Side Story 1

Dion, surprisingly, blended very naturally into the daily lives of Lisbeth and Diana. In fact, Lisbeth had worried that Diana’s initial interest might be just a fleeting thing. But contrary to her fears, Diana was completely captivated by the presence of her father from the very first moment.

“Daddy! Daddyyy!”

Diana, who had woken up late, came running down to the first floor, calling for her father. Lisbeth and Dion, who were sitting at the table having a light breakfast and tea, smiled at their adorable daughter.

“Diana, are you up?”

“Yes, Mom! But why did you come down without me? You should have woken me up!”

“Our baby was sleeping so well, I couldn’t wake you. Diana, you need to have breakfast too, right?”

“I’m going to eat with Daddy!”

Lisbeth and Dion’s eyes met. The two of them shared a small laugh. They could already picture exactly what Diana would do next. Diana dragged her chair as hard as she could over to Dion’s side, then struggled to climb up. Dion slipped his hands under the child’s armpits and lifted her straight onto the chair. Diana beamed and tugged at Dion’s clothes. As she pulled him closer, her little beak-like lips landed on Dion’s cheek with a loud smooch.

“Thank you, Daddy!”

“Yes, Diana. Daddy’s thankful too.”

Dion still felt a little awkward being called ‘Daddy’. Still, compared to when he could barely bring himself to say the word at all, this was a huge improvement. Lisbeth smiled bashfully at the father and daughter, who were grinning brightly at each other.

Ever since she got a father, Diana enjoyed acting like a baby again. When she’d lived with Lisbeth alone, she’d insisted, “I’m not a baby anymore!” and wanted to eat by herself. But after Dion started living with them, she’d say, “Daddy, feed me!” and refused to use her hands. Dion struggled to help the child eat, his movements a bit clumsy. Lisbeth couldn’t help but smile at how adorable the two of them were together.

This morning was no different. As Diana’s meal was set out, Dion picked up her spoon. The tiny spoon looked even smaller in Dion’s large hand. He tested the spoon several times, trying to measure just the right amount for her to eat, then held it out to Diana.

“Diana, here. Say ‘ah’.”

“Ahh—”

“That’s right. You’re eating so well. So pretty.”

Diana chewed and smiled, her eyes curving into pretty crescents. Watching her, Dion’s eyes seemed to drip with honey. If it weren’t for breakfast, he would have surely hugged her and kissed her cheeks, forehead, and eyes over and over.

While eating, Diana kept playing with Dion’s hands, leaning on him, and chattering away. A meal that usually took thirty minutes easily stretched to nearly an hour. Even when Lisbeth said, “Diana, you need to eat. This isn’t playtime with Daddy,” it was no use.

There was nothing to be done. Lisbeth, resting her chin in her hand, let out a little laugh.

No matter what people said about blood ties, Diana followed Dion blindly. It was truly a wonder. Lisbeth’s worries about whether the child could love Dion seemed completely unfounded. Diana loved everything about her father and was curious about everything.

While Lisbeth was lost in thought, Diana began whining that she wanted to eat on Daddy’s lap. Lisbeth put on a deliberately stern face.

“Diana, you’re supposed to eat sitting in your chair.”

“But I want to eat on Daddy’s lap…”

“Daddy’s lap isn’t a chair. If you finish eating quickly, you can play with Daddy after.”

“Hing…”

Diana looked disappointed and upset. Dion gently patted the child, comforting her.

“If you finish eating, hmm, how about we go out to the garden together? Yesterday, we went looking for cicadas, remember? Today, let’s make sure to find one and catch it.”

“Cicada? Daddy, will you catch a cicada for me?”

“Of course, I’ll catch one for you.”

So, let’s sit nicely and finish breakfast, our pretty princess. 

Dion coaxed her and kissed her on the temple. Diana giggled and opened her mouth. The way she chewed the next spoonful Dion gave her was just too adorable. Lisbeth couldn’t help but smile again.

As soon as the meal—which took twice as long as usual—was over, Diana tugged Dion’s hand. She insisted they had to go find cicadas in the garden, just as they’d promised. Lisbeth caught Diana and wiped her mouth with a small, wet towel.

“You can’t go out with your mouth all messy, right?”

“Mm, I forgot.”

“If Mommy calls you while you’re playing, you have to come back in. Oh, and put on your hat before you go.”

“Okay, okay!”

The child’s cheeks were already flushed with excitement. Lisbeth tied the hat’s ribbon under Diana’s chin and kissed her daughter’s cheek. Diana grinned and gave Lisbeth a kiss on the cheek in return, then shouted “Waaah!” and ran outside.

“Daddy, hurry up!”

Hearing her daughter’s voice, Dion shrugged his shoulders with an embarrassed smile. Lisbeth, standing next to him, patted his back and said,

“It looks like Diana really likes you. You’re in for some trouble.”

“Trouble? Not at all, it’s not hard at all. Miss, you should get some rest.”

“There you go, calling me ‘Miss’ again.”

When Lisbeth gave him a playful look, Dion made an ‘oops’ face, then smiled and corrected himself.

“Beth, you should rest in your room. It’s hot today.”

“Mm. Thank you. If you need me, just call out. I’ll leave the window open so I can hear you.”

“I doubt there’ll be any need. Get some good rest. You seemed to have trouble sleeping last night because it was so hot.”

Dion pressed his lips gently to hers, then pulled away. Just then, Diana, who had been waiting outside, ran back in.

“Daddy, why aren’t you coming?”

“Mm, I’m coming. Sorry.”

Lisbeth chuckled as she watched Dion, dragged away by his daughter, head to the garden.

Just as Dion had said, Lisbeth hadn’t slept well the previous night. It hadn’t been long since all three of them started sharing the bed that used to be just for two, and last night there hadn’t been much of a breeze. The room had grown warm, so it was only natural that she’d tossed and turned. Apparently, Dion had noticed.

Lisbeth headed upstairs at a leisurely pace. Today was humid, but there was a decent breeze. She could see the lace curtains by the window fluttering softly. Becky, who had followed her in, helped Lisbeth take off her thin dress and said,

“It’s a relief that the Diana is so attached to Sir Dion. Now Madam, you can finally get some rest.”

“Right? She used to stick to me all the time.”

“It must feel a little empty, too.”

“That’s true.”

Lisbeth chuckled. Becky said, “Get some rest, Madam,” and closed the door as she left. Lisbeth, now in just a slip, lay down on the bed. Without the blanket, the gentle breeze brushed over her body, and it felt wonderful. The sound of her child’s laughter and Dion’s voice drifting in from outside was also pleasant to hear. Everything was the start of a perfect day…

Smiling, Lisbeth closed her eyes. Sleep quickly overtook her. The sounds from outside faded, and before she knew it, everything went silent.