Chapter 100: Thank You
- Reira ☾⋆⁺₊✧ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
- Oct 19, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 5, 2025
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“As for you, Mister, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Alicia smiled at the sight of the father and son sitting across from each other, locked in a silent stare-down.
They were probably thinking the same thing, but it was rather endearing that neither could speak first because of their pride.
“Just be honest and say it first.”
Alicia subtly hinted to Cabelenus.
But Cabelenus couldn’t bring himself to speak easily.
Even though he was aware that Michael knew about his biological father, he didn’t know where or how to start.
Cabelenus pondered for a long while before finally speaking.
“Try calling me ‘Dad’.”
“...”
“...”
Even after much deliberation, it clearly wasn’t exactly a good response.
Cabelenus quietly turned his head toward Alicia and Michael, whose similar faces wore matching expressions.
"So you want me to call you ‘Dad’ now, Mister?"
“…For now.”
“Alright. Then I’ll call you that.”
Michael nodded readily.
At that moment, all eyes turned toward Michael.
“Da… da…”
It was one thing to answer boldly, but when it came time to actually say it, he couldn’t get the words out.
Under the barrage of piercing gazes, Michael just kept moving his lips without a word.
“Aren’t you going to say it?”
"Are you rushing me right now?"
“I’m not rushing you—”
"I can’t do it because of you, Mister."
Michael sprang to his feet.
Just the thought of almost saying ‘Dad’ made his cheeks flush.
“You can’t do it?”
"I got annoyed because Mister was rushing me. I’ll do it again when I’m in a better mood."
“That’s a strange excuse.”
"I’m not making an excuse! Forget it! I had mustered up the courage, but if you act like this, Mister, I can’t do it either!"
Even though he knew Michael was deliberately exaggerating his movements and bouncing around, Cabelenus pressed his fingers to his forehead.
In any case, the one who felt disappointed wasn’t Michael; it was him.
“Fine. Since it’s all my fault, sit back down.”
“Apologise sincerely.”
“I am genuinely sorry.”
“...Okay.”
Michael cautiously sat back down.
This time, Cabelenus said nothing and just waited
Michael parted his lips to try again, but then stopped.
The second chance was just as embarrassing.
“I can’t do it.”
"What? Don’t you like my apology?"
A crease deepened between Cabelenus’s brows.
“…Huh? Oh, right! It’s because I’m not satisfied with Mister’s apology!”
Michael nodded swiftly, reading the room.
"Then what should I do to satisfy you?"
"Hmm… Ah! Three wishes."
“Three wishes?”
"You said last time that you’d grant three wishes. If you make them all come true, I’ll really call you ‘Dad’ then."
‘For an excuse I just thought of, it's pretty good.’
Michael straightened his back and beamed with pride.
“Michael.”
“No, it’s fine. Don’t make a fuss. It’s not that hard — I’ll just do it his way.”
“Really?”
“Alright. Go on, tell me. I’ll grant whatever it is.”
Michael blinked in surprise at Cabelenus’s unexpected reaction.
He had only brought up the wishes as a sudden excuse, so he couldn’t think of what to wish for. Moreover, it would be troublesome if Cabelenus granted it too easily.
“Tell me. From the way you keep talking about wishes, you must want something from me.”
“Well…”
Michael glanced subtly at Alicia.
It seemed his mum had already seen through his intentions.
For once, his mum wasn’t on his side.
Unsure what to do, Michael darted his eyes around, then suddenly smiled when Cabelenus’s hand came into view.
“Cookies!”
“Cookies? I can give you as many as you want—”
“Not anyone else’s — cookies made by you, Mister!”
“...”
Silence lingered, with no one speaking first.
But Michael alone was grinning ear to ear, completely thrilled.
Cabelenus’s rough hands might have been suited for wielding a sword, but they didn’t seem to fit baking at all.
It would take quite a while to bake proper cookies.
“I must have misheard.”
“I want you to bake the cookies yourself, Mister. That’s my wish.”
“...”
"Of course, you have to make them by yourself! You absolutely can’t get help from anyone else!"
“I’ve never baked cookies in my life, though.”
“Now you’ll get to experience it.”
The lines on Cabelenus’s brow deepened even more at the cheerful reply.
The very idea of him baking was absurd, but the child, now completely excited, showed no sign of backing down at all.
"…Can’t it be something else?"
"I just want to eat the cookies you baked for me, Mister."
"You’re just trying to make fun of me."
Cabelenus let out a long sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead.
Ever since they found out that Michael had a sweet tooth, the chef at Schwarhan had been showing off his skills every day.
It was obvious why he insisted on Cabelenus baking cookies himself, even though there was a skilled chef available.
“You promised to grant my wish.”
“I didn’t expect this to be your wish.”
“You said you’d grant anything.”
“...”
Once the words were out, there was no taking them back.
Cabelenus ground his teeth but couldn’t utter a single rebuttal.
・・・・・
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“It’s fine. They’re almost done.”
Cabelenus pulled the tray out from the oven.
