“Elodie.”

Duke Perdia stepped out of the carriage. Jansi and Carlot also appeared behind him.

I couldn’t help but be surprised, as I didn’t expect them to come in person.

“Father…?”

“Let’s go back.”

Without hesitation, Duke Perdia approached me and reached out to my shoulder.

Flinch.

I unconsciously stepped back, and my eyes met Duke Perdia’s, who had widened his eyes.

Avoiding his gaze, I quickly said what I needed to say.

“You saw the letter I left, right? I wanted to tell you in person, but you weren’t at the mansion.”

“I saw it.”

“It might be sudden, but this was bound to happen someday.”

“Elodie.”

“I think I’m just returning to where I should be.”

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t we return together?”

Return, he says…

“I don’t care who your birth father is. You are my daughter. There was never a moment when you weren’t my daughter.”

I bit my lip hard and looked up at Duke Perdia. There was no lie on his face when he said I was his daughter.

Looking back on the past few months, Duke Perdia had kept his promise to try.

He treated me as one of his children.

Come to think of it, lately, I hadn’t felt the kind of depression that used to make me feel like I was sinking into a swamp.

Even though countless incidents had occurred, the Perdia mansion had started to feel comfortable.

Because I knew of his efforts, I couldn’t coldly tell the Duke that I wouldn’t return.

“I promise you, Elodie. I’ll try harder from now on. So that you… won’t be lonely.”

Am I being self-conscious to think he’s mindful of the content in my letter about always being lonely?

“So let’s go back. To Perdia.”

The Duke reached out his hand to me.

Instead of flinching away like before, I just stared at that hand endlessly.

Duke Perdia said nothing and simply waited silently for me to make my choice.

That’s when it happened.

“Elodie.”

A gentle voice called from behind me. Instantly recognizing whose voice it was, I quickly turned my head.

Dad, with a pale complexion, was approaching me.

‘So Dad did wake up.’

Greed’s words that he would wake up soon were not a lie.

Perhaps because we had just been conversing in a dream, the real Dad didn’t feel so unfamiliar.

In contrast, the two Perdia young masters widened their eyes in surprise.

“Duke Severes…”

“Wow, he really woke up? For real?”

Even Jansi and Carlot looked at Dad as if they couldn’t believe it.

Duke Perdia also frowned as he looked at Dad.

“…Richard Severes.”

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The voice calling his name softly was low as if scratching the heart.

“It’s been a while, Duke Perdia.”

“I don’t think we’re on such casual terms for greetings.”

“Still, I can’t forget to express my gratitude. After all, you’ve been taking care of my daughter.”

My daughter.

Saying that Dad came and stood behind me.

“I’ll make sure to send compensation to the Perdia side soon for taking care of my daughter while I was unwell.”

“Whose daughter are you talking about?”

“Elodie Severes. My daughter, Duke.”

“It’s Elodie Perdia. She’s been raised as a Perdia all along, and she’s undoubtedly a Perdia, possessing what belongs to Perdia.”

Duke Perdia’s words were true.

The rights and assets allocated to me, who was adopted into the Perdia family, were considerable.

Of course, I never thought of it as my personal assets, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

But Dad countered the Duke’s words without even blinking.

“Elodie. Perdia’s possessions will only bring trouble. Well, anyway, since Severes belongs to you, my only child and heir, you don’t need the trivial things, do you?”

“H-Huh…?”

Is he declaring me as the heir just like that?

Isn’t he saying things he can’t take responsibility for too casually…?

It was premature, as I hadn’t yet been acknowledged by the Severes family’s retainers.

Moreover, to treat Perdia’s name value and wealth as ‘trivial things’.

Dad’s personality, which I thought was just kind and affectionate, was quite something.

Sensing an opportunity, the two sins quietly started to chatter.

[Wow, as expected, you’re popular.]

‘This isn’t the time to play along, so stay quiet. Before I starve you completely.’

[Aren’t those two annoying? Let’s kill them……]

‘I’ll kill you.’

Fortunately, after being well-scolded to understand, the two sins fell silent again.

Meanwhile, the fierce conversation between the two men continued endlessly.

“I can’t deny that he’s your biological father. But how can you trust someone you’ve only seen a few times? Do you know what kind of person he is?”

“If she was happy staying with Perdia, Elodie wouldn’t have thought about waking me up.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, who didn’t even know about your daughter’s existence while in a coma.”

“Well, I doubt Arcelia asked you to raise my daughter as your own.”

“I decided to raise her as my daughter. Isn’t that what matters?”

“No. Duke Perdia, you just temporarily took care of the child.”

The conversation continued with neither side backing down. Duke Perdia addressed Dad with meaningful words.

“Then you should have protected her to the end.”

“I tried to protect her.”

“And how did that turn out? You couldn’t protect anything, could you?”

“……”

The subject of this conversation doesn’t seem to be about me. Then, are they talking about Mom?

That didn’t last long, as the two men started arguing about me again.

“Anyway, Elodie is registered as a Perdia. So I’ll formally protest to Severes for detaining my daughter.”

“Do as you wish. I’ll proceed with a paternity lawsuit.”

