I glanced to my right and saw Alex, sweating profusely with trembling hands. In front of us, both the Baron and the Baroness were seated with stern expressions, their faces unpainted. The air felt heavy with the ongoing confrontation, and I tried to rub my knees to ease the numbness from our prolonged kneeling.

"How could you do this, Roselle?!" the Baron exclaimed.

"You are too young for such a big responsibility!" added the Baroness, her voice shaking with concern and disappointment.

"How did you even meet such a man? Are you telling us that you have been meeting this man every night secretly? From which family did you even come? How will you take responsibility for my daughter?!" the Baron questioned Alex.

"Ah, good sir, I will take full responsibility for your daughter and will do everything to be a better man. Although I come from a humble family, I will make sure to stay by her side and support her," Alex said, attempting to calm my parents.

"He is a good man, mother and father!" I interjected confidently, vouching for Alex.

"How long have you been meeting this man?" the Baron asked, his voice now carrying a dark undertone.

"She’s been seeing him for quite a while now," Gareth remarked, adding fuel to the fire.

I shot him a menacing glare, silently urging him to remain silent.

"And you knew, yet you did not tell us?!" the Baron directed his anger towards Gareth. I scoffed, amused by the unfolding drama.

"Join them, this instant!" the Baron exclaimed, and Gareth immediately knelt in front of them, just like me and Alex. I couldn't help but tease him, "Haha, you think you're exempted, huh?"

A heavy silence hung in the room as they continued to interrogate us. The Baron finally broke the silence, speaking directly to Alex with a serious tone.

"Let's think about this rationally. Since it already happened, let me ask you this, Alex. Man to man." The Baron stared at Alex intensely.

"Are you willing to take responsibility for my daughter for the rest of your life?" he inquired.

"Yes, my lord," Alex answered confidently.

"Will you move with Roselle?" the Baron continued.

Wait a minute. Why does this conversation sound so familiar? As realization hit me, I couldn't contain my shock.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Why does all of this sound like I've been knocked up and become pregnant?" I exclaimed. In my haste to stand up, I stumbled and fell face-first on the floor with a loud thud.

"A- ouch!" I groaned; my dramatic revelation abruptly halted by my clumsy mishap.

"I suggest that we all calm down first," I said, lifting my fingers as I remained sprawled on the floor.

***

"Enjoying your bath bomb experience? Our bombs are designed to turn your bath into a spa-like oasis. As it fizzes away, it releases essential oils and moisturizing ingredients, leaving your skin feeling soft and refreshed."

“Are you calm now, Mother and Father?” I inquired, smiling brightly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“I still can’t believe you have so many things going on without us even knowing the slightest bit,” Mother said, her tone still laced with disbelief.

I sighed inwardly, realizing that my attempt at humor had fallen flat.

I guess that’s a no.

***

"Hope you're enjoying your pampering session! Our face masks are specially formulated to give your skin a rejuvenating boost. Packed with nourishing ingredients like vitamins and antioxidants, they work to hydrate, brighten, and revitalize your complexion. So just sit back, relax, and let the mask do its magic. You're one step closer to glowing, radiant skin!"

“Isn’t this nice?” I said, my voice slightly muffled by the face mask.

“Are you calm now, Mother and Father?” I inquired once more, hoping for a different response this time.

Sigh

Their heavy sighs seemed to answer my question before they even spoke.

I glanced over at Alex, silently signaling for him to prepare our last resort. It seemed we were left with no other choice but to proceed with our backup plan.

***

Thud, thud, thud.

One by one, they piled the documents onto the table in front of my mother and father until they found themselves buried under a mountain of paperwork.

After a moment, my parents were practically towered by a pile of papers.

“For a moment there, I thought you were going to pile up all the gold from the guild on the table,” Gareth remarked casually, taking a sip of his tea.

It was a surreal sight, seeing a man of his stature sipping tea as if it were a miniature cup.

My parents turned their attention to me and Alex, clearly expecting an explanation for the sudden onslaught of paperwork.

“These, Mother and Father, are proof that I can survive out there in the capital. With capable people like Alex managing the guild with perfection and Sir Gareth by my side to protect and assist me, we've been able to thrive,” I explained, gesturing to the documents in front of them.

“And these… These are the records of the guild’s cash flow, starting from the modest amount I accumulated by selling all my preloved items, which has grown into this substantial sum,” I added, pointing to the documents laid out before them.

As they flipped through the pages, their eyes grew wider and wider with each passing moment.

Finally, the baron set down the folder he had been examining and composed himself.

"I thought all the finances you gave to the barony were from trading and those desserts made from the reaper’s fruit," he questioned.

I recalled that he hadn't questioned the funds I donated when the barony suffered from cutting ties with Sebastian, so he must have already been aware of that particular business move I made.

“Yes, all those funds are just from that business venture. And all of these…” I gestured broadly to encompass the entirety of the guild.

“These are all preparations to seduce my future husband,” I said proudly.

There was a sudden cough from across the room, someone clearly taken aback by my boldness.

I glanced at their faces, which looked as if they had just discovered another side of their daughter.

Well, they would have to get used to Roselle 2.0. Since I decided to open up to them, I should be honest with them, at the very least.

Of course, I still needed to hide the fact that I wasn't the real Roselle, since I wasn't sure how they would react if they knew the truth.

The baron and baroness exchanged a meaningful glance before the baron spoke up.

“Can you give us some privacy?” he requested after a moment.

They moved to sit on the sofa. Instinctively, I started to take a seat across the table from them, but the baron gently guided me to sit between them.

We sat in silence for a few moments before the baron finally broke the ice.

“I must admit, all of the sudden changes in your personality have taken us by surprise. I remember when you were little, you cried so much because you wanted to enter the university just like young noble men, declaring that you wouldn’t adhere to the rules that treated you less because you weren’t a man. And now, I see that you've achieved those dreams,” he chuckled.

“We thought you had forgotten your aspirations because of how you went along with the customs of being a woman in today’s society,” the baroness added, squeezing my hand gently.

“Forgive us for not giving you the support you needed. We should have encouraged you to study what you truly wanted and not pushed you into countless etiquette lessons,” she continued.

“We thought we knew what was best for you, but we forgot that your dreams are not an extension of our dreams,” the baron admitted.

“Now, we’re letting you spread your wings, Roselle,” he declared.

“You can seduce whoever you want to seduce. We won’t hold you back,” the baroness chimed in, her voice laced with a mix of uncertainty and acceptance.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, a sense of amusement and warmth washing over me. Their words, though awkwardly delivered, filled me with an indescribable joy.

Hearing my laughter, both mother and father enveloped me in a hug, their smiles reflecting their pride and love.

In that moment, a wave of realization washed over me.

So, this what family feels like.

Their acceptance of my newfound independence, and their acknowledgment of my dreams and desires, made me feel seen and understood in a way I hadn’t before.

“We are proud of you, Roselle,” they said in unison, their words echoing in my heart. And for the first time I truly believed it.

***

"We are proud of you, Kim Aera," the homeroom teacher announced to the class in recognition of my victory in the Inter-School Shooting Competition.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist.

Turning my gaze towards the window, I attempted to drown out their words.

Those words would have felt nice if they had come from my mother, or even better, from my father. After all, I handle guns because my father loves them; his dream was to be a policeman.

"I just have to do better," I muttered, pushing aside my emotions once more.