🔊 TTS Settings
“Ah, Dad. Ugh…”
“Rubet!”
I barely managed to hold onto my blurry vision and instinctively threw myself into my dad’s arms, hugging him tightly.
My dad stiffened in surprise.
‘Does he hate me? Maybe he thinks I’m a disgrace to the family because I’m imperfect… He probably tolerates me because I’m his daughter… right?’
As someone who always had high self-esteem, I never would have thought such things, but they echoed in my mind like screams.
The fragments of feelings Rubet had carried with her, the pain she had suffered throughout her life, now filled me.
“Ah, Dad…”
“…”
By absorbing all of Rubet’s memories, I was no longer free from her emotions. It was like a reflex, like my body reacting before my mind did.
“I-I must be… hated, right? I know… ugh…”
“What?”
I thought my dad wouldn’t love me, and I trembled, remembering all the times I was scared.
“Even so… Dad… I… I’m really struggling right now… please, don’t push me away… can you just… stay like this for a while…?”
I wanted his love so badly, despite all the pain I had to swallow alone.
These emotions, piled up over time, had become part of me, almost instinctive.
“Just a little longer… until I feel better… please, just like this…”
As I felt my dad’s scent, my heart, which had been racing, slowly started to calm down.
It was bittersweet. The only people Rubet could find comfort with were her own family, those who shared her blood.
“Dad…”
I clung to him desperately, not wanting to risk losing him, afraid that if he pushed me away, I would struggle to breathe again.
Thankfully, my dad didn’t let go until I calmed down, holding me tightly for a long time.
Bang!
It had been a while. The door to the Duke of Diolos’ bedroom, which almost never opened from the inside, swung open.
Leonard, crossing the hallway with large strides, was holding Rubet in his arms, her back to him.
“What’s going on? Did the Duke just come out of his room?”
“Why is the lady…?”
The maids, who were passing by, exchanged surprised glances and whispered to each other.
Leonard, who had been walking quickly, stopped abruptly when he ran into someone.
“Leonard?”
A woman with striking blonde hair and blue eyes, a beauty that caught everyone’s attention.
She had just returned and was the head of this household, the Duke’s wife, and Leonard’s stepmother, Molga.
Molga, who had been heading to Leonard’s room, was startled when she saw him.
“Wh-what’s going on? Why is Rubet like this?”
“She’s unwell. We’re taking her to the doctor.”
“Oh my… Where are you going? Why so suddenly?”
Molga, pale with shock, tried to check Rubet’s face. But Leonard, clearly annoyed, narrowed his eyes and easily brushed her off.
“We’ll talk later.”
His voice was cold, as usual, but Molga could sense his unusual panic and concern.
“Don’t be like that, Leonard. She’s someone who’s been struggling to leave her room.”
Molga grabbed Leonard’s arm, calling over the maids who were nearby.
“What are you all staring at? Hurry up and help Rubet—”
“It’s fine.”
Leonard frowned and shook off her arm.
“I’ll take care of her. You can go rest and recover.”
“Wait a second!”
Before she could hold him back any longer, Leonard walked briskly toward the hallway and disappeared out of sight.
Molga, still worried, watched him go, stamping her feet in frustration. As soon as his figure was out of sight, her face fell.
She then tilted her head slightly, her beautiful face turning cold.
“Dammit. What the hell is going on?”
Lying in bed, drenched in cold sweat, Rubet murmured weakly, barely conscious, almost like a soft moan.
Though her words were fragmented, Leonard could still hear them clearly.
“I… must be hated…”
“I did something wrong…”
“Please, don’t abandon me…”
“It looks like a case of mental trauma.”
“…What? Trauma?”
The doctor, who had been examining Rubet, gave his diagnosis.
The young doctor, Aaron Muller, had been brought in recently, specifically to examine Rubet’s condition. He was skilled and had a good reputation.
Although Leonard wasn’t thrilled with the diagnosis, it wasn’t something he could easily ignore.
“What are you saying?”
Leonard asked sharply.
