The 30th volu of Zenon’s Chronicle must have already been sent to the publisher by my father, so there was no risk of my mother grabbing by the head.
Because of that, I had no concerns regarding this matter.
Instead, what weighed on my mind were Ariel and Clark.
Although my father assured that he would explain things well, the issue was not my mother, but rather the servants of the mansion.
Currently, our mansion is bustling with people dispatched directly by the imperial family.
From the butler managing the entire household to the officials handling various tasks—on top of that, even knights have been sent for protection.
As a result, the mansion is quite crowded given its size.
If Ariel and Clark’s presence were to be revealed in this situation, it would inevitably cause trouble in many ways.
Keeping things quiet is only effective when there are fewer people around; with so many eyes watching, unexpected issues are bound to arise.
That being said, waiting for the right mont didn’t seem like a viable option either.
Once the 30th volu of Zenon’s Chronicle is released, Ariel and Clark will naturally be overshadowed.
Clark, who would soon have a funeral, could be buried in obscurity without issue, but Ariel was different.
A detailed explanation about her would be necessary to minimize any aftermath.
In other words, it was best to remain quiet for the ti being.
However, since Clark was essentially human aside from being a skeleton, a suitable disguise should be enough to conceal his identity.
With everything prepared, we returned to the mansion as soon as the vacation began.
The people heading to our mansion were myself, Adelia, Ariel, and finally, Clark—four in total.
Marie planned to visit her parents briefly before coming to the mansion, while Leona would be arriving with her mother, Lucia.
Leona, in particular, wasn’t just making a simple visit—she was permanently relocating to the Michelle territory.
Soon, we would officially beco one family, and unlike others, Lucia was highly vulnerable to demon worshippers.
That was the reason for their relocation.
Lastly, Cherry…
“This vacation, I think I need to focus on my work.”
“Oh? Did you get so good inspiration?”
“Yes. I was wondering how I could give readers a fresh shock… sothing that would be talked about for a long ti, like Isaac-senpai does.”
“… …”
“Actually, I already have sothing in mind. For example, what if everything was just a dream—”
“Don’t ever do that.”
I firmly warned her not to use the It Was All Just a Dream ending.
While that kind of ending could be shocking and terrifying, it was in a bad way.
If the plot was well-structured, it might allow for various interpretations, but throwing in such an ending abruptly would make the overall evaluation plumt.
Cherry, taking my words to heart, blinked slowly as if she had realized sothing, then quietly spoke.
“Then… why are you killing Jin?”
I never expected to hear that question from Cherry.
But given that we worked in the sa field, it was natural for her to be curious.
I was montarily at a loss for words, but soon, I let out a bitter smile and answered.
“…Because it has to be done.”
“You’re not abandoning Jin, are you?”
Cherry, looking uneasy, clasped her hands together.
It seed like she had connected this to herself, linking it to the kind of terrifying endings she had in mind.
The idea that I could coldly abandon sothing I cherished for the sake of my goals.
Or that I saw people rely as tools.
Considering Cherry’s unstable ntal state, I could understand why she thought that way.
“Absolutely not. On the contrary, I cherish Jin, which is why I’m adding more depth to his character.
If I were abandoning him, I wouldn’t have paid any attention to him at all.”
“Not paying any attention at all…”
Cherry seed to grasp sothing from my words as she nodded again.
To reassure her, I placed my hand gently on top of her head.
She blinked, staring at , and I smiled at her, seeing the liveliness returning to her eyes.
“I think I know what’s on your mind.
So don’t worry.
At the very least, I wouldn’t treat soone who cares about so coldly.”
“… …”
“Writing is great, but you should send letters from ti to ti.
Also, discussions are better held in person rather than through writing, so visit the mansion.
I’ll always welco you.”
“…Okay.”
Cherry quietly responded, blushing slightly.
She had definitely grown a lot.
When I first t her, she seed like a lifeless doll, but now she radiated human warmth.
As I ntioned before, Cherry was more than deserving of love.
If she had been more lively, she would have undoubtedly been popular among the freshn.
‘I just need to make sure no scoundrels approach her.’
Lightly ruffling Cherry’s hair as she blushed in embarrassnt, I headed back to the mansion.
For so reason, it felt like I was returning ho after a long ti.
During this vacation, I planned to finish all the side stories and finally get so rest.
Maybe even start drafting my next work.
Of course, with Jin’s death, the world would be in an uproar for a while.
On top of that, weren’t there already protestors gathered outside the mansion and the publishing house?
Once I got through this, I would be able to enjoy so peace.
‘I also need to formally introduce Leona to my family…’
During the Zenon Festival, Leona and her mother, Lucia, had visited our mansion before.
However, at that ti, I had only introduced her as a friend, not as soone I intended to take as my wife.
This winter vacation, I would make it official.
But that didn’t an Leona would just be freeloading.
Like Adelia, she could be trained as a maid, and more importantly, she possessed a unique ability—sorcery.
Her sorcery alone would significantly reduce the threat posed by demon worshippers, making her an invaluable asset to .
“Grandma! Grandma is pretty too!”
“Oh my, whose child is this to say such lovely things?
Will you give Grandma a kiss?”
“Like this? Smooch!”
“Kyaa~!”
First, I needed to introduce Ariel to my mother.
Thanks to my father speaking to her in advance, my mother welcod Ariel with warmth.
No—she didn’t just welco her; she was absolutely showering her with love.
She had picked Ariel up and was now smothering her with kisses, completely enamored.
