Ch. 166

“What are you doing?”

Lobelia, who had briefly stepped out, leaving the others at the restaurant, turned slightly at the voice coming from behind her.

She thought it was Kyle, but it was actually Arthur, leaving her unsure whether to feel disappointed or relieved, her mouth just hanging open in a daze.

“What are you staring at like that? Like an idiot.”

“… why did you come out of there? You scared me.”

“Were you hoping it would be Kyle? Judging by that bland reaction of yours.”

It was a smile that looked just like their mother’s, but Lobelia frowned, realizing it was filled with a teasing intent toward her.

They said siblings didn’t often get along well. But Lobelia and Arthur were on relatively good terms.

They teased each other, but never genuinely disliked one another.

‘… well, maybe once.’

There was a time when Arthur genuinely hated Lobelia, when she broke the wooden sword their father had given him as a gift.

But that was when they were five, and since growing up, they hadn’t even argued once.

In the slightly awkward atmosphere, Arthur scratched his cheek lightly, then glanced around the clean alley as he spoke to Lobelia.

“I don’t really understand why Mom and Dad would come here for a date. It used to be really dirty. I remember seeing it once.”

“I know. We were together that time.”

Even back then, neither their mother nor father had a particularly low status.

Why in the world would they have come to a place like this together? But it was a meaningless thought.

Lobelia, twisting a strand of her hair, glanced at Arthur.

Her relationship with Kyle remained at the level of friendship. He was like a younger brother to her, so calling him a friend was actually a big step forward.

But Arthur and Levi… it was hard to define.

Too close to just be friends, yet too distant to be lovers. And wasn’t it a one-sided relationship from the beginning?

No matter how many times she asked, Arthur always said Levi was just a friend.

“About Levi… you didn’t leave her alone, did you?”

“Oh, no.”

Seeing Levi suddenly appear behind Arthur, Lobelia flinched.

She couldn’t tell how long she’d been there without making a single sound.

Arthur gave a faint smile at her reaction. There was no way he’d leave Levi alone in a place like that.

Kyle had looked like he wanted to come too, but Arthur hadn’t wanted Kyle to come here.

The real fun… would probably be where the adults were.

“If you brought her, you should’ve said so. You scared me. And why’d you leave Kyle behind?”

“Well, he had something to watch.”

“Something to watch? What is he watching?”

Arthur just looked at the bewildered Lobelia for a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly.

“Old recordings of things you said when you were little. Everyone’s watching them.”

“… what are you talking about? Don’t tell me it’s what I think.”

“It probably is what you think.”

As Levi stood there quietly, Lobelia’s face instantly turned red, her mouth gaping open.

If it was things she said and did as a child… and the thought of Kyle watching it—she could hardly stay standing there.

“… I’ll be right back.”

“Go ahead.”

Hearing a faint hissing sound somewhere in her head, Lobelia hurried back into the restaurant.

If it was about her childhood, it was absolutely something she didn’t want anyone to see. A black mark on her past, so to speak.

#

“Being young is nice.”

Kaisel said suddenly, and Evan gave a small nod.

He knew the words referred to their children’s childhood, not their own.

Now, they spoke well, found things to do on their own, and he felt proud watching them.

But if he had to pick the most adorable time, it was definitely when they were little and couldn’t even talk properly.

Recalling the children smiling innocently, knowing nothing, a warm smile broke out on his face.

The couples smiled fondly, each remembering the childhoods of their children.

“So, which one of you did your children call first, Mom or Dad? Mine called Scarlett mother first.”

“Hmm, it was a tie for us. Lobelia called me, but Arthur called Irene first.”

Perhaps Evan cherished Lobelia a bit more because of that little bet they had made.

The one where the first to be called <Mom> or <Dad> would have their wish granted.

But the bet ended in a tie when Lobelia called for her father, and Arthur called for his mother.

The memory of Lobelia babbling <Dad> with those tiny, wiggling feet remained vivid in Evan’s mind.

“Oh, come to think of it, I have a recording of it. Would you like to see?”

“Why not? We don’t have anything else to do.”

When Irene took out the crystal ball, Evan infused it with mana, waiting quietly for the video to play.

As time passed, an image of a small child waving her tiny hand appeared, and Irene watched with a gentle smile.

It was Lobelia as they remembered her—a child who had inherited Evan’s hair and eye color.

She was a beautiful child from birth, without any wrinkles and with chubby cheeks, unlike Kyle when he was young, which brought smiles to everyone watching.

“Alright, say <Dad>.”

“She should say <Mom> first. I’ve been with her all this time.”

“Don’t you know Lobelia likes me more? Look, she’s waving at me right now.”

While Lobelia had indeed shown a preference for Evan, Irene was sure that she would be called first.

After all, she had been the one feeding her and staying by her side whenever Evan was away.

But the name Lobelia uttered while lying down shattered that hope.

“Da…ddy!”

“Did… did you hear that? She called me! You heard it too, right?”

“Hold on. I didn’t hear it.”

“Daddy!”

Evan let out a triumphant roar, pumping his fist into the air.

On screen, Irene only shook her head, a bit exasperated by his joy.

Kaisel gently patted Evan on the shoulder, understanding the feeling.

“I’d like to feel that even once. But it seems our son prefers his mother.”

“Well, whose fault is it for being so busy? When Kyle was little, he sometimes even forgot your face.”

The country was in turmoil after stopping the annihilation, and there was no choice but to stay busy to set things right.

Knowing he hadn’t been attentive, Kaisel ruffled Kyle’s hair and turned his gaze back to the crystal ball.

The video that had seemed to end continued, now showing a slightly older Lobelia.

Kyle’s eyes widened, and Evan glanced at him with a slight smile.

“Do you want to see what Lobelia said when she was four?”

“… no.”

“If you’re honest, I’ll show you. Though we should probably keep it from her.”

The sweet temptation made Kyle swallow hard.

Though hiding it from Lobelia bothered him, the lure of seeing something he’d missed was hard to resist.

After countless deliberations, Kyle met Evan’s eyes and nodded slowly.

‘… failed.’

Evan, thinking Kyle was too mischievous for Lobelia, quietly poured mana into the crystal ball.

He was going to show him anyway, even if Kyle had declined.

“Lobelia, come here.”

“Daddy!”

As usual, little Lobelia beamed brightly, held in Evan’s arms as he twirled her around and lifted her up in the air.

Seeing something she no longer did now that she was older, Evan’s expression turned nostalgic as he saw the next scene.

Lobelia, dressed in a white dress like a bride, held a bouquet as she walked, clutching Evan’s hand tightly.

“Who will you marry when you grow up, Lobelia?”

“What does <marry> mean?”

“It’s living your whole life with someone you love.”

Lobelia pondered for a moment, tilting her head, then raised her arms joyfully to the sky.

“Lobelia will marry Daddy when she grows up!”

“Dad!”

The present-day Lobelia’s voice rang out, her face bright red.

Embarrassment overwhelmed her as she realized everyone had seen the video, and she quickly hid the crystal ball, looking at Evan with wide eyes.

“Wh-when did I say that? This must be a fake video, right?”

“Oh, really? I thought I filmed it myself.”

Even Irene didn’t come to her rescue, and Lobelia, flustered, began hitting Evan’s arm.

Why on earth did he show that to Kyle? Meanwhile, Kyle compared the present Lobelia with the child in the video.

With a faint mischievous thought, he wondered if one day she might say those words to him.