VWTI 15

Chapter 15

Indeed, Evgenia, who was the spitting image of her father in everything but her stern father’s appearance, did not share a particularly warm father-daughter relationship.

Perhaps it would have been different if her mother, whose temperament was said to be softer than fresh white cream, were still alive.

But with no one to act as a bridge, the Martyr father and daughter had never had any meaningful exchange of feelings.

Nevertheless, her father, Duke Martyr, wanted to express his love, and the method of love he ultimately arrived at was none other than ‘inexhaustible financial power.’

Whenever something happened that upset Evgenia even slightly, he would placate her with diamond necklaces or extravagant dresses.

And he tried to grant her every wish.

Though it was something truly impossible without great love…

‘But it’s still a bit… distant from the warmth of a cheerful family, isn’t it?’

Among the reasons why ‘Evgenia’ went astray, there might well have been the belief that she received no love at all.

It would have been difficult for the young Evgenia to recognize such an awkward method of expressing love.

‘If only he had said “I love you,” she probably wouldn’t have clung to Raymond to that extent.’

Thinking such slightly bitter thoughts, as she arrived at the dining room, she sensed a bustling atmosphere.

“What is all this commotion?”
“The master has just returned home.”
“Ah. He’s back earlier than expected. I should go greet him.”

She firmly wrapped herself again in the indoor shawl she was about to comfortably take off.

As she approached the main entrance lined with servants and maids, the door opened as if by ghostly timing.

Her father, who was about to push up his slightly slipped glasses, spotted me and immediately halted his steps.

“Evgenia, what’s the matter? Did you want something again?”
“Huh? No! Did I only come out to greet you when I wanted something? I just came down and heard you were arriving, so I thought it was a good time to come out.”
“Hmm, is that so?”

My father, neatly dressed in a formal military jacket that looked uncomfortable just to see, felt quite unfamiliar.

So much so that I walked silently, unable to speak first until we reached the dining room.

The awkward silence lasted quite a while, and when the salad arrived, I finally had something to do! I hurriedly picked up my fork, but…

“So, what are you really trying to ask for? To move the engagement ceremony even earlier?”
“Hack, cough, cough! Wh-what?!”

“But marriage is out of the question. That’s only after you perfectly complete your heir’s education…”
“No, no, Father! Wait a moment!”

The bitter taste lingering in my mouth no longer felt like the taste of vegetables.

This… was the taste of a flag that absolutely must be avoided!

“Anna, could you clear the dining room for a moment? Tell the head chef too…”
“…Yes, Miss.”

Perhaps because she knew the fact that one letter of my engraved Name had disappeared, Anna quietly ushered the people out without adding any further comment.

Seeing her endlessly stiff expression, she seemed to roughly anticipate what I was about to say.

‘I really must take the fact that I deliberately erased the Name to my grave, hmm.’

Soon after, the dining room emptied. Leaving only my father and me.

The time it took for the situation to change like this was barely about five minutes. Perhaps because of that, my father still held his knife and fork. But soon, he silently put down the utensils, leaned back slightly in his chair, and asked.

“…What on earth is going on? Did you kill someone?”
“Father, what on earth do you take me for? Killing someone, how could you say such a terrifying thing…”

I lowered my gaze slightly and acted hurt, but I couldn’t deceive my father’s eyes. His gaze, simply watching me quietly with arms crossed, made me shake my head and raise both hands.

“It is that serious, but I didn’t harm anyone else. I swear.”
“……”
“Ah, really! I’ll swear in front of mother’s name. Then you’ll believe me, right?”

Only after I finally mentioned my mother did my father’s gaze soften slightly.

Huu— I let out a long sigh to calm my fluttering heart.

To deceive my sharp father, I had to prepare my heart in advance.

If I showed even the slightest suspicious sign, I’d be in for a huge shock.

I slightly lowered my eyes, hesitantly clasped my hands together, fidgeted, and spoke.

“This morning, when I woke up from sleep…”
“You woke up?”
“Well, Raymond’s Name, which was perfectly engraved on my collarbone…”
“The Name?”

‘Come out, tears! Now is the perfect time to come out!’

I tried so hard to squeeze out tears, but not even enough to wet a single eyelash came out.

Under these circumstances, there was no choice.

I had no choice but to act out crying spectacularly.

“Sniff! I simply can’t say it with my own mouth!”

I buried my face in my hands and hunched my shoulders as much as possible to look more pitiful than anyone.

Then, I heard the sound of my flustered father pushing back his chair and standing up.

‘No wonder he’s surprised. Until now, Evgenia always thought throwing tantrums and being stubborn would get her everything.’

‘Evgenia’ would never show a weak side like my current self, even with a knife to her throat.

In fact, she was the type to threaten with a knife to her own throat, not one to cling to someone’s coattails crying.

Perhaps because of that, my current state seemed to come as no small shock to my father.

My father, who had come closer to me, gently stroked my shoulder and arm with his large hand and asked.

“Oh, Zhenya. What on earth happened?”
“Th-that is…”
“Don’t worry, just tell me. What is there that this father wouldn’t do for you?”

‘Oh, dear. I didn’t expect him to react to this extent!’

My conscience pricked painfully at the reality of having to tell lies to my father, who cared for me so much, making it hard for me to open my mouth.

Just as I was watching his reaction, my father brought up the magical name.

“Don’t tell me that Raymond fellow hurt you somehow?”
‘No, why does he think everything that happens to me is related to Raymond?!’

At this rate, my father might misunderstand and draw strange conclusions again.

Like trying to hurry the engagement ceremony instead of calling it off right now!

I hurriedly grabbed my father’s hand placed on my shoulder and looked up at him.

“Father! This has nothing to do with Raymond! Well, maybe a little, but that’s…”
“What do you mean ‘a little’?”
“It’s better if you see for yourself. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

I swept back my disheveled hair to one side.

Then, I untied the ribbon of my dress and pulled down the fabric to reveal my collarbone.

“Evgenia, why are you suddenly… your clothes…”
“Look closely, Father.”

No further explanation was needed.

Just seeing the first letter ‘R’ of Raymond’s Name completely disappear without a trace would make everything understood.

The area beneath the small scab I made with a fountain pen was perfectly clean.

But as expected, what first caught my father’s gaze seemed to be this small scar.

“How did you get hurt in a place like this? Was it Raymond after all…!”
“No! I said no! The injury, I just accidentally hurt myself. Don’t mind that trivial thing, look below it, Father.”

I pointed at the vanished Name area as if to show off and pushed my shoulder forward, and my father finally seemed to understand the situation.

“This is…”
“How can something like this happen, Father? Could it be… because I no longer love Raymond, that the gods themselves have taken back the fate?”

Although the story hidden behind the ‘tradition’ of the Name wasn’t exactly beautiful, the manifestation of the Name itself was, in any case, established theory as being touched by divine power.

So for ‘Evgenia,’ who had only learned common sense, she would have no choice but to think its retrieval was also touched by divine power.

…That was my plan to convince my father.

So, I was doing my best to act ignorant, flustered, squeezing out dry tears, when my father abruptly said this.

“Evgenia, Names do not appear and disappear in that way.”
“But, Father. My Name really has disappeared?”
“That is…”

My father stroked my hair and seemed lost in thought for a moment, then grabbed both my shoulders and turned me toward him.

Facing my father in surprise, my mouth shut tight on its own.

The same red hair as me, but completely different blue eyes.

That gaze, as if seeing right through me…

“Evgenia.”
“Y-yes?”
“How much do you think you know about the Artlux Imperial Family?”