Chapter 17
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Bree ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
***
The children hurriedly ate their meal, seeming hungrier than I thought.
“Slow down.”
I told them to eat slowly, but honestly, even I thought the food here was excellent.
‘I’ve tasted quite a bit of delicious food in my past life too.’
There were no chemical seasonings here, and the flavors beat even MSG. The chef must be really good.
“Still, it’s not good to eat in a hurry.”
“Ugh.”
“Julie, I’m talking to you.”
As if he didn’t expect to be criticized, Julios’ eyes widened. Then he made a strange ‘Eung’ sound and focused on his food.
(TN: “Eung/Un/En” is a sound of agreement.)
‘I guess that means he understands, right?’
I chuckled and shook my head.
Still, it wasn’t bad. Eating together with others was a good thing.
Moreover, there was a fireplace burning on one side, and I could hear the raindrops pattering against the window.
Warmth, delicious food, and even cute children.
The atmosphere was so nice that a smile naturally formed on my lips.
However, at the same time, I felt a little disappointed.
If I go to the remote territory, I won’t be able to taste this paradise anymore. The distance will prevent me from seeing the twins often.
Of course, I could lead a much quieter life in return….
‘…A quiet life.’
Having lived a lively life in my past, the words rolling in my mouth seemed strangely rough.
Thinking so, I trembled.
‘What am I thinking?’
I shook my head.
Because of the atmosphere, thoughts that I wouldn’t normally think of seemed to come to mind.
‘I need to protect myself before anything else.’
As I was gathering my thoughts…
“Sister, is something bothering you?”
Ermano asked me out of the blue. He must have noticed that my expression had become serious.
“Huh? No, it’s nothing.”
I hastily waved my hand.
“Ermano, how about you? Is it delicious?”
“…Emil.”
“Huh?”
“I’m Emil.”
Ermano fidgeted with the fork in his hand and glanced at me.
‘…Is he asking me to call him by his nickname?’
Seeing his cute gesture, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, Emil. How’s the meal?”
“It’s delicious. It tastes even better when we all eat together.”
“Really? Enjoy it then.”
Although I hesitated for a moment at the phrase “together,” I smiled and let it pass.
Emil seemed relieved and continued with his meal, looking quite happy.
‘I knew they were from a modest household, but it’s rare for them to dine with their father, Lyas.’
I sighed.
In the original story, it was described that Lyas cared a lot for the twins.
‘Of course, Lyas is not good at expressing himself, so his affection wasn’t outwardly apparent.’
That was an adult’s problem.
The children didn’t know that. How could they know if he doesn’t express himself outwardly?
Just from the fact that they never told their father about the abuse they suffered from Mentis was telling.
I sighed. They’re making things worse, not realizing they could solve everything by just talking.
I was about to drink water, feeling like my insides were burning, when…
Krrung-!
The sky roared loudly, and lightning struck with a bright flash!
It struck so powerfully that I couldn’t see clearly for a moment.
And then.
“Ugh!”
Startled by the lightning, or perhaps because he hastily swallowed his food, Julios began pounding on his chest.
“I told you to eat slowly.”
I reflexively stood up. Then I handed the water I had in my hand to Julios.
After drinking the water, Julios seemed to calm down and let out a sigh, “Hoo.”
I looked at Julios with a stern expression.
“Now, what should we do?”
“…I’ll eat slowly.”
“That’s right.”
I nodded satisfactorily.
But then.
Even though the window wasn’t open, a gust of wind blew in from somewhere. The flames in the fireplace surged, causing the shadows to flicker. It was at that moment.
“Ermano. Julios.”
A voice echoed from beyond the darkness.
Ermano and Julios’ eyes widened. It was a voice they knew well.
“…Father?”
The father of the twins and my uncle, Lyas Peregrine.
But his gaze couldn’t be described as that of someone looking at his family.
“What are you doing here?”
He asked in a cold voice.
I couldn’t understand his words for a moment. What else would we be doing in a dining room filled with food?
Then his green eyes swept around.
Soon after, he noticed Julios holding a cup and me beside him.
“…!”
His expression twisted in an instant.
“Julie!”
Approaching quickly, Lyas snatched the cup from Julios’s hand.
“Did you drink this?”
“Oh, Father?”
“Are you okay? Is there something wrong with your body?”
Lyas quickly examined Julios’s face, body, and various places.
Julios blinked in confusion at the sudden turn of events. Ermano was the same. Ermano was the same.
‘Ah.’
And then I realized why he was reacting like that.
