/
However…
‘Because I have that child.’
Recalling the child who smiled brightly, a smile appeared on the lips of the former duke for the first time in a long time.
He leisurely leaned back in his comfortable chair.
Somehow, he felt at ease.
* * *
Evidently tired from her outing, Tatiana fell asleep early.
‘I’m not pleased with the way I behaved around Tatiana today.’
Siegfried reviewed today’s events once again.
Because of the tension of their father and son’s feud, it felt wrong to let her see it.
He felt sorry for himself.
“Father,” Siegfried muttered something like a sigh.
His father, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, seemed slightly older than before.
His lively appearance remained the same, but the deep lines on his forehead had become a bit more pronounced.
‘This time…… I owe Tatiana.’
In fact, he knew it all too well.
If she hadn’t invited him first, he would never have contacted his father at all.
He didn’t have the courage to reach out first.
In other words.
In other words, it meant that Tatiana naturally connected Lord Norcourt and Siegfried with her childlike innocence.
‘I’m really grateful… because of that child.’
Siegfried gently closed his eyes. Behind his closed eyelids, Tatiana’s smiling face flickered.
His heart became calm.
* * *
And so, two days later, on the day of the outing.
Despite it being morning, it was still dark. I had thought the weather had been gloomy since yesterday.
Looking at the damp air, it seemed that there had been autumn rain overnight.
In many ways, it was inappropriate weather to hold an outing, but my heart was light without any concerns.
“Good morning, Tatiana.”
Siegfried, who came out punctually at the appointed time, greeted me.
I smiled brightly back at Siegfried.
“Good morning, First Dad!”
“It’s quite chilly. Dress warmly.”
“Yes, I will!”
I quickly washed up and received the help of a maid to change into my clothes.
White pants, knee-high boots, and a tailored jacket that fit snugly. They were all hunting clothes carefully chosen by Nora over the past few days.
But why wear hunting clothes to a picnic?
Well, because today’s outing is not just a day to enjoy tea and dessert, haha.
Young Lady Ghiberti has thrown the gloves at me, so I intended to meet her challenge head-on.
To that end, I’m going to make sure the picnic is a success, but I’m also going to make sure it’s a success in other ways.
One of those ways: using the best contacts in the empire.
‘Lady Ghiberti has set restrictions: no gardens, no greenhouses.’
So, we just need to go to an external location that is not affected by weather and other factors.
That place is none other than…
‘The Magic Tower.’
Or, more precisely, the empty space around the tower for magical experimentation.
With Kirios’ illusion magic, it shouldn’t be hard to create a landscape that looks exactly like the real thing.
‘Second Dad, we want to have a picnic, do you think you could lend us a place?’
I made good use of my connection with the Archmage and–
‘Of course. I will provide a memorable outing location for my little kid.’
Kirios nodded with a grin.
However, due to Kirios’s excessive enthusiasm and recklessness, instead of a beautiful forest suitable for a ladies’ outing, an immense forest that was more than enough for military training was created…
‘Magic tower lord, how can the ladies have a picnic in this rugged forest!’
……Note: The enormous forest was trimmed down by Nora’s fire spell.
( E/N : Nora the maid knows fire magic??? What a boss.)
Anyway, Nora and Kirios agreed that my picnic should be perfect, and at one point they wandered off in unison.
‘An outing for the princess?’
‘Then we’ll lend a hand.’
……I don’t even know why the wizards of the Magic Tower were there, but they were.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Siegfried and I headed for the tower.
As the carriage moved, the sky gradually darkened, and finally, heavy raindrops began to fall.
Splash–
The sound of rain pounding on the carriage window was loud.
Oh, an outing on a day like this.
If it weren’t for Kirios’s help, it would have been a disaster, wouldn’t it?
‘Indeed, it’s all about connections.’
I chuckled ominously in my mind.
‘Huh?’
I opened my eyes wide.
It seemed like the carriage passed through some kind of transparent barrier…?
Siegfried, who met my gaze, blurted out.
“We passed through a barrier.”
At the same time, I witnessed a miracle.
