Chapter 138: What is this?
{TL: By Creed}
That was just because she was half-asleep.
It was beyond her control.
I’m not particularly bothered, and rather, I was lucky to see such a cute side of her.
With that mindset, I somehow managed to calm her down.
After that, Isaac was arrested for kidnapping the lord's daughter.
There were various procedures to go through and interviews to attend...
It wasn’t until the next morning that I was finally freed from dealing with the aftermath of the incident.
'I'm so sleepy...'
'Yeah, after everything that happened and pulling an all-nighter, it’s tough.'
I just wanted to go straight back to the inn and collapse onto the bed.
But I couldn’t do that.
It had gotten so late, Aisha was surely worried.
Plus, I had to let Edward and Emilia know that Sofia was safe.
'Shall we go home?'
'Yes.'
Holding hands, we headed to Sofia’s house.
――――――――――
"This is…"
"What in the world…"
When we returned to the mansion, an unexpected sight awaited us.
Furniture and other items were broken, and the floor and walls were damaged. Servants were bustling about busily amidst the chaos.
Even this was shocking enough, but…
"Aisha, it's about time for you to go to bed, don’t you think? I understand you're worried about Sofia and that boy, but you must be exhausted by now, right?"
"Uuh, no… I’ll keep going. I want to greet Father and Mother when they come home."
"Yes, yes, I understand. We do want to welcome them back. Then, let’s hang in there a little longer. I'll make some tea to wake us up. And how about we have breakfast? Maybe some pancakes?"
"Yay!"
"Oh? Do you like pancakes? We'll have delicious ones with lots of cream and fruit, so wait a little while, okay?"
"Okay, Grandpa."
Edward was completely doting on Aisha.
Aisha was just a child, so she wasn’t being treated too strictly… But even so, I don’t think he used to be very affectionate toward her. At the very least, he never smiled so broadly that it seemed his cheeks might fall off while having her sit on his lap.
And yet, now? He looked exactly like a grandpa doting on his beloved grandchild.
"Oh my, Sofia, welcome back."
Emilia noticed us and smiled warmly.
"It seems Stuart helped you out, didn’t he? Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes… I’m perfectly fine. It’s just…"
"Sofia!"
Edward stood up, moving Aisha aside for the moment.
He had an incredibly stern expression.
"..."
Sofia tensed up as well.
As a sword saint.
As a daughter of the sword, showing such disgrace by succumbing to some drug was pathetic.
She was probably bracing herself, thinking he would reprimand her for that.
But in reality, it was the exact opposite.
"You’ve made it back safely…!!"
"Huh?"
Edward hugged Sofia.
Tightly, but at the same time, as gently as if handling a delicate piece of glass.
"I had sensed that those fools were up to something, but I never imagined they would go so far as to pull such a stupid stunt… It’s my fault. I’m sorry, truly sorry…!"
"F-Father? Aren’t you angry?"
"Why would I be angry?"
"Because I showed such a disgraceful side…"
"That was partly my fault as well. I cannot simply blame you, Sofia."
"Father…"
"I’m sorry. I was blind to allow such a man to be your fiancé… It was my mistake, I’m so sorry."
"..."
Sofia said nothing and hugged Edward back.
It seems they’ve made up now, right?
"Father!"
"Aisha, I’m home."
"Welcome back… Hehe. I did a good job of looking after the house, didn’t I?"
She looked at me as if asking, "Wasn’t I good? Wasn’t I?" I gently patted her head.
"Yes, Aisha, you were amazing. You did so well."
"Hehe."
Aisha’s tail wagged back and forth vigorously.
"Thank you for everything, Stuart. And thank you for taking care of my daughter."
"Oh no…! It was just what I should’ve done!"
Emilia bowed her head to me, which made me flustered. Seeing this, she smiled warmly.
"After all, Stuart is the best for Sofia. Don’t worry. After this incident, my husband has finally come to his senses."
"I’m happy to hear that, but… What happened here?"
"Oh, that. My husband… well, he’s completely fallen for his granddaughter Aisha’s charm."
"Huh?"
"My husband is, how should I say… oblivious to certain things. He never really noticed that Aisha was his granddaughter until just now. So, when she called him ‘Grandpa’ earlier… well, that was it for him."
"I-I see."
Even though I’m still young, I feel like I can understand Edward’s feelings.
I’ve heard that grandparents tend to spoil their grandchildren a lot… And more than anything, Aisha is adorable. Incredibly cute. She’s kind, honest, and a good child, almost like an angel.
If such a child were your granddaughter, even Edward would become completely doting.
"But that’s not the point."
While Edward’s change in demeanor was certainly curious, there was a more pressing issue.
"This place is a mess. What happened here?"
"…Yes, well, we can talk about that later. For now, the attackers have been dealt with."
"Attackers…?"
"For now, please rest. You must be exhausted."
"But…"
"Aisha hasn’t slept either, so it’d be best for you to rest with her."
"…Alright."
With Aisha being mentioned, I couldn’t refuse. As much as I was curious, I decided to take Emilia’s advice and rest at the mansion for now.
TL Note: Co-ordinated attack?
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