What on earth was he talking about?
The words coming from Siegfried's voice over the receiver left me, my wife, and the Class Monitor completely frozen.
Does this mean Siegfried really has no idea that Bianca is married?
["So, here's the thing. I've suddenly become very curious about something."]
"...Y-Yes?"
["I want to know who started the rumor that my sweet, precious daughter got married."]
Even through the phone, a palpable surge of killing intent radiated from him. I flinched instinctively.
I wasn't the only one.
My wife paled, and even the Class Monitor began to break out in a cold sweat.
The bloodlust bleeding through the speakers was just that thick, that heavy.
Still, I forced myself to maintain a casual tone.
"Ah, I wouldn't know. I just happened to hear a rumor that Bianca had tied the knot. I felt a bit hurt that I hadn't been invited, so I called to check. It must have been someone with the same name."
["Oh, is that all? Seriously, you gave me a heart attack. Besides, everyone at Headquarters calls our eldest daughter 'Durandal' rather than Bianca. If a rumor like that got out, it would be 'Durandal is getting married,' wouldn't it?"]
"...Now that you mention it, you're right. I'm so used to calling her Bianca that I forgot."
The tension in the air dissipated instantly. Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief.
Unaware of our near-death experience, Siegfried let out a boisterous laugh, sounding as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
["Haha! Of all the things to forget. So, was that the only reason you called?"]
"Yes, ah... actually, there is one more thing I wanted to ask."
["What is it? Did you hear another weird rumor?"]
"No, no, that's the only rumor. I wanted to ask something else."
I took a long, steadying breath before slowly opening my mouth.
"Do you happen to know the name... Selene?"
["Selene? I don't know. First time I've heard it."]
I had tried mentioning the name of Bianca's daughter just in case, but Siegfried's confusion sounded genuine.
Members of the Kaslana family are honest to a fault, for better or worse. It makes them terrible liars.
In the case of Siegfried or Kiana, it's written all over their voices.
However, Bianca didn't seem to inherit that particular trait; she was much better at hiding things or keeping secrets.
Whenever she hit a difficult subject, she would simply deflect with a smile—a habit that reminded me of Cecilia.
In any case, it was clear he really didn't know.
He didn't know his daughter was supposedly married.
He didn't know he actually had a granddaughter.
And he certainly didn't know that the granddaughter might actually be my child.
But was it his honed instincts as a veteran? Something in my tone must have tipped him off, because his voice dropped several octaves into his 'serious' work mode.
["...Why? Is she someone important?"]
"No, no one important."
["Usually, when you ask about someone, it means there's something up with them. Are you sure she isn't important?"]
Oh, she's important alright.
Extremely important from your perspective, Siegfried.
But since I couldn't predict how he would lose his mind if I told him, my brain worked overtime to find an excuse.
"Yes, she's not. I'm living a quiet, retired life now, after all. It was just a name I thought I'd heard before, but I couldn't quite place it, so I figured I'd ask if you knew."
["...If you say so."]
Though he sounded suspicious, Siegfried decided to let it go. He didn't press further.
I could hear a muffled voice calling for him on the other end, followed by some unintelligible whispering.
Siegfried gave a brief acknowledgement to the person in the background before speaking back into the phone.
["Cecilia wants to have dinner tonight. You interested?"]
I glanced toward my wife. She hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.
Taking her lead, I gave my answer.
"We'd love to. We'll get in touch with Kiana and head over together."
["Oh, don't worry about Kiana. Cecilia already called and asked her. Just bring her along when you come over."]
"...Oh, I see."
The unexpected response caught me off guard, and I hesitated for a split second.
["What's with the lukewarm reaction?"]
Noticing my tone, Siegfried sounded slightly offended.
"...No, it's just that I remember you crying tears of blood when Kiana said she wanted to live with us. I'm just surprised you're telling me to take her home with me so nonchalantly."
Honestly, I could still see his devastated face in my mind.
Seeing him treat it as if it were the most natural thing in the world was a massive shock.
Siegfried clicked his tongue in response.
["...I don't like it, but it's the choice my daughter made. Besides, it's not like it's impossible or illegal. And I know you're not the type of guy to just go around laying hands on women indiscriminately."]
"Siegfried..."
I could barely keep my voice from trembling.
I mean, if we were anywhere outside of Schicksal, what's happening *is borderline impossible and definitely feels illegal!
I'm happy he trusts me, but his daughter's behavior has been getting more eccentric lately, so I really wish he'd do something to stop her.
["However! Premarital pregnancy is strictly forbidden! Having children is only allowed after marriage!"]
"...Where did that come from? I don't even have any intention of touching-"
["Hah? Are you saying my daughter is so unattractive that you wouldn't even think about it?"]
"How did you reach that conclusion from what I just said?!"
Dealing with Siegfried in full 'Overprotective Dad' mode was exhausting. I finally managed to calm him down, sweating the whole time.
And then, just in case—just to test the waters—I carefully spoke up again.
"By the way, Siegfried."
["Yeah?"]
"If your daughter really was pregnant with someone's child-"
"**I'll kill him."
Did he anticipate what I was going to ask?
He cut me off so decisively that I was rendered speechless.
Whether he noticed my reaction or not, Siegfried continued in a voice of grim solemnity.
"I don't know what kind of thought process led you to ask that. I don't know what you're looking for. If you're trying to test me, sorry, but you should give up. I've learned many things in my life, and among them is a very special set of skills. They're skills I've mastered over a long time, a nightmare for any low-life punks. If you tell me right now that this is a joke, I'll let it go. I'll just laugh it off and call it a day. But if it isn't... I will find that bastard. I will find him... and I will kill him.**"
"...Of course it's a joke! Ha. Ha. Ha."
["Right? Well, see you at dinner then!"]
"Yeah, see you later."
The line went dead. I felt a desperate urge to grab my head with both hands.
...Am I going to die?
...No, it's not officially confirmed yet, is it?
It's like Schrödinger's Cat.
Until I hear the truth from them directly, I won't know if those two children are really mine or not.
Right, so shouldn't I just ask them and get the truth? It would be better to just clear the air.
If it's a lie, things might get a bit awkward for a while, but that will fade with time.
But what if it's the truth?
Pleasure without responsibility... It's like something straight out of a trashy novel, and it's becoming my reality.
...Maybe it's better if I just never find out?
If those children really were mine, they've had plenty of chances to tell me before.
If they chose to hide it anyway—
- He's the real deal~ the real deal~! (He's the real, real deal!)* -
"""... ..."""
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as a sudden, loud ringtone blared.
The phone had started ringing almost the moment I hung up with Siegfried. As I slowly looked at the screen, my vision began to blur with fear.
Displayed on the screen was the name: 'Bianca Ataegina Kaslana'.
As the saying goes, 'Speak of the devil and he shall appear.' I froze solid. Seeing my reaction, the other two peered at my phone and they, too, stiffened.
Li Sushang, who had been playing with Bronie in the distance, looked over curiously at the phone that wouldn't stop ringing.
"Captain, isn't someone calling you?"
"Y-Yeah."
"It's rude to keep them waiting, so you should answer it?"
"...I should."
With trembling hands, I slowly swiped the answer button and brought the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"