ISDM 05

Chapter 05

Pink hair flying in every direction. Bright green eyes.
From the tip of the head, which fearlessly clung to my leg, all the way down.
“What is this? A half-dry rag or something?”

The thick pink hair that reached her waist was tangled wildly. Her clothes were completely covered in dirt, as if she had almost been hit by the carriage—or maybe had fallen.

“Who are you?”

The head of the infamous ducal family glared down at the child and spoke threateningly.
His cold tone left the surrounding servants at a loss.

Despite their reactions, Kallec ignored them and tried to remove the unfamiliar warmth clinging to his leg.
But then…

…?
“…What is this?”

Before he even realized it, his right hand had lifted on its own and was trembling.

“…”

Kallec, who hardly ever showed surprise, looked down at the hand moving of its own will with a dazed expression.
For a brief moment, silence fell, carried by the cold air of the ducal mansion.

Then, Kallec let out a small, humorless chuckle.
‘No way…’

Was he about to… pet her? Me? With this hand?
That pink head of hair, almost… carefully petted?

Even Kallec, known for his icy judgment, found the situation hard to comprehend.
‘No… that can’t be.’

Petting her? He would never do such a ridiculous thing. It had to be some aftereffect of memory loss.

Soon regaining his composure as if nothing had happened, Kallec furrowed his brow and growled at those around him.
“What exactly is going on here?”

At that moment, the child quickly stepped back.
“Ah, Your Grace… I’m sorry! I was just so happy that I—”
“…”

Kallec’s cold gaze landed on the small child, who stammered in embarrassment.

“I heard from Elisa on the way! You’ve lost your memory, right? You must be really confused… But don’t worry, because I’m here! Ah, Theo came with me too. So, Theo is… uh—”

Kallec’s eyebrows shot up sharply.
‘Has my mother lost her mind? Did she reveal my secrets to this child?’

To tell an uncertain stranger the family’s deepest secrets…
‘Depending on the situation… I might have to deal with this kid…’

A ruthless thought as the head of the family crossed his mind, and his fists clenched tightly.

Then, in the distance, an elderly woman approached slowly.
It was somewhat a relief. The staff in the main house had been thoroughly instructed to stay silent, so it didn’t matter if the child screamed in front of them.
Also, thanks to Elisa’s prior preparations, only Kallec’s closest aides were nearby.

But Kallec was irritated by the situation spiraling out of his control.

Just as he was about to shout at the dazed Elisa Wintervalt, something caught his eye: a thin trail of blood running from the child’s scraped knee.

Kallec inhaled sharply.
‘Isn’t she even in pain?’

How could she smile without a single grimace?
His throbbing head now felt like it would split apart. He roughly ran his hand through his own hair in frustration.

It had been a few days.
‘It’s real…’

I stepped back from my father, hiding my melancholy.
‘Dad really doesn’t remember me.’

The tear stains on my neatly ironed pants clearly outlined my features, but he was tall enough that he couldn’t see them—so it was fine.
‘I was too happy and hugged him without thinking.’

I shook my head, thinking I’d been reckless.
Honestly, I had hoped just a little… but it was true: Dad didn’t remember me. Confirming that made my heart ache.

‘Ah, my knees burn.’

My knees, scraped from rolling on the dirt, stung. But I knew there was no one here to fuss over my injuries.

‘And that tree… why did it say something so ominous!’

[You will die soon.]
“Uh?”
[If you want to avoid fate, ru-run away!]

The tree, seeing the carriage speeding toward me, warned me.
‘Hmm. Still, thanks to that, I met Elisa Wintervalt.’

As soon as I turned my head, a carriage came speeding out of control. I recognized the familiar snowflake emblem on it. And I was standing right by the road to the Wintervalt Ducal Mansion.

All the clues pointed to one fact:
‘That carriage belongs to Kallec’s mother, Elisa Wintervalt!’

In that brief moment, I finished calculating everything. I didn’t run, but waited for the carriage to charge at me. At the right moment, I tumbled in front of it.

If I had rushed straight to the mansion, I wouldn’t have met her. Lucky, maybe.

“Child! Are you alright? I’m sorry! We’ll discuss proper compensation with my steward—”
“Cough, cough… ah, my head! Ah! My precious ring while staggering!”
“Haah! This ring!”

Good acting…
Whew.
‘Now for the main point!’

I sat on the large sofa, enduring the heavy atmosphere. The parlor was extravagantly large and lavish.

Opposite me sat Dad. His appearance seemed a little unfamiliar.
‘As expected… he lost the illusion spell in the maze.’

His empty earlobes proved it.
‘Ugh. He said it was a keepsake from his mother! And that it could never be removed!’

I had believed it wholeheartedly.
His mother, who I expected to be loving, sat next to him with sharp eyes. What a shameless woman.

In any case, my pink hair and green eyes, which were identical to mine, were gone. Only cold silver hair and winter-lake blue eyes remained.
‘His features look sharper than before.’

A stranger might just think, “He looks a lot like Alec,” never imagining they were the same person.

“So… you raised me, Your Grace.”

Pushing aside the rising thoughts, I swallowed and spoke slowly.
“For the past five years… in a southern mountain village…”

My fingers twitched nervously. I was normally confident, but now I was shaking slightly.

The tea in Elisa Wintervalt’s cup trembled violently. Most of it had spilled onto her hand rather than gone into her mouth. But no one in the room seemed to notice.

Feeling everyone’s attention on me, I took a small, deep breath to reveal my final card.

“Here… is the proof…”

I carefully pulled an item from my bag: a box containing the Wintervalt ring. I placed the ring on the table.

The staff of the ducal household, already looking shocked, seemed about to faint.

“My goodness… it’s real. Ah, dizziness…”

Elisa pressed her forehead as she checked the ring again. Then, soon after:

“Kalleeeec!”

She could no longer contain herself and threw her teacup.
‘Yikes, what a temper!’

I quickly grabbed the ring while ducking.
Clang!
Dad twisted lightly, avoiding the teacup.

“You brat! I’ve told you a hundred times that a man should guard his lower half! Just act like a rascal above, not below, ugh!”
“Eh, Elisa!”

No matter the chaos around him, Dad sat calmly, sipping his tea. He seemed in a world of his own, peaceful.

Then, in the quiet, a low voice:

“The tea tastes bitter.”

Kallec Wintervalt finally spoke. Dad, who had seemed flustered earlier outside the mansion, now appeared composed.

“Call the head maid. She must be punished for ruining my taste.”

Through the rising tea steam, his features appeared momentarily.
‘That terrible guy… even now complaining about tea. Did he forget he kidnapped that cute little thing?’
“Calm down, Elisa. He is your son.”
“Ah, right.”

In the middle of the shock and awe, Dad remained leisurely and composed.
‘Hik.’

But I clearly saw it: when he glanced at the teacup, his cold, sharp gaze pierced me…
Like a predator calculating where to sink its fangs first.

I tensed instinctively.
Click.

He finally put the cup down and said, smiling wryly:
“So, little one. Did you bring the magical device to confirm paternity?”