Count Kraus turned to face Damian. The topic of their conversation was surprisingly about my father, Joachim Edelweiss.
Did he ever meet my dad?
I don't recall my father coming down to the south around this time.
"By the way, Damian. Do you remember meeting that bloke, Joachim, when you were little?"
"Yes, I only remember him since he was the one who suddenly grabbed my head and said, 'If you make my daughter cry, I'll toss you into the White Night Ice Prison.'"
My body recoiled and trembled when I heard that.
What the hell was my dad spouting while he went around?!!
I couldn't believe it. I even wondered if this was Damian's ploy to push me away.
"What? Hahahah! How old were you then?" Count Kraus guffawed.
"I was… 14 years old. It did fluster me since a stranger suddenly approached me and said something incomprehensible. But I can tell he truly cares for his daughter a lot."
"Huh?"
I had not expected him to say that. He certainly said he'd lock him up in a White Night Ice Prison, which meant he'd say much worse the next time he saw him.
I couldn't help but to blush at what Damian said next.
"He said that she appeared fine on the outside, but she was holding it in. And that she had difficulty saying out loud what she liked and disliked, so he told me to take care of her and cherish her. Also, that she loved sweets and I should give snacks when we meet for the first time. Then she would loosen her guard a little."
Dad!!!
I was well aware that my father was a fool for his child. I never imagined he would go to Damian directly and talk to him about me though. It made me happy because he cared for me immensely, but…
Have you no shame!!!
My expression kept sinking.
When I tilted my head to look at Damian, he was grinning as he talked, almost amused. To be more precise, he was staring at my embarrassed self.
Anyone who saw that would have thought he was mocking me. However, after meeting him for decades, my feelings were different.
You're embarrassed, right? You don't like me anymore, do you?
His smiling eyes seemed to say. That sight of him made me blank out for a second.
How should I put this? He's cute?
Strangely enough, that's how I felt. If he wanted to call off the engagement, he could terrorize and get violent with me like Damian did. Yet here he was smirking at me like a child who pulled off a mischievous attack.
When I thought about it like that, my embarrassment slowly faded away.
My powerful ally assisted just in time.
"Oh, ohh! That's why! I thought it was weird when this brat, who couldn't handle sweets, asked for a bunch of them. So that's what it was!"
His words made the both of us flinch. I didn't miss a beat and made an expression which indicated I was touched.
"Pardon? Lord Damian definitely said he liked sweets."
"What? Him? Ridiculous. I don't know if something's wrong with his tongue, but he can't eat anything sweet. Yet you're saying he likes it? Wait, Damian, don't tell me…"
When Count Kraus looked at Damian with a wicked leer, Damian immediately interrupted him.
"I can eat sweets. Please don't spread false rumors, Father."
"The false rumors are coming out of your mouth. I've never seen you carry a single caramel since my time raising you."
"What do you mean you've never seen me. You have, many times. I used to have caramel in my pocket every day when I was little. Also, Maria was the one who raised me. What you raised was my resilience."
"The servants gave you that. You think no one in this manor knows that you don't eat them and keep them in a box instead? Also, it's a good thing you brought it up. Let's take a look at that resilience I raised later today."
Suddenly, it felt like they were in a drill hall rather than a restaurant. But before things escalated, his younger brother landed a decisive blow on Damian.
"Ah, that's right! Last time I opened a box in your room. There were beautifully wrapped caramel and candies in there! I was going to eat them, but you said I couldn't…since they're precious."
Damian no longer fought back.
Oh dear.
Even though his expression did not change, I could notice the tips of his ears turning red since I was sitting right next to him. That made me want to hug his face and stroke it immediately, but I thought about today's victory, and was barely able to quell my brimming desires.
Count Kraus winked. Meanwhile, the young Alphonse began to finish his meal. He tilted his head, not understanding why his brother's face hardened.
I picked up the tableware and started eating again. The food tasted strangely sweet despite it not being so.
As expected, my regression seemed to be quite successful this time.