Chapter 6: Chapter 6

As soon as I put down the tableware, there was a sweet dessert on the table neatly arranged.

There were colorful macaroons, creamy cheesecakes, and cakes with fresh red strawberries on top of white whipped cream and cold parfait.

I tried to hide my excitement at the jaw-droppingly pretty desserts.

But my father laughed at me, maybe he saw my face unable to stop the twitching smile on my lips.

“You seem to like these things.”

“Yes!” Erita said with a wide smile.

‘Was it that obvious?’ (Erita)

She gently closed her mouth that opened unknowingly seeing the desserts on the table.

‘I’m not usually like this. I must have been too excited about things that I wasn’t able to see while living in the orphanage.’

I didn’t eat often in my previous life, but I liked sweet things quite much.

In particular, I was happier on my birthday when the people who supported me sometimes sent cakes for my birthday.

Was it because I thought that eating sweet things would make my life sweet and feel happy like that?

In embarrassment, I deliberately stared at the picture hanging behind me, and my father, with a light smile, pushed all the plates in front of me.

“It’s all yours, so eat as much as you want.”

Erita laughed awkwardly at those words, and picked up the fork.

‘It’s embarrassing, but I really wanted to eat this!’

My stomach was already full from eating meat, but there was enough space for dessert.

‘Originally, the meat-belly and the dessert-belly were said to be separate.’

Erita cut the soft whipped cream cake into small pieces.

“…!”

The cake that melts as soon as you put it in your mouth was one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten!

‘It was the most delicious.’

I wonder how much cake I’ve eaten? Maybe half of the cake? It’s tastier than I thought.

“You look just like Serbia when you eat sweet things.”

Erita lifted her gaze at the words she heard, a voice that seemed to miss something.

‘Serbia Krovachatz.’

Before marrying Aslan, her name was Serbia Vicente.

She was the second daughter of Marquis Vicente, Aslan’s wife and Erita’s mother.

She was the one who was…

The only woman that the Grand Duke loved, the Grand Duke who was more cruel and ruthless than anyone else.

Serbia only appeared as a simple narrative in the original.

It’s weird that there was no story about the villain in the first place.

“Serbia… So your mom liked sweets enough to get up in the middle of the night just to take a bite of dessert.”

“…Mom.”

Erita never thought to say that word with her lips.

Those words that would be natural to some were too awkward for me.

But I didn’t hate the awkwardness. I just wish I could get used to it.

What kind of person was Serbia?

“Should I tell you… About Serbia?”

I nodded eagerly at his question, whether he knew my curiosity.

I don’t even remember stopping him even for a while, maybe it’s because she’s my mother, so I’d rather ask.

Even though she wasn’t my real mother, I wanted to know.

My father’s face relaxed and started talking slowly.

“Serbia was sweeter and more lovely than anyone else. She was pretty with her round eyes and prettier when she smiled brightly.”

“…”

“She was someone who knew how to share the love she received differently than others.”

My father’s lips, who was continuing his story, slightly smiled. He’s happy just thinking about it.

It felt as if I had seen their love.

“She was born and raised as a simple daughter, but she was a good person who took care of all her servants.”

Looking at him as I listened to his story, I slowly pictured Serbia in my mind.

A sweet smile, a round, pretty eyes, I know better than anyone else.

Someone who would have been beautiful.

“But when she had you, Serbia kept tossing and turning, and I asked her why, and she said she wanted a cake made by the chef.” (Aslan)

“But I thought it would be too much for Serbia to move at dawn. That’s why I told her we would buy a cake when the sun’s bright.”

As he continued speaking, father gently smiled as if he remembered that time. He dearly missed Serbia.

It was a blurry smile as if recalling memories.

“But that wasn’t what Serbia wanted, and I didn’t even pretend to know for three days.”

“…Was she going to be a mother?”

“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Serbia so upset.

The first time?

I wondered for a moment, but I didn’t want to interrupt.

“And since then, every time she eats dessert, she also feeds me. She wasn’t like that to me before.”

“Ah…”

“I still couldn’t forget the playful face I had then.”

I didn’t want the smile on my father’s face to disappear, as he looked back on his memories.

Listening to such a slow sequence of words, I completed the appearance of Serbia in my mind.

Serbia must have loved Erita, with an affectionate face.

I’ve never seen her before, but I could tell she was warm and friendly.

Serbia’s image clearly painted in my mind was more lovely than anyone else, as my father said, and she loved Erita more than anyone else.

✿

“Sleep well.”

My father lightly brushed my hair, I felt the gentle touch of his hand stroking my hair, and my eyes closed softly.

He left the room quietly, but after my father left, I opened my eyes again, as I didn’t feel sleepy yet.

“Was it because I took a nap earlier?”

Even if I lay down like this and close my eyes, I don’t think I’ll fall asleep anytime soon.

