Usually, parents are overjoyed to see their children, but I was an exception.
Sadly, I was not a very cute child, then or now.
My father loved alcohol more than his children. He beat my mother for not letting him drink and kicked me when I begged for love.
“Who are you to beat my daughter!”
I was four years old, so obviously, until then I thought my mother loved me. But everything changed when my mother remarried. My stepfather brought home a girl of my age.
Her name was Seo Dajong.
She was bright and pretty.
I thought we could become close.
“Jiyu was born two months earlier. So Dajong, you can call her big sister.”
I think she hated me from the moment her stepfather said that.
“Jiyu gets first place every time, Seo Dajong and you take this as a grade?”
“Seo Dajong, what time is it? Jiyu comes home right after school!”
“Seo Da-jong, you should be more like Ji Yu!”
My stepfather always brought up my name whenever he was angry with Dajong. Dajong didn’t step down either.
“You didn’t care about my grades or what I did in the past, so why are you acting like this since Ji Yu came over!”
Dajong glared at me with a resentful gaze.
As my stepfather continued to compare her to me, my mother began to notice.
“Jiyu, hide your prize quickly. Don’t show it off. Your arrogance is making her feel bad.”
It was unfair, but I endured it.
I knew that my stepfather was giving Dajong products for hair care and expensive tutoring sessions behind my back. But no matter how careful I was, it happened.
One day, Dajong’s missing items started showing up in my room. Her new clothes and shoes were torn, and I was to blame. And when she showed up with swollen cheeks.
“Jiyu hit me, saying I’m stupid and embarrassing her. And told me to pretend not recognise her at school. Boohoo…”
“No, I didn’t. I was… aahh! “
My stepfather, who had been pretending to be gentle with me so far, finally slapped my cheek.
“I can’t live with that thing anymore. Ever since she came to my house, she made me and my sweetheart fall out! Hey, if you don’t get rid of that thing, I’m getting a divorce from you. Do you understand?”
What did I do?
I hadn’t done anything.
I was filled with sadness.
I was frustrated, and upset. But there was no one on my side. I didn’t want to leave, so I clung to my mother, but it was no use.
“Mom should get to live an easier life, right?”
The moment I heard those words, I couldn’t say anything.
The day I went to my maternal grandmother’s house, even my mother didn’t come to see me off.
‘I tried so hard. I wanted to be loved, I wanted to live happily together…’
Tears streamed down endlessly.
***
Drip..drip..
Is it raining?
I woke up and rubbed my eyes, startled to find the back of my hand damp.
“.….I cried.”
I must have cried in my sleep like a baby.
I thought I wouldn’t cry over something like that anymore.
I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment, then glanced sideways.
In the wide carriage, a few seats away, Hart’s eyes were closed.
“He must be sleeping.”
How could he sleep and still be so stiff and upright?
It was bad luck.
‘But he’s handsome.’
“Hehe”, I chuckled, forgetting I’d cried just by looking at his face.
‘I want to see you from close up.’
He’s sleeping, so I thought, why not get a little closer?
I crawled over to Hart.
‘He looks better up close. Hehe.‘
My favourite was rude. But he was nice with his mouth shut.
I ran my fingertips through his long, shadowy lashes. He tilted his head slightly, as if annoyed.
This gave me a good look at his strong jawline and long neck.
‘Wow… He looks like an elf. A dark elf.’
I plucked up the courage to touch his pretty ears.
Soft. Fluffy.
They felt so good in my hand.
‘It’s nice.’
I shouldn’t do this, but my suppressed childish instincts kicked in.
“Hehe, heh, heh… fun.”
“Is it fun to touch?”
“Yeah. It’s soft and squishy.”
“You like it?”
“Yup. It’s very….”
He glared at me, his red eyes narrowed.
“Why don’t you continue?”
“Oh, no. I won’t do it….argh! “
My body jerked back in surprise.
This is the problem with smaller bodies. If you let your guard down a bit, you easily lose your balance.
I’m not that young as some people accused. But I wasn’t a grown up either.
Bam.
My collapsing body was grabbed halfway.
Hart supported my back with one hand.
He lifted me lightly and made me sit right back on the chair.
“Uh-huh. Thank you.”
“Stay still.”
“Okay.”
If you were awake, you could have just told me. But I knew I was in the wrong. As I was a good girl, I kept my head down. If I keep calm, he will have a good impression of me.
