“Levi, my daughter……”

At the same time, Father lifted our clasped hands and stroked my cheek.

The rough sensation and his powerless voice were so pitiful that I held my breath.

I couldn’t believe that Father, who had always been sociable and lively, had become so emaciated while I was away from the mansion.

Father had always been as big as a mountain, like a tree to lean on…

They say time flows like water.

That seemed true. In the blink of an eye, it had carved a mighty mountain into something as fragile as a sand castle.

I hated and regretted not being faithful to the time that had passed. But such thoughts were brief, as the thought that had been weighing on my chest suddenly flashed through my mind and returned as an intense premonition.

Perhaps if not now, I might never say it in my lifetime.

After contemplation, I opened my mouth,

“……Father, I’m sorry. I actually lied.”

“……!”

“I had a contract marriage with the Duke. I married him because he said he would make me the family head, and I was enchanted by his words.”

A surprised light passed through Father’s eyes, but soon he smiled and asked,

“Is that so…? But that man seemed to have feelings for you……”

I nodded.

“I pushed him away even though I knew he loved me. But at some point, when I came to my senses, I found myself loving him. But isn’t it foolish? By the time I realized this fact, he had already left me.”

After pouring it all out, I felt somewhat relieved in one corner of my heart.

Father didn’t answer for a while. After examining me slowly as if contemplating, he finally raised his hand, stroked my head, and said,

“……It’s okay. It’s okay, my daughter.”

I expected him to scold me, but surprisingly, Father’s words were gentle.

“Everyone makes mistakes in life.”

“……”

“If you make a mistake, reflect on it, and learn from it, then it was a valuable mistake.”

“Father……”

Why? My heart, which had been uncomfortable all along, seemed to melt away like snow in the spring breeze.

“……So, am I okay?”

It feels like I’ve lost my life’s compass, like my life is completely ruined… Am I really okay like this?

To my question with various implied meanings, Father nodded.

“You’ve always been fine. Whatever you did, you did well… and were reliable.”

“……”

“So live your life. No matter what others say, do what your heart tells you to. This father regrets not having done so.”

“……”

“Your mother……”

Father stopped speaking and suddenly looked into the void. His eyes, which seemed to be desperately searching for something, soon sank heavily.

“Just before she took her own life, she asked me. She said the day wasn’t good, so please stay with her.”

“……”

“That day happened to be the day of the imperial council meeting. In the end, I, as a minister, turned my back on your mother and went out. And when I returned, the day had come when I could no longer be with her even if I wanted to.”

“……”

“I wanted to stay with her too. But my cold head made me suppress my heart’s desire. That day’s meeting was about war, and because of it, I saved many lives.”

“……”

“Thanks to that, I was briefly called a hero, but it wasn’t joyful at all. That person’s voice, expression, and every gesture from that day… I can’t forget.”

Father’s eyes turned red as he spoke.

“……The memory is still vivid to this day.”

“……Father.”

Father didn’t often bring up stories about Mother. When I was young, I wondered why and sometimes resented it, but now I seemed to understand everything. Mother was a wound that hadn’t properly healed for Father even after a long time.

Just as forcibly exposing a scar can cause the festering flesh inside to burst and hurt terribly, I could imagine how painful it must have been for him just to recall.

“……So you, live your life. Emotional things aren’t good, but sometimes there’s a need to follow what your heart tells you.”

The image of a certain man flashed through my mind. But such thoughts didn’t last long.

“Cough.”

Father coughed. At the same time, red blood flowed from his dry lips. The blood that soaked his beard soon dyed his white clothes. Just as I tried to wipe it away, Father shook his head and then whispered,

“……God is calling me.”

Unlike before, it was a faint voice that seemed about to break at any moment.

“Father……”

“My beloved daughter, you’ve suffered a lot because of your incompetent father……”

“Father, why are you saying such things? To me, you were the best dad… really.”

Father smiled brightly with his eyes closed. Meanwhile, his breathing became more rapid. The wheezing sound painfully dug into my ears.

His movements also slowed noticeably, and after watching Father’s form for a while with bated breath, a steep voice soon flowed from his lips,

“……I love you, my daughter.”

It was such a faint voice that I could never have heard it if I hadn’t been so close, almost touching.

And with that voice, weight settled on the hand I was holding, and when I let go in surprise, it plummeted.

But Father’s expression that I soon observed was peaceful. As if he had reached the place he wanted most.

Looking at his deeply sleeping face, I whispered,

“I love you too, Father……”

As I let out a voice that wouldn’t reach, I collapsed in that spot.

The tears I had been holding back burst forth with sobs afterward.

❀❀❀

The funeral was held deep in the forest.

