The bright Desmont Mansion.

Darvav smiled with satisfaction as he planted various flowers in the yard.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a hoe in hand, Darvav continued his work.

It wasn't something a head of a prestigious family would typically handle, but nevertheless, Darvav was pleased to be able to decorate the mansion with his own hands.

Perhaps it was because he was getting older.

These days, Darvav appreciated beautiful things.

"Excellent."

"..."

"Indeed, doing it yourself is the best."

"..."

"Though I planted them myself, arranging the colors so beautifully makes them quite pleasing to the eye."

The garden planted with various flowers—roses, lilies, forget-me-nots—was exactly to Darvav's liking. Darvav smiled and asked Olivia, who was sitting heavily on the ground.

"What do you think? Do you like it?"

Olivia, holding a hoe with a sullen expression, looked at Darvav and said.

"No."

"...!?"

The ground where Olivia sat was covered with marks where she had hacked at the earth.

Though he had asked her to plant flowers, she had turned herself into a plow and tilled the soil instead. Seeing this, Darvav smiled with satisfaction.

'At least she didn't pick the flowers... Excellent.'

Olivia irritably threw the hoe on the ground and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"This is boring."

Watching Olivia complain and declare a strike, Darvav asked.

"What's wrong?"

"Working under the hot sun is tiring and hot."

"Didn't you ask for an allowance?"

"Isn't an allowance supposed to be free?"

"No, it's not."

"Father, you're so stingy."

"Can't be helped."

Olivia stretched Darvav's face, which had come close to hers, expressing her indifference.

"Eeek..."

Olivia was bored.

Playing with her father was fun, but she had been bored lately because the butler hadn't been playing with her.

Olivia complained to Darvav, telling him her true feelings. That the butler seemed to be neglecting his duties lately.

"Father."

"What is it?"

"Ricardo won't play with me."

"I see."

"He's been too busy to play with me lately."

"That has nothing to do with the flowers, does it?"

"This is more important than flowers."

Hearing Olivia's words, Darvav nodded glumly.

"I think the flowers are more important."

Olivia shook her head and said.

"This is more important to me."

Knowing well that his daughter's stubbornness couldn't be broken, Darvav squatted next to Olivia and listened to her concerns.

As the head of the Desmont family, sitting on the dirt ground was unthinkable, but what could he do? It was what he wanted.

Darvav waved his hand to the surprised servants, telling them it was fine, and opened his ears to Olivia's words.

"It can't be helped, can it? He's always been a busy person, I can understand that."

"What good does it do if you understand? I'm the one who needs to understand."

"Don't you understand too?"

At Darvav's question, Olivia nodded and buried her face in his shoulder.

"You're right. I was just complaining once."

Darvav was moved by Olivia's growth.

In the past, she would have gotten angry saying, "But I'm bored!" but now she understood Ricardo's situation. As a father, Darvav felt proud.

He seemed to have raised his daughter well.

Olivia muttered in a gloomy voice.

"Ricardo must be very busy. I asked him to do just a little work, but he wouldn't listen."

"Aren't you worried about your father too? I'm also working a lot."

"Father, you should work less too. Health comes before money."

"..."

Darvav's eyes gradually reddened.

Perhaps because he was getting older and more sensitive, Darvav felt that the world had nothing to envy as he raised such a filial daughter.

According to rumors, the Histania family had raised not-so-good children.

Darvav shook his head, recalling the face of his rigid academy classmate.

-I exist for the family.

When that guy said he was getting married, Darvav thought his child-rearing would be a failure, and sure enough, strange rumors were circulating, making Darvav nod in agreement.

Look at himself.

Although his daughter had a somewhat flawed personality, she was a filial daughter who worried about her father. Darvav thought this qualified her as a filial daughter and smiled as he mentally scored a victory in his rivalry with the Histania family.

Child-rearing.

Social status.

Wife's appearance.

He was still winning in all aspects.

"Hehe."

"Father, you look like you're having a mental victory."

"No, I'm not."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"I'm just happy that you're worried about me."

"Am I nice?"

"..."

Darvav couldn't answer.

Even he had a conscience.

"Why aren't you answering?"

"My daughter is the prettiest in the world."

"I know."

"And your personality, I don't know who you take after, but you're also quite sharp."

"I take after Mother."

Darvav breathed a sigh of relief.

"And I take after you too, Father."

Darvav inhaled the sigh he had just exhaled.

