Nobody would want to lean into a predator who could pounce at any moment.

“I might have leaned in by mistake, but why are you hugging me tightly?”

“I’d say it’s because I appreciate your determination to lean into me one way or another.”

“That’s not it. Let me go.”

Sicar let go of me with an indifferent face as if he didn’t care at all, and reached out his hand to me again. It meant he wanted to continue practicing.

“We will only practice until you learn how to narrow the distance appropriately today.”

I was so curious about Kian’s situation that I wanted to finish this practice quickly.

“Understood.”

I practiced distance with Sicar with more enthusiasm than before. Whenever I showed a slight hesitation, Sicar talked about the effectiveness of repetitive learning, so I had to quietly follow that method.

But soon, I was exhausted from his relentless practice and slumped onto the sofa. He reached out his hand to me, but I didn’t have the strength to take his hand and get up.

“Get up. Even if you’re tired, you can’t just sprawl out in that position.”

Sicar’s voice was filled with force, so I had to get up from my seat. His voice was too scary when he put strength into it.

Fortunately, we were able to end the practice after repeating the same action a few more times.

As soon as I heard the practice was over, I couldn’t bear the curiosity about how Kian was doing with Bika. Surely Bika wasn’t making Kian cry?

I didn’t even have a meal and went up to the second floor with Sicar to check on Kian’s safety.

I was so worried about Kian that I couldn’t smooth the wrinkles on my forehead, but soon I realized it was an unnecessary worry.

As soon as I opened the door and saw Bika’s face, I had to puff up my cheeks to hold back my laughter.

Bika was sitting with a displeased face, her mouth full of candy.

The candy was something Kian’s dad used to give Kian whenever he didn’t listen or said something bad. Indeed, our protagonist didn’t lose his spirit to the dark elf.

From the situation, it was clear that Bika had said something bad, and each time, Kian had given her candy, which reassured me and at the same time, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Whether Sicar liked the sight or not, he taunted Bika.

“Bika, your puffy cheeks suit you very well.”

Bika, mumbling and finishing her candy, looked at Sicar and smirked.

“Don’t laugh. That could be your future too.”

Kian came over to us with a smile and greeted us calmly.

Was it because Bika taught him well, he somehow seemed a bit more composed?

While Sicar went out to read Bika’s memory and check how well she took care of Kian, I sat side by side with Kian on the sofa and talked about what happened today.

“The candy worked really well. Once the candy filled Bika’s mouth, she stopped talking like a devil.”

Wasn’t that because her mouth was full of candy, she couldn’t talk?

To Kian, who knew nothing about dark elves, what Bika said might have sounded like the words of a devil.

Thinking of how baffled Bika must have been every time Kian put candy in her mouth made me laugh until I could cry.

I wanted to ask Sicar to put Kian to bed today, but I remembered the day when I hastily tried to feed him dinner and failed.

‘Right. Slow and steady. Slow and steady. It’s hard for a villain and protagonist to get close so easily.’

The next day, Kian and I stood side by side, looking up at Sicar.

No, to be precise, Sicar was standing, displaying documents as if to show us off. The documents registered Kian’s name between Sicar and me.

Kian Blake, son of Sicar Blake and Yura Blake.

Looking at the documents felt strange.

‘We have really become a family.’

“Did everyone check?”

Sicar rolled up the documents again and put them back in his arms.

“Now, we have become a real family.”

I explained in more detail for Kian who may not understand well.

“Kian. Now we’ve become a family according to the kingdom’s national law. You are now the sole heir of this house.”

“Heir?”

“From now on, you will be the master here.”

Of course, you will be a king before that.

Kian was neither happy nor sad. He just wore an expression where all sorts of feelings crossed.

It would be natural, as the new family came not long after sending his father like that without having seen his mother’s face.

Kian, who had been thinking deeply, asked Sicar and me.

“So, are you my parents now?”

Sicar flinched a bit at the word ‘parents’.

He wouldn’t adapt as he became a parent at a young age. No, he probably couldn’t even imagine becoming a father at this age.

Sicar grimaced as if the word was not settling in.

“Yes.”

I felt the need to lighten the atmosphere a bit between the two.

“How about a handshake to signify becoming a family?”

Sicar and Kian looked at me with a regrettable face and reluctantly reached out to each other. However, it wasn’t a handshake, but just a brief clap.

With the setup of the protagonist and the villain, there was a clear reason to dislike each other without a reason, so I could understand.

‘Just wait and see. I will make them into a fatherson relationship that you cannot watch without tears.’