Despite the remote location, many people came to Father’s funeral. Among them, most were people I didn’t even know.

But I could feel that everyone was genuinely saddened by Father’s death from their expressions.

Eventually, when everyone gathered and the entrance was sealed, with the sound of a bell, the strong men lowered the coffin they were holding into the pit.

At the same time, priests dressed in black surrounded the coffin and recited incomprehensible prayers. In that heavy and solemn atmosphere, people one by one took off their hats and bowed their heads in silent prayer.

Seeing strangers mourning Father’s death gave me a strange feeling, but it was only momentary.

Soon, as I watched the soil covering the coffin, emotions I had been suppressing revived, and tears flowed down. Sherry silently handed me a handkerchief, and while I was bowing my head again,

Suddenly, I felt someone touching my shoulder. When I turned my head, I froze upon facing a certain face.

“……Your Majesty.”

Even the Emperor had come to the funeral.

Just as I was about to be surprised by his appearance, Sherry removed her hand from my shoulder and bowed her head.

Sherry bowed to both the Emperor and me, then turned around and left the place, and the Emperor, dressed in black, approached the coffin, took off his hat, and bowed his head.

After staying in that state for a while, the Emperor turned his body, looked at me, and said,

“I’m sorry about your father.”

“……I apologize.”

“Be at ease. I’m not here as the Emperor, but as a friend and colleague of Simore Ophelia.”

“……”

“I sincerely regret his death.”

The Emperor’s voice was trembling. And when I discovered his reddened eyes, I realized his words were sincere.

Somehow, I felt a strange emotion. That the ruler of this Ricardo Empire, who rarely shows emotions in front of anyone, would show such a human side.

And during Father’s funeral, no less.

Not knowing what to say, I deliberated for a long time, and at the end, I opened my mouth,

“……Father would be happy.”

“Yes.”

At my answer, the Emperor smiled as if satisfied, and at the same time, he took something out from his bosom and handed it to me.

It was a darkly colored envelope. When I looked at it as if asking what it was, the Emperor smoothed the envelope with his palm. Then, as if by magic, the envelope that had been one sheet became two.

Having received those two sheets in confusion, the Emperor commanded me,

“Open it.”

The Emperor’s command was an imperial order. Since I couldn’t refuse, I nodded and opened the first envelope, and soon looked at the Emperor in surprise.

“What is this?”

What was inside the envelope was a paper with some coordinates written on it.

「c-7, from the left of the 4th bookshelf, the 10th one.」

It seemed like coordinates for a book, but what could this be? Completely clueless, I looked at the Emperor, and he opened his mouth,

“That is a gift from me. There are records about your mother. If you go to the Imperial Library and look, you’ll find it.”

“……!”

“Looking at you, I see you resemble her completely. Not just in appearance, but I was worried that you might also resemble her fate. As they say, a daughter follows her mother’s fate.”

“……What do you mean?”

I couldn’t grasp at all what the Emperor was saying.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

The Emperor smiled faintly and replied,

“You wouldn’t. But if you read that book, you’ll understand my meaning. And open the envelope below too.”

The Emperor’s words gave me an uneasy feeling, but ignoring it, I opened the other envelope as well, and upon discovering the document inside, I froze.

「Family Head Appointment. I agree to the appointment of Levedi Esteban as Count Ophelia, succeeding the late Count Simore Ophelia. —From the 23 members of the Senate and Yulisius Ricardo—」

The Senate was an institution that helped the Emperor decide important matters of the country.

Especially when appointing a successor in a noble family, one must receive the approval of the Senate and the Emperor, even if only ceremonially.

And according to this document, the 23 members of the Senate and the Emperor had agreed to me becoming the family head.

“What exactly is going on here? I don’t quite understand……”

The Emperor smiled calmly and said,

“That’s a gift from Duke Esteban.”

“……The Duke? When did he ever.”

“He suddenly came after hearing the news of your father’s death.”

According to the Emperor, he had visited the Emperor after divorcing me. Why would he do such a thing…

Strangely, even though I knew I had become the family head, fear preceded joy. I couldn’t understand the nature of this emotion myself, but one thing was certain,

“Did he make a deal with Your Majesty?”

“You’re quick-witted.”

“May I know… what kind of deal it was?”

The Emperor shook his head.

“Secrets are meant to be kept.”

A firm refusal. I didn’t have enough familiarity to persuade him, and I sensed that he wouldn’t budge even if I tried. After much deliberation, I asked my next question,

“Then, where is he now?”

Contextually, it was clear that the Emperor also knew about our divorce. And that he had left me.

He shook his head.

“I cannot tell you that either.”

“Why won’t you tell me?”

The Emperor shook his head.

