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CHapter 08…………………………………………..
But letting things drift like this was also problematic. The more uncertainties there were, the more places there were for me to trip and fall without warning.
‘Being possessed already comes with enough risk. I need to sort out what I can while I can.’
If I didn’t, I was screwed, to put it bluntly. Especially since Erina, who played the villainess in the original story, had harassed the heroine due to a combination of inferiority complex and other factors.
“Still, the easiest person to talk to would be…….”
Probably the Duke of Marvas. Unlike Gawen or Russell, the Duke had neglected his children while devoting himself to the Duchess. So even if I made a small mistake, he’d likely just think, “Ah, she changed while I wasn’t looking,” and let it pass.
‘…Hah. The real Erina was honestly pitiful.’
It was depressing that I could even think this plan might actually work.
But the fact remained that the Duke was the most approachable. On top of that, unlike the other two, he no longer came to my room.
I didn’t know whether that was out of consideration for me or for some other reason, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
‘Besides, he’s the current head of the Marvas ducal family.’
That alone gave me one more reason to assess the situation carefully. With that thought, I pulled the signal cord.
“Yes, Lady?”
“Could you check whether it would be alright for me to meet my father right now?”
The maid politely bowed and left the room. I lightly tapped the Lindwurm egg glowing a deep teal with my fingertips.
The sensation that reached my skin was as hard as stone. Except for a faint warmth, it was hard to believe something living could actually hatch from it.
It had been about five minutes after the maid left when a light knock sounded.
‘Already?’
I wondered, but still told them to come in. I assumed it was the maid returning.
But the person who opened the door was not the maid—it was the Duke. The maid was there too, but she stood behind him with a disheveled expression, unable to hide her confusion.
“Father?”
I hadn’t even asked to meet him—I had only asked if I could. And yet he came personally? A man with that much work?
As I stared at him blankly, unsure what to say, the Duke smiled gently.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to see me?”
At his confident tone, as if nothing was unusual, I closed my mouth.
Still, since he had come himself, I guided him to a seat.
Once seated, he immediately ordered the maid to bring tea and refreshments.
For a moment, I had the urge to stop the maid as she hurried out, but I suppressed it and met the Duke’s gaze.
Silence settled over the room. An uncomfortable silence.
‘No one really feels comfortable being stared at head-on like this.’
Especially when the person doing the staring is your biological father, who has consistently ignored you for ten years.
It felt even worse as he stared without blinking, as if trying to carve my face into memory.
“Erina. How old are you this year?”
“I am seventeen.”
The Duke broke the silence first. Rolling the word “seventeen” around in his mouth, he spoke again.
“You’ve grown a lot.”
“……”
“You’ve really grown.”
His eyes narrowed, as if dazzled. After staring for a while, he murmured as if to himself.
“You look like Penelope, Erina.”
“Is that… so?”
I didn’t know much about the Duchess. The original story briefly mentioned that Erina resembled her, but others would know better exactly how much.
“Yes. I don’t know how much you remember about Penelope, but you really resemble her a great deal.”
As he spoke, the Duke slowly reached out his hand. His motion, sweeping through the air, looked as if he were tracing the outline of my face.
“Your violet eyes are just like Penelope’s. Truly, you resemble her so much, Erina.”
Having nothing to say, I simply nodded. So Erina’s purple eyes came from the Duchess. Well, the Duke’s eyes were red, after all.
At my simple response, the Duke suddenly sighed.
“…Even so, it seems you don’t have many memories left.”
“The last time I saw my mother was ten years ago.”
It was such a long time ago that, aside from a few strongly etched memories, it was difficult to recall anything clearly.
But still, it was described that Erina did remember many things about the Duchess.
Times spent with her mother were always warm. Her smiling face was beautiful.
Small memories—like secretly giving Erina a sweet treat while telling her not to tell the nanny—were things Erina clung to.
It couldn’t be helped. After that, the rest of the family had been indifferent toward her. They hadn’t tried to look her way at all.
It was a portrayal that showed Erina only had her mother’s kindness.
At the same time, it was the kind of detail that made fans of Erina sympathize—and scream, “The men of House Marvas are trash!”
Of course, I had been one of those people too.
“I do still remember a few things. She held my hand tightly, and she once gave me sweets secretly so the nanny wouldn’t know.”
Unfortunately, the nanny had died of illness when Erina was ten. That only deepened her isolation.
“Even through vague memories, I can tell my mother was a kind person.”
“She was.”
The Duke nodded slightly. As if searching through his own memories, his gaze drifted somewhere far away.
“Penelope worried about you all very much. She couldn’t bear being separated from you at such a young age while she was recuperating.”
He paused briefly, then continued, avoiding my eyes.
“Of course, she couldn’t stop her treatment. Except for Gawen, Russell and you hadn’t awakened yet, and we didn’t know what effect it might have on your consciousness. There was also the risk of infection for non-awakened children. Penelope understood that as well.”
He added that she had gratefully accepted it was unavoidable—and that made him feel even more sorry. The more he spoke, the darker his expression became.
