Darbarb's Longing for Little Olivia
Silence hung heavy in the mansion. Darbarb, seated on the sofa, took a sip of his tea and nodded.
"So..."
Darbarb opened his mouth slowly, his sharp eyes fixed on me with a gaze that demanded the truth—no more lies.
"Where is Olivia?"
"Daddy."
"You said Olivia had regressed to a child, so where did she go?"
Darbarb was studiously ignoring the Young Lady sitting right in front of him. He intensely disregarded her as she waved her hands in front of his face, delightedly exclaiming, "Ooh...! Invisible man!"
"Ricardo. Daddy can't see me."
"Young Lady, stay still. That'll boost your stealth skills even more."
"Hmph!"
Darbarb clenched his fist as he watched the Young Lady hold her breath to enhance her stealth magic.
"Bring Olivia here."
"Ooh...!"
"I'm telling you to bring the Olivia who promised she wouldn't marry anyone but Daddy."
"Daddy, I never said that."
'Urgh...!'
Darbarb slammed his fist on the desk and vented his frustration at the Young Lady's response, which crushed any lingering hope.
"Why..."
"..."
"Why, I say! I thought I'd get to see my pure, innocent Olivia."
"The Young Lady's heart has always been pitch black."
"Urghhh...!"
Darbarb wore an expression like he was on the verge of tears, his resentful eyes turned on me—full of envy that you got to see her, but not me.
"You're right, so I can't make excuses."
"She was at least somewhat pure in certain ways."
*Nods nods.*
I glanced at Darbarb, thinking, 'He's clearly an incredibly busy man—why is he even here?' Sure, the Young Lady's child form was precious, but not enough to abandon work for. Of course, if it were me, I'd drop everything too.
I gave Darbarb a wry smile of resignation and offered some half-hearted consolation.
And then.
"That's enough."
"Aren't you frustrated? Not being able to see that innocent side of Olivia again..."
"This isn't her, so what's with this? Isn't that right, Kyle?"
The Young Lady's mother, Rosanna, pinched Darbarb's thigh lightly as he clenched his fist in indignation, giving him a pointed look. She smiled faintly at Kyle, who was calmly sipping his tea, and asked for affirmation from her reliable eldest son.
"Kyle...?"
"Yes, exactly. This really isn't her."
*Clatter clatter clatter.*
"Kyle?"
Kyle's teacup was rattling noisily. He shot me an envious glance, muttering, "No picture or anything?"—a trustworthy display from Desmont's sturdy heir.
"When can we see her?"
"Haha..."
"Tell me in advance, and I'll clear my schedule."
"Only the Young Lady knows that."
The Desmont family had gathered to catch a glimpse of little Olivia. The empire's busiest people had made the precious trip, yet the Young Lady—who had recovered her black magic—was casually snorting and munching on jerky as if nothing were amiss.
"Daddy."
"Yes."
"Want some jerky?"
The Young Lady offered Darbarb the piece she was chewing on, committing an act of filial impiety. Her bag was full of fresh jerky, but she insisted on handing over the half-eaten one. I gave a wry smile, wondering, What do I do? Even if he was a doting father, he held a noble title...
"Thanks."
I'd underestimated Desmont's power. Admitting my mistake, I nodded. Common sense didn't apply in this family.
I refilled Darbarb's empty teacup and cautiously shifted the conversation. These weren't people with time to spare just to see little Olivia, after all.
"So, what brings you to Hamel?"
"To see Olivia."
"..."
Kyle nodded as if it were the most obvious question, and even Rosanna—whom I'd trusted—smiled contentedly and nodded along.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"What about work?"
"Tomorrow's me will handle it."
The head of Desmont truly held an innovative belief. In the novel, he was portrayed as ruthless and cold, not this free-spirited. Where had it gone wrong?
I let out a small chuckle and melted into their casual family dynamic. The teacups kept emptying. Perhaps because we were serving expensive black tea, our conversation turned refined—we discussed recent events and politics.
-I want to drop a Meteor on the imperial palace.
-Any reason?
-Just because.
-Fair enough.
Darbarb, mid-calculation of the palace coordinates, noticed the black creature sauntering over, plopping its rear on the floor, and poking its head in.
"This is...?"
Darbarb tilted his head at Gomtang with a question mark practically floating above. Kyle knew of Gomtang's existence, but Darbarb—who'd seen it as a cub—reached out cautiously toward its head, puzzled.
