BHDV 03

Chapter 03

“……”

I was at a loss for words.

“What happened to your mother was something she brought upon herself. I don’t even want to think about it anymore. Let’s stop this. There’s nothing good that will come from continuing this conversation—”

The answer he had just given contained nothing but pure sincerity, without a trace of falsehood.

“Please leave.”

“…Edith?”

Roberic’s expression was colored with confusion.

“I said leave. And don’t ever come back.”

A voice so cold it surprised even me rang in my ears.

“Wait, Edith!”

Roberic urgently called out and reached his hand toward me.

“Why are you trying to stop me? I’m my mother’s daughter, aren’t I? The one you hate.”

At that moment, Roberic’s hand stopped abruptly, as if blocked by an invisible wall, unable to move any further.

“—What are you talking about? You’re my child!”

In an instant, a shout loud enough to ring in my ears burst out from Roberic.

I raised both hands and covered my ears.

“Ah, Edith…”

Roberic covered his mouth, visibly flustered.

“I’m sorry. I startled you…”

As I watched him fidget helplessly, I thought to myself.

Roberic feels guilty toward me.

Toward me, who he didn’t even know existed, and who, from his perspective, had been left in a terribly poor environment.

So he wants to compensate as much as he can.

For his ignorance, and for the love he couldn’t give because he didn’t know.

However, within that guilt, Mariette did not exist.

A passage from the original story flashed through my mind.

[Young Mariette, haunted by the memory of her father being dragged away before her eyes, approached Roberic, who was withering away endlessly.

Even when Roberic refused her without even responding, the little girl reached out her hand again and again, dozens of times.

And then, on a day when winter returned after two seasons had passed,

For some change, Roberic did not push away the small hand that persistently reached out to him, but instead held it.

Another season passed, and when the sprouts of spring began to grow,

Roberic was finally able to regain a smile that resembled sunlight.

Mariette, who watched Roberic’s smiling face, did not show much reaction, but in her heart, she could not have been happier.

The girl, who wanted to save the boy trapped in the prison of his heart after losing everything, gifted him nothing but her sincerity.

A heart filled with gentle affection—something no one else could easily obtain.]

…And yet, he had informed Mariette of their broken engagement, saying he loved another woman.

He dismissed Mariette’s agony—her writhing in pain from the wounds of betrayal—as mere jealousy and cruelty.

He abandoned the hand that had saved him and ultimately destroyed his benefactor and her entire family.

None of that regret was included in the guilt he now felt toward me.

“Edith… please. Why are you doing this…?”

Roberic knelt down, tears falling drop by drop as he looked at me.

When I first saw him, he seemed beautiful like cherry blossom petals fluttering in a blue sky, as if he would remain pure forever.

But in truth, he was such a thoroughly self-centered person.

A man who, once fixated on someone who left a strong impression, would cling desperately, shed tears easily, and recite apologies—yet lacked any genuine empathy or reflection regarding the other person’s pain.

“Edith…”

That was why he could speak so coldly about Mariette.

“No, Edith!”

Even if I couldn’t completely separate Mariette from the novel and fully accept her as my mother, this was not someone I could accept as a human being.

Without dragging things out any further, I shut the door.

“Edi—”

Bang—

The door closed, and silence fell.

It was quiet.

Still, I remained where I was, thinking that Roberic was surely still standing outside.

Yes, this is enough.

I closed my eyes and thought.

I’ll cut ties like this, and live quietly as I have until now.

Dong— Dong—

The bell announcing the hour rang out. I looked at the clock.

It was noon.

“…I should at least eat something.”

I stepped away from the door.

If Roberic had any sense, he wouldn’t keep standing there any longer.

The sound of weak footsteps could be heard.

“Your Grace.”

Perion raised his head. His brows immediately twitched.

“…Roberic.”

So he went to see that woman’s daughter again and came back like this.

Looking as though he had been abandoned by the person he loved most in the world.

Perion bit his lip hard.

What a fool.

The one Roberic should truly love was Shastia and Alea, who were at the Grand Duke’s residence.

So where on earth was his mind wandering?

Unaware of his close aide’s thoughts, Roberic bit his lip.

