Chapter 24
“Oh no! Luciana and River are scared because of the upcoming war!”
Carlyx stopped his stride and looked at Daisy with a frown.
Her smile made him uneasy.
“For that reason, I wanted to comfort them by pretending to be the hero in a fairy tale!”
Carlyx looked at Daisy again after deliberating for a while. He gritted his teeth, and returned to his usual dull expression shortly after.
“Sigh…”
Carlyx came back and sat down, and then, Daisy turned around to face him on the sofa. This time, there was paint on the brush she held in one hand.
“Let’s get started.”
Carlyx spoke in a calm, but slightly resigned tone.
The silence continued as he shut his eyes and Daisy leaned her upper body towards him.
Daisy didn’t have to get up from her seat. She was able to do everything she wished to do on the sofa. She mixed various colors on the palette to get the colors she desired as much as possible. It seems her familiarity with painting when she was five is still within her.
After some time had passed, Daisy was almost done with Carlyx’s makeup, and calmly asked.
“By the way, it’s not your first time going to war, right?”
“Yes.”
What kind of question is that? As a result, Carlyx opened his left eye. His stare towards her was full of absurdity.
Bothered by his stare, Daisy poked his eyelid with the tip of the brush. As she swiftly moved the brush away, she said.
“Ah, it was a mistake. I’m sorry.”
“It was obviously done on purpose.”
“Even if you know it was done on purpose, pretend you don’t and stay still. Otherwise, your face may end up looking like a rainbow tiger instead of white tiger.”
“….”
“A rainbow tiger is not that bad, is it? I’m not aware of what you think of it, but if you were to ask me, I really want to see one right now, if possible.”
Daisy smiled brightly as she spouted those words that sounded more like a threat in his ears. Due to that, Carlyx couldn’t help but shut his mouth.
How nice it is to see you act so obediently. If you do this everyday, I don’t mind giving you a tiny bit of my affection. Daisy thought.
“It’s not your first time going to war, so how do you usually deal with other matters?”
“What do you mean?”
“To be exact, how do you usually keep the kids from getting anxious?”
“….”
“Geez, what a dull guy.”
Oh no. Did I just blurt out my thoughts?
Daisy realized what just occurred and paused. As if to prove it right, Carlyx had an irritated expression on his face. And so, Daisy quickly shut him up.
“Rainbow tiger.”
“…I just tell them I’ll be right back. I’m only leaving for a while, so there’s no need to bid them farewell.”
“What a heartless man.”
Carlyx clenched his hands, and naturally shut his eyes tight. However, just because he closed his eyes, it doesn’t mean he couldn’t see her movements anymore. Rather, he knew exactly where her hand was as it moved and where her body was as it leaned towards him.
I’ll just take the brush away.
To do so, he thought of changing his posture at once.
“I’m sorry. I keep saying things without thinking it through. I must be tired.”
“If that’s the case…”
“Rainbow tiger.”
Silence enshrouded them once again due to those magical words.
At that moment, Carlyx slowly lifted his eyelids, seemingly unable to endure it anymore.
She wouldn’t know how she’d see him if he had white paint all over his face in a different situation, but right now, he doesn’t seem scary at all. Rather, if she could, she would laugh to her heart’s content.
Cough—
Daisy coughed. She then handed him the brush and asked.
“Still, aren’t you sitting here because you don’t think you’ve done enough to console them?”
Carlyx’s eyes, which were once filled with displeasure due to Daisy’s words, gradually calmed down. He then took the brush from Daisy’s hand without saying a word.
When he looked at the fairy tale book on the table, he noticed that there were two heroes; a tiger and a star fairy.
Carlyx spoke in a calm voice as he held the brush with yellow paint on it.
“It seems that you are quite skilled at misinterpreting my words. Honestly, whether or not you push through with this, I don’t mind. However, I think it’ll be better if you don’t.”
“I still think it’ll be better to do this for the kids.”
Daisy chuckled softly. Her eyelashes shook along with her smile.
“…Please stay still then. I have to draw two stars near your lips.”
Shortly after Carlyx said those words, it was finally quiet. At that moment, he had his gaze on Daisy’s tightly closed rosy lips as he drew two stars near it. Carlyx, who was briefly enraptured by her, quickly said as soon as he was done.
“Don’t open your left eye for the time being. I have to draw a star near it. Let’s get this over with as soon as possible because it’s almost time for bed.”
Carlyx’s body, which seemed to have acted up, started moving again. He began to draw a star on Daisy’s face delicately.
Unlike her, he moved rigidly without even thinking of playing tricks on her.
Carlyx, who was now carefully rinsing the brush with water, suddenly said dryly.
“As you may have seen in the newspapers, a war has broken out.”
Carlyx pondered for a moment as he put white paint on his brush.
How much should she know as the madam of the family? How much should I tell her? Will she understand?
It was normal to pretend not to know even if she knew about the relationship between the Imperial family and the Knights of Zistanter.
