My Daughters Are Regressors

Chapter 209: Precious (2)

The day was originally set for a date with Brigitte.The exact plans remained a mystery.Perhaps a casual lunch or a simple dinner date was in store.In all honesty, it was just another ordinary autumn day.No festivals were kicking off, no celebrities were gracing Freesia with their presence.It wasn’t anyone’s birthday that I could recall, nor was there anything particularly exciting on the horizon.

Yet, there wasn’t anything notably gloomy either.Just…An average day, flowing by like any other.So utterly unremarkable that even the date itself would likely slip from memory.That’s how it should have been, but a woman’s voice added a touch of something special to the day.

“Judas, got a moment?”

It was Salome.

“It’s fine if you don’t. I’m planning to steal your time today. Let’s go.”

Salome grabbed my hand and tugged.I had been preparing to head out, but I found myself grasping Salome’s hand and leaving the mansion instead.Where could she be whisking me off to?

Salome led us out of Freesia’s downtown and towards a nearby forest. A forest, of all places.I thought it an odd choice for a city woman like Salome, but after a lengthy uphill trek, we reached a spot with a breathtaking view.From there, we could see Freesia’s city walls looking tiny below us.

“What a stunning view.”“Isn’t it? Truth be told, this is where I often come to shout when I’m feeling down. Yelling here makes me feel like a weight’s been lifted off my chest.”

With that, Salome let out a loud shout, “Aagh”.The noise sent birds perched in nearby trees fluttering away with a Porolong—Undeterred, Salome shouted even more enthusiastically, “Aagh, aaaagh”.A few seconds passed like this.Salome, her face flushed as if catching her breath, nudged my side.

“What are you waiting for? You should shout too.”“Me?”

I wasn’t particularly in the mood for shouting.But Salome, despite being much younger, often acted like an older sister, and I knew she’d be upset if I didn’t play along.Reluctantly, I shouted.

“Ah!”

My voice echoed across the hill and through the forest.It was an odd sensation.For as long as I could remember, I’d always tried to keep my voice down. After all, people tend to grow quieter as they age.But shouting like this felt almost mischievous.My heart was racing a bit.

“Aah!”

I shouted even louder. I surprised myself with how much noise I could make.

“Feel any better?”

Salome asked.I nodded, genuinely.

“It seems so simple, but it’s more enjoyable than I expected.”“It’s a trick my father taught me.”“……”

Suddenly, the atmosphere grew tense.Because Salome’s father was a villain. And I had a history of taking down that villain.After a moment, Salome spoke up.

“I know my father was a terrible person. But I still think of him sometimes. It seems we’re wired to forget the bad memories and hold onto the good ones.”

I could somewhat relate to Salome’s feelings.I thought I’d endured a lot of hardship, but looking back now, those painful memories had faded, and I felt like ‘it wasn’t all that bad’.

“In that sense, Judas, you’re a lot like my dad. You have plenty in common, including being the worst person in the world. I actually hated you so much I wanted to kill you.”“Because I took down your father?”“That’s part of it. And I just didn’t like you. You seemed so dim-witted and foolish, like you couldn’t last a day in this harsh world without me. I despise fools above all else.”“I see.”“When I met you again, you were still the same fool and idiot. But your circumstances had changed. And Brigitte… It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”“What’s wrong with Brigitte?”

I defended Brigitte lightly.Salome hit my chest, clearly upset.

“Are you defending Brigitte now?”“Of course.”“Why, because she’s your first woman?”

Frown—Salome’s brow furrowed slightly.Something had clearly irked her.I tried to cheer her up.

“If someone criticized you, I’d defend you just the same. It’s not because Brigitte is my first woman.”

Hearing that, Salome seemed to soften a bit.She snorted softly.

“Well, being first doesn’t necessarily mean much. But honestly, I don’t like Brigitte. It feels like she took what’s mine. Judas, I was the first one to find you in this world.”

That was true.My connection with Salome came first.That fact would never change.

“How foolish. I had the upper hand, but I squandered all the chances. I’m an idiot. That’s why I hate myself too.”

Pat—Salome kicked a stone, sending it tumbling down the hillside.Today’s Salome was being unusually candid.Perhaps all her deception and pretense had been shouted away down the hill.I felt similarly unburdened.

