Episode 47
“Dad!”
“…Elonia?”
Artius couldn’t believe his eyes. He shot up from his throne.
Elonia had come.
Not only that, she was running towards him, ignoring the gazes of the nobles, a stark contrast to her usual reserved demeanor.
‘I thought she hated me again.’
He had good reason to think so. She had been bringing up his past mistakes and actively avoiding him.
But seeing her running towards him like this, there was no way she still hated him.
It wasn’t wishful thinking. It was simply the truth.
Elonia, catching her breath, apologized.
“Dad, I’m sorry I’m late…huff…!”
“Elonia…”
“I was preparing your gift, huff… Oh, I’m going to die. It took longer than expected.”
“Gift?”
Artius blinked, still trying to process the situation.
He was grateful she had even come, and she was apologizing for being late because she was preparing a gift?
Elonia, seeing his dumbfounded expression, grinned mischievously and gestured towards the door.
Ethan and Ricardo entered the banquet hall, dragging something covered with a large cloth.
“Elonia?”
“You’re going to love this.”
Elonia winked playfully.
At her signal, Ricardo and Ethan exchanged glances, nodded, and removed the cloth.
The nobles, who had been watching with keen interest, gasped.
Elonia’s gift was a family portrait.
“This is…”
The large frame, almost covering an entire wall, depicted the three of them, their faces beaming with happiness.
Elonia, sitting on Philemon’s lap, was smiling brightly, and Artius was by their side.
It wasn’t the typical grand portrait one would expect to see in the imperial hallways, but it captured the essence of a happy family.
“…”
Artius stared at the painting, speechless.
But Elonia noticed something he didn’t.
‘Wait, is he crying?’
She had expected a silly reaction, but she hadn’t expected him to cry, especially in public.
He was already known as a fool in the history books.
Did he really want to add “crybaby” to his list of embarrassing titles?
Elonia tried to drag him away, but it was too late.
Artius had collapsed, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“…!”
Flustered, Elonia tried to push him away, pounding on his arms.
“What are you doing? Don’t cry in front of everyone!”
“…”
“Ugh!”
Artius didn’t respond, his tears soaking her shoulder.
Elonia, exasperated, addressed the crowd.
“It seems Father is suddenly unwell! Please, continue enjoying yourselves!”
She dragged Artius behind the platform, trying to escape the public eye.
But unfortunately, Artius lifted his head, revealing his tear-stained face to the entire crowd.
‘…His Majesty…’
‘…Cried.’
‘…He actually cried.’
Artius’s reputation as a crybaby, but only when it came to his daughter, was solidified.
The court historians were probably already scribbling away, recording the moment for posterity: “Emperor Artius Antair Ravanta, overcome with emotion upon receiving a gift from his young daughter, collapsed and wept openly.”
Well, at least it reaffirmed that there was no room for a new Empress in their lives.
The only one who had to deal with the embarrassment was Artius.
***
Artius was dragged to his room by Elonia.
Ethan and Ricardo, sensing the situation, quickly brought the painting to the room.
After they left, Elonia pushed Artius onto the couch and scolded him.
“Why are you crying? You’re a grown man!”
She was flustered, and a part of her worried that she had crossed a line.
Artius, his eyes red and puffy, remained silent for a long moment.
Then, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
“…Because I’m so grateful.”
“…You don’t dislike it?”
“Of course not. It’s the best gift… sniff.”
“Oh, come on!”
Artius started crying again, mid-sentence.
Elonia, exasperated, rubbed his eyes with her sleeve.
She rubbed so hard that his eyes became even redder.
She quickly withdrew her hand, realizing her mistake.
‘He might be a Sword Master, but his eyelids aren’t made of muscle. He could have at least told me it hurt.’
She grumbled inwardly, waiting for him to calm down.
After a while, Artius finally regained his composure. He looked at Elonia cautiously, his voice small.
“…Is that why you’ve been ignoring me? Because you were preparing this?”
“Yes. The others said I’m a terrible actress, so I was trying to avoid you.”
“Who said that… Oh.”
Artius was about to protest, but then he seemed to remember something and nodded in understanding.
Elonia, annoyed, kicked his knee.
Artius flinched and asked,
“And what about that time in my office? When you yelled at me to get out?”
“I was measuring the wall for the painting.”
“…Isn’t it a bit too big for—”
“Well, you can always return it if you don’t like it.”
“…It’s a gift. You can’t return gifts.”
“Says the one who used to take back gifts all the time when I was a kid.”
“…”
Artius fell silent, defeated by her words.
Elonia glared at him, then burst into laughter.
“I’m glad you like it… I was actually worried that it might upset you, bringing back painful memories.”
