Side Story 7 – Daddy
Side Story 7
Daddy
“Hadel, why did you do that?”
Ashaella asked, patting her comfortably full stomach and resting her chin on her hand, elbows propped on the table.
Hadel, who had just taken a sip of wine, flinched momentarily but pretended not to know what she meant.
“Hmm? What?”
His act was so convincing that Ashaella couldn’t help but smile.
Normally, she would have let it slide, but this time she felt the need to address it clearly.
“That knight, Ruban. Why did you torment him like that? Even though you were going to let him join anyway.”
“…Hmm.”
Ashaella cupped Hadel’s cheek as he tried to subtly avoid her gaze, and asked again.
“Don’t bully him again later. He’s the first Lu tribesman to formally join the Imperial Knights since Rahu.”
“…”
“The Emperor bullying him could be seen as discrimination. You understand what I mean, right?”
“Asha.”
Hadel took her hand from his cheek and replied grumpily.
“I’m not that foolish.”
“I know. So why did you do it?”
In truth, Ashaella already knew the answer.
Ruban’s reaction was undeniably that of a man completely smitten with her.
And Hadel, who was most sensitive to other men’s gazes toward Ashaella, couldn’t have missed it.
Even so, she asked deliberately because—
“That fellow’s eyes…!”
—Hadel looked so adorable when he huffed and puffed like this.
Though others found the Emperor too intimidating to even make eye contact, at times like this, he resembled a large dog that had lost its owner’s attention.
Just as Hadel was about to elaborate further on Ruban, a familiar sound erupted from beside them.
“Ahpaaah!”
It was still just a simple “sound” with no discernible meaning, but this time it seemed to sound different to Hadel.
“Huh? W-wait. Asha! D-did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Just now! Roa just now!”
“Yes. Roa just what?”
“No, Roa just called me daddy! Daddy! DADDY!”
“…Did she?”
Ashaella tilted her head in confusion. Her silver hair cascaded to the side, reflecting the sunlight.
Just then, Robelia’s mouth opened again.
“Ah… buh.”
“Whoa? Just now! She did it! She did it again! She said daddy!”
Hadel’s body was almost completely leaning toward Robelia.
His pink eyes sparkled wildly, his face full of joy as he looked lovingly back and forth between Robelia and Ashaella.
The problem was that Ashaella couldn’t hear anything resembling “daddy” at all.
She wanted to tell him outright that it didn’t sound like it, but seeing Hadel’s sparkling eyes full of expectation, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
In the end, Ashaella decided to give Robelia one more chance.
“Well. Our Roa, can you say it again?”
“Baa?”
“That’s right, Da-ddy! Say it, Roa. Da-ddy!”
Hadel was so excited beside her that he was practically dancing on his shoulders.
Robelia, oblivious to it all, just waved her tiny limbs and laughed gleefully.
“Kyah! Pa!”
And whenever a sound somewhat resembling “daddy” popped out, Hadel would jump up again and look at Robelia adoringly.
“See! I knew it! Our Roa must be a genius, Asha! What should we do? How should we handle someone so smart? Is she a genius because she takes after you? Ah… As a father with a genius daughter, I need to start thinking about how to raise her properly.”
Hadel was getting talkative.
Ashaella kept her words to herself.
It seemed good to just leave things as they were.
A peaceful, warm, and fluffy afternoon at the Imperial Palace.
“Are you having fun, our Roa?”
It was a time when everyone smiled happily at the antics of the Imperial Princess, whose future path was still unpredictable.
