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Xeno had only taken his eyes off his daughter for a moment.
When he looked back, Gen was gone.
His seven-year-old daughter had always possessed an almost inexhaustible curiosity. Whenever they visited somewhere unfamiliar, Gen had a tendency to wander off the moment something caught her attention, eager to investigate whatever had piqued her interest. It was a habit that had tested Xeno's patience more than once.
Usually, however, he could find her within a few minutes.
Usually.
Xeno had been in the area for business, attending to several matters that had required his attention throughout the day. Since Stanley had been unable to watch their seven-year-old daughter that day, Gen had accompanied him. Fortunately, Xeno had finished his own business not long ago, leaving him with only the task of taking Gen home.
Or, at least, that had been the plan.
The place they were visiting was a sprawling estate with meticulously maintained gardens, elegant stone walkways, and several open courtyards surrounded by grand, old-fashioned architecture. The grounds were spacious enough to accommodate large gatherings, with rows of neatly arranged chairs beneath a decorated outdoor structure and wide paths connecting the different areas of the property.
It was the sort of place designed for formal occasions, where every detail—from the trimmed hedges to the carefully arranged flowers—had clearly been considered in advance.
And somewhere among all of that, his daughter had disappeared.
Xeno's pace gradually quickened as he searched the grounds.
"Gen?"
There was no answer.
He glanced beneath the nearby trees, then along the stone pathways, scanning every corner and doorway within sight. His expression remained composed, but the slight tension in his jaw betrayed his growing concern.
"Gen, where are you?"
Still nothing.
A faint crease formed between his brows.
She could not have gotten far. At least, that was what he told himself.
Xeno continued down the path, his eyes moving constantly from one direction to another. The longer he failed to find her, however, the more his concern began to outweigh his irritation.
He was already considering whether he ought to contact the authorities when he noticed a gathering farther ahead.
A ceremony was about to begin.
The bride stood waiting at the entrance to the aisle, surrounded by several guests. She was a striking woman with long, golden-blonde hair that fell elegantly over her shoulders, her features softened by a warm albeit nervous smile. Her white dress swept gracefully around her, the delicate fabric catching the light as she waited for the ceremony to begin.
Xeno barely spared the gathering a glance as he continued walking.
Then something familiar caught his eye.
A small figure stood among the crowd.
Xeno stopped as his shoulders immediately sagged with relief. "Gen..."
There she was—his daughter.
And then he saw where she was standing.
His relief vanished as Gen was already making her way toward the bride.
"Gen—!" Xeno's voice carried across the grounds.
It was too late.
The bride and several of the guests turned toward Xeno just as Gen reached the front. Completely oblivious to the attention she had attracted, the little girl reached out and gently patted the bride's dress before letting out an excited squeal.
Every head in the vicinity turned toward her.
Xeno could scarcely bring himself to process the embarrassment.
Of all the places his daughter could have wandered into, she had somehow managed to insert herself into a formal ceremony involving complete strangers.
The bride, however, merely looked down at the child.
She smiled. "Well, hello there."
"Are you a princess here?" Gen blinked up at her, her eyes wide with fascination.
Xeno immediately hurried forward and scooped his daughter into his arms. "I sincerely apologize for my daughter's behavior."
He adjusted Gen against his chest, his expression remaining as dignified as he could manage despite the situation.
"She appears to have wandered away from me. I assure you, we had no intention of intruding."
Especially considering that both he and Gen were complete outsiders here, and this was very clearly a private and important occasion.
"No worries.” Fortunately, the bride only laughed. “Your daughter is a charmer!"
"Papa," Gen whispered, though her voice was loud enough to carry to everyone around them. "She's definitely a princess."
"Oh?" Xeno gave her a weak smile, already preparing to leave. "And why is that?"
Gen looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious. "Because that princess obviously walked out of a fairy tale."
"Well—"
"I don't want to leave yet!" Gen protested the moment she realized they were about to walk away. "I want to take a picture with the princess!"
