Romance Fantasy

Chapter 2

“Tié, what are you doing here?” the marquess asked in a completely different tone than when he spoke to me.

Clytié walked into the hall, raising her eyebrows with her hands perched on her waist.

“Daddy, you shouldn’t be stepping on a child like that.” The marquess removed his foot from my shoulder and laughed.

“My darling Tié is just too kind. You’re even worried about a nobody.”

“Hmph.” Clytié pursed her lips, and her cheeks slowly turned red. “It’s almost my birthday.”

“Indeed, that’s why I’m ordering her to clean the hall.”

“I don’t need to have a party in a hall this big.” Even as she said that her eyes sparkled with joy at the anticipation of her grand birthday party.

“How can I not host a huge birthday party for my dear daughter?”

“Oh, Daddy.”

Her pale pink shoes stopped in front of me.

“Are you okay?” Her sweet voice fell on me like a lovely flower petal. I lifted my upper body and nodded my head.

“Okay then, good luck." A smiling Clytié hugged the marquess’s arm.

The marquess looked at her lovingly while patting her head. The affectionate father and daughter began walking towards the door.

“Hng, Daddy, my heels got dirtied by the soapy water!”

“Don’t fret. I shall buy you a new pair.”

“Wow, Daddy! You’re the best!”

I watched as they left and sat all by myself on the floor. My entire body was covered in soapy water. The door closed with a thud.

I looked at the tightly closed door for what felt like an eternity before I lowered my head.

“Let’s hurry up and finish cleaning...” I said to myself.

I didn’t know what punishment I’d receive this time if I didn’t finish.

* * *

Gruuuumble. A thunderstorm began rumbling in my stomach.

I curled up my body as much as I could, but it was useless. My stomach wouldn’t stop clamoring at me for food.

I was punished by the marquess for not finishing my job of cleaning the hall. I was whipped thirty times on my calves with a rod as thin as a whip.

As I was groaning in pain, unable to stand properly, he’d said to me, “You’re not getting any dinner this week.”

He wanted me to survive the day on only one meal.

Normally, I was only given two meals a day—breakfast and dinner—but it was never a proper meal. All I got was rock-hard bread and watered-down soup.

Clytié entered the room as soon as the marquess left.

“Oh my, how unfortunate.” She looked at my bruised calves and clicked her tongue as if she felt sorry for me.

“You shouldn’t be too upset. My father is only doing this because he’s a fair and just man. It wouldn’t be fair for the others if my dad were to feed you for free just because you’re my cousin, right?”

We may be cousins, but you and I are different. That’s what her eyes said.

“Try harder next time. You need to do a better job completing your work. My father said it himself. Those who don’t work shouldn’t be fed.”

Proud of herself for trying to encourage me, Clytié left the room with a smile on her face.

Thinking back to that moment made the anger boil inside of me.

“I don’t need to eat…!”

Gruuuumble! I wanted to say that, but my stomach growled in protest.

“It hurts.” I was in pain due to my empty stomach and my calves, which were flaring up. It was hard to breathe. My breath was hot. My head was dizzy.

“It’s painful.” I felt like I was going to catch a cold because I had left my wet clothes on until they dried. I tried to hide under an old blanket, but the winter night’s chill froze my body.

The marquess’s voice rang across the room as I was dazed from the flaring and the cold.

“You should be grateful to me. Your irresponsible father left you here without giving me any child support. That’s why you need to work for your food. Do you even know how much food you eat? How much money goes into taking care of you?!

“In the end, you were unable to work for your food yet again! How lazy of you! Be grateful I’m merciful enough to supply a useless child like you with food and a place to sleep.”

I covered my ears, but there was no end to the marquess’s voice. I could no longer feel the pain of my empty stomach or my calves.

I gasped while clutching my chest.

“It hurts so much…” It felt like my chest was being ripped out of my body.

I wanted to stay strong, but I kept being discouraged. My body was overcome by fear, making me unable to speak whenever the marquess was in front of me. In the eyes of a young child like me, his presence loomed over me.

“Don’t forget that I’m taking care of you because your biological father abandoned you. Ah, I suppose we don’t know yet if you’re his real daughter anyway. After all, you’re not able to use any Magi.”

I tightly clenched my blanket.

“Was I really abandoned?” At first, I was in denial. I may have made a deal with the devil, but a contract was a contract. Yet, this was the result.

“I can’t believe I fell for a devil’s contract.”

