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Chapter 3
Ther’s eyes shook. With a firm face, he stepped back from Aella.
“Go back. And don’t come again.”
“Are you abandoning me?”
Seeing Ther push her away, Aella’s chin trembled.
Ther turned his gaze away and said nothing.
Aella bit her lip painfully. *I’ve been abandoned. By this man.*
“So, in the end… you’re abandoning me?”
Without answering, Ther turned his back completely and headed toward the ferry.
Aella shouted at his back.
“Say something! Tell me you’re abandoning me! Then I can give up on you!”
*Please say no. Please, Ther.*
But no words came from his lips until the end, and the ferry he boarded quickly grew distant.
Watching Ther’s retreating figure, tears streamed endlessly from Aella’s eyes. Now, she resented him even more than the Crown Prince.
—
**\*\*\***
On a night when darkness had fallen, Media was in Duke Petra’s study. Her gaze toward the Duke was sharp.
That morning, Media had overheard a conversation between her magic teacher and Duke Petra.
—
*’Media is hopeless. I think it would be best to give up on her. She is the first child I’ve seen whose magical skills improve so little. She is far short of the skill required to become a temple-certified mage.’*
At the magic teacher’s words, Duke Petra had laughed heartily and said,
*’There’s no helping it, then. I suppose I’ll have to find her a good marriage arrangement.’*
—
The implication that he was giving up on her was unbearable for Media.
Her dream of gaining her father’s recognition by becoming a temple-certified mage had been cruelly shattered.
Aella was becoming the Crown Princess, while she herself wasn’t even recognized as Duke Petra’s child and would have to live as the wife of some stupid man. It was too horrible.
“So, what did you want to say to me?”
“I can’t wait any longer.”
“Wait for what?”
The Duke tilted his head and asked.
“Acknowledge me. Officially recognize that you, Duke, are my father.”
“My child, what on earth are you talking about?”
The Duke frowned slightly, not understanding Media’s words.
“I know everything. That you, Duke, are my father.”
“What nonsense is that…?”
The Duke looked at Media as if she were absurd.
“You and my mother were in love!”
“Media, what are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you take me in because I’m your child?”
“What are you saying, Media? It wasn’t because you were my child that I took you in. I took you in because you came with a gold button bearing the crest of House Petra. You said you were the granddaughter of old man Lotta, didn’t you?”
Eight years ago, a young girl had come to the mansion with a gold button engraved with the crest of House Petra.
A gold button was not something just anyone could possess. For a member of House Petra to give a gold button to an outsider was a promise to take responsibility for that person for life.
Usually, such buttons were given to those who had shown great gratitude, like a life-saving benefactor. But occasionally, illegitimate children who carried the blood of House Petra also possessed gold buttons.
But Media was not an illegitimate child of House Petra. She was a blood relative of House Lotta, who had saved the life of the previous Duke thirty years ago.
Taking in Media was only natural. Moreover, Media could perform fire magic. Considering the relationship with House Motita, which managed mages, there was no reason not to treat her well.
“I only answered that way because you asked me then. You *are* my father, Duke. Why do you deny me?”
“No, I am not your father. I do not know the woman you call your mother.”
The Duke’s head throbbed. He hadn’t known she was under such a delusion.
“Liar!”
Tears welled up in Media’s eyes.
—
*’Mother was a noble in the past. We live like this now because the family fell.’*
*’Your father is also a noble. He is a very high-ranking person.’*
*’Mother must go to God’s side now. If you take this to the capital, to Duke Petra’s residence, they will take care of you.’*
—
Were all those words her mother had repeated countless times a lie? *My father is definitely the Duke in front of me.*
Media wanted to be recognized as the Duke’s daughter and enjoy all the rights that came with it. Just like Aella.
“How can you turn away from your daughter, born from a woman you loved, like this? Is Aella your only daughter? What about me!”
Enraged, Media rose from her seat and shouted.
“Media, stop this.”
“You *are* my father! I *am* your daughter! How have I been living all this time?! Why do you think I’ve been putting up with that stupid Aella? Because I wanted your recognition!”
“Media.”
At her words, the Duke rose from his seat with a stern face.
“It wasn’t just once or twice that I wanted to kill that idiot Aella. Because she took everything that was mine. Everything I should have enjoyed, she was enjoying!”
Media screamed and tore at her hair. She was no longer in her right mind.
“But I endured it. Until you recognized me. But now you say I’m not a daughter of House Petra? Are you trying to cast me out like this?”
“Media, you…”
Watching Media vent her rage, the Duke realized he had been deceived all this time.
Aella and Media had been close. Aella relied on and liked Media a lot.
But Media’s true feelings were not so transparent. Media was too dangerous to keep by Aella’s side.
“Why do I have to spend my whole life cleaning up after Aella? I’m sick of it. Aella gets to become the Crown Princess, but I’m supposed to keep living as a commoner like this?”
Aella had enjoyed everything Media should have enjoyed. While Media struggled in poverty, Aella had lived without knowing misfortune.
*It’s unfair. We’re the same child, so why only me!* Thinking she had been abandoned by Duke Petra, rage took over her mind.