“I’ve seen patients with similar symptoms. They usually have experienced a traumatic or terrifying situation, and they’re haunted by the memory of it.”
“…”
“The symptoms can vary. Some, like Miss Rubet, relive those memories in dreams or suffer from flashbacks.”
“A traumatic or terrifying situation? What could a child who’s been living quietly at home possibly experience?”
“I don’t know the specifics of Miss Rubet’s situation, but from my experience, patients who have witnessed brutal war scenes or…”
“…”
“…often have memories of being abused, either physically or mentally, when they were young.”
Aaron’s words made Leonard stop in his tracks.
“Has Miss Rubet shown signs of being overly sensitive, or expressed anger, or negative thoughts? Has she ever felt rejected or abandoned?”
Leonard, who had been looking down stiffly, gazed at Rubet’s face in silence.
“She said she tried to drown herself on purpose.”
Her comment about almost drowning in the pond didn’t seem like something to dismiss. It was something Leonard couldn’t ignore because of the way Rubet had looked when she said it.
The expression on his daughter’s face, full of suppressed pain and resentment towards her indifferent father, came flooding back.
“…Yeah. I think that makes sense.”
As Aaron nodded without asking further questions, Leonard looked back at him.
“Is there any way to treat it?”
“At the moment, there’s not much that can be done. Unfortunately, it’s not a condition that can be treated with medication. Since it’s a mental issue, what she needs most is her own will and support from those around her.”
“How can we help?”
“If possible, would you, Lord Diolos, consider helping with her treatment?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that your ability as a spirit mage is related to illusions.”
Leonard’s ability, which could create illusions, was exactly what Aaron was referring to.
“While patients like Miss Rubet experience intense mental pain when recalling these memories, I believe that if you could implant an illusion that helps cover up those memories, it would provide temporary relief.”
“What kind of illusion should I create?”
Leonard asked, and after a brief pause, Aaron responded.
“Perhaps the kind of everyday life Miss Rubet would want? For a noblewoman her age, it’s likely she would wish for a normal life, free of worries…”
“…”
Rubet had wished for a normal life.
“To eat with Dad, go out and have fun, complain a little, like other girls…”
As Leonard closed his eyes and thought about it, he nodded slightly.
“I understand. Thank you. I’ll keep an eye on her condition and contact you again.”
“Yes, Lord Diolos. And one more thing, I’d advise against relying solely on illusions. The key is to create a peaceful and comfortable environment for Miss Rubet so she can truly find happiness.”
Aaron said his goodbyes, putting on his hat and packing his bag before leaving the room.
Left alone, Leonard continued to stare at Rubet’s face for a long time.
‘Illusions…’
Would that really help her?
For the past 11 years, since his wife died, Leonard had lived in a world of illusions.
It was a painful existence, but the dreams were the only time he wasn’t suffering.
However, when he woke up from the illusions, the overwhelming sense of loss would consume him. He’d drink to fill the emptiness, fall asleep, and repeat the cycle.
Such a miserable existence.
‘Would illusions cause even more pain? What’s the point of showing her false dreams…’
But then, Leonard paused.
The situation with his daughter was different. Rubet wasn’t asking for a dream that wasn’t real.
What she wanted was simple.
“To eat with Dad, go out and have fun, complain a little…”
Even if she woke from an illusion, it was something that could be made real.
“Illusion.”
Leonard’s voice echoed softly in the quiet room as the illusion spirit appeared.
The spirit, with a pure white form, floated in the air and answered.
“You called, my contractor?”
Leonard immediately gave the order.
“My daughter is having nightmares. Make sure she has good dreams.”
The illusion spirit paused, surprised by the unusual command, then noticed Rubet lying on the bed.
“What kind of good dream?”
Leonard, thinking for a moment, closed his eyes.
“One where she eats with her dad, goes out, and complains… just like any normal daughter would.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine.
“She just wants to be with me…”
Leonard muttered as he stood up.
“To eat with her dad, go out, and for her to complain as much as she wants… that’s the kind of dream.”
