The Campbell estate had been bustling with people since early morning. After all, it was the wedding of the prestigious Campbell family—naturally, the place was teeming with activity. Watching the countless servants coming and going even before the guests had arrived, Seol Yu-jin swallowed dryly.
The day had truly come.
His palms were damp with cold sweat, and he nearly wiped them against his pants several times. Fortunately, his coordinator had handed him a handkerchief to prevent any stains from marring his pristine white tuxedo. Thanks to that, he narrowly avoided disaster once again. Squaring his shoulders, Yu-jin tilted his head back and took a deep breath.
“Daddy, Daddy.”
At the voice calling him from below, he lowered his gaze. Standing there, looking even more beautiful than usual, was his daughter, staring up at him.
“Don’t worry. You look amazing. So, so pretty.”
“You’re supposed to say I look handsome.”
Yu-jin chuckled as he bent down to scoop up his daughter. Angela pouted, looking utterly wronged.
“But Daddy is pretty. Everyone says so. No one’s ever seen an Omega as beautiful as you.”
“Oh… really?”
He wasn’t sure whether he should feel flattered or uncomfortable, but he was definitely caught off guard. When Angela had first begun questioning her parentage, he had explained things to her simply—along with a basic lesson on secondary genders. She knew that there were men in this world who could have children, that they were called Omegas, and that she had been born from one of them—her very own Daddy.
Female Omegas were rare, but Angela would learn about that in more detail once she started school. For now, Yu-jin had thought the explanation was sufficient to satisfy her curiosity. But how was he supposed to respond to this? He awkwardly wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered,
“…Thanks.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Angela beamed and nodded enthusiastically. Yu-jin’s heart softened at the sight, and he murmured tenderly,
“But the most beautiful person in the world is you, Angela.”
“That’s only because you’re my Daddy, so of course I’m pretty too!”
As if showing off, Angela puffed out her chest and deliberately stretched out her words. Her flushed cheeks and wide, open-mouthed smile were so utterly adorable that Yu-jin couldn’t resist showering her face with kisses.
“Daddy! That tickles! I said it tickles!”
Her bright laughter rang out, easing some of the tension coiling inside him. Exhaling in relief, Yu-jin felt Angela snuggle closer against his chest before she suddenly called out to him.
“Daddy.”
“Hm?”
He immediately responded, only for Angela to grab his face, forcing him to look directly into her eyes.
“Don’t worry too much. You have me.”
There was no way to counter a child who wasn’t even half his size saying something so profound. Yu-jin felt a sting in his nose, the telltale sign of emotions welling up, and quickly forced a smile.
“Thank you, Angie.”
He hugged the one and only person in the world who was truly on his side, taking a deep breath as he held her close. Only after taking two more steadying breaths did he finally release her.
Angela was dressed in an adorable little gown for the wedding today. Yu-jin had originally wanted her to be the flower girl, but his request had been met with nothing but scorn.
“My little sister and daughter being the flower girl at my wedding? How amusing.”
After hearing that, he had no courage to push the idea any further. The thought that people might look at Angela strangely only made him shrink back even more.
“Angie, what did Daddy tell you?”
He met her eyes as he asked, and Angela responded clearly, enunciating every word.
“That this is just a play you have to put on because of the will, so it’s not a real wedding, and I shouldn’t worry about it.”
“And what else?”
“I should just eat lots of yummy food, have fun, and when the ceremony is over, go back to the room with Daddy.”
“Good. And?”
Angela, who had been reciting fluently, hesitated this time.
“…I can’t sleep with Daddy tonight.”
“That’s right.”
Yu-jin gently swept back the hair on her forehead.
“You’re three years old now. You can fall asleep on your own, right? You’re not going to cry, are you?”
“Nope.”
Angela nodded firmly.
“I can do it. It’s okay! I’m all grown up now.”
She spoke with such confidence, but to Yu-jin, she still looked so tiny. He knew she had to get used to sleeping alone eventually, but this felt too soon. They had never spent a night apart before.
