It Was Me, Not You

Looking out the window, she appears to be living in an annex of the Grand Castle.

To follow the child to where she lived.

When Edwin was gradually regretful, he heard a voice calling out to him.

“What are you doing there, Edwin? Training time is over.”

“Oh yes”

When Edwin saw the knights on their way to the gym, he put his thoughts aside and followed them.

***

(Duke’s POV)

The torch that lit up the night of the castle was lit as night fell.

The Archduke, who had skipped dinner since he was working until late, walked straight to Seia’s room when his work was over.

When the Archduke arrived in front of Seia’s door, it opened and Seia’s nanny appeared.

“I greet the Grand Duke.”

“Get up”

“Yes.”

“Is Seia asleep?” 

“Yes, Your Highness, she just fell asleep.”

“Right…”

The Archduke paused for a time, as though thinking, and said to the nanny.

“You should go away.”

The nanny stepped back, and the Archduke slowly opened the door and entered.

Seia’s favorite dolls and toys were arranged on one side of a large room, with soothing lights lighted.

After a quick look at them, the Archduke stopped his steps and approached the bed…

I saw Seia sleeping with a normal breathing sound as I stepped on the white lace veil.

A smile hung on the child’s lips as if she was dreaming of a good dream.

However, the Duke’s face was devoid of any smile as he stared at Seia in this manner.

“No matter how you look at it, you can’t see Ariel’s face. Does it resemble me…?”

The Archduke’s low voice flew into the air.

As soon as he returned to the Castle, he had seen Seia.

It was too late at the moment, so I saw the child asleep and left the room to have a better look at Seia.

Because his daughter felt so strange to him, the Duke purposefully avoided looking at Seia’s face after going off to war.

It was because he feared he wouldn’t be able to endure it any longer if he saw Seia’s face that reminded him of Ariel.

Even though he hadn’t seen her in a long time, he always kept his daughter in his heart.

— The Princess has a strong resemblance to Madam.

Before he left for war, he thought about what the doctor had said to him, and the Duke mentally pictured Seia, who resembled Ariel a thousand times over.

However, his daughter, whom he met after 10 years, did not resemble Ariel in the slightest.

Although he had blonde hair and gold eyes, which are the symbols of the Grand Duke, there was a sense of complication with Seia.

“Sigh.”

The Duke, who was looking at Seia’s face with sharp eyes, felt defeated with himself for a moment.

‘How does this affect his daughter whom he met after ten years?’

Reflecting on his unwillingness to see Ariel, he brushed his face roughly and looked at Seia who was sleeping.

Even though he couldn’t stay by her side, there was no dark mark on Seia’s face, who had received the utmost care during the period.

Clear and plump skin were the looks of a 10-year-old noble girl who received much love.

The Archduke smiled slightly, thinking that it was a good thing that there was no shade on the child’s face, but then remembered Diana he had seen during the day and hardened his mouth.

The appearance of a child was very different from Seia.

With brown hair and a face full of shadows, not like a 10-year-old child.

The pink dress she was wearing didn’t suit her, and she looked awkward like a child who had never worn such a dress.

Why does a child who is still only 10 years old look like that?

Also, the face of a child who strangely resembles Ariel…

The Duke stopped thinking and hardened his face.

To say that the ugly woman’s child resembles Ariel is an insult to Ariel.

When the Duke wrinkled his forehead deeply to erase Diana’s annoying appearance, Seia showed a weak whimper.

“Ummm…”

Seia pushed the blanket out  with her feet since the room was not cold and was warm.

‘What if she catches a cold?’

The Duke put the thick blanket over Seia again and whispered slowly.

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone, Seia.”

The Duke erased useless thoughts from his mind and gently stroked Seia’s pale blonde hair.

Even if she doesn’t resemble Ariel, Seia is his daughter.

Promising to do everything from now on, the Archduke stayed by Seia’s side a little bit more.

***

(Diana’s POV)

“Ugh, it’s cold…”

It was a bitterly windy evening today.

Leah came home, did not return to the house until the sun went down and the night came.

Of course, Leah wasn’t waiting to see her.

The fireplace was only lit because Leah could not stand the cold on such a cold day.

But today, Leah was not there, so there was nothing Diana could do in the scorching cold.

“I’m going to freeze to death if I stay like this.”

Diana, who was crouching down, lifted her head and looked at the winter dress she was wearing when she went to the castle.

Leah had told her to take it off, so she took off her clothes and folded them as soon as she got home.

