Side Story Part 5
With a somewhat awkward expression, he looked alternately at us sitting across from him, then his deep green pupils turned bright blue when he saw Heilo in Hyle’s arms.
“Heilo…!”
The moment Eizelle called her name, amazingly, the sleeping Heilo snapped her eyes open.
After looking around with sparkling green eyes, Heilo met Eizelle’s gaze and froze.
And then…
“Uh… waaaaaah…”
Heilo, who seemed about to whimper, buried her face in Hyle’s chest and burst into tears.
This happened in less than five seconds after making eye contact with Eizelle.
“Why are you making the child cry? Can’t you see she’s frightened?”
“Ugh, Rosiel. Is my face that scary?”
At Hyle’s cold remark, Eizelle looked at me with pitiful eyes and asked, his expression indignant.
With his narrow yet intense eyes and long, frozen, drooping corners of his mouth, he looked less scary and more like a tense grandfather.
“Well… if you smiled a bit, I don’t think Heilo would be afraid.”
“…Like this?”
Eizelle awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth. The problem was that only his lips moved. If you’re smiling, why aren’t your eyes changing!
“Perhaps your eyes should move too…?”
“Hmm, like this…?”
“That’s better now.”
Contrary to our concerns, Eizelle treated us without reservation.
Even Hyle, who had been more worried than me, slowly began to relax after seeing Eizelle making an effort for Heilo.
This is better than expected. Even though I’m a Laté, I didn’t expect him to be friendly, even if he didn’t openly show dislike…
For our first meeting since the wedding, it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable.
Eizelle was just an ordinary grandfather who wanted to see his granddaughter.
“I’d like to hold Heilo.”
At Eizelle’s words, Hyle looked at me. When I nodded, indicating it was fine, Eizelle carefully took Heilo into his arms with a brighter expression.
“She’s so small…”
Slowly stroking the cheek of Heilo, who had somehow fallen back asleep after crying, Eizelle raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
“That rascal Hyle was once this small too.”
“…Do you remember Hyle’s childhood?”
“Of course I remember.”
Eizelle seemed to have said it casually, but I didn’t miss it.
When I questioned him, he nodded gently with a look that suggested it was obvious.
Of course, I had met Hyle several times when we were young, but we weren’t close enough to call each other friends, so there was much I didn’t know.
This was… a unique, golden opportunity to hear about Hyle’s childhood!
“…Daddy?”
Just then, Heilo opened her eyes again. Staring at Eizelle who was holding her, she tilted her head and spoke.
See, I told you Eizelle and Hyle look exactly alike!? No wonder even Heilo is confused!
“Heilo, this is Grandfather. Say ‘Grandfather.'”
“Mmm… Granpa?”
With her eyes wide open, Heilo readily followed my words. Her small lips moved precisely as she carefully pronounced the title.
“Hoho, well now… this is my first time feeling like this. Yes, Rosiel. You wanted to hear about Hyle’s childhood?”
Thanks to being called Grandfather by Heilo, Eizelle’s expression grew even gentler. His attitude was certainly more relaxed than when we first arrived.
“Rosiel, I don’t think that would be very interesting.”
Hyle, looking troubled, lightly tugged at my sleeve. He seemed strangely urgent, which was quite suspicious.
“Why, is there something you’re hiding from your childhood? A fiancée perhaps?”
“…Of course not.”
“He says no, Father. Please begin. In as much detail as possible.”
After a long pause, a complicated sound escaped from Hyle’s lips.
He’s become more shameless than before, but it’s still fun to tease him.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
When I looked at Eizelle with a solemn expression, he too raised the corners of his mouth meaningfully.
It was the first time Eizelle and I were in complete agreement.
“Rosiel, would you like to take a walk with me? We have some time before dinner.”
Saying he could move on his own without support for a short while, Eizelle rose, handed Heilo back to Hyle, and casually asked my opinion.
We had been discussing Hyle’s childhood for quite some time, and only concluded as the evening sky turned red with sunset.
It was quite an enjoyable time for Eizelle and me, but not so much for Hyle.
Thanks to Eizelle’s good memory, I learned many details about Hyle.
Every single one was invaluable information.
For instance, young Hyle’s dream was to become a goddess so he could freely pick and eat all the grapes in the world… things like that.
These were stories never seen in the original work, so they were extremely interesting.
“A walk?”
“The garden here may not be as grand as the mansion in the capital, but it’s still worth seeing.”
It seems he wants to be alone with me… what should I do?
Glancing back at Hyle, he didn’t seem keen on the idea. It was fine now with him nearby, but otherwise, he seemed wary.
“Of course.”
Ignoring Hyle, I quickly nodded. Somehow, I felt Eizelle wouldn’t treat me badly even if we were alone.
“I’ll come too.”
“You stay here with Heilo. The outside air has grown chilly… besides, I can’t walk for long anyway.”
Seeing Hyle stick close to me, Eizelle clicked his tongue and forcibly separated him, telling him not to bother me.
“Rosiel, don’t indulge that fellow’s clinginess. It’s a bad habit.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I should maintain some distance from now on.”
“Good thinking. Don’t let him act spoiled.”
When I playfully agreed with Eizelle’s words, Hyle’s expression froze as if he’d received a shock.
“…Rosiel.”
“Hyle, stay here for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
Leaving Hyle behind, I followed Eizelle out.
The garden, full of neatly blooming flowers under the red sky, was clearly well-maintained even at a glance.
“Thank you for coming today. I should have said this earlier—I’m late in doing so.”
“Not at all. I should apologize for not visiting sooner.”
I could feel his kind green eyes directed at me. It was the same warm gaze as Hyle’s. As I thought, Eizelle… didn’t dislike me.
“Rosiel, I… believe that Laté and Feros are eternal enemies.”
Eizelle continued with a careful tone. It seemed he had something he wanted to say, which was probably why he asked me to come along.
“But the enemy Mattio is dead, and the current head of Laté doesn’t have the same notoriety. You, once known as the most infamous villainess, have received divine favor—”
Suddenly, his words stopped. As I slowly turned my head, I immediately met Eizelle’s gaze as he looked at me with gentle eyes.
“…Now you’re my family. Rosiel, I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable all this time. The knot in my heart finally seems to be loosening. This old man was petty.”
I stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before taking it.
It felt as if all the feelings Eizelle had harbored toward Laté had completely disappeared with that handshake.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected an apology, so I was quite surprised.
From the beginning, Eizelle was just naturally reserved in his manner—he never disliked me… perhaps Hyle and I were the ones who misunderstood him.
After walking a bit more in the garden and exchanging various stories, we headed back inside when told dinner was ready.
There were no more worries or misunderstandings. The fact that I now had a real family—this alone made today worthwhile.
