Princess Hilane Peztein, the fourth princess of Emperor Roman, entered into a political marriage with Marquis Revan Rata.
Having inherited the marquisate at a young age due to his father’s death, Revan was a man devoted to his family.
The next year, their daughter Chevelyn, whom he adored, was born.
Their household, built on the shared bond of being Chevelyn’s parents and mutual trust, was quite satisfying for Hilane, despite not being a love-stricken relationship.
… Until that incident occurred.
* * *
Three months ago.
Drip, drip-
An afternoon with light rain.
Hilane turned her gaze towards the increasing sound of rain outside the window.
Perhaps it was the end of spring. It had been raining for days.
Although the rain usually made her feel at ease, she worried about her daughter being alone.
‘Chevelyn hates the rain… what should I do?’
At that moment,
“My lady.”
When Hilane turned at the voice, the butler stood there.
“What is it?”
He was holding a stack of documents.
“I’ve brought the report on the budget expenditures for the second half of this year.”
The butler bowed to Hilane.
“I’ll review it and approve it later.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Where is Chevelyn?”
Hilane asked the butler as she took the report.
“The young miss is drawing in the playroom.”
Worried about her daughter who feared the rain, the words on the report didn’t register properly in her mind.
One stormy day, Chevelyn had a seizure, making her even more anxious.
Unable to focus, she got up from her chair and walked straight to the playroom.
On the way, she noticed that Revan’s carriage was gone.
‘Revan never leaves without informing me….’
“Butler, has Revan gone out?”
“Ah… yes.”
“To where?”
“… I’m not sure.”
The butler’s evasive answer seemed suspicious.
‘Why is he like that?’
It was strange, but she didn’t press further.
She was in a hurry to see Chevelyn, and she could ask Revan about it later.
Entering the playroom, she saw Chevelyn’s small figure clutching a crayon.
‘So adorable.’
Just looking at her melted away all her accumulated fatigue.
“Lyn!”
Hilane called out her daughter’s nickname joyfully as she approached.
“… Mom?”
Chevelyn, who had been staring blankly at her drawing, looked up.
“Lyn, were you drawing? Can I see what you’ve drawn?”
Hilane knelt beside Chevelyn.
“Here….”
Chevelyn hesitantly showed her the sketchbook.
A tree with many rings, a shining sun, and a family of three holding hands.
‘…Hmm?’
She smiled at the cute drawing, but only briefly.
“Chevelyn, why did you color your hair brown instead of pink?”
Hilane pointed to Chevelyn’s brown hair in the drawing.
Chevelyn quickly hid her pink hair, tied in pigtails.
“Chevelyn?”
Surprised by her daughter’s action, Hilane called her name again.
“Mom, because my hair color is different from dad’s… am I not his daughter?”
Chevelyn fidgeted, looking as if she were about to cry.
She seemed extremely anxious.
‘Why is she asking this all of a sudden? Did someone say something to her?’
Hilane couldn’t answer immediately.
Her silence could hurt her daughter more.
“Well, you see….”
Hilane herself didn’t know why Chevelyn was born with pink hair, neither silver like hers nor brown like Revan’s.
Even the genealogy of the Peztein royal family and the Rata marquisate showed no one with a similar hair color.
However, Chevelyn was undoubtedly Revan’s daughter, born from Hilane’s womb.
“There are so many ways you resemble your dad….”
Hilane gently touched Chevelyn’s eyes, which drooped like Revan’s.
“No matter what you look like, you are our daughter.”
“Then, mom, you don’t dislike me?”
“Dislike…? Why would I dislike my baby?”
Surprised by Chevelyn’s question, Hilane was taken aback.
“But… everyone says that if mom and dad drift apart because of me… mom will dislike me….”
From Chevelyn’s mumbling, Hilane realized why her daughter had started questioning her hair color.
“Chevelyn, who told you that?”
“…….”
“Lyn.”
Chevelyn clamped her mouth shut and shook her head firmly, refusing to speak.
