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Episode 38: There’s No Smoke Without Fire (III)
There was a big problem with this adoption application!
‘The prince seemed to have a rotten personality, but…?!’
Of course, there were also more important issues than my prospective dad’s personality fluttering like rotten corn silk.
I asked hastily.
“Madam Mimosa, but… The Prince is ‘single’, right?”
“According to the imperial law, even if you are single, you can adopt a child if you have the right environment to raise a child.”
Truthfully, I knew that there was such an imperial law, but there were very few cases where it was actually used.
Just think, which unmarried person would want to adopt a daughter who he did not share even a single drop of blood with unless he’s crazy?
‘That crazy guy is here?’
I asked again, trying to stay calm.
“But Madam, the Prince and I do not have that much of an age difference, right?”
“If there’s a difference of 15 years or more, he can adopt a daughter. You and the prince are exactly 15 years apart.”
Of all things!
I swallowed my saliva as I looked at the paperwork.
Gerrard had the environment to raise me and even had a good reputation. Additionally, he passed the age difference cut-off.
In fact, he was the perfect father.
Position, wealth, fame.
A man who has it all. If I became Gerard’s daughter, I would become a ‘daughter of the imperial family’.
‘I was an orphan in my previous life, but in this world, I am part of the imperial family…?’
This setup was a bit interesting.
‘Maybe being an imperial family member is wonderful too. Though not as much as a bakery owner.’
Then Madam Mimosa said to me,
“The Prince wants a quick adoption, so it seems like he will take you in three days, as soon as the procedure is completed.”
“…Only three days?”
‘That’s too short, Madam.’
The remaining time I have in this Forest was absurdly short.
In three days, I had to say friendly goodbyes to the children one by one, and then end it.
The first thing that came to mind was the promise I made with Sislin just yesterday.
“Let’s never part and live happily ever after.”
“Yes, Sisl, let’s be together for a long time.”
Three days was never a long time.
‘If I leave now, what about Sislin?’
Sislin was in such an unstable state that he committed an act of arson with unknown intentions during the first round of socialization training.
Heinrich would surely be sad too. When he knew this.
The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached, so I bit my lip.
‘What is his intention of adopting me?’
At this point, I couldn’t help but doubt the prince’s intentions.
He was not adopting me because I was Awakened. Because he didn’t know about my awakening.
‘Or did he notice that I’ve seen the scene where the high priest was harmed? Maybe because of the cigarette case…?’
These were the factors that bothered me in my heart, so I asked myself questions, but I soon denied those assumptions head-on.
‘No way.’
If I had been caught, he could just quietly deal with me. Why would he bother to adopt me as a daughter?
It didn’t make any sense to try to put a witness in a position where she would become a future princess.
I was pretty sure he didn’t know that the cigarette case was in my hands.
Considering how madly obsessed he was with the cigarette case in the original story, he would have sent me a sword by now instead of an adoption application.
In the blink of an eye, I was contemplating deeply in front of Madam Mimosa. It was then.
“Congratulations, Annette.”
At the sound of a voice from the other side, I shook my head and looked at Madam Mimosa.
Madam Mimosa looked at me like that and smiled.
“You have the best father ever.”
***
‘Is he really the best father, Madam?’
He was a father who cut off the head of the high priest even after hearing that his grandson’s wedding was the day after tomorrow.
I held my chin and looked at the blackboard.
Mr. Petesche was giving a special lecture with the theme <Our Hope for the Future>.
“Now, shall we present our ‘future hope’ one by one? Who wants to go first?”
“……!”
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, Sasha raised her hand, flipping her fluffy pink hair, fwoosh!
And she moved her hand like a twinkling star. Her hand gestures were so flashy and chaotic that everyone had no choice but to stare.
“Sasha, will you be the first to present?”
“Yes. I’m going to be a ‘great lady’ when I grow up!”
“…You are a wonderful lady, and that’s a good hope for the future.”
Mr. Petesche added kindly, curving his docile eyes under his brown hair.
“Did you all hear it? Hopes for the future do not have to be grand. Just tell me what you want to be. Like how Sasha did. You all understand?”
“Yes.”
As the children answered loudly, the teacher smiled proudly and looked at me.
