One Day, My Dad Showed Up

Chapter 18

Mom and Eciel were powerless. Dad was bound by magic.@@@@

It wasn’t a situation where I could easily escape magic on my own.

As long as my family was held hostage, if the emperor wished, I would have to enter the magic circle at any time.

Did the vague ’emotional wounds’ that Mom didn’t bother to explain in detail include this?

Both Mom and Dad must have had stories they couldn’t bring themselves to express directly, knowing that I was listening.

There was no way they didn’t consider this magic on Dad when going to the capital.

‘...wait. Did Mom and Dad do not realize that I could be bound by magic like this?’

The emperor stopped again the moment that thought crossed my mind.

The reception room where he welcomed our family was left behind long ago. Now, it seemed the emperor’s footsteps were clearly heading outside the palace.

Why did he suddenly stop?

“Why are you here at this hour?”

A genuinely puzzled question.

I raised my gaze from the ground.

Before me stood a young boy.

There were a few people who looked like attendants behind him, but since the emperor focused on him, I also turned to look at him.

Bright platinum hair. Clear green eyes. A clean and gentle demeanor. He looked about seven or eight years old...

He was the emperor’s son.

I recognized him because he had all the distinctive features of the imperial family.

The green eyes looking at me were widening in surprise, revealing the wonder inside, much like Eciel when she was astonished.

“Uh, I-I mean, I wanted to see Fermata... I was thinking about asking my father when Duke Chelsiers entered the palace...”

The boy stumbled over his words slightly.

He didn’t seem like someone who usually stuttered to begin with; he just seemed surprised to see me.

It was a simple story; he wanted to see Fermata and asked his father to inform him when he entered.

Each moment he looked at me, he seemed increasingly astonished, prolonging the anticipation indefinitely.

Still, like my parents did to Eciel and me, the emperor patiently listened to the prince’s story.

“Um... by the way, who is this child?”

At the end of the poorly concluded story, the boy looked directly at me and asked.

The child’s speech was now almost stable that it seemed like I could sketch out the form of the enormous curiosity contained in that question.

The emperor smiled.

“Who do you think she is?”

“With my limited thoughts, perhaps, could she be Duke Chelsiers’s daughter?”

I almost burst out laughing.

‘Both the situation and the dialogue are different.’

When I was brought here, I remembered practicing greetings with Eciel in the carriage. It felt like a well-scripted play.

This boy was even younger than Eciel.

His eyes sparkled with pure admiration for Astariol, his eager expression transparent with the desire to satisfy his curiosity was enough to leave me speechless.

Perhaps, if I was to create a whirlwind here, he might clap his hands in admiration just like Eciel.

“Exactly. She is Duke Chelsiers’s daughter and an Astariol. Say hello, Callen.”

Then the emperor’s gaze returned to me. I spoke like an actor on stage.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Claire, the eldest daughter of Duke Chelsiers, the leader of the East.”

The boy couldn’t help but let out an exclamation. Even his smooth cheeks slightly reddened with excitement.

The reign of the tyrant melted away like snow under the spring sun, following nature, while the emperor, embodying glory, blessing, and legitimacy, led the new world.

The emperor who led the development and revival suddenly stopped and personally opened the door.

“Ta-da.”

He even made a clicking sound with his mouth, as if expecting something.

‘...I don’t know how to react in this situation.’

I blinked momentarily, then glanced briefly at the knight behind me, silently asking for guidance.

But he avoided my gaze.

I wish I hadn’t dismissed the knights earlier so roughly.

The emperor gestured impatiently with an unamused expression.

“Just come in.”

It was the first time in my life someone had said this to me.

“If you instruct me, I’ll do it...”

“No, no. That’s the problem with you guys.”

“Yes?”

“You need to be creative. You want me to teach you how to make something pop out with just a push? It’s fun when you figure it out yourself and go ‘wow!’ without me teaching you.”

So, he wanted me to say ‘wow!’ next time. I should prepare myself to be surprised again next time.

The emperor pushed the door further open to let me in.

It was my first time stepping into the small palace attached to Reilheim’s main palace.

However, unlike Reilheim, this palace didn’t seem to be managed at all. It was evident that people rarely visited here.

The silence that enveloped the entire palace was eerie, almost palpable. It felt as if the silence would break nervously if stepped upon.

It was strange.

However, as the emperor led the way into the spacious hall of this palace, I felt an even stranger sensation.

An almost instinctual aversion. A profound sense of disgust suppressing rationality ...a psychological rejection that couldn’t be explained with logic and reason.

My steps halted at the doorway.

Strange. I didn’t know what was strange, but here, it was truly strange.

‘...what on earth is here exactly?’

My mind raced urgently.

Why was I feeling such intense pressure now, precisely? However, the only reason I could guess with my limited information was the ‘submission’ magic.

And if I were to be ensnared by that magic here, my mother...

Mom had already carried a lot of guilt. Could my mother endure the spell even entangling her daughter’s entire life?

The answer was already clear.

‘My mother would never be able to stand it.’

In the end, I stood still at the threshold. Whether psychologically or logically, I didn’t want to enter.

Even though I clearly knew that if the emperor wished to give the order, it couldn’t be avoided.

As if he had anticipated my reaction, the emperor spoke as if nothing was amiss.

“It’s okay. You’re perfectly normal.”

“...Your Majesty.”

‘I really don’t want to go in.’

Perhaps he had expected such a response.

Without showing any surprise, the emperor swung the door wide open. Then, he stepped into the hall himself.

Inside the door, there was absolutely nothing.