Chapter 1
“Mom.’’
I have a question.
Was I a good daughter to you?
Have you ever been sad because of me?
Have you ever been angry because of me?
”Do you… want to see me again?”
I stared at my reflection in the pond water.
A stranger’s face stared back at me.
White hair almost indistinguishable from the pale strands. Sky-blue eyes. Small face with balanced features.
I had seen such a face in a game where 3D avatar characters appeared. Until recently, that is.
I blinked my eyes. The person reflected in the water blinked back at me.
I quickly got up.
I miss Mom.
I have to see Mom again.
So…
“I have to go home.”
Without looking down, I jumped into the water.
Cough, cough!
“Are you alright?”
‘I couldn’t go home!’
This is the worst, Please. Why can’t I go home?
I came suddenly when I came here. Why is it so difficult when I want to leave?
“Oh my, let me check your fever.”
Enphi, Elisar’s handmaiden – I can’t believe I’m using the term handmaiden myself – tapped my forehead and sighed softly.
Someone attentive here might be curious.
Why Elisar’s handmaiden is checking on me.
In case you’re wondering if my name is Elisar?
“No.”
It wasn’t.
My name is Gongju-an. It was definitely like that. It used to be like that.
“Elli!”
At that moment, the bedroom door where I was opened with a creak. A man appeared in the bedroom, calling out my not-so-long name, “Elli.”
What? Don’t they (mostly) shorten three-syllable names to two in South Korea? That’s true. But this isn’t South Korea right now.
And Elli’s last name isn’t “Sa.” It’s not “Elli Sa.”
Ugh, this is driving me crazy.
“Are you okay? … I heard you fell into the pond.”
Even though I know that there are no cell phones or social media here, the speed at which news spreads seems similar to that of South Korea, which has both.
Well, I actually know why that is.
In this world, a few people consider “spreading news” as their job. Literally, a job.
The news of me falling into the pond must have been spread by one of them.
To whom?
To the handsome middle-aged man who came to find me.
“Father.”
Let me introduce the middle-aged man with silver hair and sky-blue eyes. He is Elli’s father.
And Elli… sadly… is me for now.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
I tried to reassure him, but unfortunately, my feverish voice was not calm.
The man’s face, looking down at me lying on the bed, deepened with concern.
Nevertheless, he’s incredibly handsome.
He’s handsome no matter what you do. But going back to being strangers with this handsome man is what I desperately want right now.
More specifically…
“I wish I could go back to being a character in a novel and back to the reader.”
Please! Are you listening, God?
“…Elli.”
As I prayed to God, another person entered the bedroom.
I turned my gaze to the person approaching the bed.
A man with silver hair who appeared to be in his twenties.
Indeed, he looked like he was in his twenties.
“…Elder brother.”
And he’s the son of the man who appeared first, my… brother. Phew. Anyway, he’s Elli’s older brother.
To elaborate, the eldest brother.
“I heard you fell into the pond. It’s my fault.”
“It’s your fault, elder brother… What do you mean?”
“I should have checked the depth of the pond beforehand.”
“…?”
“Leaving a pond deep enough for someone to fall into it… I’m sorry, Elli.”
The pond I fell into barely reaches above my chest. Actually, it was quite a struggle to fall in.
And even if the pond I jumped into was really deep, isn’t the problem me, the one who jumped in, rather than the pond itself?
…The silver-haired handsome man probably thinks the same as me.
But he probably can’t blame me.
Because he’s the affectionate and kind older brother who loves the female lead.
Why do I keep hearing this kind of talk? …Give me some time. I’m not in the right state of mind to explain my situation all at once.
“I want to rest.”
Maybe it’s because of the heat, or maybe because I’ve been thinking too much, but my head started to ache, so eventually, I uttered words that seemed like a magic spell.
Once I say these four words, the only one left in the bedroom is me. It’s been like that until now.
Sure enough, Elli’s father and eldest brother left the room with worried looks as if there was nothing they could do.
And Enpi … Why is he hesitating?
“I want to be alone, Enpi.”
“Lord Kyllid will be arriving soon.”
At the unwelcome name, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.
“Kyllid? Wasn’t he… supposed to be out?”
“He returned a little while ago. Since the news has spread, he’ll be here soon.”
Great, just what I needed. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have sent Elisa’s father and eldest brother away.
No, it wouldn’t have mattered. The outcome would have been similar anyway.
Kyllid, from what I’ve experienced firsthand for the past few days, isn’t someone who easily bends to the will of his blood relations.
A creature not accustomed to being leashed.
As I thought this, the bedroom door that had closed moments ago suddenly swung open with a bang.
“Lord Kyllid!”
Simultaneously, Enpi, who had been sitting in a chair by the small table, stood up abruptly.
Kyllid, upon hearing me being called, ignored Enpi and strode purposefully towards the bed.
He closed the distance between us in an instant. Perhaps because he’s tall.
I would have mocked him if he were just tall but had short legs (internally). But I can’t.
In no time, Kyllid stood beside the bed, grabbing the headboard with one hand and bending his upper body forward.
“Lord, please refrain from harsh words. The lady is currently running a fever. She’s ill.”
“Ill?”
Without sparing Enpi a glance, Kyllid continued to gaze down at me, his lips curling into a smirk.
Look at those fangs. Indeed, he is a beast.
“Is seeking attention also an action of the sick?”
“My Lord!”
“Calm down. Do you think Father and Ethan will tolerate your madness forever?”
“…”
“I advise you. If you want to act more like Elisa, at least behave in a way that doesn’t irritate. Fake.”
That Kyllid, such an annoying fellow. I’m the one who least wants to act like Elisa.
Go away.
Is it all about the body for you? Cultivate your intellect. Intelligence is essential for modern people… But isn’t this not a modern place? Sigh.
As I stared back at Kyllid, my thoughts unfolding, I felt the tension drain from my eyes. It felt like venom was seeping out of my head.
“It’s pointless.’’
Really, it’s all pointless.
When I didn’t respond or even look at Kyllid, he lifted his lowered torso and laid his head on the bed without another word.
Then he left the bedroom without even glancing back at me.
“Don’t worry about it, Miss. Master Kyllid is probably saying that because he’s worried about you.”
Enpi hurried to my bedside and defended the household master Kyllid. I’ll give his defense a score of… 100 for creativity.
“It’s true. Because Master Kyllid and Miss are family, you know.”
Family…
I smiled without saying a word.
Nevertheless, the act of smiling seemed to reassure Enpi , as he relaxed.
“Shall I leave you alone now to rest?”
“Oh, alright. Please rest well, Miss! If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call for me.”
Enpi soon left the bedroom.
Finally, I was left alone and closed my eyes on the bed.
I wished that when I woke up, I would find myself in a single room at a hospital in Korea.
But that’s unlikely….
With my eyes closed, I sorted through my situation.
It’s been 15 days since I entered the world of the novel ‘I’m Really a Daughter’.
‘’I’m still unable to go home, trapped in this world.”
