My Daddy Hides His Power – Chapter 290 – Side story Part 1 Chapter 30

Author: rolypoly

* * *

Capital’s dessert cafe.

It was Cheshire’s day off, and Lilith had taken a half-day leave in the morning.

“That wedding painter is really popular. No matter how much money you give him, he won’t make a reservation.”

Erica, her face red with anger, fanned herself with her hand.

“I know, I know. He’s someone everyone recognizes just by hearing his name.”

Lilith nodded in agreement.

“….”

Cheshire had been silently keeping his place between the two ladies, who had been chatting for the past hour.

“We originally planned to go with that person. But Theo insisted that the artist should be one of his acquaintances.”

“Oh, so that’s why he handed the reservation to us? Ugh, why did he do that?”

“That’s what I said!”

The topic of conversation was Erica and Theo’s wedding preparations.

It was, to be exact, the dozens of disagreements that arose during the wedding preparations and the resulting arguments between the couple.

“Still, since it’s the first time Theo has said something like that, I just gave in. But we need to see if that artist, his friend, actually has the skill, don’t we?”

“Right, that’s right.”

“So, I was invited to the studio and went. But!”

“But?”

“That painter was a woman!”

“What? Isn’t he crazy?”

Erica shouted out loudly, and Lilith, with her eyes wide open, covered her mouth in shock.

Cheshire alternately looked at the two of them and thought.

‘I can’t follow the conversation.’

Cheshire couldn’t understand at all where the problem was or why they had fought.

What was Theo’s mistake?

Was it the fact that they couldn’t use the famous wedding painter they had worked so hard to secure?

Was it because he wanted to hire a friend as the wedding painter?

Was it because the friend was a woman?

“He’s really out of his mind, right? Is Theo crazy or something?”

“You didn’t just let that slide, did you?”

“Of course, I said something! But he didn’t understand why I was angry!”

Erica, who was gulping down hot tea while beating her chest in frustration, suddenly.

“Cheshire.”

She turned to Cheshire.

“What do you think?”

“Yeah, honey. What do you think?”

Although he wasn’t sure, Cheshire knew what the wisest answer was at this point.

“Theo was wrong.”

“Right! Right?!”

“Seriously, why is he like that?”

After about ten more minutes of venting her frustration, Erica was suddenly startled.

“Oh my, I kept you for too long. Didn’t you say you were going to see the wedding band?”

“It’s okay. If we leave now, we won’t be late.”

“Yeah, then I’ll see you next time. I’m really envious of you two. You’re the first couple I’ve seen who hasn’t fought even once while preparing for their wedding.”

“We don’t have anything to fight about because we let each other decide everything~”

“You’re lucky, I’m so jealous~”

“Hehe, Sister~ Thanks so much for passing on the reservation~”

“Not at all~ It’s a painter I reserved for a year, so it would be such a waste to cancel~ You should at least have it with a good person!”

The two who had been angry at the store suddenly smiled brightly and said goodbye as they parted ways.

Cheshire hadn’t done anything, yet he felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue wash over him.

“Hmm, now we’ll go see the band, have lunch, and then, when I get off work later…”

Lilith climbed into the carriage and looked over the worn piece of paper. It was a list of things she had written down for the wedding preparations.

“Honey, we need to go to the tailor to try on your tuxedo. How about we have dinner together afterward?”

“Lilith.”

“Huh?”

“What happened yesterday?”

“Yesterday? What yesterday?”

Wasn’t it just yesterday that she had a determined look on her face, saying she would get her master’s permission before going to have dinner with Oscar?

Lilith, whom he had expected to hear a follow-up from right away, remained silent. That surely meant that she had failed again.

“Ah, Master? Ugh, well, we had a good conversation. He said to work hard on the wedding preparations.”

“Really?”

“Mhm~”

Lilith answered vaguely and tried to change the subject. Just from her reaction, it was clear that she was lying.

“Is it okay to proceed with the wedding preparations without the Lord of the Wizard Tower’s permission?”

“I told you I got permission, right? And even if I hadn’t, we still need to prepare for the wedding in advance. After all, it’s not something that can be done in a day or two, like cooking beans over a flash of lightning.”

“….”

Cheshire felt worried. Lilith pretended not to notice and looked out the window.

* * *

Wizard Tower.

Cheshire, who had come to pick up Lilith after work, unexpectedly ran into someone at the entrance of the tower.

A man with pink hair, blowing warm breath onto his hands, waiting for someone in the cold.