I just didn’t understand how many times a person could be disappointed. Promises were never kept, so I had no expectations, which meant I shouldn’t be disappointed, but...

Sniff.

My nose was sore. Drops of tears fell down my face. Why was I crying over nothing? It had to be because I was still young. Hmph!

Sniff, sniff.

“That damn devil."

He said that he would give me wealth. He said that he would give me a special ability. He said that he would give me a father and brother.

“I really thought I was going to have a family this time...”

“Achoo!” My whole body shook from the sneeze.

I tightly wrapped the blanket around my body as I sniffed. At least this was better than not having any kind of warmth.

This place doesn’t have any flu medicine, and my body is far too weak. I’ve had multiple near-death experiences. Today was just another one of the same.

In fact, it was possible that dying might be better than this...

No, it’s not! Don’t give in! It was too unfair for me to die like this.

I would do whatever it took to survive in this 0-star world.

* * *

“Tié, happy birthday!”

“My goodness, you’re still young, yet you shine with beauty.”

“Surely, all the men of this empire will fall for your beauty once you’re older.”

Clytié, who was surrounded by her family, had a bright smile on her face. She looked like an adorable and lovely angel, even in my eyes.

Today, she wore a light pink dress that was extremely elegant and fancy, which made me question if her dress was really meant to be a child’s dress. The hem of her lavish dress ended right at her ankle and was decorated with multiple layers of lace embroidered all throughout with small diamonds.

No matter how rich someone was, they wouldn’t go around spending this much money on a child’s dress that would be outgrown in less than a year. But it seemed that the marquess’s love for Clytié was so great that he didn’t have an issue ordering one for her birthday every year.

Clytié’s birthday dresses were so much more gorgeous than her regular clothes that even she looked forward to what kind of dress she’d receive that year.

But the marquess never tells her what kind of dress it will be.

No matter how much Clytié nagged, the marquess wouldn’t give her a hint. He probably kept it a secret so she would be twice as happy when she saw it with her own eyes.

She’s really loved…

I turned away and looked at the beautifully decorated party hall. It was sparkly, clean, and gorgeous. I’m sure the marquess never expected me to clean the entire hall in the first place.

He just wanted to bully me. I pressed my back against a corner wall and stared at my toes.

The shabby shoes on my feet felt out of place. Even the servants and maids serving food wore higher-quality heels and clothes.

It’s so shabby.

I stood still in the corner, quiet as a mouse, yet I could still feel the mocking gazes glaring at me.

It was a joyous birthday party held amongst family members, but I couldn’t join. I mean, who would even look at me and think of me as a member of the marquess’s household anyway?

It was true that I wasn’t attending this birthday party as the daughter of the Phaeraton household, nor was I there as Clytié’s cousin.

“Oh my!” Clytié’s surprised voice filled the hall.

It seemed as though a bit of icing fell off her shoes while she was cutting the cake. Her lovely face turned into a frown at the thought of her new shoes being ruined.

“What are you doing there, just standing and staring?!” The marquess’s angry voice was like a sharp whip to my back. “Clean her shoes at once!”

Indeed. I wasn’t attending this party as Clytié’s cousin.

Clytié’s servant… that’s what I’m attending this party as.

If I wasted any more time, the marquess would punish me again. I quickly ran towards Clytié and questioned the servant girl who was nearby.

“Uh, do you have anything I could use to…?”

She looked away uncomfortably even before I could finish my sentence. It was obvious why she was acting that way.

It must be the marquess’s orders. Instead of questioning her further, I kneeled down in front of Clytié, pulled my short, worn-out sleeves over my hands, and rubbed the oily cream off her shoes.

The clumping of the cream on my sleeves was an unpleasant feeling. But there was something else that felt even more unpleasant. The glares from the members of the marquess’s household felt like they were piercing my back.

As soon as I lifted my head, I met eyes with the marquess. His eyes were intoxicated with contempt, joy, and fear.

“You call that clean? Clean till it shines!” the marquess yelled at me. I used more strength with my small hands that held the sleeves.

“There you go, not listening to me again! Was starving for a week not enough? Or perhaps I didn’t whip you enough?!” I bit my lip tightly.

I wanted to stand up and look into the eyes of my abuser and scream at him, but this small body of mine trembled in fear, making me unable to move.

I was scared. Afraid. Frightened.

