“Duke!”
The cloud of dust revealed itself to be a sizable group of knights on horseback. As soon as they arrived in front of us, they dismounted in unison, bowed to the man, and then offered the same bow to my mother.
Duke? Did I hear that right? If he’s a duke…
I recalled the title the man had been called and looked the knights over carefully. On the left chest of their black uniforms, a golden eagle was embroidered. And the moment I saw it, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
An eagle. A golden eagle?
It looked so familiar, yet I couldn’t quite place it. It was one of those symbols you’ve seen a lot but never truly registered.
Still… That tone, that arrogant attitude—now it made sense.
Was he really a duke? If so…
I glanced subtly at my mother. Yes, this elegant and noble beauty suited the aristocracy far more than this backwater place ever did.
I found myself once again admiring my mother’s beauty, nodding to myself.
“Duke! You can’t just disappear and leave your horse behind like that! We were really worried!”
“The destination didn’t change. What’s the issue?”
So the men who’d come tearing across the field in a cloud of dust were his subordinates.
He brushed off the concern of the one clutching his chest dramatically, then turned his attention back to my mother.
“Pack only the essentials. We can’t stay here any longer.”
“I don’t have to obey you.”
“I can’t let my child grow up in a place like this. She’s the rightful heir of Eraithe.”
“Chloe is my daughter—I raised her alone. You have no right to say such things.”
“She’s also my daughter, even if you kept her from me.”
Their eyes locked in a sharp glare, neither of them backing down. Not I, nor the man’s subordinates, dared to intervene.
One of the men who had been anxiously watching me gave me a pleading look, but I could only shake my head. I had no clue what the history between them was. That made it all the more difficult to step in.
Tension crackled around us like a storm waiting to break. Eventually, one of the knights, standing slightly off to the side, carefully spoke up.
“Duke, perhaps we shouldn’t do this here…”
“If you’ve got complaints, save them for later. I’ll listen until your eardrums burst.”
Any attempt to mediate was stonewalled by the duke’s sharp reply.
The once-courageous knight wilted visibly, and I had to look away—it was too awkward to watch.
“I have nothing more to say. Whatever we had ended that day.”
“Says who?”
“I told you, I don’t want to be your puppet anymore!”
“Who said you had to be my puppet? You’re the Duchess of Eraithe. Not a doll.”
“You made me into a convenient doll for your use!”
My mother’s voice rang out so sharply, it stung my ears.
The man frowned, but my mother glared right back at him without flinching.
“…If you’ve got complaints, speak clearly.”
“Would you have ever listened if I had?”
“…”
He said nothing, only stared at her with piercing eyes.
“I fulfilled every term of our contract. That means it ended that day.”
“No. A variable was introduced.”
As he said this, his golden eyes turned to me.
Wh-what? Wait—am I the variable?
Their conversation spiraled on and on without resolution. The tension between them was taut like a tug-of-war rope. Then suddenly, the man let out a dry, sardonic laugh.
“Still… I see you’re at least being emotional.”
As if he was oddly pleased that my mother was angry and yelling.
“…Go back. I have nothing more to say to you.”
“Now that I know I have a child, I can’t. And you’re still the Duchess of Eraithe.”
“What? I submitted the divorce papers that day!”
“Yes, but they never even made it past the temple steps. I didn’t agree to the divorce.”
“What are you…?”
My mother’s shoulders began to tremble.
“Legally and officially, you’re still Adeline Eraithe. And that child will be Eraithe as well.”
“Ha… ha…”
My mother clutched her forehead, her breathing ragged. I’d never seen her wear such a devastated expression before.
“If you understand now, it’s time to return. Your place is not here—it’s at the Eraithe estate.”
Still so stubborn. Even if he was my biological father, I couldn’t forgive anyone who hurt my mom.
“Waait!”
I spread my arms and stood protectively in front of my mother. All eyes turned to me.
“Don’t hurt my mom! Go awaaay!”
