“All right! You’ve waited long! It’s ready!”

“Wow! It looks delicious!”

While various thoughts were chasing each other in the minds of Veronia, Killian, and Onyx, the cotton candy was completed. A piece of cotton candy was handed to everyone who was waiting. Except for Killian.

“Uncle Killian, aren’t you eating cotton candy?”

As Jediel tilted his head in incomprehension, Killian lightly replied.

“No, uncle doesn’t really feel like it.”

“Still, just try one bite. Here!”

At that moment, Espin, who was standing nearby, tore off a piece of her cotton candy and handed it to him. Unable to refuse her kindness, Killian accepted the piece of cotton candy.

“How is it? It’s good, right? Edible, right?”

“Yes. It’s delicious.”

At the sight of the two sharing cotton candy affectionately, this time sparks flickered in Veronia’s eyes. A cold wind stirred the desolate depths of her heart.

‘……They seem to get along well. Did he make such a passionate confession to me while having a fiancée candidate? And just yesterday at that?’

A sharp spite tried to rear its head. She struggled to regain her composure, but it wasn’t easy. Veronia thought herself ridiculous. But no matter how much effort one puts in, the human heart doesn’t always obey.

Contrary to her feelings towards Killian becoming distinctly sharper, her feelings towards Princess Espin became increasingly harder to discern.

It was a feeling that went from hot to cold instantly, from bitter to sweet in a moment.

Princess Espin was beautiful at first glance. Well, even 4-year-old Jediel said she was ‘pretty’ when he first saw her.

Her curly pink hair looked softer than cotton candy, and her purple eyes sparkled like finely crafted amethysts.

Princess Espin’s beauty wasn’t just in her appearance. Her giggling at trivial things made her look incredibly innocent and pure. Her attitude of casually treating a commoner child she just met was warm and kind.

‘She’s a person without a speck of impurity. I’m jealous, but I don’t want to be jealous of her. She’s completely different from the original Veronia or me.’

She was as different as heaven and earth from the original Veronia, who had been greatly twisted due to continuous abuse and brainwashing since childhood.

And also from the current Veronia, who can only lie while bearing the burden of a possessed life while keeping the secret of her past life.

‘If he’s with someone this pure and kind…… Killian’s future could be quite bright and happy with a happy ending.’

Due to the original story going off track, Killian ended up not being involved with the female lead, Evangelina, at all.

Of course, the circumstances understood only through newspaper articles might differ from reality, but it was true that there was no romantic atmosphere between the two.

That was because Killian was busy with imperial affairs, and Evangelina was occupied with matters of the Great Temple.

Veronia was secretly concerned about this. She worried that without the female lead by his side, he might not achieve a true happy ending.

‘But a new happy ending with Princess Espin might be good too.’

Veronia’s heart ached as she wished for Killian’s happy ending. Depression seemed about to engulf her at any moment. If she stayed like this, tears might suddenly start flowing.

‘It’s better to leave this place quickly before I show an unsightly appearance. If I disappear from sight, I’ll probably be fine.’

Veronia took Jediel’s hand, intending to leave immediately. That’s when Jediel pointed to a spot and exclaimed.

“Mom! I want to try that!”

Where the child’s finger was pointing, there was a dart game stall.

It was quite a spacious stall where you could win prizes based on dart scores. There was no way she could refuse those eyes looking up at her full of expectation.

“Okay. Let’s try it.”

When Veronia nodded readily, an impatient Jediel took the lead, pulling her hand.

Although it had been an awkward encounter, it still seemed necessary to say goodbye. So, as Veronia was about to turn her head towards Killian.

The unthinkable happened.

“Oh my! That looks fun. Sir Killian, let’s go too. Let’s try it!”

Wasn’t Espin pulling Killian’s hand with a bright face! Killian too would not be able to refuse those eyes looking up at him full of expectation.

Veronia gritted her molars, suppressing a sigh that was about to burst out.

As the line wasn’t long, almost simultaneously with paying the money, Jediel was able to stand right in front of the target. The small Jediel climbed onto a footstool and threw a dart at the target.

But the target was too far, and the child lacked skill. The dart thrown by the child either grazed the target or didn’t reach it at all.

“Jediel, you need to stretch your arm straight. And it’s important not to take your eyes off the target until the end.”

“……Yes.”

The child nodded at Killian’s advice, but still looked unsure. Then Killian spoke again.

“Remember when we practiced ball throwing last time? You can do it like that. Actually, it’s just that it doesn’t hit well the first time, but after a few practices, you’ll be able to hit it soon.”

“Yes!”

Now a bit more confident, Jediel picked up the dart again. Having experienced improvement in ball-throwing skills after practice, he seemed to think he could do it this time too.

As he was doing a dry run, extending his hand holding the dart, Onyx, standing behind, suddenly interjected.