‘I don’t even know where you’re taking me yet. Maybe to the orphanage?’
‘You kicked me out and then came back.’
Maybe he was sorry that he sent me away? After all, Uncle Sandy and Aunt Judy are bad people.
“Do you have anything to say?”
I tried to stay quiet, but for some reason, Hart beat me to it.
I looked up at him in confusion.
“Nothing?”
He frowned, as if he had something to say.
Startled, I quickly shook my head.
“Thanks for saving me.”
“…….”
The response was cold.
Wasn’t that what he wanted to hear?
“Ooh, um… I will be a good girl at the orphanage.”
“Orphanage?”
“Uh? Yes.”
I nodded, desperate that he would send me back again.
Hart gave me a pensive look. Watching his eyes, I wondered if I should ask him to visit me often.
“Do you dislike being with me that much?”
But it was Hart who spoke first. And it was completely unexpected.
‘What did he just say?’
I panicked, and my brain froze.
I could barely compose myself when Hart’s red eyes stared into mine.
“But why did you do that?”
“Wh-What?”
“Why did you only want to give me the nutrients?”
“That, that’s…”
What was I supposed to say?
Hart didn’t look happy. But he didn’t seem angry either.
I rolled my eyes and looked away, then replied cautiously, “Mum said that the Prince liked nutritional pills. When he had headaches, he liked the pills if she was the one who gave it.”
“What?”, Hart frowned.
Did he not believe me?
I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t planning to say this,
“Mum told me not to tell anyone about this… but Dad likes it when Mum gives him medicine with her mouth. No matter how bitter it is, he took it…”
“Stop!”
A red-faced Hart urgently put his index finger over my lips.
“Ah..Uhm..?”
“What the hell did you say to this girl, Laura?”
Hart rolled his eyes, unable to contain himself.
It was funny because the expression was exactly the same as when my mum accidentally said it.
After laughing, I got frustrated and bit his finger with my tiny teeth.
As soon as he pulled his finger away, I whined.
“Really?”
Hart’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he gave me a stern look.
“Don’t go around saying that. Your mum and dad would never…”
As he spoke, Hart’s expression changed for a moment.
He thought about what he had said, and then muttered in disbelief.
” ..’Dad’…? Does that mean you’re my daughter?”
I almost stumbled backwards in disbelief.
‘You didn’t realize all this time?’
No way!
***
Hart von Reinhardt.
A brutal killer, a prince despised by the Emperor who never became the Crown Prince.
It is said that not a blade of grass remained where he passed in battle, and that he slaughtered those who crossed him with a gleeful air of anticipation.
It was his notoriety that made him famous, as much as his shining blond hair and chiselled features.
“No wonder the Emperor is so reluctant to declare a crown prince.”
“After all, it was Prince Hart who raided the temple and stole the holy relics.”
“Is it right to have a monster like that around Saint Asta?”
People would say things like these not knowing anything.
Despite being hated by all, Hart remained strong.
I could tell just by looking at the enormous mansion.
A splendid exterior designed by an expensive craftsman. Countless rooms and gleaming stone ornaments. It was all meticulously maintained by numerous hands.
If I were to sneak into one of those rooms, no one would find me.
‘What was the reason behind taking back the girl, Hart never thought he had?’
I thought as I lay on my plush bed.
I was still in shock.
‘I told my mum was Laura Koch, but he didn’t know I was his daughter! Who did he think my mum was?’
The only man in my mum’s life was Hart.
‘Besides, my name, Hanelope, is the name she and Hart had promised to give to the child they had together!’
Of course, Hart had a point.
‘The birth register lists me as five years old.’
He had looked at my birth record at the government office and misunderstood. I gave him the answer.
“My mum had to work so hard that she didn’t get to register timely!”
Was it my imagination, or did Hart’s stony face seem to crumble at that moment?
I sat up and opened my eyes wide. The bed was the size of the five closets I had been living in. It was high enough that I could sit on it and not even touch the ground.
Hup!
I jumped off the bed and stood on the soft carpet, looking around the room.
‘I will stay here from now on.’
The room Hart had thrown me into was very large.
The furniture was as luxurious as it looked.
‘And there’s even a balcony!’
The morning sun was pouring down the long balcony windows. I wanted to run to the balcony and play, but I held back.
‘I didn’t come here to grow up like a plant in a greenhouse.’
I’m here to protect Hart who is like a plant in a greenhouse.
