“Elisabeth, you are so easily pleased.”
Victoire anxiously said.
“Because Your Grace is good to me. I’m so happy.”
“You can’t laugh at anyone like that for being nice.”
“I’m not the one who laughs at anyone. Right?”
When Elisabeth smiled brightly at his aide Harry, she sought consent. Victoire narrowed the middle of his forehead.
“Smile like that only to family, Elisabeth.”
“Yes?”
“Dylan’s rude so you don’t have to laugh if you don’t want to. Damon’s a little naughty, so you can ignore him if you want. But make sure to smile at me. Don’t do it to others.”
Victoire looked serious. Elisabeth nodded in a daze.
***
A man with brown hair came across the garden of the Daughtry mansion with his son. He greeted his friend, Victoire and his son Damon, whom he’d be meeting.
“Long time no see, Marquis Dalton. How long has it been since you’ve been to Daugtry’s mansion?”
“It’s been so long that I can’t remember. You’ve got a precious youngest daughter, and you’re not letting anyone anywhere near the mansion.”
“When did I do that?”
(Damon) “Don’t lie in front of your son, father.”
Victoire glared at Damon, who spoke the truth.
“Damon wasn’t easy either. When I asked if I could go and play at his home, he laughed and stared at me as if he was going to kill me.”
Jeremy, the son of Marquis Dalton, said obnoxiously.
“I was just laughing because you said some crazy shit, Jeremy.”
Damon laughed lightly at Jeremy’s provocation, whose age was near Dylan’s.
“Your Grace, Damon!”
They could hear the voice of a young girl in the distance.
At the same time, Marquis Dalton and Jeremy witnessed an amazing sight. Victoire, who is famous for his bluntness, and Damon, who couldn’t smile with his eyes even when he did, smiled as if they had found a golden mine at the same time.
“Elisabeth, you came just in time.”
“I heard you called.”
“I have someone to introduce.”
The girl who appeared with Marian was Elisabeth. She was excited from the morning to hear that she would meet outsiders for the first time since becoming Elisabeth.
Marian said this in the morning:
“His Grace the Marquis of Dalton was a great help to our Count when he was in trouble. He’s trustworthy and important, so I’ll make you look the prettiest.”
Marian was also excited to dress young Elisabeth in this outfit and put on her accessories.
Eventually, Elisabeth, wearing a blue dress and a white ribbon, was as lovely as a doll with fair cheeks.
“Hello. I’m Elisabeth Daughtry.”
Just 12 years old. The little girl greeted the Marquis Dalton and Jeremy with impeccable manners. The eyes of the two grew bigger.
“You’re far different from rumors, Elisabeth.”
Marquis Dalton said with an interesting face. Elisabeth grinned.
“Because rumors are supposed to spread like the wind that doesn’t know where it came from.”
At the words of the little girl, Marquis Dalton laughed. Elisabeth’s eyes were wide open.
‘Why are you laughing?’
All the people around her were looking down at Elisabeth with pleased eyes.
“You must have a hard time hiding such a cute, clever child, Victoire. If Elisabeth were my daughter, I would spread rumors all over the Empire. Saying that this is my child.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Dalton.”
Victoire scolded Marquis Dalton.
“If Dalton is the type to show off the more he loves, then Daughtry is the type to cherish and protect the more he loves.”
Marquis Dalton said.
‘Victoire and the Marquis of Dalton seem very close.’
Elisabeth thought as she looked at the Marquis patting Victoire on the shoulder and Victoire stepping on the feet of Marquis Dalton.
‘They said Marquis Dalton was trustworthy. So do you know Count Daughtry is actually a descendant of the Duke of Leschine?’
People with secrets cannot get close unless the secrets are shared.
‘What kind of relationship do the two families have?’
I lived facing them every day, but Daughtry were people with a lot of questions. However, there was a limit to the child’s body when trying to find out secretly.
“Elisabeth is perfect, but she lacks one.”
“What does that mean?”
At the words of Marquis Dalton, Victoire asked coldly.
“I can’t believe you still call your father ‘Your Grace’. That father will be disappointed.”
Elisabeth was embarrassed. Father?
‘Victoire has a purpose, that’s why he’s keeping me. Why would he want to hear that from me?’
I was afraid that Victoire would be offended by that remark.
“That is a bit of a problem.”
Elisabeth was astonished by the affirmation of Victoire.
“Y-Yes?”
Elisabeth asked with her cheeks red.
“It was said that it was not necessary to call me ‘Father’, and it seemed that there was no need to. You don’t have to worry about it too much.”
Victoire quickly explained himself as if he was embarrassed after he had spoken.
‘What is it? You want me to call you father or not?’
Elisabeth, who was in disarray, rolled her big eyes in confusion. Then Damon deliberately stepped in with a ‘hahaha’ laugh.
“How can Elisabeth do that already when Dylan hasn’t even called him father yet?”
(V) “Dylan, he’s always got no manners.”
“You never asked Dylan to call you ‘father’. Hahaha.”
Damon patted the still Jeremy on the back.
“Hahahaha, Damon is right. Hahaha. He’ll do it when the time comes!”
Jeremy also started to laugh loudly with Damon.
“Hmm, is that so.”
