Chapter 65

Lia, dressed in a glossy ivory dress, blushed shyly and fiddled with her cascading hair.  

Strangely, he could not take his eyes off her.  

He raised his hand to his chest.  

His heart was still pounding fiercely.  

There was definitely something wrong with his health.  

Otherwise, there was no way it could beat this fast.  

‘…I should get a checkup later.’  

He forced himself to look away from her.  

“Rafaella, I sincerely congratulate you on being born.”  

Johann approached his daughter.  

“Thank you. But Daddy! Doesn’t my mom look just like an angel today?”  

Rafaella pointed at Lia.  

She looked like she couldn’t stand not bragging about her mother.  

“…Yes, the dress suits her well.”  

He praised her in a stiff tone.  

It was so obviously forced that Lia’s expression darkened a little.  

He didn’t notice.  

He was too busy turning away from his own feelings.  

“Happy birthday, Rafaella.”  

“Happy birthday, Raffy.”  

Isabella and Penelope each kissed Rafaella on the cheek in turn.  

Once everyone was seated, the servants and maids brought out the food.  

All the dishes were Rafaella’s favorites.  

When the meal was over, the head chef himself appeared carrying the cake.  

“Happy birthday, Young Lady Rafaella.”  

The chef, bowing politely, set the cake in front of Rafaella.  

“Wow!”  

Rafaella clapped her hands in delight at the sight of the three-tier strawberry pistachio fraisier.  

Seven candles were placed on the cake and lit.  

“Whoo!”  

Rafaella closed her eyes, made a wish, and blew out the candles.  

Everyone smiled and clapped.  

And then, the long-awaited gift-giving ceremony began.  

First, Lia gave her present to Rafaella.  

“Wow, it’s Tosooni’s clothes!”  

She had made a Tosooni dress in the same color and design as the dress Rafaella wore today.  

“Mom, you’re the best!”  

Rafaella jumped up and hugged her mother.  

Penelope gave her a bracelet made of emerald, the birthstone of May and the same color as Rafaella’s eyes.  

It was an adorable bracelet, even decorated with a rabbit charm.  

“Hehe, thank you, Auntie Peppy.”  

Rafaella, blushing as she put on the bracelet, thanked her.  

Now it was Johann’s turn to give his gift.  

He took a deep breath and handed Rafaella a sword wrapped in fine cloth.  

“I prepared this since you’ve been so interested in swords lately.”  

Rafaella unwrapped the cloth.  

He gulped.  

Sweat was seeping from the hand he had resting on his thigh.  

Even when he first went out to subjugate monsters, he hadn’t been this nervous.  

“…I love it, I love it so much!”  

Rafaella hugged the sword.  

The sword was made to resemble Johann’s greatsword.  

On the hilt was engraved the black wolf, the crest of House Blumhart, and in the pommel, instead of a ruby, was set an emerald.  

A sword made only for Rafaella von Blumhart.  

Contrary to Johann’s worries, the child’s face bloomed with a peachy smile.  

“Thank you, Daddy!”  

Rafaella got down from her chair and ran to Johann.  

Seeing her happier than he’d expected, he felt a lump in his throat.  

‘I’m sure I cried before when I saw Rafaella so happy… what was it?’  

“…Rafaella, I’m glad you like it …ugh.”  

He stood up to hug his daughter, but staggered.  

Suddenly, a piercing headache struck him.  

“D*mn….”  

Johann clutched his head and slumped back into his seat.  

Everyone looked at him in shock.  

“Johann, what’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you feeling unwell?”  

Isabella half-rose in her seat, worried about him.  

His mother’s voice sounded distant, as if coming from far away.  

Even Rafaella in front of him faded into a blurry afterimage.  

Forgotten memories were pouring into him

.  

“Happy first birthday, Raffy.”  

In his memory, he kissed Rafaella’s chubby cheek.  

“Baba!”  

Rafaella called to him, laughing.  

He handed his daughter a rabbit-shaped wooden doll he had made as a birthday present.  

Though she was still a baby, she gripped the doll, half her size, with surprising strength.  

“My Raffy, you’re so strong. Let’s play dolls with Daddy every day with this.”  

“Mm, mm!”  

His daughter, as if responding, grinned at him and waved the doll in her hand.  

She was so adorable that tears welled up in his eyes.  

“Daddy will always love you, and always be by your side, so my Raffy only needs to stay healthy. Okay?”  

He cleared his throat, holding his daughter in his arms.  

So small, so warm, so precious.  

From the very first moment he saw her, she was so lovely he didn’t know what to do.  

