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Chapter 1
We’ve Come to Escort You, My Lady
‘Did I mess with something I shouldn’t have…?’
The woman who had brought her young daughter trembled as she looked around at the furniture and decorations she had never seen in her life.
Unlike their shabby clothes, everything here was filled with nothing but expensive and luxurious items.
Her young daughter glanced around uneasily, as if she understood something.
Whether her child noticed or not, the woman tightly clutched the ring she had brought.
‘They said it was the duke’s seal.’
It was a ring she had carelessly left at home because it didn’t even have a single gemstone set in it.
She had assumed it wasn’t worth anything—but she never imagined it belonged to such a great noble house.
‘There’s nothing to be afraid of. Once the duke sees this, he won’t be able to deny it.’
The woman’s gaze briefly shifted toward the child beside her.
Coincidentally, her daughter also had black hair.
Completely unlike her own bright yellowish-brown hair.“Is that the woman who brought the ring?”
The man sitting before them pointed at her arrogantly.
At that, the child visibly flinched.
The woman pressed down hard on her daughter’s hand with her sharp nails—a warning to behave.
The man’s gaze briefly brushed over the child before returning to the woman.
“The ring?”
“H-here it is!”
The woman immediately held out the ring she had been clutching in both hands.
At the man’s slight nod, a servant stepped forward and took it from her.
“It is difficult to verify immediately. However, at a glance, there are no signs of it being a fake.”
At the servant’s words, the woman secretly smiled.
The man’s gaze swept over her indifferently.
She glanced up slightly, but the moment their eyes met, she hurriedly lowered her gaze.
Strangely, she didn’t feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
If anything, she felt pleased—as if his attention meant interest.
“Th-that ring… was given to me personally by the duke…”
She cautiously began.
“A f-few years ago, you were very drunk… and spent the night with me… I became p-pregnant with your child…”
A servant nearby gasped in shock.
Ignoring it, the woman forcibly dragged her daughter forward.
“Th-this child is the duke’s daughter!”
At her claim, the man let out a faint chuckle.
“Is that so?”
At his casual response, the woman sighed in relief—but only for a moment.
His next words were cold.
“I don’t remember any of that.”
“Y-you were very drunk at the time…”
“No matter how drunk I was, I wouldn’t forget the face of a woman I slept with.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Panicking, the woman continued desperately, unaware of it.
“B-but please confirm it! That is the t-token you gave me!”
“Even if it is, how does that prove you bore my child?”
“W-well, of course—!”
“Or perhaps you stole it.”
The woman opened and closed her mouth like a fool, unable to respond.
Meanwhile, the man’s gaze fixed on the child’s black hair.
“Well… now that I look more closely, I feel like I might remember something.”
“!”
At that, the woman quickly raised her head.
A servant beside him covered his mouth and asked,
“What shall we do?”
“Hmm.”
The man’s earlier interest had already vanished.
His voice was flat and emotionless.
“I’m not particularly interested right now.”
At his words, the servant signaled the knights.
One of them dragged the woman and child away.
“D-duke! Duke!”
Even as her child was carried off, the woman didn’t budge.
In the end, other knights had to drag her out as well.
Though she cried out desperately, the duke never once lifted his gaze from the ring.
‘My child…’
Only one image remained clearly in his mind—
The child who, despite being terrified, did not avert her eyes from his.
It was a day of heavy rain since morning.
The streets were empty.
So even if a child was dragged along by the hair, there was no one to help.
“Can’t you walk properly?!”
The woman screaming in rage was my biological mother—Rebecca.
‘I knew this would happen.’
As soon as I got home, I hid in the closet.
But Rebecca, who had been drinking all night, eventually found me.
“You damn brat!”
She grabbed my hair and dragged me outside.
Rain poured down, but she didn’t care.
This time, her anger didn’t seem like it would fade easily.
I sighed and looked up at the dark, clouded sky.
“This is all your fault! All because of you!”