“Wow…”
The drizzling and dreary autumn rain disappeared without a trace. Instead, the delightful weather of a crisp, sunny autumn day greeted me.
Finally, the carriage stopped.
“Come this way.”
Holding Siegfried’s hand, I stepped out of the carriage, my mouth agape.
At the boundary, the sky was split in half.
On one side, gray clouds poured rain, while on the other side, there was a clear blue sky without a single cloud.
The sharp contrast was dazzling.
Nora, who had been inspecting the forest where the party would be held, greeted Siegfried first.
“Greetings, my lord.”
Then she turned to me with a smile.
“Welcome, my lady. Do you like the location?”
“Yes! I love it!” I exclaimed happily and jumped into Nora’s embrace.
There were dazzling canopies to shade the sunlight, carefully leveled ground to prevent the young ladies from stumbling, soft chairs, and beautiful tables.
The preparations for the party were flawless.
Honestly, even if you moved an entire noble’s tearoom, it wouldn’t be more splendid than this.
Moreover…
‘How come the Lord of the Magic Tower has made a magical space dedicated to my tea party?’
I had a mischievous glint in my eyes.
Just that fact alone would spark people’s imagination.
Perhaps the rumor will be, ‘The Lord of the Tower is very fond of Princess Tatiana’?
And the more widely known it becomes that I am loved by three heroes, the less likely anyone would dare to mess with me.
Nora looked down at me with a delighted expression.
“Indeed, our young lady suits the hunting attire well.”
“Really?”
I turned around on the spot, proudly showing off the outfit.
“It’s all thanks to Nora’s choices. Thank you.”
“No, it’s because you’re so adorable.”
Then I looked up.
“Nora’s right; clothes don’t look right until they’re on a good hanger,” Siegfried also chimed in with a nonchalant comment.
I nodded with a slightly flustered expression.
“Yes…….”
I can only hope that the twinkle in Nora’s eye, and in Siegfried’s, lasts for a long time.
Meanwhile.
I spotted two familiar faces approaching in the distance.
‘As expected, connections are everything.’
With somewhat calculating thoughts unbecoming of a child, I waved my hand enthusiastically.
“Dads!!!”
The success of a gathering usually depended on the attendees.
‘And this time, at my picnic, there are three warriors in attendance.’
That’s about as big a social catch as you can possibly get, above even the emperor.
It’s rumored that the three heroes rarely show their faces, even at the Emperor’s banquets.
Which means.
In other words, my party could be considered on par with an event hosted by the emperor, right?
“Well, little kid, do you like the party location?”
Kirios grinned tiredly at me. His long hair looked disheveled as if he had just woken up, and he had a pen stuck in his ear, not to mention his rumpled clothes.
It seemed that Kirios had been exhausted from his duties at the Magic Tower, plus the preparations for the picnic.
…….Hmm, I feel a bit sorry about this.
“It’s Tatiana’s first social gathering, so I couldn’t miss it either.”
Moreover, even Caesar managed to find time in his busy schedule to visit.
“Well, it seems like the preparations for the gathering have been done well.”
Siegfried has probably been up for three days just for this day…….
‘Tati, you’re not going to leave me out, are you?’
Actually, even Lakius wanted to join the outing.
‘Where do you think you’re going to sneak in, Lakius?’
Caesar frowned.
‘Have you finished the task I assigned you?’
‘Oh, well……’
Lakius tried to defend himself with a resentful expression, but…
‘And don’t forget your sword training. I’ll check with the knights to see if you’ve finished it perfectly.’
Siegfried added sternly.
‘And you haven’t forgotten your magic control exercises, have you?’
And then there was even Kirios, who chimed in slyly.
‘…….’
Suddenly drowning in a mountain of work, Lakius’s face turned into a blank stare.
Due to that, it’s uncertain whether Lakius will be able to attend today’s gathering.
‘I feel like it’s been a while since I saw Laki’s face. Dad, can’t you cut him some slack with training on occasions like this?’
I grumbled inwardly and quickly composed myself.
“Thanks so much for organizing the picnic today. I really like it!”
“That’s a lot of words from a kid,” Kirios replied, as if it was nothing. “……But what do you like best?”