The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

99 – What the…?! This wicked woman!!

It had been a week since the day the demon king was defeated.

Although the results of the meeting were historic, the world remained calm. This was because most of it was a secret until Yuriand reached the throne.

In this situation, a person in a corner of society, who had maintained peace, began to tell a part of history.

Hart visited the temple and recounted his past.

“So… you exchanged your divinity for peace?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Incredible…”

Evere couldn’t hide her astonishment. She had just woken up from her coma, and yet, she was doing something unbelievable.

“What’s there to regret? In fact, divinity should be sealed away for life.”

“That may be true, but…”

Hart, who had performed miracles after leaving the temple, was abnormal. The more peaceful the world became, the more people’s memories of divinity should fade away.

“Well, I’m just glad. I’m satisfied just knowing that Hart didn’t return his baptismal name.”

The Pope defended Hart with a smile.

“It’s unexpected, but Hart didn’t know the value of his life, did he?”

“I do now, Your Holiness. Perhaps, it’s been a while.”

The god’s vanguard, who had exhausted his usefulness, established his identity as a human and walked the path of life. Now, he only wanted to protect his precious people for the rest of his life.

“Erehte.”

[Yes?]

“What does it mean to have a good family?”

Hart thought that his situation was similar to Glen’s. Both of them had been abandoned and lost their sense of self.

Of course, unlike Glen, Hart was abandoned in front of the temple’s gate.

Therefore, the concept of family was vague to Hart in the past. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t hesitate to accept the children as his family.

“I sometimes wonder about that.”

Anyway, Hart had formed a family. So, it was natural for him to think about what a good family was.

“I think Erehte is a good parent. That’s why I want to ask for advice. How can a human who can’t use miracles become a good parent…”

[Oh my.]

Erehte’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she chuckled softly.

[Hart is really something. He’s giving compliments that even I’ve never given before. He’s indeed a good son. It’s certain that he’s a good son, even if he doesn’t know what a good parent is.]

“I can give compliments too!”

[Oh, this. There’s a huge difference between what you can do and what you actually do, Iveria.]

“Ku…!”

Ereheit smiled at Eubria, who was furious, and changed the subject with a somewhat awkward tone.

“[Well… thank you for considering me a good parent, Haruto. It’s a very comforting phrase. It means the past few years haven’t been in vain.]”

“What do you mean?”

“[As you know, I’ve lived for quite a long time. I’ve met many children at the shrine. Even though it’s only been 200 years since my first childcare experience…]”

“It’s surprisingly short, isn’t it, your history?”

“[Haha, that’s right.]”

Ereheit’s eyes narrowed, as if projecting the past onto a distant mountain. Her eyebrows slightly rose, lost in nostalgia.

“[At first, it wasn’t a joke. I picked up a two- or three-year-old child and lifted them upside down. I forced them to eat vegetables, saying they were bad for their body, and stuffed them into their mouth.]”

“… Ereheit?”

“[By the way, this is a story told by the Pope himself.]”

“What, what…?”

It was unbelievable that even the Pope had raised Ereheit, and that they had treated her so harshly…

“Ahaha, if I didn’t have a baptismal name, I would have definitely died~.”

“[Young humans are quite fragile, unlike dragons. I didn’t know they were that weak back then.]”

Ereheit averted her gaze, making excuses, as if trying to avoid the sharpness of the sound of the sword.

Meanwhile, Haruto found it hard to believe that Ereheit had a rough experience with childcare.

“[Anyway… after going through several experiences like that, I received praise from Haruto for being a good parent. Humans often forget, but it’s common for anyone to become a parent for the first time. No matter how hard you try, you can’t be perfect.]”

“That’s… right.”

“[Of course. So don’t worry. I’ll guarantee that Haruto will become a good family. I, a good parent, will vouch for it.]”

“… It’s written in the scriptures not to make promises.”

“[Oh dear, I’m a dragon god, but I was careless. Should I believe it? Haruto, as you know, we believe in actions, not words.]”

“Yes, actions speak louder than words. Ereheit’s words are correct.”

He acknowledged his anxiety, which had grown after seeing the example of the Demon King and his companion. He felt uneasy about being forced to endure the consequences of his momentary mistake.

Looking back, there was no choice but to act according to his beliefs.

“That’s right… let’s believe. I can become a good family to the children and Elphisia.”

He felt a satisfying sense of realization.

It was then that he thought it was okay to slowly get up and leave.

“Ah! That’s right. Will you follow me for a bit, Haruto?”

