"Dr. O’Malley, are you there?"
My father arrived with me in the hospital in the mansion, as expected.
Doctors in this world are similar to oriental medicine doctors, they decocted and grind medicinal herbs and use them as medicines, and some doctors have mysterious powers that are sometimes called healing powers, they are similar to the priests seen in novels.
As soon as they entered the small building, even those who did not know the smell of the medicinal herbs that vibrate in the air will know that this place was a clinic.
"Dr. O’Malley!"
As you can see from the smell of herbs, Lombardy’s doctor, Dr. O’Malley, was an electronic type of clinician. [1]
"What are you doing here, Gallahan?"
From the inside, the door of the lab was opened and a man with a more suspicious impression walked out.
He was a tall man who looked roughly in his late forties.
"Florentia is injured, can you take a look at me?"
At my father’s words, Dr. O’Malley looked at me.
If I was injured enough to bring me to the clinic, a child who should have been crying usually looked at himself.
"Oops, how can it be like this?."
I sat in a chair, looked at the wound, and Dr. O’Malley frowned.
It was because the wound was more severe than I thought.
"I fell over."
I questioned, why it looked like the same wound as my old wound.
"Your knee may be hurt from now."
Unfortunately, it was originally the place where I fell and was injured on my birthday.
When I tried to grow without scars, I ended up getting something similar.
However, it wasn’t broken anywhere, and unlike me, My father nodded his head, and his face turned out to be bad.
"Who... ."
It would be upsetting to seeing scars on his daughter’s body.
My father’s big hand stroked my head heavily.
Dr. O’Malley looked at the woman’s appearance happily for a moment, then took out a strange potion and smeared it over my wound.
"And are you in pain again, young lady?"
Honestly, it’s a bit awkward to hear the drama of respect for the first time in a long time.
Right.
I felt like this before my father died.
I reached out to Dr. O’Malley with my left arm, which was more anxious than my knee.
"Here you go...."
"Ugh."
The doctor, who saw my swollen wrist, knocked his tongue unwittingly.
My father asked in an angry low voice.
Probably it because of Belsach and Astalliu, who made my wrists like this.
It seemed to me that He was going to go to the parents of the child who is responsible for it.
But I replied in the same tone as before.
"I fell over."
"Tia..."
My father was upset and called me, but I pretended not to hear or do not know.
"Hmmm. I don’t think it’s broken because of the degree of swelling, but I think you should be careful about a while."
Eventually, a thick bandage was wrapped around my wrist.
When I take a bath, I can loosen it, but I must rewind it, and Dr. O’Malley decided to visit me every few days.
And I was told that I had to drink bitter medicine every day for a month.
It was the worst prescription for me, who hated bitter food or tea even as an adult.
My father, who looked at me holding a medicine bag with a quivering face, said to Dr. O’Malley, as I felt bitter in my mouth.
"Doctor. I want to talk to my daughter for a while, but will you leave me?"
"Yes. I’ll be in the lab. Call me if you need anything."
The doctor went back to the lab and only me and my father were left.
This is Dr. O’Malley’s space, so if there is anything to say, we are right.
But naturally, from the image of my father asking the doctor to go out, I felt that he was the son of Lulak.
"Tia."
My father knelt on one knee and called me at the height of my eyes sitting on the chair.
Seeing my father with the same eyes as my green eyes that I could only see when looking in the mirror, I am happy with a pain in one of my chests.
"Why didn’t you talk earlier?"
It may be the story of Belsach and Astalliu.
My dad knew they were bothering me, but it must have been a big shock as He knew for the first time today that I was even listening to such abusive words.
In the old days, I was scared by Belsach’s words that he would give a jailbreak as soon as possible, and I couldn’t even think of asking for help from the adults.
Eventually, my father did not know this until the day he died.
I thought it was fortunate back then.
Now, looking back, it was really stupid.
"When we were talked, He said I’m half-blood and hit me more."
"These guys!"
My angry father jumped up as if He was going to punish Belsach and Astalliu right now.
But my hand grabbed my father’s sleeve.
"It’s okay. I hit him a lot today, so He won’t be able to say that again."
If I do it again, I hit it again.
My father, who was embarrassed for a while at my cool reaction, sat down again with a burst of bleak laughter.
"Tia, can I ask just one question?"
"What is it?"
"Why did you act differently today?"
It seemed that you wanted to know what had changed in my mind.
From a parent’s point of view, I wonder what my child is thinking.
"Because I know I can’t stand it if I just keep quiet."
