TDS 19

 Chapter – 19

“Uh… that’s Ersha’s…?”

Trying to just throw that away…?

Just as I was about to protest, two maids quickly came up in front of me and opened the box.

“Please, look at this, Miss!”

Unexpectedly, what was inside the box caught my eye. I had thought it was empty, but something was neatly arranged inside.

Round heads of various kinds, sparkling eyes like they were set with jewels, luxurious clothes that could have been real dresses, and sturdy little shoes.

Huh?

“Dolls?”

“Yes, Miss. The Marquis bought new dolls for you!”

“What?”

Leo bought me dolls?

“It seems the Miss’s old toys were too worn out, so the Marquis felt concerned. Even though he seems rough, he is a father who cares for his daughter!”

“Really… surprising, isn’t it?”

I was at a loss for words. Not with joy or gratitude—just shocked because I hadn’t expected it.

“We’ll replace your old dolls with these new ones right away!”

The maids began taking the dolls out of the box one by one. Each of them was shiny and beautiful.

Looking at these dolls, a strange feeling gradually crept over me.

What is this feeling?

These are dolls for little children—I don’t need something like this at all right now.

When I was the age to play with such things, no one had ever bought them for me.

I must have wanted toys back in my forgotten childhood. But now, unexpectedly receiving such things that I never wanted, it felt… odd.

I could only gape for a while.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

The next day, during the day.

The moment I woke up, I stared intently at the new dolls.

Pink hair with yellow pumpkin eyes, golden hair with sapphire blue eyes, silver hair with diamond-clear eyes.

Each doll, so unique, felt like a new friend—it was strange.

At twenty-three, I was far too old to be captivated by cute dolls…

Still, I felt a small sense of delight, so I picked the doll I liked the most and held it close.

It had dark, wheat-colored hair and eyes like violets.

Its eyes matched mine, and the wavy hair reminded me of wheat fields, giving me a strange sense of comfort.

If these dolls were my friends, this one seemed to suit me the most.

“Hello? You need a name. Hmm… what should it be? Since your eyes are like Ersha’s, I’ll name you Shasha!”

“Oh my, Miss. The doll has a name now! Congratulations!”

The maids near me clapped excitedly. They looked at me with sparkling eyes as if I had done something amazing.

I had only given a doll a name—why were they reacting like this?

I glanced at the maids suspiciously.

Originally, my only maid was Ebott; the rest were all Leo’s maids. Why were ten of them in my room? I had no idea.

I subtly shifted my gaze, holding Shasha, and got up.

“Ersha, we have to go thank Abadi properly.”

“Oh, of course! I’ll check if the Marquis has woken up! He went to bed early yesterday, so he might be up by now!”

“Mm-hm.”

I nodded slightly, and Leo’s maids left my room, seeming a bit excited.

Honestly, I wasn’t all that grateful to Leo.

He had neglected his own daughter as if she didn’t exist, so there was no reason to be thankful for a few new dolls.

Still, I had a bigger purpose: I needed to reform him from a rogue into a normal person. Making our father-daughter relationship even a little closer could be beneficial if we ever needed his help.

I watched them leave, then turned to Ebott. She shrugged disapprovingly.

“They’ve ignored you all this time, and now they act all cute?”

“Really?”

“Yes! They have no right to enjoy looking at you!”

“Exactly!”

I quickly agreed with Ebott. Since she disliked the other maids, I felt I had to support her. At least, it was fortunate that Leo’s maids liked me a little—they might help me out in the future.

Taking advantage of being alone with Ebott, I brought out a small pouch. I shyly handed it to her.

“Ebott. Here, for the sea.”

“Huh? What’s this?”

She opened the pouch casually. Inside were diamonds, gold, and silver—gems taken from the ornaments of the dolls’ dresses Leo had given me.

“Ebott, may Grandma get well soon. Ersha is praying.”

“Ah, Miss…”

“See?”

I felt a little embarrassed. Ebott didn’t move, only blinking. Then she spoke with moisture in her eyes.

“I… I can’t accept something so precious… How could you…?”

“No, you helped Ersha a lot. And we promised, right? We have to protect Grandma.”

“…Thank you so much, Miss. I will never forget this kindness.”

Ebott clutched the pouch tightly. I was relieved to repay a little to my only protector, who had looked after me when no one else did and helped me with difficult matters.

Soon, the maids returned, and Ebott and I wiped away our tears and smiled.

“Miss, the Marquis is having morning wine in the 3rd-floor hallway!”

“Really? Then we have to go quickly!”

“Yes! We’ll escort you!”

I hurried along, the maids leading the way.

At last, we reached the 3rd floor. Far ahead, my father was looking out the window, sipping from a wine glass.

I approached him, holding Shasha tightly. He seemed to notice me but quickly returned his gaze to the window.

I brightened, unbothered, and stopped beside him.

“Abudi, did you buy dolls for Ersha?”

Leo leisurely took a sip of wine before finally answering.

“Just did a bit of shopping.”

“Ersha is holding her first new doll! I even gave it a special name! Shasha!”

“….”

Sniffling, he drank another sip of wine, as if deliberately letting me hear.

As expected, he didn’t care much.

Still, I raised my hand as if asking for a high-five.

“Abudi, thank you!”

“….”

For a moment, Leo’s eyes flickered, but he shook his head instead of reciprocating the high-five.

I wasn’t disappointed; I simply lowered my hand and smiled.

“Abudi, is the exile place okay?”

“What?”

Only then did he look down at me. I smiled widely.

“I want to show it to Harabudi nicely, so we should go to Abudi’s house soon.”

“Why would I bother impressing that old man? When he dies, the position will be mine anyway. If I can drive him out before then, all the better.”

“….”

I kept quiet, momentarily distracted by the dolls he bought. I almost forgot that he was a rogue.

I suddenly wondered why Leo hated the Surman Duke so much.

He did all the rogue deeds himself, yet why did he hate his innocent father so intensely?

The Surman Duke was a political, power-driven noble concerned only with the family.

Leo became a rogue after his wife died. Before that, his wife had demanded a divorce even though she had just had a child.

Could that have something to do with Surman?