The child’s words still seemed to echo in his ears.

‘Please leave. And don’t ever come back.’

It felt as though his heart was being torn to shreds.

“…What should I do?”

At Roberic’s anguished whisper, Perion furrowed his brow.

His reddened, tear-filled eyes reflected the clear sky.

“What should I do to bring her back?”

“…What did you say?”

Perion’s face twisted.

“Your Grace, what are you talking about?”

“Ah. I haven’t told you, have I?”

Roberic lowered the head he had been tilting toward the sky.

“I plan to bring Edith to the Grand Duke’s residence, Perion.”

His smooth voice spoke as if stating something obvious.

Perion was struck with immense shock.

Even as they came all the way to this remote estate, he had thought—surely not.

Surely he wouldn’t be coming with the intention of bringing that woman’s daughter back.

If he did, what about public opinion?

What about the pain that Shastia and Alea, who had finally managed to live happily after so much hardship, would suffer?

“You intend to bring her? …Have you truly forgotten who the child’s birth mother was?”

Perion spoke, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.

Please, even now, change your mind.

If guilt over the past you neglected is weighing on you, there are other ways—such as providing financial support.

Just as he was about to say that, a chilling breeze brushed past the back of Perion’s neck.

Instinctively, he held his breath.

“……”

Roberic’s red eyes, which had been clear and beautifully shining just moments ago, were now filled with an indescribable chill as they fixed on Perion.

A spirit of wind.

Perion felt the sharp blade of air forming behind him and remained completely still, holding his breath.

“Don’t say anything unnecessary, Perion.”

Roberic withdrew his silent anger and spoke calmly.

“It doesn’t matter who her birth mother is. What matters most is that Edith is my daughter.”

“…I spoke out of turn. I apologize, Your Grace.”

Perion immediately knelt on the ground.

Roberic looked down at him for a moment before lifting his gaze.

“How can I atone for her to acknowledge me as her father?”

The voice that flowed from his lips, as if the earlier anger had vanished, was filled with deep sorrow.

“She must have been hurt a lot. Wondering why she didn’t have parents, reminding herself of it over and over, grieving each time. And yet I didn’t even know…”

Your daughter is at the Grand Duke’s residence, is she not?

Perion barely suppressed the urge to say those words.

“What have I even been doing all this time…”

Ah, Perion felt as if his heart had dropped into the middle of the sea—a chilling sensation overtook him.

Roberic’s beautiful face, tinged with melancholy, shone even more brilliantly.

But the words he had just uttered carried an ominousness that Perion never wanted to hear, even in his dreams.

Roberic’s daughter was Alea, as lovely as an angel.

For the past several years, hadn’t Roberic raised Alea as if she were his own true daughter?

“Perhaps you may think me heartless. But, Perion.”

Roberic looked down at Perion as he spoke.

“Alea is not my real daughter. Her father is someone else. As you know, someone whose name I don’t even want to utter—that disgusting man.”

Perion did not respond.

Looking down at his silent aide, Roberic let out a sigh-laden remark.

“…Enough. What will change by lamenting like this?”

Roberic turned away. The hem of his silver-gray robe fluttered.

“I plan to stay in this village for the time being. Keep that in mind.”

Perion watched as Roberic walked away, leaving only those words behind.

“…!”

Crunch.

The moment Roberic’s figure completely disappeared, Perion’s expression twisted harshly.

Roberic had just denied the time they had spent together all these years.

Until now, Perion had believed that Roberic truly loved Alea.

Of course he did. Alea, Shastia’s daughter, was so pure and lovely that nothing about her resembled her dreadful father.

Completely unlike ‘that child,’ who must have inherited the cruel nature of Mariette Aydin Bastevan.

But for Roberic himself to harbor such thoughts…

A real daughter?

“What’s so important about mere blood…?”

What truly mattered?

‘Perion… I’m so scared. Everyone hates me. It feels like they’re all desperate to drive me out. What should I do…? What did I do wrong…?’

The image of the woman, tearfully blaming herself, came to mind.

Perion bit down on his lip.

He had sworn to protect her.

And so, he would.

Decisive action was necessary.

He had to step in—so that Roberic would no longer waver.