In my panic, I completely messed up my pronunciation.
But that didn’t matter. Protecting Mom came first.
The man slowly crouched to meet my gaze, eyes scanning me quietly.
“Little one, I’m not hurting your mother. She and I are married, and you are my daughter. You have great power within you. If you can’t control it properly, you could end up hurting her.”
“To keep your mom safe, I need to take both of you with me.”
That power… the one he kept mentioning. Was it the same strange ability from before?
I opened my mouth to ask, but my mother interrupted before I could speak.
“Don’t say that to Chloe. Why are you trying to scare her?”
“I’m not scaring her. Just pointing out what could happen.”
“You’re making it sound like Chloe will hurt me!”
“If you keep resisting like this for no reason, then that might become reality.”
“…”
“You can’t even say for sure that it won’t happen. So stop this and come back—for the child’s sake.”
“I don’t want to spend even one more second with you! It’s disgusting!”
His golden eyes wavered for a moment at my mother’s cry. But he quickly regained composure and forced a smirk.
“If you hate it so much, then I’ll do whatever it takes to win custody.”
“…What did you say?”
“I’ll take her to the temple for a paternity test. And if it proves she’s mine, I’ll exercise my rights as her father.”
“Herald!”
Herald?
Hearing Mom’s scream, I suddenly remembered why the name “Eraithe” sounded so familiar.
Herald Eraithe.
As I pieced together the name and surname, my jaw dropped.
It was impossible not to recognize that name. I’d seen it countless times in the novels I read before I died.
As the realization settled in, my thoughts raced.
Why does he have the exact name of that novel’s character? Why didn’t I suspect I was in a novel’s world sooner?
My mind was a tangled mess of questions. Meanwhile, Herald was now stepping closer to my mom, growling under his breath.
“If you don’t want that, then come back quietly. Surely the reason you won’t isn’t bigger than your daughter.”
“…”
“Choose. Leave the child behind and endure a drawn-out legal battle, or return to Eraithe with her without issue.”
I was about to raise my tiny arms to stop him when—
“There’s someone else.”
Mom’s voice rang out again.
M-Mom. Now really isn’t the time to use that excuse…
“…What?”
Herald’s aura shifted instantly—he was furious.
“Are you seriously saying that? You think I came here without investigating you?”
“Can you be sure your information is accurate?”
“…What?”
His eyes wavered, but only briefly. He quickly composed himself, and a smirk slowly stretched across his lips.
With his striking looks, the smile might’ve looked charming to others. But I could tell—
He was livid.
His golden eyes seethed with rage.
“I see. So that bastard must be something special, huh? Willing to take in a child that isn’t even his?”
“Y-yes. Because he… he loves me.”
“Ha. Love? You call that love?”
Herald let out a scornful laugh, raking a hand through his hair.
“So what? Do you love him back?”
“That’s…”
Mom trailed off, unable to answer.
He scoffed again, turning his gaze toward our home.
“So… you’re planning to live with him? That guy who ‘loves’ you?”
As he muttered to himself, his golden eyes gleamed dangerously.
“That house, huh…”
Staring at our little home with disdain, Herald slowly raised an arm.
“Duke!”
“Herald!”
I couldn’t tell what he was trying to do. But judging by my mother’s and his subordinates’ horrified shouts—
Rumble…
The ground trembled. Thunderclouds gathered over our house.
No, no, no…
Panic surged through me. And then I remembered what was inside that house—my treasure.
“No! Mister, stooop! Wait!”
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
I tried to run toward him to stop him, but with a deafening explosion, something came crashing down onto the house in a brilliant flash of light.
Mom screamed and pulled me into her arms.
From her embrace, I stared in stunned silence at what was left—our home, scorched black and shattered into pieces.
“My piggy bank…”
Thinking about the little clay bank I had filled with care over the past year made tears well up.
“Hhng, haa… Hic, h-heuh…”
It was hard to breathe. I struggled to…
