## Chapter 1320 – ##16_Malika’S Adventure (5)
##69
1.
Dorothy and Rinne, who had returned from the mortal realm after a long time, were taking a walk together.
Dorothy, who spent half of each month in the mortal realm for a normal life, neither a public figure nor a witch…
“Still, if I’m only in the mortal realm, our Rinne would be so lonely and sad.”
“……”
She often visited Gehenna not just to see her Darling, but also because she wanted to play with Rinne.
It was like leaving a slightly unsociable cat at her parents’ house. She wasn’t particularly cute when she was around, but she missed her when she hadn’t seen her for a while.
Rin-nyang must have missed Dorothy, the mischievous but cheerful housekeeper!
“Since I’m being your special friend, you have to deposit your friend fee regularly. Got it?”
“……”
Meanwhile, Rin-nyang, who had been dragged out for a walk while meditating, was reacting with disbelief. Especially after Dorothy’s self-actualization, her tension was higher than usual, making her difficult to deal with.
Rinne, who was slightly tired of Dorothy’s beaming shamelessness, noticed a small girl running towards them from afar.
“Mommy Dorothy! Mommy Rinne!”
Even though she was only four years old, Malika’s clear pronunciation and her use of the water lizard walk technique made her bounce towards them, brightening both Rinne’s and Dorothy’s faces.
Malika was the beloved Darling’s (husband’s) own daughter, and she was adorable.
Although she wasn’t their biological daughter, her friendly personality and innocent nature made her everyone’s princess, impossible to dislike.
There was a reason why she monopolized the love and attention of the wives.
-Dodo-do-do-do
“……”
Rinne slightly opened her arms, as Malika’s run-up looked like she was about to jump into her embrace. Rinne knew that Malika was somehow wary of her, so she even gave a rare, awkward smile.
It was Rinne’s own courage to try and get closer to Malika.
“Princess-niiiiiim!”
“Mommy Dorothyyyy!”
However, Malika stopped when she saw Rinne with her arms open, then stepped aside like a nimble fawn, passing her by and jumping straight into Dorothy’s arms.
“……”
Rinne, who had been kneeling with her arms open, became sullen and stiff. Dorothy, with her hands under Malika’s armpits, was spinning her around like an airplane.
“Our princess has grown taller again~ At this rate, she’ll be much taller than me by next year, won’t she?”
“Hehe. Mommy Dorothy is still fluffy. Ah, I shouldn’t greet you like this.”
“Shall we do our princess’s greeting again?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Hello, Princess.”
“Hello, Dorothy-nim.”
When Dorothy put Malika down, they exchanged a noble greeting, holding the ends of their skirts and gently bending their knees. Anyone could see that they were a perfect match.
Actually, it was inevitable.
Dorothy was an experienced caregiver with a gentle nature, and she was very popular even at the Young Ladies Club (she had been there a few times because of R’lyeh). The fact that she played well with R’lyeh in the first place was something anyone could guess.
On the other hand, Rinne had a sharp aura that could make even grown witches flinch. Moreover, contrary to the common notions of adults, children’s intuition was as keen as their survival instinct.
Malika had even subtly perceived the ‘jealousy’ that Rinne herself was unaware of. ‘I don’t know what it is, but Mommy Rinne is very jealous of Malika,’ she thought.
Rinne, slightly sulking at Malika clinging only to Dorothy, opened her arms again.
“Malika. I’m here too.”
“Hello.”
“……”
Malika, who would give Dorothy a peck on the cheek, would just hug Rinne briefly and quickly pull away.
“……”
Rinne felt a little sad. Seeing Dorothy’s slight smile at that sight, her sadness soon turned into a smoldering anger.
“Ah, there’s something I wanted to ask you two.”
“What is it, what is it?”
The joyful reunion was brief, and Malika quickly shared her concerns with the two of them.
Rinne and Dorothy, the eldest of Malika’s mothers.
They might give clearer answers than the advice of Mommy Odile and Odette.
“Malika wants to marry Daddy. But they say I can’t. Mommy Odile, Mommy Odette, and Mommy too, it’s a lie, right? Right?”
“Oh my~ Did that happen?”
Rinne felt a chill run down her spine.
Because Dorothy, who was answering with a beaming smile, was staring directly at Rinne.
“Hmm~ That’s a difficult question. Mommy Rinne knows those difficult questions very well. She’s an expert.”
“…Let go, Dorothy.”
Her ominous premonition was right.
Rinne, who had tried to run away quickly, was grabbed by the hem of her kimono and forcibly returned in front of Malika.
“Really?”
“Of course~ She knows it so well.”
When Malika’s innocent gaze turned to her, cold sweat poured down her body.
“Mommy Rinne, can a daughter marry her father?”
Rinne was a person of common sense.
In bed, she would act cute with her Darling, calling him “Papa, Papa,” but that was just a role-playing scenario.
Perhaps Malika’s talk of marrying her father was just a cute moment that would pass by in her immature years.
Rinne had a duty to teach her cute daughter, ‘That’s not allowed.’
If they were alone, she was confident that she could reason with her nicely.
The problem was that the one who had set the stage for Rinne in the first place was that, that, that annoying Dorothy.
Couldn’t she see the hidden agenda?