“Of course not. How could I ever dislike a gift from you?”
“Even if it was leftover pudding?”
“Of course.”
“Ew, that’s gross. Why would you want someone’s leftovers?”
Artius shuddered at the word “gross.”
Elonia, finding his reaction hilarious, patted his shoulder, laughing even harder.
Artius, enjoying her laughter, smiled back.
He decided to share a secret with her.
“…Well, I’ve already embarrassed myself enough today. Might as well share one more embarrassing story.”
“You have more embarrassing stories?”
Artius winced at her words.
But he quickly recovered, meeting her gaze.
“Elonia, do you know who painted those portraits of Philemon and you in my office?”
“The court painter, right? Someone like Michel…”
The portraits were clearly the work of a skilled artist.
Artius smiled, but didn’t answer.
“No?”
“…I painted them.”
“You?”
Elonia couldn’t believe it.
She could understand him painting Philemon’s portrait, but the one of her as a child was unique.
The painting depicted her as a toddler, glaring at someone – presumably Artius – with a fierce expression, despite her missing teeth.
‘…He painted that?’
It was hard to believe.
The Elonia in the painting was so lifelike, as if she was staring right at him.
He must have observed her closely to capture such detail.
Artius smiled, looking at the happy family in the portrait she had gifted him.
“I enjoy painting, so I used to paint occasionally. But I could never bring myself to paint a portrait of the three of us together.”
“Because it would make you sad?”
“No… Because it would be disrespectful to you and your mother, who’s no longer with us.”
“…”
“What right do I have to paint a picture of us happy together?”
Elonia couldn’t answer his self-deprecating question.
Artius, his eyes glistening with tears, took her hand and lowered his head.
“Thank you… Thank you so much, Elonia. This is the best birthday ever.”
Elonia felt a strange warmth in her chest.
She had been curious about his reaction, but she had also hoped he would be happy.
And now, seeing him cry tears of joy, she felt a strange tingling sensation.
This unfamiliar emotion made her blurt out,
“Even though it’s the birthday where you cried in front of everyone?”
“Who cares about that?”
“Future generations will think you were mentally unstable. First a wise ruler, then a tyrant, then a fool, and now a crybaby. They’ll wonder what kind of a mess you were.”
“I don’t care what others think. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
“I don’t want a pathetic dad. It reflects badly on me.”
“…Then I’ll have a word with the court historians.”
“Oh, your tyrannical tendencies are showing again? Trying to intimidate the court historians?”
“…You seem to enjoy teasing me.”
“Yes, I do. Payback for all those years of torment.”
“…”
Artius was speechless, defeated by her words.
Elonia laughed brightly, then cupped his face in her hands.
“Dad, I don’t think I said it properly before, so I’ll say it again.”
“…?”
“Happy birthday. And thank you for bringing me into this world.”
“Elonia…”
“Oh, wait, is that something I should say to Mother? Hmm…”
Elonia pondered for a moment, her hand on her chin.
Then, her face brightening, she said,
“Right, thank you for being my dad.”
She meant it.
She had once wished for a family like Artius, and despite all the twists and turns, her wish had come true.
Artius teared up again.
“Ugh, you’re so annoying! I didn’t even cry this much when I was a kid. Why do you make me cry so much?”
“…Think of it as me crying on your behalf, for all the tears you’ll shed in the future.”
“Why did Mother even marry you? You’re such a crybaby.”
“…Because I’m handsome.”
“…”
Elonia stared at him, her expression deadpan.
Artius, seeing her reaction, quickly retracted his words.
“I’m sorry, please don’t look at me like that.”
“…”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“…”
He might be handsome, but it was still annoying to hear it from him.
Elonia turned to Philemon’s portrait.
“Mother, I think you made a mistake marrying him.”
“Elonia!”
Artius protested, his voice laced with indignation.
Elonia, deciding to let him off the hook since it was his birthday, softened her expression.
Well, who cared what the history books said?
Just like Chelon wasn’t the bloodthirsty monster she was portrayed as, people were rarely as they seemed.
Elonia swung her feet back and forth.
“I’m looking forward to my next birthday.”
“I’ll give you Ravanta for your next birthday.”
“Are you crazy?”
“I’m kidding. You’ll inherit it anyway when you grow up. Why would I give it to you now?”
“Ugh, that doesn’t suit you.”
“I was just trying to be playful, like you. It’s actually quite fun.”
“Ugh.”
Elonia tugged on his hair.
Artius let out a dramatic yelp but didn’t push her away.
The painting, too large for his office, was eventually hung in his bedroom.
It was a warm and heartwarming end to winter.