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Brought to you by Valir Scans! ‌‌‌To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 54
Upon hearing his words, I ‌found ‌‌myself thinking.
'Something feels like it's going terribly wrong here.'
The misunderstanding that I ‌‌was Lichesia's daughter was merely amusing.
But now, the atmosphere of his words seemed somewhat....
He was grasping at a biological father of mine who didn't even exist.
Locking him away in the notorious Ministry Underground Prison's Heresy Interrogation Chamber.
After ‌‌‌casually torturing and tormenting him for about a month.
It seemed he would kill him in cruel, miserable, and horrific ways.
My eyes rolled about frantically.
Lest a stern person be misunderstood, I hastily produced a model answer.
"I really don't know anything about that...."
At that, Hailon ‌‌‌‌smiled faintly.
It was a smile that suggested ‌‌‌‌he could uncover even what I didn't know.
"...."
My fur stood on end.
I felt as though I had just briefly experienced how the prisoners confined in the Heresy Interrogation Chamber must feel.
'I really was given considerable ‌leniency.'
The ‌‌‌‌witch Lichesia had been captured and interrogated by Hailon quite a number of times.
But he had never been harsh ‌‌with her.
Honestly, the interrogation I endured was, compared to the chill I ‌‌felt from Hailon's smile just now, child's play.
'Of course, I've also ‌‌been lenient ‌with Hailon.'
He had generously overlooked deeds that would have earned an axe blow from anyone else.
In any case, when asked about my biological ‌‌‌‌father, I had nothing to say.
As I was pondering how to respond, fortunately Hailon didn't press ‌‌‌‌further.
Instead, he led me toward the Dining Hall.
The spacious communal Dining Hall was used by the Holy Knights affiliated with the Holy Temple.
Food was piled high ‌‌from the kitchen on one side, and people freely served themselves onto plates.
Though it was slightly past lunch hour, the Dining Hall was crowded.
In fact, it felt as though people kept arriving in increasing numbers.
'Did they come to catch a glimpse of Hailon?'
Even as eager gazes poured down upon him, ‌Hailon simply lined ‌‌up among ‌the other knights and received his food.
Someone of First Rank Holy Knight standing would surely be able to have food brought to his quarters.
Though I had fought Hailon desperately, this was my first time seeing how he lived ordinarily.
I watched Hailon with curious fascination, like everyone else.
While I was ‌‌‌‌‌‌enjoying watching Hailon, Hata wore an expression of considerable displeasure.
Entering the Holy Temple was unavoidable since I had to avoid Kieran.
But I hadn't expected to end up sharing a meal as well.
Since Hata was making discontented sounds, I gently patted her.
Yet the puppy wouldn't easily cheer up, burying her face in my arms instead.
Hailon seemed to find the very sight of Chesa utterly distasteful.
Since he refused to be separated from ‌Chesa, ‌I had no ‌‌‌choice but to place Hata directly on the chair beside her.
I expected to hear complaints about the breach of dining etiquette, but no one said a word.
Or ‌‌rather, it seemed they couldn't say anything.
Everyone in the ‌Dining Hall was ‌‌‌‌too busy staring at Hailon to notice the puppy ‌‌gnawing on meat beside Chesa.
Hailon was being tender.
And that was the problem.
If he'd simply ‌‌‌‌continued his usual behavior, ‌‌no one would have cared—but this sudden departure from his norm had everyone's attention exploding.
He placed Chesa on his lap and personally attended to her meal.
He wrapped a napkin around her neck and retrieved a teaspoon instead of using infant utensils, preparing to feed her directly.
He scooped mashed potatoes onto the teaspoon and brought it to Chesa's lips.
"Eat." ‌‌‌‌
Hailon seemed entirely unaware of what he was doing. ‌‌
Even as everyone gasped at his embarrassing behavior, their jaws dropping in shock, he merely raised one eyebrow slightly and spoke.
As if to say they were the strange ones for staring.
Chesa felt deeply uncomfortable and reluctantly responded.
"I can eat by myself."
"You can?"
His gaze shifted to Chesa's hands.
Upon seeing hands no larger than two of his own fingers, his brow ‌‌furrowed slightly.