Xeno immediately shushed her, lowering his voice as he glanced apologetically toward the bride and her family and friends. "I beg your pardon."
He was painfully aware that he had spoiled Gen as she grew up. Perhaps he had even been an enabler, indulging her far too often simply because he found it difficult to deny her anything.
It was a habit he had thoroughly ignored for years.
He could no longer ignore it quite so easily.
Yet, rather than appearing annoyed, the bride and the others merely looked at them with amusement.
"It's fine," the bride assured him with a smile. "I can take my time."
"Yey!"
Gen immediately squirmed in Xeno's arms, attempting to free herself.
Xeno let out a quiet sigh before finally setting her down.
He then glanced toward one of the bridesmaids who stood nearby. "I'm sorry about my daughter."
"Actually,” The bridesmaid only laughed. “I'm thankful your daughter is here. My friend was about to have a heart attack as the walk down the aisle got so close."
Xeno smiled sympathetically.
He could understand the sentiment.
The nervous anticipation reminded him faintly of his own wedding to Stanley—the strange mixture of excitement, tension, and the awareness that, after years of knowing each other, they were finally about to take that particular step together.
Even now, Xeno could remember how composed he had tried to appear despite everything going on beneath the surface.
"Papa! I want pictures!" Gen said petulantly.
Xeno sighed. "All right, all right."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
As he opened the camera, Xeno couldn't help but think that he was going to have quite a story to tell Stanley later.
Once Xeno had finished taking a few pictures of the bride and Gen, Gen turned her attention back toward the woman.
"So, what are you doing here?" Gen asked, tilting her head. "Do you have princess duties?"
The bride laughed softly. "This is actually one of my off-duty days."
"Oh, really?"
"Yep." The bride grinned. "I'm going to marry my own prince charming today."
Gen's eyes immediately sparkled. "Yeah?"
The bride chuckled at her enthusiasm and continued talking, explaining that she was the bride and that the ceremony was about to begin. With every word, Gen seemed to become more fascinated, her expression brightening as she listened intently.
"So you're the princess," Gen concluded, looking at the woman's dress with renewed admiration.
"Something like that."
Gen stared at her for another moment before suddenly spinning around to face Xeno.
"Papa!"
“Yes?” Xeno looked down at her.
"I want to become a bride like the princess!"
Xeno nearly choked on his own saliva. "P-pardon?"
He was well aware that the reaction was hardly elegant.
But how could he possibly be expected to respond elegantly to that?
The mere thought of Gen becoming a bride someday meant there would eventually be some unfamiliar—and, in Xeno's estimation, almost certainly undeserving—man standing next to her. Some man would have the audacity to take her hand, walk next to her, and presumably become the person she turned to first.
The thought was unacceptable.
She was seven.
Gen was supposed to remain seven. Preferably forever.
The bridesmaids standing nearby began to laugh at his expression. "I don't think your father is ready for you to start planning just yet."
"Why?" Gen blinked, genuinely confused.
"Well,” this time, the bride laughed. “I think your papa wants you to stay his little girl."
"Oh."Gen seemed to consider that for a moment before walking over and patting Xeno's leg. "Don't worry, Papa. No one can replace you and Daddy."
Xeno's heart practically melted.
He immediately scooped his daughter into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead, completely disregarding the fact that there were still several people watching them.
"That is very reassuring to hear." Xeno held her a little closer.
He was definitely not ready for Gen to start thinking about marriage.
Honestly, and without the slightest trace of exaggeration, he suspected it might kill him.
Afterward, the bride invited them to stay and watch the ceremony, particularly after learning that Gen wanted to see her walk down the aisle.
Xeno initially refused.
They had already caused enough of a disturbance, and he had no desire to impose any further.
Unfortunately, one look at Gen's increasingly pouty expression was enough to make him reconsider.
"Please, Papa?"
Xeno sighed. "...Very well."
He had lost.
Judging by the way several of the women nearby visibly melted at the sight of Gen's expression, he was apparently not the only one.