After hearing about Serbia over eating a dessert and taking a warm bath, I lay and rolled on my bed.

The time was a little vague because I had fallen asleep earlier, but the softness of the bed felt like laying on soft clouds.

“This bed must be very expensive.”

Beds are treasure, not furniture. That was right.

I still couldn’t sleep, but I don’t want to get out of bed.

It felt better on the soft sheet, and after swinging my arms and legs, I turned to the other side and remembered what I had heard earlier.

These were the words carefully brought out by my father, who was patting me on the warm cotton blanket.

‘I have something to tell you. We’re going to the Grand Palace soon, our real home.’

‘The Grand Palace?’

‘Yes, I couldn’t tell you the truth earlier, but the title Count was a position I borrowed for a while to bring you here. Originally, my title was the Grand Duke.’

‘Grand Duke…’

Of course, I already knew this, but I pretended to hear it for the first time and smiled.

I felt embarrassed, but I couldn’t help it. After reading the original, I knew it from the beginning, because it couldn’t be like this.

‘I’m sorry if I surprised you.’

My father looked embarrassed the same way as my reaction, and he apologized awkwardly.

If I had to describe the difference between the Count and the Grand Duke, there would be hundreds of them, but I nodded in a sense that it was understandable.

The fact that I was going home was more important to me than his identity.

“But no matter how much I look at it, it’s very different from the cruel Grand Duke from the original story.”

Unlike the novel’s description of the smell of blood, my father only smelled good.

I don’t know, but wasn’t there a reason why a person who loves his family has become so ruthless?

Maybe I’m just too happy about the word ‘Dad‘, but my gut says it’s not.

And the stories of other families I heard from my father.

‘Well, and that’s it. When we return to the Grand Duke, my son would also be there. His name was Aaron Krovachatz… Your brother also likes you and misses you a lot.’

‘Aaron Krovachatz.’

He was the heir of the Grand Duke and the brother of Erita.

And the villain of the original who died with Aslan.

There’s no way I wouldn’t know.

Trying to recall Aaron’s description of having black hair and blood-red eyes, just like Aslan.

In fact, I was still stunned.

Erita didn’t appear in the original, so I thought this body was just an extra.

It turns out it’s Aslan Krovachatz’s… Lost daughter. And she’s Aaron’s sister.

The fact that I, who thought I was an orphan, was the youngest daughter of the only Grand Duke in the Empire was too heavy to accept and realize in a short period of time.

‘It’s a story that’s going to come out in the morning drama that was popular in my previous life.’

A story in which she grew up as an orphan and eventually turns out to be the daughter of a rich family.

When I thought of that idea, I laughed in despair.

‘The reason why I possessed this body… No matter how hard I tried to squeeze my mind, I couldn’t figure it out.’

I didn’t know how I ended up in this body, but it was clear that the original would be twisted because of my existence.

The existence of Erita Krovachatz, who was living as Rita, did not appear at all.

No, wasn’t it mentioned in a single line from the original that she was lost?

This was just my guess, but the reason Erita didn’t appear in the original story was probably…

If I hadn’t come into this body, I thought it was because it would most likely be dead.

A year ago, when I possessed Erita’s body, it was in very poor health.

Maybe it was a really insignificant disease. It may have been so painful because I didn’t get treatment.

I tried to knock on the closed door crying over the fever that covered my whole body, without knowing the situation, but all I could do was to cry in silence.

It felt like I was really left alone in the world.

The only food that was given to me was water and old dry bread that was placed through the door that opened once a day.

So I wasn’t able to come out after suffering for a whole week alone.

If I’m right, Erita may have been dying at that time…

The skinny body of the first child I saw was enough proof.

Sitting still looking down on my palm, when I saw that it moved according to my will.

A body that moves according to my will even though it’s not mine.

“…Just one more year if she holds on.”

I wished Erita had waited just a little bit longer, because she has a father who loves her so much.

‘You were not abandoned.’

‘You were loved, a dear child, Erita.’

I prayed that the soul of the young and fragile child would rest in peace and that she would meet Serbia wherever she was.

“Otherwise, I’m so sorry.’

It could be a selfish wish to ease my mind.

Even if it was hypocritical for me to take over Erita’s place, I have nothing to say. Because it could really be.

But I sincerely hoped that the child could also feel the warmth I felt from Aslan.

Being ignored by other children, without a family, it was hard for a child to bear.

And because it was me who understood the sadness that Erita must have suffered in reality.

“I’ll borrow your happiness just a little… a little bit.”

Because of that, she couldn’t give up on the endless love and the warm touch that she prayed and longed for every day.

Selfishly, the happiness of this moment was slightly greater than the feeling of debt that Erita had taken off.

‘I’m sorry, and thank you.’

I promise to change the future of your father and brother, who you loved.

Their death as a villain, no matter what, I would try to change it until the end.

Feeling the guilt and happiness alternately, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.