My body moved stiffly against my will. I lowered my upper body close enough that my lips almost touched the tip of Clytié’s shoes. Clytié waved her feet as if to hurry me up. Because of that, my lips almost really touched her shoes.

It’s okay. This is nothing. I’m… also a precious person.

Am I really? A doubtful voice rang from the bottom of my chest. Right when I was about to ignore the voice and blow on her shoes…

“Is my memory serving me wrong?” A low, clear voice paved its way through the party hall. “I don’t remember my daughter being blonde.”

I lifted my head to see a tall man standing crookedly with a cape secured only on one shoulder. He was looking at Clytié with a frown on his face. To be exact, he was looking at the light pink dress that she was wearing.

“D-Duke Phaeraton?!” the marquess cried helplessly.

I flinched. My heart started pounding before it quickly sank again.

Duke Phaeraton? That man? My eyes wavered as I looked at him.

Duke Phaeraton.

He was my father.

* * *

Duke Phaeraton was a man with an overwhelming presence in any situation.

Broad shoulders with long legs and arms. A snatched waist. A face so stern that it looked like it wouldn’t bleed even if he were stabbed. His entire body emitted an undeniable aura.

Yet none of it could hide how handsome he looked.

Wow… he looks exactly like the male protagonist of a romance fantasy… His hair was darker than the deepest abyss, and his eyes were redder than the blood of a pure dove.

Surely, that’s how he would’ve been described if he were a character in a novel. He seemed more like a male protagonist than all the male protagonists I had ever imagined in my life.

“A-aren’t you supposed to be on the western front?”

The western front? I frowned at the marquess’s words.

Does that mean the duke has been out at war this entire time? I didn’t know.

“It’s over.”

“Pardon?”

“The war. It’s over.”

The marquess shook his head in disbelief. “It’s over? I’m pretty sure it’s still—”

“Does it look like I have enough leisure time on my hands to take care of the smaller matters as well?”

The duke’s eyes turned into sharp daggers. He stood in a crooked pose with a leisurely attitude, but he could change the atmosphere with his eyes alone.

Clytié and the marquess took a deep breath in and stiffened their bodies.

“Ha... haha... of course not, sir.” The marquess moved closer to the duke with a forced smile on his pale face. “But why have you come here without any prior contact?”

“Isn’t it obvious why I’m here?” The duke ignored the marquess and moved past him.

Perhaps it was due to his long legs, but it only took him a few steps to stop in front of Clytié. His scarlet eyes scanned Clytié. Yielding to his sharp and cold gaze, Clytié lowered her head.

Her trembling body and pale face looked as if it was going to turn into foam at any moment. The duke’s gaze narrowed. His blood-red eyes moved slowly across the room.

Ah. We locked eyes.

The duke’s eyes twitched.

“What is this tiny, frail rat?”

“That’s one of our serv—”

“Don’t tell me this mess of a child is the daughter of the Phaeraton household?” The duke’s tone shifted to an alarmingly low register.

The marquess, who stood by his side trying to come up with an explanation, froze in place. The marquess’s family and even the servants looked like they were having a hard time breathing.

A deafening silence filled the hall—a silence so dense and thick that not even a needle could poke through it. I lowered my head.

A tiny, frail rat. He was right. Even in my own eyes, I looked pathetic and worthless.

He won’t be satisfied that of all the people here, I’m his daughter. Surely, he would want to deny it. However…

“B-but… but still, can you please take me with you?”

I gathered every single drop of courage that I had in my body and looked up at the duke. There was no way that I could live here any longer. I would end up dead if I did.

The red eyes facing mine were slightly distorted.

“What?”

“I-it’s only because I didn’t wash… because I couldn’t.” I dampened my dry mouth as I tried to make myself more presentable. “I won’t be a bother. I can even wash myself.”

The beat of my heart was pounding in my ears.

“I’m also very good at making food and cleaning! I can work for my meals too. I’ll only eat a little, so please…”

The duke was silent.

“I’ll clean your shoes every day! I can clean them till they shine!” My courage was slowly fading.

I tried to keep my head up and look into his eyes, but my eyes kept lowering until I could only see his jawline.

“And, I can also…” His jaw didn’t budge.

My face plunged to the floor. All I could see were Clytié’s oil-stained shoes.

I hated it here.

I wanted a cozy and warm place where I could rest. That’s the kind of place I wanted to live in. In the present and even in my past life, I was always…

“I want to go home…”