Chapter 16: Love and Teeth

Tina, who had been on the verge of tears, suddenly glanced at me and hastily explained.

"O-Of course... I love Dad and Mom now. But... why? When I think of my old mom... I miss her..."

"Tina."

"I'm sorry... Dad."

"Tina, you have nothing to apologize for."

People call a parent's love for their child unconditional.

It comes from parents who expect nothing in return, only wanting what's best for their child.

That's why we often fall into the misconception.

That parental love is the noblest and most sacred of emotions.

It's not entirely wrong.

"Uu... hic..."

But the child weeps.

Longing for parents she can barely remember, feeling guilty towards me because of those feelings, she lowers her tearful eyes.

A child is blinder than an adult's prejudices.

Even without reward, a child loves their parents. Even if those parents neglect their own flesh and blood, the child only looks back at the cliff's edge when pushed to the brink.

Filial piety.

That's what we agreed to call a child's pure love.

"Tina." S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Huu... yes..."

"Shall we go see your real mother?"

"Really...?"

"Yes, it seems Elphisia has been looking into it extensively."

"Mom... found my real mom...?"

For a moment, Tina's expression grew complex. At first she seemed happy, but then her lips suddenly drooped in disappointment.

Tina hesitated slightly before speaking.

"Did Mom... start to dislike me? Is that why she's trying to find my real mom, to get rid of me...?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

I could firmly reject that notion. I firmly believe in Elphisia, after my vow on my baptismal name.

Elphisia was certainly not the type of woman to resort to petty schemes to get rid of Tina.

"You just said it, didn't you? That you miss your real mom. Surely... Elphisia understood your true feelings and wanted to help."

"So she doesn't dislike me?"

"How did you feel when Elphisia read you stories?"

Tina pursed her lips and pondered deeply.

It took her only a moment to answer.

"It felt... nice."

"Did it seem like she disliked you?"

"... No."

"See? You know best, don't you?"

"You're right. Mom doesn't dislike me."

"That's right."

I remember having a serious conversation with Elphisia last night, sitting on that cheap bed. Her opinions were always considerate, so not a single argument arose.

It was proof that she had genuinely considered Tina's situation.

"Shall we go see your real mother?"

"..."

"Tina?"

"What if..."

Tina clasped her hands tightly and drew her legs together. As if she wanted to ask a difficult question.

"What if... What if... I end up living with my real mom... Does that mean I'll have to say goodbye to you and Mom?"

"Probably."

"Uuu..."

I patted Tina's head as she made a crying face.

"But you can come visit us anytime. We're family, aren't we?"

"... Yes."

Only then did Tina smile faintly, as if relieved. Then she voiced her opinion confidently with a reassured tone.

"I want to meet her. My real mom."

"If that's what you want, by all means."

Tina nodded vigorously. To me, it seemed like the stirring of a baby bird about to take flight into this world's sky.

The journey preparations took a full day.

We rented a carriage with Elphisia's dowry and packed provisions for the trip.

Finally, by locking the front gate, we began the longest outing since the orphanage's founding.

---

---

According to Elphisia's investigation, Tina's birth mother lives in a village on the border.

It was in the domain of Border Count Aron Behiroth, a warrior who guarded the boundary with the demon realm. As the gatekeeper of the empire's most dangerous region, he was renowned as a master swordsman. There were many rumors about this man.

He wasn't a prominent character in the original story, so I didn't have much information about him either.

So, at this moment, the most important thing was...

"Weight."

"Gravity."

"Reciprocal."

"Hydropower."

"Weightlifting."

"Energy."

"Capacity."

"Solar power."

"Aaaaargh!!!"

Dealing with Yulian's thoroughly heated outburst was the most crucial task.

Yulian, who had gloriously combusted in the word chain game, finally bared his fangs towards me.

"It's unfair... truly unfair, Director!"

"What kind of language is that towards Papa who played by the rules, hmm?"

"Even so! Even so! This isn't right! It's an all-powerful pattern!"

"Oh my. The winner can't hear the loser's excuses, Yulian."

"Gaaaaaah!"

Despite his childish complaints, Yulian was surprisingly a skilled player who had lasted until the end.

Tina and Glen had been knocked out long ago, and Elphisia hadn't shown interest from the start.