“Priest?”

It was Zadkiel, the high priest of the Seraphim Temple.

“Ah, Sir Cheshire!”

Zadkiel ran toward Cheshire, smiling brightly as he got off the carriage.

“It’s been a long time! May Primera’s blessings be with you!”

“Yes, it’s been a long time. But what brings you here…?”

“I’m here to see Princess Rubinstein. Actually, the princess is supposed to visit the temple the day after tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait until then and came early. I have some news that I think will make her very happy.”

“What is it?”

“I can just deliver the message to Sir Cheshire!”

Zadkiel smiled and took out a piece of parchment from his coat, handing it over.

“You’re getting married, right?”

Seeing that, Chesire’s eyes widened. What Zadkiel had handed him was the <Temple Reservation Form>!

“About six months ago, the princess came to check about the reservation schedule, but I wasn’t able to assist her.”

“Half a year… ago?”

“Yes.”

Half a year ago, yeah.

It was when Lilith came back after failing to get Oscar’s permission for the third time and cried her eyes out.

“Our temple’s schedule is fully booked until the year after next.”

Once a week, the temples in various regions become wedding venues for couples.

The principality, known for its strong faith, boasted the temple as the most popular wedding venue. However, with only one reservation available per week, booking it was as difficult as reaching for the stars.

“But the person who had booked for May, well, unfortunately, their plans fell through…”

Zadkiel, who had been making a regretful expression, soon smiled brightly.

“I’m going to reserve it for that day as promised to the princess. She had asked me to let her know if there were any cancellations in between.”

“….”

“I was thinking of seeing the princess in person, but I’m running late. I had to rush over because I postponed some other work… Is it okay if I give this to you instead?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. Thank you for coming all the way here despite your busy schedule.”

“Haha! It’s nothing. Then, I’ll see you next time. May the blessings of Primera be with you!”

Cheshier was flustered as he blankly stared at Zadkiel’s back as he quickly walked away.

‘May?’

Even though the other wedding preparations could be set aside, the fact that the venue was booked for May?

“Honey!”

Just then, Lilith came running out with a bright smile. Cheshire immediately held the reservation form in front of her.

“What is this?”

“Huh?”

Lilith, who was looking at the reservation form, grabbed her cheek and cheered.

“Kyaaa!”

“What is this?”

“What else? We successfully reserved the venue, right? Oh my god, honey. Look at the date. This is nothing short of a blessing from the gods!”

The reservation form said the temple was open for use on May 19th.

It was, after all, Lilith’s birthday.

Yeah, it was strange—of all places, a spot opened up at the hard-to-book temple, and even the date, as Lilith said, seemed like a blessing from the gods…

“Did you get the Lord of the Wizard Tower’s permission?”

“Honey, let’s talk about it on the way to the tailor’s.”

Lilith snatched the reservation form and walked towards the carriage. Cheshire hurriedly grabbed her.

“Lilith!”

“Why? I’m cold. Let’s talk in the carriage.”

Despite the confusion, Cheshire took off his coat and draped it over Lilith, asking.

“Does the Lord of the Wizard Tower know?”

“….”

“Lilith, this isn’t right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I understand that you’re angry, but we can’t proceed with the wedding without the Lord of the Wizard Tower’s approval.”

After returning from time travel.

For the two of them, there would now be two memories coexisting: the “lost three years” when Oscar was gone, and the “new three years” when Oscar stayed by their side.

The most shocking thing about the ‘new 3 years’ was… that many of the lovers’ memories had disappeared.

That was the part that Lilith was most upset about towards Oscar.

“I’m not trying to get married without Master’s knowledge. I’ll tell him that I’m getting married in May.”

“What if he says no?”

“Of course he’ll say no.”

“Yeah, that’s why…”

“Does that mean you want me to keep waiting without a guarantee? If I wait, will I eventually get his permission?”

Lilith’s lips trembled as she spoke those words, as if she were about to cry. Soon, tears like tiny droplets began to fall from her eyes.

“Lilith.”

Seeing Lilith like that, Cheshire’s heart ached deeply.

In fact, he knew the reason she was acting so urgently.

“I’m… I’m so upset… On our second anniversary… we went on a trip together and saw the ocean, with the landlady’s cat from the red-roofed inn… and then on our third anniversary…”

Originally, the couple had gone on trips alone together for their first, second, and third anniversaries, but in the “new 3 years,” there had been no such memories.

