However, those happy days with my daughter came to an end after a little more than 16 years.

I don’t remember much of her funeral.

I distinctly recall a girl, her friend, was crying for her.

On the other hand, her fiancé, the crown prince, didn’t shed a single tear. I had the urge to punch him, thinking that he was a heartless bastard.

The two were there during my daughter’s final moments.

My daughter died after being stabbed.

However, even after searching high and low, the culprit and the murder weapon were never found. The murder weapon was estimated to be a sword around the same size as the one that my daughter used to train before dying. Incidentally, her sword was also missing.

Then, around the same time of my daughter’s death, the second prince disappeared.

According to the investigation, the second prince disappeared somewhere with a young lady wearing a flashy dress, and that was it. As the second prince’s investigation end early on, I could only suspect that he played a role in my daughter’s death.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to take out my anger on the missing second prince, the no longer adorable crown prince, or her friend, who was probably hiding something.

I couldn’t bring myself to make an enemy of the royal family and abandon everything.

After all…

“Oeeeeeeeeeeee—-!!”

Even today, I could hear a child crying from the next room.

It was already late at night. Still, I slipped out of the bed where I was sleeping alone and knocked softly on the door of the next room.

“It’s me, I’m coming in…”

In any case, the sound of a knock would’ve been drowned by the crying of an infant.

When I slowly opened the door, I saw my wife in the darkness, tearfully holding a toddler in her arms.

“My dear, I’m so sorry. You need to wake up early tomorrow, right?”

“No, I don’t mind. Allow me.”

I half-forced myself to receive the child from her.

The child was almost two years old. I had been comforted him not long ago, and his night crying finally stopped, but recently it had started again.

It was said to be part of growing up, but as a parent who had to deal with it all the time, I couldn’t stand it.

Even so, he was a well-mannered child during the day. He would run around the garden like most children his age. The other day, he fell while trying to climb a tree. Still, he was a curious child. He had been practicing on how to write his own name, albeit his writing was still within the realm of earthworms.

Dark hair, like my wife. Eye of the same color.

I wondered just how all three of my children took after my wife.

Maybe my gene comes with weak hair roots…

I had thought such more than once.

Of course, I never suspected that my wife was unfaithful. Besides, the child who looked like the woman I loved couldn’t be any less adorable.

…Moreover, that child was born because of my daughter’s comments.

Soon after her funeral, my wife became pregnant.

Hence, I couldn’t help but think—

—Could this child be her reincarnation?

“…There’s no way.”

“Dear?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I smiled at my wife as I held my son who had become quite heavy.

Since my wife gave birth to my son, she had lost a lot of weight. After all, some time had already passed since we had married, and he was our third child. Despite knowing that, she didn’t want to rely on a nanny, and suffered from childcare fatigue as a result.

“Isn’t a new daughter going to greet us tomorrow? You should rest. You can’t afford to look haggard tomorrow, can you?”

“But…”

The reason why she stubbornly refused to rely on a nanny…

She always looked like she was about to cry.

“Because, if something happens to this child while I’m not…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. She hugged herself and our son who was starting to wake up.

“I know. I know these are just unfounded worries, but I’m scared… I’m scared that I’ll lose my precious child again no matter the time or place…”

“Haha. You speak as if something is going to happen to Rufus. Isn’t he’s coming tomorrow? After that, he’ll be leaving to study abroad and attend an art school.”

“That’s true, but…”

Our son finally fell asleep. If we kept talking as we were, he would wake up.

I gently laid him down on the bed and then held my wife.

“It’s okay, I’ll definitely keep everyone safe…”

As a result, I never went against the decrees of the royal family.

Even if I was criticized for being a spineless father who wouldn’t avenge his daughter, my biggest duty now was to protect my remaining family. I solemnly dedicated myself to protecting my family and territory so that my young son could one day inherit the duke family in a solid condition.

For that reason, we welcomed a new daughter into our family.

She was a lady we once invited to our house.

In the first place, the reason why my daughter ended up engaged to the crown prince was to make the princess from the foreign country related to the royal family. So, now that my legitimate daughter had passed away, naming my stepdaughter as the queen would be the least amount of respect I could show to the foreign country.

Therefore, adopting her, who had been chosen to be the next crown princess, into our family was a dream come true for both our family and the royal family.

Then, a little before noon, she came alone.

Of course, I had also spoken with her parents. Originally, she introduced me to Baron Aljerk, who was familiar with agriculture. Therefore, she wasn’t just anyone. Her father was also a kind-hearted man who cared deeply for her daughter, albeit he was a bit eccentric as a scholar.

She herself was a lady with bright expression and adorable atmosphere.

She had coral-colored fluffy hair. She had charming face. Some of her flawless curtseys mirrored those of my daughter.

“Thank you for your continued support starting today.”

She was currently 18 years old. She graduated at the top of her class from the academy that my daughter also attended. Until the other day, she went alone to the neighboring country and made the necessary connections to become a queen. Her behavior reminded me of my late daughter.

I told my new daughter.

“You can be yourself around me, I don’t mind. You’re my daughter from now on. You can hit me on the head.”

When I patted her on the head, her eyes went round for a moment, and then she giggled.

“Could it be… Lady Lelouche’s father’s head…?”

“Yes, she did it. She kept plucking my hair until I went bald.”

“Upupu… I’m sorry, oh no, Lady Lelouche was so…”

How dazzling, that carefree smile of hers as she clutched her stomach.

However, I didn’t miss it. There were tears in the corner of her eyes.

Oh, I’m sure no matter who she is, she’ll do well.

Hey, Lelouche, I swear to you, my love.

I’ll make sure to protect the memento you left for me.

But I hope you don’t forget.

I will always be your father—…

---

***T/N: The shift in tone is just… How did we go from a father struggling with hair loss to a family struggling with the devastating loss of their daughter?

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