When was it that he first took up residence in my heart?
I felt lonely when he wasn't there.
I felt a sharp ache when I couldn't see him.
I felt at peace whenever he was by my side.
I felt happy whenever he turned a smile toward me.
I wanted to be with him always.
And if that wasn't possible, I yearned for some kind of connection.
The connection I sought was Craft Magic.
He taught me kindly, thoroughly, and patiently. Thanks to him, I believe I have finally joined the ranks of the elite.
I wanted to be of use to him.
I wanted to support him.
So, the next thing I mastered was Healing.
I gave it my all. Thanks to those efforts, I became able to use it at a supreme-level.
But it still wasn't enough.
Just as he was the irreplaceable man in my life...
I wanted to become the irreplaceable woman in his.
Tomorrow.
I wondered if something would change.
＊ ＊ ＊
Though I have a daughter, I have never known marriage.
I was once a nobleman's plaything. I gave birth to a daughter and was nearly stripped of her, only to be grudgingly allowed to stay by her side as a maid. That is my history.
That was why I never wanted my daughter to experience such a fate.
I wanted her to have a happy married life—something I could never achieve for myself.
Tomorrow, my daughter is getting married.
Her partner is a man who says he came from another world.
It has been a little over a year since they first met.
My first impression of him was that of a "fragile-looking boy." At the time, I didn't know he was from another world.
When I asked his age, he said he was already twenty. Looking younger than his years was apparently a trait of his homeland.
Therefore, I revised my view of him from a "boy" to a "young man," but my impression of him being "fragile" didn't change.
As an engineer, he supposedly surpassed even the noble young man who led our party, yet his words and actions were terribly indecisive. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was unaccustomed to the ways of the world.
That was why I warned my daughter not to get too close to him, and not to be overly familiar.
The butler accompanying us rebuked me for it, but I didn't regret it at the time. It was all to protect my beloved daughter.
However, my judgment was wrong.
On that day, I learned my daughter was being forced into an unwanted marriage by orders from her family home.
When we fled together, she was abducted by a group called the Unifilar, and I was left with life-threatening injuries.
The one who saved us both was that man who had seemed so weak.
Then, he sheltered us—who had no home to return to—in a place that was like a paradise.
By then, the darkness within me had vanished, and I was able to see him for who he truly was.
He had seemed indecisive because he was kind.
He had seemed unaccustomed to the world because he had truly come from another world.
And as for being fragile—that was preposterous. He possessed power enough to conquer the world; no, he had the power to destroy it entirely.
Yet, he never brandished that power recklessly. While he was merciless toward the enemies of the world, he was endlessly kind to his friends, comrades, and acquaintances.
He and my daughter grew closer.
At first, their relationship was like that of siblings, but gradually it became something more intimate.
Eventually, he began to distinguish himself on the world stage and even made it possible for us to return to our home country.
He even resolved the friction with our family. I can never thank him enough.
From around that time, the two of them began going everywhere together.
Even so, it wasn't as if they had rushed into a physical relationship.
I even wondered if, from his perspective, my daughter was simply a younger sister.
That, in its own way, made me a little worried for her future.
Before I knew it, my daughter had grown into a first-class magi engineer. Furthermore, she had even been appointed as a Reichsarzt.
This was all thanks to him.
From then on, the distance between them seemed to shrink a little more.
Of course, he has many female acquaintances.
I once wondered if he was a womanizer, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I find that quite a relief.
At last, my daughter and he became engaged.
He chose my daughter. Now, I am purely happy for them.
I understand now. Because of his own loneliness, he yearns for a family.
My daughter must have been the one capable of filling that void in his heart.
Tomorrow, my daughter is getting married.
I have only one wish. Please, be happy.
＊ ＊ ＊
The wedding was tomorrow.
Marriage. Taking a bride. A wedding ceremony.
The one I was marrying was a girl for whom the word "lovely" was the perfect fit.
In other words, I was taking a woman of this world as my life partner.
I was going to have a family.
I, who had grown up without ever knowing what a real family was like, was going to have a family of my own.
I felt a deep anxiety about whether I could actually do it.
I wondered if I would unconsciously make some mistake and destroy that family.
I wondered if I would make that lovely girl unhappy.
Negative thoughts swirled in my head.
"You will be fine, Father."
A dignified voice resonated through the room.
The one who spoke was the girl who was the world's finest and strongest automata.
"Do you... think so?"
"Yes. It is precisely because you reflect upon yourself that you will be alright."
"But, what if I fail?"
"If you fail, you simply have to make sure you do not fail the same way again."
"I see... You're right."
The words of the girl I had created—someone I considered my own daughter—soaked into my heart.
"Yes. I will also do my very best to assist you."
Her tone seemed to blow away my dark thoughts.
"Tomorrow will surely be a better day than today."
"I hope so."
No matter what happened, I would overcome it. I would make the girl I loved happy. No, we would find happiness together.
With that resolve held firmly in his heart, the night before the wedding passed.