Cheers and attention
“Oh…”
Rishe gaped.
To be honest, the aftermath of the situation was quite perilous.
In any case, Myria fainted and the Archbishop was stunned.
Also, Arnold pointed his sword at the priest who attacked him and brought him to this point, knocking him into a coma.
He could have been discredited for trying to help Miss Myria and turned the Order against him. But thanks to you, Schneider-sama…
The priests rushed over to restrain the archbishop.
Meanwhile, they looked up at Arnold and verbally expressed their gratitude.
“Your Highness, Arnold Hein! Thanks to you, we were able to save Miss Myria.”
“How could we ever thank you…”
“…”
Arnold raised his eyebrows in genuine displeasure, then silently turned his gaze to Schneider.
Next to Schneider stood Leo. He had just slipped out of Rishe’s noose and was looking at them in a tangle.
Schneider was the one who assigned Leo as Myria’s guard.
Rishe breathed a sigh of relief.
Then a bloodied man came tumbling in.
“Myria!!!”
“Wait, Your Excellency Jonal.”
Schneider grabbed the arm of the Duke, Myria’s adoptive father.
“The Archbishop’s minions may still be lurking somewhere. I’ll take Miss Myria. You stay back…”
“I’m sorry, get off me!!”
“!!”
The duke shook off Schneider’s hand and ran to Myria’s side.
He didn’t even spare Arnold and Rishe a glance. He ran to Myria, whom the priests were carrying up and hugged her tightly.
“Myria…!!”
“Hmm, Papa?”
Myria slowly awakened and blinked when she saw the Duke’s face.
A few seconds later, her dazed eyes came into focus and she reached out to the Duke.
“Papa!”
“Oh!… You poor thing, you must have been scared. Do you feel any pain anywhere?”
With Myria in his arms, the Duke repeatedly and tearfully apologized.
“I’m such a fool. I didn’t even know who the real enemy was!! I believed the Archbishop’s words and handed you over to him as a result. You’re more important than life itself, and I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you…!”
“Huh-huh-hmm…”
“I’m an incompetent father…There’s no way I’m ever going to be allowed to be with you again…”
“That’s not true. No, no…”
The duke looked confused at Myria who was shaking her head.
“After the Archbishop drugged me, I kept having dreams! I dreamed that I was in the Grand Shrine and that Papa saved me when a lot of dangerous things were falling from above.”
“Me?”
“You got sick because of it, but you always lied for me, saying it was because of an old illness. See? Even in my dreams, you were protecting me!”
Myria clung to the Duke tightly as she sobbed.
“I dreamed about Papa, so I knew you would certainly save me. So, please don’t cry like this, Papa…”
“Myria…”
“I’m sorry I have worried you. But, but…”
She spoke in an inaudible and delicate voice.
“I’ll behave, and you’ll be my Papa for a long time…”
“Of course, I will!!”
As if to drown out his daughter’s fears, the Duke shouted.
“Keep in mind that no matter how bad you become, Papa will always love you and be there for you…”
“Papa!”
Myria cried, bawling.
Rishe, in her life as a maidservant, has worked hard to avoid hearing her cry. But at this moment, her cry gave her relief.
Then she looked up at Arnold next to her.
“They’re quite fussy, right?”
“I’m sure the Duke and that Maiden Priestess are not even related.”
He frowned upon the rest of Myria’s blood relatives.
“But why is he so concerned about the Maiden Priestess’s safety? I don’t understand it at all.”
“Oh, on the way to the Grand Shrine, didn’t Your Highness Arnold tell me that blood ties have no effect on whether or not you can establish a good relationship?”
Then he gave her a look that said, “So what?”
Arnold must have wanted to say at that time, “Just because we are related by blood does not mean we can get along with each other. But Rishe took that line to heart in another direction.
“In other words, Your Highness is right. ――Blood ties have absolutely nothing to do with whether people can get along.”
“…”
“It probably doesn’t matter. Even though they’re not related by blood, they’re undeniably father and child.”
After a few moments of reluctance, Arnold let a few seconds pass before sighing.
“Oh, well, Oliver…”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’m ready to receive your scolding.”
Peek-Aboo 
Leave a comment