“……Jade. What are you saying now? That can’t be.”

Jade’s question about whether Blanche thought of Aaron as her father brought back memories of the past.

It was when Blanche had just learned to speak.

When Blanche was struggling to pronounce Aaron’s name, Aaron told her to call him ‘papa’.

Blanche shook her head side to side and refused.

Saying Aaron was not her papa.

‘She even puffed out her cheeks and shook her head firmly.’

Perhaps Blanche knew what ‘papa’ meant from a young age.

‘Originally she called Jade ‘lord’, but as she got comfortable, she naturally started calling him papa.’

Also, when Blanche became comfortable with Jade, she immediately called him papa.

From that title, I could tell. Aaron couldn’t take Jade’s place. To Blanche, papa was only Jade, and no one else.

Unfortunately, Jade didn’t seem to know that.

Of course, it made sense. For Blanche, Aaron had been family since she was born.

‘After coming to Lukah, Jade often played with Blanche, but she also spent a lot of time with Aaron.’

I had briefly seen Jade’s expression darken as he watched Blanche with Aaron.

‘I should have paid attention to Jade.’

In the first place, we came to Lukah because he wanted to see Aaron, and I pretended not to notice because I was tired.

Other than eating together and playing with Blanche, I deliberately acted like I didn’t know.

‘I thought it was better not to worry about things I couldn’t change. But that was the wrong judgment.’

Blanche had always tended to act spoiled with Aaron.

It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable with Jade, but she was confident Aaron would indulge her in anything.

She said things to Aaron that she couldn’t even say to me.

‘I sometimes felt hurt at those times, so Jade must feel even more so.’

Seeing the difference in intimacy right before his eyes, the moments he couldn’t be there must have stood out more.

“I want to go back 5 years. I wonder what it would have been like if I had been there when she was born.”

“……Jade.”

“If so, could I have loved Blanche properly? Could I have been a better, good father……”

Feeling Jade’s hurt feelings, I immediately pulled him into an embrace.

“You’re already a good father. You know, there are times when I’m jealous of Blanche because of you.”

“……Jealous?”

It was something I had kept hidden, never told anyone.

I was ashamed to even feel such emotions. But strangely, the words came out first now.

It felt like I could tell Jade.

“I couldn’t even comfortably call Duke Belaste like Blanche does…… Do I even have memories of playing together when I was young? I didn’t have a father like you who would rush to me in dangerous moments, not hesitating to sacrifice himself.”

“……”

“That’s why I’m saying I’m jealous.”

Jade was silent. But he was listening properly.

I let Jade rest his head on my shoulder. Even without grand words, it was enough comfort.

I didn’t regret saying the words I had kept hidden.

“Come to think of it, this situation is all my fault. I did wrong. I should have properly told you that you were the baby’s father, instead of running away.”

Jade, who had been just listening, opened his mouth.

“You… did nothing wrong. You did what you thought was best at the time.”

Surprisingly, he gave an answer as if reciting exactly what I had thought back then.

It meant he understood me.

I was grateful. That he didn’t blame me, that he didn’t resent the actions I had no choice but to take.

“……That’s right. Back then, I thought Blanche only needed me. I was under the illusion that if I gave enough love for your share too, everything would be fine. But it wasn’t like that at all.”

Now that I had let out the pent-up emotions, it was time to move forward.

“Jade. We can’t turn back the past. Let’s not waste time regretting things we can’t change.”

Jade nodded while tightening his arms around me.

“And you, you really don’t know anything.”

“About what?”

“How much Blanche waited for her papa. If she thought of Aaron as her papa, she wouldn’t have waited. She wouldn’t have been upset when her friends teased her about not having a papa.”

The day I first saw Jade at the temple.

‘At first, I hoped he was papa. But when I made eye contact with Shu Shu, when Shu Shu held my hand… I knew.’

How on earth did Blanche recognize Jade as her father at first sight?

‘That the lord is Shu Shu’s papa. Shu Shu gave in earlier because it seemed like mama missed him a lot.’

There were no similarities between them, they had never met before, and no one had told her.

‘The lord is stupid. Shu Shu knew he was papa as soon as she saw him.’

“Mama!”

The door burst open and light brown hair, still damp from washing, fluttered in.

“B-Blanche?”

“Mama! Shu Shu fell earlier but didn’t cry? I did well, right?”

I was startled to hear Blanche had fallen and immediately pushed Jade away.

