Judas’ outing wasn’t long.
Because they both had families.
He quickly returned and saw the shadow waiting at the entrance of the Sky Palace.
‘Is that Eliya? No, it can’t be. Eliya should be with the kids…’
The person who came out to greet him was Amor.
“Dad.”
Amor seemed flustered, looking down and avoiding eye contact as she called out to him.
Judas treated his daughter casually, just like before.
“Amor, you came to greet Dad?”
“Um, well… something like that.”
Amor scratched the back of her neck shyly.
That was a habit of Judas when he felt awkward.
His daughter, who resembled him even in habits, suddenly held out something.
It was easy to recognize.
It was a neatly wrapped letter envelope.
“…A letter?”
Judas accepted it, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Before he could ask more, Amor spoke first.
It seemed like the words flowed out effortlessly, as if she had prepared them.
“I’ve been writing letters for the past few days. I wanted to give them to Mom and Dad as a surprise gift, but I thought Dad suddenly coming in would spoil the surprise. So, even though it wasn’t my intention, I ended up shouting at Dad because I got startled…”
Her voice gradually shrank to a whisper by the end.
Amor looked down, glancing at Judas, and then said,
“I’m sorry… for shouting out of nowhere.”
Judas smiled with a bittersweet expression.
He felt proud and impressed but also felt sorry for her timid demeanor.
“Amor, look at Dad.”
Amor lifted her teary eyes.
Fear of possibly being scolded or rejected.
Guilt over having shouted at him.
A mix of emotions seemed to swirl inside her.
All of it was proof that she was growing up.
Everyone has their own space that others cannot invade.
Amor’s mind had now entered the stage of building and managing that space.
In that moment, she thought the room, which she considered her domain, was entered without permission, causing her to react impulsively and shout.
Originally, when things are new, instinctive reactions tend to emerge.
Shouting, sulking, those kinds of things.
As she grows, she will learn how to protect that space and how to respond when someone intrudes.
Judas acknowledged that.
While it had startled him, it was ultimately a positive change.
It was evidence that the child was growing into an adult.
Judas smiled generously.
“It’s alright. Why cry over that? In life, you’ll shout at Dad sometimes, and I’ll raise my voice at you sometimes, too.”
Though she used to be as small as his forearm, she had grown big enough now that he could no longer pick her up in one arm.
He gently patted his daughter, who had grown so much.
“Eli…no, Mom said, you should experience everything and learn from those experiences. Extreme negative experiences should certainly be avoided, but you learn from things like this too. For example, how to sincerely apologize? So there’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s really okay.”
“Um…”
Amor’s expression became noticeably more relaxed.
“And children shouldn’t worry about their parents’ feelings. Mom and Dad are always here for you to lean on and complain to.”
Parents should always remain a figure their children can rely on.
They should be the nourishment for the child’s growth.
Though some might think it’s a radical belief that sometimes disregards parental individuality, Eliya firmly believed in it.
It was her rightful mindset as the responsible figure of having a child.
Wanting her child to never feel the need to worry about their parents was part of that.
“True, but… since I’m the eldest, I should be more mature… and I have to make sacrifices for my younger siblings, so I can’t complain forever.”
“…Amor, I hope you can still complain to me like a baby even when you become a grandmother.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Amor couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
She felt much lighter than before.
“I have made sacrifices for my siblings because I’m the eldest, but… did that upset you?”
“Not until now, just once. a little during the entrance ceremony?”
“Hmm… sorry. I wanted to pay attention.”
“No, it’s fine now. And even later, you came, remember? That’s when I realized that you and Mom are really precious and grateful to me. That’s why I wanted to write the letter…”
“Our daughter has grown up.”
Judas patted Amor’s head.
She had truly grown a lot.
Most people become indifferent to repeating events.
When they take things for granted, they start to resent others when those things don’t happen to them.
So, being thankful for ordinary things is a difficult and mature task.
“Did you stay up all night writing that letter?”
“W-well, not really…”
Amor reluctantly confessed.
“Actually, I was scared to sleep alone…”
“…Huh?”
That was an entirely unexpected reason, and Judas was taken aback.
“It feels scary being alone in a dark room… so I can’t sleep. But having a separate room meant I couldn’t go back…”
“Oh dear.”
Judas held his throbbing forehead.
This firstborn daughter was very much like Eliya in personality.
A sense of responsibility for any task. A perfectionist who insisted on seeing things through once she committed to them.
That stubborn sense of responsibility manifested in a strange way.
“First of all, Amor, having a separate room doesn’t mean you have to sleep alone at night. When you’re alone and it’s time to sleep, you can still sleep with Mom and Dad. You can sleep alone when you can do so later.”
“…You’re right?”
Smart, but sometimes a bit quirky.
Indeed, she was a daughter who resembled Eliya.
Judas embraced Amor.
To pass through the challenging period of puberty healthily as a new self begins to emerge, trust from someone is needed.
The kind of trust that allows one to stand firm without swaying, supporting and encouraging them.
Both Judas and Eliya wanted to be that kind of parent to Amor and their other children.
“Everything will be alright.”
At that reassurance, Amor felt relieved and leaned into her father’s embrace.
That night, Amor decided to sleep with her family.
“Are you sleeping with us tonight?”
“Yep. That’s the plan.”
“Why?”
“That’s…”
“Aren’t you scared to sleep alone?”
Fides made a joke.
But it hit the mark.
Amor couldn’t answer.
Spai caught on to her reaction.
“Looks like it’s true. Is big sister scared to sleep alone?”
“No, I’m not!”
“Big sister’s scared!”
“No, I’m not…!”
While blushing from being teased by her siblings, Amor was laughing.
Eliya quietly came to sit beside Judas.
“Sounds like a good talk?”
“Hmm. You could say that.”
“I’m glad. Though it might be a bit disappointing.”
“Disappointing? What do you mean?”
“What we were supposed to do tonight. I had something prepared… but I guess it won’t happen today.”
“…”
What on earth had she prepared?
Curiosity gnawed at him, but Judas swallowed his disappointment internally.
“Well, it can’t be helped… There will be another chance. We can do it when the kids are at the Academy…”
One of the best things that came from the kids going to the Academy was that their time alone had increased significantly.
During the day, they could spend time together more freely.
Sharing love.
“Pervert.”
Eliya said that with a laugh.
“Did you get a letter too?”
“Yep. She asked me before giving it to you. She might be our daughter, but she’s really brilliant and beautiful.”
“I think we can worry less about Amor’s puberty.”
Smart and kind-hearted Amor.
It seemed she would pass through the awkward phase more smoothly than most.
In truth, what Judas was genuinely worried about was another child.
His second son, Fides.
He resembled him the most among the kids.
Judas found it hard to define when his own puberty began and ended.
Originally, it’s not a clearly definable concept.
Still, he knew that during his puberty, he was a beast that would lash out if annoyed.
“Which means if Fides inherited that temperament of mine, he could be a ticking time bomb…”
So far, nothing had exploded.
No one would dare to provoke the prince.
But he couldn’t guarantee he’d remain calm forever.
And then a shocking incident occurred that met his concerns.
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