‘Is it better if I wear that?’

It will keep you warmer than the thin one-piece Diana is wearing right now.

Diana stopped for a moment as she got out of her bed and tried to reach for her hand through her clothes.

If Leah sees this dress

Even if she’s back…

At that time, it was clear that I would be beaten again.

All she said was that she didn’t listen to her. Diana took her hand away with a small sigh.

“What should I do? It’s too cold here.”

No matter how much he crouched, it was of no help to his trembling body.

‘Should I get some firewood?’

I’ve heard from Leah before where they could put branches or something to put in the fireplace.

Originally, the Grand Duke Castle gave firewood for the winter, but Leah didn’t like it, so there wasn’t much firewood given by the Grand Duke Castle.

Of course, it was difficult to survive with a small amount of firewood in this place where the winter is long.

At that time, Leah used to curse at the butler.

It makes me go all the way to the little hill behind the laundry on this cold day.

Behind the laundry is not too far from the hut Diana used to frequent.

‘Rather than freezing to death in the cold, just everything.’

‘Wouldn’t it be better if I wait till she comes?’

Diana looked out into the dark.

It is quite dangerous for a young child to go to an unknown mountain on this dark, cold night.

The security of the Grand Duke castle is strict, but there may be dangers that you may not be aware of.

I was afraid that I had to go through the darkness alone, but I couldn’t stand the ice-cold.

The instinct to escape from the cold was more important than fear.

And later, when Leah comes to the house, it would be less offensive to her planting to bring a twig and light a fireplace than Diana wearing that outfit.

Diana thought she had to go before the night got deeper, and she lifted the lamp.

“Is this enough?”

Diana picked up the lamp that had been set down on the ground, holding a branch full in her arms.

Wheeing-

At that time, a sharp wind made a gloomy cry.

A small hill behind the laundry.

It was scary to hear the strange sound of this place on a night, but the cold wind made my body tremble.

You have to go down quickly

Still, when I get home, I can light the fireplace now.

It was Diana who came all the way here just to warm herself up.

She had gathered the twigs, so she hurried back and moved her feet, and a chill felt down her spine.

‘What? It’s like someone is looking at me.’  

Diana looked back at her, holding her lamp.

Hui Ying—

The lantern was moved back and forth, but nothing was seen.

‘What… I must have felt someone’s gaze, but I’m afraid…’

At that moment of creepiness and hardening, a large beast appeared from the grass with a ‘nya-‘ sound.

“…”

The beast was big enough to eat her. Diana held her breath for a moment.

But then, the sharp pupils of the beast loosened, and they all came closer to Diana.

The beast came up to Diana and rubbed her face against her ankle and neck.

“Um, is it… a large cat?”

The maids said there were a lot of cute stray cats behind the hill.

Seeing how cute they were to people, the maids seemed to be feeding cats.

Diana, frightened by the cat, patted the cat’s head.

“What? I don’t have anything to give you.”

“But, I’m sorry.”

Unfortunately for the big cat, Diana had nothing to give.

“Oh, it’s cold.”

Again, in the bitter wind, Diana withdrew her hand that was stroking the cat.

It’s cold out there, don’t go outside. If I had a coat, I would have given it to you.”

Humans are so cold, but how cold can cats be?

She wants to go home with the cat, but Leah will be angry if she finds the cat.

I couldn’t take the cat with me because I was afraid that the cat would become more dangerous to Leah’s hands than I was right.

I’m sorry I went alone.

Diana, whispering a small whisper to the cat, was forced to go down her hill in a hurry as the wind was getting worse.

“Nah ~.”

On the hill where the cold wind blows, the sound of the footsteps of the little child is getting farther away, and the cat cries a little.

Then a man who had been hiding behind a tree appeared.

The man’s golden eyes flashed in the darkness.

He was a Grand Duke

“Come Yunes.”

Yunes, the beast that Diana mistook for a cat, approached at his call.

The Duke gently stroked Yunes fur, and strangely, the dark blue hair turned into a purple one.

He went back.

Diana mistook Yunes for a cat, but in fact, Yunes wasn’t a cat.

It looked like a cat, but Yunes was a monster.

Pyo-woo is a high-level monster with strong loyalty towards its owner, not a low-level monster that attacks people.

Pyo-woo was a monster who was loyal enough to change his hair color from the original blue color to the same color as the owner’s eye color when engraved with the owner.

His loyalty was so strong that he was very wary of others other than his master.

If you approach it recklessly, your life is at risk.