“Now then, shall we have Annette present next?”
I spoke with a smirk.
There was no hesitation in announcing my hopes for the future.
‘Fufu, I have a dream.’
“Yes, I want to be a bakery owner!”
For some reason, when Um heard this story somewhere, it seemed like he was going to pull his red hair saying, “Glutinous rice, ugh, please, stop talking about bread!”
Fortunately, Mr. Petesche smiled brightly.
“Annette is sure to be a baker who makes a lot of great bread.”
“Thank you!”
‘If Gerard adopts me, I won’t be a bakery owner.’
Being adopted by an unmarried prince, I would live a life that was so controversial that the Imperial Palace would be turned upside down.
In the midst of my cynical thoughts, there was a child who tried to raise his short hand high (which was as low as a carrot in a sugar cane field)..
It was Julien, with big sky-blue eyes.
Thankfully, Mr. Petesche did not miss the small potato-like fist.
“Shall we listen to Julien next?”
Julien got up bravely and shouted.
“My hope for the future is to be a balloon! Because I want to fly in the sky!”
“…Uh.”
The teacher’s expression became slightly troubled. The gentle, brown-haired teacher, Mr. Petesche, hesitated a little, then smiled and said.
“’Hope for the future’ literally means what Julien wants to become when he grows up.”
“Aha, yes! Yes!”
Julien nodded his little head vigorously as if he understood only then.
“Well then, can you say it again?”
“My future hope is to be a bean worm!”
For a moment, I almost laughed, so I bit my lip.
“Because it looks so cool when making a circle!”
“…Uh, uh…”
Mr. Petesche smiled belatedly while gesturing without saying anything.
“That’s right! What a wonderful future hope. Applause everyone.”
Clap, clap.
After quickly evoking the atmosphere with applause, Ms. Petesche chose the next child.
“Then, next… There, shall we hear from Heinrich?”
“……?”
Heinrich, after something else for a while, leaned loosely on the chair and raised his eyes rudely.
Then he gave a very brief but poor answer.
“Married to Sister.”
“……!”
‘Ah, is that really all you hope for for the future?’
‘It’s not a hope for the future to be announced in front of everyone, children…!’
Unlike me, who blushed and was unexpectedly embarrassed by the hope for the future of another, Heinrich proudly crossed his arms, tilting his arrogant and beautiful face.
Mr. Petesche smiled and said;
“Uh, that’s something you’d like to do later… The future hope we’re talking about now is wanting to be like a ‘great lady’ or a ‘bakery owner’ or an occupation.”
With his arms crossed, the crazy chihuahua’s pretty purple eyes lit up, and he immediately corrected his hopes for the future.
“Then, ‘Annette’s husband’.”
“……!”
Oh my gosh.
I hid behind the textbook, blushing next to the imposing Heinrich.
That future hope must be agreed upon with me!
Heinrich looked satisfied and brazen, but he soon frowned, gazing at Sislin.
Just like a cat that looked at a beast that had entered its territory and gnawed at it.
“So, you should have another hope for the future, you bastard. Because Sister’s ‘husband’s seat’ is sold out!”
“……”
“Okay, huh? Aren’t you answering?”
Sislin ignored it neatly.
Was an automatic self-noise canceling?
He didn’t raise an eyebrow so much that anyone could see Heinri’s voice as if he couldn’t hear it at all.
In many ways, this was great.
Mr. Petesche looked at Sislin, who was sitting still, and asked a question softly.
“Is there any hope for the future for our Sislin?”
I felt that he was cautious, unlike when he asked the other children.
It made me sad because I knew the reason.
‘I think he may have none.’
Because Sislin was a gloomy, somewhat special child who lived in a cave, avoiding everyone.
The boy’s life was too gray for him to dream of the future.
At that cautious question, Sislin lowered his long eyelashes and opened his mouth slowly.
“I…”
A lot of thoughts seemed to pass through his red eyes.
Soon the boy’s voice continued. Like sharing a very precious dream.
One syllable by one syllable, very carefully.
“…I will become a great, high-ranking person.”
“……”
“More than anyone else.”
After speaking, the boy made eye contact with me. All of a sudden, my ears were red.
Like the apples that ripened in the spring sun in April.