Chapter 250 - Let's Be... Happy

In the depths of a dark cave where an illuminated pillar stood, a dignified voice welcomed, "Come, young transcendent."

Instead of answering, Regis drew one of the two blades at his waist and hurled it into the air. An opening formed out of thin air, and a man appeared.

"Don't you know that a piece of iron like this won't leave a single scratch on me?"

Regis drew another sword. The silver blade became stained cobalt, and the man smiled with his eyes.

"Both my son and you—humans are truly interesting creatures."

Seeing him carefree despite the energy from the sword, Regis frowned. "Fafneil, I have come to inquire about the cursed ring you created."

The man laughed ridiculously. "How dare you address me by such a lowly term. It wouldn't be enough to address me as 'The Great Existence!' Tsk, kids these days have no manners." His pupils soon narrowed, and the man began exuding a dragon's breath which ordinary humans could not survive. Nonetheless, Regis stood still without moving.

"How boring." With a tut, Fafneil retrieved the deadly energy. 'Seeing that b*stard's concern, he must be talking about that thing.'

Kirke's Eye—a ring studded with sapphires and amethysts. It was modeled after a deity's eyes that charmed humans with magic. The jewelry was originally made for a feeble child who was born out of wedlock, however…

'It seems it has become a curse for him. Well, it's none of my business,' Fafneil scoffed. "I think I've told you before—I can't break the spell caused by Kirke's Eye. If I kill the caster, the target will also die."

Contrary to his expectation that Regis would be pushed into despair at those words, Regis remained indifferent. "I already know that."

'Ah, there it is. That's the reason why I like him so much,' Fafneil chuckled. His son had passed away a long time ago, and so the man bore no ties to the Assiette Empire anymore. Deciding to do Regis a favor, Fafneil suggested, "Well, there is a way. If the ring finds a better owner, that might fix things. Maybe someone like… a sorcerer from the imperial family. It's a shame there hasn't been one for about 10 generations."

Desperate, Regis began, "What I want is…"

Fafneil burst into laughter after hearing the duke's wish. "Wait, you really want to die, don't you?"

* * *

Feeling like I'd been through a lot today, I jumped into the comfort of my bed. It was weird hearing stories about my dad through Max. I doubted whether I was listening to stories about me.

According to what I heard, Dad constantly talked about me. I was embarrassed about some of the anecdotes he had told Max and had to struggle to manage my expression. I mean—why did he have to tell Max about me accidentally peeing in bed when I was a kid? I didn't even remember that!

Perhaps it was because I was getting older, or I was terrible at remembering, but my oldest memories about Dad were from when I was eight years old. He was always strict, and cold, keeping a distance from me—I would always watch his back as he walked away.

However, Max said, "Every day, he would talk about how you would beg him for a ride on his shoulders, then he would go on and on about how small and cute you were." According to him, my dad was a pushover when it came to me. He sounded like someone who would only exist in a novel.

'I wonder if Dad really said those things…' I sighed. 'If that's the case… Why didn't he ever show me that he cared?' I had hidden my feelings in front of Max, but listening to my dad's stories from someone else made me miserable. 'If he had expressed himself a little, our relationship wouldn't have become like this. I almost feel deceived.'

Just then, the door to my room creaked open. I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Speaking of the devil! I didn't know he would suddenly barge into my room while I was busy resenting him.

As I wondered why he had come to my room, he began, "You are sleeping rather quietly today, aren't you?"

Was I a noisy sleeper? I felt upset about being criticized out of the blue, and he continued, "You're not snoring, either."

I couldn't help but feel ashamed. It seemed he had kept his comments to himself until now because he didn't want to offend me. I was rationalizing his behavior when he suddenly said, "I'm back, Jubell." His voice was quiet, but he sounded natural as if he had done this many times.

Feeling strange at his unfamiliar voice, I wondered, 'Did he always do this while I was asleep?' Sorrow overcame me, and I felt my heart break.

I wanted to let him know that I was awake so that I could talk to him. Nonetheless, I continued pretending to be asleep to avoid an awkward situation. 'I'll talk to him tomorrow,' I promised myself.

That was when he began, "I don't deserve happiness… but I can't help but want to stay by your side."

Tearful, I sat up. "Don't say that now!"

Dad's eyes widened. He seemed surprised that I was still awake. He sighed. "Perhaps that's asking for too much. I have been a terrible father to you…"

Frustrated, I shook my head violently and took his hands. "You can do that from now on!"

Misunderstanding me, he sighed again. "Yes, I will make sure I—"

Cutting him off, I said, "No. What I mean is we can try to become closer to each other from now on." Watching his astonished expression, an embarrassing promise I couldn't dare to say came to mind. '…And let's be happy, Dad.'

****

Hope you enjoyed it,

Love,

Biji ^^,

Jan.27.2024