If we want to start again
Long after Elizabeth and Theo had left, a small figure creaked in the silent hallway.
“… … .”
it was Eden. Eden stayed there for a long time, even after her mother and Uncle Theo disappeared.
When I woke up, my mother was not by my side, so I went out to look for her.
Then when I heard my mother and Uncle Theo raise their voices, I hid, but missed the moment to go.
The conversation was full of words that Eden, a child, couldn't understand, but there were words that he remembered clearly.
“Kiern Agafel?”
It was a household name. The name my mother incorrectly called Master not long ago. I don't think that was my father's name.
Eden's heart pounded as she heard her father's name for the first time in her life. The strange thing is that the name is not unknown at all. I felt like I had seen that name somewhere a long time ago, so I raised my eyebrows and pondered.
"Wow, where did you see it?"
The boy, who had been quietly chewing, suddenly realized where he had seen the word and yelled softly.
“Top of the line hotel!”
It was when I went to the Line Hotel to meet Master when he was unemployed. There was definitely a portrait of the head of the family hanging to one side of the hall, and I remember seeing the name there.
Eden's heart beat faster when she remembered what she mumbled because it was a combination of letters she could read.
In fact, by the time I heard my father's name, the fight between Uncle Theo and Mom had long since died down.
'Should I check it out?'
Mom said she'd get back to Dad soon, so it would be okay to wait, but Eden was curious. father face
If you go to the Line Hotel, you should be able to see the portrait.
In the end, Eden decided to secretly go to the Line Hotel to take advantage of her mother's mass tomorrow.
When Eden slipped down the hall and opened the door, Elizabeth was standing there. She found it and asked.
"Eden? Where have you been?"
"Ugh, to the bathroom."
Eden shuddered and fell into Elizabeth's arms. Fortunately, his mother patted him on the back and sang him a lullaby with no further questions. The thoughtful look on her face, but Eden couldn't focus on that.
He just closed his eyes and put his hands on his chest. Maybe tomorrow I can see my father's face.
* * *
As soon as dawn broke, Eden headed for the Hotel Primera Línea. It was to check the portrait that I saw again.
Eden, who had brought a few things in her bag just in case, stood out like a child leaving the house. It was a weekend, so the lobby was very crowded.
"Oh yeah!"
Eden stopped in front of the portrait she found after twisting and turning, and her eyes lit up. As he recalled, the words 'Kiern Agafel' were engraved below the portrait.
"Key, uh, rn, baby, pel!"
Eden screamed his name out loud and stared at the portrait of the man who could be her father. The man with black hair and blue eyes gave off a very cold air.
Eden murmured, playing with my hair.
"He's also black."
Yesterday I was confused because I couldn't remember the person in the portrait, but seeing it in person made it clearer. I'm sure Eden's father is right.
You shouldn't be convinced by the hair alone, but a child can't know that fact yet.
"They look alike?"
It was a scarier impression than I thought. It was time for Eden to compare me to the man in the portrait vs. the portrait for a long time.
A security guard asked Eddie, who was waiting for Kiern in the lobby, what to do about a child loitering in the lobby, and he nodded.
"Yeah?"
Eddie was surprised when he later confirmed that he was Eden.
'Annit! How is... … ?'
I don't know how the hell Eden got here by himself.
It was easy to get to because it was a hotel I had been to many times from Eden's point of view.
He just wanted to check the portrait and come back. I just had to go back to the mansion until my mother returned from mass.
The problem was that he didn't know the way to the mansion, but it was before he felt a sense of crisis. It was time for Eden to stop snowballing the portrait and turn around.
"oh?"
Eden's eyes widened when she saw Eddie. Eddie was about to wonder about it when Kiern jumped in after him.
"Eden?"
Eden stared blankly at the man calling her name. It was because he was the man in the portrait.
Meanwhile, Kiern, who met Eden in an unexpected place, greeted him warmly, not knowing what he was like.
"What are you doing here? Are you with Rose by any chance?"
It was Eddie who was surprised by this.
"dismissal!"
Kiern tilted her head at the small cry. At this time, Eden asked with a wary look.
"Do you know me?"
"Oh."
Kiern gasped slightly at the boy's question to meet me. She belatedly noticed Eddie's contemplative face, calling and looking at the same time.
'A ring!'
Frustration stained Kiern's face as she watched him mouth the ring.
"this."
Come to think of it, he wasn't wearing a ring, so he was in his true form. From Eden's point of view, a man she had never seen before was pretending to know.
"You confused a person."
"Eden is that correct?"
"Is the same person… … ."
