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Chapter 05
The moment she saw the glass of water, Liersha realized just how thirsty she was.
When she accepted the cup with both hands and began to drink, Sona watched her with a warm, satisfied smile.
The quiet room was filled with the gentle sound of gulping.
“You must be very hungry, my lady. I’ll bring you something to eat. You’ve been unconscious for two whole days.”
“…Two days?!”
That explained why her body felt so weak.
‘Is this what awakening aftereffects are like?’
No one had ever told her, so she had no way of knowing. And there was no one she could really ask, either.
Sona began to explain gently.
“Sir Rosinante was the one who brought you back to the castle, my lady.”
“Rosinante…?”
Liersha tilted her head, her eyes spinning as she tried to recall the unfamiliar name.
But soon she remembered.
It must have been that man she met in the forest — so his name was Rosinante.
‘I had no idea someone like that lived in the main castle.’
If he had been staying here all along, she should’ve seen him at least once before now. But in her ten years of life, she never had.
A man with such a distinctive presence — she would have remembered him for sure.
“It’s only natural that you wouldn’t know him, my lady.”
“Why?”
“Well… Rosinante was only reinstated yesterday.”
“Reinstated…?”
The difficult word made Liersha frown in confusion.
Sona smiled brightly and explained, “It means he got his position back.”
“…Then where was he before?”
“He used to serve as the eyes and ears of House Aracrene.”
The more Sona explained, the less Liersha understood.
Why would someone so capable have lost his position in the first place?
‘Did he commit a serious crime or something?’
Seeing Liersha’s puzzled expression, Sona added more.
“Rosinante used to be the aide to the young duke.”
“To… my papa?”
Liersha’s head snapped up.
She had never heard anyone mention her father before — not once — so the words naturally caught her off guard.
“Yes. Now that you’ve awakened, my lady, you have nothing to worry about. Everything will turn out well.”
Sona’s face was full of joy as she said it.
Liersha still didn’t really understand what Sona meant.
But she could tell — somehow — that her words carried great importance.
“Rosinante isn’t the only one, you know. I also serve the young duke. In fact, there are many of us in this castle who belong to him.”
Sona pointed to herself as she spoke.
“Soon, the young duke’s people will all return to the main house.”
At those words, Liersha’s eyes widened.
That meant all the people who had followed the young duke — including Rosinante — had lost their positions until now.
‘Sona just said that because I awakened, everything will be fine now…’
Then could it be that the downfall of the family…
‘When they said the house fell because of me… that’s what they meant?’
Liersha hadn’t awakened, and for some reason, her father and his allies had lost their authority.
That reason must have been…
“Of course, the young duke will return as well. It’s all thanks to you, Lady Liersha. Truly, thank you.”
Sona bowed deeply.
And then Liersha realized something.
Why her father had never come to see her all these years.
‘It wasn’t because he hated me.’
It wasn’t that he despised her — maybe it was the opposite.
He must have left the duchy and given everything up to protect her from those who blamed her lack of awakening.
Liersha suddenly remembered Oberon’s words from her previous life:
“Do you know what sacrifices the young duke made? Do you understand how this house began to fall?”
The absence of the young duke…
His disappearance must have caused countless problems.
And if all of his people had been dismissed from their duties, then…
‘Someone used me as leverage to weaken the family.’
And when she turned ten, the Aracrene family had finally lost that power struggle.
The reason they lost —
“It’s because of you.”
— was her.
Because of her.
Liersha spent the next few days focusing on recovering her strength.
But her mind never stopped turning.
‘At this time, Oberon was supposed to be one of the most loyal to the family.’
Back then, he had been trusted deeply by the Duke of Aracrene.
So what had driven him to turn his blade against the family?
What had made him change so suddenly after enduring for over ten years?
Or… had he been a traitor from the very start, and no one ever noticed?
Her head throbbed from the storm of thoughts.
“Lady Liersha, you must be eager to meet the young duke, aren’t you?”
“Mm-hm, I really wanna see him.”
He hadn’t stayed away because he hated her.
He hadn’t abandoned her.
Realizing that truth, Liersha began to long for him day after day.
“When’s Papa coming?” she asked, her face bright and innocent.
“In just a few more nights, the young duke will appear — ta-da! — right before you.”
“Okay.”
“Until then, make sure you eat properly and stay strong!”
“Okay.”
Liersha squirmed a little and quietly hid the carrots she’d pushed aside.
Sona, who had been watching the whole time, gave her a stern look — but when Liersha poked a carrot with her fork and pretended to chew, Sona couldn’t help but laugh.
“But why aren’t you eating your bread? It’s much tastier than the carrots.”
“Mm, I don’t like bread.”
“…Bread?”
Sona had seen Liersha quietly avoid foods before, but she’d never heard her say outright that she disliked something.
The bread in question was full of healthy nuts — meant to be good for children.
But Liersha just shook her head, her face darkening.
“May I ask why, my lady?”
“When I eat stuff like peanuts, I get sick.”
Her face scrunched up as unpleasant memories resurfaced.
Understanding immediately, Sona’s expression hardened.
“So you have an allergy.”
She frowned slightly, recalling the records she had received about Liersha — there had been no mention of any such condition.
That meant Liersha must have discovered it all on her own, suffering through it without help.
Realizing how terribly neglected the child had been, Sona bit her lip.
She had heard that Rosinante had once cleaned out the girl’s quarters, but she hadn’t imagined things were this bad.
Yes — they had utterly failed to care for her.
How dare they.
Knowing that little Liersha had endured everything alone made Sona bow her head.
Her eyes had turned cold.
“I will make sure such negligence never happens again, my lady. You have my word.”
News of Liersha’s awakening spread through the duchy like wildfire.
The treatment of the once-neglected house changed overnight.
Every meal was luxurious, and the maids were all unfailingly polite.
Even the furnishings — which had already been expensive — were replaced with items so extravagant it was almost embarrassing to compare them.
“…All of this is really mine?”
“Of course. These were always meant to belong to you, my lady. You’ve simply reclaimed your rightful things.”
Liersha couldn’t close her mouth, stunned.
The room was now filled with luxurious furniture and a bed so grand it looked like it had been pulled straight out of a fairy tale.
