IRDRSH Chapter 28

 

“Mom did?”

The maid nodded her head.

“Yes, and she instructed us to ensure that Countess Portman and you could not meet at all.”

“Ah…”

It seemed that Countess Portman’s words in front of me had indeed angered my mother. Moreover, having obtained the secret ledger, she must have had a solid justification for expelling her.

“Seeing her chase her out at this hour, my mom is quite a scary person after all…”

At my mumbling, the maid slightly shook her head.

“The Grand Duchess gave her a few days. But the Grand Duke ordered her to leave today.”

“Dad?”

“Yes, after hearing Anna’s story, the Grand Duke became furious… Ah!”

The maid suddenly covered her mouth as if realizing something. It was clear she felt it was inappropriate to continue speaking.

It seemed that past events had been revealed by Anna. So, it turns out she couldn’t die alone after all.

“So, what happened to Anna?”

“She will leave the Grand Duke’s residence tomorrow. It seems they decided to wrap things up that way instead of reporting her for stealing the Grand Duchess’s belongings.”

In the end, Anna was also being expelled. Still, that was better than going to prison. I just hoped Anna would understand that.

I had worried that my mother might soften and forgive her, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

“…What about Dad? Is he okay? Is there nothing wrong?”

I asked this question with a feeling that my dad, who had denied my existence, might not be safe from my mother’s wrath.

“The Grand Duke… Huh!”

But suddenly, as if he were not of noble birth, he barged into my room. Ignoring the startled maid completely, Dad walked over to me and spoke.

“Outing clothes.”

The maid immediately understood that it was a command to prepare my clothes and quickly brought out an outfit for me. As I was fully equipped with a thick woolen coat decorated with fur, my father picked me up.

“…Dad?”

But he simply carried me out of the room as is.

We soon arrived at the stables. Just like last time, he mounted the horse with me in front and began to ride. Dad’s expression was unusual, so I nervously fiddled with the horse’s mane.

Was he planning to buy me something again this time?

Well, in the original story, he always expressed his feelings to Mom that way. Buying her jewelry and dressing her in pretty clothes. He didn’t realize that it only made her feel lonely.

He didn’t know how to express love. That was all he could do.

However, the place we arrived at was unexpectedly a low hill with nothing around.

The hill itself wasn’t very high, but its elevation allowed us to overlook the surrounding scenery. As soon as Dad helped me down from the horse, I ran to the highest point of the hill.

The moment I stood at the edge, an endless expanse of land spread out beneath my feet. A river wound its way through the mountains covered in white snow, as if sprinkled with sugar. Toy-like houses clustered around, and beyond them, the red sun was sinking into the clouds on the distant horizon.

“Wow…”

I let out a heartfelt exclamation at the sight before me.

So, this entire land I see right now is mine? How much would this be worth in real estate?

While my mind was busy calculating the worldly value, Dad approached me.

He remained silent for a while after that. Occasionally glancing at me, he struggled to find the words.

“Why are we here?”

Even to my question, he continued to watch me with a strange caution. In that moment, he looked like a puppy that had been scolded and chased out of the room, and I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

“Wait, did you get kicked out too? Did Mom tell you to leave the house right away?”

“…”

The expression on Dad’s face as he looked at me was truly something to behold. He touched his forehead with his hand and shook his head.

“What on earth is that little head of yours filled with?”

“…Never mind.”

Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek.

I know. The fact that this vast land and castle all belong to Dad. The idea of being kicked out is simply absurd.

Still, I should be prepared, right? Mom doesn’t easily forgive those who hurt me. No matter what, he could end up being punished, so he should try to make a good impression on me now.

Of course, I planned to forgive Dad very graciously. If it were the real Arcadia, she might have been deeply hurt, but I’m not Arcadia herself and already knew the story.

“…Aren’t you resentful of me? After hearing such things?”

So when he cautiously asked that question, I delivered my prepared answer.

“Jas told me once that even though adults seem mature, they can often be less mature than children. So it’s okay. I understand. You must have had your own circumstances, Dad.”

I thought he would be pleased to hear this. It would mean he was forgiven for his past mistakes. I secretly expected him to praise my maturity.

However, his reaction was completely different from what I had anticipated. He looked at me with a stiff expression and let out a deep sigh.

“Jas fed you useless words.”

He turned his gaze to the distant land where the sunset was fading. His look seemed so distant and lonely.

Why isn’t he happy? And why are Jas’s words considered useless? Thanks to him, I didn’t have to experience any conflict with Dad.

Eventually, he turned his gaze back to me. With a bitter smile, he said,

“Ar, don’t grow up too fast.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want you to become an adult too quickly. I wish you would act more like other kids… No, I want you to be even more childish and carefree than them.”

I looked at him in surprise. Be childish and carefree? As the next Grand Duke, I shouldn’t be acting that way, right? Why is he saying this when he tells me to become the heir?

He lowered his gaze slightly.

“…During all this time, I never once thought that I would have a child. In fact, I believed I should avoid that at all costs. If something bad were to happen to me, my child would bear the brunt of it.”

I recalled the dream I had earlier in the day.

In the dream, Arcadia was wandering the streets alone without a guardian and was very hungry.

If that was what Arcadia had to endure in the original story, then he was right. After her parents died, Arcadia would have been left all alone.

Perhaps surviving without dying was a miracle. But it might have made her even more miserable.

“When Libby told me she was pregnant with you, I was confused. My heart weakened rapidly. I thought about giving up on revenge entirely and living here far away from the throne, just forgetting everything and living with Libby… If only I could do that, I would want to. But I had spent so long dreaming only of revenge. It was the only goal of my life. I thought it was too late to give up now. That’s why I said harsh words, and Libby left my side to save you.”

His transparent green eyes quietly looked down at me.

“At first, I resented you for making Libby leave me. I thought your existence changed our relationship.”

I remembered the first time I met him, his face as he pointed a sword at my neck. Even though I had already guessed I was his blood, his cold gaze had no warmth. At that time, he clearly had no affection for me.

“But now, I am grateful to Libby. For protecting you and keeping you by her side like this.”

He reached out and gently stroked my cheek. His touch was extremely careful, as if he were handling fragile glass.

“And I’m sorry. Everything you had to endure with your mother was my fault. If it was going to be like this, I should have given up on revenge much earlier. It pains me that I couldn’t see you grow up at all. Arcadia, this is my sincere feeling.”

He let out a low sigh.

“Libby got angry when I mentioned that I denied you. But Ar, I think it’s better to acknowledge my mistakes cleanly rather than just cover them up. Perhaps I’m still clumsy at raising a child. Maybe Libby is right. Even if I pretend to be okay, you must have been deeply hurt because of me. But I want you to remember this: I truly care for you and love you now.”

And then he gave an incredibly gentle smile.

“So now, feel free to be spoiled and stubborn with me. We’ve been apart for six years, so you can make up for everything we missed out on.”

I wanted to tell him not to worry, that I hadn’t been hurt by him. In reality, I thought I couldn’t be hurt since I wasn’t the real Arcadia.

But suddenly, tears began to fall.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
TL/N: Wow, my eyes are sweating!! 😭😭