Chapter 649 – Our Child Has Transformed

A minor wound, a consequence of a fall caused by being shoved by Shiba.

Even though it’s labeled as a wound, it’s merely a slight scrape.
The healing wasn’t challenging, and the injury itself was far from being a problem.
The real issue, if one were to be found, was that I didn’t notice the scrape on my daughter’s skin.

With caution, I queried,

“What happened to your knee?”
“Why don’t you ever listen to my story?”

Wiki retorted instantly, her voice laden with dissatisfaction.
My child didn’t stop there; she shifted her leg’s angle defiantly to expose her scrape, reprimanding me with a voice on the brink of tears.

“…Am I, after all, merely a substitute for my elder sister?”
“What are you talking about? Come here for a moment.”
“When you’re with me… Can’t you solely focus on me? Is that too much to ask…?”

Oh dear…
What could have possibly pushed Wiki to this extent?

If overheard by others, they might mistake her for my lover rather than a daughter. If so, I’d rather be dead.

Realizing that Wiki’s sudden act was driven by simple jealousy made the situation immensely troublesome for me.

“Wiki… you’re aware of everything, aren’t you?”

The highly perceptive Wiki would understand the predicament I’ve found myself in better than anyone else.
She would understand how Shiba has somehow regressed to being a child, and that I am constrained to demonstrate my love for this childlike Shiba.

It’s an unsightly act, seeking understanding from a child.
However, for a bright mind like Wiki, such a request seemed fair enough.

“If I understand everything, do I need to step back? Where does that rule come from? Father… you belong to me.”

Wiki responded with a trembling voice.

“…I belong to you?”

I asked back, momentarily taken aback.

Since when did Lee Si-heon Co., Ltd. go public?

Even if it did, there would be more than a single majority shareholder. Just as it is impossible for an individual to possess an entire company exclusively, the same rule applied to Wiki.

“Dad, you are mine… and also Shiba’s.”
“Do you love us equally? I understand that. But, if the love is truly equal… Shouldn’t you be paying more attention to me?”

Why?

When I questioned, Wiki clenched her fists and asserted,

“…Your elder daughter, she has her liberty, doesn’t she?”
“Liberty?”

So, you’re saying, Wiki, you don’t have it?
To my question, Wiki exploded, “Didn’t you know?”

“I’ve been. Since my birth… I had certain obligations to fulfill. With passing time, I won’t be able to see you anymore. Unlike her!”

The source of Wiki’s current agitation became clear.
She yearned to be loved more fervently than Shiba.

“There will be no more time in the future. Our paths will diverge further. Why should I make way?”

A vehement Wiki was even shedding tears.
Blood trickled down from her scraped knee to her shin.

“Do only I love you? Am I, am I merely a stand-in for her?”

“Wiki. A stand-in, is it?”
“Exactly! My father was suffering so much from his split with my sister… that’s why my mother bore me.”

It seemed that Wiki had caught onto Alba’s intentions.

The moment she became an object of purpose in conception, she must have felt she was being treated almost tool-like.

“…It’s tough because I can’t see my sister. You saw me as her substitute, didn’t you….”

That’s not it.
Even if Shiba were absent, even if I found solace in you.
You are not a substitute for my child.

“Now that my sister has returned. Is it that I’m no longer needed?”
“Wiki.”

Regardless of how one looks at it, these are not the words of a child.
However, it was clear she had been feeling this way, agonizing alone over it.

I pulled Wiki’s arm, drawing her into my embrace.
Even if addressing her jealousy comes second, it was crucial to rectify this misunderstanding.

“No one can replace anyone.”
“Anyone can utter words. It’s not your fault, dad… It’s just… a natural occurrence when a creature seeks stability.”
“Listen to your dad too, okay?”
“I’m listening. But dad… Do you know?”

Wiki bit her lips, a look of sorrow on her face.
Tears, like tiny pebbles, flowed from the corners of her eyes.

“…Banana milk.”

That day we bathed together.

