Side Story 5

Evelyn grabbed Dyffrin’s hand firmly and continued.

“If things continue like this, Ellia will become more and more afraid of you as she grows.”

It was obvious without even seeing it. Except for her shyness, Ellia was a spitting image of Dyffrin.

Though she was young and chatty with her, as she grew taller day by day, she seemed to become slightly more reserved.

“You know Ellia learns things quickly, right? She has a lot of interest in various subjects. She likes Mr. Hamilton, her math teacher, very much.”

Not only did Ellia learn quickly, but she also enjoyed learning. So, it was natural for her to like and follow her tutors. Among all the subjects, Ellia liked mathematics the most and followed Hamilton closely.

“So, I was thinking, how about you teach Ellia yourself?”

“…”

“Lately, Ellia has been struggling with some math problems. You could solve them impressively in front of her.”

Dyffrin ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t seem keen on the idea.

Evelyn asked,

“Do you think this is childish?”

Dyffrin shook his head.

“It might have the opposite effect. Ellia is scared to be alone with me.”

Oh my. 

She didn’t expect him to be so considerate.

Evelyn suppressed a laugh.

“Even if she’s scared at first, she will get used to it if you spend more time together.”

Despite Evelyn’s words, Dyffrin wore a complicated expression. Evelyn pulled his face into her embrace.

“I don’t want you to be excluded from a harmonious family.”

“That’s a difficult task…”

“Of course. Making a family harmonious is as difficult as managing an estate. But Dyffrin, you can do it well.”

Dyffrin stayed silent in Evelyn’s embrace and then answered in a low voice.

“…I’ll try.”

* * *

Ellia woke up early in the morning. It was a time even before the maids started their work.

Just then, Merrilyn came in, yawning.

“Yawn. Miss Ellia, you always wake up so early.”

“That’s how you become a great adult.”

Ellia said with a somewhat solemn face. Merrilyn, while tidying up the bed, replied,

“Even without doing that, Miss Ellia will grow up to be a great adult. In fact, sleeping a lot helps you grow taller and keeps your mind clear.”

Ellia didn’t respond to that. She already had a firm belief.

She dragged a chair to the window, climbed on it, and looked outside.

She saw a carriage leaving through the main gate. Dyffrin was in it.

Seeing that, Ellia clenched her small hands.

‘You have to move early like that to become a great adult like Dad.’

The truth was, Ellia admired Dyffrin.

To Ellia, Dyffrin was the coolest man in the world. He was as handsome as someone who had stepped out of a painting, managed this vast land, and conversed with adults using difficult words.

However, while admiring her father, Ellia also found him intimidating because he seemed too perfect.

In front of him, she always got nervous, fearing she might make a mistake. Her palms would get sweaty without her realizing it.

Though her dad became particularly gentle in front of her mom, the tension remained the same.

Merrilyn brushed Ellia’s hair and helped her change clothes.

“You look just like a doll.”

“…”

Ellia hid her shyness behind a blank expression.

Merrilyn, familiar with Ellia’s reaction, held her small hand and led her out of the room.

In the dining room, Evelyn was waiting with breakfast.

When Evelyn opened her arms, Ellia walked quickly and hugged her. Evelyn showered Ellia’s forehead with kisses before letting her go.

“Did you sleep well, Ellia?”

“I slept well.”

Evelyn smiled brightly.

“Shall we have breakfast?”

Ellia nodded and went to her seat. Her chair was specially made to match the height of the table.

“Today is the day Mr. Hamilton comes, right?”

Ellia’s eyes sparkled slightly. But she answered calmly, pretending it was no big deal.

“Yes. I have a lesson with Mr. Hamilton today.”

“But he won’t be able to come today.”

Only then did Ellia’s expression crumble. Her big eyes filled with disappointment.

“Why…?”

“Because today, your dad will teach you himself.”

Ellia was so surprised that she coughed. A maid quickly brought her water.

“What…?”

“Mr. Hamilton asked your dad, who is smarter, to teach you something he finds difficult.”

“But… I saw Dad leaving the castle this morning…”

“He’ll be back soon.”

