Chapter 08
Feeling the soft caress of the sunlight onto her face, Ivanna opened her eyes.
The dazzling sunlight passing through the window feels unfamiliar.
There was no mold smell, no iron smell, and most of all, the smell of her blood that was always stuck on her was missing.
She likes it so much. She hugged the cozy blanket that was covering her small body tightly. The smell of the blanket was also good.
“There’s no one.”
She remembered that her father who kept wearing the same ring as her mother was here until she fell asleep, but now he was nowhere in sight. However, the area where his big hand was located was still warm.
Ivanna swept over it.
“Can I really stay here······?”
Until she fell asleep, Dad told her it was okay to stay here over and over again. Let’s live together in the place where your mother lived.
Together.
Ivanna rubbed her head that ‘Dad’ had stroked.
“It felt the same as my mother.”
Dad’s hand is bigger than anyone else’s she’d ever seen. At first, it was scary, but the hand with the ring resembles her mother’s.
It was big, rough, crude······ and······.
“It didn’t hurt me.”
It’s been a while since she was not hit by someone’s hand. There was no one except my mother who did that.
Dad was like Mom.
knock, knock.
“Is our Ivanna awake?”
Ivanna, who was stroking where the hand was, raised her head. Dante came inside with a tray.
“I brought breakfast.”
Standing at the door, Dante hesitated and couldn’t come in.
He couldn’t approach Ivanna today because he was worried about what to do if she got scared of him.
And as if to answer his troubles, Ivanna fluttered and came down the bed.
Scared that the child would fall, Dante approached quickly.
“Wait for me to help you down······.”
However, unlike how she had a hard time going up the bed, Ivanna came down quite easily and sat down on the floor.
“Bread!”
A small hand clapped forward. He heard in advance from Alaine that Ivanna was still eating on the floor, so Dante was not surprised and carefully laid down the tray in front of her.
The breakfast was a salad with bagels and strawberries.
At the feast of soaked bright red strawberries, Ivanna swallowed and grabbed the strawberries with her hands.
Her small mouth bit the big strawberry and chewed it. Her pull puffy cheeks moved again and again.
Dante couldn’t take his eyes off Ivanna. He felt overwhelmed with the sight of his small, skinny daughter grabbing everything her hand touches.
“Is it good?”
Ivanna nodded and grabbed another strawberry. His effort to bring loads of this seasonal fruit to the kitchen seemed to be worthwhile.
Dante, who was pleased, saw the fork that was left behind.
Ivanna eats strawberries using her hands only. Perhaps because she didn’t know how to use the fork.
He hesitated for a moment. But after a second, Dante grabbed the fork and pinched the strawberry.
“Ivanna. Ah.”
The red strawberry touched her dirty lips. Dante was nervous.
What would he do if Ivanna gets frightened and runs away? What if she comes to hate strawberries.
He thought it would hurt a lot if that happens.
“Ah.”
But, to his surprise, Ivanna gently opened her mouth and took a big bite of the strawberry.
His heart trembled louder than when he was just watching her eat. He felt overwhelmed, happy, and proud.
Oh, now I know why you should feed your child yourself.
As the father of twelve-year-old twins, Dante only now realized this joy.
Not only did Dante feed Ivanna the strawberries, but he also cut the bagels into small pieces and put them in her mouth.
What he found out was that Ivanna liked fruit jam more than butter.
I see. Parents learn how to get along with their children by spending time with them. That was the right procedure.
He shouldn’t pass all the responsibility to Alaine just because she’s afraid of adult men.
As Sullivan said, he is the child’s father.
The person who had to work harder than anyone else was the father himself.
✧────── ೋღ
Valerie and Luan ran into Dante’s office from early in the morning. But what was waiting for the twins was an empty chair, not a diligent father who always works from dawn.
Valerie immediately pulled the string hard. A maid ran immediately.
“My father?”
“The Duke brought breakfast for Lady Ivanna.”
Valerie and Luan were greatly shocked. The twins simultaneously distorted their faces.
“But you definitely said that she was afraid of adult men and that father can’t even get close to her?”
“How come he goes to take meals for our sister now?”
“It was thanks to the advice of the new lady’s counseling doctor that came in yesterday.”
“Counseling doctor?”
“What is that?”
The maid tried to explain, but Valerie and Luan did not understand.
Luan, who was trying to ask why she needed such a thing, came to realize that the person the doctor was consulting with was his little sister and chose to just close his mouth.
“Anyway, it’s because she needs it, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then, if that person says we can meet our little sister, can we meet?”
“Would you like to meet her?”
At that time, Valerie and Luan turned their heads at the intervening voice.
A woman in a white gown entered the office.
“Hello, Young Lady Valerie, Young Master Luan. This is Young Lady Ivana’s counselor, Sullivan Allen.”
“We should also meet our little sister.”
“She can meet Father, so we should also meet her right away.”
No greetings nor courtesy.
They were indeed the children of the infamous duke.
They were insensitive, and it was said that they only listen to their father and the emperor.
Louise Hugor, the one whose name was higher than anyone else in the Empire.
“Do you want to see her?”
“Of course. She’s our little sister.”
“And since she’s our little sister, we should definitely go see her.”