Seeing the duke spout meaningless excuses, Eddie hit his forehead. The appearance of the peacock rustling in embarrassment was very rare, but he couldn't even laugh because he was sweating.
Then Eden steeled herself to point to the portrait and said:
"Is this guy?"
Kiern sighed at the word uncle. It was that title when we first met in the rose garden.
Recognizing that she was seeing Eden for the first time in her true form, Kiern looked at the portrait she was pointing to.
I don't know why the boy was looking at that, but he responded immediately.
"yes. grow up."
"So, you are Eden's father?"
"… … That?"
"Cold!"
At the words thrown indiscriminately, Kiern responded with a question, and Eddie swallowed, then gasped. Embarrassed by the two men, Eden's eyes widened and she said.
“Uncle Theo is like that. My dad's name is Kierne Agafel. Are you really the father of Eden?
“!!”
Kiern's lips parted terribly at the bold question. Seeing that he had come to see me and was looking at my portrait, he must have heard something.
'My gnome just... … .'
I didn't know he would cheat on me and tell Eden the truth. He was very embarrassed because he hadn't gotten Elizabeth's permission yet.
"that… … ."
"No?"
"It's not like… … .”
"Alright?"
"say uh."
I was struggling with how to explain this, but Eddie, who was behind me, finally started laughing. It was because Kiern's puzzled expression was so amusing.
"Puha."
"You're laughing?"
"sorry. write."
Eddie, who belatedly turned serious, suppressed a laugh. It was not common to see Kiern, who is called the Iron-Blooded Duke, mesmerized, and it took a lot of energy to hold back a laugh.
Kiern looked at Eddie once and then said, level with Eden's eyes.
"Yes. I am your father."
I couldn't lie anymore, so I decided to explain calmly. Furthermore, Eden was already biting her lower lip with a confident face. Lying here was a bad thing for a child.
Was when. Eden asked tearfully.
"Why didn't you come see Eden when you were so close?"
"… … Sorry."
"I know dad is home."
Tears welled up in Eden's eyes. The father he saw in the portraits and the father he saw in person were very different. First of all, his eyes were warm.
The man in the portrait looks very lonely, but the man in front of him just looks gentle.
Eden often imagined meeting her father. I didn't know his face, so it was always hidden like mist, but now my father's eyes were so warm. That made Eden's heart pound and pound.
"Eh, heheeng."
“… … !”
So there was no way to stop crying. When Eden released her voice and began to cry, Kierne spoke uneasily.
"Do not Cry."
"Hey!"
But rather, as if it had the opposite effect, Eden let out her scream.
"No, who can calm down a child like that?"
Eddie, who was worse off, pretended to give her a hug. In response, Kiern gave Eden a hug. He tossed crude comfort at her.
"Even if you don't cry."
"Whoa whoa!"
Even with repeated soothing words, Eden didn't stop crying. Suddenly, the boy screamed loudly, and people looked at him. Those who already knew the face of Kiern Agafel laughed.
Kiern covered Eden's face with her body. It was because he didn't want to let the paparazzi sell the kid's face.
I felt like I needed to take him inside and calm him down. Seeing that Ellie wasn't by Eden's side, it seems that she went back to acting alone.
Kiern, remembering that she had already gotten lost once in the rose garden, ordered Eddie.
Tell Eden that Ellie is here in case she's worried.
“Then the meeting… … .”
"Is the meeting important right now?"
Kiern asked coldly and urged to cancel the meeting with her eyes. Eddie's lips curved and he nodded, and hurried to lead Eden upstairs.
Eden snorted when she saw Kiern leading me somewhere.
“Whoo! What a pity!"
Even though he became a father to an uncle, Eden still wouldn't stop crying. Kiern's heart kept beating at the word 'father'.
“When did you say you didn't hate me… … .”
He muttered so softly that Eden couldn't hear him and hugged the boy tight.
"Blew it."
"Hey!"
The more Kiern read, the harder Eden cried. He is so conceited that it seems that he is dragged by force.
"Ellie did a good job comforting me."
Kiern patted a crying Eden on the back and sighed. Elizabeth's gentle son was a very strong enemy to me.
I didn't like it though. Deep down, he was happy to be pampered by a child.
I was curious about my father's face, and then he made such a wonderful deviation.
Then, as she drew on the ground, the image of him grimacing, stating that he didn't know her father's face, made her heart ache. Kiern hugged Eden tight and spoke with all her heart.
"Don't cry, Eden. I'm sorry dad".
"He he."
When Eden said she was sorry, she stopped crying, hugged Kiern tight, and sobbed.
It was a steady force, as if telling them not to go anywhere.
Kiern's heart turned heavy. I felt like I had one more reason to live just because Eden didn't reject me.