“Dad, even when I was drinking banana milk… you were thinking of my sister. When you held me, when you slept with me… you only called for my sister. If you had thought of me. Even once… Shouldn’t you have called my name in your sleep?”

The overwhelming sensation that transcends part-time work would be difficult for even me to grasp.
I couldn’t deny that I hadn’t thought of Shiba while holding Wiki.

It’s not unusual for Wiki to feel this way and be disappointed.

“I know my sister is always in your heart, dad. I’ve been watching, so don’t try to deny it. Moreover.”
“……”
“I… unlike my sister. I’ve never connected with you, dad.”

Shiba and I are connected?

Does she mean the vibrant red thread that I occasionally sensed between Shiba and me? If she had noticed up to that point, I couldn’t be anything but surprised.

“I know all of this…. But what should I do…. You’re all I have, dad!”

Wiki pounded on my chest.
Every time her small fist struck my right chest, the sounds of her sob echoed in my ears.

These are heavy concerns.
In the midst of it all, her affection for me was so fervent that it made me realize how one-sided a child’s love can be.

To Wiki, I seemed to be a much larger figure than I had imagined.

“Wiki.”
“Ugh… Dad.”
“Dad… I’m foolish, so I don’t understand much. Sometimes, I feel like you’re trying too hard.”

How much of a burden had Alba passed onto Wiki?
It seemed that Wiki had not considered even for a moment to alleviate that load.

My child, Wiki, possesses a firm grasp of her destiny.
She believes that she alone can navigate its intricacies. The weight of such responsibility might seem too great for a child, a thought that, as a father, fills me with both dread and admiration.

Then there’s her sense of justice.
In many ways, Wiki is mature beyond her years.

And yet, why do I still perceive her as a child?
Perhaps it is because she allows herself to be childlike only in my presence.

In front of other women, I have heard, she always maintains a cool demeanor, speaking only of work.
This sincere side of her, it appears, is a spectacle meant solely for my eyes.

“Dad… I must have wronged Wiki in numerous ways.”
“No, not at all! That wasn’t my intention. Certain things are inevitable.”

At my self-reproach, Wiki, taken aback, shook her head.
Her vehement denial, laced with tears and sobs, tore at my heart.

“Anyway… You are the only one I have, Dad. At least for now, can’t you love me more than you do my sister?”

Wiki seemed to be gazing into a vast expanse.
Why would she harbor such deep affection for me?
Could it be that amidst her harsh circumstances, my gentle approach offered her the comfort and stability she sought?

“But Wiki…”
The assumption is flawed.

“…Yes?”
“Dad will never abandon Wiki. Not ever.”

Even if it means opposing the World Tree of Knowledge, and assuming responsibility for the world thereafter.
There won’t be a situation where we are unable to meet.

“If we truly cannot meet, then I would rather assume that role myself.”
“That’s… impossible.”
“It’s possible. No one thought I would become this strong. My daughter doesn’t know, but Dad was much weaker than Wiki imagined.”

Sephirot’s countermeasures.
The origin.
The system.

The World Tree of Justice… Flower. The laws of this world.
Compared to before, everything is now in place.

The information I obtained from the King of Trees was valuable.
The future, once uncertain, has now solidified.

“…Don’t you believe me?”
“Honestly, I find it hard to believe.”
“Then, I make a promise.”

I will never leave Wiki alone.
The reason is simple.

“Because Daddy loves you dearly.”

Wiki, with her vast knowledge, would naturally be conservative when it comes to fate.
So was Alba. As was I, having witnessed Lee Se-Young’s death.
Perhaps even me, constantly asserting “I can do it,” might have been blinded by the belief in my own abilities and the possibility of making a mistake.

“But giving up after trying is different from not trying at all.”
“……”
“If Dad is lacking, my daughter can help. Shiba and Wiki, both of you.”
“…Unnie, you are a dimwit.”
“No way. Your sister is smarter than Dad, right? When Dad was Wiki’s age, I could barely speak properly.”
“My sister’s pronunciation is messed up too…”

Certainly, Shiba, too, has the potential to become much greater than I am.

