One Day, My Dad Showed Up

Chapter 68

Like grains of sand basking in the midday sun, Artair’s heart was quietly sparkling and crumbling.

Was I crazy? Why did I see this?

Despite doubting my eyesight and mental state, I couldn’t look away from those eyes.

Those eyes... made me chase this child here breathlessly, all the way here.

Artair barely managed to speak in a composed voice.

“His Excellency the Duke of Chelsiers will give you everything. The world you inherit will be perfect, noble, and flawless.”

“...”

“You might not imagine this, but there are parents in the world who are ashamed of magic. Some husbands mistreat their wives just because they gave birth to a child who is a mage.”

A voice layered with implied despair, each layer varying in intensity.

A blue, deep, and quiet pessimism gradually consumed that child.

... and in the softly colored shade, something dazzlingly bright flickered.

A voice, dark and calm, flowed from the depths of the boy’s abyss.

“You are perfect now, so stay perfect.”

“...”

“Pretend you didn’t hear anything and go back, young Duke Chelsiers. To the people who suit you.”

The child’s pain, sorrow, hardships, and trials.

They chased me here, shaking me to my core and transforming me into someone I didn’t know.

It was the first time I was fascinated by someone else’s despair.

I asked, as if spellbound.

“And if I go back, what will happen to you?”

The words fell on the boy like a meteor.

From deep blue despair suddenly emerged a glowing spark. Strong and fierce, flickering and crackling.

In the dark, damp swamp of pain, a fire burned on the child’s face.

It was beautiful.

Hope shone because of despair, will was revealed in crises, and anger burnt most fiercely when fueled by humiliation.

So, I asked again.

“Knowing there’s another possibility, will you stay ?”

“... what does it matter?”

His immediate retort, brimming with the rashness of a ten-year-old, contained raw emotion.

But I still couldn’t leave Artair.

“If you want to run away, run away. I’ll make it possible.”

A faint light returned to the boy’s eyes, covering all scars, cracks, and pain.

My reason was slowly being restored.

But the feeling of being out of my mind persisted.

I looked at Artair with a scattered mind. His expression was also strange.

Wanting to hold on to a handful of hope, yet unable to fully trust, he cupped it in his hands.

The boy asked faintly.

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

For a moment, I couldn’t answer.

I didn’t have a particular reason.

It wasn’t something I was doing out of any rational motive.

Suppressing a sigh, I said.

“Firstly, no matter how much you dislike it, you’ll come again. Just as your father dragged you here today. So, even if you’re uncooperative like today, it’ll only inconvenience others.”

“...”

“Secondly, if your family is expelled from the council, you’ll soon lose your independence and be incorporated under Chelsiers. Your family’s territory is in the east.”

Artair blinked. I continued.

“Then the one I’ll likely face won’t be your father, but you.”

Having spoken hastily, I knew my words would easily fall apart under scrutiny, so I pressed on without giving him time to think.

“Lastly, your talent is real.”

The expression of rising bewilderment froze.

The boy’s face wavered again. I calmly observed his turmoil.

I was aware of having revealed a significant weakness.

But a weapon too large was dangerous only in the hands of someone who knew how to wield it.

This child...

‘Is too weak to do so.’

A boy so young and powerless that he couldn’t even handle his own talent, couldn’t bear this.

Artair, being astute enough to sense this... his face paled with chilling fear.

But he didn’t shrink further.

His blue eyes shone resolutely.

“Can you give me time to think?”

“Of course.”

I answered immediately.

If he was smart enough to grasp reality, he would ultimately have only one choice.

To accept my help, even at the cost of his future.

Artair, flustered by my quick response, stood up as I did.

Words that didn’t need to be said.

Time that didn’t need to be spent.

Having wasted enough, I needed to return to Eciel.

The boy who stood awkwardly, his face innocent and confused, finally looked his age.

I found myself observing him quietly.

But such a sudden observation wouldn’t go unnoticed.

His expression gradually shifted to curiosity, meeting my gaze with a mix of doubt and defiance.

‘... he has a bit of a temper.’

In a hopeless situation, unable to decide, anyone else would be hesitant, just watching.

But Artair didn’t hide his rebellious nature.

Even though it wouldn’t improve his situation, he insisted on defiance...

Just as I was absentmindedly thinking this, the persistent blue eyes blinked once.

And something filled the boy’s face.

What was it?

A faint mist. A distant dawn. A hazy, brightening morning. A long, faint horizon.

A beautiful admiration, like all those vague, lovely moments, blossomed fully on the boy’s face.

‘Ah.’

I shouldn’t have let him see my realization... but I couldn’t help but smile.

Artair’s face suddenly flushed.

He seemed aware of his expression, momentarily at a loss, then abruptly ran out.

‘Running won’t change anything.’

I snapped my fingers.

A light breeze seized Artair’s limbs, holding him.

“Let me go!”

“Do you know the way?”

“...”

“Wouldn’t it be more embarrassing to get lost and run into me again?”

The struggling child halted.

Realizing he couldn’t find his way alone and thinking I’d find him faster with my wind, he must have understood.

I spoke with a voice tinged with amusement.

“If you promise not to run again and follow me quietly, I’ll let you go.”

“... I promise.”

The wind loosened and dissipated.

The boy, hiding his flushed face but unable to conceal his red ears, stood there.

I led the way, preserving his last bit of dignity.