"So many trees! It's so refreshing! And huge!"
My eyes felt refreshed by the vibrant green color all around me.
The rustling sound of leaves, the moist smell of grass and soil reaching my nose!
A forest in my house!
The Winterwalds are super rich!
And that super rich person is my dad!
"Don't wiggle. It's distracting."
"Lake! I want to see the lake! Let's go!"
Dad let out a disbelieving scoff.
"You think saying that will make me take you to the lake?"
And exactly five minutes later.
I was standing, gazing at the lake unfolding before my eyes.
"It's so beautiful, the lake..."
"My legs must be cursed."
I left Dad to his weird mood and got out of his arms to look around.
The coolest thing was this ancient tree that looked like it was hundreds of years old.
"Wow... It's like Refy Village."
There was a tree like this in Refy Village too.
Past the little forest path, there was this huge open field and a gorgeous lake. The water was all red from the sunset and shimmered with these golden ripples.
The blue forest spreading behind me and the refreshing waves right in front of me.
It wasn't exactly the same, but for a second, I felt like I was back at the cabin where Dad and I used to live.
I quickly returned to Dad's side and said.
"I have the best idea! Let's build a cabin here, exactly like our old one! Maybe it'll help Dad remember! We can have a little garden here, and a well and a shed over there...!"
"Nope. This is where the guest house is going."
"Aww, okay."
"…?"
At my reply, Dad stopped talking and stared down at me.
"What is it?"
"You give up… fast."
"I figured you'd say no."
"…"
I wasn't stupid either.
I mean, it's pretty obvious this is a spot for some fancy mansion, not a run-down cabin.
I grinned and took a big gulp of fresh air.
"It's cool! We're going to Refy Village after the big celebration, right?"
"I can hang out there all I want then!"
"It's not like the house vanished or anything!"
I goofed around, stomping on leaves, picking flowers, and catching dewdrops on the grass.
"I like it here! Did you play here when you were a kid, Dad? What did you do?"
"Well. I didn't live here when I was little."
"Huh? Why?"
Dad said with an indifferent face.
"Kids in the Winterwald family aren't allowed in the main house until they're over 12."
I blinked. Come to think of it…
I think I heard something like that.
'I think I heard that Winterwald's direct descendants live outside and come in when their magic blooms.'
Ruska Higgins walked super fast.
He was worried about his boss, who had a seriously bad temper.
…Hmm.
Let me correct that.
Worried that his hot-tempered boss would take it out on Ririn… No, wait. Worried that his boss would yell at Ririn, then get all moody, and take that out on him.
Basically, he was worried about himself, so he picked up the pace.
'And the Duke hates that garden, too.'
He was almost at the lake.
A cheerful voice flowed in.
"Did you play here when you were a kid, Dad? What did you do?"
'Huh.'
Ruska stopped dead in his tracks.
He saw Caleck's broad back, standing next to Ririn.
'He's not a fan of talking about when he was a kid.'
But, surprisingly, Caleck explained it calmly. Maybe the place had a calming effect on him, because he seemed way less intense than usual.
"Kids in the Winterwald family aren't allowed in the mansion until they turn 12."
"Huh? Why?"
"When the heir first gets their Winterwald magic, it can clash with the current head of the family's power."
"Ooh…"
Power showing up, clashing… Ririn mumbled the words, trying to figure it out.
"When a kid's magic first appears, the power slowly transfers to them. But nobody knows when that first burst of magic will happen. So they keep them separated, just in case."
"Until they're 12?"
"Yes. Magic usually blooms within that time."
"It's a pain for the head of the family to live outside the mansion, so the kid lives somewhere else until their powers are stable, and then they move in…"
Ruska nodded, humming. Ririn was really smart.
"But... how do they know when the heir has powers? …Oh!"
Ririn suddenly raised her head.
"The snowflake dragon mark!"
"You catch on quick."
"Heh. So, basically... the mark on Dad's back used to be on Lady Elisa's, right? And while it's moving, their powers could clash, so you guys lived apart!"
"Yes."
Caleck nodded.
Then, he mumbled under his breath.
"So, you're the first 8-year-old to ever set foot in this garden…"
"Whoa."
Ririn's mouth formed a little 'o' of amazement.
"…"
Ruska adjusted his glasses.
Caleck hadn't told her the whole story.
Like how 7-year-old Caleck, even younger than Ririn, tried to sneak through this garden to see Elisa.
That one act of rebellion, his first and last, led to an attack by some guy trying to get to the Duke's heir.
And because of it, the nanny he loved died protecting him… It was awful.
'The worst part was, he'd ditched his guards and only had his nanny with him.'
After that, the first thing young Caleck did was get rid of his favorite toy soldier.
"If I keep it near me, it'll just get wrecked. It's better to have nothing. If I toss it, someone else might find it and love it."
Caleck was different after that.
He stuck to his duties like glue. He controlled everything, watched everyone, and wouldn't put up with even the smallest mistake.
But he was hardest on himself, of course.
'Poor 7-year-old Caleck. The 27-year-old Caleck? Not his problem.'
Ruska cleaned his foggy glasses and watched Ririn's little back.
'A month, was it? That's how long he said he'd keep her around.'
'I won't see her after a month. And the Duke doesn't seem to think he'll get his memories back, anyway.'
He let out a heavy sigh.
'I don't know what happened to the Duke in the last five years... But losing his memory, it's like he's gone back to square one.'
Just like 7-year-old Caleck got rid of his favorite toy to keep it safe, 22-year-old Caleck wouldn't let just anyone get close.
Especially if he really starts to care about Ririn.
Still, Ruska had a feeling things weren't so bad.
At least now, Caleck didn't look as miserable as usual when he looked at this garden, even with all the bad memories.
"Dad, shall we skip stones on the lake?"
"No."
"Dad, then shall we look for four-leaf clovers?"
"Nope."
Maybe he'd make a different choice this time? Maybe 27-year-old Caleck had figured something out.
"Dad, want me to pick you some mushrooms?"
"No... Hey, those are the ones you're allergic to. Get away from them!"
"Huh. Achoo!"
"Let me see. Show me. Sniff. Wait, what am I even saying?"
"Sniff."
"Why'd you do that?"
"You told me to!"
The Winterwald heads of family never raised their own kids.
Those kids just accepted that they wouldn't be raised by their parents. It was as normal to them as the sun rising or the wind blowing.
But here was the one exception.
"Dad! Let's come see this lake again!"
'It's ironic that they could only be together because they weren't related.'
Maybe it was the soft sunset light, but the pink in Caleck's silver hair seemed extra bright.
'Well, maybe that's how you make a family.'
Yeah. You never know.
Who would've guessed a voice like sunshine, calling out 'Dad!', would echo through this gloomy winter place?
'Wait, wasn't 'Dad' only allowed three times a day?'
They'd gotten so used to it, they didn't even notice anymore.
Ririn grabbed Caleck's hand and leaned on him. Caleck muttered something, but held her tight so she wouldn't fall.
Ruska smiled a little.
