He patted Swann’s head. Swann didn’t ask what the gratitude was for; she simply nodded her head, then left the room quietly. The sound of the door closing felt like a light pat on Cedric’s back.

“Ariante.”

Cedric sat next to Ariante and embraced her like a child with one arm.

Ariante, without looking at Cedric or fixing her gaze on something outside the window, remained still for a while.

Although the tear marks on her cheeks had been wiped clean by Mayana after she had cried, her eyes were still somewhat swollen from how much she had cried.

“Ariante, don’t you have something you want to say to your father?”

Cedric said. Hearing his affectionate voice, Ariante couldn’t stubbornly keep her mouth shut any longer and squirmed in his embrace. Her small lips opened, and between them, a sigh escaped, trembling delicately like a bird sobbing.

Ariante’s two eyes stared fixedly at Cedric.

“I’m not your real daughter?”

Cedric felt a sound as if a part of his chest crumbled and fell to the ground. Ariante seemed to have already known what she had learned and what she would hear, yet he couldn’t prevent the feeling that surged over him.

However, on the other hand, somewhere inside him was assessing this situation with a very cold gaze, judging how to push forward this situation. Now that there was no way to escape or hide anymore, he was asking himself what solution he would come up with.

Before giving an answer, Cedric pulled Ariante closer and hugged her. He felt the sensation of the child tightly held in his arms trembling.

He knew what Ariante had found out and what she would hear, yet he couldn’t help but feel the fear of actually hearing that answer.

“Ariante, you are my daughter. No one can change that fact.”

Cedric’s words made Ariante look at him with a deeply wounded expression for a moment before lowering her gaze. The tear marks that had been left were wiped clean by Mayana, but her eye area was still swollen, indicating how much she had cried.
[Please note: As per your instructions, I’m providing the English translation with the names and genders of the characters accurately and consistently.]

Finally, Ariante lifted her head and stared straight at Cedric. The child’s expression was extremely angry, a face never before seen in front of Cedric.

“I heard everything. From a long time ago. Many people said I’m not your daughter. Today, even Sisi at Sylas’ house said that, and… just now, an old man asked me if I’m Berbo’s daughter!”

Ariante wanted to scream louder, but she didn’t have the strength. Moreover, she didn’t have the courage.

This was a completely different situation from when she vented her frustration or fought with Lucian. She was afraid that something would collapse right away, and Cedric would push her away with a cold face, saying, ‘Yes, you are not my daughter.’

Cedric gently touched Ariante’s small forehead. The warm touch made Ariante’s feverish head warm, and when he did that, Ariante shed tears again unexpectedly.

This time, it wasn’t a rampage, breaking things like when she turned the room upside down or smashed the flower vase in the living room. She just shed tears, and the fact that Cedric was tormented by this even more.

“Ariante, listen carefully. What I’m about to say may be difficult, but still, listen. Can you do that?”

Ariante, who was shedding thick teardrops, nodded her head.

From the beginning, Ariante was a child who could do anything for her father. Even if it was difficult and painful, she was prepared to endure it. Ariante loved Cedric that much, and she hoped her father would recognize it.

“First, the statement that you are not my daughter is not true. You are my daughter no matter what anyone says. You are a Balternminster noble, and when you grow up, this land will be yours to rule.”

“But…”

Cedric lightly interrupted Ariante, as if telling her to listen more. Ariante simply looked at him, lips pursed.

“I want you to know that this is an unchanging fact. Understand, Ariante? Don’t doubt that fact.”

“…Yes.”

Ariante nodded her head reluctantly. Cedric seemed to understand that the important part of the story was coming, so he gently held Ariante’s small hand.

“But, yes… your real parents are different people. Berbo is the name of the man who was my… father’s, and your, younger brother. He is the father who gave birth to you, and the name of your birth mother is Liria.”

“Liria…”

Ariante, who mumbled a strange name in her mouth, lowered her head slightly. Liria, Liria. It was a name she had never heard before.

Just because it was the name of the mother she had never seen didn’t make it suddenly sound familiar, or feel like she had heard it somewhere. Naturally not.

But why shouldn’t it be like that? Ariante wondered. Even after hearing the real names of her mother and father, why did she feel nothing? Was it because she was a bad child?

What would Mayana say if she asked her?

“What are you thinking, Ariante?”

Cedric asked. His expression seemed worried, and he also looked apologetic.

Ariante spoke.

“Then why did you lie to me?”