Chapter 23: A Morning’s Fright and a Daughter’s Embrace

“Daddy~ You belong to Nina, you know~ So~ your life, just leave it to Nina!”

Waaahhh—

I shot up from the bed like a spring, gasping for breath. The frantic drumming of my heart echoed through my body, resonating against my eardrums, and the surge of blood constricted my chest. It was truly… terrifying!

I had seen it—Nina smiling, walking towards me, then pouncing. She whispered sweet nothings before pulling out that familiar fish-filleting knife. The next moment, I woke up, shaken.

A dream. It was just a dream, wasn’t it? I sat on the bed, noticing the light from the window. It must be early morning. So, I was just startled awake by a dream, right?

I questioned myself repeatedly, for the dream had been far too frightening. My own daughter was going to claim my… No, the knife hadn’t even fallen; my life hadn’t truly been in danger before I woke up in a fright.

It was always like this. Although Nina always produced that fish-filleting knife, my life was never truly jeopardized. Not even a scratch was ever left. She was only trying to scare me, that had to be it… probably.

A long, weary sigh escaped me.

Just what kind of mess had that knife reduced me to? After all, I was the Nameless Hero my daughter had always adored. If she ever found out ‘the Saint was woken up by a fish-filleting knife,’ she would surely be utterly disappointed.

Perhaps I had grown too comfortable in this easy life, encountering no formidable foes, allowing my spirit to grow lax. This was certainly not a good thing.

No, it must be because of yesterday. What happened after Nina got upset yesterday!

Just as Nina was contemplating whatever she intended to do to me, Emma’s maid arrived. Seeing us piled together, she simply asked a question, and Nina promptly got up. It was truly a close call!

After that, Nina became utterly indifferent to me. At lunch and dinner, Emma still came to harass me, with her attendants constantly urging her on. I did my best to refuse, yet I could always feel Nina’s stinging gaze. Before bed, I didn’t even hear a goodnight. Oh, Father suffers so!

It seemed Nina wouldn’t recover her good mood anytime soon. Besides, I had a mission to fulfill.

Gathering herbs at Blue Lake today, then tomorrow we could depart and return. Escaping Emma quickly and returning to our cozy home—that was the priority!

“Nina?”

Even so, after changing, I still went to the room next door first.

A new day hadn’t truly begun without Nina’s ‘Good morning.’ I just didn’t know if Nina was awake, or rather… if she simply refused to see me.

“Nina? Are you awake?”

…No response.

Click.

I turned the doorknob, but it wouldn’t open. It was locked from the inside.

“Good morning, Mr. Ken.”

At the same moment, Emma’s maid approached me, greeting me respectfully.

“Ah, good morning, Clara.”

“Is Miss Nina not awake yet?”

“No, I was just about to wake her, but the door is locked.”

“Then, would you like me to open it for you?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

Clara produced a large ring of keys, effortlessly selecting one to unlock the door. How impressive.

The sheer number of keys, one might mistake them all for being identical, yet she found the right one without a moment’s hesitation. The last time I encountered such a capable maid was within the royal palace.

Could it be that all the maids in this royal city were of this caliber? Now that I thought about it, maids seemed to be trained in the same institutions, so it wasn’t surprising they mastered such skills.

“Then, when Miss Nina awakens, please come to dine together.”

“Understood.”

Clara departed. As she left, I thought I heard her muttering, “Miss Emma was just here a moment ago; where could she have gone?” Was that child really so lively even in the early morning?

Once Clara was well out of earshot, I entered Nina’s room.

It was dim inside, the thick curtains blocking out most of the light, leaving only a few faint streaks that barely touched the bed.

Nina hadn’t woken yet, still lying in bed, and her blanket wasn’t properly pulled up. Had she slept like that the whole night?

‘She couldn’t have caught a cold, could she?’ I worried internally as I approached Nina, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently stroking her head.

“Nina, it’s time to wake up… Hmm?!”

But at that moment, my peripheral vision caught sight of something—a color distinct from Nina’s white nightgown. Looking closer, I realized the gravity of the situation.

It couldn’t be that she forgot to wear them. I had always taught my daughter to dress properly. She must have unknowingly pushed them down while sleeping, though I’d never noticed this habit before.

Regardless, getting them back on her was the priority now.

I carefully picked up that particular garment, moving with extreme care, intending to return it to its rightful place.

Then…

“…Da… Daddy?”

!?@!?!

In that instant, I instantly slipped it into my pocket, then sat back down beside Nina.

I don’t know where that quick reflex came from. Perhaps years of adventuring had honed my ability to handle critical situations with lightning speed. In any case, Nina hadn’t fully opened her eyes, so she hadn’t noticed what I was doing.

“Eh…”

A few seconds later, Nina rubbed her eyes and looked at me.

“Ah… Ni… Nina, you’re awake…”

“…”

My voice lacked conviction, and Nina didn’t respond, staring at me blankly, her expression seeming somewhat surprised.

‘Could it be that Nina noticed? It… it couldn’t be, could it?! And I hadn’t even done anything!’

‘…No, my gaze had indeed touched upon it… I am truly sorry!’

‘If she really found out, this misunderstanding would be incredibly difficult to clear up! The crucial thing was that the panties were in my pocket!’

“Daddy!” Just as I was panicking, Nina suddenly sat up and pounced on me, declaring, “Goodnight.”

“…Eh?”

Goodnight? Isn’t it morning? Why ‘goodnight’? Had the fright finally driven me to hallucinate?!

“Well, yesterday, I didn’t say it to you, Father. This is… compensation, so… I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“Nina…”

Seeming to feel guilty about her attitude yesterday, Nina hugged me, clinging tightly to my chest.

Thankfully, I wasn’t hallucinating, and from the looks of it, she didn’t seem to have noticed what just happened. She probably hadn’t even realized she was currently… unclad. What a false alarm!

Nina was truly a good child, after all!

“It’s alright. Daddy isn’t angry.”

“Mm… And, good morning, Daddy.”

“Mm, good morning, Nina.”

“…Hehe~❤”

Ah… She finally smiled, that same sweet smile. At last, the storm had finally passed.

Yet, why did I feel a tiny, tiny bit of guilt? Perhaps it was just a misconception? Yes, a misconception. Right now, I was enjoying this closeness with my daughter!

But… what should I do about that warm something in my pocket?

…Wait, warm?

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