Xeno looked down at his daughter.
That face and that innocent little pout. He could already see it.
His daughter was going to grow up to be a manipulator.
And, frankly, he would be extraordinarily proud of his elegant little daughter.
***
Xeno sat next to Gen as the ceremony began.
The bride slowly made her way down the aisle, her expression bright with happiness despite the tears gathering in her eyes. She smiled at the people waiting for her at the altar, occasionally blinking away the tears that threatened to spill.
For a brief moment, Xeno found himself thinking of his own wedding with Stanley.
The memory came unbidden—the overwhelming realization that the man he had spent so much of his life beside would now be his husband. It felt almost surreal to think about how much their lives had changed since then.
Xeno's gaze eventually drifted back toward his daughter.
Gen was staring at the bride with complete awe.
Her eyes followed every movement, wide and sparkling with fascination as the bride approached the altar. She seemed utterly captivated by the dress, the flowers, the music, and the way everyone's attention was focused on the woman walking toward the person she loved. Gen was perfectly still, too absorbed in the spectacle before her to wander off in search of something else.
When the ceremony finally reached the kiss, Xeno quietly placed a hand over Gen's eyes. Gen did not complain.
Instead, she simply tilted her head upward and glanced at him with an expectant look, as though she already knew precisely what she had missed.
Once Xeno lowered his hand, Gen looked toward the newly married couple.
"That was beautiful, Papa." Gen grinned. "I want to be like her someday."
Xeno's heart crumbled yet again.
***
After the ceremony, Xeno and Gen said their goodbyes to the bride during the reception. They even had the opportunity to meet the groom, who seemed to be just genuinely as pleasant as his new wife.
With that, they made their way back to the car and began the drive home.
Gen spent most of the journey talking about the wedding.
She went on about how beautiful the venue had been, how pretty the bride's dress was, and, most importantly, how much the bride had looked like a princess.
Xeno listened while keeping his eyes on the road.
He found it both endearing and mildly exhausting.
After a while, curiosity got the better of him. "What type of groom would you like?"
Gen's eyes immediately lit up. "I want him to be smart, handsome, and really good to me—" She paused, then her expression soured. "But I don't want someone like Louis from my class."
Xeno's expression remained neutral.
Oh, he knew about Louis. Both he and Stanley did.
How could they not?
Louis had been Gen's first crush.
Fortunately, that crush had faded rather quickly, because apparently the boy had made a habit of being unpleasant toward her.
"He's always mean to me," Gen continued, her little brows furrowing. "And I'm always the one he is mean to, but our teacher said it's only because he's blunt. Well, I don't like blunt—that means they are just being rude."
Xeno wholeheartedly supported this assessment.
Never mind the fact that he himself was rather blunt and had little patience for skirting around a subject. Stanley was much the same.
Still, that was entirely beside the point.
"Oh! And I also want my groom to be rich!" Gen's eyes brightened again as another requirement came to mind. "Maybe tall, too! And he would always save me and always be sweet with me."
Xeno's expression tightened slightly as he stared ahead at the road.
He had a feeling that particular list of requirements was going to become increasingly troublesome as Gen grew older.
Before either of them realized it, they had arrived home. Then, Xeno noticed another car parked outside the house.
Stanley was home.
Gen immediately lit up. "Daddy!"
Before Xeno had even finished getting out of the car, Gen was already running toward the house.
Xeno could not help but sigh fondly as he followed after her.
When he entered the house, he found Gen already perched comfortably in Stanley's arms, talking animatedly about the wedding she ended up watching.
Xeno had intended to keep the conversation about Gen wanting to become a bride to himself.
If Gen did not mention it to Stanley, then neither would he.
He knew his husband well enough to understand that the subject would probably be more difficult for Stanley than he would ever admit.
Unfortunately, Gen had other plans.
"I want to become a bride in the future!"
Well.
The cat was out of the bag.
Xeno watched as Stanley froze. For several seconds, he did not move at all.
