Father and Daugther

"Hic... hic..."

The little girl was still crying. Aliester looked confused, but he didn't want to show it. Instead, he tried to play his role according to the memories that had surfaced in his mind.

Aliester called out the little girl's name, "Ma—Magdalene..."

The girl looked at the handsome man who had called her. Something between them stirred—an indescribable emotion. She seemed to want to be embraced by Aliester.

"D—Daddy... hic..."

Aliester felt the same. A warm feeling welled up inside him, making him instinctively walk over and sit beside the bed. He wrapped his arms around the little girl, hugging her tightly while gently stroking her beautiful black hair.

"Magdalene, it's okay now. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Hic... hic... Daddy..."

The sight was touching. No one knew what the relationship between the father and daughter had been like before, but this moment was enough to make the two maids and the head butler quietly leave, giving them space.

Deep inside, Aliester felt something he had longed for—along with guilt.

"The warmth in my chest when I see this little girl crying... I think this child is the real Aliester's daughter."

"Seeing her awake makes me happy. She was sick, right? Did she have a nightmare? I guess Aliester's body is naturally responding to this child's needs."

"Maybe these are the real Aliester's emotions. I don't know what kind of father he was, and I still don't understand the situation. But I do know one thing—Aliester loved his little daughter dearly."

"Still, I also feel guilty. If she knew her real father was replaced by an unemployed guy who just died saving a cat, she would probably curse me."

"I don't know how the real Aliester was seen by others, but at the very least, I want to be an Aliester whom this little girl can love."

At the same time, the little Magdalene, who was holding onto her father, felt something too.

"I can't control my body, but seeing this man... somehow, my body responds to him."

"This man must be Magdalene's father. It feels strange. I don't know why, but my tears won't stop falling. Magdalene must have missed her father."

"Maybe it's not just this body that feels this sadness. I... I, too, have never been able to live happily, despite all the happiness I once dreamed of..."

"Hic... my heart hurts."

"The pain of being betrayed by my ungrateful fiancé mixes with the sorrow of the real Magdalene's heart."

"I'm sorry, Magdalene's father. I may not be your real little daughter, but... but please let me release all these emotions right now. Hic..."

For a while, Aliester gently stroked his daughter's soft hair while she simply cried, clinging to him. In the dimly lit room, a glass of water and a damp cloth in a bowl—used to cool Magdalene's fever—remained on the bedside table.

Aliester sensed that the crying child might still feel scared or unwell due to her fever. He tried his best to comfort her, even though he was fully aware now that he was not her real father.

"Magdalene, look at me, sweetheart," he said softly.

Slowly, he loosened the embrace and wiped Magdalene's tears with gentle fingers. A soft smile adorned Aliester's face.

"I heard you woke up. Are you still feeling sick? Do you feel dizzy?"

Magdalene shook her head slightly. "Magda... hic... Magda had a bad dream, Daddy."

"A nightmare, huh?" Aliester pulled his daughter into his arms again. "No more nightmares will make my little girl cry from now on. Don't be sad anymore, okay?"

"..."

Magdalene hugged her father again, feeling a little better.

---

Outside Magdalene's room, two maids and the head butler were still eavesdropping.

"Sir Ryan, it seems that His Majesty and the Princess are quite close," one of the maids whispered.

The head butler nodded with a smile. "This is a good thing. Perhaps His Majesty's cold demeanor has improved. He must have been too busy handling the kingdom's affairs to spend time with the Princess."

"But even when the Princess was sick, His Majesty didn't check on her at all. What made him change now?"

The head butler simply smiled. "This might surprise you, but trust me—His Majesty Aliester loves Princess Magdalene dearly. After all, she is a reflection of the late Queen Helene, whom His Majesty loved deeply."

The two maids exchanged glances and smiled.

"Sir Ryan is right. This is a good thing. Although the Princess being sick is unfortunate, if it brings His Majesty's attention back to her..."

"Yes. Maybe this is a good sign. The late Queen Helene must be smiling down from heaven."

With that, the three left, allowing the father and daughter to spend time together.

---

Aliester and Magdalene continued their time together, each unknowingly doing their best to act their roles without knowing the true identity of the other.

In Magdalene's memories, she suddenly recalled falling ill after running in the rain. She saw a vision of herself—little Magdalene—running and crying through the rain, heading towards a glass greenhouse in the palace's back garden. Eventually, she collapsed and remembered nothing else.

Meanwhile, Aliester received another memory—one of the real Aliester being distant and rarely interacting with his daughter. However, he did recall seeing her run through the rain, heading to the very same greenhouse.

Their newly gained memories made the atmosphere awkward again, but only for a moment. They quickly regained their roles, continuing their act as father and daughter for the sake of the bodies they now inhabited.

"Um, Magdalene... I'm sorry if I ever did anything to hurt you or make you sad before," Aliester said carefully.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Magda also... Magda must have made Daddy angry and upset. I'm sorry for running in the rain, Daddy."

Aliester smiled, deciding to take his role-playing more seriously. "Should Daddy give his precious princess a kiss to help her get better?"

Inside, Aliester wanted to scream.

"Whoa!! You're not this little girl's real father!! How can you casually offer a kiss like that?!"

"If the real Aliester finds out about my shameless behavior, I might go straight back to the moment I died!!"

"Sweet child, please ignore this uncle who is acting out in your father's body! Please ignore me!!"

Meanwhile, similar turmoil occurred in Magdalene's mind—the real soul occupying her body.

"A... a kiss?!"

"Is that allowed? Wait, but this is his little daughter's body. I can feel Magdalene's emotions strongly. Maybe she really does want love and attention from her father."

"But... but I can't!! No matter what... no matter what, I'm not the real Magdalene! Aah!! I just died, and now I'm lying to this man while acting like his daughter! How am I any different from my cheating ex-fiancé?!"

"Ugh... how should I respond? I... I want to refuse, but... but poor Magdalene... aaah!!!"

Magdalene hesitated. She felt shy but didn't want to disappoint the real Magdalene's feelings. With a red face, she answered like an innocent child.

"Magda... Magda is a big girl now. No more... kissing."

"But if it's with Daddy, Magda wants a kiss on the cheek."

STAB. 

A strange feeling hit Aliester. The little girl's innocent words made his face flush. This was awkward—because the Aliester before her wasn't the real one. His heart felt like it was going to explode.

"God, I swear I'm not a creep. This is the daughter of the body I'm in. Please don't strike me down!"

With a soft smile, Aliester kissed his daughter's cheek.

Inside, Magdalene screamed.

"I was kissed by a handsome man!! Wait, no! I mean, Magdalene got a kiss from her father!"

Despite the awkwardness, they smiled and laughed together, keeping up their perfect act as father and daughter.