“I also came to mourn. I don’t want to cause a disturbance and dishonor the deceased.”

A stubborn refusal. Though he was Father’s friend and Assel’s older brother, the Emperor was no different from a complete stranger to me.

I was neither inclined to beg him nor to refuse him.

But I was that desperate.

“……Please at least tell me the reason. He is my husband.”

As I spoke in a deliberately calm voice, the Emperor looked at me. How long had his gaze been calm?

Soon his lips opened. However, the voice that flowed through them was utterly cold,

“Do you think I don’t know the circumstances between you two?”

My heart sank. It was because I hadn’t expected the Emperor to know this entire situation.

That accusatory voice heavily pressed down on my shoulders. The Emperor glared at me and whispered,

“You’re acting stupidly about a decision you made yourself. Like a seven-year-old child.”

His words pierced deep into my heart like a dagger.

A decision I made myself. The Emperor was right. This entire situation was no different from something I had brought upon myself. But his words seemed to say that this situation was like water that couldn’t be picked back up.

No, that can’t be. I reflexively told myself, but the deeply embedded dagger had already taken over my mind and heart.

So much so that such a small voice couldn’t even be heard.

As I stood blankly amidst the crossing voices within me, the Emperor tapped my shoulder and said,

“I’ll be going now. I feel like I’ll only be a nuisance to the funeral if I stay longer.”

With those words, the Emperor turned around and disappeared. Behind him followed numerous knights, chamberlains, and maids who had been lurking.

I could only watch that figure that I couldn’t bring myself to hold back. It felt as if the Emperor’s departure was saying that it was truly over with Assel.

❀❀❀

After the week-long funeral, I headed to Count Ophelia’s residence. Perhaps having heard the news, Baron Ruham, a loyal vassal of Ophelia and a friend of Father’s, was standing at the entrance when I arrived.

He saw me and suddenly knelt on one knee on the ground and bowed his head. The meaning of that deeply bowed head was all too clear.

He was paying homage to me as his lord.

Though manors were disbanded and the manor system remained only in form, previously established lord-vassal relationships were not so.

Just as nobles pay homage to the Emperor as their lord, a vassal also pledges loyalty to the one who knighted them.

“……Why are you taking such a posture toward me?”

The weight of that head was rightfully Baron Ruham’s to bear, yet I couldn’t understand why my heart felt heavy.

Baron Ruham lifted his head after a while, looked at me, and said,

“Because you are now my lord, miss. From now on, I will call you Count Ophelia.”

“……It seems someone from the imperial palace has visited.”

“His Majesty the Emperor called me personally.”

“His Majesty the Emperor called you?”

“Yes, that’s right. He called not just me but five vassals and told us about Your Grace succeeding to the title of Count.”

It was already excessive interference for the Emperor to send someone to inform that I had become the family head, but to personally summon vassals to the imperial palace?

The implication was all too clear. The Emperor was binding me so that I couldn’t throw away the position of family head.

‘Why is he doing this to me?’

If it was for his younger brother, the Duke, the relationship between the two brothers wouldn’t be good. If I wasn’t mistaken, the effect of that “certain deal” he had mentioned was evident.

I clenched my fist tightly.

“I see.”

Though it was once a position I desperately wanted, now this position of family head felt like sitting on thorns. It felt like shackles firmly binding me so that I couldn’t escape even if I wanted to.

But I soon had to acquiesce to reality. Baron Ruham was kneeling before me. He had devoted blind loyalty to House Ophelia for decades.

If I ran away from here, it would be no different from eliminating his place to stand.

Until I found Assel, I was inevitably bound to this family.

“Where are the other four vassals?”

Baron Ruham’s face darkened, and he lowered his head.

I instinctively sensed it. That something had definitely happened.

Chapter 9. How to Hold Onto You

“What happened?”

Baron Ruham’s eyes sank darkly. Only after a long time did he begin,

“Of the four excluding me, one completely turned away saying they couldn’t recognize a female family head, and three rebelled saying they couldn’t recognize Your Grace, a person of House Esteban, as their lord.”

His voice was soaked in gloom. His eyes also showed guilt toward them, along with regret for having to tell me such things.

“Rebellion? You mean, they rebelled against His Majesty?”

“Yes.”

“Then now they are……”

“They are imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the imperial palace.”

The lord-vassal relationship was a bond formed with blood. Just as nobles cannot rebel against the Emperor, this relationship cannot be broken without a change in generation or mutual consent.

Moreover, since I became the family head not through natural succession but by the Emperor’s command…

“It seems he misunderstood it as rebellion against His Majesty. I have submitted a petition regarding this, so I have fulfilled my duty as a friend.”