Chapter 16

Lia had an early lunch and busied herself dressing Rafaella up.  

A few days earlier, the head maid had instructed the maids to place spring-appropriate clothes in Rafaella’s dressing room.  

Although the head maid didn’t mention it, those dresses had once belonged to Penelope when she was young.  

In the dressing room, Lia chose a bright dress suitable for the festival.  

The light pink dress had a slightly darker pink corsage on the left chest, with intricate frills adorning the sleeves and hem.  

She braided Rafaella’s hair into two plaits and tied them with floral-decorated hair ribbons.  

“Raffy, you look so pretty today.”  

“Really?”  

“Yes, like a fairy of spring.”  

Blushing at her mother’s compliment, Rafaella squirmed shyly.  

“Hehe, but why aren’t you changing your clothes, Mommy?”  

“Mommy has errands to run, so I can’t go with you today.”  

“Why? I want to go with you, Mommy….”  

“Today, you’ll go with Daddy, and next year, we’ll go together.”  

Rafaella pouted, looking disappointed.  

Lia thought it was best for many reasons not to join Johann and Rafaella on their outing.  

First of all, it didn’t seem appropriate for her to be seen outside with the Duke of Blumhart, who was engaged to the imperial princess.  

More importantly, she needed to visit the jeweler to exchange the gem Carolina had given her for gold coins and stop by various boutiques to purchase a few decent spring outfits and shoes.  

‘Shopping is more convenient when done alone.’  

She regretted not exchanging the gem earlier, but with the maids busy preparing for the festival, she hadn’t been able to leave Rafaella to visit the shops.  

‘Taking Rafaella out is too much trouble.’  

After all, Rafaella was no longer a mountain child but the Young Lady of Blumhart.  

The butler wouldn’t let the Young Lady of Blumhart leave the house with just one attendant.  

‘At least ten attendants would have to accompany her.’  

This was her only chance to shop.  

Lia comforted Rafaella and then headed to the central entrance hall, where her husband was waiting.  

Johann was seated on a sofa in the entrance hall, waiting for them.  

His neatly combed black hair, dark navy coat, and high-quality leather shoes gave him a polished appearance.  

Though his attire was lighter than usual, fitting for a festival day, his imposing presence remained unchanged.  

After briefly observing her husband, Lia glanced disapprovingly at him for not saying anything to their daughter.  

“Don’t you have anything to say when you see such an adorable daughter?”  

“…You look lovely, Rafaella.”  

Johann, after carefully observing Rafaella, who was dressed more prettily than usual, finally spoke.  

There was so much he needed to learn about being a father.  

“…Thank you.”  

Blushing slightly at the compliment, Rafaella replied.  

Lia took Rafaella’s hand and led her to Johann.  

From now on, Johann, not Lia, would be Rafaella’s guardian for the day.  

The three of them walked to where the Blumhart family’s carriage was waiting.  

“Raffy, listen to Daddy, and have fun, alright?”  

“…Okay.”  

Looking sullen, Rafaella accepted Johann’s escort and climbed into the carriage.  

“…Why is she so grumpy?”  

“Well, it’s because I’m not going with her.”  

“Then you could come along.”  

“No, I think it’s better for you two to spend some father-daughter time together today.”  

Declining his suggestion, she kissed Rafaella on the forehead.  

“Raffy, you have to tell me how fun it was when you come back, okay?”  

“…Okay, but you have to tell me what you did today too, Mommy.”  

Accepting that her mother wouldn’t join them, Rafaella hugged her once before letting go.  

“Alright, see you later.”  

Lia watched the departing carriage for a moment before hurrying off to attend to her errands.  

* * *

The inside of the carriage heading to the central shopping district was utterly silent.  

Now that the festival day had arrived, Johann regretted his suggestion to Lia.  

He wondered how much more awkward it would be to spend time outside with Rafaella, given how awkward things still were inside the mansion.  

And his concerns were becoming a reality.  

‘I barely had proper conversations with Penelope….’  

He wasn’t close to his much younger sister either.  

Johann had entered the Imperial Academy the year Penelope was born.  

Since the academy included dormitory life, he rarely saw his family except during vacations or weekends.  

Penelope was shy around the brother she rarely saw, and Johann, not being an affectionate person, found it hard to approach her.  

Even during the two years they lived together after his graduation, their conversations were limited to superficial topics due to their already distant relationship.  

After that, he had gone missing while subjugating monsters, and they hadn’t seen each other again.  

‘What am I even supposed to say….’  

It would have been helpful if Samuel, who was good with children, were here.  

However, since Johann planned to spend the day with his daughter, he had given Samuel the day off as well.  

Thus, there was no one in the carriage to advise him on how to build a relationship with his daughter.  

Tap, tap.  

Rafaella lightly tapped Johann’s arm.  

“…What’s that over there?”  

He turned his head toward the window.  

The child was pointing at the clock tower in the central plaza.  

