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The reception room was filled with silence.
If the lights had been just a tad dimmer, the thick silence would have felt like a scene from a movie interrogation.
As the quiet stretched on, the stares towards the two Erul tribe members intensified.
Our eyes weren’t as harsh as Kaneff’s, but they did grow more and more suspicious.
Anis, with a tense look, tried to speak up.
“If Speranza becomes the priestess, it’s not entirely incorrect to say that the situation would become challenging.”
“Ugh…”
I couldn’t help but sigh and groan.
“Some folks in the village don’t like Speranza. She’s the daughter of a runaway priestess successor and has the blood of the Red Erul tribe.”
“So, Speranza isn’t really accepted by the Erul tribe, huh?”
Anis didn’t have an answer to my slightly annoyed question.
Kaneff’s guess seemed to be on point.
Thinking that poor Speranza wasn’t welcomed for such a dumb reason got me pretty ticked off.
I couldn’t help but feel resentment towards Anis and Daur.
Anis, sensing my mood, quickly tried to defend herself.
“Not everyone thinks of Speranza in a bad way. My uncle and I, and lots of other people, care about her and want to see her.”
“Anis is right. Only some of the Erul tribe are like that, mostly for political reasons.”
Daur chimed in, attempting to convince me.
“My mom’s wish to see Speranza has nothing to do with those messy issues. She didn’t even want to bring Speranza back because of all the attention. She’s happy as long as Speranza’s safe and living a good life somewhere…”
Anis said, her voice shaking a bit.
The whole situation weighed on my heart.
Kaneff’s cold expression softened a bit, but his words were still sharp.
“I get that you didn’t mean any harm. But no matter how much I try to look on the bright side, taking Speranza to the Erul tribe’s village feels too risky. Who knows what the villagers might do to her?”
“Um…”
“You said you didn’t even know the Red Erul tribe was tailing you, right? If something happens to Speranza after she goes to the village, are you just gonna say you didn’t know then, too?”
Anis had no comeback for Kaneff’s biting tone and just looked frustrated. Kaneff snorted, watching her struggle to find a response.
So, Kaneff plopped down in the comfy chair, chillin’ with his arms crossed. It looked like he didn’t need any more talking.
Anis looked back at me, her face very desperate as she begged me.
“Sihyeon, my mom’s really sick. This might be Speranza’s last chance to meet her grandmother.”
“We’ll keep Speranza safe, so don’t worry about what you’re thinking. Don’t be mad about us asking, okay?”
I gave a heavy nod and answered.
“I hear you both. About your request… I can’t decide right now. I’ll show you the guest room for now. You must be tired from traveling so far, so just relax.”
I wrapped up the conversation and offered to show them where they could relax. They tried to hide their letdown and thanked me for being cool about it.
“Hey, little lady, this way, this way!”
“Kyahahaha!”
Speranza and Namira’s laughter came from outside the window.
I didn’t know when they got so close, but Namira was playing with Speranza like it was nothing.
Lia and Terzan were there too. The four of them were playing tag, running all over the yard.
Watching Speranza have a blast through the window, I couldn’t help but smile.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Kaneff’s voice brought me back, and I looked away from the window.
When I turned, Kaneff, Andras, and Alfred were all looking at me with serious faces.
My smile froze up too.
“Uh… I’m still not sure.”
Kaneff scowled at my answer, “What’s not sure? We should just say no to their request, and kick out those Red Erul tribe people we caught. Right?”
He looked to Andras and Alfred like he wanted them to back him up. Alfred hesitated before speaking up.
“Um… I think that’s the right call too. They barged into our territory and tried to take away Speranza. We don’t know how many of those people are in the Erul tribe village. Sending Speranza there is too risky.”
“Yeah! Totally!”
Kaneff agreed with Alfred, looking pretty pleased. Andras, who’d been thinking hard, finally said something.
“It’s true there are risks. And since Anis and Daur didn’t expect the Red Erul tribe to follow them, the Erul tribe village must be getting unstable with their important priestess getting sicker.”
Andras didn’t sound too positive either.
“To really know the situation, we’d have to check out the village ourselves.”