There was only one way such words could have reached Chevelyn’s ears in this mansion.
Servants who presumptuously gossiped beyond their station.
“How dare they….”
As Hilane furrowed her brows, Chevelyn pressed her hands against her mother’s forehead to smooth the wrinkles.
“As long as mom doesn’t dislike me, that’s all that matters. Really.”
Chevelyn hugged Hilane’s waist first.
‘She must think the servants will be punished because of this.’
It was an uncharacteristically thoughtful consideration for such a young child.
“M-Mom, don’t be mad.”
As Chevelyn snuggled in, her warm, soft scent filled Hilane’s nose.
The tiny hands clinging to her tightly made Hilane’s eyes well up with tears.
“You’ve grown so much.”
“…Hmm?”
When Chevelyn was an infant, she once had a dangerously high fever in the middle of the night.
Her life was hanging by a thread, and all Hilane could do was comfort her and stay by her side.
The helplessness of not being able to do anything for her daughter.
That night, Hilane prayed to a god she had long ignored.
‘Freya, please save my daughter. If you keep her alive… I will do anything. Please….’
Thanks to that, Chevelyn, who was not expected to survive the night, lived through a miracle.
Since then, the child had grown without major issues, becoming Hilane’s joy and everything.
Now five years old, Chevelyn was increasingly affectionate.
How could Hilane not love a child who knew so well how to give love?
With a choked voice, Hilane barely spoke.
“…Chevelyn.”
She rubbed her nose against Chevelyn’s soft cheek.
“I love you. Mom loves you very much.”
“Cherry loves you too. Since she was in your tummy.”
Chevelyn said with a big smile.
“…Really? Thank you.”
“Hehe….”
Feeling tired, Chevelyn’s face grew sleepy as she lay in Hilane’s arms.
“Chevelyn, are you very sleepy?”
“Cherry… wants to sleep….”
Rubbing her eyes, Chevelyn fell asleep on Hilane’s lap, breathing softly.
Hilane covered her daughter with a blanket and stroked her crayon-stained hands.
“They’re still so small, your hands.”
She vividly remembered when those tiny hands first grasped her finger.
“Mm….”
She patted Chevelyn’s belly as she turned in her sleep.
“Goodnight, my sweet daughter.”
***
After putting Chevelyn to sleep, Hilane looked at the waiting butler.
“My lady…? Is there something you need?” The butler flinched at Hilane’s stern expression.
“How exactly are you educating the servants?”
“Pardon?” The butler responded with a bewildered expression.
“When they say Chevelyn doesn’t have brown hair and therefore isn’t of the Rata bloodline, do they mean to suggest she isn’t my husband’s daughter?” Hilane scolded sharply, her tone cutting.
The butler’s face turned pale as he quickly bowed his head.
“…I apologize, my lady. It’s entirely my fault. I assure you this won’t happen again.”
Hilane intended to let it go lightly this time since Chevelyn didn’t want the servants punished.
“Servants who speak carelessly aren’t needed here. I won’t be lenient a second time.”
“Thank you for your mercy, my lady.”
At that moment, Revan returned home.
“Revan?”
He was shaking off water, having evidently failed to avoid the rain.
‘Revan should know about what happened today.’
Just as Hilane pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the water from his cheek.
“Listen, I need to talk about Chevelyn. Earlier….”
“It’s alright. I’m not too wet.”
“Ah….”
Revan, exuding a strong unfamiliar perfume scent, refused Hilane’s touch.
“Besides, I want to take a bath.”
He seemed to be hinting that he wanted her to step aside.
No, it felt more like he was avoiding her.
Hilane felt a sudden chill of emotion.
‘Why do I feel so strange….’
Was it because of the overwhelming perfume scent?
She was bewildered.
It was a situation that had never occurred before, and Revan was the last person she’d expect it from, which made it even more frightening.
The anxiety made her body tremble slightly.
“Revan, did you perhaps visit a perfume shop?”
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