“More important than not taking your eyes off the target is putting strength into your fingertips until the very last moment.”

Onyx glanced at Killian, conscious of him. Killian too met Onyx’s gaze fiercely.

Onyx’s advice continued.

“So at the very last moment, you concentrate the strength in your fingertips and throw the dart. Do you understand, Jediel?”

“Yes! I understand!”

The child nodded vigorously with a quite serious expression.

Meanwhile, Veronia’s mind became complicated again. It was because of what Killian had just said to Jediel.

‘When we practiced ball throwing last time? When did they practice ball throwing together? Since when and how much have the two become close? Why didn’t Jediel tell me about this?’

It seemed a long conversation with Jediel would be necessary when they got home tonight.

In the meantime, after a few dry runs, Jediel threw the dart.

Thwack.

The dart that had missed the target every time this time properly stuck into the target board. Of course, it wasn’t the 10-point bull’s-eye but the 3-point edge, but still, the child was very happy.

“Wow! I hit it! I finally hit it!”

“Well done, Jediel!”

“Excellent, Jediel!”

Killian gently patted the child’s head, while Onyx patted the child’s shoulder. The child shrugged his shoulders and smiled broadly at the affectionate touch.

But the adults couldn’t smile as much as the child. Killian opened his mouth, wary of Onyx.

“See, you were able to hit it because you didn’t take your eyes off the target until the end, right? Yes, that’s how you do it.”

Onyx couldn’t remain silent at those words either. Onyx spoke, raising his voice considerably.

“Rather than that, I think it’s because you put firm strength into your fingertips until the very last moment that you were able to throw the dart without wavering. Don’t forget that feeling, Jediel.”

Jediel, unaware of the nerve war between grown adults, nodded to both Killian’s words and Onyx’s words.

The owner, laughing heartily, handed a gift to Jediel. The gift that could be received for a total score of 3 points was a small wooden figurine in the shape of a dog.

“Wow, thank you! Mom, look at this! Jediel got this by throwing darts!”

“Well done, my son!”

The owner, smitten by Jediel’s cuteness, opened his mouth with a smile, giving Jediel a honey-dripping look.

“Little one, you’re lucky! You have many family members cheering for you.”

“Family?”

“Yes. You have mom, dad, and even uncle and aunt!”

At those words, Jediel became puzzled. The child, looking around at the group and tilting his head, asked the owner.

“Who’s dad, and who’s uncle?”

This time, the owner showed embarrassment at the child’s question. Did I make a mistake…? The owner answered roughly in an uncertain voice.

“Well…… This person here is dad, and this person here is uncle, right? Or not……”

The owner pointed to Onyx saying he was dad, and looked at Killian saying he was uncle. But as if he wasn’t sure, he scratched his cheek with a troubled expression.

At that moment, joy and sorrow crossed the faces of Onyx and Killian. The corners of Onyx’s mouth curled up triumphantly, while the corners of Killian’s mouth kept twitching as he tried to keep them firmly pressed.

That’s when a reversal occurred.

“Oh my, how can you have such poor judgment at your age?”

The owner’s wife appeared, slapping the owner’s back. She looked at Jediel, Killian, and Onyx’s faces in one swift glance with eagle eyes and said in a confident voice.

“I can tell at a glance. This one resembles more so he’s the child’s father, and this one is the uncle. Right?”

The owner’s wife pointed to Killian, her eyes shining brightly, saying he was the father, and pointed to Onyx saying he was the uncle.

This time, Killian’s eyes curved into gentle lines, while Onyx’s eyes stretched out sharply in a straight line.

Again, unaware of the nerve war between the two adults, Jediel laughed brightly and said.

“Wrong! You’re both wrong! Neither mister nor ma’am is right! Neither of them is Jediel’s dad or uncle. They’re just Uncle Killian and Uncle Onyx.”

“Ah…… I see.”

“Oh dear…… We made a mistake. Sorry, little one. We apologize.”

The owner couple spoke in a small voice and gave an embarrassed smile. It was right to apologize for meddling unnecessarily in someone else’s family affairs.

But Jediel, absorbed in the wooden dog figurine he received as a gift, didn’t hear their apology. Or rather, he didn’t seem to recognize that this situation required an apology at all.

Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, Jediel looked up at Veronia and shouted.

“Mom! You throw too! Jediel got a wooden doll, so please win a cotton doll for mom!”

At this quite specific request, Veronia smiled gently and nodded.

“Okay! If Jediel did it, mom should try too! I don’t know about a cotton doll, but I’ll try to win something!”

“Wow! Our mom is awesome!”

The child extended one fist vigorously into the air, cheering for Veronia.

That’s when it happened. Espin suddenly poked her head out and proposed to Veronia.

“Then how about we make a bet?”

“Pardon? A bet……”

At this unexpected statement that leaped over all context, Veronia couldn’t understand Espin’s words at once.