Solitary Lady

Chapter 4

* * *

“Are you sure she has the Power?”

My father, Diego Inoaden, returned home that evening. He had deep red hair and golden eyes, just like Ricardo.

He was home before sunset, which meant he must have rushed over as soon as he heard the news about today.

“Are you sure you are not mistaken?” he asked Ricardo again in disbelief.

I was standing on the staircase above them, hidden from view, listening in on their conversation. I wasn’t purposely trying to eavesdrop, but I had noticed them on my way downstairs.

“Perhaps you were too quick to judge. It sounds like it could have been done by you, not Hillis.”

He still could not give up his false hopes. I laughed to myself at Father’s words. There was clearly no chance that Ricardo would have discovered his powers in that situation to protect me. My father surely knew that as well, but he still could not accept the truth.

“Roses were blossoming under her feet wherever she went.”

Ricardo’s voice sounded much stiffer than before. Father’s low grunt followed after. It made sense for them to be anxious since I had suddenly gained the power of the heir instead of Ricardo.

“We must keep this a secret for now.”

“But Father...”

“This hasn’t spread outside our walls already, has it?”

“No... I told everyone to keep quiet.”

My father complimented Ricardo on his decision, but Ricardo seemed to feel uneasy about Father’s words.

Click, clack.

The sound of my shoes ricocheted through the room as I continued walking down the stairs. Father and Ricardo flinched when they heard my footsteps, clearly thinking that no one had been nearby. They seemed even more startled to see that it was me. Their faces grew so stiff that they looked like wax figures.

“Tsk.”

Father glanced at me with disdain and turned his head. Based on his expression, he must have thought that I was coming down to greet him. However, I coldly turned my gaze and walked past them. I could sense Father’s and Ricardo’s surprise.

“Wait,” Father eventually called out to stop me. “Hillis!”

When I ignored him and continued walking, he raised his voice and shouted my name. I stopped and glanced back at him.

“What?”

He seemed startled once again. This was the first time in all my lives that I saw him make such a face.

“Did you just say ‘what’?”

He scoffed in disbelief, and I answered him dryly.

“That’s strange. I’m sure you’re the one who called me first.”

“......”

“So you should be the one to answer me,” I concluded.

With those words, my father’s expression became much more interesting. He and Ricardo were gawking at me like I had lost my mind.

Since the foolishly obedient Hillis Inoaden had suddenly changed and was now talking back to her father, it was understandable. Before now, I was like a mindless doll that could never even imagine defying either of them.

Ricardo was just as stunned as my father. He opened his lips slightly, but he did not utter a single word. I could see a slight change in his expression. He seemed to have recalled the attitude that he had witnessed in the garden earlier. Ricardo was watching me as if examining something unfamiliar to him.

“Hillis, what... How could you talk like that...”

It was unlike my father to stutter. He must have been quite taken aback by his daughter’s audacity. His lips twitched silently as he searched for something to say. He only returned to his senses when he heard footsteps approaching.

“Lord Inoaden, young master. Lady Gabrielle is asking for you.”

It was a maid sent by Gabrielle. Father flinched slightly as if remembering something he had forgotten about.

“Right... I should get going. She must have been startled by the incident.”

He regained his composure while talking to the maid. There was concern lingering in his voice, and of course, that concern was for Gabrielle.

As if forgetting that I had gone through the same thing, he glanced at me sourly once he finished talking. He was probably contemplating how to discipline his ill-mannered daughter.

I began to turn away from him and said, “Next time, figure out what you need to say before calling me. Don’t make us waste time like this.”

“What did you just say?”

“We do not enjoy each other’s company, so there is no need to endure such displeasure for no reason.”

I turned my back to him completely and walked away.

Click, clack.

The sound of my heels hitting the floor echoed loudly. My father let out an irritated huff behind me.

“What in the world... Did something happen to her while I was gone?” Then he shouted angrily, “Stop right there! Hillis!”

“Father, why don’t you calm down for a moment? I have something to tell you. Let us talk over there.”

I heard Ricardo’s stiffened voice stopping his father. I did not care what they would be discussing, so I walked away from the commotion and headed toward the dining hall.

* * *

“My lady, is there something you need?”

“Well, why would I be here in the dining room?” I replied dryly.

The staff setting up the table seemed surprised to see me.

“We were going to send your meal up to your room later, my lady.”

Father and Ricardo had always picked on me during meals, and it hurt to watch the others act like a family without me. So, eating alone in my room became a habit.

“It’s fine. I am going to eat here today.”

I took a chair and started eating alone. Whose seat was I in? I could not remember because it had been such a long time since I dined with them. Now, it did not matter whose seat it was.

The staff watched me nervously. Seeing the empty places at the table, I guessed that they had gone to reheat the food once they heard Father and Ricardo had left to visit Gabrielle.

I continued eating without paying any attention to the many eyes gazing at me. How long had it been since I last ate properly? Ten days? A fortnight? I wasn’t sure how much time I had spent in that cell. Regardless of how many days had passed, it had been a while since I had a proper meal, seeing as I was in jail before I died in my last life. I could still feel the pain of starvation from just hours ago. I was feeling hunger even though all other desires and emotions had left me. How ironic.

As I began touching more and more dishes, the staff looked increasingly troubled. Some eventually approached to stop me. It seemed they could not bear to watch me eat up the food they had prepared with great care for the other three members of the Inoaden family.

“Bring dessert.”

When I felt like I had enough and placed down the silverware, the staff scurried off with relief.

“Gabrielle does not seem to be recovering well.”

“We should talk to the head chef and have her favorite dishes prepared...”

Father and Ricardo entered the dining hall, talking gravely, while I was in the middle of dessert. Gabrielle wasn’t with them, so I assumed she was making a fuss and planning to eat in her own room.

“Hillis?”

The two finally noticed me as they approached.