“You said you wouldn’t see me again, but what brought you first??”
“I wanted to, but I didn’t know it would turn out like this.”
How many people would be willing to meet their ex-boyfriend face to face?
This also applies if you break up on a bad note.
I wanted to quickly resolve the issue, so I got straight to the point.
“Okay, I won’t take up much of your time. I’m here to tell you to give up custody. Just sign the document and Artea will never appear in front of you again… .”
“I don’t think I can do that.”
But as expected, the work didn’t end easily.
“Artea is my niece.”
“She’s also my niece.”
I wonder if a story that has been told over and over again will be repeated again.
Because of what I said last time, I thought he would just give up on Artea, but it ended up like this….
“wait a minute.”
“huh?”
“There is a way for everyone to be satisfied, including you and me, and even Artea.”
However, Erios also seemed to have prepared something.
An inexplicable smile appeared on his white face.
“Bellona. Marry me.”
“what?”
“Isn’t this the best way for both of us to raise Artea?”
I thought you would just give up custody.
“If you don’t like that, you should just disappear and leave Artea behind.”
This crazy ex-boyfriend is holding my niece hostage and telling me to marry him!
***
I, Bellona Sortis.
What I like is money. What I don’t like is annoying.
Business was going smoothly and there were no complaints about life.
Well, I guess these are the ordinary thoughts of an ordinary person.
There seems to be something special about it that others may see.
‘What, eccentric lady? Witch of Sortis?’
I’ve been hearing strange stories about noble ladies not getting married until they were twenty-three.
‘If you’re a human being, especially if you’re a noble, it’s a natural thing to do? You have to have a fiancé by your early twenties at the latest?’
Is it because I vaguely remember my past life where marriage was a choice?
The values of this country, which consider marriage and childbirth as important obligations in life, didn’t suit me.
‘Even if it’s someone I love and want to be with, I still hesitate, so why they are such a bother?’
To strengthen the bond between families, to produce successors…
People rushed to tell me to get married, giving reasons, but it didn’t really hit home.
Life after death is not important, but in any case, there was blood other than biological children.
‘I can just give the inheritance to my niece.’
I just hate annoying things, and thanks to that, very few people care.
My niece Artea Killiet was among those few.
Artea’s mother, Licia, was my only family.
As I didn’t have the blessings of my parents from my past life to my current life, it was my older sister who protected her from the miserable life of a fallen nobleman.
Even if I have memories of my past life, they are fragmented memories, and the person who took care of me physically and mentally when I was young.
‘I’m a human too. How can i don’t care about my niece who is left alone?’
My brother-in-law died in a battle against monsters, and my older sister died in a carriage accident not long after my brother-in-law’s death.
Artea, who was in the carriage with her, only injured her leg, probably because my older sister hugged her with all her body, but her life was not in danger.
Even as an adult, i struggled with my despair for a while after losing my older sister.
It must be even harder for Artea, a young child who lost her parents one after another.
‘I wish I could visit her and see her face to see how she is doing.’
She was staying with Duke Killiet as a child, but she has not been seen since.
It had to be that way.
‘The person raising my niece is my ex-boyfriend. How can I find him?’
After my brother-in-law’s death, his half-brother, Erios Killiet, was succeeded as Duke of Killiet.
A person who surpasses his older brother, the Knight of Dawn, the master of the Holy Sword…He was an outstanding person and there were many adjectives attached to him, but for me that was the most important.
This is my ex-boyfriend who broke up with me on bad terms.
‘This is why you shouldn’t have double in-laws. Well, since we are not married, doesn’t that mean we’re a couple?’
Anyway, my older sister was Duchess Killiet.
My ex-boyfriend’s older brother is Duke Killiet, so something similar is true.
We were ex-lovers and in-laws at the same time.
So, Artea was my niece and also Erios’ niece.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can’t visit my niece because of my personal feelings!’
Originally, the next duke would have been Artea, but at the time, Artea was a baby who couldn’t walk well.
In a way, it was natural that Erios, the duke’s younger brother and one who had accomplished numerous feats, would become the duke.
-I will raise Artea as my successor.
Erios certainly told everyone that.
But is it easy to pass on the dukedom to your niece, Artea, after having a biological child?
