Chapter 9

It said there was an error.

It said it couldn’t be measured!

Then why was it fixed so quickly?

‘And it’s already down to 5 percent.’

At this rate, it doesn’t even matter whether I’m here or not!

What do they take me for?!

Sure, I may be a seven-year-old kid, but still!

‘That really takes the wind out of my sails.’

Can I really protect Mom…?

“It’s been a long time.”

While I was staring blankly at the scroll with my rapidly fading confidence, Mom suddenly spoke as she looked out the carriage window.

“When I first saw this scenery, I really couldn’t get used to it.”

As if recalling a distant memory, Mom’s voice was lower and more wistful than usual.

I temporarily put aside my thoughts and listened carefully.

Her expression looked that serious.

“You once said that the world you lived in was very different from this one.”

Daddy Harzen followed her gaze and continued the conversation.

Quick pause!

My dads, or rather the protagonists of the novel, know that Mom is a transmigrator.

That’s why they aren’t surprised when she occasionally uses modern words.

These days, the dads had even started using some of those words themselves after picking them up from her.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“…”

“So back then, everything scared me, and everything confused me. I didn’t know who I was, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.”

Resting her chin on one hand atop the window frame, she continued speaking.

“On top of that, I already had the label of villainess attached to me. No one would listen to anything I said, and people would tremble even if I simply raised my hand.”

“…”

“It felt like I wasn’t welcome anywhere.”

She finally pulled her gaze away from the window and lowered her eyes.

“But that’s all in the past now.”

Daddy Harzen stared at her and asked.

“Did you ever wish to go back?”

“Of course I did. Many times.”

“Then even now…”

“I already told you. That’s all in the past now.”

Her pink eyelashes sparkled beautifully in the sunlight.

“As I built new relationships, went through hardships together with people, and overcame them. This place became my real world.”

“…”

“So the only place I want to return to, and the only place I need to return to, is here.”

The smile on her lips was even brighter than the sunlight.

“Because you’re all here.”

Her amethyst-like purple eyes curved warmly, filled with the light of spring.

I clamped both hands over my mouth and sucked in a sharp breath.

‘Wow, Mom really feels like a protagonist.’

Though she actually is the protagonist.

“And most importantly, my beloved daughter is here too.”

“The same heartless daughter who didn’t even come out to see you off.”

The moment Daddy Harzen finished speaking, my eyebrows twitched.

‘Daddy is an idiot.’

I secretly came all the way here because I love Mom more than anyone else!

“Anyway, unlike back then, I truly like this world now. So you don’t need to worry.”

“…”

“Though I still don’t like the imperial palace.”

The playful addition made Daddy Harzen let out a quiet laugh.

Then he lazily tilted his head and repeated her words.

“Indeed. These days, I rather like this world myself. Though I still don’t like the imperial palace.”

Mom’s lips curled upward in response before she let out a small sigh.

“Still, the one person who opened her heart to me in that place is ill. How could I not come?”

Daddy Harzen gently placed his hand over hers.

“Your mother will be fine.”

“She has to be.”

That’s what my ability exists for.

Mom took another deep breath and smiled faintly.

“Honestly, you probably wanted to return to the imperial palace even less than I did. Thank you for accepting my stubbornness, Harzen.”

“Weren’t I summoned as well from the beginning?”

“Even so, if you’d really wanted to, you could’ve refused.”

“Who knows.”

Daddy Harzen crooked one corner of his lips and touched his chin with a finger.

“People with nowhere left to retreat tend to become more extreme.”

The moment I heard those words, I shuddered.

I knew he was talking about the imperial palace.

But maybe because I knew the future.

It somehow sounded like he was talking about himself.

That’s what Mom was to the dads.

The final reason they could never retreat.

The final reason they wanted to protect this world.

‘Alright. Let’s do this.’

I steeled my resolve once more and clenched my fists.

To protect Mom.

And to protect this world that Mom loves.

I’ll do everything I possibly can.

The important thing is never giving up!

‘First, let’s rethink the plan.’

What exactly do I need to do after arriving at the imperial palace to stop the percentage from decreasing?

To figure that out, I needed to understand the relationship between the imperial palace and Mom and Dad.

‘All I know is that they don’t get along. I don’t know the details.’

In the first place, was told from Yuria’s perspective.

And Mom rarely visited the imperial palace.

Which made perfect sense.

‘Because she was busy defeating the demon king!’

How could she keep returning to the imperial palace when she barely had time to march toward the Demon King’s Castle?

As a result, the only times Mom visited the imperial palace were when she was summoned to help defeat the demon king.

And when she returned afterward to receive her reward.

‘Even then, most people disliked Mom except for the Empress.’

To be more precise, it felt like they disliked heroes in general.

Just as Daddy Harzen had said, did they really think the heroes overshadowed their own glory?

‘If I’d read the side stories, I’d know for sure.’

But me, Cece.

I was a child who never read side stories.

I’m reflecting on that very seriously now.

‘Still, thankfully I don’t have zero information.’

At least Daddy Harzen had told me a few things.

“We’ll have to continue on foot from here.”

The carriage came to a stop with a jolt, and Count Leonard opened the door.

After hopping out of the carriage, I followed behind them while organizing everything I’d learned.

One.

The imperial family doesn’t like Mom and Dad.

Two.

Mom and Dad don’t like the imperial family either.

Three.

The closer we get to the audience chamber, the faster the scroll’s percentage decreases…

I watched the progress dropping by 0.01 percent at a time and rolled my eyes thoughtfully.

‘What should I do now?’

If we enter the audience chamber like this, the original story will begin the moment we meet the Emperor.

I worked so hard to get all the way here.

I can’t fail without accomplishing anything.

‘What if I take off the invisibility cloak right now…?’

I shook my head.

That didn’t seem like a good idea.

What if Mom and Dad left me behind and went to the audience chamber without me?

Sure, I’d brought a few things from Daddy Kyle’s laboratory.

But none of them were useful in this situation.

‘At the very least, I need to reach somewhere they can’t immediately throw me out of.’

A place where even Mom and Dad couldn’t act freely.

For example, in front of the Emperor inside the audience chamber.

Of course, the downside was that the original story might start right away.

‘But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I can do it!’

I managed to stop the original story right before it started last time.

I can do it again!

“Please go inside.”

Count Leonard, who had already reached the audience chamber, bowed and gestured for them to enter first.

Alright, time to get fired up!

‘Let’s go!’

I hurried ahead of Dad and dashed into the audience chamber first.

The first thing I saw was a throne at the end of a crimson carpet.

And a man seated upon it.

Wrinkles around his eyes that carried the weight of time.

Hair streaked with gray.

Someone who resembled Harzen quite a bit, yet looked even more arrogant and stern.

A person whose mere gaze felt suffocating.

‘That’s the Emperor.’

I swallowed hard and looked at the scroll.

Mm, good.

Looking at the progress bar somehow made my fear disappear.

Compared to that percentage, the old man didn’t seem so intimidating anymore.

‘You can do this, Cecilia!’

This is my moment to step up!

“…We greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”

The moment Mom and Dad bowed to the Emperor.

I threw off the invisibility cloak and took a step forward—

“W-waah?!”

Before I could finish stepping, my foot got tangled in the cloak and I crashed face-first onto the floor.

At the same time, a heavy silence descended over the audience chamber.

“…”

“…”

“…?”

I immediately raised my head and looked at the scroll.

“Sniff.”

I rubbed my nose once and grinned.

…Anyway, I did it, right?