When I entered the castle again, I suddenly felt like someone was trying to breach the barrier of my mansion. Their entry was absurd and forceful, so I immediately raised my guard and looked at my <Presence Detection>.
There were no enemies in the Royal Castle, which meant their target wasn't Queen Eve this time.
'Is it someone from Hell's Cult?' I thought as I took out an empty [Teleportation Gem] and saved my current coordinate. Then, I took out the one I saved for a situation like this.
This [Teleportation Gem] would teleport me to my mansion's backyard instead of the garden. This way, I could observe the situation and leave enemies to the twins and the girls. If they weren't able to defeat them, only then would I appear.
I was overprotective, but I also knew when I should leave problems to my girls. If I didn't do that, they wouldn't be able to grow and become too dependent on me, and that wasn't a good thing.
So I wore [Shadow Cape] and teleported. Once I did so, I immediately hid in the shadow of my mansion's roof to get an unobstructed view.
From there, I saw Cecil was ready to protect Vivian, who prepared spells. The twin nuns also positioned themselves where they could defeat the intruder easily. As for Linda and Jane, they seemed to run inside the mansion and informed Milea and Garcia.
Well, that was good. They could handle an unexpected situation better than I thought. The decision to evacuate the maids was also good for Vivian, as the intruder had a glaring weakness.
A few seconds later, the intruder appeared from the distorted space. It was Cleric.
'Seriously… I thought he was gone, but he's actually coming here?' I thought as I laughed bitterly in my mind. 'And he didn't even tell me beforehand.'
What happened next was just Cleric trying to have fun. At least I knew the girls would be fine, and he was probably only here to meet Milea. In fact, when Milea appeared next, everything turned out fine.
'Well, let's just return to the Royal Castle and give them father and daughter time.' I thought as I reappeared from the shadow.
Cleric, whose ear was pulled by Milea and scolded, looked at me with an apologetic smile. He noticed me as I didn't hide my presence anymore.
I nodded at him and teleported back to the castle after taking off [Shadow Cape].
"Phew…" I sighed and walked inside.
The Royal Castle's layout was slightly confusing. There were many corners and rooms. If I didn't know where to go, I would definitely get lost. Thankfully, my radar helped me to find where I needed to go.
I was about to arrive at my destination at the end of the corridor in the corner of the Castle. There was a wooden door standing there. Behind that door existed a long staircase that extended underground. This place was a wine cellar.
"That was interesting! The Virtue Kingdom's wine is indeed fine! I am impressed by the collections."
"We are proud of the collection.
From that direction, I heard Duke Blacktomb's voice and another man accompanied by loud footsteps. It came from the inside. And as I got closer, the door was opened. Two people came out, and I didn't expect it at all.
Cast Duke Blacktomb aside, I didn't know a lot of people or nobles of this Kingdom except those I interacted with. But, I remembered some people who might get in my way in the future and looked at me with hostility back when I made a speech with Queen Eve.
'Isn't that Count Dixon, Emilia's father?' I thought in my mind as I hid my surprise with a smile.
Duke Blacktomb and Count Dixon also noticed me and bowed. The latter seemed to look calm, but I knew that he was an overprotective father. The news about Emilia being relatively close to me must've reached his ear.
"Your Holiness!"
I stopped in front of them and greeted them, "Good day, Duke Blacktomb. It's nice to meet you, Count Dixon. You may raise your heads."
"Yes." Both of them raised their heads at the same time. Count Dixon had a rather sour expression, contrary to Duke Blacktomb, who smiled widely.
It was still a formal occasion inside a castle. His position was as an ambassador and not a guest of the Annual Tournament like before. Naya was only a guest who followed the ambassador, and we spoke in the garden earlier in a friendly manner, different from this time with a Noble presence near us.
So he spoke respectfully to me.
"It's truly nice to meet you again. I thought our next meeting would be in the far future."
"Indeed, Duke Blacktomb. I would also never expect this to happen so soon. Have you just checked the wine cellar?"
"Ooh, right! It's magnificent. Our Royal Castle's wine cellar is great, with the oldest wine originating more than 400 years ago. However, there is a 500-year-old wine in this cellar. I want to partake in the treasure, but that will be too much for me.