Victoire nodded earnestly.
“But where is Dylan?”
Jeremy asked quickly as the mood seemed to change.
“Ah, Dylan’s in the mansion.”
Damon said.
(J) “His friend’s here and he won’t even come out?”
“Dylan’s been a little sensitive lately.”
“Who’s sensitive, Damon?”
As soon as Damon’s words came to an end, Dylan yelled out. Dylan strode up with a cold face when he came out.
“Don’t keep talking nonsense, Damon.”
“You see? He’s sensitive these days.”
Damon said with a grin.
“Dylan, you’ve been practicing swordsmanship a lot, haven’t you?”
Marquis Dalton asked. He said he was a teacher, but when he was dealing with Dylan, he was tougher than when he was dealing with others.
“Yes. Your Grace.”
“You’re the funniest disciple since Damon. I’ll be looking forward to it today.”
Damon whispered to Elisabeth as she looked at the figure interestingly.
“Dalton is in charge of my brother’s knight class. Originally, we should learn by being a servant of the Marquis, but since our family’s situation is unique, the Marquis comes here.”
The Cabezo family, the previous house of Elisabeth, also had many reserve knights, or servants, as operatives. The noble boys stayed in the duchy and trained as knights.
‘Sometimes they gave me flowers.’
Not long after, of course, all the flowers were directed at Polia.
Knights who were sympathetic to Emilie turned their backs on her after her mother died. So Emilie was very rare to go to the knights’ drill hall.
The only time she came by the knights was when she was cleaning up after Polia.
It was Emilie’s job to keep up with Polia, who was unable to tell the time and place. Polia was free from all the discipline and laws of the family. But that didn’t mean that the problems she had left would disappear on her own. She needed someone to patch it up and clean it up.
Her father only adored Polia, but left her troublesome accidents to others. Eventually, all the hard and troublesome things became Emilie’s. So in her previous life, Emilie lived with these words in her mouth.
<Polia, you were in the knight’s hall again. You can’t just go into the knight’s hall or the drill hall without permission.>
Of course, Polia did not accept Emilie’s point.
<Why not? Father said I can go anywhere I want to go.>
<But this is the knights’ hall. You’re in their way.>
<Me? You don’t know much about me, the people of Duke Cabezo people all like me. They’re all welcoming me! I’m not a distraction. You’re the one in the way!>
<It’s different that people like you and you getting in the way.>
<What’s the difference? Are you doing this because you’re jealous of me?>
<Jealous? What are you talking about?>
<You’re upset because Father allows me everything he forbids from you, aren’t you? Right?>
Polia picked up a sword with a sneaky smile.
<Polia, it’s rude to touch the knight’s sword without permission.>
<Don’t tell me what to do!>
Polia swung the sword like she touched a toy. But contrary to Polia’s will, Polia’s body was swayed by the weight of the sword.
It was dangerous. If you leave it as it is, Polia will get hurt. And their father will scold Emilie for not protecting her properly.
<Polia, stop!>
She took the sword from Polia’s hand.
<Aah!>
At that moment, Polia tilted and fell to her side.
<Hey, Emil…!>
Polia, who was getting angry, suddenly bowed her head. It was ominous.
<Princess!>
When a knight of the Duke of Cabezo arrived, he ran down to help Polia.
<Princess Polia, are you all right?>
<I’m fine…. ugh..>
Polia burst into tears. Then she looked up at Emilie, standing with a sword, with a poor face.
<Sister, don’t point the sword at me, no matter how mischievous you are. I’m so scared. I almost got cut by the sword.>
<Polia, what are you talking about?>
<I told her she shouldn’t go to the knights’ hall, but she brought me here and made such a scary joke. No matter how much I hate it, it’s too much.>
<It’s not me, it’s you…>
<Princess Emilie!>
Before Emilie could explain, the knight suddenly yelled. His face was filled with unbelievable disgust and scorn for the princess.
<What Polia says is not true. You were the one who asked to come to the knights’ hall, and it was you who wielded the sword…>
<Are you lying to me even though I’ve seen you with both eyes pointing the sword at Lady Polia?>
What he witnessed was only a momentary moment. That alone could not grasp the complete picture of the situation. But a man believed only what he wanted to believe. The same was true of this knight. From the moment he entered, Emilie was an ugly villain and Polia was a good underdog.
<What’s the matter? What happened?>
Then the door of the hall opened and the knights came in. Polia began to cry aloud as if she had been waiting for this moment. Emilie looked around in embarrassment. But already everyone was looking at her with contempt.
<After killing Lady Polia’s mother, you don’t know what to do with her now.>
<If anything had happened to Lady Polia, I would have given my life to her.>
The outright hostility of the knights poured upon her.
That night her father locked Emilie’s door and beat her.
***
“Miss, what have you been thinking about since a while ago?”
“……Ah. Marian.”
The eyes of Elisabeth, who was sitting absentmindedly against the window frame, returned a gleam of light.
‘Memories of a terrible past life.’
When can I forget my bad relationship with Polia?
When can I forget the nightmare my father gave me?
‘I don’t have any lingering feelings about the love that I didn’t get anymore.’
But the terrible nightmares of 18 years were not easily forgotten. Even in happy moments, the memories used to pop up.