Still, seeing her watch with some interest, I couldn't help but get serious.

"One more match! Tina!"

"Sodium."

"Eeek...!!!"

"You're a hundred years too early to challenge me, you brat. Go practice with Tina and Glen first."

At my perfect victory declaration, Yulian grumbled.

"I... really hate you, Director..."

"Papa really loves his son~"

When I casually retorted, the young boy rubbed his face dry. He was a precocious child, making him fun to tease in various ways.

Elphisia shot me a disapproving glare, as if I was being vulgar.

"Goodness, stop teasing him already."

"Ahem, I was planning to stop here anyway."

"Haah... I had no idea you were such a playful person. I feel deceived now."

"Well, they say men are just big kids. Tina, make sure you remember that."

Tina diligently inputted my advice into her head.

"Yes! Yulian and Glen are just big kids!"

"What? That can't be!"

"What nonsense!"

Yulian and Glen protested against the unreasonable accusations. Amidst the noisy kids bickering, Elphisia spoke to me.

"Harte. Could you lend me your ear for a moment?"

"Ah, sure. Go ahead."

As I tilted my ear towards her, our shoulders inevitably touched. Since we were both lightly dressed, the feeling of our skin pressing together was vivid.

With our distance extremely close, she spoke.

"I wanted to discuss something in case of an unforeseen situation."

"What is it?"

"Nothing's certain yet, but I think we should be prepared. After all, you're the most knowledgeable about this..."

Elphisia whispered her opinion about a certain scenario to me. And I listened attentively to her opinion, following her will.

It was a solid conversation.

As we continued whispering, I realized once again that Elphisia was indeed a caring person.

Just as I was paying attention to her whispers again...

Thunk!

"Ugh."

"Ah."

"Eek!"

The carriage shook violently.

It seemed we had hit an unusually protruding stone. As a result, the children had to rub their bottoms while letting out various groans.

... The problem was us.

"... Huh?"

"Mmph..."

Elphisia's delicate lips landed softly on my right cheek. That impossibly soft sensation was impossible to ignore. The lingering feeling that seemed to persist for a long time slowly distanced itself.

All the children were staring at us with wide eyes.

The same went for Elphisia. The white of her eyes was more prominent than ever in those crimson irises, and her face was painted the color of a ripe plum skin.

I was certain I looked no different.

"Uwa..."

"Hick...!"

I stared intently at Elphisia's lips that had just separated from me, noticing that the red tint on her lips was slightly faded.

Thanks to that, I could roughly visualize my appearance without looking in a mirror.

That's when Tina opened her mouth in shock.

"Dad, Mom's kiss is left on your cheek."

An incredibly cruel confirmation shot.

Cruel because of its innocence.

Glen was averting his gaze with a face red from embarrassment.

"Uu... uuu... kuheuuuk...!!!"

"E-Elphisia."

She glared at me when I called her name.

"It was a mistake. A mistake! It wasn't intentional at all! Don't misunderstand!"

"O-Of course it was! I know that!"

"Why do you know that!"

"What's wrong with that?!"

I was dumbfounded by her unreasonable rebuke. Meanwhile, Elphisia was frantically wiping my cheek with her handkerchief.

"The Director and Vice Director really get along well..."

Glen commented while covering his bright red cheeks.

Then Yulian, who had found an opportunity, opened his mouth of disaster.

"Kuk, it seems we're too young to witness Papa and Mama's passionate display of affection. I do wish they'd take it outside the carriage?"

This is maddening.

Not only had I upset Elphisia, but now I was being teased by Yulian too. This was already close to the worst defeat an adult could suffer.

"Um... Elphisia."

"Don't say anything... Not a word."

"Okay..."

Elphisia had her head buried in the corner of the carriage, hiding her shame with both hands.

A disastrous accident that not even a miracle could salvage.

Our journey continued in a sunken atmosphere until dawn the next day.

---

---

After time passed filled with laughter and tears, and the sun and moon alternated, we reached the end of our journey.

Finally, the carriage arrived at the border region.

Since it bordered the demon realm, I had vaguely imagined a desolate landscape. However, the Border Count's domain that I witnessed with my own eyes was breathtakingly beautiful.

Just breathing in made my lungs feel clearer, and with no unnecessarily tall buildings, the view was wide open.

