Clementine and I exchanged a glance.

Our first meeting was a little...

Hectic.

But Clementine and I talked about it anyway, earning a bunch of laughs from her parents.

I liked this kind of atmosphere.

It reminded me of the days I used to spend with my parents before they died.

So, as simple as lunch was, I enjoyed every moment of it as Clementine and I talked about our relationship for what felt like hours.

We hadn't even spent that much time together...

But Clementine had her own perspective on our time spent, and I had mine.

It was pleasant to hear how she thought of me...

And so, lunch passed wonderfully as I got to know Clementine and even her parents a little better.

It looked like her father was on the expedition team.

They were just a bunch of sirens who went out of their way to salvage supplies from lost human shipments.

It was pretty genius, since humans never really looked for those shipments.

Especially not in this era.

As for Clementine's mother, she used to be an underwater dancer.

A magnificent underwater dancer, according to her father.

That's how the two of them met.

And it was definitely more romantic than how Clementine and I met.

Finally, we finished all the food and leaned back, our stomachs full.

"The food was great..."

Clementine's father nodded.

"Yep. A nice meal after all that hell earlier sure is a breath of fresh air."

"Right..."

Clementine turned to both of us.

"What really did happen?"

"I'll tell you later," I said immediately.

Her mother glanced at the father, but he also shrugged.

"It's a boring story. I'll tell you later too."

Both women pouted, then stood up, angrily picked up our plates, and walked over to the sink.

As they began washing our plates while bickering among each other, Clementine's father and I stared at each other for a moment.

That was until he finally spoke.

"Seeing how my daughter acted around people... Although I am her father, I'm ashamed to admit I never really believed she could find someone."

"Since we couldn't be there for her while she was growing up, we could only hope the sirens taught her well. But instead of making her a queen people could love, they made her a weapon the people could love."

Clementine and her mother began washing the dishes a tad bit slower.

After all, they were hearing all of this as well.

"But despite that, her innocence never vanished. She was always a modest, reserved child."

I listened in silence.

I understood what he was getting at.

The sirens treated her like a tool rather than an actual queen.

A puppet, rather.

Her parents were exiled, and with the sirens teaching Clementine whatever they wanted... Although her parents loved her dearly, they thought she could never find happiness.

And as sad as it was, their worries had come to reality in the game.

In every single playthrough, Clementine had been all alone.

If the timeline was basically the same, then that also meant today was the day she lost her father in the game.

Just thinking about it made my heart ache.

But I was there for her now.

So when her father finally finished speaking, I flashed a slight smile.

"You don't have to worry. I love her, and I'll always be by her side no matter what."

"..."

At my words, the women began to scrub the dishes again.

Though I could see her mother slightly elbowing Clementine, as if teasing her.

Clementine's ears were all red, and to handle the embarrassment, she began scrubbing at super speed.

As for her father, he gave me a nod.

"That's the least I expect from you, Amon."

With that, he stood up and tapped on the table a couple of times.

"Now then. I'll prepare the picture machine upstairs. Amon, would you like to help me?"

The picture machine?

A camera?

Oh...

It had already turned dark.

Which also meant Clementine's birthday was practically over.

And if he noticed a pattern, then today, they'd take a photo for her nineteenth birthday.

Smiling, I agreed and followed Clementine's father upstairs.

Thankfully, when Clementine's mother got rid of the water, she seemed to get rid of the water in the entire house.

There were a couple of rooms.

Mainly a master bedroom where Clementine's father stayed, then Clementine's room, which was locked, and lastly, an office.

The moment I stepped into the office, instead of books, I spotted all sorts of jewelry and treasure chests scattered around.

There were dozens of weapons, ancient-looking armor, and even several pieces of a wrecked boat.

This was like any man's wet dream.

Me included.

But among the many valuables, there was an old-school camera.

If I recalled correctly, it used to be called the camera obscura in my old world.

Though this one seemed a little newer than that.

"Put a drape over it and wipe the lens. Careful not to break it, since I've only got one."

As he said that, he walked over to his desk and began cutting up some paper.

I did my part as well.

With Telekinesis, I cleaned everything up and made the lens spotless.

After that, he brought a few pieces of roughly cut paper and inserted them into the camera.

Patting it a few times, he nodded at me again.

"All set up now. You can call the girls up here."

"Mm... Sure."

But just as I was about to walk through the door, I heard his voice again.

"Amon. You look like a trustworthy young man... But can you assure me you're not using my daughter just because she's the queen of the sirens?"

Seriously...

"I don't care about titles. Also, when we talked about each other's lives these past few months, did either of us mention anything having to do with the sirens?"

Of course not.

Because we didn't need to.

And upon understanding that, he finally relaxed.

"In that case, I'll put my trust in you as well, Amon. I truly hope you stand by what you said today."

A faint smile appeared on my face.

I slowly glanced back at him and pulled out the two golden rings I bought, showing them to him.

"Hmm?"

"Amon, you do know I'm taken already, right?"

"..."

Dude.

"Pfft... I'm just kidding."

He walked up to me and patted me on the shoulder.

Then he inspected the rings closer before letting out a sigh.

"Do you want my honest thoughts?"

"...Sure?"

He met my gaze.

"The rings are a little lacking, perhaps? I'm not saying they're bad, since most couples get golden rings... But don't you think they're a little plain?"

Ah...

Well, he was kind of right.

If I did end up marrying Clementine, I would technically be marrying the Queen of the Sirens.

And giving a plain golden ring to someone like that...

"Don't feel pressured, Amon. On another note, here. Take a look in this drawer."

He led me to his desk and unlocked a secret drawer.

There were hundreds of rings inside.

More importantly, every one of those rings looked better than the ones I had bought.

"If you want, you can take your pick. I'll help you find the pair."

Hearing his words, I slowly took the two golden rings out of the small boxes and tossed them into his drawer.

Then I closed the drawer, and as if understanding my intentions, he locked it right after.

"Thank you for your advice. It seems like I rushed things a little. I'll find something better."

"Hahaha... You really are a good kid."

With those words, I finally left the room and called over Clementine and her mother.

Both of them were excited as they stormed up the stairs and ran straight into the office.

I slowly followed them.

By the time I arrived, Clementine's father had already set up the camera and aimed it at his desk.

Clementine sat on the desk with a pair of funny-looking coral glasses and a hand on her chin, trying to act tough.

As for her mother, she was standing like a normal lady and smiling at the camera.

When her father finished setting everything up, he quickly fixed his hair and stepped into frame.

He tightly hugged his wife and grinned at the camera.

I could barely hold back a smile.

They looked like a happy family.

"Amon?"

Clementine waved at me, puzzled.

"What are you doing there? Come. The photo's about to be taken."

Ah...

I guess I'm a part of that family now, aren't I?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.