Despite marrying Randall and just leaving the castle for a month, Sophia felt a sense of nostalgia as she alighted from the carriage.
She had no particular attachment to the castle. In fact, she only had bad memories of it, but during the year and a half that she spent between the time she was fourteen and the time she got married at sixteen, that place had been somewhat of a “home”.
Arriving at the dance party before the scheduled time, Sophia was immediately called by the King. Randall said he would be working at the castle until the last minute, so he wasn’t by her side.
She left Orion and Isolte in the room that Sophia had been using until her marriage, and she headed towards her father’s private chambers. The King seemed to have already finished his work and was relaxing in the room.
As Sophia entered the room, the King stood up and embraced his daughter, even nuzzling her cheek.
“Sophia, how have you been? Are you comfortable? If you need anything, tell me right away.”
“I’m fine, father. Everyone at the Duke’s residence has been very kind to me.”
Except for one person. Her husband, Randall.
Sitting on the sofa beside the King, Sophia reached for a cookie as she was offered. On the coffee table there were plenty of sweets prepared just for her.
This King, who was a very pathetic and unreliable father under the thumb of the Queen, her half-brothers, most of the servants who served them, and even those considered enemies, was still endearing in a way. The King who carelessly laughed and called out “Sophia” was indeed a place of comfort for her.
“Today, you look quite mature, and I was confused.”
“This is all thanks to Isolte, my maid, hard work.”
Sophia’s outfit today was a lilac chiffon dress with an open neckline and a pale blue stole. The dress was prepared by the King for Sophia when she got married, but the tailor had modified it to give it a slightly more mature design.
Secured by a rose-shaped brooch purchased from a jeweler, there was an emerald necklace around her neck, matching Sophia’s eye color. A delicate bracelet adorned her wrist, and her soft wavy golden hair was half-up.
Sophia, who had received a full makeup makeover by Isolte, felt amazed at how transformed she looked. Isolated praised herself saying “It’s a great job!” and even she herself thought she looked amazing. Though it sounded a little sarcastic even Orion commented, “Randall is much older than you, so it’s better to have such a balance when you are together”.
Her father looked intently at Sophia’s face, and then his eyes suddenly became moist.
“The more I look at you, the more you resemble your mother.”
“My mother?”
When she lived in the city, she used to call her “Mom”, so she felt a little embarrassed calling her “Mother” now.
Her mother had the same blonde hair and emerald green eyes as Sophia, and she was a beauty in the neighborhood. Her mother didn’t want to tell much about herself, so all Sophia knew was that she worked as a maid in the castle. The fact that she was a maid in the castle meant that she was most likely the daughter of some noble family, but her mother said that she had been “alone for all her life,” and Sophia believed that her mother had never met another family member apart from Sophia until her death.
There must be a reason why her mother didn’t want to talk about it, so Sophia didn’t particularly want to listen. Her mother was a lonely but kind person. That was enough for her.
“When she decided to leave the castle, there was nothing I could do. If I had known that she was pregnant with you, there might have been something else I could have done… Ugh.”
Whether he was reminded of the past or not, the King began to cry.
(Father is quite sentimental.)
Softy smiling as she comforted her weeping father, Sophia gently patted his back.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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