"Wow, what a big house! I didn't expect her to be so polite and come from such a wealthy family!"
After checking into a cozy hotel, showering, and changing into clean clothes, the Captain and Kiana made their way to the address the rescued girl had given them.
The villa stood proudly in the affluent district—elegant, pristine, and clearly expensive.
The Captain, having traveled across two worlds and countless cities, wasn't easily impressed. Kiana, meanwhile, had endured the harshness of the previous cycle and studied at St. Freya Academy, which Otto had built with aristocratic flair just to indulge Theresa's whims.
So neither of them reacted much—except for a quiet gasp of surprise.
But Sirin, ever lurking in Kiana's mind, stirred.
She didn't care about the villa. She'd destroyed dozens like it in her Herrscher days. But the three-tiered cake on the dining cart?
That was a different story.
Rich fruits. Dense cream. Three glorious layers.
Morning, noon, and night—each tier a meal. Perfection.
What? Cake makes you fat? Heh. It's Kiana's body, not mine. I'm just tasting.
And if Kiana gets chubby, maybe the Captain won't like her anymore. Then the Captain will be mine.
Sirin's eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Hurry, hurry! Kiana, go taste that cake! It might be amazing!"
Kiana swallowed hard. Her reaction mirrored Sirin's—but she held back.
What a joke. I resisted kissing the Captain while she slept. I'm not falling for a cake.
She knew Sirin's scheme. Get her fat, lose the Captain's favor, and swoop in.
Nice try, Sirin. But I'm older than I look. You were barely conscious before I rewound time. Seele's more cunning than you.
"No. I don't want to do something so embarrassing."
"Hmph! Fine! I didn't want it anyway. Just a dumb cake. Captain will buy me a better one!"
Sirin sulked. She'd finally asked Kiana for something—and got rejected.
She'd even considered sharing the Captain after winning her heart. But now?
Go live with Raiden Mei, you glutton. I'm done with you.
Just as Kiana and Sirin bickered, the Captain noticed the girl and her father approaching.
The girl's expression was subdued. After her father learned she'd tried to take her own life, he'd broken down, sobbing and begging her not to leave him.
She hadn't felt right since.
But seeing the Captain—her heroic posture, her sunlit smile—lifted something in her heart.
She wanted to speak. But her father beat her to it.
He rushed forward, grabbed the Captain's hand, and began thanking her profusely.
The Captain froze.
Should I pull away? Would that be rude?
Kiana and Sirin, meanwhile, stopped arguing.
Their minds synced instantly.
"Sirin, should we cut off his hand?"
"You do it. I'll teleport the body. Quick and clean."
Just as the man was about to lose a limb, the girl stepped in and pulled him back.
She bowed deeply, flustered.
"I'm so sorry. I invited you here, and now this…"
The Captain smiled awkwardly. She wasn't offended—just startled.
She just hadn't expected such… enthusiasm.
To prevent further chaos, the girl personally led them inside.
In the warm dining room, conversation flowed easily.
The father couldn't stop thanking the Captain. If not for her, his daughter would've been lost forever.
Then he learned the Captain and Kiana had been wandering, without a permanent home, and were planning to settle in St. Freya.
His eyes flicked to his daughter—smiling genuinely for the first time in years.
Then to the Captain—graceful, kind, and clearly capable.
He understood.
He couldn't care for his daughter properly. But maybe… the Captain could.
Better to risk her falling in love than falling into despair.
Without hesitation, he offered the Captain a house.
The Captain tried to refuse, but the man nearly dropped to his knees.
Faced with pleading eyes and the girl's quiet sorrow, the Captain relented.
She accepted the key.
Then came the second request: would the Captain look after his daughter for a while?
He'd offer gifts. Anything.
"Uh… well, it's possible. But Kiana and I aren't from wealthy families. Your daughter might not be used to our lifestyle… Okay, I promise. Please don't kneel."
The Captain had only wanted to confirm if he was serious. But the man's desperation—and the girl's eyes, filled with longing and understanding—broke her resolve.
She hadn't seen eyes like that since Bronya, back in Siberia.
She agreed.
The man sighed in relief and began the meal.
A server wheeled in the massive cake.
Kiana's eyes sparkled. Sirin squealed internally.
The Captain chuckled and turned to the man.
"I'm sorry. This child lived with her father growing up. He couldn't cook, so life was hard. Things have improved since she joined me, but we've been wandering. It's still not easy."
The man nodded, listening intently.
The man's gaze shifted to Kiana, whom he hadn't paid much attention to earlier.
She was fair-skinned, a little round from good meals and carefree days, and her eyes sparkled with innocent delight as she stared at the towering cake.
If she can support a child like her, the man thought, then she can support my own daughter too.
He smiled warmly.
"It's alright, it's normal for children to love sweets. Come, have a slice of this cake—and I'll order another one for you to take home."
Kiana's eyes widened. Sirin, in her mind, gasped.
Two cakes?! This man's not bad at all. We can spare him.
Kiana was already halfway into the cake, her face dusted with cream, when the Captain chuckled and gently wiped her forehead.
Then hse felt a tug at her sleeve.
He looked down to see the girl holding out a small piece of cake, her hands trembling slightly.
"For… for Captain. I was afraid you wouldn't get any."
Her head was lowered, but her eyes peeked up shyly, waiting for her reaction.
The Captain blinked, then smiled softly and accepted the offering.
Without a word, she pulled her into a gentle embrace and scooped a spoonful of cake toward her mouth.
The girl hesitated, cheeks flushed, then leaned forward and took a small bite.
"Tha… thank you."
The man watched the scene unfold, his heart swelling.
Yes. That's how she should be—smiling, shy, alive.
As for the fact that the person hugging his daughter was a black-haired girl?
He didn't care.
If this is the person who makes her smile again, then gender doesn't matter. Love is love.