‘He… he thought I was trying to harm the children.’
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even speak.
Perhaps confirming that Julios was unharmed, Lyas let out a sigh of relief.
But there was still a trace of caution in his expression. He then ordered the servants who followed him.
“Take the kids with you.”
“Yes, sir.”
The servants led Ermano and Julios away. There were sounds of resistance, but they couldn’t beat a group of adults.
After the door closed, only Lyas and I were left.
He let out a deep sigh and looked at me.
“I heard the story. You poured tea on Count Mentis and even threatened to kill him.”
“…”
“Is that true?”
His voice seemed certain. It seemed that Mentis had just snitched.
‘He must have twisted the story in his favor.’
After a brief moment of thought, I nodded.
“Yes, it’s true.”
As I affirmatively responded, Lyas’s face contorted.
“Why would you do such a thing? Why!”
“…”
“If you have a mouth, speak!”
Lyas shouted at me. I silently stared back at him.
He already knew what had happened between me and Count Mentis.
‘And he’s suspicious of me.’
No matter how I explain the situation to someone who doubts me, they won’t believe me easily.
I averted my gaze silently. In the cup Lyas took from Julios, I could see the remaining water swaying.
“Daphne, what on earth…”
As he was about to express his disappointment in me,
I promptly snatched the cup from his hand. Then, without hesitation, I drank the remaining water in one gulp.
“Daphne!”
Lyas, surprised, quickly approached me.
He hastily snatched the cup from my hand, but it was too late. I had already drunk all the water, leaving only droplets in the cup.
“Daphne, what is this-!”
“Why are you surprised?”
I calmly asked in a composed voice.
“Is Uncle surprised that I drank water?”
“…”
“Or did you think there was something else in it?”
“…!”
Lyas, who was caught off guard, remained silent with his mouth closed. It was an affirmation.
From his reaction, I could understand.
Daphne had tried to harm someone, leading to a broken engagement, and eventually she even poisoned herself.
Considering how lightly she regarded her own life, she couldn’t possibly cherish the lives of the children.
Moreover, Daphne had a strained relationship with the twins, making her quite suspicious from Lyas’s perspective.
When I drank the water, he instinctively tried to snatch my cup back. At least it meant he was trying to remove me from harm.
But if I let it slide like this, I would be suspected for the rest of my life.
And above all…
‘I really didn’t do anything.’
Suppressing my rising anger, I spoke.
“I’ve been drinking this water from the beginning. I gave it to Julie because he seemed like he was going to choke from eating fast.”
“…”
“If there really was something in it, as you imagined, I would die before Julios.”
My sharp words left him speechless. Since he had already revealed that he suspected Daphne, he had nothing to say.
So, this time, I spoke first.
“Did you know that Count Mentis is a smoker?”
“…What? Why are you suddenly…”
“He smokes in front of the children.”
“…!”
“There will be ash on the floor of the study room. If you find it hard to believe, send someone to look for it.”
Lyas’s eyes narrowed sharply. He seemed genuinely surprised at the thought of a teacher smoking in front of the children.
“Uncle, I have a question.”
I asked Lyas.
“If, hypothetically, I jumped into that situation to save the children, would you believe me?”
“What do you mean…!”
Lyas’s face was filled with confusion.
“Did Mentis do something to the children?”
He asked, but I didn’t say anything. There was no evidence for my argument.
Moreover, to prove my innocence, he would have to witness the children being abused.
‘Or the children have to speak about the abuse themselves.’
But if that happened, the children would be hurt again. There’s nothing as cruel as asking a victim about the truth.
‘And maybe they’ll have to face Mentis again.’
So, instead, I threw a question at him.
To let a seed of doubt grow in Lyas’s heart.
Whether my judgment was correct or not, Lyas covered his mouth with a confused expression.
“Wh-what is this all about…”
At that moment, a commotion was heard from outside, then the door burst open and someone rushed in.
The ones who entered were none other than the twins.
“Emil, Julie…!”
Lyas called out to the children with a surprised voice, but…
“…”
The person the children ran to and hugged was not their father, Lyas, but me.
Blocking Lyas in front of me, Ermano and Julios shouted with tears in their eyes.
“No, please, Father!”
“Sister saved us!”
“Sister is not a bad person!”
As if they were heroes saving someone in danger.
Divine: Hi, there’s a slight delay in new releases. I’m currently revising the older chapters for mistakes and I’ll be emergency filling in for Chapters 20-25. Everything should be done and back on track by Wednesday♡ 
Thanks for the translation ❤️