enoch carefully lay down next to Lilith.

His daughter, who fell asleep with a soft, small breath, still smelled like a baby.

‘How do I send this little thing….’

Enoch bit his lip and gently placed his index finger on Lilith’s small palm.

Her short, plump baby fingers squeezed her father’s index finger in sleep.

“Uh-huh.” 

Lilith’s closed eyelids trembled as he kissed her on the cheek.

Enoch quickly grabbed Lilith’s favorite doll when he saw his daughter slowly open her eyes. 

Then, after clearing his throat, he said as if telling a story.

“Lilith, the sun is greeting you! Tosun has already woken up, but is Lilith still dreaming?”

“…Euhehe.” 

Lilith, rubbing her eyes, got up and hugged Tosun.

Enoch smiled.

“Did you sleep well, Princess?”

“Ung!” 

Enoch held Lilith as she laughed and hugged her doll with her messy hair.

“Okay.”

His daughter is always cute, but she was the cutest when she just woke up in the morning.

At some point, she was a daughter who became more mature than her age.

“I’m dreaming of a ghost….”

“Huh. Ghost?”

Is it because she’s sleepy in the morning?

It was exactly like her age.

“What did the ghost do? Did it try to eat Lilith?”

“Ung…”

“So? Did you run away?”

Enoch, who sat Lilith on his lap, took up the comb and asked.

Lilith nodded, still rubbing her heavy eyes.

“But I got caught…then Dad came and caught them all with a poker….”

“Ahaha! Then?”

Enoch laughed as he brushed Lilith’s hair.

“Today, rabbit…”

“Do you want rabbit hair?”

“Uh-huh. A sullen rabbit….”

“A sullen rabbit! All right.”

A sullen rabbit with drooping ears.

It’s a pigtail that goes down.

Enoch, who skillfully completed her hair, turned his daughter’s body and sat down facing each other.

“Oh, it’s pretty. My daughter is an angel, an angel.”

“I’m going today!”

Lilith smiled and stretched her hands out into the air.

“….”

Enoch hardened his smile.

What’s so good about being away from her Dad?

His daughter, who had been packing her bags and looking forward to it since yesterday, was even more excited when the day of admission came.

“Princess, are you really okay without Dad? Can you wash up, eat, and sleep alone?”

“Ung!”

“….”

“N, no. It’s not like that. I’ll just go bravely.”

“Haa.”

It was only after Dad sighed, and the daughter began to notice.

‘It’s driving me crazy, really.’

Actually his daughter is brave and has become like her Dad.

Enoch had never been away from Lilith for long, even when she was a newborn baby in his arms.

At least a month. That won’t happen, but if her grades are bad, she may have to stay in a training center longer.

He can’t even visit her.

Will it be okay to be away from Lilith for over a month—?

“Dad.”

“Hmm?”

Lilith dug into Enoch’s arms, who looked gloomy.

“What’s my favorite bread in the world~?”

“Suddenly? My princess, do you want to eat bread?”

“No, no, guess it! What’s my favorite bread!”

“A bread…”

She likes chocolate and macarons the most, and bread is—.

“Cake? My princess likes strawberry cake.”

“Wrong! You’re wrong!”

“Wrong? Then what is it?”

Lilith smiled and hugged Enoch by the neck.

“It’s Dad~♥︎” (t/n : It’s from 아빵 xD)

“…Ah.”

Really.

“Ahahaha! I’ll be right back. Just wait a little, Dad.”

It makes him cry.

This little angel.

“Yeah, my princess….”

Enoch, who was crying, hugged his daughter tightly with one hand covering his eyes.

“Dad will be waiting for you…”