Chapter 34

34 “Alexander’s Departure”

After their long conversation, Duke Heartz and Marquis Roselia left our house.

I looked up to my father and he carried me to my room after dinner.

He tucked me in my bed and when I saw my father pulling the blanket over me, my heart began to pound nervously.

I got up unconsciously and grabbed his sleeves when he was about to leave after saying goodbye.

“Ele?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just did that unconsciously.”

He slowly smiled after looking at me with a perplexed expression.

“When are you leaving, Daddy?”

“In a day or two... There will be some knights of my squadron and the maids are here to take care of you.”

.....

“Um.. Don’t worry about me. Just be safe..”

“I will try to finish this quickly and return to you.”

“Daddy....”

“Sleep.”

“Goodnight, Daddy.”

“Goodnight.”

____ ____ ____

“You can’t disrespect my daughter like this even if you are the emperor!”

I opened my eyes at the sudden voice and saw my father, whose hand was clenching around the sword handle on his waist.

What the heck is he talking about?

Only then did I see correctly who I was now.

It’s not me, but the 24-year-old girl who was going to be dead in a few days.

I tried to stop my father from doing this as i know he was imprisoned after this.

“No, Daddy!!”

I had to stop my father from doing this.

“Please stop, Daddy!”

I hastily tried to catch him, but he was getting farther away from me.

I was so nervous. I couldn’t let him go to the prison just for defending me.

“Please don’t go..”

“...”

“Please, Daddy... Don’t leave me alone.”

When I was reaching out desperately, I felt I touched something stiff at my fingertips.

I don’t know what it was, but I grasped it in my hand and clung to it with all my might.

“Ele”

“No...Don’t leave me.”

“Ele, you’re fine. Ele, open your eyes.”

I opened my eyes to someone’s friendly whispering and saw my father’s blue eyes full of concern.

When I quickly looked around, my room in the duchy mansion came into view.

I saw myself grasping my father’s shirt as a child.

‘It was a dream.’

I sighed with relief. My father, who reached out and pulled me into his arms, patted my back, and said lightly,

“You must have had a nightmare, again.”

“...”

Do i have a nightmare like this everynight?

Otherwise how can be daddy here at this time?

“You’re alright. It’s just a dream.”

While he slowly swept my hair, I smoothed out my rough breathing.

I sunk into his arms to feel a little more warmth.

Only now could I feel relieved.

“You’re still very young now. I think I’m a foolish to forget your age.”

“Daddy”

“Should i not leave?”

“Am fine now, Daddy. I have to look after our duchy sooner or later.”

“Be strong, Ele. You can do this...”

“Yeah, I can do this!”

I said with great enthusiasm and father stroked my hair.

“I will try to come back as soon as possible, I’m sorry for leaving you now when you need me the most.”

“No, you don’t have to be sorry. I will be fine.”

I tried not to show sadness when he repeatedly said he was sorry for leaving me, but I shook my head, pulling myself together deep down.

As a nobleman and an imperial knight, he was doing what he was supposed to do, so I should not dishearten him who was leaving on a long journey.

I spoke as brightly as possible to him as he let out a long sigh,

“I’m really fine, so don’t worry about me, and please come back safely when you carry out your mission.”

“... Sure. Can you go back to sleep now? You must be very tired as you slept fitfully,” he said, releasing me carefully.

Sitting slowly on the edge of the bed, he laid me back and covered me with the blanket again.

“Let me sit here by your side until you go to sleep.”

“You will be tired, daddy...”

“I’m fine. I think I can sleep comfortably when I see you fall asleep. ”

“Still... ”

“Am okey, Just sleep.”

Cutting me off strongly, he said in a soft voice,

“I will leave everything with you when it comes to our family affairs while I’m away. Take care of any urgent things, and leave the non-urgent stuff alone. As you have other work to do, don’t overwork yourself. Got it?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Avoid going outside as much as possible, and try to stay home.”

“Yes, will do. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, I believe you. Don’t worry too much about me. Make sure you practice properly. Even though you feel better these days, you are basically still very weak, as you know.”

“Yes, daddy.”

“And... ”

I began to feel drowsy when he gently stroked my dishevelled hair on the pillow. I heard his gentle voice fading away.

“Don’t fall for him again this time...”

I seem to hear my father say something but i couldn’t hear it properly as i was slowly falling asleep with my father next to me.

____ ____ ____

Two days later ~

.....

I frowned slightly at the lukewarm air even in the early morning.

I felt my father and the knights would find it harder to travel to the border areas.

I hurriedly called Maria and asked her to get me something.

In my previous life, I had made this with my mother, for father.

But because we grew apart and anyone hardly mentioned anything about mother infront of him, i didn’t had the courage to give him this.

With the help of Maria and the other maids, i got ready to bid my father and the other knights.

When I arrived on the training field, a silver-haired knight, who looked no less then a mythical God, in his blue uniform, standing in front of the knights and calming down the neighing horses, looked at me.

“You’re here.” Although his voice was cold, but i could feel warmness into it.

“Yes, daddy. Please be careful.”

“Sure. Keep well. When something happens, ask Marquis Roselia for help, okay?”

“Sure, i will do.”

“Okay, then. Goodbye! We need to depart now.”

“Oh, daddy, wait a minute.”

My father, who stroked my head once and turned around, looked back.

“What’s the matter?”

“This...”

His blue eyes opened wide slightly. As he looked surprised, I said quickly, “I made it with mommy, praying that you could come back safely, the last time you went...”

My father kept staring at that silver tassel which was decorated with blue jewels like his eyes.

Five years ago, when my father went to the border inception, my mother and i was making this tassel for my father.

Right after we finished making this, we were ambushed and mom had to sacrificed herself because of me.

“Thank you.”

Receiving the silver tassel that can be considered as my mother’s last gift for him, he spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

While watching him put the tassel on his sword, he looked at it for a while again.

He seemed to miss my mother again.

I opened my eyes wide because he took out our duchy seal.

It had my father’s name on, and having it meant you have the permission of the Duke Dalton.

I was even more shocked when he handed this over to me.

“If you give me this... ”

“Don’t worry. It’s a normal athourity seal. As I have received a precious gift, shouldn’t I give you one as well?”

Father came forward and kissed my head before he get on his horse and left.

I kept staring at his shiny silver hair, till i could no longer see it.