One Step Forward to the Flower Path - Chapter 7

“Right now she doesn’t realize you’re her father, and she still thinks you’ll drain her powers.”

“I told her I wouldn’t, but it’s not easy to change her mind.”

“Because you spoke too weakly.”

Sullivan clearly expressed what she felt while seeing Ivanna.

“Not pulling out, not taking? That’s too weak. I don’t need your strength. You have to tell her something to make her sure you won’t take it. She thinks all the people in the world want her power.”

Whenever she meets someone, she would always ask if the person would take her powers, it was something easy to understand upon seeing up close.

“She must have suffered horribly during those 2 years to the point that her thoughts were completely distorted. What such a child needs now is absolute confidence, not consolation or comfort. The first thing is to destroy the two years of brainwashing as quickly as possible.”

“Not consolation or comforting, but certainty.”

“And just because she’s scared of people, you shouldn’t just let go of her hand and watch. Please let the child know that not everyone is scary and some people can be gentle and sweet.”

“She was crying out of fear when I approached her.”

“It’s not like you have to approach her right away. I mean, you have to try to narrow the distance little by little. Use what the princess likes to get to know her.”

Ivanna’s favorite is the meow doll made by Louise and strawberries.

That was all Dante knew. He was feeling like a really pathetic dad.

“And the only thing that gets her attention right now are matters related to her mother.”

Louise Hugor.

Dante’s eyes trembled at the mention of the name of his missing lover.

“You are the one who knows the best about Lord Hugor in this mansion right now. Furthermore, you are the father of the young lady.”

“······.”

“Please tell her more about her mother. A story that only you, sir, can tell. It doesn’t matter if it’s something trivial. Please make her feel at ease.”

After Louise disappeared, Dante was caught up in anger, anxiousness, and confusion.

Could it be that someone who coveted her power kidnapped her, and she is suffering as her power is being pulled out at this moment?

The more he thought and worried about her, the more he was angry. It was painful and he was grieving that he couldn’t do anything for her.

Dante was so mad that even the twins, who inherited his blood, trembled as they felt their father’s anger.

It was the same even now, six years later. Whenever he reminisces about his memories with Louise, not only happiness but also pain and suffering surfaces.

However, he’s willing to bring back those memories of Louise as much as he could for his daughter who lost her mother and had to live alone in terrible pain.

The pain I felt was not as excruciating as Ivanna’s pain.

It was his sin for spending six years without knowing that a child was born and was painfully living.

✧────── ೋღ🌺ღೋ ──────✧

That night, Dante looked for the child once more.

Even today, Ivanna was squatting in the corner of the room and only her siblings’ meows in her arms were giving warmth to the child.

“······Ivanna.”

The child rose with a rustle. Dante still did not know the true color of the cotton-padded child’s hair, nor the color of the eyes hidden beneath it.

He wanted to know if it resembled her mother’s color, or if it resembled his colors like Valerie and Luan.

“Did you come to take my power today?”

Oh, what Sullivan said was true.

Ivanna still didn’t think of Dante as her father, nor believed he wouldn’t take her power.

It was terrible.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then when will you take my power?”

Dante’s heart sank.

“Everyone took it the first day I arrived, when are you going to take it?”

“······Even in the future, I will not take it.”

“Why?”

Ivanna could not understand. Everyone coveted her strength. Everyone wanted to have it, saying it was a sacrifice from God for humans. All but her mother did.

But like the Eve that she saw during the day, Alaine, and this ‘Dad’ in front of her, why are they not taking it?

“No one will take your power from you now. No one will dare to torment you, because I’m here now to protect you.”

“You’re saying those words just to take my power, right? I know.”

“······Why do you think so?”

“That’s what everyone said at first but still took my strength in the end. They still locked me up in prison. You’re going to do the same, right? I know it. But now that I have my meows, it’s okay for you to take it. I can bear with the pain.”

The child held the kitty tightly in one hand and extended the other. Dante’s heart throbbed like crazy. In anger, in pain, in sorrow.

“I’ll listen well, so don’t send me to prison. If I have my meows, I can stand it all, so just let me stay here. I promise to be quiet.”

His five-year-old child casually uttered those cold-blooded words. His body dropped to the floor, kneeling as if to beg and pray.

Dante collapsed at the sight of his completely broken daughter.

Everything he said didn’t reach the child. She didn’t believe it, and she didn’t accept it.

All that he said yesterday came as self-complacency.

Dante closed his eyes tightly.

“Ivanna. I promise. I will never send you to prison.”

“Everyone said that and still sent me anyway.”

“I am not the same. You will continue to be here. This is the room where your mother, Louise, stayed.”

Ivanna raised her upper body. Her little mouth opened.

You really only react to the word ‘mother’.

Dante’s chest tightened.

“Your mom always stayed in this room every time she visited here. The view from the window is very nice.”

Dante pointed at the window with his finger. Ivanna turned her head along where the end of his finger directs.

“This is your mother’s room, so you will stay here. Ivanna, that’s because you are your mother’s daughter.”

Ivanna once again looked around the room. The big and shiny room was big enough to fit the hut where Ivanna and her mother lived.

Mom lived here.

“Do you not like the place where your mother stayed?”