Angela might have put on a brave face, but Yu-jin was the one who suddenly felt like crying.
I have to train myself for this.
They had shared a bed not out of mere affection, but because they had no choice in their impoverished situation. This could be a good opportunity. Yu-jin steadied himself and stood up.
A glance at the clock on the wall told him it was almost time. Sticking to his plan, he picked Angela up and stepped out of the waiting room.
“Um, the ceremony is about to begin soon…”
A servant standing outside cautiously tried to stop him. It was clear from their expression that they didn’t want any disruptions right before the big event.
Yu-jin, his face now completely devoid of the warmth he showed Angela, stared at the servant and said flatly,
“I’ll be back in time. Making sure my daughter gets something to eat.”
If he wasn’t there, he had no idea how Angela would be treated in this house. And that uncertainty was even more terrifying in this mansion than anywhere else.
Without another word, he carried Angela straight to the kitchen. It was a place he frequented, but today was different.
“Whoa.”
Angela, still in his arms, widened her eyes in awe and let out a small gasp.
Yu-jin also found himself stunned. It looked as if every single servant in the estate had been crammed into the kitchen.
I brought her here so she wouldn’t get trampled and go hungry, but now…
Yu-jin had planned to at least feed Angela something before the reception started, but now he was at a loss, his face twisting in frustration. He didn’t care about eating himself—he was an adult, and he had no appetite in this situation anyway. But Angela was different. The thought that she had gone the entire morning without eating made his stomach churn with anger.
“Angie, you’re hungry, aren’t you? I’m sorry. Daddy will ask them to make you something right away.”
At the very least, he hoped to get her some simple bread and milk. He tried to move toward the refrigerator, intending to find something quick for her to eat, but the kitchen was so overcrowded with people rushing back and forth that he couldn’t even take a step.
The kitchen felt so big before, but now it’s completely packed.
He had heard they were even using the outdoor barbecue stations and the kitchen in the annex, but he hadn’t realized it would be this chaotic. Just how many people were coming to this wedding?
What do I do?
Still holding Angela in his arms, Yu-jin hesitated, at a loss. Then, suddenly, a voice spoke up behind him.
“What are you doing here?”
Startled, Yu-jin turned around and was met with an even bigger shock.
The ever-expressionless butler was standing there, staring at him.
“Shouldn’t you be waiting in the lounge? There’s not much time left.”
The man deliberately glanced down at the watch on his wrist, making a show of checking the time. Yu-jin had no choice but to explain the situation.
“She hasn’t eaten anything since morning. The reception is still a while away, so I wanted to make sure she had something to eat…”
Not that you’d care.
As he spoke, a sense of futility washed over him, and his voice trailed off weakly. The butler, shifting his gaze from Yu-jin’s face, turned to look at Angela. The moment their eyes met, she flinched and tensed up.
Yu-jin immediately pulled her close in a protective embrace, silently reassuring her that she had nothing to fear. In response, Angela wrapped her small arms around his neck, clinging to him with absolute trust.
Maybe there’s already food set up outside.
With that thought, Yu-jin decided to back away.
“Everyone seems busy, so I’ll just—”
“The waiting room door.”
He had just tried to slip past the butler when the man suddenly spoke.
Yu-jin halted mid-step and turned back. The butler, his expression unchanged, looked directly at them as he continued.
“Wasn’t there someone stationed there?”
“…There was.”
Yu-jin frowned slightly, puzzled by the question. The butler’s brow twitched ever so faintly.
“There was, and yet you still came all the way here yourself?”
At those words, Yu-jin immediately tensed.
“Yes, because I can’t let my daughter go hungry. Is there a problem with that?”
His tone was sharp, almost accusatory. The butler nodded.
“Yes.”
Before Yu-jin could respond, the butler continued in a calm, matter-of-fact voice.
“I had them stationed there to serve you, yet they were completely useless. I’ll make sure they’re properly reprimanded.”
“…What?”