“You fell? When? Where? Does it hurt a lot? Are you okay now?”

I was upset to see bandages wrapped around Blanche’s knees.

“Yeah, I was running on the hill and rolled round and round, but papa caught me. So it doesn’t hurt much.”

Behind Blanche, who was speaking cheerfully, Jade crossed his arms.

“I don’t know who she takes after, but she’s fearless. She said rolling round and round was fun and asked me to catch her again so she could run more.”

“Heh. Of course that’s from papa.”

Not to be outdone, Blanche also crossed her arms and sneered just like Jade.

“……?”

“Of course. Mama is a scaredy-cat. Who else would Shu Shu take after if not papa? Shu Shu is papa’s daughter.”

Jade just stared at Blanche with a dumbfounded expression.

‘My goodness, how can she say such pretty words.’

I found Blanche adorable for saying things Jade would like at just the right moment.

“That’s right. It was obvious.”

“Papa, lift Shu Shu up high, high!”

Blanche ran and jumped towards him, and Jade caught her securely and lifted her high.

The way he looked at Blanche was so warm that I could clearly read the meaning in his eyes.

I could see him thinking, this is my daughter.

‘I should leave Blanche with Jade and go see Aaron.’

When I brought Jade a towel, he sat Blanche by the window and dried her hair.

Blanche tugged at Jade, asking him to lift her high again.

“Jade. Dry her hair first and then play, or she’ll catch a cold.”

“……That sna- I mean… Are you going to see him?”

When I whispered to Jade, he revealed his discomfort.

‘He noticed I’m going to Aaron. He even suddenly refined his words in front of Blanche.’

But I felt sorry because he was hurt because of Jade, and we had to return to Langrangcha soon anyway.

This time when I go, I won’t be coming to Lukah for quite a while, so it was to say a final goodbye.

“When I come back, let’s leave. For Langrangcha.”

Jade, exercising patience at the news that we would leave for Langrangcha soon, reluctantly let me go.

I came outside and climbed the hill looking for a place where Aaron might be.

As expected, Aaron was standing blankly in front of Earl Boston’s grave on top of the hill.

I carefully approached Aaron.

“Aaron.”

“Lady Countess……?”

Aaron turned his head towards me and widened his eyes as if surprised by my arrival.

“Shall we go to the doctor? It might be better to get treatment……”

“I’m fine. If it really hurt, I wouldn’t have been able to climb up here.”

“That’s a relief, but…… Jade seems to have misunderstood. I’ll apologize on his behalf. I’m sorry.”

Aaron chuckled and lowered his head.

“I wish you wouldn’t say you’re sorry. Not you, Lady Countess.”

“……Before the sun sets, I’m planning to return to Langrangcha. There are things I need to resolve there, and I’ve rested enough.”

“When will you come again?”

“Um. About that, Aaron.”

I couldn’t answer hastily and chose my words carefully.

Aaron suddenly raised his head and looked at me.

“Do you know? When I show my fangs, most reactions are the same. They’re just scared and tell me to go away, or like the lord, say they’ll pull them out.”

I listened silently, not knowing what on earth Aaron was going to say.

“But you were different. You told me to take care. Even though I knew it was forced, somehow it made me laugh.”

I was reminded of Aaron smiling gently that day.

“You also understood my decision to try to kill the emperor to avenge my father.”

I remembered him bowing and calling me ‘young countess’.

“Because you were the one I should serve, I’ve been suppressing it until now. So you probably didn’t know.”

“……What?”

“That I had feelings for you in my heart.”

So, now.

You’re saying you liked me?

“Uh, Aaron. I’m, well, grateful, but.”

I was too flustered by this sudden revelation to respond properly.

To think Aaron had liked me.

I really didn’t know. There was never such an atmosphere created, and Aaron never expressed it to me.

“I know. That you can’t accept it. That you will never feel the same way about me. That’s why you were trying to leave with the lord earlier, leaving me behind.”

I didn’t have any particular intention.

‘It’s just that if I didn’t leave, Jade wouldn’t have left, so that’s why I did it.’

I was trying to avoid the situation because I thought Aaron would be uncomfortable if I stayed with Jade.

“Just once, would you call me Diego?”

Diego.

Aaron’s real name.

“……I’m sorry, Diego.”

Was it because of the feelings I couldn’t return? I felt sorry to hear his confession.

Tears welled up in Aaron’s eyes.

“I told you not to do that.”

He eventually turned away from me and went down the hill.