Unstained as the purest white, unlike me… Such an extraordinary person that they can’t even begin to compare with me.

You too, Wiki.

“So, let’s not entertain the thought of parting ways with Father. I will love both of you equally. We are meant to spend our lives together.”
“……”

Wiki stayed nestled in my arms for a considerable time.
With the foundation lost, it became impossible to demand more love.

Did I forget what to say?
I subtly lowered my gaze to look at Wiki.
Wiki was staring back at me, eyes glistening with moisture.

“……”

The faint beat of a child’s heart sounds incredibly loud.
Thump, thump, thump. Unceasingly.

Wiki looked at me unblinkingly, her gaze persistent and unwavering.
Her hands clung to my clothes, gripping them with a strength that promised never to let go.

“…But, if I want to be loved more than Sister… What should I do?”

That…

“That’s being greedy.”
“… I want to be greedy, Wiki.”

A giggle escapes me at her endearing petulance.

“Wiki, Father will strive to ensure you don’t feel insecure. Could you perhaps try to be a bit friendlier with your sister?”
“Then, tell me you favor me more, even if it’s an empty sentiment. I’ll heed Father’s words… I’ll listen well.”

She diligently seeks her rewards for each request. Truly, a negotiation prodigy.

“…That’s a difficult thing to say. Can our daughter, when asked if she prefers her father or mother, immediately give an answer?”
“I prefer Father.”
“You responded immediately… Our daughter… Mother will feel hurt.”
“Even if it hurts, I still prefer Father.”

Does she wish to hear such words?
If I were to categorically deny her even here, she might truly sulk. Left without a choice, I found myself uttering the words Wiki desired to hear.

– Whispers.

To quench that desire, ensuring Shiba would never overhear.
Only then did Wiki relax her lips and embrace me tightly.

“Kiss my knee, please.”

That’s not an unreasonable request.
I pressed my lips against Wiki’s slightly scraped, bleeding knee, and blew softly onto it.

“Ho.”

Together, invoking the Power of Healing, fresh skin appears in an instant.

As Wiki’s knees and my head aligned at the same height. Wiki, holding my cheek with her tiny hand, pressed her lips to my forehead.
A kiss brimming with love.

– Smack.

“Hehe.”

Her lips trembled with a thrilling delight.

I wondered if, without realizing, I had been ensnared by her.

‘…Even if I’m ensnared, she is still quite the lovely daughter, isn’t she?’

The little bear I looked up at was giggling and flashing her cute fangs.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Several days later.

The frequency of conflicts between Shiba and Wiki had notably reduced.

Shiba, burdened with her sense of duty as the elder sister, had become more yielding.
Sensing this change, Wiki too started to be subtly influenced by Shiba.

“Wiki. Ah~!”
“Uh… Ahh.”

Snack time.

When Shiba secured the teddy bear gummies for herself, a slightly disgruntled Wiki reluctantly selected another snack. However, Shiba had claimed the gummies with the sole intention of feeding them to Wiki!

Under Shiba’s affectionate onslaught, Wiki had no choice but to accept and eat Shiba’s gummies.

“…They’re tasty. Sis.”
“Heeheehee”

How delightful it was to see them cuddling, devoid of any quarrel.

Their cuteness had not merely doubled, but quadrupled.

‘How my child has changed…. Sob.’

Tears welled up in her eyes, overwhelmed with emotion.
A feeling of joy and sorrow flooding her otherwise monotonous life.

Of course, my persuasion didn’t only have positive effects on these children.

– Tap, tap.

There was one thing that seemed to be a slightly serious issue.

While I was preparing snacks and resting in my room, Wiki, who had somehow found me, cautiously opened the door and slipped in.

“…Dad, I got hurt.”

Wiki peeped from the doorway, her coquettish voice sweeter than any gummy bear.

Contrary to her voice, there was a sight on Wiki’s body that was unpleasant.
A scrape was clearly visible on her knee.

“Ho~ please.”

Our daughter, who should be free from harm, kept getting hurt somehow.

Was this a case for discipline, too?
A deep sigh escaped my lips.