Bang.
Dante, moving like the wind, jumped out of the carriage and closed the door.
"You're here."
He left only one word. Louis froze and held his breath in the carriage. He listened intently, but the sounds coming from outside were too small and low to be heard.
How much time had passed while he suppressed his pounding heart?
"Louis."
The carriage door opened. Louis quickly checked outside, but the mysterious man had already disappeared somewhere.
Clang, clang.
The carriage began to move again. As if nothing had happened.
"... Father."
Louis moved his lips softly.
"Who was that person just now? He said he was my grandfather."
His hair, stiff as white wire, and his sunken cheeks did not resemble either his father or mother. He must have been an old man who was not in his right mind. As he thought that, Dante suddenly said.
"That's right, he's your maternal grandfather."
Louis' eyes widened. He couldn't believe it, but his father had never lied to him.
"I had a maternal grandfather?"
"A biological being. You don't deserve to be called that."
"... Explain, Father."
Louis looked up at Dante with hardened eyes. His father had never failed to answer Louis's questions. Whether it was the meaning of a word with 27 letters or the problem that the tutor laughed awkwardly at because the child didn't need to know such things. Whatever it was. Dante stared at Louis for a moment and said,
"Yes. Okay."
The story that began after that continued for a while. The concise story sounded dry at first because of the tone, but when you looked closely, it was a cruel story.
Fersen Lopez.
A man who had achieved a miraculous rise in social status by marrying the legitimate daughter of the Lopez family as a commoner. However, when his affair was discovered, he was divorced, and was about to be relegated to commoner again, he was a murderer who ordered the murder of his father-in-law and wife. After that, he lived a life of drinking and was finally convicted of a crime a long time ago and sentenced to life in prison.
"... I had no Idea."
Louis muttered softly. To Louis, his mother was always a warm and gentle smile. She seemed to always be there with a cozy embrace, a person who was bound together with affection.
"I never thought my mother would grow up under such a father."
His mother grew up in such a shadow. A father who treated his wife and daughter like that. These were all stories that Louis had never imagined. The child muttered blankly.
"... That's the complete opposite of the definition of family I learned."
"That's why your mother is doing everything she can to make you a happy child without any shadows."
Dante added, throwing and catching a cricket ball.
"I'm also doing this to live up to that."
Louis stared out the car window as if lost in thought. Dante added, looking at the side of his face that he couldn't tell what was going on.
"Ah. And you'd better not tell your mother about today."
"I think so too."
Louis answered in a calm voice.
"After we play ball, would you like to buy me ice cream at the store at the corner of the park?"
"You don't like sweets, do you?"
"I don't hate it that much. Buy it for me."
Dante chuckled as if he found his stubborn answer absurd.
"Yes. Whatever you want."
As the sun was setting, a carriage carrying the rich man slid in front of the mansion. Ariana, who happily went out to greet him, was surprised to see Louis getting out of the carriage.
"You had fun... Oh my?"
Ariana blinked quickly. Louis' bangs were messy as if he had been playing ball quite intensely. But that wasn't why Ariana was surprised. There were colorful sprinkles on the corners of his small mouth.
"I guess you had ice cream with Dad, my Louis?"
Ariana smiled as she took out a handkerchief and wiped the child's mouth.
"Yes, Mom."
"It must have been really delicious. You ate it all up in your mouth."
"Yes, it was delicious."
"So cute!"
Ariana inwardly stomped her feet. She couldn't stand the thought of him being so absorbed in the sweet ice cream that he didn't even realize it was there. What could be going on with a child who doesn't even like sweets?
Ariana swallowed her laughter and said,
"Shall we have ice cream together for dessert tomorrow too?"
"Yes, Mom."
Ariana smiled happily. Louis, who was being gently stroked by Ariana, with narrowed eyes.
"... What are you doing when you're eating so well? Why are you sticking a piece of sugar in your mouth?"
"I just wanted to."
How clever of him to put on an 'eye-down' look like that. Dante let out a hollow laugh. It was a peculiar trick to see Ariana so happy. Dante quickly approached and put his arm around Ariana's shoulder.
"Let's go in, Ariana. Why did someone so heavy come all the way here?"
"I couldn't help it because I was so happy to see you."
Dante kissed Ariana's forehead as she answered shyly.
Fersen Lopez, who had escaped from prison dramatically, was caught and imprisoned again three hours after his escape. After that, he died in the ward without ever seeing the light of day again.
***
"Ahhh!"
A faint scream erupted from beyond the door. Dante jumped up and paced the hallway. He banged his head against the wall and muttered something that was either a prayer or a curse.
"Oh, really."
Louis, who had been praying with his hands clasped in a neat posture, furrowed his brow.
"Stay still, Dad. That's why the attending doctor kicked you out."
"Noisy, son..."
Dante muttered softly, burying his forehead in his palm. A small hand gently rubbed his back.
"Mom will be okay."
The calm consolation seemed to have no effect on Dante. Regardless, Louis devoted himself to prayer again. Although he wasn't a particularly passionate believer, he had nothing else to do since his father, who was supposed to be his spiritual pillar, was acting like that. The servants glanced at him and whispered. The sight of him praying with his eyes closed resembled a famous painting of a baby angel.
"How can the young master be so mature?"
"He's so calm. He's so gentle."
After a long time, the long-awaited sound finally came from inside the room.
"Euuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
Suddenly, Dante jumped up from his seat and the door swung open.
"Madwm gave birth safely!"
"Mom!"
The moment Dante took his step like lightning, a small figure dashed into the door.
"Louis."
Ariana greeted the child running towards her with a faint smile.
"Mom! Are you okay?"
"Yes, Mom is okay. But more than that..."
"Eww!"
Louis flinched at the sound of the new cry. When the child turned his head, a very strange creature was struggling.
"Awww!"
"That's..."
"Yes, it's Louis' little sister."
Ariana smiled brightly, showing the baby she was holding in her arms.
"Isn't it pretty?"
Louis couldn't take his eyes off the baby. The creature was very small. Its hands and feet were incredibly cute, and its eyes sparkled like beads.
'An angel.'
Only after seeing it with his own eyes did Louis truly realize it. The stars had truly granted his wish. Louis couldn't take his eyes off the little sister he had longed for even in his dreams.
"Ariana."
Dante, who had come quickly, hugged the baby and Ariana at the same time.
"Thank you for being safe..."
"Were you worried? Oh my, you seem to have sweated more than me."
Ariana smiled, patting his large back. Her pale sweaty face glowed beautifully with happiness.
"It's a girl."
At Ariana's whisper, Dante looked down at the baby again. Ariana added happily.
"Our Louise has finally come into the world."
***
Louis Heigenberg. Now, the eight-year-old boy's world was tightly spinning according to a set routine. For example...
"Brother, brother. Let's play."
It was always about forty minutes after breakfast when his three-year-old sister appeared, sucking her thumb and asking to play. Louis, who had already been waiting in Louise's playroom, closed his book and said.
"Yes. What should we play with?"
"This!"
Louise, who would normally have had a hard time choosing one of the many toys, pointed to one firmly.
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