Episode 92

The shocking revelation left me speechless for a while.

A traitor.

How could I be labeled a traitor?

No, no.

Father was right if I thought about it.

Who would just stand by and watch someone try to dismantle their power base?

But I had been so blinded by my desire to free Lloydin that I hadn’t fully considered the implications of my actions.

I had treated the task lightly, thinking only of Lloydin’s freedom.

“The thing you and I are trying to do is just that. But I don’t want you getting involved in such dangerous matters. Leave this to me and pretend you don’t know anything.”

“But Father, how can I do that? This is about my husband. It’s about my family.”

Father told me to do nothing, but I couldn’t comply.

My parents and brothers were my family, but so were Lloydin and Ian.

Since it was a family matter, it made sense for me to handle it personally. Moreover, I didn’t want to ignore the dangerous task and leave it to Father alone.

“That’s why I’m saying I’ll handle it. It’s better for me to do it than you, with so many eyes watching. And what can you do when you’re not even fully recovered? Ayla, you should focus solely on recovering your health. I’ll take care of everything else.”

“Father, I…”

In my excitement, I nearly confessed that I had fully recovered.

‘Calm down, please.’

If I acted without thinking deeply, I would ruin everything.

I tried to calm myself down and think about the best course of action.

The only reason I hadn’t told my family about my recovery, even though I knew they were worried about me, was to complete the task I needed to do beside Lloydin.

But this task was far too immense for me to handle alone, and now I knew Father had been working on it secretly for a long time.

Despite his worries for his sick daughter, Father was still trying to handle everything on his own.

But as I said before, I didn’t want to sit idly by and do nothing. My illness was no longer an issue for me.

Having come to this conclusion, I quietly made a decision and spoke.

“Actually, Father, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Not long ago, I had a dream where all the paths disappeared.”

“What? All the paths disappeared? Does that mean you’re completely healed?”

Father’s voice grew louder, clearly surprised by my words.

“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems that way. That’s why I didn’t tell you right away. I’m sorry.”

Father’s reaction was one of profound shock, but also of concern. He seemed torn between relief and disbelief at the possibility of my recovery.

“Really, is it really true?”

Unable to believe it, my father repeatedly sought confirmation from me.

I smiled brightly at him and explained in more detail.

“Yes. When I had the dream, all those many paths had disappeared. And when I prayed earnestly to escape the dream, I woke up. Of course, this alone can’t definitively say I’m completely cured, but I think it’s likely.”

Only I knew exactly how the illness was cured.

This disease was so rare that until I remembered the original story, I couldn’t even find a way to treat it.

Since I couldn’t explain the details I learned from the original story to my father, this was the best explanation I could give.

“Ah, I see. So it really might be that you’re finally cured.”

My father let out a long sigh and muttered softly.

“I can’t believe this day has come. So, the chances are high that you won’t fall asleep again?”

“Yes. That’s right. We’ll need to watch a bit longer to be sure, but as someone who has suffered from this illness for a long time, it feels like the end to me.”

I emphasized the word “end” as I spoke.

“Yes. I see.”

With those words, my father fell silent for a while.

It seemed like he was thinking about something, so I waited quietly.

Various emotions were reflected on his face.

Worry for me, relief that the illness was cured, and the ease that it was over – all these complex feelings were tangled together.

After some time, my father spoke again.

“But why didn’t you tell us immediately?”

I had anticipated that my father would ask me this question if I confessed that I was cured.

I carefully voiced the answer I had thought of earlier.

“Because I wasn’t sure yet. I was afraid that if I told you I was cured and then fell asleep again, you’d be even more disappointed.”

For a moment, my father’s eyes flashed sharply at my answer.

Startled by his look, I quickly made a decision.

‘It’s better to tell the truth to father after all.’

Trying to deceive him at this point would be foolish.

Especially in front of my father, it was impossible.

“And… I couldn’t tell you because I knew you’d ask me to come home if I said I was cured.”

“Were you planning to stay there to deal with the Blighton family’s matters?”

“Yes. I thought it was my duty. The Duke gave me a new life. So I wanted to give him such a life in return.”

Fortunately, my sincerity seemed to reach my father, who nodded in understanding.

“I understand what you’re saying. But even so, I wish you wouldn’t do anything.”

“Father…!”

Despite my explanation, my father still told me to do nothing, making me feel as if I was facing an unyielding wall.

“Ayla, calm down.”

My father tried to comfort and persuade me as I expressed my frustration.

“We owe a great debt to the Blighton family. So we must repay that kindness. But as I’ve said, we need to approach this matter cautiously. A single mistake could bring harm not only to our family but to the Blighton family as well.”

I agreed with that point.

No matter how much power our family had, treason was a completely different matter.

Once marked as a traitor, no one could escape from it.

But what was this unsettling feeling?

Was it since hearing the word treason?

From that moment, my mind felt oddly unclear and foggy, as if part of it was shrouded in mist.

‘Treason, treason…’

The word treason kept bothering me, maybe because I was so shocked earlier.

If that’s the case, it was fortunate, but the uneasy feeling still wouldn’t go away.

“Ayla?”

Snapped out of my thoughts by my father’s call, I set aside my previous thoughts and focused on the current conversation.

“I’ll be careful. I’ll do as you say, Father, so please let me join you. Please, Father.”

My father let out a low sigh and gave a helpless smile.

“You really do like the Duke a lot, don’t you?”

“…Yes. I truly want him to be happy.”

“Alright. I understand.”

Finally, my father gave me permission to be involved.

“Father!”

I was so overjoyed that I jumped up from my seat and approached my father, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you, Father. Thank you so much.”

“My dear child.”

My father gently stroked my hair repeatedly.

“I will contact you again, so for now, go back and wait. You mustn’t take any action.”

“Yes, I will.”

“And…”

Father hesitated for a moment, as if he was about to say something important.

“It would be best if, for now, only the two of us know that your illness is cured.”

“Oh, yes. I thought the same thing.”

“Right. I’m sorry for the others, but it can’t be helped. Let’s do that.”

“Yes, Father.”

After the long conversation with my father, I returned straight to the Blighton estate.

Even though it was late at night, I couldn’t fall asleep.

I immediately went to the study and began to organize the events of the day.

As I was meticulously going over the conversation I had with my father, a thought I had forcibly pushed aside suddenly resurfaced, taking over my mind.

‘Treason, traitor…’

There was definitely something there, but that part was still oddly unclear.

What was it? What could it be?

I thought it would be better to figure it out rather than remain in this unclear state.

So, I grabbed my throbbing head and concentrated intensely on the elusive thought.

However, no matter how much I pondered, I felt like I was sinking deeper into a mire.

‘This won’t do.’

I decided to go back to the beginning.

I didn’t know what this memory or thought was exactly, but I needed to think through it step by step.

I took a deep breath and started to carefully piece everything together, one by one.

How much time had passed?

It was just when I was thinking about the original story and the illness.

‘Aha!’

Suddenly, as if a fog had lifted, my mind cleared, and a significant memory struck me.

At the same time, a wave of despair and sorrow washed over me.

What I remembered was the fact that the Anaites family had been accused of treason and was annihilated.