Merrien expected Ariel to retort, “What are you talking about?” or perhaps dismiss the situation with a wave of his hand.

If not that, he might try to downplay the situation.

After all, even to her, it was a rather abrupt question.

But.

“……”

Ariel simply gazed at her calmly.

Merrien gulped.

‘He’s clearly looking at me.’

His blue eyes were so clouded they looked like the deep sea, reflecting nothing.

This was definitely different from the intense gaze he had whenever he desired her.

It felt like she might be pulled into a deep quagmire just by looking at him.

The cold atmosphere and expressionless face were something she had never experienced before.

For a moment, everything felt so unfamiliar.

Merrien instinctively wrapped her arms around her trembling shoulders.

‘There’s definitely something wrong.’

But she knew that avoiding the situation would only make things fester inside.

She slowly approached Ariel and took his hand.

His hand that had become cold as ice.

“Ariel, tell me. Why are you so anxious?”

“……”

Ariel stared blankly at his captured hand.

Soon, his lips, which had seemed like they would never open, parted.

“Sometimes, I have these thoughts.”

A voice that was gentle and soft.

A familiar voice.

But somehow unusually calm.

Merrien held her breath, waiting for his lips to move again.

“When I wake up and see you sleeping beside me, I feel like I have the whole world and I’m so happy, but then I suddenly become anxious.”

Ariel clutched his chest and smiled bitterly.

“I’m afraid I might hurt you.”

“……”

Merrien’s gaze naturally shifted to his chest.

His heart.

The place where his magical power had been tangled.

Merrien now realized that his blue eyes were staring at her with what appeared to be desperation.

But she couldn’t bring herself to meet that gaze.

Thump, thump, thump.

Even though the system was gone now and she could no longer see other people’s heartbeats, she could feel a heart beating rapidly.

She couldn’t tell if it was hers or Ariel’s.

She had forgotten about it for a while because Ariel always smiled foolishly in front of her and said strange things.

No matter how much they had untangled his magical power.

He must still have childhood trauma.

‘Ariel’s parents… died from magical power outbursts.’

And the previous Tower Master, and the one before that.

Though she hadn’t heard the details, they said all Tower Masters so far had experienced magical power outbursts…

That was probably what he was thinking about.

But if asked how to comfort him, she had no real solution.

After pondering for a while, Merrien looked up.

“Ariel.”

“…Yeah.”

Ariel mumbled, suddenly becoming timid.

‘Ah, I see.’

Merrien couldn’t help but smile, forgetting the serious atmosphere from just a moment ago.

The man before her was mumbling so quietly his voice was barely audible, yet giving her such a pitiful look.

Not only that, but he was tightly gripping her hand when she was the one who had initially grabbed his.

As if begging her not to leave.

“So. Would you prefer if I left?”

Merrien asked slyly.

Of course, she had no intention of leaving, nor did she have anywhere to go.

Having already abandoned everything to stay here, what was there to leave for?

But anxiety seemed to make one lose the ability to think rationally.

Ariel answered with an even deeper gaze.

The grip on her hand tightened further.

The fact that it didn’t hurt meant he hadn’t completely lost his senses yet.

‘In that case.’

Merrien embraced Ariel just as he was.

“…!”

Ariel’s eyes widened to the point of popping out.

Though she initiated the embrace, due to their size difference, it was more like Merrien was being held by Ariel rather than the other way around.

“Ariel. Your magical power has returned to normal. There’s absolutely no chance of a magical outburst happening.”

Merrien, trapped in his arms, managed to reach out and pat his back.

Ariel, who had suddenly become dejected, lowered his upper body even more.

Seemingly wanting to be held more closely.

“But……”

Ariel’s voice rumbled.

Not considering his size at all, his behavior was exactly like Whitey’s whimpering when she first saw him.

“Ariel. Don’t you trust me?”

“I do.”

“Then why are you afraid?”

Ariel silently held Merrien even tighter.

Seeing him look so small for the first time, Merrien also kept her mouth shut for a moment.

Ariel murmured quietly.

“Will I be able to be a good father?”

“Of course, naturally you’ll be a good father……”

Merrien was ready to comfort him no matter what he said.

However.

‘Huh?’

She couldn’t continue because she belatedly understood his words.

Hadn’t he just been talking about being anxious about hurting her, recalling his sad past?

‘…Why is he suddenly talking about being a good father?’

What kind of stream of consciousness was this?

“Merri, like you said, there’s no chance of a magical outburst happening anymore.”

Had he finally decided to accept that fact for certain?

Merrien nodded, her face barely resting on Ariel’s shoulder.

“Then our children won’t be born with tangled magical power either.”

“Well… I guess so. But why ‘children’?”

How far ahead had he been thinking?

But Ariel continued to speak, as if unable to stop.

“I’m not sure if I can be a good father to our ‘children.’ My father passed away when I was very young.”

Even emphasizing the word ‘children.’

“……”

Now that she thought about it carefully.

Merrien separated herself from Ariel, who was still clinging to her, and narrowed her eyes.

He wasn’t really dejected; he was just pretending to be.

Because the corner of Ariel’s mouth was twitching ever so slightly!

Merrien quickly ran through her thoughts.

Based on experience, Ariel’s purpose in bringing up this conversation was probably…

“Just say you want to have many children.”

“Should I? I’d like to have a daughter who looks like me and a son who looks like you. Just two would be nice.”

“Sigh.”

Merrien shook her head.

Was this why he had brought up his past and acted so serious?

She had prided herself on not being fooled anymore after being completely taken in by Ariel’s acting.

‘So was his obsession with the Dragon’s Tears all because of children, too?’

This was quite an overreaction.

…Well, still.

Merrien sat down on the bed with a thud and made Ariel sit beside her.

Ariel, who had been pulled along without resistance, looked puzzled.

“You’ll be a good father. You’ll have to work hard at it, though.”

“Merri……”

Ariel’s voice immediately became moist.

His blue eyes, which were staring intently at Merrien, clouded over again.

Definitely in a different way than when he was talking about his past earlier.

His gaze slowly moved toward Merrien’s exposed shoulders.

But Merrien paid no attention to this.

Instead, with a serious expression, she spread out her hand and began folding her fingers one by one.

“You must never swear in front of the children, and you shouldn’t show them dangerous magic either, and you need to have at least one meal together every day.”

“……”

The tension in Ariel’s fist, which had been resting on the bed sheet, gradually relaxed.

His blue eyes, which had been growing increasingly intense, returned to the clear lake-blue color that Merrien loved so much.

“In the morning, I’d like you to wake the children yourself. Preferably with a kiss. Oh, and when visiting the Tower, be especially careful not to fight with Agnes!”

As she continued listing things that came to mind, Merrien realized she was running out of fingers to fold and became flustered.

Still, she didn’t stop.

Watching Merrien’s small lips chattering away without pause, Ariel made a deflating sound.

Merrien didn’t even notice and continued enthusiastically reciting ‘ways to be a good father.’

‘I see. Merri is looking forward to it too.’

The wedding, and our future children.

Though she didn’t show it much, it was clear.

With that thought, Ariel smiled faintly.

His past, which he had jokingly glossed over, now truly seemed like something he could let go of.