The air was filled with nothing but awkwardness.
No one could bring themselves to speak first.

At that moment—
“Dad….”

Chloe called out to the Duke, addressing him with familiarity, even though he was someone whom even Flaria and Haren found difficult to approach.

“So, you’re saying this child is your daughter?”
“Yes.”

His expressionless response left everyone dumbfounded.

“No, but when exactly? And who is her mother?”
“……”

The Duke remained silent.

“You need to explain. Bringing in an illegitimate child out of nowhere—this requires an explanation.”
“Chloe is my daughter. Treat her the same as you would Flaria. Flaria, Haren, she is your sibling, so be kind to her. She’s unfamiliar with nobility and the capital.”

With that, the Duke stood up and left. The Duchess followed him, trying to say something, but he didn’t give her any answers.

“Nice to meet you. Dad told me we’re the same age.”

Chloe extended her hand toward Flaria and Haren.

“What the hell is this?”

Flaria, who had been holding back, muttered a curse under her breath. It was understandable. Learning not only that their father had an illegitimate child but also that the child was born in the same year as them—no one would take that news calmly.

“So, you’re saying your father is Duke Ameron, our father?”
“Yes.”

Chloe replied cheerfully.

Looking at her, I couldn’t help but think, ‘As expected, the female protagonist of a novel really is different.’

She was a completely different type of beauty compared to the cold and elegant Flaria. Chloe had a pure and innocent charm that perfectly suited the term “heroine.” Her bright, golden hair, shining like the sun, only enhanced her radiance.

‘Is this what it takes for male leads to fall head over heels and devote their lives to her?’

Chloe blushed slightly and spoke cautiously.

“To be honest, I was lonely. Dad always said I was the only child he loved, but it was still lonely without siblings. You two must have been happy to have each other.”

“What?”

Hearing Chloe’s words left me speechless.

‘The only child Dad loves is me.’

How could she say something like that in front of her half-siblings? If I was this stunned, how much worse must it have been for them?

‘Wait…. Was there a line like this in the novel?’

Something felt off.

In the novel, Chloe is timid and unable to say anything.

But the Chloe in front of me showed no signs of timidity. Instead, she confidently extended her hand toward Flaria and even made the outrageous remark, “The only child Dad loves is me.” On top of that, she was now looking around with sparkling eyes.

This was completely different from the Chloe I had seen in the novel.

“Now I can finally live as a noble. By the way, Flaria, do you want to go shopping with me tomorrow? I need help picking out a dress.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you have to help me. I’m new to noble society, and people don’t know who I am yet, so they might look down on me. That’s why you need to come with me.”
“Ugh.”

Flaria’s eyes were practically screaming curses. But Chloe, oblivious to this, continued to chatter on.

“And there’s an imperial ball in a week, right? I’m so excited. It’ll be my first time attending such an event. Dad said I could go too.”

Flaria, seemingly unable to take it any longer, stood up abruptly.

“Hey, you—”
“Flaria, calm down.”

Haren, unusually composed, stopped her. It was the first time I’d seen him so calm.

Without another word, he also stood up.

“Espin, would you like to come to our room with us?”
“Sure.”

Haren extended his hand to me, and I took it as I stood up.

“What about me? Are you ignoring me?”

Chloe’s voice called out from behind, but we pretended not to hear and ignored her.

***

“Damn it. Honestly, I never imagined our father would have an affair, even though other nobles do it all the time. He always emphasized not tarnishing the Ameron Ducal Family’s reputation.”
“Ha….”

Flaria fumed, while Haren let out a deep sigh.

Haren quickly scribbled something down, left the room to deliver it to someone, and then returned.

“Flaria….”

I thought about leaving since this was clearly a family matter, but it was a situation too sensitive to discuss with anyone else.

“And if she’s the same age as us, that means he got someone pregnant around the same time. He sure was busy, wasn’t he? Damn it, I can’t believe I have to witness such filth in our family.”
“Watch your language, Flaria. He’s still our father.”
“Father, my as$. A father who doesn’t even care about us? You heard her too. Dad’s favorite child is her. So what are we, then?”

Flaria poured herself a drink and downed it in one go. Her usual confident gaze now looked sorrowful, so I patted her shoulder to comfort her.

“Flaria, those were just her words. Don’t take them to heart.”
“Yeah, Flaria.”
“Bullshit. I can’t trust Father anymore. He secretly raised such a daughter without us knowing.”
“We don’t know the full story yet.”

In fact, the Duke himself had only learned of Chloe’s existence a few days ago, when she appeared following her mother’s last will. He hadn’t even known he had another daughter alive in the world.

“Espin is right. We’ve already asked for clarification, so we’ll get the results soon.”

Haren, looking bitter, poured himself a drink from Flaria’s glass and drank it.

“Espin, I’m sorry you had to see this.”
“It’s okay…. Don’t worry about it. Shouldn’t we check on the Duchess? She must be devastated.”

At the mention of the Duchess, both Flaria and Haren’s expressions filled with concern.

Though they often grumbled about their mother, they cared deeply for her.

Born into a prestigious family and having lived as the Ameron Duchess, she had carried herself with the pride of a noble and lived an impeccable life. That pride and self-esteem were her foundation.

Now, with the greatest blemish on her life revealed, even her children understood the magnitude of her pain.

“You’re right. Right now, we need to focus on Mother.”
“Haren, let’s go see her.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll head back now.”
“Sorry, Espin.”

Haren and Flaria hurriedly left. Left alone in the empty room, I also stood up.

“Huh? You there.”

As I stepped out, Chloe, standing by the door, pointed at me.

“Wait a second.”

She shoved me aside and peered into Flaria’s room over my shoulder.

“What are you doing?”
“Well, the butler told me to pick a room on the second floor, but none of them feel right. This one’s the biggest…. I think I’ll take it.”
“This is Flaria’s room.”

Was she really trying to take over someone else’s space?

Annoyed by her audacity, I closed the door to Flaria’s room.

“Dad will decide that. I’ve always slept in small rooms, so I’m sure he’ll give me the biggest one.”
“And why are you speaking so rudely?”

Who speaks so informally to someone they’ve just met? Even commoners wouldn’t act like this. Even Rosette, our maid, uses formal language with strangers.

“What, is your family higher-ranking than the Ducal Family? The only families above dukes are the Grand Duke’s family and the Imperial Family.”
“What?”

Chloe smirked, lifting one corner of her mouth in a clear sneer.

“And don’t meddle in our family matters. You’re just an outsider. Now, step aside. I need to finish checking the rooms.”

Chloe pushed me aside with surprising force and barged into Flaria’s room.

“Oh, I like this. I’ll ask Dad to buy me one too.”

Her selfish and reckless behavior was nothing like the Chloe I had seen in the novel.

Something was definitely off.

T/N: Ugh, so the author decided to throw in another clown character just to make sure I have an even better time translating these chapters. Thanks for the extra entertainment, I guess. ┬─┬ノ(ಠ_ಠノ)

I really hope that the ML (Grand Duke) doesn’t fall for the OG FL in this timeline, especially since it’s been hinted a few times that he can see behind facades. Travis, you’re my only hope now!