Contrary to Evelyn’s light tone, Ellia looked confused as if the world was spinning around her. She took another sip of water.

Evelyn glanced at Ellia. It was clear that her little head was frozen with bewilderment.

“Are you so scared of Dad?”

Ellia lowered her gaze and fiddled with her water glass, delaying her answer.

The truth was, she liked her dad but felt too nervous around him because he seemed too perfect. She was too embarrassed to admit it.

“Dad loves you very, very much.”

“…”

“And he wants to get closer to you.”

Evelyn often told Ellia this, but it didn’t seem to help much.

That was because Dyffrin’s actions, expressions, and tone towards Ellia were completely different from Evelyn’s.

Evelyn always smiled warmly and spoke in a gentle voice, but Dyffrin didn’t. His face was expressionless, and his tone was blunt.

Ellia thought of Evelyn as the standard for someone who loved her, so it was natural that Dyffrin fell short of that standard.

“I also…”

Ellia mustered up her courage and spoke in a small voice. Evelyn leaned in to listen.

“You also?”

“I also… love Dad. But he’s intimidating.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Dad… is like the prince of the Ice Kingdom.”

Evelyn found the expression so cute that she secretly laughed a little.

“The prince of the Ice Kingdom?”

“Yes… So I get nervous, fearing I might make a mistake in front of Dad.”

Evelyn shifted her eyes.

She roughly understood what Ellia was trying to say.

‘It’s not that she’s scared, but she’s nervous.’

Dyffrin did have a way of making people nervous. It was because he seemed too perfect.

Evelyn got a hint from this.

As soon as Dyffrin returned, Evelyn conveyed what Ellia had said to him.

“Ellia seems to get nervous in front of you because she’s afraid of making mistakes and getting scolded.”

“That’s a childlike worry.”

“So, when you teach Ellia, if she makes a mistake, tell her it’s okay in a much softer voice than usual.”

Faced with this difficult task, Dyffrin sighed but eventually nodded.

“And there’s something even more important.”

“What is it?”

“You need to show her that you can make mistakes too.”

Dyffrin furrowed his brows slightly, trying not to show it.

“Ellia finds you too perfect and intimidating.”

Evelyn said with a half-laugh. Dyffrin raised an eyebrow and asked,

“You don’t think so?”

“Honestly, the only perfect things about you are your handsome face and your work skills. In reality, you’re a dad who is flustered about his relationship with his daughter.”

“I’ve lost my dignity as the head of the family.”

“I love you more for that.”

When Evelyn lightly kissed Dyffrin’s lips and tried to pull away, Dyffrin grabbed her arm and kissed her again. This time, the kiss was deep.

After slowly parting his lips, Dyffrin said,

“It seems I need to restore my dignity soon.”

Understanding Dyffrin’s suggestive signal, Evelyn replied coyly,

“If you do well on today’s assignment.”

“You know too well how to handle me.”

Dyffrin said with a faint smile.

With that incredibly charming smile, Evelyn could somewhat understand why Ellia found Dyffrin so intimidating.

* * *

Ellia waited nervously for the special teacher who would teach her today.

Soon, the door opened, and the special teacher, who looked like her, entered. With his shining blonde hair and blue eyes, it was her dad.

Ellia straightened her back.

Dyffrin, who entered the room, sat next to Ellia. Without saying anything else, he looked at the book Ellia had already opened.

“How far have you studied?”

“I’ve studied up to here.”

Ellia answered stiffly.

“You’re learning at a level advanced for your age.”

“It’s… fun.”

Dyffrin ruffled Ellia’s hair as if tousling it.

“Yes, having a love for learning is a good habit.”

“Yes…”

Ellia’s earlobes turned red from the praise, but Dyffrin didn’t notice.

Dyffrin started the lesson. Although he had never taught anyone before, it was just math that a child was learning. Dyffrin taught the core content without any unnecessary details.

Before long, Ellia, who was focused, forgot her nerves and nodded earnestly.

But there was a moment when that focus broke, and it was when Ellia got a problem wrong.

‘…How could this be?’

“You got the problem wrong.”

Seeing Dyffrin’s expressionless face, Ellia’s face turned pale.