CHAPTER 47

Suddenly, everyone froze and only their blinking eyes moved. Even Father, who always tried to think rationally, seemed somewhat broken, unable to say anything as he looked at Colin. 

“If I marry her, I’m confident that I’ll treat her well.”

As if making a promise, he stumbled over his words, trying to explain all sorts of things to Father about what he would do if we just got married. Brother-in-law, who was listening to this, regained his senses first, quickly covering Colin’s mouth and awkwardly laughing.

“Father, what Colin said is not that… How could a child understand what marriage is? Hahaha. He’s only four years old.”

“My three-year-old daughter, on her own, made peace between Aiden Tigris and Princess Sylvester regarding marriage.”

“That’s because our Rafi is exceptionally smart, reading ancient languages at the age of three. She must know what marriage is.”

My brother rambled on and on about the different kinds of marriage that Colin and I were talking about. All the while, my Father’s head seemed to rise a little higher as if he had a mulberry on his shoulders at the praise.

Having soothed Father’s emotions with the praise, brother-in-law continued explaining while giving an awkward smile and glancing around.

He apologized profusely for the childishness of his words, saying that he had only said them because I was so adorable.

“Anyway, those who carry on the bloodline of the Aquila family have sharp eyes. But Colin, you can’t marry your aunt. She’s family.”

“Hee hee, that’s not fair. I want to marry my aunt.”

“It’s not possible. Rafi promised to marry me.”

Um, Father? What are you saying to this young child right now? It felt like I was being pitted against a child in an argument.

“No, no. Aunt said she will date a cool guy. I’m going to be a cool guy.”

“Before you become a cool guy, I’m already a cool guy. What am I supposed to do about this situation, right? Isn’t that the case? I even permitted you to marry my daughter.”

“Yes, yes? Oh… Um, yes, that’s right. There’s no cool guy like you, Father. Hahaha.” 

My brother-in-law said who had abandoned Colin for marriage, smiling awkwardly amid his joy.

“Hee hee, no, you have to compete with me.”

Seeing Colin about to cry, I couldn’t help but pat his head. 

“Cool guys don’t cry. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

With my words, Colin, who had been on the verge of tears, quickly wiped them away with his sleeve. Then, he hugged me tightly with a bright smile.

“Aunt, I like you.”

“Yeah, I know. Let go now and eat quickly. You need to eat a lot and grow up fast.”

“Yeah, I’ll eat a lot and grow up fast so I can date Aunt.”

After that day, Colin, determined to get married, never again refused to eat. Worried that not eating well would stunt his growth, he begrudgingly chewed on the vegetables he disliked, forcing himself to eat them.

“You don’t have to make the wedding grand. If you want to make it fancy just for the show, you can do that. Well, do as you wish.”

Returning from an outing and having dinner at the Aquila’s mansion for the first time, Father sipped his tea and finally spoke the words he couldn’t earlier.

“I don’t want to make a big fuss either. I don’t have a strong desire for grandeur, especially since we’ve already had a child.”

“In that case, it might be better to invite only close relatives and friends. What do you think?”

“Yes! I agree. Your and Erica’s words are right.”

The constant smile on my brother-in-law’s face didn’t fade. But after a while, his expression turned a bit somber.

“Well, I’ll take Rafi home now. Today marks exactly one week.”

“Hiing, don’t go. I want to stay with Aunt. Grandfather, can’t you leave Aunt behind?”

For a typical child, just looking at their father’s face would be enough to be surprised. Some seemed like they might cause a fuss. But Colin, for some reason, held onto his father’s sleeve tightly and wouldn’t let go.

“Just like you’re with your Father, shouldn’t Rafi be with his Father too?”

“If you leave her Grandfather, it’ll be a big deal.”

“I am busy. So, if you want to see Rafi, get official permission later and come. And Erica, if you need anything for wedding preparations, just say it. Then, we’ll go for real.”

Father, who was holding me, went straight to the warp gate. Then Kai and Oscar followed.

“Auuuntttt! Don’t goooo.”

In the midst of this, there was Colin, who clung to his father’s chest, crying pitifully and wiping his tears with his hands. Is this why first love is frightening?

“Take care. I’ll see you next time.”

In the blink of an eye, we moved to Panteur’s mansion. The place I had returned to after a week was unchanged. Looking at Vance’s smiling expression, I could finally feel that I was home.

“Miss Rafi, did anything happen there?”

“A lot happened there. Colin wanted to compete with me.”

“When you say Colin, do you mean Lord Aquila? Our enchanting young lady seems to have even captured the heart of her nephew now. If this continues, my place will become narrower, and I’m starting to feel a bit sad about it.”

With a sigh, Vance approached shoulder-slumped, but soon he distanced himself, avoiding Father’s gaze.

“Rafi, it’s time to go inside and rest. The roasted glutinous rice cake got squished.” 

Little did they know it was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It felt like the people here treated me like a rice cake.

“Uwung, I want to go with Father.”

“Sure, let’s go inside with Father.”

While Vance had his arms outstretched ahead, Father who held me ignored him completely and walked on. Then, Vance got close to Kai who was behind him. 

