TYHL 197

~Chapter 197~

The mage, stunned for a moment, managed to speak with a face full of overwhelmed emotion.

“Th-thank you, Your Grace…”

“Bring him in now,” Leviathan said coolly.

“Pardon?”

Just like that?

As the mage fumbled in surprise, Leviathan turned to Leon, exactly as scripted.

“Leon.”

And, as if on cue, Leon melted into the shadows.

Moments later—

“Oh, goddess!”
Rubian burst into the cabin, perfectly on script. Her hair was a mess, her clothes disheveled—she looked every bit the part of someone who’d rushed over in shock.

Of course, this appearance was painstakingly curated by Rosetta, and Khalid had delivered her with calm efficiency. But it sold the scene.

“You’re…”
Rubian staggered in, hand over her mouth, wide-eyed and trembling.

Leviathan stifled a snort.
So this is the same kid who does theater at the academy… The acting’s actually pretty good. Though, honestly, ‘Oh, goddess!’ might be a bit much.

The mage, caught off guard, briefly fumbled, but quickly sank back into his emotions. Leviathan caught that flicker of doubt.

He clearly hadn’t expected to meet Rubian like this.

Still, seeing his opportunity, he dragged himself to his feet.

“M-my child…”

Child, my foot. She’s my kid, raised with love and care. Leviathan couldn’t help but grumble internally.

Now it was Rubian’s turn, according to the script, to say, “Are you really my father?” But—

“You’re my fa—”

She froze.

No way.

Leviathan’s eyes narrowed.

“Ah—”

“Yes! I’m your father!”

“Ah, ah… ah—it’s freezing in here! Seriously, this place is so remote!”

The sudden shift caught the mage completely off guard. He’d been on the verge of tears, and now he just stared, dumbstruck.

At the same time, Rubian shot a desperate, help-me look at Leviathan, her blue eyes rolling his way.

Help. I blew the script!

And for the first time, Leviathan cracked a truly satisfied smile.

“How cold is it, dear? Are you very… cold?” The mage’s voice wavered.

That’s right, straw man. Good luck getting through my daughter’s ironclad boundaries.

He had to admit it—even if it was only a play, he wasn’t about to let someone else claim the word “father.”

Feeling a little less filthy, Leviathan held his head high.

Crap, my words got tangled.

But seriously, it’s not easy to say “Father” when you see him in person…

I stared at the man in front of me.

Do we look alike? Maybe a little?

He had soft silver hair and blue eyes, with a round, gentle look.
If I really had to compare, yeah, there were some similarities.

Wait, no. The Magic King probably picked this guy on purpose.

He can’t be from the palace, I thought, because I knew all the royal faces.

“My child…”
His lips trembled as he reached for me.

“You’ve grown up, but I recognized you instantly. You’re alive—truly alive…”

The air wavered between us.
I glanced over; black energy was practically pouring off Dad’s shoulders.

Where’d his kind persona go?! Guess we’re not winning any acting awards as a family…

After a brief, awkward moment, the man went full drama mode.

“My child, come here to Daddy. Let me hold your hand—just once.”

He wobbled toward me.

Sigh.

With no choice, I offered him just my pinky. Dad’s black aura rose by about 20%.

The man tried to grab my hand, but I pulled back as soon as he touched me. The aura faded right back.
Is this remote controlled or something?

“I have no regrets. Now that I’ve seen you, I can die in peace… I can’t tell you how much I blamed myself for losing you. I haven’t slept soundly even once since then.”

He dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve. I replied flatly.

“Is that so.”

“I’m just so glad you’re alive. To think you’d be in Babylon… I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find you…”

Inside, I was busy running simulations of what to do if this guy really was the Magic King’s plant.

“Is that so.”

“I really missed you.”

“Is that so.”

“I even dreamed about you all the time.”

“Is that so.”

“Achoo!”

“Is, that so.”

Oops. My timing was off.

“…”

A short silence. The man coughed, then asked cautiously,
“Child… Why do you keep saying ‘is that so’?”

