Chapter 9

I possessed the daughter of the runaway female lead - Chapter 9 (9/171)

The Duke briefly nodded and then stood up.

"The doctor will be here soon. Don't skip your medicine and take good care of yourself."

As he left the room, Jace briefly acknowledged me with a glance and followed the Duke.

A while ago, Jace had hinted to me that once my mother recovered and the monster extermination was complete, we would soon depart for the Duke's northern territory.

The Duke's territory...

While my mother was receiving treatment, I gazed out the window and sighed softly.

Recently, I have been deeply pondering where we are in the story. Although my presence has slightly altered the original plot, the overall story is still unfolding as it did.

We are six months before the Duke officially starts his rebellion. Therefore, preparations for the rebellion must be secretly underway.

The problem is, since my father is not the protagonist of the novel, the information I have is extremely limited. The story is centered around the protagonists.

Moreover, the Duke was a villainous character, so his true identity was only revealed in the later parts of the story. In other words, even the readers were kept in the dark about what he was doing during this period.

I tried to align the story's progression based on the Duke's mission to exterminate monsters, but since this is something he does regularly, I couldn't pinpoint the exact timing.

This was a serious issue. If I went to the Duke's territory, everything would unfold as it did in the original story...

While I was lost in these thoughts, a figure outside the window caught my eye.

It was a person wearing a wizard's robe. It was unusual to see a wizard in this rural area, so I continued to watch him. Was he a guest of the lord?

Then I saw Jace greeting him. Jace led the wizard into the castle.

Jace's involvement meant that the wizard was not a guest of the lord but of the Duke.

At that moment, a line from the original story flashed through my mind.

A small village near the border, monster extermination, and a wizard.

When this description first appeared, readers thought the Duke was simply meeting a wizard to deal with the monsters. Later, they realized this was not the case. This short description was a crucial hint that the Duke was the antagonist.

I sprang up from my seat. I finally figured out exactly where we are in the story.

"Alr?"

At my mother's question, I hastily replied.

"Mom, I'll be right back!"

I immediately ran out into the hallway. If my guess was correct, this wizard was not just any ordinary wizard.

He was an assassin hired by the Duke to kill the Duke's best friend and loyal subject, Duke Acanthus.

On the eve of his rebellion, the Duke decided to eliminate Duke Acanthus first.

Duke Acanthus was a principled and just person, unlike the cold-blooded Duke. He felt a deep sense of guilt over the tragedies that befell the Duke's family and was willing to do anything for his friend.

Initially, Duke Iskias approached Duke Acanthus with a plan, but over time, he genuinely grew to like him as a friend.

For this reason, Duke Iskias agonized over the assassination plan thousands, even tens of thousands of times.

However, as long as Duke Acanthus existed, his rebellion could not succeed. Therefore, Duke Iskias had no choice but to choose the path of killing his friend.

To achieve this, he hired a wizard from the Ram Empire. Duke Acanthus was a powerful wizard, and only another wizard could stand a chance against him.

However, in the original story, the assassination plan ultimately failed.

Duke Acanthus suffered severe injuries but survived. During the duel, he left a mark that only he could recognize, which was later discovered.

Thus, Duke Acanthus belatedly realized that the person who tried to kill him six months ago was his best friend.

After this, the story's plot unfolded in a rapid and uncontrollable manner. The fact that his best friend was actually his enemy and was plotting a rebellion was revealed.

Due to the premature discovery, the Duke faced the Duke and the royal army without adequate preparation, resulting in a devastating defeat. He lost his beloved lover and ultimately took his own life.

Therefore, I had to prevent this from happening. The attempt to assassinate Duke Acanthus was the beginning of all the tragedies.

As I ran down the hallway, I spotted Jace and the wizard and pressed myself against the wall.

Jace was leading the wizard to the guest room where the Duke was staying. As soon as they entered, two guards stood watch at the door, creating a tense atmosphere similar to where my mother was.

With no other options, I returned to my mother's side.

I fell into even deeper contemplation. I knew the Duke would soon attempt to assassinate Duke Acanthus, but the exact location and time were not clearly described in the story. It only mentioned that "Duke Acanthus was attacked in a forest near a small village by the border late at night."

Thus, my priority was to gather information about the assassination plan. Only then could I interfere or prevent the Duke from going.

At that moment, my mother spoke.

"Alr, if you have any misunderstandings about your father, they are not true. Your father never abandoned us. He left for a while due to certain circumstances."

Ah, Mother still hopes to 'get along with Father.'

I smiled at my mother.

"I don't have any misunderstandings, so don't worry. And I'll try to get along with Father."

My mother's face immediately brightened.

"Really?"

"Yep, I promise."

Then I realized something.

Perhaps I could use this as an excuse to approach Duke Iskias and gather information.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

In front of the mirror stood a cute child with silver hair. The child's cheeks were rosy, making them look incredibly adorable. Anyone would want to pinch those cheeks.

However, despite the cute appearance, the child had a world-weary expression. After sighing deeply a few times, the child lifted their head as if making a decision.

"Ah..."

The child, who had a momentary expression of discomfort, smiled again.

"Daddy, Daddy! Can you play with Alr today? I'm bored."

While trying to act cute and charming, the child in the mirror—me—suddenly collapsed on the floor. My body was covered in hives, and I was shivering from head to toe.

Ah, I really can't do this! Do I really have to go this far?

After deciding to get closer to Duke Iskias, I started practicing my cutest charm. It was called the 'Operation to Make Duke Iskias a Daughter-Loving Father.'

The plan was to melt him with extreme cuteness and then extract information. However, I now realize that this approach was fundamentally flawed.

How can I melt a cold person like him when I can't even act cute?

But I had no other choice. It was impossible to gather information with my current abilities, given the strict security.

With a firm resolve, I stood in front of the mirror again. If I was willing to risk my life to save my mother, I could do this.

I had to do it. I had to survive!

"..."

However, when I stood in front of the Duke with such determination, I froze, unable to say a word. His face was completely expressionless.

Is that how a father looks at his daughter? Even a monster would look at me with more warmth.

"..."

When I suddenly blocked his path and remained silent, Jace, who was standing beside the Duke, spoke first.

"Alr, do you have something to say to His Highness? If it's okay, please speak."

With Jace's help, I managed to speak.

"Ah..."

Now I had to say "Daddy!" and act as cute as possible, but my mouth felt heavy, and I couldn't open it. My lips only trembled.

In the end, I lost the battle with myself.

"Ah, never mind!"

The rule is to run away quickly after a defeat. I turned to flee, but a voice suddenly called out from behind.

"Alr."

I turned around with wide eyes. It was the first time he had called my name.

"Follow me."

And the Duke started walking ahead, taking large steps.