When I was young I had endured it, thinking that if I endured like this, it will end someday.
As I expected, as we got older, Belsach and Astalliu’s harassment stopped, but it wasn’t really over.
Eventually, it turned into a different kind of violence and discrimination.
"So, if I won’t be patient in the future. I’ll hit them again, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll reach out to adults and cry. So don’t worry too much."
I said it and hugging my father, who looked at me with sad eyes.
My father, who had been hardened for a while, as if surprised, patted me on my back.
"But Tia. Why are you suddenly calling your father? I would like you to call me dad as before."
Oh.
I originally called my father, dad.
I felt sorry for the sudden sense of distance, and my father’s eyes were falling.
I finally met my father again, who died ten years ago, but I can’t even do that!
"Dad!"
I said it and holding my father’s arms more sweetly.
"Lets We live happily together for a long, long time!"1
"Hahaha! Anyway, Tia."
Dad doesn’t know what I said right now.
You won’t know it in the future.
This time, I won’t do anything like that again, letting go of it in vain.
I will save it.
Neither Dad nor this Lombardy!
* * *
Office room of the Overlord.
Lulak rubbed his white brows and looked at the book in front of him.
<People of the South>
He sends a person to bring another one from the library the book that Florentia had before.
It was because he wondered if he remembered the contents of the book incorrectly.
This book was a study of a new mysterious tribe discovered about a decade ago at the southern tip of the empire.2
The authors introduced that they live in the forest and have a very closed culture.
They have the mystical power of ’magic’.1
It was explained that it was an ability that only came down through the lineage and that it was such a secret power that could not be taught to outsiders.
Lulak, who opened the bookshelf and scanned the contents, covered the book.
Such content was not important.
What worried Lulak now was why his granddaughter, in her seven years old, was reading a difficult academic book written for adults, which is not a liberal arts book like literature.
Smart.
With the sound of a knock, a man with a long blonde tied neatly and wearing glasses entered.1
It was the scholar Clerivan, who has been supporting Lulak since the early days of creating the scholarship system.
Currently, the residence’s finances and was in charge of the Lombardy children’s education.
"Did you call me Lord?"
"Sit down for a moment."
As soon as Clerivan stands across the table, Lulak pushed his <People of the South> in front of him.
"What is it?"
"It’s the book my granddaughter was reading today."
"If it’s a granddaughter... Larane-nim?"
Larane was Viese’s eldest daughter and Belsach’s two-year-older sister.
"It’s amazing. I read a book like this at the age of eleven...."
"It’s not Larane."
"Then who is it?"
"Florentia."
At Lulak’s words, Clerivan frowned.
He wondered if Lulak was joking in front of him.
"I’m not kidding."
"But Florentia-nim is still... ... ."
"Seven years old."
Clerivan, who held up the book as if checking the contents of the book as Lulak did, seemed to be in doubt.
"Wouldn’t it be that you just liked the cover of the book and had it?"
The dark green cover, like the forest in which the people of the south live, could have looked pretty to the eyes of a child.
"When I’m seven years old, I’m only at the age of knowing how to read children’s books or a few books."
"Usually it is."
"Then, are you saying that Florentia-nim is not common?"
"I called you to find out."
"If so... ... ."
"From next time, let Florentia also take classes with other children."
Once a week, Clerivan gathered the children of Lombardy and gave a class.
Subjects follow classes regardless of age.
The only children in the class who are expected to be able to attend are the only two-child, brothers, and sisters of Viese and the eleven-year-old twin brothers of Shananet, the only daughter of Lulak.1
"Florentia-nim is still too young. A seven-year-old will find it difficult to sit in one place for such a long time, rather than understand the class."
"That’s also generally the case."
Clerivan, who read something meaningful from Lulak’s words, narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell are you trying to check, Lord Lulak."
"Well"
Lulak’s thick fingers struck the desk.
"Florentia’s mother was a nomad who flowed into this city. She was beautiful in appearance, but there was no other special corner."
Now the face is faint, but only two strong green eyes remember the woman who remained deeply in impressed, Lulak said.
"That’s why it’s true that I didn’t pay much attention to Florentia. Looking at it from today...."
He remembered the face of his granddaughter, who was saying everything she had to say without shed a drop of tears even though her hair was messed up here and there.
"Because I thought there might be someone who inherited Lulak’s blood."
When he remembered how she was swinging a book on top of Belsach, who was much larger than she was, a rare joyful smile appeared on Lulak’s wrinkled face.