The Pope’s eyes, which called out to him, shimmered like a rainbow.

◇

When Haruto returned to the mansion, the sun was setting, casting a reddish glow over the landscape.

The trees and buildings, which stretched out their long shadows, seemed new and unfamiliar. The world, shrouded in twilight, was somehow unreal.

As he opened the front door of the mansion, he coincidentally met Tina, who was passing by.

“Oh, Dad! You’re back!”

“Yes, and Elphisia?”

“Mom is still working.”

“… As usual.”

Haruto gazed at the large clock hanging in the mansion.

The hour hand pointed to 5 pm. Coincidentally, it was the same time he would visit Elphisia in the world before his regression.

She would always welcome him in her study, surrounded by stacks of documents related to managing the vast territory of the dukedom. She would furrow her brow, holding a pen.

“‘The Duke is preparing to retire, it seems he’s pushing his work onto others.’

If Yurian takes the throne soon, the coronation ceremony of Elpisia will also be held. By then, according to the Duke’s wishes, Tina’s family registry adjustment will also be taken care of.

Harte imagined Tina as a noble lady. His little girl would receive the name ‘Tina Luminel’ and captivate the entire world… such was his imagination.

“Ah… it’s not going to work out.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just, being a good father is really difficult, I think.”

He knew that Tina would grow up to be a beautiful woman. Moreover, since she’s not suffering as much now, her beauty will shine even more.

Harte wanted to establish a curfew rule for her already.

Considering the numerous social gatherings of the nobility, it was a thought that would make Tina an outcast.

Tina tilted her head, gazing at Harte’s faint smile.

“But, Dad, is it true that you can’t use magic like before?”

“Ah, it seems there’s no secret between you kids.”

“Hehe…”

Tina’s loving eyes avoided his.

“Anyway, that Yurian is such a chatterbox.”

As it was a serious matter, Harte told Yurian the truth. He should reveal what kind of deal he made with the demon tribe so that Yurian’s side could prepare.

But who would have thought that he would tell Tina directly? And if Tina knew, then Glen would know too.

‘Since yesterday, Glen has been giving me strange looks…’

It seemed that Yurian needed a good scolding.

… Just as he was about to brush it off as a joke, Tina’s lips were filled with determination.

“It’s true, Yurian said it seriously. If Dad can’t use magic, then he should train hard and make up for it.”

“Hmm…?”

“He said he’ll work hard to learn swordsmanship and take revenge for the humiliation he’s received so far.”

“Ah… I see. Hmm. Hmm.”

Mm-hmm.

It’s not like adults can’t have big dreams too. And an adult who denies a child’s dreams is a poor adult indeed.

He understood it all.

He understood everything, but…

‘An adult who doesn’t do their best is also a poor adult…’

Harte vowed to support Yurian’s determination with all his heart, in front of Tina.

‘Elpisia… I’m sorry. I promised not to pick again…’

Cry, hellO.

… Anyway, he needed to go get the exclusive sword he had left at the old temple. Harte etched the future schedule deep into his heart.

“Thanks for telling me, Tina.”

“It’s nothing, Dad. Good luck!”

“If our daughter cheers us on, then we should start getting ready from now on.”

“Ah, but Mom is waiting with a keen eye.”

From noble mtl dot com

He didn’t want to change the subject, but since Elpisia was mentioned, there was no choice. There was no more urgent matter than the High Priest’s human invasion.

“Come back quickly!”

“Mm!”

Harte turned his back on Tina, who was waving at him with a bright smile. Later, when Harte climbed the stairs and turned the corner, Tina caught sight of Glen, who was watching from a distance, and rushed towards him.

“Huh? We’re on the 3rd floor, but you sensed me from the entrance?”

Glen was astonished. The talent of a half-dragon was truly remarkable. Without any special training, Glen could sense Harte’s presence several floors away, making him feel the unfairness of the world.

Tina soon reached Glen and opened her mouth with a clear gaze.

“Hehe, did you hear? Dad did his best. If we do this, we can help Yurian more, right?”

“… Yeah?”

When Tina spoke, Glen noticed Harte’s eyebrows twitching unnaturally. That alone was enough to clearly sense Harte’s psychology.

However, Tina, who was observing Harte right in front of her, spoke bluntly.

“Ah~. I wish Dad would become even stronger. Then Yurian can become stronger too. It’s really exciting! Isn’t it, Glen?”

Tina was the embodiment of pure innocence.

Glen, who was witnessing this, defined the pure girl with one word.

“Villain…!”