His child, Rafaella, whom he had completely forgotten.  

He could feel the vivid sensation of holding his child in his arms.  

“……”  

Tears dropped from Johann’s eyes.  

He didn’t even think to wipe them away.  

Now, Rafaella in front of him came back into sharp focus.  

Seeing his child looking up at him with worried eyes, his throat tightened.  

“…Raffy.”  

His throat stung.  

For some reason, he had stopped calling her by her nickname, perhaps feeling embarrassed.  

But in his memory, ever since she was very little, he had always called her ‘Raffy’, full of love.  

‘…Now I understand why that woman said I wasn’t enough. The me in those memories was so affectionate to my child it was almost embarrassing.’  

But when he met her again, how cold he had been.  

“…Daddy, are you okay?”  

How shocked and scared Rafaella must have been to see him change so suddenly.  

Even if it was because he lost his memory, to a child it must have been a huge shock and wound.  

‘…I’ve done such a terrible wrong to Rafaella.’  

He felt sorry for being such a poor father.  

“…Ahem, I’m okay. Raffy.”  

He managed to speak, gently stroking her hair.  

‘…D*mn, I keep wanting to cry.’  

He bit his lip hard to stop himself from crying.  

“Did you just call me ‘Raffy’?”  

Rafaella, called by her nickname, grinned so brightly her mouth reached her cheeks and came closer.  

“…Can Daddy call you ‘Raffy’?”

Seeing her so happy, he felt a wave of emotion.  

Tears fell from his eyes again.  

At that sight, Isabella, Lia, and Penelope all covered their mouths with their hands.  

Tears, never before seen on his face, were streaming down his cheeks.  

“You can call me that every day, so please don’t cry, Daddy.”  

Rafaella wiped his tears with her small hand.  

“…Raffy.”  

He stood up from his chair.  

Kneeling on one knee on the lawn, he hugged his child.  

“…Daddy is sorry.”  

His voice was thick with tears.  

“For what?”  

Rafaella tilted her head.  

“…For everything.”  

He felt the tears slide down his cheeks.  

“For forgetting you, for hurting you because of it.”  

He paused to catch his breath.  

“For not keeping my promise to always love you and always be by your side.”  

Rafaella patted his back.  

“…But you won’t do that anymore, right, Daddy?”  

His child comforted him.  

“Yes, I’ll never do that again. I’ll remember you completely, and from now on, I’ll always love you and protect you by your side.”  

He answered solemnly, like a knight making a pledge of loyalty.  

“Hehe, you just have to stay with us.”  

Rafaella whispered as she hugged him.  

At those words, Johann hugged his child even tighter.  

Seeing the touching sight of father and daughter, everyone’s eyes filled with tears.  

Lia, who had already cried as much as Johann, turned her head and wiped her tears with her hand.  

“…Johann, could it be that your memory is coming back?”  

Isabella dabbed her damp eyes with a handkerchief and asked.  

“…Not all of it, but some memories are coming back little by little.”  

Seated again with Rafaella on his knee, Johann nodded.  

“Is that true?”  

“Yes.”  

Johann answered, kissing the crown of Rafaella’s head.  

“That’s wonderful, that your memory is returning….”  

“Brother, I’m so glad!”  

Penelope brought her clasped hands to her lips as if in prayer.  

“I hope the present I give Rafaella will also help your memory.”  

Isabella’s present was still left.  

But how could a present help his memory?  

Johann looked at his mother in confusion.  

“Raffy, last time you said what you wanted most was to spend a day together with your mom and dad, right?”  

“…Yes!”  

Rafaella nodded vigorously.  

“Grandmother’s birthday present is to grant you that wish.”  

“Really?”  

“I had to hurry, so I could only prepare the villa on the outskirts of the Capital….”  

“A villa?”  

Johann asked.  

“Yes, and there’s nothing better than going to the villa if you want to spend a whole day with Lia and Rafaella.”  

“If it’s the villa on the outskirts of the Capital, it’s been empty for a long time….”  

It would take quite a bit of time to prepare it for a stay.  

“That’s why the butler and head maid worked very hard.”  

“You mean it’s ready so quickly?”  

“Yes, you can leave at any time.”  

Isabella winked at Rafaella.  

“Thank you, Grandmother!”  

Rafaella got off Johann’s knee and went to hug Isabella around the neck.  

“I’ll take you somewhere even better next time.”  

Isabella kissed her granddaughter’s forehead.  

“When would you like to go? I think you could leave today if you wanted.”  

“Can we go today?”  

Before Johann or Lia could answer in their confusion, Rafaella asked in an excited voice.