Chapter 26
In the now quiet living room, emptied after the two girls had left, another person appeared.
She was a tall young woman with messy violet hair tied into a ponytail and matching violet eyes.
With her hands behind her back, she softly hummed to herself.
Not seeing anyone in the living room, she blinked.
"Shouldn't they be here at this hour?"
After a moment of thought, she smiled gently before remembering the time.
She left the room and headed toward the kitchen, where all the Stellaron Hunters were gathered.
The sound of her footsteps caused everyone present to turn toward her.
The moment Elara spotted her, she jumped off her chair at lightning speed and ran toward the young woman.
"Mom!"
Her excited cry made Kafka stop in her tracks.
Watching her daughter rush toward her, Kafka simply opened her arms to welcome her.
Elara reached her mother and leaped into her embrace with an excited smile.
Smiling as always, Kafka gently asked,
"How are you, sweetheart? Did you miss me?"
She looked down at the little girl in her arms while softly stroking her back.
"Yes! I missed you so much!"
Elara answered while looking straight into her mother's eyes.
Just as she was about to continue talking, Kafka gently placed a finger against her lips.
"How about we eat first? We can talk afterward."
Although it sounded like a suggestion, Elara knew it was actually an order.
She pouted slightly before nodding obediently.
Kafka gently set her back down.
Looking over the table filled with dishes Blade had prepared, a teasing smile appeared on Kafka's face.
She walked over, sat in the empty chair, rested her elbow on the table, and supported her chin with one hand.
"Bladie... did you go through all this trouble just for me?"
Kafka asked with crescent-shaped eyes and a playful smile.
Blade didn't react.
He merely glanced toward the dishes before replying in his usual flat tone.
"It was Elara's idea. She begged me to make all of these dishes to make you happy."
Without hesitation, he threw Elara under the bus.
"What?! That's not true! I never begged you to do anything, you liar!"
Elara cried out before sticking out her tongue.
She quickly sat back down and deliberately avoided Kafka's gaze.
Silver Wolf and another young woman watched the exchange before bursting into laughter.
Their laughter earned them a "threatening" glare from the pouting Elara, forcing them to suppress it.
Blade remained silent.
However, his expression had noticeably softened as he lowered his head and began eating.
It seemed the other four had all been waiting for Kafka before starting.
"Enjoy your meal!"
After sharing a laugh, everyone wished each other a good meal before eating at their own pace.
Silver Wolf stole food from Elara's plate, earning herself another warning glance from Blade.
The other young woman quietly ate while keeping an eye on Silver Wolf, occasionally giving part of her own meal to Elara.
Meanwhile, Kafka fed her daughter while chatting and laughing with everyone.
From afar, it looked exactly like the dinner of a happy, loving family.
The meal passed peacefully, interrupted only by occasional bits of playful commotion that everyone enjoyed.
After dinner, Kafka and Blade cleared the table while the others returned to their usual activities.
Silver Wolf went back to her games.
Elara brushed her teeth.
The other young woman stayed behind to help Kafka and Blade.
Twenty minutes later...
Inside a pink bedroom stood a bed, a game console still powered on, a desk covered with stuffed animals, and a wardrobe filled with various girls' clothes.
Lying on the bed was Elara, now dressed in light purple pajamas.
Kafka sat beside her on the edge of the bed, holding a book.
At some point, Elara pulled her blanket up until only her large violet eyes remained visible.
She clutched the blanket tightly.
It seemed she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to do it.
Seeing her daughter's state, Kafka, who had been quietly observing her, reached out and gently brushed aside her bangs to look into her face.
"Tell me, sweetheart... is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Kafka asked softly while continuing to stroke her forehead.
Faced with her mother's concern, Elara's expression softened slightly.
After several long minutes of hesitation, Kafka patiently waited without rushing her.
"You... you've never told me about my father..."
Elara whispered.
She paused before continuing.
"Who is he? Why have I never seen him? Doesn't... doesn't he want me?"
The more she spoke, the quieter her voice became until it was barely above a whisper.
"I see... She wants to know who her father is. She's only five. Seeing other children with their fathers while she has none must have made her very sad."
Kafka quietly thought while looking at the little girl almost completely hidden beneath her blanket.
"Would you like to meet him?"
Kafka suddenly asked with a gentle smile.
The moment she heard those words, a spark of hope lit up inside Elara.
If she could have a father like everyone else, she believed she would become the happiest girl in the world.
Looking into her daughter's eyes, Kafka could see that they were begging her to take her to meet him.
But beneath that hope, she also noticed a trace of fear.
"I see... She wants to meet her father, but she's afraid too. That's only natural for a child."
Kafka had already understood the worries Elara was trying so hard to hide.
She neither exposed them nor teased her.
Instead, her smile only became gentler.
"Well then... I suppose it's finally time to pay a visit to my dear husband."
As Kafka began thinking about the best time for their family of three to meet, the little girl was overflowing with excitement, and just a little fear, at the thought of finally seeing her father, while her mother quietly planned what she hoped would be a heartfelt reunion.