By Zephyria From early in the morning, many people were coming and going from the mansion. It was, after all, the Campbell family’s wedding, so it was natural for people to be swarming. Watching the countless servants coming and going even before the guests arrived, Yu-jin swallowed hard.
This day has really come.
His palms were sweating, and he almost wiped them on his pants several times. Thanks to the coordinator who handed him a handkerchief to prevent any stains on his white tuxedo, Yu-jin barely managed to avert the crisis this time, straightened his chest, tilted his head back, and took a deep breath.
“Daddy, Daddy.”
Looking down at the sound of his name, he saw his daughter, who looked even prettier than usual today, standing and looking up at him.
“Don’t worry, you look very handsome. Really pretty.”
“You should say handsome.”
When Yu-jin bent down to pick up the child and said that, Angela pouted her lips and said as if she felt wronged.
“But Daddy is pretty. Everyone said so, that they’ve never seen an omega as pretty as Daddy.”
“Oh… really?”
He didn’t know whether to be happy or displeased by this, but he was definitely embarrassed. He had taught Angela about her origins and her secondary gender when she first became curious about her parents. Angela knew that there were men in the world who could have children, that they were called omegas, and that she was born from one.
There were also rare female omegas in the world, but she would learn more about that when she went to school. He thought that was enough to satisfy the child’s curiosity for now. But he didn’t know how to react to these words. Yu-jin sweated profusely and said awkwardly.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
Seeing Angela smile brightly and nod, Yu-jin said gently.
“But the prettiest person in the world is Angie.”
“That’s because, Daddy is, my Daddy, so, I’m, pretty too.”
As if boasting, Angela puffed out her chest and drew out the words. Her flushed cheeks and wide-open mouth were so lovely that Yu-jin couldn’t help but shower her face with kisses.
“Daddy, it tickles! It tickles!”
The sound of his daughter’s giggling laughter eased his tension. Huffing out a comfortable breath, Angela, who was in his arms, called out to him.
“Daddy.”
“Yeah?”
Responding immediately, Angela grabbed his face, forcibly pulled it away, looked into his eyes, and said.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m here.”
He couldn’t resist the words of a child who wasn’t even half his age. Yu-jin felt a stinging sensation in his nose and quickly forced a smile.
“Thank you, Angie.”He hugged his one and only ally tightly and inhaled. After taking two more deep breaths, Yu-jin finally let go of the child. His daughter was wearing a cute dress for today’s wedding. He had wanted to ask her to be the flower girl, but Yu-jin’s request was met with ridicule.
‘My sister and daughter being the flower girl at my wedding would be really funny.’
Hearing those words, he didn’t have the courage to ask again. The thought that everyone might look at Angela strangely made him even more withdrawn.
“Angie, what did Daddy say?”
Meeting her eyes, Yu-jin asked, and Angela answered clearly.
“It’s just a play we have to do because of the will, and it’s not a real marriage, so Angie doesn’t have to worry.”
“And?”
“Just eat delicious food, play well, and go back to the room with Daddy when the ceremony is over.”
“And?”
His daughter, who had been rattling off the answers, hesitated a little this time.
“I can’t sleep with Daddy today.”
“Okay.”
Yu-jin stroked the child’s forehead and said,
“Now that Angie is three years old, can she fall asleep alone? You won’t cry, will you?”
“Yeah.”
Angela nodded vigorously.
“I can do it. It’s okay, I’m all grown up now.”
His daughter’s confident appearance seemed so small to Yu-jin. Someday she will have to get used to sleeping alone, but it’s still too early. They had never slept apart before. Angela spoke bravely, but he felt like he wanted to cry even more.
I have to train her for this too.
Wasn’t it inevitable that they slept together because of their poor environment? Let’s think of it as a good opportunity.
Yu-jin steeled himself and got up. Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw that the time was approaching. As he had planned, he picked up Angela and left the waiting room.
“Um, the ceremony will be starting soon…”
An employee standing outside saw him come out into the hallway and cautiously stopped him. Her expression clearly showed that she didn’t want them to cause any trouble before the big event. Yu-jin looked at the employee with a blank face, completely different from how he treated his child, and said,
“I’ll be back on time. Please get my daughter something to eat.”
If he wasn’t there, he didn’t know what kind of treatment the child would receive. Especially in this mansion. Yu-jin picked up Angela and headed straight to the kitchen. It was a place he frequented, but today was a little different.
“Wow.”
Angela, who was being held by Yu-jin, opened her eyes wide and exclaimed. Yu-jin was also wide-eyed at the sight, as if all the employees in the house had gathered there.
I brought her here because I thought she wouldn’t be able to eat properly with all the adults around.
Yu-jin’s face contorted with dismay, as he had intended to feed her a little until the reception. It didn’t matter to Yu-jin, as he was an adult and didn’t feel like eating in this situation, but it was different for Angela. He felt a pang of anguish when he thought that the child hadn’t eaten anything since morning.
“Angie, are you hungry? I’m sorry, Daddy will ask them to make something for you quickly.”
He wanted to get even a simple bread and milk. He tried to rummage through the refrigerator to find something to eat as usual, but the kitchen was too crowded to even set foot in, with people coming and going from all directions.
I never thought the kitchen, which was so big, would be this full.
He had heard that there were a lot of cooking utensils outside for barbecues and such, and that they were even using the kitchen in the annex, but he didn’t expect it to be this crowded. How many people are coming for it to be like this?
What should I do?
While he was holding the child and feeling troubled, he suddenly heard a voice from behind.
“What are you doing here?”
Surprised by the sudden voice, Yu-jin turned around and his eyes widened even more. The Butler, always with a blank face, was standing there looking at him.
“Isn’t this the time to be waiting in the waiting room? There shouldn’t be much time left.”
Seeing him check his wristwatch as if to show off, Yu-jin had no choice but to explain the situation.
“The child hasn’t eaten anything since morning. It’ll be a while until the reception, so I wanted her to eat something…”
This person probably doesn’t care anyway.
As he spoke, he felt empty and his voice trailed off weakly. The Butler, who had been looking away from Yu-jin’s face, soon met Angela’s eyes. Yu-jin hugged his daughter tightly as she tensed up and flinched for a moment. As if to say, ‘Don’t worry, I’m here.’ The child also wrapped her arms around Yu-jin’s neck, showing infinite trust.
There might be food prepared outside in advance.
Remembering the thought, Yu-jin decided to step back.
“Everyone seems busy, so I’ll be going now…”
“In front of the waiting room.”
He was about to quickly pass by the Butler when he suddenly spoke from behind. Yu-jin stopped and turned around, and the Butler looked at them without any change in expression and opened his mouth.
“Wasn’t there someone guarding it?”
“…There was.”
Answering with a puzzled expression, the Butler twitched his eyebrows very slightly.
“Even though there was someone, you came all the way here yourself.”
At those words, Yu-jin immediately went on the defensive.
“Yes, I can’t let my daughter go hungry. Is there something wrong with that?”
The Butler nodded at him, who had snapped sharply. And before Yu-jin could say anything, he continued.
“I told them to stand there to serve you, but they were useless. I will give them a warning.”
“…Pardon?”