After deliberating for a while, Carlyx began to explain the big picture to her.
“The Imperial family has high expectations for the Knight of Zistanter. Thus, we should always be ready to go to war.”
High expectations.
Carlyx tried to explain in a way that made her feel comfortable without lying. It was better to hide the fact that they were also the first that would be abandoned once the situation turned dangerous.
“From tomorrow onwards, my schedule will vary depending on the course of the war.”
It was the start of his role as a puppet.
The training intensity. Meetings for strategic planning. Everything was decided by the news delivered in the morning.
He had to be as nervous as those who were sent to war first. Because if a terrible situation were to arise, the Imperial family would quickly abandon the Knights of Zisanter.
‘Not only will they abandon me, but also the entire Zistanter knights as well.’
It encouraged him to give his best shot even when he lived a meaningless life all this time.
Eventually, Carlyx finished drawing the star near Daisy’s left eye. There were two stars near Daisy’s lips and a big star near her left eye.
Fairy. It was a word that didn’t seem to suit her, yet strangely enough, it somehow suited her.
‘She’s a fairy who likes to stand out on her own.’
The corners of Carlyx’s mouth slightly rose, but it only lasted for a moment.
Then, a solemn voice rang between them.
“Even if I die, I left an asset for you.”
He already met with a lawyer even before news about the Parisian Empire’s movements was heard. In fact, he scheduled a meeting with the lawyer after they first met.
It wasn’t driven by affection. He did it for the same reason he had when he married his first wife, Vera Muas. It was what they deserved for their role.
“It’s not a small amount.”
No matter how heavy the topic was, Carlyx never hesitated to bring it up. Despite participating in countless wars throughout his life, he was strangely calm.
“I’ll schedule a meeting with the lawyer if you want. That way, you can tell me if there’s a clause you don’t like in particular. If it’s possible, I’ll change it as you wish”
He was an extremely cold person. Daisy thought to herself.
She slowly opened her eyes. Just as she thought last time, he was someone who was good at judging rationally.
To the point it was annoying.
“River and Luciana—
Suddenly, Daisy leaned her body towards Carlyx. Instinctively, Carlyx gently grabbed Daisy’s wrist, who suddenly fell into his arms.
What’s the meaning of this? His eyes widened due to the strange occurrence.
As he came to his senses quickly, Carlyx loosened the grip on her wrist as much as he could.
Thud-!
The brush fell to the floor.
“What are you doing? If you’re too tired to control yourself, it’ll be better to rest in your room.”
“There’s a clause I’d like to suggest, but it’s too uncomfortable for me to look into your eyes and say it.”
“If that’s the case, you just need to focus your gaze elsewhere as you speak.”
“I’m not comfortable with talking while your eyes are on me.”
Sigh, what am I supposed to do then? Carlyx, who had a distorted expression, pushed Daisy away.
No, he tried to push her away. But Daisy fell into his arms as soon as he let go of her.
He wanted to shake her off, but he felt as though he wouldn’t be able to control the strength he’d use. If he fails to do so, he might hurt her again.
“I closed my eyes. This is annoying, so tell me quickly.”
Eventually, Carlyx chose to listen obediently. Then, Daisy flicked his forehead.
Flick-!
The sound was loud enough to tell that she hit him with quite a bit of strength.
“Wait, what the hell is this?”
When he opened his eyes, Daisy rolled her eyes as if she was speechless.
Because of that, Carlyx was baffled by her behavior.
“Your expression just now-”
“What kind of man goes to war and is so sure of his own death?”
Each word she said felt unfamiliar to him.
“You. I know you will come back alive even if you go to war. Don’t worry.”
Carlyx rubbed his forehead that Daisy just hit.
Even though the pain had already disappeared, he strangely couldn’t take his hand off it.
“Don’t think about dying before you divorce me. No, don’t even die.”
And Carlyx answered her nonsensical question obediently.
“I understand.”
Usually, he wouldn’t give an answer to uncertain requests. But this time, his mouth moved on its own.
Somehow, he reckoned that he wouldn’t be able to look at her face if he rejected her request.
Luciana and River loved to read the fairy tales that were prepared by Daisy.
The expressive River began to shout excitedly.
“Again! Again!”
Luciana clapped lightly at first, but she gradually began to clap louder and louder. She even nodded and said ‘again!’ over and over.
“And then, Whitey got rid of his enemies with his breath of fire.”
It was Carlyx’s turn this time.
Daisy used her facial muscles to give a signal to Carlyx.
It was the most important part of the story, so if you missed the timing, it would break the tension! Don’t you see that our VVIP customers are watching?!
“Roaar.”
It was the most lethargic and boring sound one could make to represent a tiger breathing fire. But thankfully, River seemed to be satisfied with it.
“Roaaar! Daddy!”
Carlyx gave him a dull response as if he wasn’t the one who played as Whitey in the first place.
River, who was not hurt at all by his portrayal, nodded vigorously.
“Whitey! Breeesh of fiwe has beaten all the enemies!”