After a little while, the tiny child clenched her fist and rushed towards Matthias again.

“Dad!”

“Yes, Cien?”

“That man is pitiful… Sweet potatoes are originally one silver for ten… He’s such a pushover.”

The servant flinched.

As far as Matthias remembered, the watch that man was wearing was an expensive item bidding at a thousand gold. Of course, he had no intention of revealing that fact to Cien.

“…So that’s why he’s not even breaking even, kneeling down and begging to sell more. He’s so kind… just like dad’s friend.”

“So it seems.”

“Uh huh… Sigh.”

Cien nodded her head and sneakily glanced at the servant.

Just from Cien’s gaze, Matthias knew. She was looking at him with pity, thinking, ‘He’s in the same predicament as my dad.’

“Well then, let’s buy ten sweet potatoes. For one silver. But Dad!”

“Yes?”

“Why do we need sweet potatoes?”

He was speechless at her innocent question.

Until now, Matthias had never been pushed back by anyone in a conversation.

But seeing Cien’s sparkling, bright eyes… he would momentarily lose his words.

He wanted to preserve the innocence of his adorable daughter for as long as possible. As he carefully chose his words…

While Matthias was choosing his next words, Cien seemed to have made up her mind.

His little daughter shouted without hesitation.

“Dad, are you building muscle too? The maids always eat sweet potatoes and chicken breasts!”

‘…Those maids are proving to be helpful now.’

Things were falling into place.

Imagining the muscular maids, Matthias nodded his head and lifted Cien into his arms.

“Yes, Dad wants to get healthier. Dad’s too weak.”

“Ku, ku, keke.”

At Matthias’s blatant lie, the servant chuckled as if he had swallowed a bug.

But Cien was different. She made a serious face and said,

“That’s right! What if Dad collapses because he’s too weak. You have to live until you’re a hundred! Eat a lot of sweet potatoes!”

Not stopping at those words, Cien scrutinized Matthias’s body. At her adorable and innocent words, he couldn’t help but smile.

The servant sneaked a peek at Matthias’s sinister smile and even started to hiccup…

But Matthias didn’t care anymore.

He pinched Cien’s cheek lightly and said,

“Alright. Got it. Now let’s change out of these wet clothes and eat something delicious with Dad?”

“Yeah! I want to eat something yummy with Dad!”

Matthias chuckled and gently ruffled Cien’s hair.

‘Truly a longawaited peace.’

His expression softened.

The quickwitted servant left the room, and Matthias pulled the cord next to his desk to call a servant.

The perceptive and experienced servants quickly brought a tea tray. Meanwhile, Cien had changed out of her wet clothes and was sitting promptly on Matthias’s lap, staring at the documents he was reading.

She was concentrating so hard that it felt like you could hear the sound of her eyes rolling around.

“Dad, what’s this?”

Cien stretched out the end of her words and laughed playfully.

Matthias looked down at the document in Cien’s hand.

It was a document related to Delpia Mirmode.

Of course, he had encrypted it so that Cien wouldn’t be able to read it…

Matthias smiled warmly and said,

“It’s a maintenance document for the mansion. This mansion is a very good place.”

“……Really?”

“Yes. So, Dad is going to do some maintenance. Redo the wallpaper and stuff. I’ll make it like the old country house. Won’t that be cool?”

He thought she’d be ecstatic, but Cien let out a big sigh and drooped her shoulders.

“Ma, but. You won’t do anything scary?”

“……What?”

“Threaten people! Torment them!”

Of course, that was Matthias’s specialty.

But Cien shouldn’t know that he’s a terrifying figure to many people. He decided to deny it vehemently.
“I’ll never do such a thing. Dad will only spend good times with kind people.”

He casually spat out a sentence that would make his close associates faint, and stroked Cien’s hair.

Cien wore a cute poker face, but strangely, his body was rigid.

For some reason, Matthias, feeling sorry for the stiffened small shoulders, tenderly hugged Cien’s shoulders.

“Ah, Cien.”

“Hmm?”

“If a woman named Delphia comes looking for you……”

“Huh?”

Cien’s eyes widened.

“……Don’t meet her, Cien. You have to run away as soon as you hear her name.”

“Why? Why do I have to run away?”

Cien’s innocent eyes looked up at Matthias.

“Because she’s a dangerous person.”

“Huh!”

With a firm nod, Cien clenched his fists.

“I’ll run away!”

“……What?”

“You’re slurring! Cien, I’ll avoid! Just like a good dad!”

Matthias chuckled and patted Cien’s small head. If there was a dangerous person for Cien, he would step in first, so this little guy didn’t need to busy himself.

For a few minutes, peaceful yet special time flowed leisurely.

But it was during Matthias’s healing moment. A loud noise started to come from outside the window he left open for ventilation.

“You…….what…….danger…….”

“I don’t want……!”

“Go away……. ”

It was the immature voices of boys.

Matthias’s forehead furrowed from the interruption.