Because I have nothing else to say.

I collected myself and sat down in the chair Leon had brought over, turning on my best “wistful” mode.

“So… are you really my father?”

“I am!”

“Proof?”

“Those things over there—you used them as a child! Can’t you feel your magic on them?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, but… If I trusted anyone who showed up with my stuff, where would that leave me?”

“I suppose it’s fair to be suspicious. In that case, I’ll go and find even more proof—”

“No, no! Why not test it now?”

“Test…?”

“Well, paternity testing is kind of a trend these days.”

I pulled a little vial from my pocket.

“I like to keep up with trends, you know. Right, Dad?”

“Honestly, it’s exhausting to keep up with you.”

“You heard him. Anyway, I try to stay on top of popular items. Makes it easy to be ready for moments like this. Shall we begin?”

The man stared, stunned.

Why do you have that potion…?

“Is it okay if I pull out a hair?”

“Uh, what…?”

“I’ll do it,” Dad said, rising from his seat.

He cracked his knuckles, looking less like someone about to pluck a hair and more like the grim reaper come for a head.

Wait, what?

The man was thrown.

Why is this… mixing?

He looked down at the bowl where the potion had been poured.

In the middle of that shimmering, iridescent liquid, a long strand of my hair and a clump of his were swirling together.

This really is a paternity potion, he thought, his scalp still stinging.

He’d never expected the princess herself to whip one out.

Wasn’t I supposed to get this from the King of Casalia?
That’s what the Magic King had told him.

And why was the Duke so quick to let them meet?
And how did she get this so fast?
Maybe as the “Seventh,” she’d brewed it herself? But the ingredients… how could she make it on such short notice?
It was almost as if she’d been waiting for him.

His head spun with confusion.

None of this fit the plan. He’d intended to get out of the Duke’s watchful gaze and contact the Casalian King, who had smuggled in a potion.
With that, he was going to fake a positive paternity result and ruin Rubian’s coming-of-age ceremony the next day.

But now—

“Wow, it’s mixing!”

Why is it mixing now?

But I’m not her real father!

The surface of the potion swirled, the silver hair strands twining together until they were almost knotted, like hands clasping in a handshake.

“For real…”

Rubian looked up with shining eyes.

“So you’re really… my fa—wait, never mind! It’s so moving!”

“Huh? Uh… what…?”

Did she fake the potion? But why would she?
Shouldn’t she have used a real one?

In that case, it shouldn’t have mixed!

He was truly confused. He tried to check the bowl for any suspicious magic circles, but nothing made sense to him.

“Dad! I found my—cough, cough—found him!”

“That’s great.”

The Duke’s face and tone were a total mismatch, like he was still disappointed he couldn’t wring the man’s neck.

“Oh, wow! It’s so great to meet you! But why did you abandon me? Oh, wait, you said you lost me, not abandoned me. You risked your life to come find me… Truly, my—cough! I’m so parched!”

“Drink some water. Put your scarf on.”

The princess obediently sipped from her bottle and wrapped the scarf Dad handed her around her neck.

She beamed up at the mage.

What is happening?

“It’s a relief to see it for myself,” the Duke said, standing to give the mage a few heavy pats on the shoulder.
“Let’s go back to the mansion.”

Really? Even though I’m a fake? Back to the mansion?

“Let’s go! My fa—yaaaawn.”

“You’re tired.”

“So tired.”

Is this how it’s supposed to go?

He couldn’t get his head straight. It felt like a trap, but the Zebert family’s relentless pace left him no room to think.

Before he knew it, he was being swept away to the mansion—no, practically carted off in a carriage.

Do I have a secret daughter I didn’t know about?
Of course not.

But thinking about it… Isn’t my plan working anyway?

Sure, some steps got skipped, but in the end, he’d managed to get close to Rubian by pretending to be her father.

He’d even infiltrated the Zebert mansion, right beside his target!

Right?

The mage’s eyes rolled around in confusion, then he fell silent.
Rubian and Leviathan exchanged glances, doing their best not to burst out laughing.