“Gawen and Russell were able to visit Penelope after they awakened. But you… could not.”
“……”
“Penelope wanted to see you until the very moment she died. You should know that much.”
I had nothing to say, so I simply nodded. Hearing it like this, it did sound like something the Duchess would have done.
‘If only she hadn’t died before Erina awakened…’
If she had lived until then, would things have been different?
If Penelope had lived, she might have comforted the lonely Erina. The mother in Erina’s memories seemed exactly like that kind of person.
As I briefly thought about Penelope again, I looked at the Duke—and his face had grown even darker than before.
‘Wait, why?’
I just nodded. That was all. Wasn’t that a normal reaction for Erina? Or had I stepped on some kind of landmine without realizing it?
As I grew tense, watching him carefully, the Duke spoke in a heavy voice.
“…I’m sorry, Erina.”
“…Pardon?”
“I believed your mother’s recovery was the top priority. More than me, she knew how to treat children better.”
The Duke stared down at the floor with a sorrowful expression, unable—or unwilling—to meet my eyes. His fingers trembled faintly.
“If I had known she wouldn’t recover… no, that’s not it. Forgive me. That was an inappropriate excuse.”
He let out a long sigh. For a moment, it felt like his shoulders had shrunk even further.
“Regardless of the reason, I was neglectful toward you. Toward all of you. I’m sorry, Erina.”
“…Ah.”
When the Duke lifted his head, I found myself at a loss for words. This was the same man who, in the novel, had always been indifferent and hurt Erina without hesitation. A man who had never once shown emotional wavering.
And yet that man’s eyes were glistening with tears.
“I am truly sorry. This foolish father made you lonely. I should have ensured it didn’t affect your awakening, but instead I placed you in a harsh environment… That weighs heavily on my heart.”
His voice trembled with emotion. He seemed like he wanted to reach out, but lacked the courage, his hand hovering in the air before slowly falling back.
“Penelope was important, but so were you… Her precious treasure was right before my eyes, and I was too foolish to recognize it for ten years.”
Tears streamed down his face. He roughly wiped them away and exhaled deeply.
“It wasn’t until I held you yesterday that I realized—that the last time I had embraced you was ten years ago.”
His head slowly lowered.
“I’m sorry. From now on, that will never happen again.”
With those words—his promise never to repeat his mistakes—the Duke, Erina’s father, bowed his head before me.
There was no trace of falsehood in his regret over the past ten years. His tears, his voice, even his trembling shoulders—all of it conveyed sincerity.
And because of that…
I felt a little angry.
I had thought about going to check things myself, but I hesitated over who I should approach first.
‘None of them are exactly easy targets.’
But letting things drift like this was also problematic. The more uncertainties there were, the more places there were for me to trip and fall without warning.
‘Being possessed already comes with enough risk. I need to sort out what I can while I can.’
If I didn’t, I was screwed, to put it bluntly. Especially since Erina, who played the villainess in the original story, had harassed the heroine due to a combination of inferiority complex and other factors.
“Still, the easiest person to talk to would be…….”
Probably the Duke of Marvas. Unlike Gawen or Russell, the Duke had neglected his children while devoting himself to the Duchess. So even if I made a small mistake, he’d likely just think, “Ah, she changed while I wasn’t looking,” and let it pass.
‘…Hah. The real Erina was honestly pitiful.’
It was depressing that I could even think this plan might actually work.
But the fact remained that the Duke was the most approachable. On top of that, unlike the other two, he no longer came to my room.
I didn’t know whether that was out of consideration for me or for some other reason, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
‘Besides, he’s the current head of the Marvas ducal family.’
That alone gave me one more reason to assess the situation carefully. With that thought, I pulled the signal cord.
“Yes, Lady?”
“Could you check whether it would be alright for me to meet my father right now?”
The maid politely bowed and left the room. I lightly tapped the Lindwurm egg glowing a deep teal with my fingertips.
The sensation that reached my skin was as hard as stone. Except for a faint warmth, it was hard to believe something living could actually hatch from it.
It had been about five minutes after the maid left when a light knock sounded.
‘Already?’
I wondered, but still told them to come in. I assumed it was the maid returning.
But the person who opened the door was not the maid—it was the Duke. The maid was there too, but she stood behind him with a disheveled expression, unable to hide her confusion.
“Father?”
I hadn’t even asked to meet him—I had only asked if I could. And yet he came personally? A man with that much work?
As I stared at him blankly, unsure what to say, the Duke smiled gently.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to see me?”
At his confident tone, as if nothing was unusual, I closed my mouth.
Still, since he had come himself, I guided him to a seat.
Once seated, he immediately ordered the maid to bring tea and refreshments.
For a moment, I had the urge to stop the maid as she hurried out, but I suppressed it and met the Duke’s gaze.
Silence settled over the room. An uncomfortable silence.
‘No one really feels comfortable being stared at head-on like this.’
Especially when the person doing the staring is your biological father, who has consistently ignored you for ten years.
It felt even worse as he stared without blinking, as if trying to carve my face into memory.
“Erina. How old are you this year?”
“I am seventeen.”
