Chapter 10

I became the lost daughter of the villain, Chapter 10 (10/218)

Standing in front of the father's study that Mary led me to, I checked to see if my clothes were wrinkled anywhere.

Of course, from the state Mary was in earlier, she must have smoothed out every strand of my hair.

"…Mary is scared too."

As a result of fueling Mary's desire to dress up, I had to try on five different dresses and have my hair styled five times to match.

I felt like a doll being moved around by Mary's hands.

When I said I wanted to stop, a look of disappointment appeared on Mary's face, but fortunately, I managed to escape by saying I didn't want to keep Father waiting.

'I should use the excuse of Father more often.'

Hem. Clearing my throat, I raised my hand and knocked on the large door twice.

"Father, it's Erita."

I took a step back and waited, and soon I heard footsteps from inside, and the door clicked open.

Eilhen, who opened the door, blinked in surprise and then smiled, stepping aside to let me in.

"I was eager to see you."

"…Ah."

"Come in quickly."

Not knowing what to say, I just smiled and bowed my head.

I knew Eilhen liked me, but I wasn't used to such kindness.

"…Thank you."

Eilhen, who saw my reaction, seemed to bite his lip for a moment before smiling softly and nodding.

Carefully entering the room, I saw Father sitting on the sofa.

Seeing his familiar face, I felt a bit more relaxed and ran up to him with a bright face.

"Father!"

"Indeed, my daughter."

Father, who had been sitting, easily picked me up.

"Ah!"

I didn't run to be carried, but I didn't mind staying in his arms, so I smiled and snuggled in.

"Did you like the room?"

"Yes! It was really beautiful."

"Is that so? I was worried you might not like it, but I'm glad."

Father's gentle voice made me smile.

Then, a thought crossed my mind, and I turned my head to look at Eilhen.

I suddenly realized that my running up to Father and smiling might have made Eilhen feel left out.

I wondered if he was hurt by the difference in my attitude.

But when our eyes met, Eilhen gave me a soft smile.

Looking at his kind and beautiful smile, I stared blankly for a moment, and Eilhen, with his eyes wide, laughed softly.

From above, I heard Father's somewhat exasperated laugh.

"How long has it been since you laughed like that?"

Despite the scolding tone, there was undeniable joy in Father's voice.

But how long has it been? What does he mean?

"Do you like your sister that much?"

I quickly turned my attention back to Eilhen, who was still smiling and about to answer Father's question.

"Father knows best, doesn't he? …There's no way I wouldn't like her."

Unlike me, who blushed and stammered at the embarrassing answer, Father nodded.

"Indeed. There's no way you wouldn't like her."

"…"

"Erita, your brother really likes you."

"Ugh…"

Feeling too embarrassed by the soft yet teasing words, I covered my face with my hands.

But while it was a bit awkward, I didn't dislike the clear affection I felt.

"Father, don't we have something to talk about?"

Fortunately, Eilhen's words pulled me out of the embarrassing situation.

"Erita is embarrassed."

The words that followed were still full of laughter, but I didn't mind.

"Indeed. There's something we need to talk about first."

Father's voice, agreeing with this, became a bit lower.

I sat down on the sofa, where Father had placed me, and listened carefully to the now serious atmosphere.

"…For the time being, we need to keep Erita's return a secret."

"A secret?"

"Yes. To deal with any potential threats."

Potential threats. Is that all there is to it?

Seeing my expression, Father gently reassured me.

"Don't think too much about it. It's just to prevent the news of my daughter's return from spreading for a short while."

"Ah…"

"But your opinion is the most important. Is it okay with you?"

"Yes. I don't mind."

I nodded and smiled at his gentle voice.

There was something unsettling, but I trusted that Father was doing this for my sake.

"Thank you for understanding."

Father, smiling warmly, gently stroked my head.

"Since we're done talking, would you like to tour the mansion with me until dinner?"

Just as I was about to nod, there was a knock on the door.

"Lord, it's Fern."

Hearing Fern's voice, Father's expression darkened. Eilhen, sitting opposite, smiled knowingly.

"…Come in."

With a sigh, he allowed Fern to enter, who approached with a cheerful expression, ignoring Father's frown.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but would it be okay to tour the mansion with Young Master?"

"Fern."

Father, as if trying to stop him, called out threateningly, but Fern, smiling, placed a stack of documents on the table.

