“First, I should apologize to you.”

“For what?”

“I’m sorry for everything, for not paying attention to you. That wasn’t my intention.”

“Yes, I know. You might just not have noticed. But… as I’ve said a few times, Mother was very ill, and this is understandable, so it’s really okay.”

Serena said, tilting her teacup.

She wanted to stop exchanging these meaningless apologies.

She understood that it was a sincere apology and that he was truly regretful, but she still couldn’t understand what exactly he wanted to do about it.

“…I made a big mistake. But… I don’t want us to remain estranged like this. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to start over from the beginning.”

Marquis Lavernia said, clenching and unclenching his fist.

“What do you mean by starting over from the beginning…?”

“I mean I want to rebuild our relationship from scratch.”

Marquis Lavernia said, slowly rubbing his face.

Serena pressed her lips together as she watched him loosen even the tie around his neck, seemingly feeling stifled.

“Does that mean our current relationship isn’t good enough?”

“…This is too… bleak for both of us, isn’t it?”

“…Bleak? But it’s always been like this, Father. Is there anything that would suddenly change?”

Serena asked with a subtle expression.

From Serena’s perspective, her relationship with Marquis Lavernia was very ordinary.

Not too angular, not too round, just the right distance to maintain proper etiquette, keep an appropriate distance, and avoid making too many mistakes.

She couldn’t understand what kind of relationship he wanted beyond this.

“…You and I are family.”

“Yes, I know. I’m grateful that you gave birth to me and raised me.”

Marquis Lavernia sighed, rubbing his face several times at Serena’s calm words.

“That’s not what I mean…”

“Yes.”

Serena nodded, looking at Marquis Lavernia.

Serena wanted to sincerely understand him to end this tedious back-and-forth.

But she still couldn’t understand what more he wanted from an almost perfect relationship.

“Well, I want to become a bit closer to you.”

“…Ah. Um… Specifically, how would you like to become closer?”

At Serena’s question, Marquis Lavernia felt like he wanted to scream in frustration.

He had noticed that the child was quite dry in her manner every time they conversed recently, but he never thought she would lack such basic common sense.

‘Well… she didn’t go to school and mostly stayed in the mansion or went to shops and boutiques.’

Her reputation in social circles was also terrible, so she probably didn’t have any decent friends.

Considering that, it was understandable that she was so inept at human relationships.

Moreover, when she needed parental affection the most, neither he nor his wife was of any help to the child.

Even if he wanted to argue or say something, he couldn’t.

In the end, Serena’s current state was entirely a product of their making.

A child who received no attention, isolated and confined to the house, had given up and lost many things.

“…It wouldn’t be bad to meet often, have meals together, chat about trivial things, or go on trips together.”

“Then if you set a schedule and contact me, we can proceed that way.”

Serena nodded and replied.

Marquis Lavernia’s expression slightly crumpled. The conversation was going awry somewhere, but it was difficult to explain exactly where.

“Do you think of me as your father?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Don’t you feel like we’re family?”

“……”

Serena’s lips quivered and then pressed tightly shut at Marquis Lavernia’s honest question.

She looked at Marquis Lavernia with a slightly troubled and awkward expression, then slowly nodded after a long while.

“But this absolutely doesn’t mean I have any resentment. It’s just… maybe it’s because we don’t have what people commonly call memories together?”

“That’s why I want to meet often and become closer, to create those memories.”

Serena’s expression became subtle at Marquis Lavernia’s words.

That sounded like…

“Are you saying you want me to think of you as family?”

“Yes. If I were to put it in final terms, that would be it.”

“But, Father. Usually, a child’s attachment formation mostly occurs when they’re young. Typically, most attachments are formed during infancy, or at the latest before the age of 10, but…”

Marquis Lavernia’s eyes trembled slightly at Serena’s sudden, quite serious words.

He wasn’t sure how to react to this abrupt serious conversation.

“I’m already twenty-six, and you’re quite advanced in age. At this point, trying to form an attachment relationship to become more familiar with each other and become like family… seems very inefficient.”

“Hmm…”

Marquis Lavernia closed his mouth, vaguely understanding what Serena was saying but not fully comprehending it.

‘Attachment relationship formation…’

He had simply brought up the topic of becoming a normal family, but suddenly a very professional term had popped up.

Marquis Lavernia’s gaze trembled slightly.

“Of course, if I were still in my adolescence, I think it might be somewhat worth trying…”

“No, but still, making even a little effort to…”

Serena slightly frowned.

She wanted to explain that very part was meaningless, but the other party didn’t seem to understand well.

“Having regular meals, tea times, or trips together seems fine. However, regarding the formation of an attachment relationship, it’s a bit difficult for me to say…”

“That, attachment… Yes, that ‘attachment relationship formation’ you’re talking about is exactly what I want to try from the beginning.”

“Hmm, I understand what you’re saying, Father.”

Only after Marquis Lavernia painfully affirmed that very uncomfortable term did Serena nod.

“But, as I said, the typical period for forming attachment relationships has long passed, so I can’t give you any certainty or definite answer.”

“…Well, human hearts don’t always work as we think. Just giving the opportunity to try is enough.”

“Is it enough… even if you can’t be repaid?”

“…A family’s affection is originally…”

Marquis Lavernia stroked Serena’s hair once with his large hand.

“Not given with the expectation of repayment or response.”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t expect any repayment from you, nor do I want any answer. I just… want to give you now what I couldn’t give before.”

Marquis Lavernia stood up, came to Serena’s side, and lightly embraced her.

“Child, both your mother and I love you simply without reason.”

“……”

“It’s true that we were proud of you acting mature when you were young. But, Serena. In fact, it would have been okay if you weren’t mature, and it would have been okay if you were a bit more of a tomboy.”

Marquis Lavernia said.

Serena, awkwardly held in his arms, couldn’t give any reply.

‘It would have been okay if I wasn’t mature?’

Serena frowned.

“That’s a lie. You liked it when I acted mature, didn’t you? You thought it was admirable when I said I could do everything by myself… you called me a good child.”

That’s why Serena desperately tried to be that kind of child.

It was absolutely necessary to avoid being abandoned again, to avoid being sent back to the orphanage.

“You said you liked that I was a good child, didn’t you?”

At Serena’s words, Marquis Lavernia felt a dull ache in one side of his chest.

That’s right.

He liked that she was a good child.

But it wasn’t that he liked her because she was a good child. He just liked that his child happened to be good.

He never thought that it would be something that would eat her up inside.

“I just thought it was admirable. I thought it was good that you were mature. Now that I think about it, it shouldn’t have been like that.”

Marquis Lavernia patted Serena’s back while holding her.

He should have done this much earlier.

“Serena, my precious daughter. I love you. Even if you were a troublemaker, no matter how much trouble you caused, even if… you weren’t mature. I would have loved you.”

“……”

“I would have loved you. Even if you were a baby who couldn’t do anything alone and cried every day.”

At Marquis Lavernia’s words, Serena looked at him with trembling eyes, unable to grasp the situation.

Marquis Lavernia gently separated Serena from his embrace and quietly met her eyes.

“Even if you don’t become an excellent adult, even if you’re not an extraordinary person, even if you… tarnish the family’s honor to any extent…”

Marquis Lavernia carefully kissed Serena’s forehead.

“You are, no matter what happens, my, Irdin Lavernia’s, only daughter and our beloved child.”

“……”

“I want to show you how blessed we were on the day you were born.”

Marquis Lavernia said this with unwavering eyes.