That alone was impressive, considering Stanley had spent most of his life maintaining an almost unnerving level of composure, even under circumstances that would have rattled most people.
Yet his seven-year-old daughter had apparently managed to accomplish what years of military training could not.
Stanley simply stared at her.
He looked as though Gen had announced that she was leaving home tomorrow, despite the fact that she was still securely sitting in his arms.
"Daddy?" Gen reached up and gently patted his cheeks. "Why are you not moving?"
Stanley still did not move.
He continued staring at her with an expression that suggested he was attempting to process a catastrophic development.
Xeno nearly rolled his eyes. "Stan."
Stanley finally blinked, as the sound of his husband's voice had pulled him back into reality.
Gen was still looking at him expectantly.
"So, uh..." Stanley's voice cracked slightly as he cleared his throat. "Did this idea come from seeing that wedding?"
"Uh-huh."
Stanley stared at her again. Xeno could practically see the realization settling over him.
His husband looked dangerously close to tears.
It was an expression Xeno had rarely seen on Stanley's face.
Indeed, it was the sort of sight Stanley’s coworkers would have probably paid an unreasonable amount of money to witness.
And Xeno had the distinct feeling that Stanley would have preferred to face an entire battlefield again rather than admit how much this tiny declaration had affected him.
Gen looked alarmed by her father's expression. "Why are you looking so sad, Daddy?"
"Because you want to search for your Prince Charming."
"... Silly Daddy.” Gen merely stared at him in confusion. “You're my Prince Charming."
Stanley blinked. From the sidelines, Xeno blinked as well. Neither of them seemed to have expected that answer.
Gen continued with complete confidence, "I'm going to marry Daddy when I grow up and become a princess!"
Xeno sagged with relief, he almost dropped on the floor because of it.
For a brief moment, all the hypothetical murders he had already imagined committing in the distant future vanished from his mind. His daughter was still their precious little girl, and clearly, she had no interest in some other boy stealing her away.
Of course she wouldn't think about other boys.
Gen was going to marry her father. That was perfectly reasonable.
Meanwhile, Stanley actually teared up as Xeno glanced at his husband.
Stanley really was far too dramatic sometimes.
***
Years later, Xeno will remember that moment when Gen was seven years old, standing beside a bride and asking if she was a princess.
Back then, Gen had already decided that she wanted to become a bride someday—and, naturally, find her very own prince.
Now, years later, Xeno finds himself thinking about that memory as he and Stanley drive their daughter home after her dance party.
Both of them know there is a good chance Gen has danced with the boy she likes.
Gen is only fifteen years old, and yet...
During the ride home, Stanley asks question after question about what happened at the party. Gen answers each one with an easy smile, clearly still riding the high of the evening. Whatever happened, she has obviously had a wonderful time.
That is good.
It is also precisely what worries Xeno.
There is always a possibility that the boy she likes has done something inappropriate or, worse, something that has upset her without her realizing it yet.
Of course, Xeno cannot exactly voice such concerns when Gen had been practically glowing with excitement before she even left for the party.
His daughter had spent a considerable amount of time checking her makeup and fussing over her clothes, repeatedly making sure that everything looked right.
Was she beautiful? Gen had asked.
In Xeno's opinion, she was stunning.
And he is hardly the only one who thinks so as Xeno is well aware that plenty of boys have taken an interest in his daughter.
Now Gen has had her fun, and she seems perfectly content as she settles into the ride home.
"So, you had fun?" Stanley asks.
The question is almost unnecessary. The answer is written all over Gen's face. Perhaps, however, her father simply wants to hear her say it.
Gen nods enthusiastically. "Everything was like it came from a fairytale!"
There is another thing about Gen.
His daughter is, without a doubt, a romantic at heart.
She sometimes pretends that she has grown out of her princess phase, but Xeno knows better. That fascination has never truly disappeared. It has merely changed shape as she has gotten older.
And there is one more thing Xeno can conclude with absolute certainty.
Gen is definitely beginning to look for her own prince charming.