A passerby who saw Rebecca muttering like a madwoman quickly turned away.
I kept silent, letting her words go in one ear and out the other.
The reason for her anger was yesterday.
She had tried to pull off a ridiculous scam—
Claiming that I was the duke’s daughter.
Of course, it failed.
The duke only had three sons—and all of them were adopted.
To claim he had a biological daughter?
Even a passing dog wouldn’t believe it.
But Rebecca hadn’t made the claim without reason.
A few days ago, a nobleman had visited our home.
Normally, she went out to meet clients—but that day, he came to us.
I hid quietly in a corner.
From his words, I could tell he was a noble—he mentioned holding a count’s title.
While drinking with Rebecca, he discovered the ring lying around our house.
That was my misfortune.
He recognized the emblem engraved on it—
And said it was the duke’s seal.
Whether that was true or not, I didn’t know.
But the next day, Rebecca dragged me to the duke’s mansion anyway.
And surprisingly, the ring really did belong to the duke.
Because he kept it.
We managed to stand before him—
But that was it.
He wasn’t the kind of man who would fall for such a cheap trick.
He dismissed it as nonsense and threw us out.
‘If he’d been in a bad mood, we might’ve lost fingers…’
We were incredibly lucky.
But Rebecca didn’t realize that at all.
“You worthless thing! I should throw you into a fire!”
Suddenly, pain shot through my head, and my legs gave out.
“Ugh!”
“You useless parasite!”
She threw me to the ground.
My knees and palms stung.
Then she kicked my stomach.
I nearly lost my breath—but I held back my scream.
“You stubborn brat. Won’t you even cry when your mother punishes you?”
Punishment? This was just violence.
I silently glared at her.
‘If I cry, she’ll just hit me more.’
It had always been like this.
Cry from hunger—get slapped.
Whimper in fear—get kicked.
Once, she even hit me in the head with an ashtray.
I passed out.
But that incident wasn’t entirely bad.
Because when I woke up—
I remembered my past life.
This world…
was a novel I had read before.
And I knew the main character—and the villains.
That duke I saw yesterday?
He was one of the villains.
‘Not that it helps me now.’
After that, I stopped clinging to her.
Stopped begging for love.
If she hit me, I endured it.
If she starved me, I endured that too.
At least…
I was used to it.
My previous life hadn’t been much different.
“You useless burden!”
I shut my eyes tightly and covered my head.
Resisting would only make it worse.
‘I wouldn’t mind dying like this.’
Even if something equally miserable awaited me after.
‘I just want it to end.’
Then suddenly—
Rebecca stopped.
‘What…?’
I slowly opened my eyes.
She stood frozen, her face blank.
Her hand had been caught—
by a man I didn’t recognize.
He was large and intimidating.
If he hit me, it would really hurt…
That was my first thought.
“W-who are you?!”
Rebecca snapped.
She shook off his hand.
“Who do you think you are, touching me?!”
“We’re not here for you. We’re here for the child.”
“Then talk to me! I’m her mother!”
She yanked me to my feet.
“Stand up properly!”
The man’s expression turned cold.
Startled, I flinched.
But when our eyes met—
his gaze softened slightly.
“Let go of the child. She looks like she’s struggling.”
“What does that matter to you?! She’s my child!”
I glanced up.
Behind him stood several men of similar build.
Behind them—
a carriage bearing a familiar crest.
“…You call this discipline…”
The man muttered through clenched teeth.
His eyes scanned my bruised body.
“You! What do you want with my child?!”
Suddenly, I wondered—
Was Rebecca stupid?
Or fearless?
‘Probably both.’
The man took something out.
A black leather badge with a silver emblem.
I recognized it instantly.
So did Rebecca.
Her hands began to tremble.
“We are from the Leviche Knights.”
“W-why… why would knights…?”
“We’ve come to find the duke’s biological daughter.”
I stared blankly at him.
He bent down to meet my eyes.
“We’ve come to escort you, my lady.”
