Even after drawing that line, Roderick’s smile didn’t wither at all.

“Closer than strangers.”

At first, she had treated him that way, so he was satisfied with being called neighbors, smiling so annoyingly that she wanted to pinch him.

Their next destination was the toy shop.

“It’s a puppy.”

“Yes, it’s a cute puppy doll.”

“Eric has one like this too.”

“Then should we buy one with wheels for Elodie?”

“Wow, I’d like that.”

“A sword. I want a sword.”

“This one?”

“No, not this one, a real shiny one.”

“Tsk, a real sword is out of the question.”

On their way out after buying a bundle of toys each wanted, Roderick casually asked Erica.

“Do you know how to decorate a girl’s room?”

Earlier, before leaving home, Erica had been invited by Elodie to see her room, and when the children weren’t listening, she had told Roderick to decorate it a bit, which seemed to have stuck with him. Honestly, she had reason to speak up.

‘How empty, what is that?’

A child’s bed and one wardrobe. That was all.

There wasn’t even a side table, so they had set up an apple crate with a vase on top. The vase was actually just a water glass.

‘But what happened to that bouquet?’

The flowers in the water glass were the bouquet Eric had given to Elodie. Surely the same one Erica had dropped while fleeing from the bounty hunters.

She had completely forgotten about it until she saw it again in Elodie’s room.

‘Did Eric or Roderick pick it up?’

Lost in her thoughts momentarily, Erica belatedly answered Roderick’s question.

“Just ask her what she wants. At four years old, she already has her own preferences.”

“Elodie is a child who doesn’t easily express her wishes.”

Erica glanced sideways at Roderick and asked.

“Is that her natural temperament, or did she learn to give up after repeatedly growing up in an environment where she couldn’t have what she wanted?”

A bitter emotion spread across Roderick’s face.

‘Sigh, let’s not do this when we came out to shop in good spirits.’

Erica changed the subject.

“You’re raising a princess.”

“……What?”

“I mean buy her everything pink and cute.”

“Ah.”

This is nice, that is nice too. Erica pointed whenever she saw something suitable as they passed by stalls or shops. As she did so, she suddenly found herself amusing.

‘Here I am giving parenting advice about a daughter born from another woman to the man who got me pregnant and ran away. If I posted this online, it would be called a contrived story, pure cringe.’

Even while finding her situation amusing, she helped pick out a rug for Elodie’s room, and Roderick asked in passing.

“Then what do boys like?”

“Ask yourself. You were once a boy too.”

She knew he was actually referring to Eric, and that he was asking because Erica would know best what Eric liked.

Her pretending not to understand was already being quite generous. If it had been before the commotion in the forest, she would have certainly……

‘Eric likes his mom. And mom hates Roderick. So leaving us alone would be the best for Eric, mister.’

That’s how she would have answered.

It was since that day in the forest when Roderick safely rescued Eric. She had developed a strange trust in the most untrustworthy man in the world.

‘Blood relations are still somewhat reliable.’

If Roderick and Eric had been complete strangers with not a drop of shared blood, Erica would never have entrusted Eric to him and fled from that place.

From that perspective, she became curious about Roderick’s inner thoughts in trusting Erica, who shared not a drop of blood with him, with his daughter. Did he know that Erica had no ill feelings toward Elodie, or did he know that Erica wasn’t such an evil person?

This relationship of trust was truly peculiar.

A moment ago, when Roderick openly crossed the line, she drew a boundary saying he wasn’t Eric’s dad, but since that day, Erica had actually been contemplating.

‘Should I tell him that this mister who saved his life is his dad?’

She had always worried about who would raise Eric if something happened to her one day. This problem, which had no answer before, was gradually beginning to show a plausible solution.

‘Roderick would raise him, right?’

He was quite an objectionable person in many ways, and it was annoying how he appeared like an opportunist after the difficult raising period had passed, trying to cherry-pick only the fun times.

But he clearly seemed to want to play the role of Eric’s father. Though there was much to say about how he raised Elodie, seeing that she was already a polite child who spoke formally, he didn’t seem like a completely untrustworthy father.

‘Should I allow him to play the father role?’

While her determination to never let him be her husband remained firm, her resolve about him being Eric’s father was beginning to waver.

But what still prevented her from breaking her resolution was the fact that Roderick wasn’t just Eric’s father.

‘How do I explain to him that his father has a daughter with a different mother?’

Eric was only four years old. No, even at fourteen or twenty-four, this wouldn’t be an easy topic to bring up.

After intense contemplation, Erica made a tentative decision.

“Did you hear him at the toy shop earlier?”

“That he wants a sword?”

“He’s been pretending to sword fight ever since we came back from the forest.”

“Ah……”

“Maybe buy him a toy sword or something.”

Erica had made the suggestion in passing, and she thought he had taken note of it, but for some reason, the place Roderick took everyone to wasn’t a toy shop but a weapons dealer.

“I said a real one isn’t allowed……”

Fortunately, what Roderick picked up was a wooden practice sword.

“This is a bit big. Do you have anything suitable for a four-year-old?”

He asked the owner while personally selecting one that fit Eric’s hand.

“How is it, Eric? Is it too heavy or big?”

Eric looked at the wooden sword blankly and then pointed to the longsword at Roderick’s waist.

“But this doesn’t shine like that one.”

“You start with this one first. Then when you grow up, you can hold a real sword.”

His intention to teach Eric himself was obvious, but Erica didn’t say anything.

He could play the father role but not the husband role.

That was the decision Erica had made.

* * *

‘Then what should I buy?’

Erica had another concern.

Roderick’s contribution was the greatest in making the pharmacy flourish. So she had set aside a portion of the income for Roderick, but he refused to accept it.

“Then think of it as an employee’s salary. If you accept it, I can use you comfortably.”

“Since I’ve committed sins anyway, this doesn’t balance out.”

That’s different from this.

Roderick ultimately didn’t accept the money. If she gave it secretly, he would secretly return it.

‘Then I’ll repay him with what he’s most concerned about.’

Should she buy things to decorate Elodie’s room? Just as she was about to ask Elodie what she would like, Elodie’s steps halted in front of a store.

It was a quaint clothing shop.

Sucking her thumb and peering inside, she seemed to like the place.

“Wow, it’s pretty. Isn’t it?”

Elodie looked up at Erica and nodded.

Didn’t he say she was a child who didn’t easily express her wishes? If asked “Shall I buy it for you?” she might shake her head instead.

“Let’s go look around.”

Pretending to just browse, Erica entered first, and Elodie scurried in after her.

Colorful. Cute. The shop was filled with clothes and accessories that girls Elodie’s age would like. Standing in the middle of it all made Elodie look even more shabby.

‘Don’t men feel the desire to dress up their pretty daughters?’

Erica held up ribbons, dresses, and various items against Elodie.

“How about this?”

“It’s pretty.”

“It looks very pretty to me too. A straw hat decorated with ribbons and a corsage would be perfect with this.”

As Erica went to the head accessories corner to choose a straw hat, her eyes began to wander.

“Ha, look at this bonnet. It’s so cute. Oh my goodness…… The lace detail is top-notch.”