Ivanna shook her head. Ivanna also liked wherever her mother was.

“I want you to stay here. Since this was your mother’s room, the only one who can live here is you. “

“Why?”

“Ivanna. It’s because you are your mother’s and my daughter.”

Daughter.

That said, Ivanna’s mouth widened. He couldn’t see it properly because it was covered by her messy hair, but he’s sure her eyes are open wide as well.

“Daughter?”

“Yes. Louise’s and my daughter. Ivanna. You’re my daughter.”

My Mom and Dad’s daughter. Oh, yeah. I see.

Since I am my mom’s daughter, I guess I am also my dad’s daughter. I see.

This person is my dad, just like mom.

He’s really my Dad.

“Because I’m your father, I’m not going to take your power just like your mother did. I won’t hurt you. Like your mom, I’m going to protect you.”

Like my mother did.

Yes, my mom always protected me. She always hugged me and she never hurt me. Mom did.

And Dad is like Mom.

Ivanna rubbed her lips and hugged meow tightly.

“But I didn’t have a dad······.”

She was talking about not meeting her dad up until she died in her first life, but the girl’s words sounded different from Dante, who didn’t know anything about it.

It seemed to be a rebuke for not knowing her existence until she grew up to this date.

Again, his chest tightened.

“Dad will keep working hard in the future. As much as mom did.”

“But I’m supposed to leave after one year.”

“You are leaving?”

“I move around every year. Everyone said that. Because they wanted my strength, I should keep moving around.”

During her first life, Ivanna moved around from the age of three up until before she died at the age of 16. And every year, her powers were pulled out without fail.

She’s expecting this life to be the same as it was back then. She’s surprised that her Dad has appeared, but to her, nothing has changed.

“······How about you? Do you want to leave?”

Ivanna couldn’t answer right away.

There are warm floors, delicious food, meows, and this is the room where her mother lived.

Once she leaves, she won’t be able to come back again. It was very disappointing to think so.

“It’s okay for you to answer, Ivanna. Do you want to go?”

Ivanna hesitated. Everyone got angry every time she said no. And she doesn’t like being hit.

“Ivanna, if you say you don’t want to leave, I won’t let you leave.”

Ivanna raised her head.

“If you want to be here, I will keep you here. But if you want to go, I will accept that too.”

“······.”

“Ivanna, is it what you want?”

Ivanna bowed her head and hugged the fluffy and soft meows in her arms.

Even if her dad changes his mind later on and decides to take her powers, it’s okay because she can get some comfort with her meows.

So Ivanna shook her head from side to side with her head down.

“Understood.”

Dante’s laughter fell over. He was feeling glad for her daughter and without him realizing, his big hand stroked Ivanna’s head.

Ivanna raised her head.

“Sorry, were you scared?”

As soon as she lifted her head, she was startled by the large hand that she saw and stepped back. Her body rattled. Dante hurriedly hid his hand.

“I’m sorry.”

Ivanna glanced at the terrifying hand. She hated human hands. They hit her all the time and pain was always accompanied by it. It was terrifying. Especially since that hand is big, it will hurt even more.

Uh, by the way. What is that?

Ivanna opened her eyes wide and reached out without knowing it.

“The ring.”

“Huh?”

“My mom’s ring.”

Ah. Dante looked down at his left hand. His engagement ring with Louise, which had never been removed, was still in place even up to this day.

Dante reached out his hand carefully. And as if she was scared, Ivanna only reached out her hand and stroked the ring.

The ring was warm and not cold. My mothers’ was also the same. My mom said it’s because she always wears the ring.

If so, it means that Dad has always been wearing this ring too.

“Ivanna, you’re going to sleep on the bed today, right? Your mom also used that bed.”

Ivanna took her eyes off the ring and looked at the bed.

Is he saying that that big and wide, flat thing -your legs will break if you fall thing- was her mother’s too?

“Everything here is your mom’s. You can do whatever you want.”

It’s all my mom’s. Somehow, I feel ticklish. After leaving the cabin, there was not a single thing from my mother that was left, but there were many here.

I feel so happy.

“Do you want to sleep on the bed?”

Ivanna got up from her seat and hurried to the bed. Dante helped her up because it was too high.

And as if not feeling too comfortable, Ivanna roamed around the bed for a while.

“Are you going?”

Dante, who was about to go out thinking the child would feel more comfortable when he left, stopped immediately at Ivanna’s words.

“I, my mom’s ring······.”

Dante immediately sat down in the chair by the bed. Ivanna approached as he put his left hand on the bed with the back of the hand up.

The bandaged, stiff finger of the child tapped the ring.

Dante was thrilled.

“Your Mom was wearing a ring?”

“She was wearing it all the time. The ring felt warm.”

Dante’s heart tightened at the good news from his beloved daughter.

Louise didn’t forget her promise to me.

He was so happy that Dante smiled unknowingly.

He closed his eyes and drew his mouth in a silently but happy smile.

Ivanna looked up at Dante blankly.

Everyone who was pulling out her power smiled terribly, but her Dad smiled quietly. It was very pretty.

It was just like the face of her mother who always smiles while looking at the ring.

Ivanna looked at her father’s face for a long time.