“What would you both do if Young Lady Ivanna was scared of the two of you?”
“Why would she be scared of us?”
“We’re her siblings.”
“Because there were many people who abused her. Everyone except Lady Hugor harassed the young lady. That’s why she is scared of everyone.”
The twins looked at each other and immediately shrugged.
“If you’re talking about being abused, we also experienced it too.”
“Wouldn’t that be enough?”
Those words reminded Sullivan why Dante divorced the former Duchess.
The former duchess abused the children because none of the twins were born with the Duke’s successor sign.
Eventually, when it was discovered by the duke, she was expelled by his grace and became the Marquis of her own family.
With the condition to not even think about meeting the children again.
Even if not as much as Ivanna, the twins knew the horror of abuse.
“She’s still under observation. Because it seems that the Young Lady is still unable to use her power properly.”
“Then can we go or not?”
“Let’s take everything slowly. If something goes wrong with the young lady, you’re not gonna end up just getting scolded.”
Sullivan opened her eyes. The twins snorted and broadened their chests.
“We won’t do anything bad to our little sister because we’re scared of Lady Hugor.”
That was very convincing. Yes, Louise Hugor is a very scary person. Sullivan nodded.
“Good. I will tell you that this is also part of the treatment. It’s not a lie.”
If they were just ordinary kids, it would be counterproductive to meet Ivanna at the moment, but Valerie and Luan were different.
They were more mature than their age, met Louise in person, and had similar memories as the two said.
After Dante, the two will be another heaven for Ivanna.
✧────── ೋღ
Ivanna wasn’t just sitting still in the corner now.
It became a routine for her to search around the room and find traces of her mother.
“Is this my mom’s house?”
Ivanna was born in a hut and continued to live there until her mother died.
It was the same in her first life, and so in her second life that began again.
That’s why she didn’t know much about her mother before she was born.
“I want to see her.”
Ivanna, looking through the drawers, hugged the meows in her arms. Somehow she started getting depressed.
knock, knock.
Ivanna looked at the door in surprise. Is it dad? She wished it was her dad. Because he promised he wouldn’t take her power.
“Or is it Eve?”
She also said she won’t take it. Dad and Eve were the only ones who said they didn’t need her strength.
Ivanna thought it would be nice if it was one of the two.
However, what was seen through the slightly open door gap were two completely different pairs of eyes.
Black hair, yellow eyes, and black pupils.
It was like the meows in her arms, but it was a little different.
“What do you think?”
“Small.”
“It’s because she’s just 5 years old.”
“She’s still too small. We weren’t that small when we were 5.”
“She looks weak.”
“Is she the child of our father and Lady Hugor?”
“······It looks like those bad guys really did something terrible to her.”
“They are the ones we have to kill.”
“They are going to die sooner or later.”
Ivanna tilted her head as she heard stiff voices. It wasn’t those loud and scary voices but were small and young voices.
In fact, the two people who came in through the opened door were not as big as adults, but small.
“Hi.”
The two greeted at the same time. They had the same face as if facing a mirror. The only difference was the length of their hair.
One had curly short hair that reached to her shoulders, and the other one had short hair that covered only the nape of his neck.
“I’m Valerie Lancelot. I’m your older sister.”
‘’And I’m Luan Lancelot. Your older brother”
Sister. Brother. Ivanna was surprised. The older sister and older brother that Alaine talked about must be these people.
She thought they would be adults, but she was wrong.
“Nice to meet you, little sister.”
Despite their kind greetings, Ivanna hugged the meows tightly and stepped backward.
“Did you come to take my power······?”
The twins looked at each other. The two people, who had rolled their eyes for a moment, shrugged at the same time.
“No. We will not take it.”
“We’re just kids. I’m a kid, so I don’t know how to take power.”
At those words, Ivanna paused.
“What?”
“The thing is, we’re just mere kids, so we don’t know anything about taking powers. And also, we are not interested.”
“We just came because we wanted to see you.”
The twins never admitted that they were kids in front of others, but right now, in front of Ivanna, they both said that they were mere kids without even batting an eye.
“Little sister······.”
Ivanna clasped her hands.
She had never seen other children before.
Of course, Valerie and Luan in front of her were much bigger because of the age difference, but she’s never seen any other children like this.
There were always only adults, and they always pulled out her strength. During her first life, and also this time.
Ivanna slid around the two.
The twins stood still, holding back their laughter as they watched their small animal-like little sister search for something until she reduced her alertness to them.
“You’re both small.”
“Yes, we are small. Because we are kids.”
“That’s right, so we won’t hurt you.”
Ivanna, who stared at the hand that was much smaller than that of adults, quietly raised her head. The two look-alike faces were also staring at her.
“This is nice, little sister. I really wanted to meet you.”
“Even before the time Lady Hugor said she would be our mother.”
The two reached out their hands at the same time. Much smaller than that of an adult, and much softer than that of Mom and Dad.
Ivanna stared at it and slowly reached out. The twins waited for the girl’s sluggish movement. Until a finger like a branch touched them.
And finally, at that slow moment, three people’s hands came together.
The twins smiled happily and spoke at the same time.
“We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Nobody realized that the twin’s warm words were deeply embedded in Ivanna’s wounded heart.