Flames sparked in Media’s palm.
“You won’t have to clean up after Aella anymore. Because I will no longer keep you by Aella’s side. Your connection to House Petra ends here.”
“You’re kicking me out now? No! I carry the blood of House Petra! I’m your child, Father!”
Media shrieked.
The moon outside the window glowed red.
Media’s rage combined with the red moonlight, and her magical power grew stronger. A power of fire, stronger than she had ever experienced, began to radiate from Media.
“Aaaah!”
At that moment, sparks rained down like fireflies, and flames climbing the walls burned the walls and bookshelves.
Then, sparks also rained down on Duke Petra’s head.
“Media, calm down! Media!”
Everything in the study began to burn. Even Duke Petra.
—
**\*\*\***
Returning from the lake castle, Aella gasped as she saw the mansion being consumed by a fierce fire.
“Oh my god.”
Startled, Aella ran toward the mansion. She looked for her father and Media, but only heard that the two had not yet emerged from the mansion.
*No.*
Without hesitation, Aella rushed into the burning mansion.
“Father! Media!”
Aella covered her mouth with her still-damp cloak and climbed the stairs, calling for her father and Media.
*Media said she was going to have a talk with Father today. Maybe she’s near the study.*
“Ack!”
Aella, who had gone up to the second floor where her father’s study was, heard Media’s scream. She saw Media running out from within the flames.
“Media!”
Aella grabbed the arm of the running Media. Media’s face was dazed as she gasped for breath.
“Media, where’s my father? Was he with you?”
“No. I wasn’t with him.”
Media shook her head.
“Media, please help save my father.”
The flames spewing from the study at the end of the hallway were too fierce. *What if Father is in the study?* Aella’s body trembled with fear.
“You want me to go through those flames and save the Duke? Are you crazy? Are you telling me to die? How can you be so selfish even at a time like this!”
Media shouted, shaking off Aella’s grip on her arm.
“I, I thought… Media, you can handle fire, so you’re safe from it.”
“I can’t handle flames this big either! You know how good I am!”
Media screamed.
*Crack.*
Just then, with a chilling sound, a burned timber from the ceiling was about to fall on Media’s head. Seeing it, Aella instinctively pushed Media.
“Media, move!”
In that instant, the timber, now a ball of fire, struck Aella.
—
**\*\*\***
“Ugh.”
Aella let out a faint groan and opened her eyes.
She felt excruciating pain on her face. It felt like thousands of needles were stabbing the right side of her face.
“Aella, Aella. Are you awake?”
The Duchess of Petra held the hand of Aella, who had awoken from a deep sleep. Unable to cope with the sudden misfortune, the Duchess was beside herself.
When she had returned from visiting her parents’ home to get Aella’s wedding veil, the mansion was in ruins. Half the mansion had burned down, and her husband had died in that fire.
As if that wasn’t enough, they had also done something terrible to Aella’s face, the pride of House Petra.
“Mother.”
Aella opened her mouth with difficulty.
“Aella, my daughter.”
The Duchess’s eyes welled up with tears.
Aella had suffered severe burns on her right cheek; her skin was mangled, a mix of oozing fluid and blood.
“It hurts. My face hurts so much.”
“It’s okay. It will be okay.”
The Duchess held Aella’s hand and sobbed.
Aella intuitively sensed that something was terribly wrong from her mother’s reaction, but she didn’t have the courage to ask and closed her eyes.
The days that followed felt like she wanted to close her eyes forever.
When she heard that her father had died, Aella wailed like an animal, and every time she underwent painful burn treatment, she thought she should never have woken from that fire.
Deep burn scars remained on Aella’s face. An unwelcome visitor came to see Aella, who was in despair over the deep scars.
“Crown Prince…”
The person who entered the sickroom was none other than Crown Prince Seamus.
Startled by his visit, Aella quickly bowed her head.
“Lift your head.”
Seamus approached and spoke in an unpleasant voice.
Aella didn’t want to show her face to anyone. Even at the Crown Prince’s command, Aella did not lift her head.
“I said lift your head!”
Eventually, Seamus raised his voice.
Annoyed that Aella wouldn’t obey, Seamus walked over to the bed and roughly grabbed her chin.
“Can you not hear me?!”
Seamus roughly lifted Aella’s face. Confirming Aella’s face with its burn scars, Seamus’s face instantly contorted.
“Damn it…! You monster!”
As soon as he saw Aella’s face, Seamus cursed, looking utterly disgusted.
Aella felt her soul shatter at his words. Tears streamed down from her green eyes.
Seamus glared at Aella for a moment, then turned and left the sickroom. Unable to contain his anger, Seamus punched the wall.
Beauty gone, only a hideous sight remained; Seamus was annoyed with Aella. Was he supposed to live his whole life looking at such a disgusting face?
“Damn it! Why me! I am the most noble Crown Prince in this empire, so why the hell!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
As he was venting his rage, he heard someone call him.
Seamus turned around. A woman with brown hair and brown eyes stood there—common colors, but she was fairly attractive.
The woman smiled and introduced herself.
“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am Media Espana of House Petra.”