"Don't you take more after your mother in personality?"

"No, I take after you too."

"Think about it again."

"Why?"

"..."

Darvav had a conscience.

As time passed and the afternoon sun began to embrace darkness.

"Oh?"

In the distance, a familiar man with a pleasant smile was approaching.

A man carrying shopping bags in both hands.

Olivia reacted faster than Darvav. Like a dog smelling something delicious, Olivia, who had been dozing on Darvav's back, quickly raised her head and shouted at the red-haired young man walking from afar.

"Father, Ricardo is coming!"

"I see."

"Father, let's go!"

"..."

Darvav felt left out.

"Let's go!"

But he was still happy.

"Eeek! Let's go!"

Because his daughter was alive.

And because a reliable ally was by his daughter's side, Darvav felt at ease.

*

Another peaceful day at the Desmont Mansion.

Sitting on the bed with the young miss after a long time, I was listening to what happened to her today with a satisfied smile.

"So I asked Father for free allowance, but he said he could only give me a little."

"I see."

"Yes. He said he had to pay Ricardo a salary. He told me since I've already been shameless, I should be a little more shameless..."

"Oh... That's just like your father."

"Right? I thought so too."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"It wasn't?"

"No."

The young miss was talking to me with a bright smile.

Today, she planted flowers in the mansion's garden. She said it was hard work, but she felt good because they looked pretty after planting them. I couldn't help but smile at the young miss who was talking excitedly about her day.

The young miss spoke honestly to me.

-I was sad that Ricardo hasn't been playing with me lately.

-But I understand Ricardo. Ricardo is busy too. Just like I'm busy, Ricardo is busy too, so I can understand. I'll earn a lot of money later and support Ricardo. So please work hard a little longer.

-I didn't go for money.

-Then?

-I went because of a friend.

-Ricardo has friends?

-That comment hurts, you know?

Though I was a bit hurt by the young miss's innocent comment, I was moved by her mature and broad-minded attitude.

She even knew how to understand... She had grown so much since her villainess days. As a butler who had served the young miss for a very long time, it was good to see her growth.

I liked how the young miss expressed her feelings without hiding them.

Instead of suffering inside with her hurt feelings, she would say what made her feel bad. I liked the young miss's straightforwardness.

I liked her jealousy about having less time to play, and I liked being able to talk while looking at her face.

I smiled as I looked at the young miss.

I focused on the conversation while looking into the young miss's bright, wide eyes as she lay on the bed.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"Are you not busy anymore?"

"Hmm... I think so. I've collected the money owed from the Academy and solved my friend's problem."

"Then..."

The young miss cautiously brought up a question while watching me.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

I smiled and answered the young miss's shy question as she pulled the blanket up to her lips.

"I'm thinking of going downtown tomorrow."

"Downtown?"

"Yes."

"Who are you going with?"

The young miss was clutching the blanket tightly, avoiding my eyes. Her honest expression clearly showed that she would be disappointed if the person going with me wasn't her. I decided to tease the young miss while holding back my laughter.

"Well, I think I'll go with someone very pretty."

"...A pretty person?"

"Yes."

"Prettier than me?"

"Come on, who in the world is prettier than you, Miss?"

"Hehe... That's true."

The young miss looked at me with a pleased smile.

"So who is it?"

I looked at the young miss and said.

"I can't say yet because I haven't received permission."

"Hmm..."

"Then what are you planning to do tomorrow, Miss?"

"I was planning to eat chocolate with Ricardo."

"I see."

I looked at the young miss and said.

"Then are you available tomorrow?"

"Huh?"

"I was thinking of going shopping with you tomorrow, buying pajamas, chocolates..."

"Am I the very pretty person?"

"Yes."

The young miss pulled the blanket over her head and punched it.

-Thud.

After punching the blanket for a while, the young miss revealed her face with a pleased smile and shyly said.

"I knew it."

I looked at the young miss and asked.

"So what's your answer?"

"Hmm..."

The young miss pouted her lips and fell into deep thought. Saying she was an expensive person, she made a humming sound for a long time while considering her schedule, then nodded with difficulty and gave her answer.

"Okay."

"I'm honored."

"I'm specially allowing it."

I smiled slightly and thanked the young miss.

"Thank you, Miss."

*

And so the next day arrived.

The young miss caught a cold.

"Hiiik... Hiiiik! Achoo!"

A severe flu, at that.