Especially the sight of vast fields waiting for harvest evoked a strange nostalgia from my past life.

'Rice, huh... Even at the temple, we alternated between bread and rice.'

It was an understandable environment, given how much rice was said to be brought from the border.

'Well... Rice is unparalleled in its ability to support populations, so it's perfect as military provisions.'

Still, a sense of dissonance was inevitable. We had just crossed the border, yet I was greeted by the familiar scenery of a K-rural village. It felt like I might sit on a wooden platform under a tree and drink makgeolli(Korean alcoholic beverage)... That kind of scene.

"Does it fascinate you, Harte?"

"It's not so much fascinating as it is familiar..."

"Have you visited before?"

"No, that's not it. It's just a feeling."

"Certainly... It wasn't time yet."

"What wasn't?"

"The time for you to come to the border."

Her words were correct. This was my first visit to the border.

But somehow, Elphisia's words felt... off. As if she knew exactly when I would visit.

'Am I being oversensitive?'

I wanted to ask in detail, but Elphisia was gazing out the window endlessly, as if lost in thought.

To me, she looked like she was reminiscing about fond memories.

Had she formed some kind of connection with the border region behind the scenes of the original story?

'... A man, perhaps?'

If she couldn't forget that person, and that's why she made a contract with me stating there would be no love between us...?

What if it was a relationship that broke off because Duke Luminel forced her marriage to me...?

Somehow... I don't like this kind of imagination.

Every time I inflate these baseless speculations, her diligence towards me seems like nothing but a sense of duty...

I quickly shook my head.

'Idiot. Of course it can only be out of duty. What are you expecting? Me.'

If there's one thing I hope for, it's that we could at least become good friends.

Although our designated titles as husband and wife are obligatory, I wish we could be good friends outside of those obligations.

After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we'll continue to be a married couple.

It's not uncommon for couples to live based on friendship.

As I was coming to terms with this on my own, Elphisia finally announced our final destination.

"We're almost there. It's called Lirusia Village. They mainly run orchards rather than rice paddies."

"Is that where Tina's birth mother lives?"

"Yes. We should arrive in about 10 minutes at most."

At Elphisia's announcement, Tina curled up as if tense. I was about to offer some words of encouragement, but the children beat me to it, taking the initiative to boost Tina's courage.

"Stand tall. Your mother is right in front of you. It's no big deal."

"She'll definitely remember you. Even I remember my parents' faces, and I lost them when I was much younger."

In Glen's case, it's probably due to his exceptional intelligence, but that hardly matters.

What's important is that Tina's face brightened considerably.

'There are things that only children of the same age understand.'

Would an adult's meddling be out of place here? Feeling both regretful and worried, I tightly grasped Tina's hand.

"It'll be alright."

"... Yes!"

Tina seemed sufficiently comforted by those simple words. The clouded expression on her face had cleared up.

The carriage's speed gradually decreased.

Finally, when the horse that had come to a complete stop whinnied, the coachman announced loudly.

"We've arrived, my lords. You see that small vegetable garden in the yard? The house with the yellow roof. Yes, yes. That's the one."

We slowly got out of the carriage and turned in the direction the coachman pointed. It looked like an ordinary house that one would never guess had once been the companion of a dragon.

Tina stood at the very front and looked back at us.

When I nodded and gently pushed her back, Tina finally turned her back to us and advanced towards the house with the yellow roof.

Befitting a quiet countryside, there was no latch on the gate. It seemed the concept of thieves had completely disappeared from their culture.

Thus, Tina could open the gate without any hindrance.

Tina, who had passed through the gap of the open gate, paused for a moment. Judging by the rise and fall of her chest, she seemed to be taking deep breaths to calm herself.

After steeling her resolve, Tina moved forward again.

When there were less than ten steps left to the front door of the house.

Suddenly, a small figure burst out from the wide-open front door.

"Huh?"

It was a boy.

Much younger than Tina, but just old enough to run around and play... about that age.

The boy with the innocent face tilted his head and slowly opened his mouth.

"Who are you, big sis?"

Tina's feet, which had been bravely moving forward, faltered.

"Ah..."

Tina let out a gasp.

Her body stiffened as if petrified.

Her small, fragile back curled up like an armadillo.

As if trying to protect a painful wound.