Diegon decided to follow Shupetty for the time being. If she were sleepwalking, he needed to track where she wandered before summoning a renowned psychiatrist.
“…….”
*Tip-tap.*
*Thud-thud.*
*Tip-tap.*
*Thud-thud.*
Diegon walked slowly—deliberately so—matching the child’s pace.
*There is no way that kid could know the layout of this mansion.*
He had received detailed reports on every place Shupetty had visited: the dining hall, the library, the education hall, the kitchen, and the garden. The child had wandered through those five locations, bewitching everyone she encountered.
*I’ve never heard of her setting foot in the private garden. This is strange.*
The Pashayen Mansion was as vast as the Imperial Palace. With four titles—Head of House, Successor, Admiral, and Resonator—one was granted a private garden, and entry was strictly forbidden without the owner’s permission. The place Shupetty was heading to now was Diegon’s own private garden.
*Is she really going there?*
He was skeptical, but there was no hesitation in her gait. It was her quiet confidence that made him pause.
*How long has it been since I… stepped foot in the private garden?*
Diegon briefly retraced his memories. It had been about six years. For the first year after losing his partner, he had lived almost exclusively in the garden; he couldn’t bear the empty bed or the reality of a house without her. Whenever the grief became unbearable, he would force himself to move, always ending up by the pond.
The daffodils she had cherished so much.
The willow tree where she would lean back and enjoy the shade.
It was the only place he could manage to find sleep, if only for a moment.
However, after that first year, Diegon had banned all entry to the garden. He was terrified that if he didn’t, the memories of her might evaporate and vanish. His sons hadn’t opposed his decision; they simply consoled their own grief by visiting the Daffodil Room she once frequented, leaving bouquets and tidying the space. Just like that, he, Micard, and Elzen had all stopped visiting the garden.
“Shupetty.”
He called out softly at the end of the dirt path, but Shupetty moved forward without a care. Her small frame disappeared as she pushed through the thick branches blocking the entrance. Diegon, clutching his forehead, eventually followed her inside.
There was a pond in the garden. He certainly couldn’t leave Shupetty—already like a child standing on thin ice—unattended near the water.
*It’s been a long time.*
The scent of daffodils lingered in the gentle breeze. It was her scent, deeply etched into his soul. The flowers, holding a yellow star within white petals, looked noble. The variety with even deeper yellow centers was cute, too. He had never been the type to be swept away by sentimental thoughts, but she had changed him entirely.
A partner is meant to be that kind of existence. The world before meeting her was meaningless. The life he built with her—loving her, being loved, and being guided by her thoughts—was the only reality Diegon knew.
“Over here.”
While he was lost in his remorse, a clear voice called him.
“Over here.”
The kid, who had plopped down by the water, leaned forward as if about to fall in. Diegon quickly grabbed Shupetty by the back of her neck and hauled her up.
“It’s dangerous.”
“But it’s over there.”
“What is?”
“The box…….”
Did she even know what she was saying? Diegon winced, then softened his expression. He remembered the child mimicking his faces.
*I can’t teach her anything bad.*
The small body held in his arms was warm. The thumping of her heartbeat was perfectly clear. Shupetty, who had naturally wrapped her arms around his neck, mumbled in a voice that sounded half-dreaming.
“It’s real……. It’s over there. She sang me a song.”
“What kind of song?”
“Moon and stars shining on the path, willow tree shadows. In the pond with the pretty flowers, a box at the bottom…….”
He had no idea what she was talking about, but she seemed intent on claiming something lay in that pond.
*There’s no way… is there?*
It was absurd, yet Diegon hesitated. His partner had a significant playful streak; she enjoyed treasure hunts on every anniversary. He would pretend to put all his effort into finding her hidden items, finding them too easily, yet waiting an hour to let her believe she had stumped him.
“But even if there is something hidden, how would you know?”
His throat tightened. His chest heaved, and he had to gasp for air. *No, think rationally.* This child simply had a dream. There was no way she could know about something hidden at the bottom of the pond by his late partner. It didn’t make sense. And yet, he didn’t know Shupetty’s origins—could she, perhaps, be his own daughter?
“There’s a song. She sang it to me…….”
“Who? Who sang that song to you?”
“Who……?”
He pressed her, but she only offered a blank expression. Diegon gritted his teeth at his own pathetic behavior.
*To think I’m struggling this much to find proof that this child is my biological daughter.*
He shouldn’t be like this. Hadn’t his father warned him?
*“Do not let yourself be hurt by expecting things on your own and then being disappointed.”*
Diegon had not forgotten that warning. To begin with, Shupetty and that child were not the same age. Even if she had survived, she should have been nine years old.
“It’s over there. You have to find it. And you have to give it.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Hmm? You have to find it…….”
“Understood. I have it, so calm down. I will retrieve it.”
Whether something was actually there or not, Diegon eventually surrendered. For a Pashayen, entering the water was as natural as walking. He even dove in the middle of the sea; a pond was nothing.
“You must stay still.”
He sat Shupetty on a rock and draped his shirt over her, wondering if the spring night air was too cold. Then, he walked into the pond. It was deep enough for his entire body to be submerged. As the chilly water brushed his skin, he realized how ridiculous this was. What was he doing in the middle of the night? Still, since he had entered, he dove in, head and all.
*Even if there is something, it couldn’t possibly be something she left behind.*
The bottom of the pond was cluttered with moss and debris. He thought there was nothing, but a moment later, Diegon’s eyes widened. A corner of something was sticking out from the muck. He pulled it out with trembling hands, mud falling away in clumps.
*This is… could it be?*
The silver box was corroded and discolored, but the latch was firmly locked. Its magic-engineered seal must have kept the contents protected.
“How did you know? That this… was hidden here.”
In the dark night, as Diegon emerged onto the bank, he asked urgently. Shupetty beamed. At the same time, the clouds parted, and moonlight spilled over the child’s clear face.
“I’m glad! She said it was a gift for sadness. If you have that, Admiral, won’t you be less sad now?”
There had been many times he was left speechless by Shupetty, but this was the most profound. Unable to speak, he stroked the box, again and again. On the bottom, words were engraved.
*From Aurora, with love, to Egon.*
His only breath.
The person he would give his own heart to just to revive.
Eternity and the only one.
The only one and eternity.
Aurora Pashayen.
Shupetty had found the last trace his wife had left behind.
“…You…”
“…Instead.”
He trailed off, then scooped up Shupetty, ever so carefully.
“Admiral, are you crying?”
“I am not crying.”
“Liar! Den what is dis?”
“It’s pond water.”
They walked back, bickering all the way.
Carmine, who spotted him in front of the door leading to the corridor, dropped his jaw.
“Have you lost your mind? Swimming in the middle of the night?”