As I wore an expression of incomprehension, he continued speaking.

“When I saw Leandro hanging, my body jumped out first, and before I knew it, I was reassuring the child.”

“Ah…”

Is this what parents do?

Because the parents I’ve seen were not like that, the emperor seemed strange.

He seemed to instantly catch onto my emotions and chuckled.

“Do I… look strange?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because parents are originally selfish people.”

Although I knew through various media that there were different kinds of parents, the ones I had seen were like that. But the emperor was the first person I had seen who sacrificed himself for his child.

“Selfish people, that’s right. My parents were like that too. Incredibly selfish human beings.”

“I was like that too.”

“So, I don’t understand. Why did I do that?”

As he questioned, he slightly leaned forward.

“Then let me ask the opposite. Bella, why do you cherish Shanshia so much? What if Shanshia fell from a tree? What would you have done?”

“I would have caught her.”

“Isn’t that normal? Then, what I did was strange?”

“Ah…”

“My feelings toward Leandro and your feelings toward Shanshia are the same.”

I felt absurd even saying it.

As Shanshia’s sister, it was natural for me to catch the child, but I couldn’t understand the emperor, Leandro’s father, catching Leandro.

“That’s right. I must have looked foolish. Both of us, because we love the children, our bodies moved first… I just realized it now.”

It was a process of becoming real. I suddenly thought that we, who were not just an emperor with the name of a father and an Isabella with the name of a sister, were becoming a real family with the children.

“Yeah. So, try not to think too deeply about it.”

Looking at him, I nodded as well.

“Yes, Rian.”

“Yeah?”

“You were really cool today. You looked sturdy and reliable.”

In a belated compliment, he stood up and messed up my hair.

“Thank goodness. I wanted to hear those words.”

His voice felt unusually sweet. Even though I knew that he loved someone other than me, it felt like he was telling it to me alone.

“Well, I’m glad.”

“Anyway, I should go now. I’m worried about Leandro. Then rest well. Shanshia seems quite startled, so comfort her.”

“…Yes. Make sure to get medical attention at the palace.”

And then, in a seemingly cool manner, he went out.

The door closed again, and I looked at the flowers he had held in his hand, stroking the messy hair on my head.

For a moment, it felt like my heart was exploding. It’s love. This is a fierce one-sided love. I, who used to curse him as unfortunate, seem to have fallen in love with him despite my intentions.

After he left, I sat there in a daze, and it was a while before I looked at the flowers in my hand.
The stem of the flower had withered, indicating how tightly it had been held. Nevertheless, seeing the vividly alive petals of the flower reminded me of the Leandro from earlier.

“Mom…ma.”

The moment I heard those words from Leandro, a overwhelming emotion came over me. It felt like the child had finally opened his heart, expressing his true feelings. I felt a bit shaky.

At that moment, Charity entered with a knock, holding a very small vase. Having witnessed everything earlier, she looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

“I thought it would be good to have a vase to put the flowers that His Highness the Crown Prince gave…”

“Thank you. Thanks for caring.”

She placed the flower in a small vase that wasn’t too large for the entrance. The flower that seemed like it could wither away any moment slowly regained its vitality.

“Well then, I’ll go check outside.”

It seemed like there was only one thing to attend to, she went outside. I, on the other hand, absentmindedly stared at the flower, placing it in the sunniest spot by the window and continued to gaze at it.

I wanted to comfort Shanshia as if my heart was speaking. However, at the moment, it was more important to eliminate the child’s trauma itself than to offer a mere consolation.

‘I need to find her.’

I thought that a day like this would come someday. So, I thought I should find her in advance, but the day came too soon.

When people she loved and cherished were hurt, Shanshia’s despair would reach an extreme level.

‘In novels, there were hardly any people who liked Shanshia or whom Shanshia liked. So, the despair wouldn’t have reached this level.’

But not now.

Shanshia… the Shanshia I know… maybe she won’t come out of that room. To avoid harming others, she would avoid it. That was probably the best way for the child.

To become the deserted island the Marquis and his wife wanted, where no one would meet her.

While pondering for a moment, I went out to the terrace. Then, rubbing the ring with my hand, I called him.

“Saelus.”

Not long after, the figure of a person suddenly emerged from an empty space.

And soon, he appeared. It was Saelus. His attire seemed much lighter than before, almost as if he had just woken up.

Wearing only a robe.

“I didn’t expect you to find me so quickly.”