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“All I could do was push the children. If you guys get stronger, you can protect anyone, but the children are not okay. Rather, they withered more and more.”
I looked at him, who looked sad for a long time.
“I see…”
“It was years after Ellinson’s death that such children changed. Suddenly, a child who claimed to be Ellison’s last child came by holding a man’s hand. After that, it came one after another.”
“Ah!”
“At first, I couldn’t understand the situation, so I accepted each child in, fed them and dressed them well. I didn’t even know if it was really Ellinson’s child.”
As he slowly stroked with his hand, he let out a dejected smile.
“After that, my children cheered up, thinking about the youngest who might have come. But most of the children who came like that were fake. It would have come out even if I looked into it a little bit.”
“Then everyone must have been disappointed.”
“But it’s better than before. I started to expect that their younger sibling might be alive. Even though so many children came over the years. I had hope. Meanwhile… Harris is here. Holding Ellinson’s pendant.”
How happy everyone must have been. I was more anxious than when I heard it from Cecilia before. It was especially heartbreaking that everyone withered and blamed themselves.
“So…”
“Yeah. Nothing came out of it that Harris was too perfect to be my child, even with Ellinson’s shawl. An old couple who raised Harris proved that the child was the youngest. And then everyone had no choice but to believe it. There was a bit of a bitterness, but…it didn’t matter.”
He slowly raised his head as if he noticed belatedly that I was staring at him. Then he stroked my hair slowly..
“That’s why I haven’t done anything so far. For the children… I’ve been trying to hide what I felt and keep saying that Harris seems to be my real daughter. Thanks to this, all three children have returned to their daily lives.”
“Is that a good lie?”
“That’s what I want to believe or it’s just my excuse. I want to believe that lying to my children is not a bad lie, and that it was a good lie since I hoped my children wouldn’t be hurt.”
“I see.”
I thought all lies were bad, but listening to the Grand Duke, I think there are also good lies.
“So I kept holding it in, but I thought it wouldn’t work now, so I asked Harris to take a test.”
“Are you all okay now?”
“…I’ve known that I’ve been treating my children wrong since I met you.”
Smiling quietly, he leaned over and made eye contact.
“Because of me?”
“Anyway… that’s why I had Harris by my side the whole time, and I just thought I couldn’t do it anymore.”
I wondered what he felt when he saw me, so I asked him back, but he got up from his seat in a hurry without an answer.
It was as if to avoid my question.
“But it’s weird.”
“What?”
“I don’t know why I’m telling you this. Is it because Bebe is good at giving advice?”
“Maybe you just wanted to tell anyone. My dad is a person before he’s a dad. But Dad should always be strong.”
He stopped moving as if he was organizing gifts right away.
“Oh.”
“That’s why you needed someone to talk to.”
“Is that so?”
He nodded as he was spitting out a despondent smile.
“Yes! That’s how much you trust me.”
“I trust you…”
“But you feel much better now that you’ve shared your feelings, don’t you think?”
Looking at him tall for a long time, he raised his head.
“That’s possible. I feel a little relieved.”
“I can give you counseling sometimes.”
“I have a reliable daughter.”
“Hehe. Anyway, don’t worry about Harris. Whether Harris is real or fake, my older siblings will be able to endure it now.”
It was a little difficult for my siblings, especially Lexit, but I purposely raised my voice in case the Grand Duke was worried.
“Is that so?”
“Yes that’s right! And Daddy changed his mind. Someone would be shocked if they see you treat others so affectionately like you do to me. Then everyone will be fine.”
Only then did he nod and laugh.
“No, but children your age deliberately pretend to be adults, and I think that’s right.”
“Do you think I’m pretending to be an adult?”
“Yeah. This isn’t bad either, Bebe. You can be more like a child since you’re only five years old.”
He stroked my head. I wanted to say that I wasn’t pretending to be an adult, but I couldn’t say anything else to him, whose face changed in an instant today.
“Yes! I got it!”