"Such a precious wine is perfect to consume at an important moment." He continued with a mysterious smile, hinting that there was something more important than Queen Eve's coronation.
I knew what he was thinking. This man was similar to Alesia in terms of seeking peace between the two Kingdoms. His Sin seemed to decrease a bit as his aura wasn't so unpleasant anymore. That, or he had a magic item to suppress it.
"I agree." I nodded at him and smiled. "Count Dixon, right? I believe this is our first meeting. I am in your daughter's care. She has taught me a lot in the Royal Academy."
"It's my honor, Your Holiness." Count Dixon put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly. I noticed that he wasn't as displeased as before, and his hostility seemed to be less.
'He's such a good father. Looking at his expression, he probably also knows about Emilia's crest from someone but is calmed down by that same person. That headmistress can't really keep a secret, can she?'
"Oh? You have a daughter, Count? I also have one, hahaha. She's so precious to me that I will prioritize her happiness over my life."
Duke Blacktomb suddenly exclaimed. He probably noticed the strange tone in Count Dixon's voice when he answered me.
"Indeed, I have one. She's also precious to me. Although she has turned 23 this year, I can't help but think of her as my little cute one. I even threw away all the engagement letters I received! I want her to stay with me forever."
"I know your feelings!" Duke Blacktomb nodded in understanding. "However, we shouldn't restrict what she wants to do. I will allow my daughter to do anything as long as she's happy, even if that means she wants to stay as someone's wife or something." He glanced at me for a second before turning back.
"What you say is correct, Duke. I am indeed restricting her too much. I should've heard what she wanted to say at that time instead of refusing to listen. To think I threw away my chance at the Annual Tournament… Kuh, she hadn't talked to me since then!"
"I think it's better if you talk to her soon, Count. A woman's heart is more complicated than what we know. I might be talking about my experience in the Sin Kingdom, where our common senses are different. But I know that if we take too long to fix something, it can turn worse instead of better."
"Indeed."
They suddenly began to talk about their daughters and ignored me. Hey, I was still a Paladin, you know? However, that didn't happen as Duke Blacktomb suddenly shifted the conversation back to me.
"What do you think, Your Holiness? Should we let our daughters roam free, or should we stop them using our authority as parents?"
'That was such a difficult question, Duke… Why did you do this to me?'
I took Emilia's virginity and even dominated her on the first day of our meeting. The Duke probably didn't know that, but I felt complicated.
I loved Emilia, and she loved me. We were happy even though we seldom met, thanks to her being busy as a teacher and Alesia's assistant lately. Not to mention, I had no kids yet.
"I don't know the answer, Duke. I am still young and inexperienced. I believe both of you know better."
"Hahaha, that's right. Please forgive me for asking such a question, Your Holiness." Duke Blacktomb bowed at me. However, I wasn't done yet.
"But…" I continued, making him raise his head, and Count Dixon looked at me with judging eyes. "I believe it's better to have a conversation with your daughters. You can advise them or judge their choice with a clear mind. If they are happy, I believe it's just right to support them."
Duke Blacktomb smiled and clapped his hand, "What an exemplary answer! Indeed, that's the best we can do as parents. If they make a mistake, we will advise and stop them. If they are happy, then we should support them."
Count Dixon nodded at Duke Blacktomb's words. His hostility toward me still remained, but it wasn't as strong as before.
"I am ashamed. I arrived at a conclusion before talking to my daughter. I will do so after the coronation party. I believe she will attend with Headmistress Alesia tomorrow."
"That's a good choice." I nodded and wanted to wash my hands away with this. I would support Emilia no matter what her choice was, although I already knew it.
"There is still something I need to do. That was such an inspiring talk, Duke Blacktomb, Count Dixon. Please excuse me first. May the Goddess' blessing be with you."
"Thank you, Your Holiness." Duke Blacktomb answered with a bow.
"May the Goddess' blessing be with you." Count Dixon repeated with his hand on his chest.
After saying farewell to them, I walked away with a smile.
'Well, let's visit Emilia after bathing with Cecil later. I hope she will like my night visit.' I thought. 'Telling her that her father will visit soon is probably also a good idea. It was part of my fault that they fought and he became hostile, after all. Though the biggest trigger is Alesia, for sure.'
