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Chapter – 10
Part – 01 Hell
Chapter – 02 Family (2)
“…So that’s why I came…”
I forced my frozen tongue to move. Blake looked at me strangely, but perhaps thinking I had only recently recovered, he didn’t question it further. He spoke gently.
“You came rushing here the moment you opened your eyes. You must have missed me that much.”
“Lady Florence has been insisting since last night that she wanted to come to her family home. She said when someone is sick, they naturally want to see their family. She kept urging us to prepare the carriage the moment she woke up…”
“Of course. Family is the best thing there is. Florence, you did well coming here.”
Helen answered on my behalf while I struggled to find words. Still being held in Blake’s arms, I gripped his collar tightly. He bent down, looking at me with concern.
His blue eyes, filled with worry, were the same color as mine. Something surged up from deep inside my chest. Tears spilled down uncontrollably. Blake widened his eyes, then pulled me into his embrace.
And as if soothing a child, gently…
“Why are you crying, Florence? My precious little sister.”
“B-Brother…”
“Were you in pain? You must have suffered. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for you.”
“Ugh… sob… ngh…”
I couldn’t hold back my tears. But I didn’t want to show him my crying face, so I buried it deeper into his chest. Blake continued stroking my shoulders and back without a trace of annoyance. Rather, he seemed almost pleased that I was crying in his arms.
He cupped my cheeks with both hands and lifted my face. Even though my face must have been a mess of tears, his blue eyes overflowed with a warmth I had never seen before.
“Father is waiting for you too. Are you going to see him with that crying face?”
“N-no…”
“Stop crying now. Ah, Grace is also coming to see you.”
“My sister too?”
“Of course. You woke up after ten days—how could she not come immediately? No matter how busy she is, what could be more important than family?”
Nothing is more important than family. That was Blake’s constant mantra. He had always cherished our father and sister. I had only been added five years ago as his younger sister; he was originally someone who valued family deeply.
Why was I crying? What was so good about being held and crying? I wiped my tears away. I pushed Blake away too. He looked slightly disappointed, but when he saw my face no longer crying, he smiled with satisfaction.
“Show me a smiling face, Florence.”
“……”
“I need to see you smile to feel at ease.”
I forced the corners of my mouth upward. I wasn’t sure if I had managed a proper smile. But Blake smiled softly and said,
“Just as I thought. Your smiling face really is just like Mother’s. It’s beautiful, my sister.”
It felt as if someone had grabbed the back of my head and plunged me into freezing water.
Bitch who devoured her mother and was born.
How shameless can you be?
How long are we supposed to keep her in this house? We should just send her somewhere far away already.
If you get in my way one more time, I’ll crush that pretty face of yours myself—so behave. Understand?
My mind snapped awake.
The father was waiting in the reception room.
“I was about to go greet you myself, but Blake insisted I leave it to him.”
“He just wanted to monopolize the joy of seeing her first. Father, you should act dignified as the head of the house and receive her properly.”
“So this is your way of demanding I pass down the title sooner?”
“Of course not. I just want to enjoy myself more freely. I’m counting on you, Father.”
“You insolent brat. Raising sons is useless, as always.”
Their warm conversation continued playfully. At the end, Father looked at me and even asked, “As expected, daughters are the best, aren’t they?”
I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me, so I just blinked blankly.
My mind felt tangled and dizzy. I struggled to hide my confusion and awkwardly said, “Ah… yes.” Then I forced a smile. Father studied my face worriedly and clicked his tongue.
“That Linus fellow. He promised he’d never let you suffer once he took you in.”
“Suffer… I didn’t…”
“If you were unconscious for over ten days, that is suffering. I thought I might lose you as well.”
“Father…”
“Look how thin you’ve become, Blake. This works out perfectly—if Linus comes looking for Florence, do not open the door for him. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
Blake nodded enthusiastically.
Father gently stroked my cheek. His large hand was slightly smaller than Blake’s, but far warmer. I leaned into it. Like a dog pressing its snout against its owner’s palm.
“You’ve become more spoiled after falling ill, my daughter.”
Father said it with a smile.
I felt like crying again.
“My lord, be careful. Florence was just—”
“Brother!”
“Alright, alright. You already know from her red eyes anyway. You’re sharp as ever.”
Blake winked teasingly.
As he said, Father must have already known. He wiped the tears from my eyes with his thumb, and the tears that had been pooling fell instantly. I lowered my head and buried my face in my hands.
Father pulled me into his arms.
That was when I first understood what a father’s embrace felt like.
It was miserable. And yet, I was so happy I couldn’t bear it. This was the life I had always dreamed of. If I could only be loved by my family, if I could only belong inside this family structure, I would have sold my soul to a demon.
I must have sold my soul to a demon. That’s why it took my body away for five years.
I lifted my head, ashamed of myself.
They didn’t even know that woman had replaced me. If I just pretended to be the amnesiac version of that woman and lived without revealing anything, couldn’t I continue being loved like this?
If I only did my best to act like I knew nothing…
I wiped my tears and looked up. My eyes met Father’s.
Warm brown eyes. If I could preserve this, I could endure anything. In front of him, I always became a foolish, helpless child. I wanted love so badly it hurt. Even if it wasn’t truly mine, I didn’t want to let it go.
“You said you only just woke up yesterday?”
Father brushed away the remaining tears at the corner of my eyes.
“…Yes.”
“You still haven’t recovered properly, Florence.”
He looked away from me and nodded toward Helen.
“She vomited as soon as she woke up and couldn’t eat properly. She even skipped breakfast.”
“I thought as much. Florence.”
“…Yes…”
I shrank down, bracing for scolding.
“Go to your room immediately and rest. I’ll have your meals brought there. Blake, help Florence.”
“But Father…”
“Bring my and Blake’s meals to her room as well.”
I was speechless.
Father gently stroked my head.
“There’s no way I would leave my daughter alone right after she just woke up. I need to see with my own eyes that food is going into your mouth. You’ll eat with us, understood?”
“……”
“Recover quickly, Florence. Become healthy again and show me your original bright and lively self.”
Unlike Blake, who asked for a “smiling face,” Father asked for a “bright and healthy” one.
I understood the difference.
I covered my mouth and nodded quickly.
It was a relief that my eyes were still wet with tears. If they had been dry, Father might have noticed at once that I was not the same person as before.
I haven’t been exposed yet.
