Ten Years Have Passed Since I Was Reincarnated. I Have Become the Father of a Villainous Noble Lady - Chapter 3

From then on, Alize and I spent the rest of the day practicing sword swings in the garden until the sun dipped low and dyed the sky crimson.

For a moment, I wondered if this kind of training could really be fun for her. But when I looked at Alize’s content and satisfied expression, I realized asking that question would’ve been pointless.

She wasn’t enjoying the activity itself—what brought her joy was simply being able to do something together with me.

We’d spent time in the same room before, sure—but we hadn’t really shared an experience like this.

There were times I worked while she sat nearby, times I let the maids read her storybooks instead of doing it myself.

Looking back now, I regret that.

Sharing something—working together toward something—is essential for deepening bonds and truly understanding each other. That’s something I’ve come to realize.

“Alize.”

“Yes, Father?”

When I called to her, Alize—looking tired and a little drowsy—rubbed her eyes and tilted her head.

“Shall we take a bath together and then have some dinner?”

“Yawn… A bath with Father… dinner… I’d love that…”

She looked absolutely sleepy.

Part of me wondered if I should just let her sleep, but I didn’t want to go back on my word.

I knew—even in her sleepy state—she still wanted to take a bath and have dinner with me.

To suddenly cancel would feel like a betrayal of that small but earnest desire.

It was best to gently follow through: bathe together, enjoy a slow dinner, and let her drift off naturally afterward.

“Please prepare a bath and dinner for us.”

I turned to the maid standing nearby and gave the instruction.

“Understood,” she replied, then hurried off toward the manor.

I noticed a warm smile on her face as she left. That wasn’t just my imagination.

“Alright, hop on. Let’s head back to the house.”

I crouched down and turned my back to Alize.

Still rubbing her eyes, she slowly came over and leaned into me, wrapping her little arms around my shoulders as I lifted her onto my back.

“Okay, full steam ahead!”

“Ooohhh…”

By the time we reached the bath, she had already fallen asleep.

We had played a lot today—and she had been especially excited to be with me.

It was no surprise that she was this tired.

So, I turned around and carried her straight to her bedroom instead. I gently laid her down on the bed and watched her sleep soundly, her expression calm and peaceful.

I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and whispered:

“Thank you for being born, Alize.”

***

Two years passed in the blink of an eye.

The older you get, the faster time seems to move.

Alize was now nearly five, and the time for her formal debut in noble society was drawing near.

Since that day, our afternoon training sessions had become a daily routine.

Though we still called it “play,” we now spent our time practicing sword swings—and recently, even sparring in light mock battles.

Alize was steadily growing as a swordswoman, and her strength had become almost frightening.

No doubt she inherited part of her ability from her mother, but even so, her sheer natural talent was astounding.

Back in the game’s storyline, her performance was unremarkable… which likely meant her potential had been left to waste.

As for the engagement offer from the duke’s household—that matter was beginning to move forward as well.

Now that Alize was approaching five and both children would soon make their social debut, the other party proposed arranging a formal meeting afterward to confirm the engagement.

For now, I let things proceed… but ultimately, I had every intention of respecting Alize’s wishes above all.

“Father? Father?”

As I was lost in thought, Alize tilted her head curiously and peeked up at me.

At the moment, we had just finished our “training” session—otherwise known as playtime—and were enjoying a tea break together in the garden.

“Ah, sorry about that. I was just thinking about something.”

“What were you thinking about?”

She asked so innocently. I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to bring up the engagement topic, but in the end, I decided it was better to hear her thoughts first.

“Alize, if we were to find a fiancé f—”

“I refuse.”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t want to get engaged. I plan to become your bride, Father. So I must decline any engagement offers.”

“…Wait, what?”

Huh?
Something feels very… off here?

Sure, I’ve done my best to raise Alize with love and care.

I always thought she was fond of me, and of course, I love her too—but as her father. You know, parental love.

But this…

“An eng—”

“No. Absolutely not. …Don’t tell me, Father… you don’t want to marry me?”

Wait, hold on.

Why did the light just vanish from her eyes?

“It’s not that I don’t want to… I mean, I was married, and—”

“…I see. I still lack something, don’t I?”

No, no, that’s not the issue here at all.

I tried to explain, but Alize had already begun muttering to herself in a low voice, lips barely moving.

“I overlooked the obvious… As the daughter of a marquis, of course the engagement system would apply to me. I should’ve foreseen this. What should I do? At this rate, my dream of marrying Father will be crushed. That cannot be allowed. …Maybe I could make the other party hate me? No… that would cause trouble for Father. That must be avoided at all costs.”

Muttering all this at lightning speed, my daughter seemed to spiral deeper and deeper into her thoughts.

All I could do…
Was stare blankly at the distant line of mountains stretching far off into the horizon.