“What did our young lady do there?”

“She rolled around.”

Kai succinctly explained my week at Aquila Manor and grinned. Although he couldn’t quite admit me getting drunk and rolling around in the flower garden, he glanced at me and squinted one eye playfully.

With the secret that needed to be taken to the grave, I too squinted my eyes. I wanted to wink, but it seemed my eyes exceeded my command, and both eyes closed simultaneously.

“No, you two, have you become so close that you’re even sharing winks?” 

Vance, who had followed behind and seen my and Kai’s eye gestures, spoke in an almost frustrated tone. At the same time, Father’s steps also paused, and he looked at me and then at Kai alternately.

“Father, I’m tired.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Let’s go to your room quickly.”

After sowing seeds since morning and matching the rhythm of my outings, I buried my face in Father’s chest and pouted. A while later, I found myself entering not my room, but Father’s room. As soon as I entered, Father sat me down on the sofa and opened his bag. Then, looking straight at me, he asked,

“Do you intend to marry Colin when he becomes a fine young man?”

Uhm, excuse me? Father? This doesn’t seem like the right time to ask that. His expression was too serious for me to jokingly respond with a yes. Even if it were a lie, giving a positive answer felt like Colin might never set foot here again. And neither would his father.

“He’s competing with Father. You should win, right?” 

“Exactly, our daughter is going to marry Father, right? After all, our daughter is the cutest and most lovable.”

Satisfied with the answer, Father finally relaxed his expression. Then he told Elena to prepare a warm bath for me.

“Just wait a moment.”

With a slight bow, Elena instructed the household staff to prepare a warm bath in Father’s bathtub. Before long, the large bathtub was filled with warm water. However, instead of flower petals for a bath bomb, something else was floating in the water.

“Ducks?”

“They say children put toys in the bathtub, so I especially got these.”

I wasn’t exactly at the age to play with floating ducks, but Father looked incredibly pleased. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Our young lady, did you eat your fill at Aquila Manor? Oh my goodness! You look like you’ve gained weight compared to when I first saw you.”

Aquila Manor was also bustling with children. Especially my brother-in-law and my sister. While I was told to eat on my own, they stuffed various things into my mouth. Thanks to that, I was constantly feeling full.

“It seems Duke Aquila and Lady Erica’s work at Aquila Manor paid off. With those plump cheeks, you look even more adorable.”

Elena skillfully helped me undress and left the bathroom. Last time, I thought she would be the one bathing me, but she called someone else instead.

As I dipped my feet into the warm water and splashed around, a shadow suddenly appeared behind me. Startled for a moment, I almost slipped and fell into the bathtub, but a large hand quickly caught me, preventing me from diving in.

“My daughter, how about bathing with Father today?”

“Huh?”

“It might feel a bit awkward, but from now on, let’s bathe together more often, okay?” 

It wasn’t just a little awkward, it was extremely awkward. Wasn’t it natural for Fathers to bathe with their sons? Some men dreamed of playing soccer and bathing with their sons once they were born.

But bathing with a daughter like me was a surprising idea. 

“I’m your daughter.”

“There’s no rule that says you have to bathe with a son. And instead of bathing with that stubborn son, I’d rather split the bathtub in half.”

I had heard about that stubborn son being at odds with Father from the people around me, but I didn’t point it out.

Father, who covered what needed to be covered, lifted me in a flash and then sat down inside the bathtub, taking me with him.

The warm water, reaching up to Father’s chest, tickled my back as it flowed. Seated on his firm lap, I leaned against his chest, merging with the water as one. 

“Oh, it seems our roasted glutinous rice cake is unable to float in water and is melting away.”

Father, with his body partially submerged in the water, held my short arm and gently wiped it with a soft cloth. 

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

He meticulously wiped me clean, as if polishing a delicate glass ornament, completely removing any traces of Aquila Manor from my skin.

“Now it’s Father’s turn to bathe, so just wait a moment.”

Pushing various animal-shaped dolls toward me, Father used the cloth he had used to clean me to gently pat down his skin.

Splash, splash—

The sound of water echoed. The ducks were floating on the water, pretending to play, and they looked at Father.

Having lived in the Republic of Korea for 15 years and in the Benedict Empire for 18 years, I had never seen a man with muscles like Father’s. As I gazed at his well-built chest, honed purely through swordsmanship, our eyes met.

“Rafi, do you have something to say to Father? You seem to have been glancing at me occasionally.”

“Does Father likes to see Rafi?”

In response to my father’s words, I touched the duck and pouted slightly. Then my father gave a gentle smile and tilted his head.

“What father wouldn’t want to see her daughter? I hope I’ll stay by Rafi’s side until I’m gone.”

“Don’t worry. Rafi won’t leave you. I’ll be with you for a long, long time.” 

“Yes, yes. Let’s live happily with Rafi for a long, long time.”

After wiping off the soap, my father lifted me and kissed me on the cheek, making a kissing sound.

As if responding to the kiss, I also gave a kiss on my father’s cheek. Then, a moist smile appeared on my father’s face.