The Duke broke the silence first. Rolling the word “seventeen” around in his mouth, he spoke again.
“You’ve grown a lot.”
“……”
“You’ve really grown.”
His eyes narrowed, as if dazzled. After staring for a while, he murmured as if to himself.
“You look like Penelope, Erina.”
“Is that… so?”
I didn’t know much about the Duchess. The original story briefly mentioned that Erina resembled her, but others would know better exactly how much.
“Yes. I don’t know how much you remember about Penelope, but you really resemble her a great deal.”
As he spoke, the Duke slowly reached out his hand. His motion, sweeping through the air, looked as if he were tracing the outline of my face.
“Your violet eyes are just like Penelope’s. Truly, you resemble her so much, Erina.”
Having nothing to say, I simply nodded. So Erina’s purple eyes came from the Duchess. Well, the Duke’s eyes were red, after all.
At my simple response, the Duke suddenly sighed.
“…Even so, it seems you don’t have many memories left.”
“The last time I saw my mother was ten years ago.”
It was such a long time ago that, aside from a few strongly etched memories, it was difficult to recall anything clearly.
But still, it was described that Erina did remember many things about the Duchess.
Times spent with her mother were always warm. Her smiling face was beautiful.
Small memories—like secretly giving Erina a sweet treat while telling her not to tell the nanny—were things Erina clung to.
It couldn’t be helped. After that, the rest of the family had been indifferent toward her. They hadn’t tried to look her way at all.
It was a portrayal that showed Erina only had her mother’s kindness.
At the same time, it was the kind of detail that made fans of Erina sympathize—and scream, “The men of House Marvas are trash!”
Of course, I had been one of those people too.
“I do still remember a few things. She held my hand tightly, and she once gave me sweets secretly so the nanny wouldn’t know.”
Unfortunately, the nanny had died of illness when Erina was ten. That only deepened her isolation.
“Even through vague memories, I can tell my mother was a kind person.”
“She was.”
The Duke nodded slightly. As if searching through his own memories, his gaze drifted somewhere far away.
“Penelope worried about you all very much. She couldn’t bear being separated from you at such a young age while she was recuperating.”
He paused briefly, then continued, avoiding my eyes.
“Of course, she couldn’t stop her treatment. Except for Gawen, Russell and you hadn’t awakened yet, and we didn’t know what effect it might have on your consciousness. There was also the risk of infection for non-awakened children. Penelope understood that as well.”
He added that she had gratefully accepted it was unavoidable—and that made him feel even more sorry. The more he spoke, the darker his expression became.
“Gawen and Russell were able to visit Penelope after they awakened. But you… could not.”
“……”
“Penelope wanted to see you until the very moment she died. You should know that much.”
I had nothing to say, so I simply nodded. Hearing it like this, it did sound like something the Duchess would have done.
‘If only she hadn’t died before Erina awakened…’
If she had lived until then, would things have been different?
If Penelope had lived, she might have comforted the lonely Erina. The mother in Erina’s memories seemed exactly like that kind of person.
As I briefly thought about Penelope again, I looked at the Duke—and his face had grown even darker than before.
‘Wait, why?’
I just nodded. That was all. Wasn’t that a normal reaction for Erina? Or had I stepped on some kind of landmine without realizing it?
As I grew tense, watching him carefully, the Duke spoke in a heavy voice.
“…I’m sorry, Erina.”
“…Pardon?”
“I believed your mother’s recovery was the top priority. More than me, she knew how to treat children better.”
The Duke stared down at the floor with a sorrowful expression, unable—or unwilling—to meet my eyes. His fingers trembled faintly.
“If I had known she wouldn’t recover… no, that’s not it. Forgive me. That was an inappropriate excuse.”
He let out a long sigh. For a moment, it felt like his shoulders had shrunk even further.
“Regardless of the reason, I was neglectful toward you. Toward all of you. I’m sorry, Erina.”
“…Ah.”
When the Duke lifted his head, I found myself at a loss for words. This was the same man who, in the novel, had always been indifferent and hurt Erina without hesitation. A man who had never once shown emotional wavering.
And yet that man’s eyes were glistening with tears.
“I am truly sorry. This foolish father made you lonely. I should have ensured it didn’t affect your awakening, but instead I placed you in a harsh environment… That weighs heavily on my heart.”
His voice trembled with emotion. He seemed like he wanted to reach out, but lacked the courage, his hand hovering in the air before slowly falling back.
“Penelope was important, but so were you… Her precious treasure was right before my eyes, and I was too foolish to recognize it for ten years.”
Tears streamed down his face. He roughly wiped them away and exhaled deeply.
“It wasn’t until I held you yesterday that I realized—that the last time I had embraced you was ten years ago.”
His head slowly lowered.
“I’m sorry. From now on, that will never happen again.”
With those words—his promise never to repeat his mistakes—the Duke, Erina’s father, bowed his head before me.
There was no trace of falsehood in his regret over the past ten years. His tears, his voice, even his trembling shoulders—all of it conveyed sincerity.
And because of that…
I felt a little angry.