This stage was a stage for Rinne to be rolled up in a mat.
“…Malika, that’s not something that can happen.”
She knew very well that Rinne had no choice but to answer ‘That’s not allowed,’ so if she answered that…
“Pfft…!”
“……”
“Really? Are you really, really sure it’s not allowed?”
“……”
“No, Rinne. Think about it carefully. Very carefully.”
“……”
“A father and daughter can’t get married, right? It’s accurate, right? Right?”
“……”
“Ahem~ Sign here immediately. A father and daughter cannot get married~”
“……”
She knew it would be like this.
Rinne felt a deep sense of fatigue at the sight of Dorothy covering her mouth and smiling mischievously.
Malika, who had been watching the scene with a bewildered look, protested in a small voice.
“But… I saw it?”
“Huh?”
“Mommy Rinne calling Daddy ‘Papa’.”
The air froze at Malika’s meaningful remark.
Even Dorothy, who had been teasing Rinne playfully, couldn’t escape the rapid cooling zone.
Rinne’s face turned white as if she had given up all hope.
“Papa is an affectionate term for Daddy, right? So Mommy Rinne is Daddy’s daughter, but she married Daddy.”
“……”
“I saw Mommy Rinne calling Daddy ‘Papa, Papa’.”
Malika, as if the more she thought about it, the stranger it was, was interrogating the suspect with the eyes of a seasoned detective.
Dorothy quickly cast a ‘suggestion’ on Rinne.
It was one of Dorothy’s tricks, a whisper of thoughts that was almost imperceptible on the outside.
‘You, you, you, were you caught?’
‘I, I don’t know. I don’t know either.’
‘How can you not know! What are we going to do! Take responsibility and resign!’
‘Aaaaaah…!!!!’
Rinne and Dorothy were in a state of total panic!
This was not a normal problem.
It was already a well-known fact among lovers that Rinne had a certain preference, but since they were all family, it wouldn’t be a big problem as long as it wasn’t revealed to the outside world.
But what if Malika, at the most important time for her emotional development, had glimpsed that scene?
Rinne was sweating profusely, her spine drenched, and she was thinking about the days when she might have made a mistake, the excuses she could give to Malika, and even the method to partially erase her memory in the worst case scenario.
While Rinne was twisting her body to find a way out, Dorothy carefully probed Malika.
“Oh, really~ When, when did Mommy Rinne do that?”
“I saw it when you two were being lovey-dovey in the garden of the gopher tree forest cabin before.”
“…When was that?”
“Was it when I was about three years old? While I was napping, I clearly heard Rinne-nim say ‘Papa’ to Daddy with my own two ears, you know?”
“Ah…”
The two people who had been in a state of chaos stopped.
Malika’s testimony had disproven the worst-case scenario that ‘she might have seen Rinne and Shiu’s Papa play.’
Was this why you had to be careful even when drinking cold water in front of children?
It was a foul that Malika had remembered a conversation she had heard in her sleep at the age of three, but Rinne and Dorothy had aged ten years.
“Anyway, it’s a lie, right?”
Dorothy smiled wryly and took out a ring from her pocket.
It seemed like she had to resort to the method she used when R’lyeh was young and talking about ‘world domination.’
“Princess. Do you see this ring?”
“Yes.”
“This ring is actually a ring that grants wishes. It doesn’t look like it has any special effects, but it’s a very precious item.”
“Oh?! Is it a tribute?”
Malika’s greedy gaze was fixed on the ring.
“If you put this ring under your pillow every night before you go to bed and make a wish for ten years, your wish will come true.”
“Really?”
“Of course~”
“Rinne-yang also made a wish on this ring and succeeded in marrying Papa. Wow~ Applause~”
“Really?”
“…That’s right.”
“I knew it…! Malika wasn’t wrong!”
After all, when Malika grew up and reached puberty, she would become a prickly girl who would say, ‘I told you not to wash my dad’s underwear with mine!’
Until then, wouldn’t it be okay to protect her dreams?
“I’m giving this to you as a special tribute, Princess.”
“Waaaaah! Thank you for the tribute! I’ll do a thank-you dance for you.”
Malika, preparing to dance gracefully with a noble posture, was moved by Dorothy’s generous donation.
“But! There’s a condition?”
“What is it?”
“Don’t be picky about your food, listen to your mom and dad well, and study magic hard.”
“Not picky about food…? Even broccoli?”
“Of course~ You have to eat all your broccoli too. Can you do that?”
Malika seemed to hesitate for a moment, but she firmly closed her lips and took the ring carefully.
“From now on, all the broccoli on the table is Malika’s. Mommy Dorothy, thank you so much.”
“Yes, yes~ You’re welcome~”
Malika, bowing deeply and expressing her gratitude once again, disappeared somewhere, holding the ring up to the sunlight.
“Haa~”
“……”
Dorothy let out a sigh of relief, watching Malika’s retreating figure.
Rinne, whose legs had given out, slumped down on the spot.
“Rinne~ Let’s be careful from now on?”
“I think we should…”
Dorothy flicked Rinne’s head.
Rinne, who had no room for rebuttal this time, nodded weakly.
Well, something like that.
Today, the Shin Shiu family was peaceful as well.
