After that, Kiana and the others felt as if they were truly watching a romance movie, enjoying the sweet date between Siegfried and Cecilia.
Everyone got their fill of sweet moments, happily shipping the couple to their heart's content.
Everyone, that is, except for a certain great-aunt.
And although neither of them had realized their feelings for each other at this point, their hearts were slowly growing closer.
Later, during dinner that evening, Siegfried told Cecilia about his adventures and interesting experiences around the world, inviting her to travel with him to all sorts of fun places.
But because of her duty to Schicksal, Cecilia ultimately had to painfully decline Siegfried's invitation, even saying that they shouldn't contact each other again after she returned to headquarters.
However, Siegfried wasn't the type of person to give up. He had no idea how to even write the words "quit." Even though Cecilia rejected him, he continued to pester her relentlessly, shaking her resolve even further.
Finally, when the two were preparing to go see a movie, Cecilia overheard Siegfried mention that he really liked the robots from a game called Alahato. She decided to return to the arcade alone, wanting to give him a gift.
However, Einstein, who had been lying in wait, appeared at that moment and subdued Cecilia with sleeping gas.
Meanwhile, Siegfried, growing anxious when Cecilia didn't return, went to look for her, only to be intercepted by Welt Yang on the way.
After a desperate struggle, Siegfried was eventually knocked out, but his unyielding courage and passion left a deep impression on Welt Yang.
So, after Einstein had collected Cecilia's blood sample, Welt Yang did not take Cecilia away. Instead, he chose to respect the dreams and promises of Siegfried and Cecilia.
Waking from her unconscious state, Cecilia stumbled and found Siegfried. Just as she was feeling relieved that he was still alive, Otto suddenly appeared.
"It's time to go, Cecilia. This is an order."
Otto didn't even turn his head. His cold command made Cecilia's hands tremble.
"Don't go..."
Siegfried, still in a semi-conscious state, seemed to sense that something important was about to leave him. He murmured weakly, "The arcade game... I still haven't beaten you. Don't go..."
"No... Siegfried, you've already won..."
Cecilia looked at Siegfried's face as tears fell from her eyes, landing on his cheek. Her heart was filled with pain and reluctance. This was the first time she had ever experienced the joys of the outside world, and it was Siegfried who had brought her this happiness.
But in the end, Cecilia still left with Otto.
The vision ended there.
"Bastard Otto!"
Seeing this, Kiana's fists clenched tightly.
She gritted her teeth, glaring at the golden-haired man on the screen, wishing she could punch his front teeth out.
It was bad enough that he schemed against her, but he even tried to break up her stinky old man and her mom?
Why was this Otto so detestable? Did he have some kind of vendetta against her family?
"Kiana, don't be angry. This all happened in the past. In the end, didn't your father and mother get together anyway?" Raiden Mei comforted her.
"Oh, right." Kiana's furious expression faltered. She had just remembered that if Otto had been truly determined to separate her parents, how could they have ended up together later?
"Great-Aunt, what happened after that? Did my stinky old man charge into Schicksal headquarters all by himself, slap Otto across the face, and rescue Mom?"
Kiana asked Theresa, waving her fists excitedly.
"Uhh... something like that," Theresa said, scratching her head. "That guy, Siegfried, was always a slacker back then, and he even shirked his responsibilities as a Kaslana."
"But it was precisely because he fell in love with Cecilia that he transformed from that reckless youth into a warrior people could trust."
"After he was separated from Cecilia, he returned to Schicksal and accepted the most rigorous training. In just two short years, his strength grew by leaps and bounds."
"Grandpa promised him that if he could defeat all his opponents in the tournament, he would let him see Cecilia. And Siegfried did just that. Although he was beaten badly at the beginning, collapsing to the ground and barely able to get up, he persevered all the way to the end and was finally reunited with Cecilia."
"Sniff... I-I never thought that stinky old man had such a cool moment," Kiana sniffled, her eyes red from being moved.
"Mr. Siegfried is indeed the most determined warrior I have ever met," Einstein also commented.
"I've decided. The next time I see that stinky old man, I'll punch him a few fewer times and make him tell me more stories about him and Mom," Kiana said with a smile.
"Kiana, do you really want to see Siegfried?" Einstein asked.
"Of course! Even though he's an irresponsible dad and his cooking is terrible... he's still my dad. I want to see him," Kiana said.
"Then, the next time we come to the Q&A Space, I can try to contact him and see if I can bring him here, so you two can meet."
"Eh?" Kiana froze for a moment, as if she hadn't quite heard what Einstein said. But when it registered, she shot up with excitement, ran over to Einstein, and grabbed her hand, asking urgently, "Dr. Einstein, c-can you really bring my stinky old man here?"
"It should be possible," Einstein replied. "Tesla and I have his contact information. But Kiana, you shouldn't blame him for not seeing you. He has actually been watching over you all this time. The last time in Singapore, he was there too, just in case anything happened to you."
"My stinky old man... has been watching over me?" Kiana said blankly.
"Yes. He left you because he was afraid of reawakening the Herrscher consciousness within your body, and also to prevent Otto from targeting you."
"But now that you can suppress the Herrscher consciousness, and Otto has already set his sights on you, he has no reason not to see you."
"However, meeting in reality would be rather dangerous. It would be trouble if Otto found out. So, it would be best for you to meet here in the Q&A space."
"Mhm, mhm! I don't care where we meet, as long as I can see my stinky old man!" Kiana nodded vigorously, her little heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her chest.
"Congratulations, Kiana."
This time, Bronya didn't make her usual sarcastic remark. Instead, she offered her sincere blessings, genuinely happy for Kiana.