Ariel seed to have realized that mother’s love and sincerity were genuine, as she smiled more brightly than anyone else in the world.
“Is this child really the one born from the World Tree’s seed?”
“…Yes. Father must have explained it to you. When we went to Alvenheim, we t Lord Hirt, and beneath him was the seed. Ariel was born from that seed.”
“Lord Hirt truly gave us a lovely blessing. This little sprout, these wings—there’s not a single thing that isn’t adorable.”
“Hehe.”
Clearly taken with Ariel, her mother pressed their faces together affectionately.
It seed she cared more about Ariel simply being her granddaughter than the fact that she was an angel.
Ariel, in turn, showed no discomfort, flashing a bright, happy smile with her pearly white teeth.
It seed that being showered with love only made her happiness shine even more.
Watching the scene, I chuckled and jokingly said,
“But you can’t neglect Lily. Ariel may be your granddaughter, but Lily is your own child, after all.”
“Don’t worry about that. I once joked that if you and Marie had a child, the family tree would get tangled. I never expected it to co true in this way.”
“Ariel has an aunt?”
Hearing her grandmother’s inner thoughts, Ariel asked in her characteristic sly voice.
Since she was still cheek-to-cheek with her grandmother, the sight was both amusing and endearing.
“Yes, Ariel has two aunts and one uncle. Shall we go see them?”
“Yes! I want to see my aunt!”
Dave and Nicole were on leave for the winter break, so they would be arriving at the mansion soon.
It had been a while since the siblings had all gathered, so there would be plenty of long conversations to catch up on.
As Mother took Ariel to the next room, I followed behind them.
In the adjacent room, Lily was sleeping, and just in case, I made sure to check if anyone was passing through the hallway.
“Awuu.”
“So, Ariel, what do you think? This is your aunt, Lily. She’s even younger than you.
Seeing her like this, I can already imagine what she’ll be like when she grows up.”
“Aunt? She’s my aunt?”
“Uu.”
Coincidentally, Lily had just woken up, blinking her round eyes.
In the short ti I hadn’t seen her, she had grown a little, and her eyes seed even bigger than before.
A red-haired, golden-eyed girl and a baby, face-to-face.
If I had a cara, I would have taken a picture of the scene imdiately.
“Hello, Aunt! I’m Ariel!”
“Uung?”
“? I’m Lily’s niece.”
“Awung?”
“Aunt doesn’t understand words? But I can understand her.”
Ariel spoke as if she was having a conversation with Lily, who could only babble.
Sothing about it felt strange.
Mother and I widened our eyes slightly, surprised by what we were hearing. Mother then turned to Ariel and asked,
“Ariel, can you understand what Lily is saying?”
Ariel shook her head, then took a mont to think before looking at Lily and answering,
“Aunt can’t talk. So I just read her thoughts. Why is Aunt so small? Ariel was like this when she was born.”
eting Lily seed to have sparked curiosity about her own origins.
Ariel had asked a tricky question, one I had no idea how to answer.
Unlike Ariel, who was born from a seed like sothing out of mythology, Lily was the natural result of two people loving each other.
As I rolled my eyes, unsure how to explain, Mother provided a child-friendly answer.
“That’s because the stork was late in delivering you, Ariel. Lily was delivered on ti, but the stork forgot about you and brought you late.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Do you think Grandma would lie to you?”
“Uuuh…”
Ariel stared at her grandmother, as if trying to read her thoughts and catch a lie.
No one had ever escaped Ariel’s mind-reading before.
On the first night in Alvenheim, Arwen had tried to suppress her own desires, only for Ariel to expose everything.
I was sure the sa thing would happen now. But, surprisingly, Ariel nodded in acceptance.
“I see. So that’s why Aunt is so small?”
“That’s right. Now you understand, don’t you?”
“Yes!”
How did she pull that off? I made a round shape with my mouth in admiration.
It’s one thing to suppress one’s inner thoughts, but lying on the spot is several tis harder.
And yet, Mother had fooled Ariel so effortlessly.
If she had asked Ariel to pretend not to notice, Ariel would have acted even more mischievously.
In other words, Mother had tricked Ariel purely with her own skill.
“Alright then, Ariel.”
“Uung?”
Mother gently lifted Ariel from the cradle where she had been watching Lily.
Ariel blinked, looking at her as if to ask what was going on.
Then, as if seizing an opportunity, Mother turned her so that she was facing and spoke.
“Ariel, can you help Grandma with sothing for a mont?”
“What kind of help?”
“Just read Daddy’s thoughts. Isaac?”
“…”
Mother gazed at with soft yet piercing violet eyes.
There was warmth in them, but I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
Keeping her eyes on , she lowered her voice and asked a single question.
“Let ask you one thing. Is that alright?”
“…Sure, I don’t mind.”
“Thank you. Then…”
Mother paused, glancing briefly at Ariel before continuing.
“…Is Jin really going to die?”
As expected, that was her question. It seed she wanted to use Ariel’s mind-reading ability to confirm my thoughts.
But did she know?
That I had already planned for this mont and spoken to Ariel beforehand.
I had told her that if she ever got a similar question, she should lie. And if she did, I would reward her with delicious snacks.
Thanks to that, I could respond confidently for once.
“I can’t say, Mother. You should see for yourself.”
At the ti, I had no idea.
“…Is that so? Ariel? Is what Daddy said true?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
“Hmm… I see.”
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That I had just pressed the trigger on a nuclear warhead.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to confirm it myself.”
“Of course.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
At the ti, I had no way of knowing.
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