“Go ahead and try.”

Now it’s come to talks of lawsuits.

My eyes spun between the two competing dads.

I cried out desperately to mediate between the two.

“W-Wait a moment. Both of you, please calm down!”

No fighting! No lawsuits!

But despite my cries, the two men glared at each other as if they were about to draw their swords and fight.

“I’ve never liked you. That arrogant personality of yours.”

“Isn’t it more arrogant to think everything is yours when you’ve never had anything?”

“Shut your mouth.”

“I don’t think so.”

Sssss…..

An aura began to spread throughout Duke Perdia’s body.

Not to be outdone, a white aura also started to rise from Dad’s body.

As heads of two of the four great families, if these two were to clash, it would be a fight so big that no one would come out unscathed.

I had to prevent a physical confrontation at all costs.

‘Help!’

I looked at Jansi with desperate eyes, but he just smiled awkwardly. Grasping at straws, I looked at Carlot, but he pouted and avoided my gaze.

‘Huh, why did you even come here if you’re not going to help?’

This won’t do. I had to step in.

It would be troublesome if they started fighting and hitting each other.

I had just managed to wake Dad up, and he could end up in critical condition again.

The reason these two were in conflict was that they disagreed on ‘whose daughter I was’.

And that was my biggest weapon.

Step by step, I walked between the two and firmly declared.

“Whoever attacks first, I’ll never see their face again.”

Pause.

The auras of both men disappeared simultaneously. I quickly added one more condition.

“That includes verbal attacks too.”

Of course, verbal fights were also prohibited.

Then Duke Perdia looked at me incredulously and said one thing.

“You’re just telling me to shut up.”

Does that mean he has nothing to say if he can’t attack verbally?

After pondering my words for a moment, Dad asked seriously.

“Is glaring allowed?”

“…Do that as you please.”

At least it seemed my threat of never seeing their faces again had some effect.

The two men just silently glared at each other.

It was quite a sight.

‘Should I have banned glaring too?’

About five minutes passed like that.

“Ugh…”

Dad groaned and staggered.

“Ah, Dad! Are you alright?”

As I quickly moved to support him and check his condition, I felt Duke Perdia’s gaze.

“…Dad?”

Duke Perdia’s eyes wavered greatly as he repeated the word “Dad.”

Why? Why did that gaze seem so hurt?

But before I could dwell on it, Felix rushed over to check on Dad’s condition.

“Ah, Uncle! I told you you weren’t in a state to be walking around yet.”

Just as Felix said, Dad’s complexion was worse than when I first saw him. He was even breaking out in a cold sweat.

Why did you come out when you’re in such poor health?

As if reading my mind, Dad smiled wanly.

“I couldn’t risk losing my daughter, could I…?”

So, he meant that as soon as he woke up and heard that Duke Perdia had come to meet me, he immediately came out.

“We need to get him back inside quickly.”

When I spoke to the guards, they moved to support Dad. Duke Perdia, who had been silently watching this scene, called out to me.

“Elodie. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

Then, the Perdia brothers, whose presence I couldn’t understand, bid me farewell.

“Tch. Goodbye, sister…”

“See you tomorrow, Lili.”

Soon, the Perdia carriage they boarded gradually disappeared into the distance.

***

The social circles were turned upside down.

News spread like wildfire that Duke Severes, who had been in seclusion for about 20 years, had made an appearance outside his mansion.

Reporters from all sorts of newspapers gathered in front of the Severes mansion, staying up all night to catch an exclusive scoop.

Not only that, but strange rumors were also circulating. It was a credible report with even eyewitnesses.

Meanwhile, Belissa, who had returned to Kreundel, was focusing on recuperation to recover her weak body.

Today, too, Leon visited her bedroom to check on Belissa’s condition.

“Belissa. What are you looking at so intently?”

“Ah, brother!”

Belissa lifted the newspaper she had been reading and smiled brightly.

“I was just reading the newspaper because I was bored. I should know what’s going on in the world, right?”

Leon’s eyes wavered greatly as he casually looked at the newspaper.

“Let me see that.”

“Hm? Here you go.”

The newspaper prominently featured an article speculating whether Duke Severes was starting to engage in public activities again.

But that wasn’t what caught Leon’s attention.

Once again, there was an article about her.

A story about Elodie Perdia, his benefactor.

Leon frowned as he read the article.

“How tasteless.”

There was an article stating that Elodie Perdia, who was recently expelled from Perdia, had entered the Severes mansion, aiming for the position of young lover to Duke Severes.

It even added that quite a few people had witnessed the scene near the main gate of the Severes mansion.

Belissa, who had already seen the article, looked intently at her brother.

“Do you know her?”

“Don’t get swept up in such tasteless articles, Belissa. You should judge people by seeing them in person.”

Hmm, looking alternately at the newspaper and Leon, she asked somewhat mischievously.

“Could it be someone you like, brother?”

“No.”

Leon’s answer was quick. But that wasn’t the end of it.

He added one more thing.

“Such a simple emotion can’t explain it.”

***

A few days later, Duke Severes made his first public appearance in about 20 years.

It was a move that heralded a new storm in Wallentian.