Gooooom.
"Oh."
Gomtang seemed pleased by Darbarb's touch, closing its eyes and leaning into his hand.
"Excellent..."
I smiled faintly at Darbarb's confusion and recited the excuse I'd given countless times. I was starting to accept it myself, but he'd have a harder time.
I lied with good intentions.
"It's a dog."
"I see."
"The Young Lady's dog."
"Never seen this breed before."
"First time for me too."
"Hmm..."
Darbarb smiled subtly, stroking Gomtang's head.
"A fine bear."
As expected, my clumsy lie didn't work. I was the fool for thinking it might.
Gom gom.
Darbarb gazed at Gomtang with nostalgic eyes.
"Brings back old memories."
"Old memories?"
"Yes."
Darbarb glanced at Rosanna, who looked at Gomtang with pity, and gave a bittersweet smile.
"Rosanna raised a bear once too."
"...Pardon?"
"I still remember it clearly—that guy running around named Sagol."
"Uh..."
"It bit me sometimes, but without it, we wouldn't be here today."
"You must have loved it dearly."
"No. We fought every day."
"Pardon?"
"To avoid getting eaten, I had to fight. It growled so fiercely at its owner wagging his tail—nearly hit it with a Meteor."
How was I supposed to process this? Unaccustomed to Desmont's wistful memories, I wore a lost expression and laughed awkwardly.
"But it brought you love like an angel, so that's good, right?"
Darbarb nodded with a distant smile.
"True enough."
Gomtang let out a "Gom!" as if understanding Darbarb's sentiment, acting cute.
"We'll take good care of..."
Gom!
"..."
I cut off as Darbarb's hand vanished into Gomtang's mouth. It was gently nibbling without hurting, saliva and all, just like it did with the Young Lady—pure affection.
"Haha."
Darbarb chuckled heartily and nodded.
"This one's the same."
Darbarb hated bears.
And.
"Reminds me of our baby from back then."
Rosanna loved bears.
*
Darkness had fallen over the mansion. After tucking the Young Lady in, I descended to the living room and locked eyes with the three waiting on the sofa.
Darbarb, Kyle, and Rosanna—staying the night—gazed at me with faint smiles.
Rosanna looked up at the spotlessly cleaned ceiling and spoke in a kind voice.
"You've managed the mansion well."
"Not at all."
"No, maintaining a place like this alone is no small feat. Ricardo really is good at housework."
"You're too kind."
I smiled faintly and placed whiskey glasses and a bottle on the table.
Darbarb stared heavily at the liquor pouring into his glass. Unlike our earlier light chat, his grave expression had him swirling the glass, tapping his brow, and sighing deeply.
"You've worked hard alone."
"Not really."
"Don't say that..."
Darbarb chuckled dryly and raised his glass. Late at night with the Young Lady asleep, we'd turned to alcohol for this gathering. It was time for a serious talk.
Nothing grand—just one line from my letter had plunged Darbarb into deep thought.
"Hoo..."
Darbarb set down his glass.
"Ricardo."
"Yes."
"Everything in the letter—is it all true?"
"Yes."
Darbarb tapped the table with his finger and bowed his head.
[The Young Lady has used black magic.]
"This complicates things. Witnesses?"
"None. The survivor passed out then and remembers nothing."
"Lucky. Only someone like Rosanna could decipher the letter anyway—no need to worry."
"..."
"So, aside from us here, no one knows."
We had no clear resolution. Hearing the full story, Darbarb groaned, sighed with worry, and pondered the Young Lady's black magic that exceeded expectations, rubbing his brow.
Kyle drained his glass.
"Can black magic heal Olivia's legs? Without burdening you."
I shook my head at Kyle.
"Impossible. But that issue will resolve soon—I'll contact you separately."
"..."
Kyle stared at me with trembling eyes. Knowing the truth without all details, his gaze lingered.
"You're part of Desmont now. Don't get hurt on your own."
"Thank you."
Silence flowed. Time weighed heavy as they processed it. The conclusion was already acquiescence, but accepting it took longer.
In the long quiet, Darbarb spoke cautiously.
"This is big trouble."
"..."
"I'm planning a grand ball in Olivia's name soon."
"..."
"Big trouble."
Our shared worry: the Young Lady stirring up chaos out of anger.