The ‌‌‌‌doubt was clear—how could such tiny hands possibly grip a spoon?
'But I can definitely handle a teaspoon!'
I had undergone ‌‌‌‌‌rigorous training to adapt to this infant body.
I could manipulate a teaspoon with remarkable dexterity.
Just as Karha wielded dual swords, I could even manage dual teaspoons with both hands!
I was simply restraining my strength to maintain proper dining decorum. ‌‌‌
But Hailon wouldn't hear it.
He ‌‌‌‌merely held the teaspoon firmly to my lips.
Left with no choice, I opened my mouth wide and accepted the food.
From that ‌‌‌point on, I ate whatever he offered, like a baby bird being fed by its parent.
'How mortifying....'
As I accepted the finely cut beef, I glanced furtively ‌‌‌‌‌around the room.
I wondered if they would tsk-tsk at the sight of a grown child being spoon-fed.
It was entirely the opposite.
Those who had grown somewhat accustomed to Hailon's behavior now whispered about Chesa instead.
"Doesn't the teaspoon seem too large? It's filling her mouth completely."
"The meat should probably be cut even smaller...."
Then, when Hailon wiped my lips with a napkin, they let out a collective gasp of alarm.
"Is he wiping that hard?"
"Lord Hailon must not be able to control his strength."
"Is my flesh tearing apart...?"
Chesa wrinkled the bridge of her nose.
Listening carefully, she realized they were making rather strange sounds.
This place was filled solely with knights who trained their bodies to the absolute limit.
Since everyone here was powerfully built—both the women and men were nothing but muscular and burly—Chesa appeared all the more fragile by comparison.
They seemed to believe that if they tapped Chesa's forehead with a teaspoon, she would shatter into pieces. ‌‌‌‌
'If I just let them try hitting me once, the misunderstanding would clear up.'
I thought briefly.
But then Chesa caught sight of the Female Knight at the opposite table splitting an apple in half with a single hand, and immediately abandoned the idea.
It certainly seemed that in this place, I truly was a fragile existence.
'I might as well eat.'
Having given up on everything, Chesa simply surrendered to the flow.
I accepted whatever Hailon ‌‌‌‌gave me, munching away contentedly.
After a prolonged meal, Hailon offered Chesa small fruit pieces as dessert.
While eating sweet, flat ‌‌peaches, people gradually approached.
A knight who would stake her life on ‌‌‌curiosity posed ‌a question to Hailon.
"Sir Hailon. What is this child? Is she a new arrival at the Temple Orphanage?"
It seemed the knights had reached an agreement for her to ask on their behalf.
The knight with taut muscles and ‌‌‌‌‌bronzed skin opened her hand and alternated her gaze between it and Chesa.
"She's really small... White. Shimmering. Pretty."
The adjectives seemed somewhat excessive.
When her eyes met Chesa's as she ate the peach, ‌‌‌she broke into an involuntary grin.
"Oh, how adorable."
An exclamation that burst forth without conscious thought.
Chesa was always gracious toward those who admired her appearance.
So I smiled brightly at her.
"Thank you!"
She was absolutely delighted at ‌‌the greeting.
But her happiness was short-lived.
"She's ‌‌‌‌a child I've temporarily taken under protective supervision. Don't bother her."
Hailon cut her off coldly.
Though he had been gentle with Chesa today, he was originally a person as cold as the glaciers of the distant Northern Continent.
"My apologies! I'll be careful."
The knight immediately saluted respectfully and creaked back to her seat.
Hailon stood, holding Chesa.
He picked up the puppy beside him with one hand and nestled it into Chesa's arms.
Then he left the Dining Hall and headed ‌‌somewhere.
'Surely he's ‌not taking me to the interrogation chamber after feeding me so ‌well?'
Had it been someone else, I wouldn't have harbored such suspicions.
But since the other ‌party was the ‌‌‌Heretic Inquisitor, ‌‌‌‌all manner of thoughts crossed my ‌‌‌mind.
My accumulated sins weighed heavily upon me, making the anxiety all the more unbearable.
Chesa ‌‌‌‌asked Hailon with an uneasy heart.
"Where are we going?"

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