‘I’m fine……’

When I was living with Rebecca, I had nosebleeds a few times.

It didn’t feel like a big deal to me, but it seemed to be for others.

When I came to my senses, I was in the mansion. It was such quick handling that I couldn’t even remember how I got to the duke’s residence so fast.

“Call a doctor, now.”

The duke carried me into the room, and Sophia, who found me, instructed other maids to bring warm water and towels.

It was only after lying in bed that I remembered.

‘Shankes and the other kids!’

“Duke, Duke!”

I urgently called for the duke.

“There were kids trapped at the auction house earlier! They were all young children, and they said they were merchandise!”

“How do you know about that?”

A flash of anger crossed the duke’s gaze as he looked down at me. He sighed lightly and continued speaking.

“And how do you know those children?”

‘……Did the duke know about it too?’

Does that mean the duke also went to attend the slave auction?

Shocked, I couldn’t say anything, and the duke narrowed his eyes.

“It’s not what you think.”

“I didn’t say anything……”

“It’s written all over your face. What you’re thinking.”

I raised one hand and touched my face. I must have been so surprised that I couldn’t control my expression at all.

The more detailed explanation was left to Clemens.

“We knew there was a slave auction going on, but we didn’t go to participate in it like you think.”

“Then why?”

“Well, if we had to say, it was for a crackdown?”

I was shocked once again by those words. The duke doing a crackdown.

‘So the duke also goes around catching people doing bad things……’

I thought he wouldn’t care about such things since he’s a villain himself, but it seems he can’t stand seeing others do bad things besides himself.

Still, as the lord of this vast Hessera, he must be trying to prevent the disruption of basic order, right?

“I left the manager in charge for too long, I should have replaced him earlier.”

I tilted my head at the duke’s words. Manager? Replace?

“What do you mean, Duke?”

“I’m talking about the current manager of the auction house. He was doing his job well and not causing any trouble, so I left him be, but it turns out he was secretly running slave auctions behind my back. So I went this time to clean things up completely.”

I rolled my eyes and realized one new fact from his words.

“So that auction house belonged to you, Duke?”

“Yes.”

“The auction house for gambling and drugs originally belonged to you…?”

I had only heard rumors about it in the original story, but hearing that the duke actually ran such a thing was even more shocking.

I remember from my past life. How bad and dangerous drugs and gambling are.

‘To think the duke ran such things……’

The duke let out a short sigh then.

“I don’t know what you take me for.”

“Huh?”

“That wasn’t the original intention when it was created. I did run the auction house, but the gambling and drug den were operated arbitrarily by the middle manager. He really went all out with it.”

‘Ah……’

“I’ve confirmed everything about that, and decided to demolish it.”

The duke lightly tapped my wrinkled forehead.

“So I’m telling you it’s not something for you to worry about.”

Only then did I realize my face had been wearing a very serious expression.

‘The duke didn’t kidnap the children.’

Hearing that made my mind surprisingly calm.

‘Come to think of it, if the auction house belonged to the duke, does he know that Rebecca frequented the place?’

I saw my mother there.

Thinking about it, Rebecca always lived with alcohol and gambling, so encountering her in such a place wasn’t that surprising.

‘What bothers me is that.’

There was something particularly bothersome among the things Rebecca said.

‘My daughter doesn’t seem to know, but you shouldn’t go against your mother’s wishes. You’ll have to come back to me anyway……’

It was a statement that had been troubling me like tangled threads in my mind since earlier.

‘Rebecca saying she’ll take me back.’

Even when we met, Rebecca kept trying to forcibly take me away.

I was too flustered to realize it then, but now that I think about it, it seems she was intending to kidnap me.

‘If it weren’t for the twins then, I could have been in real trouble.’

“Oh right, Duke, there I……”

I quickly shut my mouth. There was a memory that suddenly came to mind.

‘Don’t tell father that you saw us?’

The duke raised one eyebrow and urged me to continue speaking, but I shook my head.

‘The twins told me not to say anything.’

I didn’t know why they said not to mention it, but there was no need to bring it up first unnecessarily.

“What were you going to say?”

Seeing that the duke wasn’t likely to let it go easily, I rolled my eyes, but just then the doctor arrived.

“I’ve come to check on the young lady’s condition.”

The doctor who hurriedly entered began taking out examination tools beside the bed.

Seeing the doctor start the examination, even the duke had to step back without being able to ask further.

“Check thoroughly.”

“Y-Yes. Of course.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Diane, who had been pretending to be fine until the end, soon fell asleep after lying in bed.

While Diane was asleep, Cailius briefly returned to his office to finish up the earlier business.

He had already instructed the maid to notify him immediately when Diane woke up.

The problem was that he couldn’t focus on the documents at hand.

‘Duke, I’m really fine!’

Diane insisted she was fine even before falling asleep. She’s only 4 years old. At an age when she should be crying in fear at the sight of a single drop of blood.

Somehow he felt uneasy. Just then, Clemens entered the office with a dejected look.

Cailius silently looked at Clemens, who spoke first.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I should have watched Diane better.”

Clemens’ words brought back memories of earlier events.

All those emotions he felt when he heard Diane had disappeared.

Regret for bringing the child here, anger at those who failed to protect her properly, no, that was probably anger at himself.

