Episode 91

Even though the fact that my illness was completely cured was still a secret only I knew, my heart skipped a beat as if that secret had been exposed.

‘No, calm down.’

Father doesn’t know.

No one could know about my recovery unless I told them.

So please, calm down and think rationally.

I tried to calm myself down and quickly thought things over.

Judging by the flow of the conversation, it was clear what Father was asking me.

“Yes, I remember.”

Understanding Father’s intent, I first answered his question and steadied myself.

“I just wanted you to enjoy everything without any worries and live safely once you were cured. That’s why I believed you when you said you would return. I forgot how affectionate you are.”

“Father…”

“Is it the Duke of Blighton that you hold in your heart?”

“Father, that’s…”

As expected, Father never beat around the bush.

I hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say to him.

It wasn’t because I was unsure of my feelings for Lloydin.

I liked him.

I liked him so much that I could say it with certainty.

But I hesitated because I wasn’t sure if it was okay to express these feelings to Father.

Saying it out loud might be easy, but the repercussions would be enormous, so I had to be more cautious than ever.

“You don’t need to answer. As your father, I know where your eyes are always directed.”

However, my hesitation was completely useless in front of Father.

He saw right through me.

Thus, deceiving him was perhaps impossible from the beginning.

“Yes, you’re right, Father. I hold the Duke in my heart.”

I admitted honestly.

“And I don’t want the Duke to suffer. If I can, I want to set him free from the world. Father.”

I conveyed my desire to Father once more, hoping my sincerity would reach him.

“Ayla…”

I heard a deep, worried sigh from Father.

Then, with a complicated expression, he asked me,

“Do you really have to do this?”

“Yes, I want to.”

I answered with a serious glint in my eyes.

Father, who was looking at me with a stern expression, suddenly stood up.

“Father?”

“Wait here for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Telling me that, Father walked over to his office desk.

I watched closely as Father searched for something on his desk.

I didn’t know what it was, but once he found it, he returned to his previous seat holding the item.

In Father’s hands was a massive stack of papers.

“Father, what is that?”

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked.

Without a word, Father placed the bundle of papers on the table and pushed them towards me.

“Read it.”

Following Father’s instructions, I picked up the topmost sheet and started reading, and I was shocked.

Then I quickly skimmed through the next papers, and the ones after that.

“Father, this is…!”

What Father showed me were documents on the Black Forest and investigations into the Blighton family.

“What is this?”

“It’s exactly what it looks like.”

“I mean, why were you gathering this information?”

From faded papers to ones that looked newly written, it was clear these were not collected overnight; they bore the passage of time.

I guessed that Father had been planning something for quite a while.

And it seemed increasingly likely that whatever he was planning might align with what I intended to do.

“A long time ago, when your mother was pregnant with Jade, we traveled to a village in the north. Unfortunately, we were attacked by monsters there.”

The conversation suddenly shifted to a past story about Father and Mother.

I was shocked by this unexpected revelation and responded with surprise.

“You were attacked by monsters? With Mother?”

“Yes. That was the first time I saw a monster, and it was terrifying. Even with my swordsmanship skills, I was no match for it. I truly thought I was going to die. But miraculously, we survived.”

“How? Did you kill the monster?”

“If I had the strength, I would have. But as you know, Ayla, only those with divine power or a similar magical force can kill monsters.”

“Then how did you survive?”

“The Duke of Blighton saved us.”

“The Duke of Blighton?”

“Yes. Arthur Blighton, the previous Duke, not your current husband.”

I nodded in understanding.

“I fought desperately, thinking I had to save my wife and the child in her womb. But I was growing exhausted against the monster’s immense power. Just when it seemed all was lost, the Duke appeared.”

“Wow, what a relief.”

I let out a sigh of relief, my heart still racing from the story.

“Yes, it was a great relief. Because of that day, our family owes our lives to the Duke.”

Father was right.

A family without its head or an heir is doomed. If the previous Duke hadn’t shown up, my parents and my brother Jade wouldn’t be here today.

Likewise, Noah, Luke, and I, who were born later, wouldn’t exist either.

The thought was so horrifying that I shivered.

“Since then, I’ve thought about how I could repay that kindness. This was the conclusion I reached.”

“You thought the same as I did.”

I glanced at the stack of papers as I replied.

“Yes. But as you can see, despite all these years, I haven’t found anything.”

“Nothing? But all these documents…”

“They’re useless. I haven’t found any crucial information.”

“Oh…”

I couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of regret at Father’s words.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Father.”

“It’s alright. It’s understandable. Ayla, have you found out anything?”

“No, I haven’t found out anything either.”

“I see. The Black Forest is a mysterious place. We don’t know when or how it was formed. We don’t even know what it looks like. Therefore, unless we go there ourselves, we won’t be able to uncover anything.”

Father, who knew more than I did, spoke with a definitive tone.

I agreed with him.

To uncover the secrets of the Black Forest, we had to go there somehow.

But we couldn’t just go there blindly.

Especially for people like us, who have no power, going to a place filled with monsters would mean certain death.

“Besides meeting with Priest Gabriel, what else have you done?”

“After meeting with the priest, I read all the books I could find about monsters and the Black Forest. But the books were useless, so I started looking for people.”

“You looked for people? Who? Did you meet this person directly?”

Father’s voice suddenly grew louder at the mention of looking for people.

“Yes. I met… someone.”

“You met them?”

“Yes. But I didn’t reveal my identity; the butler met them instead.”

“Ah, I see. That was well done.”

Father, who had been excited, sighed in relief.

“Why… are you reacting like this, Father?”

I asked, puzzled by Father’s reaction.

“What you’re doing now must be kept a secret from everyone. If someone finds out, it could cause great trouble.”

“Great trouble?”

“Ayla, do you still not understand the true significance of what you’re trying to do?”

Father spoke with a serious expression, his brows furrowed, and I still couldn’t grasp it.

I just wanted to give Lloydin his freedom.

I wanted to make him happy, to allow him to move and decide for himself.

But why would it cause great trouble if someone found out?

‘Ah!’

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

“Could it be…”

Seeing the flicker of realization in my eyes, Father nodded with a grim expression.

“Under the pretext of opposing the monsters, the royal family and the temple have controlled and manipulated the Blighton family for a very long time. Through this, they have solidified their power. Do you think they would welcome someone who could shake this solid system?”

I bit my lip and shook my head.

“If such a person were to appear, the royal family and the temple would call them this.”

Holding my breath in anticipation, I focused on the words about to come from Father’s mouth.

When he finally spoke, the impact of his words felt like a blow to the head.

“A traitor.”