"These are the documents that piled up while you were away. I've only selected the ones that need to be completed by today."

"Ha…"

I looked at Father, worried he might be angry.

But Father just sighed deeply and spoke apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Erita. I can't join you today."

"I'm sorry, Miss. If I don't finish them today, I'll have to stay up all night again."

Despite his smile, Fern looked more tired than before, and I silently sent a small apology.

Father must have been away because he was looking for me.

"Um, no. I can go with my brother…!"

Shaking my head, I said this, and Eilhen, sitting opposite, looked surprised for a moment before standing up and smiling.

"Since Father is busy, I'll go with Erita instead."

He extended his hand to me, and I glanced up at Father before getting up and moving to Eilhen's side.

"Are you disappointed that it's not Father?"

Hearing the playful words as I took his hand, I opened my eyes wide.

Was he really upset because I only smiled at Father earlier?

"N-no, that's not it!"

Shaking my head and speaking a bit urgently, I saw Eilhen, surprised by my reaction, apologize and stroke my head.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you."

"It's just a bit awkward…"

Trailing off and looking at me, Eilhen's eyes curved into a gentle smile.

"It's okay. We'll get closer over time. Right?"

I nodded at his words.

With more time, this awkwardness will disappear.

Eilhen, gently squeezing my hand, turned to Father.

"Then I'll go ahead, Father."

He smiled, and a somewhat exasperated smile appeared on Father's face.

"You…"

I heard him mutter, but the rest was too quiet to hear.

"Sure. We'll go together next time."

"Okay! See you later!"

Seeing Father smiling warmly and waving at me, I smiled and waved back.

"I'm sorry to take the Duke away, Miss."

"You're good at saying things that aren't true."

"Ha ha, not true? I'm very disappointed."

"Erita, don't overdo it. Take your time and enjoy the tour. Your brother will take good care of you."

Ignoring Fern's words, Father spoke to us, and I nodded awkwardly, waving at Fern as well.

I thought it was quite impressive that Fern could respond playfully to Father, who was so intimidating.

Click

The door closed behind us with a small sound.

I glanced down at our clasped hands.

"Shall we talk while we walk?"

Nodding at Eilhen's question, he immediately started walking slowly.

Despite my worry that it might be awkward, Eilhen's pace, matching mine, felt familiar.

***

Click

Eilhen and Erita left the study.

As their footsteps grew faint and disappeared.

"Seeing Young Master smile like that is the first time since I've been here."

Fern's voice, filled with surprise and curiosity, made Aslan smile.

Smiling like that…

"Exactly 7 years. …Since that child smiled brightly."

Perhaps due to the family's blood, Eilhen also showed remarkable growth and excelled in many areas from a young age.

But his indifferent and unchildlike personality was not particularly special in the Crobaharts family.

Aslan himself had been unemotional from a young age.

Eilhen only smiled like a child in front of Serbia and Erita.

"Originally, he only smiled in front of his mother and sister."

Eilhen stopped smiling 7 years ago because the only person he smiled at was gone.

"…I see."

"Yes. That's why I can't forgive these bastards."

After a moment of reminiscing, Aslan leaned back in his chair and muttered.

The change in atmosphere made Fern's smile turn serious.

It was time to return to his role as a capable advisor.

"First, the Empress's lackeys visited the orphanage. They disguised themselves as the deceased's family and confirmed the director's body."

"Of course, it was them."

Not surprised by the situation, Aslan tilted his head and smiled coldly.

"They won't leave any traces."

"Yes. We made it look like a foreign nobleman took the girl from the orphanage. They left the empire two days ago."

"Hmm."

"They won't be able to find her. They are supposed to drown in the sea on their way back to their home country."

Fern smiled after finishing his sentence.

There might be something suspicious, but the Empress won't know the reason.

No matter how much she investigates, she will only conclude it was a coincidence.

Aslan, looking at Fern, nodded in satisfaction.

The fox that took the bait for the hunt.

He successfully surrounded the fox without it noticing.

"That man."

"Kai is on his trail. We can capture him at any time with your order."

"He's been hiding well for 7 years."

It was time to claim the right.

"Tell Kai."

The predator, baring its sharp teeth, laughed ferociously.

"Bring him to me without a scratch."

He will feel the consequences of touching the Crobaharts to the bone.