People viewed his words with skepticism.
I was like that too.
‘One of the reasons I am passionate about business is because Artea’s stake is high.’
In fact, when my older sister married my brother-in-law, she was compared to the Duke of Killiet and suffered greatly.
She felt like her maternal family had to have a lot of money for Artea’s sake.
And above all… If Artea gets kicked out, she needs to have a place to return to.
‘At first, I thought there was no way that stubborn Erios would say something he wouldn’t keep. But I know what will happen if he get married and have children.’
Although she’s Erios niece, Artea is a complete stranger to the duchess she will one day have.
Would I really be willing for a child who is not related to you to become a duke over his biological child?
With that in mind, I deliberately did not include a request to meet.
I was afraid that the woman he had once dated would give the impression that she was visiting the duke’s residence under the pretext of Artea.
‘The person who will become the duchess in the future may want to offend Artea. I’m using it as an excuse for not being able to let go of my attachment to Erios.’
of course… Even if I couldn’t visit her, it didn’t mean I didn’t care about Artea at all.
Even so, i am a famous magic tool maker.
I often made toys while thinking of Artea.
-Are you saying that the purpose of that precious magic tool is a toy?
-No, Bellona! You can make children’s toys with that ability!
Although people were shocked…That was my way of caring about my niece.
Of course, I didn’t hear a direct answer about the toy, but instead I only received a letter from someone else saying that she was having a good time with it….
Things are a little different now.
Artea turns six this year. She is old enough to know how to read and write.
‘Hmm, maybe i will get a handwritten card this year?’
I put down the magic tool I was making.
There was hardly any progress.
‘I don’t know if Artea will like this. It would be nice for me to know her tastes….’
The last time I met Artea was when she was a baby. Now that she is a child, she has no idea what she likes.
When will Erios get married?
He also ignore things like marriageable age, but he is like a duke.
‘It would have been easier to visit him after he got married and the duchess had a child, rather than now!’
I don’t know how long it’s been since I last saw Artea.
‘Whew, I wonder if I won’t be able to see her face again until she get to the age where she doesn’t need toys.’
Bang bang!
I was lost in thought for a while.
I got up from my seat when there was a sudden knock on my door.
“what? Don’t call me when I’m working…”
“L-Lady Bellona! You should come down and see it!”
This is the first time I’ve seen an experienced butler I’ve known for decades so embarrassed.
“A security guard has arrived at the mansion!”
what is this sound. I have never had anything to do with the security forces in my decades of life.
In an instant, all kinds of situations that I hadn’t even committed were running through my mind.
‘Is there a problem with the magic tools you sold? Or, did you make a bad impression on me and get falsely accused like last time?’
On the first floor, where I went down with complicated thoughts, an employee and a security guard were in a standoff.
“Are you Bellona Sortis, the owner of the mansion?”
“Yes, but for what reason?”
I wasn’t the only one who found this situation uncomfortable.
It didn’t show it, but I could feel the tension drifting through her mansion.
The imperial security forces are quite capable, but the guards next to me are also formidable.
People who can move for me if circumstances arise.
‘If anything strange happens, I have to send a hand signal.’
Of course, the reason I was able to endure despite being feared by others was because I had faith in myself.
Money and ability.
I had various plans in my head that I would bring out when the time came.
however…The main point that the security guard brought up was completely unexpected.
“The little lady is looking for Lady Sortis. I’m here to take her there.”
“What?”
While all the adults in the mansion were frozen, someone who had been hidden among the security guards appeared squirming.
‘uh…huh?’
chuck.
The child proudly spread her small shoulders alone among the adults.
“Are you Bellona Sortis?”
I knew at a glance that the little child in front of me was my niece.
The brilliant silver hair unique to Duke Killiet.
Perhaps he inherited it from my brother-in-law, who was said to be the most handsome man in the empire. Even at a young age, he has clear and radiant facial features.
And above all….
“Raise me!”
“what?”
“Raise me!”
Cat-like eyes sparkled haughtily.
It had purple eyes, the exact same color as mine and my dead sister.
“Because you are my aunt!”
A voice that ranged from confident to arrogant made me lose my mind.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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