Alicia hurried over to take a look at Cabelenus’s tray.
The tray was heaped with a batch of nicely shaped cookies.
“These look really well-baked. I’m sure they’ll taste great.”
“I have to succeed on the first try so I won’t ever have to do something like this again.”
"May I try one?"
“If you want.”
Cabelenus placed the best-looking cookie on a plate and handed it to Alicia.
The freshly baked, warm cookies were enough to make her mouth water just by looking at them.
Alicia smiled and took a bite of the cookie.
“...”
She bit into it without any hesitation, and her expression shifted slightly.
Alicia cautiously gauged Cabelenus’s unusually expectant expression, then quickly moved her jaw.
Cabelenus looked far too pleased for her to tell him the truth.
“How is it?”
“Not bad.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
A faint smile spread across Cabelenus’s lips.
Alicia smiled along with him, yet at the same time, she placed the cookie back onto the plate.
“But Michael doesn’t like walnuts. How about trying to bake something else instead?”
“He doesn’t like walnuts?”
“Picky eating isn’t good, but this time, what matters is what Michael likes. I think it’d be better to bake cookies that Michael enjoys.”
“Indeed, that would be better.”
“How about baking them with some chocolate or peanuts?”
Alicia frowned as she looked around the inner kitchen in search of ingredients.
The cookies weren’t the only problem.
Alicia pretended not to notice the tray that had been broken in half and picked up the chocolate.
“Luckily, there’s some chocolate. We can use this.”
“Then, these—”
“I’ll have these ones. I like walnuts, you see. It’ll be nice to keep it by my side and snack on it from time to time.”
Alicia quickly interjected, looking up at Cabelenus.
Fortunately, Cabelenus nodded obediently without much suspicion.
“You might get bored while making it again, so I’ll keep you company. Is that alright?”
“As long as it’s fine with you, I don’t mind at all.”
Cabelenus nodded and pulled over a nearby chair.
Alicia sat down in the seat he had prepared and quickly transferred the cookies from the tray into a basket.
If even one of the remaining cookies ended up in Cabelenus’s mouth, it would be a disaster.
“If there’s anything you’re unsure about, you can ask me.”
“You know that Michael said not to accept anyone’s help.”
“You know that’s just an excuse to buy time.”
“Even if I know, there’s nothing I can do. I’m the one at a loss here. I have no choice but to grant his wish.”
Cabelenus picked up the flour.
Alicia quietly watched Cabelenus’s actions for a while, then rose from her seat.
“May I wear this apron?”
“You don’t need to help.”
“It’s not that I’m trying to help; I just want to try baking cookies myself.”
“What are you planning to do with the cookies?”
“I’ve received help from so many people, so I thought it would be nice to return the favour, even if just in this small way. Don’t you think it's a good idea?”
Alicia skillfully put on her apron and checked the oven’s temperature.
Sure enough, the oven’s temperature was excessively high.
She removed some firewood to adjust the heat, then picked up a mixing bowl.
“Personally, I like chocolate cookies that have a little bit of sugar crunch.”
“...”
“When I make cookies, I think the most important thing is sifting the flour so it doesn’t clump, more than anything else.”
Alicia chattered intermittently, making sure that Cabelenus could watch her baking process.
Cabelenus watched Alicia for a moment, then subtly pushed the bowl he was holding aside and looked for a new one.
It was the moment the man finally realised that cookies didn’t just magically come together if you mixed the ingredients blindly.
“Now we just need to put it in a cool place and let it rest.”
“...”
"What’s wrong?"
“I was wondering if cookies are usually this easy to make.”
Cabelenus couldn’t hide his bewilderment and furrowed his brows.
When he was doing it alone, he struggled for ages, but with Alicia around, it was finished in no time, like magic.
"You get used to it the more you do it."
“You certainly seem practised.”
“I’ve never lived with a professional chef, after all.”
Alicia smiled lightly and then placed the dough in a cool spot.
Cabelenus watched her from behind for a moment, then slowly turned his head.
Seeing her baking process, which was quite different from his own, he suddenly felt a twinge of doubt.
Cabelenus glanced at Alicia once more, then quickly grabbed a cookie from the basket.
“...”
“There’s time while the dough rests. Hmm? Why that face?”
Seeing Cabelenus’s stern expression, Alicia tilted her head in puzzlement.
“No. It’s nothing.”
Cabelenus threw the cookie he had hidden behind his back into the trash and straightened his posture.
The cookie was unbearably bad.
It was simply too hard, bitter, and at the same time, salty.
The only thing cookie-like about it was its seemingly decent appearance.
It was impressive how Alicia managed to eat the cookie without giving away any expression.
‘So, that’s why you baked with me.’
Cabelenus looked at Alicia, who was smiling, and gave a wry smile.
Thinking of how she couldn’t bring herself to say the cookies were terrible made his chest ache a little.
“…Thank you.”
“Huh?”
"I just… had that thought."
“What do you mean?”
Alicia laughed brightly.
But as Cabelenus watched her, his face remained sombre.
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