When she rushed into the fortress yard as the sun was setting, Cloud gave her an anxious look and appeared perplexed as though he had been waiting for her the entire time.
And next to him, Laura was standing vigorously, saying with her eyes, ‘You are dead now.’
It was true that she was distracted by something pointless and made a mistake she didn’t normally make, so Ayla was hesitantly looking at the two.
“… … “You’re late, my daughter.”
Byron rarely comes out of the building and comes out to the yard to greet her on a rare occasion.
“Ah, father.”
Seeing the coldness on Byron’s face, Ayla knelt down on the dirt floor without the slightest hesitation and clung to Byron’s pant legs.
“Do you know how much this father worried about you? Really, I’m disappointed. Daughter. “I didn’t know you would disappoint me like this.”
There was not the slightest warmth to be found in Byron’s voice, which spoke clearly, one letter at a time.
He always pretended to offer her sweetness, but it was a deception to use her. Byron was envious since he lacked even that.
“Father, I’m sorry. I was wrong… … .”
She cried out desperately, but Byron just looked down at Ayla with a look of disgust on his face.
Ayla didn’t know this, but the reason Byron was so angry was partly to vent his anger in a distant place.
He was angry at the news of Ophelia’s pregnancy, but he had nowhere to turn his anger, so he was boiling inside. In the midst of all that, Ayla was caught by mistake.
“… … Do you really feel sorry for this father? “My daughter,”
Byron asked, acting very pitiful. He knew that if he said this, foolish Ayla would tremble with anxiety and bow her head even more.
“… … .”
But Ayla was silent.
The meaning of that silence was that Byron was so embarrassed that he was at a loss for words.
But that wasn’t the meaning. It was Ayla’s last pride.
Because she wasn’t truly sorry.
“Why aren’t you saying anything, my daughter?”
“… … Please forgive me just once, just once.”
Seeing Ayla begging for forgiveness, Byron looked very happy. However, he didn’t intend to forgive.
Roderick Weishafen’s daughter couldn’t just ignore this happy situation where she was pleading with him. He planned to make her ask for forgiveness a little more earnestly.
“Don’t let your daughter indoors tonight. “It’s so nice outside, so she tells me to go somewhere and enjoy it.”
Byron snorted and entered the fortress.
“Master! that!”
Cloud was taken aback by Byron’s instructions and quickly followed him. It was the end of November. Although she was stronger than her peers, it was not the weather for a young girl to spend the night outside.
Even Laura hates Ayla and looks a little surprised by Byron’s instructions. It seemed like she had no idea he would give such instructions.
‘… … Idiot. Why did you do that?’
Tears flowed from Ayla’s eyes. She couldn’t believe her foolish mistake.
Lately, she’s been getting a lot of compliments from Cloud and Byron, so she’s been feeling a bit irritated. Or maybe it’s because she is not getting enough sleep, so her head is messed up.
If she really was a thirteen-year-old child, the egg lived for eighteen and a few more months. What can one rabbit do?
She knew. Byron couldn’t get rid of her over something like this. Ayla Weishafen was necessary to Byron. At least until he defeated his prey named Roderik.
In the past, she would have been anxious, afraid of being hated and abandoned by Byron and her father, who was her everything, but not now.
Still, she cried. She knew that Byron was just taking out his anger on her, and she knew that her punishment was unreasonable.
Because it doesn’t change that all of this happened because of his own mistake.
As she knelt down there, it wasn’t long before dark clouds gathered and rain began to pour down.
Rumble, boom. She could even hear the sound of lightning falling from afar.
Laura, who was standing next to her anxiously, also entered the fortress to avoid the rain.
It seemed as if the feelings of self-doubt that had been tormenting her were being swept away by the cold raindrops.
‘… … Let’s not blame ourselves. Anyway, Byron would have caught the pod at some point even if I hadn’t come back late today.’
Because he was that kind of person from the beginning.
It’s a little late, so does it make sense to kneel outside in the pouring rain?
The bad one was Byron.
So, rather than blaming herself, it was time to move forward. Let’s use this resentment as a driving force to think about how we can take revenge on Byron more cruelly.
In the pouring rain, Ayla gritted her teeth.
* * *
“My lord. the weather is cold. If you leave that child standing in the rain like that… … .”