There were only plans that fell through due to Oscar’s interference.

“Lilith, don’t cry.”

Cheshire comforted Lilith as he held her in his arms.

He tried to comfort Lilith by saying that the ‘lost 3 years’ were still memories they both shared, so it wasn’t like the memories had disappeared, but..

“I thought that once the Master’s restriction was lifted, we could get married, but it actually became even harder.”

In fact, that wasn’t the fundamental problem.

It was the fear that they could never get the marriage approval from Oscar, who was that adamant about it.

“There’s nothing we can do, now.”

“I understand how you feel. But why did we go through all that hardship in the past? Of course, breaking the restriction was the biggest reason, but didn’t we also want a marriage that would be celebrated by the Lord of the Wizard Tower?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Honestly, I was mad that all our memories were wiped away, but I know the Master would never allow an overnight stay, and it’s because he’s worried about me.”

Lilith wiped away her tears bravely.

“I’ve decided to understand even though I’m disappointed, and my plan to walk into the wedding venue with Master and Dad linking arms is still the same. But we need to change the approach.”

Lilith held up the reservation form she was holding.

“I’ll finish preparing everything and then tell the Master.”

“Do you mean you’re going to notify him?”

“Since we haven’t prepared anything and just said we want to get married, Master easily opposes. But now that we’ve secured the venue, what more can he do?”

“….”

“As you know from the past three years, if we just wait endlessly, we’ll end up waiting forever. We’ll be buried in our graves, asking ‘Master, can we get married today?’ and he’ll reply ‘No.'”

“….”

“Honestly, it’s because of me that Master is opposed, and you, for no reason, can’t even get married. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not okay. If we were just an ordinary couple who didn’t get any attention, it wouldn’t matter, but we’re not. Your rumors, and… no, that rumor about you being impotent—it’s so, so embarrassing!”

“….”

Lilith, sniffing her nose, grabbed Cheshire by the collar and leaned in close, whispering.

“Honestly, when we had our first kiss, I confirmed that it was really just a baseless rumor… hmph!”

Cheshire quickly covered Lilith’s mouth and scanned the surroundings anxiously.

As the day began to fade, they stood at the entrance of the Wizard Tower.

Fortunately, there wasn’t a single rat in sight, but…

“Honey, I’m so sorry for everything up until now. I’ll talk to Master tomorrow.”

Lilith pulled her hand away from Cheshire and spoke with a determined expression.

“No. That would be just a notice. Let’s get the Lord of the Wizard Tower’s proper permission first. We can start the wedding preparations afterward; it’s not too late.”

“It’s too late!”

“It’s not too late!”

The couple had been dating for about 3 years and 10 months.

The couple had been dating happily without any major fights.

Winter, two months before the 4th anniversary.

During the wedding preparations, they encountered their first major obstacle due to a difference in opinions…

“There’s no guarantee that the Master’s heart will change before he dies, but even if it ever does, it will be too late to start preparations from then.”

“….”

“You know it as the new memories from these 3 years. It seems like the Master disapproves of not just our marriage, but even our relationship. Marriage is something between the two of us, and we can’t be dragged around forever.”

The bride-to-be’s argument: If we keep waiting for Oscar’s permission, we’ll never get married. Marriage is something between the two people, not others. It’s necessary to prepare in advance.

“I don’t think marriage is just a matter between the two of us. It’s right to get permission first. I want you to have a marriage that’s blessed by everyone you love. Isn’t it supposed to be a marriage for happiness? But you’re asking me to create a rift between you and the Lord of the Wizard Tower?”

“….”

“Honestly, I’ve been holding back, but I’ve canceled everything—the wedding band, the artist, everything. The same goes for the temple reservation. If we don’t get the Lord of the Wizard Tower’s permission, all of these plans will fall apart anyway.”

The groom-to-be’s argument: Even if it’s frustrating, we have to ask for Oscar’s permission. Marriage isn’t a problem for just the two of you. Let’s start preparing for the wedding once everything is decided.

“Honey!”

“Why?”

“Do you know how many months we’ll have to wait if we miss this reservation for the temple?”

“Then let’s wait.”

“Why just wait around? Let’s get everything ready and tell him! Then, the Master will give in!”

“Lilith, please! I….”

“….”

“I don’t want to get married to you like that!”

Lilith’s eyes widened.

“Oh, wait. So.”

Cheshire, who was momentarily flustered, searched for something to add.

So, that’s not what I meant.