The despair and helplessness that followed, all mixed together to confuse his mind.

Only when the child finally came into his sight unharmed did the swirling emotions settle down.

It was only after losing the child that he realized. How much he had been paying attention to every word and action of that child all this time.

At first, she was just a child he brought because he needed her. He even thought about sending her somewhere else after using her as needed.

The thought made him laugh bitterly. He probably could never, ever do that.

Clemens still had his mouth shut tight. Cailius calmly spoke again.

“That’s not your fault. If anyone failed to protect her, it would have been me.”

After recalling all those emotions again, he seemed to vaguely understand the cause of this uneasiness.

Just then, an urgent knock was heard.

“The young lady has woken up!”

It was the most welcome news for both of them.

[This is the timeline separator]

I had fallen asleep for a moment. As soon as I opened my eyes, Sophia, who had been watching over me, left the room and brought back the duke and Clemens.

‘Why those two……’

“How are you feeling?”

“Does anything hurt anymore?”

The duke and Clemens asked anxiously. Seeing them like that, I fidgeted with the blanket and asked.

“Were you worried about me?”

“What kind of question is that.”

“We were really surprised.”

The duke’s brow furrowed deeply, and Clemens let out a deep sigh.

Quietly listening to their words, I pulled the blanket up to my nose.

“What’s wrong. Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Should I call the doctor again……”

“No, no!”

I quickly shook my head. I kept wanting to hide under the blanket.

‘They were worried about me?’

I shouldn’t believe it, I shouldn’t give my heart.

‘It will only be temporary anyway.’

Rebecca was like that at first too. She told me to call her mom.

‘Later she yelled that she didn’t want to hear it.’

I know. People easily change their minds, and easily abandon useless children.

So I won’t believe it, I won’t expect anything.

“You seem to have a fever too……”

The duke’s hand gently rested on my forehead. His face was full of concern as he looked at me.

“I’ll go tell them to bring warm water.”

Watching Clemens leave the room to directly instruct the maid and return, I still have doubts.

‘Shouldn’t Clemens dislike me?’

It had been like that since the first day I met him. I thought Clemens wouldn’t like me.

Just a child who couldn’t do anything, brought by the duke’s whim or to be used, nothing more.

But now that I think about it, I was the one who was wary first.

‘Clemens never did anything bad to me.’

As if he really thought of me as his sister, he tried to give me cookies, fed me, and even taught me how to write.

I bit my lip hard.

‘Why are you being so nice to me.’

Don’t be nice to me, don’t worry about me.

“Why do you look like that?”

I rubbed my eyes. I rubbed them until the stinging eyelids felt better and my blurry vision cleared up again.

“Stop that.”

“It will hurt if you do that.”

The duke held my hands. Clemens took out a soft handkerchief and wiped my tears instead.

Looking at them, I suddenly spoke up.

“Why are you worried about me?”

“What?”

“I’m not the duke’s real daughter.”

I regretted asking as soon as the words left my mouth. I could predict what kind of answer would come back.

‘He’ll say I’m asking unnecessary things.’

I’ve already cried four times in front of the duke. Children who cry aren’t loved.

He’ll find me annoying for always whining.

“Who told you that?”

“Sweetie, why do you think that? Who said such things to you?”

“I just know. I knew from the beginning. I’m not the duke’s real daughter, you brought me because you needed me.”

A heavy silence fell in the room. The duke was the first to speak.

“That’s right, you’re not my biological daughter.”

“……Yeah.”

“You’re right. At first, introducing you as my daughter to others was just because I needed the existence of a daughter.”

My prediction was correct. I’m glad I didn’t have any expectations from the start. I’m glad I didn’t harbor any false hopes from the beginning.

‘Yes, it’s a good thing.’

“But what if I say the reason has changed now, would you believe me?”

At the duke’s words, I slowly blinked my eyes. Clemens gently wiped away the tears that fell helplessly.

“You were like that from the first day, you were so suspicious.”

Clemens continued kindly.

“But lately you’ve been talking to me first, so I thought your heart had changed a little, but my little sister was still the same.”

“……I’m not Clemens’ sister.”

“Then whose tears am I wiping away?”

Unlike my gruff words, a faint smile spread across Clemens’ face. That smile made me feel very wronged.

“I’m really not your sister. Why do you keep calling me that.”

Don’t pay attention to me, both of you, don’t care about me, don’t worry whether I get hurt or not. Both of you……,

“Don’t be nice to me.”

I blurted out in anger. Even after saying it, I didn’t have the courage to look at their faces, so I quickly turned away.

“Diane, look here.”

“I don’t want to.”

I’m scared of what they’ll say. After I acted like this, they’ll both probably get angry and leave the room. They might even tell me to pack my bags right away.

Just then, a large hand gently stroked my head.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever said this to you.”

“……”

“You are my daughter. Regardless of what the initial reason was for bringing you here.”

“……Hic.”

My eyes blurred completely. Before I knew it, I was in the duke’s arms, shedding tears uncontrollably.

Suddenly, I wanted to ask something.

No, it was actually something I had wanted to ask from the beginning.

“……Then can I call you Dad?”

At my words, the corners of the duke’s mouth curved into a gentle smile.

“I’ve been waiting for just those words.”

That day, only after soaking the duke’s clothes with tears was I able to properly call them.