“Still, you’re the first woman I came to care for, Salome. Of course, as you said, being first might not mean much.”“……”

Salome fell silent.Her expression was filled with discontent.After a moment, she spoke curtly.

“I’m not so sure about that.”

# # #

For Salome, “firsts” always held a profound significance in numerous ways.She still possessed the first item she ever stole, cherishing it to this day.It was a small, insignificant, worn-out fountain pen that had belonged to her maid.The way it could inscribe letters on paper by simply dipping it in ink fascinated her.The Titick- Titick- sound it produced was equally captivating.

Salome was merely five years old at the time.After pilfering the fountain pen, Salome developed a fondness for writing letters on paper. She remained oblivious to the fact that taking someone else’s belongings was wrong.In Salome’s world, such occurrences were commonplace.Then one day, a man who noticed Salome’s theft gently patted her head with his large hand.

━My daughter brims with talent.

That marked the first compliment Salome had ever received.From that moment on, Salome lived for praise.Gaining acknowledgment from that man, her father, became Salome’s everything.It was akin to a powerful enchantment.Even now, those intense first experiences remained deeply rooted within the person known as Salome. They could be considered the pillars shaping her personality.

There came a time when Salome disobeyed her father’s orders for the first time.It happened when she encountered a foolish, idiotic man.Her father disapproved of Salome getting close to men, but for some inexplicable reason, she ended up concealing that man in her room.It was merely a whim.Although nothing her father feared transpired, it marked the first truly rebellious act Salome had committed in a genuine sense.Her heart raced fiercely.Her face flushed with heat.

‘Is this a dream? I’ll cherish this memory until my dying breath.’

When Salome’s eyes fluttered open, stars had emerged between the bushes and tree branches.Salome was startled to realize she had dozed off.

“I shouldn’t have slept. Why didn’t you wake me?”“You were in too deep a slumber.”

Salome yearned to know the current time.Today held significance in many ways.Swoosh-At that moment, the man raised his hand.

“It’s alright. We still have time to spare. Look at that star. The Thief’s Star hasn’t drawn near the moon yet. It’s likely just about 10 PM now.”

The Thief’s Star was a celestial body favored by thieves. It earned its name from the belief that when it approached the moon, it signaled the time for thieves to spring into action.Salome recalled once telling this man about the ‘Thief’s Star’. Suddenly, their earlier conversations flooded back to her mind.

“Judas, you mentioned you liked me first, correct?”“That’s right.”“Why? What did you like about me?”“You’re pretty.”

It was a simple reason.It didn’t appear to be a lie either.Yet Salome felt a twinge of displeasure about something.Because there were countless beautiful women in the world.Certainly, Salome stood out as exceptionally beautiful even among pretty women, but she disliked that the man had come to like her for such a superficial reason.

“What else?”“Among all the women I had encountered until then, you were the most stunning. Conversing with you, sharing meals with someone like you, I couldn’t help but develop feelings for you.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Once again, it was a straightforward reason.Salome felt somewhat slighted by the fact that she had come to like this man for grand and complex reasons.Fortunately, the man refrained from asking questions like ‘Why did you come to like me?’.This man was always like this.He seemed talkative, but in retrospect, he was often reticent.

“……”

This silence made Salome feel uneasy and caused her heart to flutter. Though she was reluctant to admit it, Salome had grown fond of Judas.Immensely so.There had been numerous reasons to like him up until now.It would be peculiar not to like him.But she hesitated to enumerate those reasons in detail.

Hwooo-As the autumn wind whistled by.Glancing skyward, the Thief’s Star was inching closer to the moon.It was an opportune moment for thieves to make their move.

“Judas, the man I cherished most wasn’t actually you. You’re still second.”“Is that so?”

Salome loved her father deeply.Despite the abundance of reasons not to like him.It was impossible to harbor pure hatred towards him.But she felt it was time to let go.

“…Will you steal me away from that man now?”

Salome finally felt liberated.It felt as though she was committing a truly wicked act, causing her heart to pound heavily.Fortunately, the man—Judas—was someone quite accustomed to engaging in misdeeds.

October 20th.Salome carefully etched today’s date in her mind with the fountain pen in her heart.It was an ordinary day that could have passed like any other, but at this moment, it transformed into an unforgettable day in Salome’s life.