Byron showed a disapproving look, but Cloud did not back down and followed him to the room to persuade Byron.
Byron was sitting by the warm fire and drinking steaming tea and had a dark expression on his face.
Although it hurt Cloud’s pride to try to persuade him without breaking his will, it was because what he said wasn’t wrong.
‘I was just planning to tease you for a moment, but why would it rain?’
Her head hurt. Ayla was born very strong, so it didn’t hurt very often, but once she got sick, it hurt really bad. It would have been a big deal if she had caught a cold in the late fall rain.
Though it hasn’t been long, Byron must have been quite proud if it took this long.
He decided to just follow Cloud’s opinion.
“Okay, just come in… … .”
But before Byron could finish speaking, Laura came to Byron’s room, stamping her feet.
“Soo, uncle! “That kid!”
Forgetting that the owner of this room was Byron, he burst open the door without knocking, came in, and immediately shouted:
Cloud, embarrassed by Laura’s words, hurriedly looked out the window. Ayla was lying on the cold floor.
“… … !”
Byron was taken aback as he looked over Cloud’s shoulder and saw the devastation outside the window, with rain pouring down on him. He’s not that weak. Why did he collapse after being hit by rain for just a moment?
Cloud’s hand holding the curtain became tense.
Instead of persuading Byron, let Ayla come inside first.
It seemed like this happened because he wasted time persuading him about what his lord’s orders were.
Cloud jumped into the rain without even thinking about using his umbrella and hugged Ayla.
Because her bones and muscles were stronger than her peers, she weighed quite a bit, but to Cloud, somehow, Ayla felt as light as cotton.
If the wind blows, it feels like it will fly away.
As Cloud entered the fortress carrying Ayla, whose body was as hot as a fireball, Byron looked at him with a puzzled face.
But that was only for a moment. Byron seemed to be displeased with the way he was looking at him with eyes full of resentment, which was uncharacteristic of a loyal Cloud, so Byron turned his head.
“… … Please take good care of her. “I hope you recover quickly. It shouldn’t interfere with your training.”
“Yes yes. master.”
Cloud was watching Laura bow to Byron in embarrassment, and gritted his teeth in anger.
Is the lord he serves really human?
Is it possible to wear a human mask and do something like that?
Cloud took a quick step forward and laid Ayla down on the bed, frowning.
No, isn’t the fact that you aren’t human the same as yourself?
Was there any crime on his part in making this child like this? No
“… … “Me, uncle.”
Laura came with a dry towel and clean new clothes, and called out to him, not knowing what to do. He needed to change his clothes, but he couldn’t because of Cloud.
“Laura.”
“Yes?”
… … This child, Ayla… … . He’s counting on her.
Cloud tried to say that, but his mouth wouldn’t move.
Does he deserve it? No, he didn’t.
He just tapped his nephew on the shoulder and left the room.
* * *
“mother… … ?”
Ayla blinked her eyes slowly.
In a dark room, the only source of light was the soft moonlight shining outside the window. However, the silver hair of the woman standing in front of her was shining softly.
It was very similar to her own, but somehow she could tell.
Instinctively, she knew that the person standing at the window was her mother.
At her call, Ophelia turned her head with a happier expression than anyone else in the world. The pair of purple eyes looking at her were extremely kind.
“Ayla!”
Ophelia called her name affectionately and hugged her. Flash, flash.
‘… … Strange.’
Ophelia can hold Ayla so lightly.
She’s eighteen, she’s thirteen.
It must be heavy for her mother to lightly lift it.
She laughed and stretched out her hand to her mother’s face.
Looking at her short arms and chubby baby hands, Ayla finally realized.
‘It’s a dream.’
A dream from her childhood. She misses those days so much.
It was good. Even if it’s a dream.
The years of longing for this intangible person have been too long.
The day she woke up after dreaming of her mother whose face and voice she could not recognize, she was depressed all day.
But there was no need for that anymore. Her mother’s voice, face, and scent. Because she remembered everyone.
Ayla happily rubbed her face against her mother’s cheek.
Although it was a dream, it was a truly vivid feeling.
“Mom will definitely protect our Ayla. Forever. My beautiful daughter.”
Ophelia’s voice tickled her ears. Although it was only a dream, those words were such a comfort.
Warm tears flowed from the corners of Ayla’s eyes.