“That’s a clock tower. It was built by the imperial family long ago so that people passing through the plaza could easily check the time.”  

“Wow, it’s so big!”  

“Yes, so it can be seen from anywhere.”  

“Then, who is that statue of?”  

“That statue is of an imperial mage from a hundred years ago….”  

Fortunately, Rafaella was better at breaking the ice than Johann.  

Thanks to her various questions, the stiff and awkward atmosphere between them eased considerably.  

Johann soon found himself answering his daughter’s questions enthusiastically.  

‘Are children always this curious?’  

He found Rafaella’s endless curiosity a bit endearing.  

Unconsciously, he reached out toward the top of her head but stopped midway, startled by his own actions. 

Rafaella tilted her head, looking at him curiously.  

“Aren’t you going to pat me?”  

“…What?”  

“Weren’t you about to pat me on the head?”  

Rafaella pointed to his awkwardly positioned hand.  

“…Yes.”  

Awkwardly, he placed his hand on Rafaella’s head and patted her gently, as if handling glass.  

Johann felt strange, wanting to withdraw his hand yet not wanting to at the same time.  

“…Did your hand get smaller?” 

Rafaella asked, puzzled.  

“What?”  

“It used to feel so big, but now it feels smaller.”  

Rafaella lifted Johann’s hand from her head to examine it.  

“…It’s not that my hand got smaller; it’s that you’ve grown bigger.”  

“Really?”  

Rafaella’s eyes widened in surprise.  

Her innocence made Johann feel like laughing a little.  

With the atmosphere between them more relaxed, they soon arrived at the central plaza where the festival was being held.  

Johann stepped out of the carriage first and escorted Rafaella down.  

The central plaza and shopping district, bustling with people, were far more crowded than usual.  

Magical, colorful papers sparkled as they fell gently from above.  

“Wow, it’s so pretty.”  

“The Imperial Mage Tower cast magic here for the ‘Festival of Rest’ to delight the people.”  

Rafaella jumped up and down, trying to catch the magical papers, but they vanished the moment they touched her hands.  

“They’re like snowflakes.”  

“…They do resemble those.”  

The streets were lined with shopkeepers and street vendors selling various goods and calling out to customers.  

“I want to eat that!”  

Rafaella excitedly pointed at some fruit skewers.  

“One of those skewers, please.”  

Without asking the price, Johann handed the vendor a gold coin.  

“Oh, noble sir, this is only worth 1 copper!”  

The vendor waved his hands at the sight of the gold coin, leaving Johann in a bind.  

Though he had brought plenty of gold, he had no smaller denominations.  

“…Well, since it’s the Festival of Rest, just take it.”  

“If you insist, thank you very much!”  

Pleased, the vendor handed them the largest fruit skewers he had.  

“I only needed one.”  

“Oh, come now, Sir, you should try one too! These fruit skewers are truly delicious!”  

“…Alright, I’ll give it a try.”  

‘Hmm, I’ve never had one before….’  

Johann glanced at his daughter, who was happily eating her fruit skewer, and reluctantly took a bite of his own.  

“…It’s not bad.”  

“Hehe, it’s super tasty!”  

The father and daughter walked side by side, eating their fruit skewers and exploring the streets.  

The music of street performers singing and playing instruments added to the festive atmosphere.  

Various foods, handmade accessories, and antiques were being sold everywhere.  

Rafaella’s eyes were drawn to a young woman selling colorful string bracelets.  

“Do you want one?”  

She nodded.  

“I want to give one to Mommy as a present!”  

“You have your allowance, so pick something you want to gift her.”  

“…I have an allowance?”  

“Yes, though you haven’t needed to use it since you came in winter, you’re given an allowance every year.”  

“Given?”  

“It means I provide you with money to use for the year.”  

“Wow, does Mommy get one too?”  

“Well, your Mommy….”  

Johann hesitated.  

If he said Lia didn’t receive an allowance because she wasn’t part of the Blumhart family, Rafaella might not understand.  

‘Even if she’s perceptive, it’s probably not the right time to tell her the truth….’  

For the sake of everyone’s peace, a little white lie wouldn’t hurt.  

“…Your Mommy gets one too.”  

“Wow, Blumhart is the best.”  

Rafaella exclaimed in admiration, leaving Johann feeling slightly awkward.  

Excited by the idea of having an allowance, Rafaella carefully chose a bracelet.  

After some deliberation, she picked one made of alternating sky-blue and pink threads, with a pretty shell charm in the center.  

Still only carrying gold coins, Johann used another gold coin to purchase the bracelet.  

“Lalalala.”  

Holding the beautifully wrapped bracelet, Rafaella skipped along cheerfully.  

Seeing her joy, Johann couldn’t help but smile.  

Was giving such a small bracelet as a gift really that delightful?  

As he turned his gaze back to the path ahead, an unexpected figure caught his eye.  

Rafaella also stopped walking, seemingly having noticed the same person.