“Um……..”
Even though all three of them were leaning the same way, I just couldn’t make up my mind.
Kaneff questioned me once more, his expression exasperated.
“Are you still wavering, even though Speranza could be in harm’s way?”
“I don’t want Speranza in danger either, but this might be her last opportunity to see her grandmother.”
“Grr…”
At this point, even Kaneff couldn’t scold me. Andras and Alfred both wore conflicted expressions.
I had no regrets about accepting Speranza as my daughter, and I considered it the best decision of my life.
As Speranza’s guardian, I was confident I could do my best now and in the future.
However, there were undoubtedly aspects I couldn’t manage with my efforts alone.
The heartbreaking separation she experienced at such a young age.
Although she now smiles happily without issue, that memory lingered deep within Speranza’s heart, a pain she would carry for the rest of her life.
And it was the same for the grandmother who was waiting for Speranza. It was something I couldn’t assist with.
Kaneff scratched his head and mumbled.
“Anyway, Speranza doesn’t know anything. If she keeps being happy like this, isn’t that enough?”
“What if… what if she finds out later? What if she feels sad and regrets not being able to see her grandmother then?”
“……..”
“Even if we think we’re making choices for Speranza, she might not agree later on. We might even be resented.”
Everyone’s expressions in the room darkened.
As much as they liked and cared for Speranza, the possibility of being resented was terrifying.
I wanted to disregard Anis and Daur’s requests and maintain our peaceful daily life with Speranza here.
But that wasn’t a choice for Speranza; it was a choice for me, who wanted to be at ease.
Even if it was a difficult path, I wanted to make a choice that Speranza wouldn’t regret later.
The laughter coming from outside the window gradually faded. In the end, I couldn’t make a decision until the game of tag was over and the surroundings darkened.
Initially, we planned to spend the night at the new mansion, but I took Speranza and returned to the farm building as if escaping.
Seeing the two Erul members staying at the mansion would only add to my distress.
After finishing dinner in a casual manner, I got Speranza ready for bed a little early.
While I played with the baby griffins and the divine beast Shushu, who were bored because I had been at the lord’s mansion all day, Speranza adorably brushed her teeth, washed her face, and changed into cute pajamas.
Swoosh.
The adorable fox girl in pajamas nestled into my arms.
“Hehe, Papa.”
“Did you wash up? Did you brush your teeth thoroughly?”
“Un. I did it.”
“You’re amazing, my sweetheart. Shall we go to bed with Papa?”
“Un!”
I lifted Speranza up and headed toward the bed. I laid her down first, ensuring she was warm with pillows and blankets, and then I lay down beside her.
Speranza chatted nonstop about her visit to the lord’s mansion and the Erul people she met.
Her face was radiant with joy as she spoke.
I was concerned that she might be scared by the Red Erul people, but it seemed she got along well thanks to Lia and Namira.
“So I played tag with Aunt Namira and later had some yummy snacks… ugh… later on.”
Her story became more and more disjointed, and eventually, Speranza fell asleep.
Watching her angelic sleeping face, I smiled tenderly.
Every time I saw her, she looked lovely, and my heart swelled with pride.
That time when I was quietly watching over Speranza.
Suddenly, the smartphone in my pocket rang. I quickly pulled out the phone and touched the screen. Fortunately, it seemed Speranza didn’t wake up from her sleep.
– Sihy, were you asleep by any chance?
My mother’s voice came through the smartphone. I responded in a whisper.
“I haven’t slept yet. I just put Speranza to bed.”
– Oh! Did Speranza wake up because of me?
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
I switched to a video call and showed my sleeping Speranza on the camera. My mother’s muffled exclamations came through the phone one after another.
– Oh my, oh my. How can she be so pretty even when she’s sleeping? My granddaughter is getting prettier by the day.
“Hehe, right?”
For a while, my mother and I watched Speranza sleep, and then I quietly left the room.
“Mom, what’s going on at this hour?”
– Uh-huh. I called to see if you and Speranza were doing well. Is everything alright?
Usually, I would have brushed off her concern, saying that everything was fine. But today, I couldn’t respond as if my throat was blocked.