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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Grandfather's Embrace
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Fortunately, the wait was short.
A few days had passed.
The carriage, having resumed its journey, had just entered the edge of the Superion territory.
"...Um."
Lellia, sitting across from him in the carriage, cautiously began to speak.
Seeing her, Duke Superion sensed the time had come.
In truth, he had noticed it earlier, seeing her anxiously fidgeting with her fingers.
Lellia swallowed hard before speaking.
"I have something to tell you."
She had to tell Duke Superion the truth, at the very least.
For the past few days, Lellia had been agonizing over how to bring it up.
If he were to ask how she knew she was her mother's daughter, she would have no answer.
*‘I can’t exactly say I know because I was reincarnated into a novel.’*
So she had imagined all sorts of excuses, but none of them felt right.
They were all so absurd that they would likely arouse more suspicion.
Still, Lellia decided to do her best.
*‘But maybe…’*
A thought occurred to her that perhaps he would believe her on its own merit, even without an explanation.
Duke Superion and his knights had been kind to Lellia throughout the journey.
While Lellia appreciated the kindness of these adults, it also frightened her.
If she confessed the truth only for Duke Superion to call it a lie and refuse to believe her… all the kindness she had seen so far would vanish.
She might even be thrown out.
*‘Of course, even if I’m thrown out, I’ll find a way.’*
It wasn't so bad, aside from being a fugitive.
Besides, Lellia had her mother's necklace.
After hesitating for various reasons, Lellia finally steeled her resolve and spoke.
"I am... well, officially, I am the daughter of Princess Iris. My name is Lellia."
"Princess Iris..."
At Lellia's words, Duke Superion's brow furrowed.
He surely knew that Princess Iris had tormented Elizabeth.
"But... my birth mother is the former Crown Princess, Elizabeth."
"..."
"The nanny who raised me told me. She said that after my mother gave birth to me, she begged Princess Iris."
"Continue."
"She said Princess Iris's baby was stillborn. My mother pleaded with her to save my life. So Princess Iris switched the babies..."
"..."
"She said they did it to deceive Emperor Raidios."
Lellia spoke with her head bowed.
There was no reaction from Duke Superion.
*‘He doesn't believe me, does he…’*
Lellia cautiously raised her head to check his reaction.
But the moment she looked up, Lellia bit her lip hard.
Duke Superion was weeping, his face a mask of despair, as if his world had collapsed.
His eyes, once as fearsome as a lion's, looked incredibly frail.
"It's my fault... It's because I couldn't protect her. I... that child..."
Duke Superion wept as if he were crumbling.
Lellia's heart ached as well.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what it felt like to lose a child.
It must feel like you're only living because you can't die.
"Yes, then where is this nanny now?"
Duke Superion asked after a long while, having calmed his tears.
Lellia answered cautiously.
"She left the Imperial Palace when I was young."
"What? Then..."
Wrinkles formed on Duke Superion's forehead.
The unspoken question was, then how on earth did you survive?
"I lived alone..."
"Did Raidios abandon you?"
"...Yes."
"That bastard deserves to die!"
Duke Superion's face turned as terrifying as the grim reaper's.
It was clear how deep his hatred for Raidios ran.
Even though he had already killed Raidios and avenged Elizabeth, the bloody bruise on his heart would never fade.
That was the nature of revenge.
Lellia kept silent about the fact that Raidios had sent her to the temple.
If she spoke of it and broke the geas, she would die.
"You poor thing..."
Lellia gave a small smile as she looked at Duke Superion, who was gazing at her with pity.
"But... I was okay."
"...You poor child."
Duke Superion pulled Lellia into an embrace and stroked her hair.
Holding his granddaughter for the first time, he wept as if his world had ended.
"..."
Lellia wiped away the tears that kept streaming down her face and smiled.
She had thought she might be met with suspicion, but it was a needless worry.
To think he believed her words without a shred of doubt.
Lellia was moved beyond words.
Moreover, being held in her grandfather's broad embrace felt deceptively like being held by her mother or father.
So much so that she felt the urge to act like a child and be pampered.
*‘But he's my grandfather, so it should be okay, right?’*
She thought it wouldn't hurt to be a little spoiled.
"Tell me more, hmm? In more detail, how have you been living?"
"..."
Lellia cautiously began to speak.
She couldn't talk about being at the temple, so she lied.
She told him she had secretly gone in and out of the palace and met good friends.
She chattered on about how many fun memories she had made with those friends.
About how her friends called her their leader, how they flustered wicked adults, and how they ate lots of delicious food.
She recounted her only happy memories, altering them slightly.
She didn't want to speak of her unhappy past.
Swallowing leaves and dirt because she was so hungry, being kicked by Crown Prince Leo, having her home stolen by the twin princes and being forced to apologize to Yuriana.
She couldn't bring herself to speak of the things so horrible she wished to forget them.
If she brought them up to seek sympathy, it would only hurt her grandfather's heart that much more.
She wanted to keep that part a secret forever.
While granddaughter and grandfather comforted each other's wounds, the carriage was already approaching Castle Superion.
After the carriage came to a halt.
The Duke stepped out of the carriage with a stern expression, as if he hadn't been crying at all.
However, he couldn't hide his reddened eyes.
Perhaps due to his gruff face, he fortunately looked more angry than sad.
Lellia followed, her eyes and nose bright red.
A look of shock colored the knights' faces.
*‘Looks like he made her cry.’*
*‘Right... I thought he was being too soft on her. He's not the type to be lenient with a child.’*
The knights thought, looking at Lellia's face, which was clearly tear-stained.
But as soon as Lellia got out of the carriage, she tightly grasped Duke Superion's hand.
The Duke looked down at her and gave a small smile.
With a trembling heart, Lellia looked up at the massive castle.
As expected of a great noble house that had existed since the founding of the empire, the scale of the castle was immense.
Feeling needlessly intimidated, Lellia's heart seemed to shrink.
As she entered the castle with a sense of dread, the servants lined up in waiting bowed their heads in unison.
And in their midst stood a beautiful woman in a white uniform.
As Duke Superion approached, holding hands with some young girl, the woman's expression soured.
When they were within arm's reach, her face turned red with anger.
"Father! Who is this child? Surely you haven't brought home a child you fathered at your age?"
"Seeing as you're spouting nonsense the moment you see me, you must have been well."
"...I asked who she is, Father."
The brown-haired woman looked down at Lellia, her brow furrowed.
Her gaze held wariness and a hint of malice.
Frightened by her glare, Lellia subtly avoided it.
Duke Superion had already scooped Lellia up into his arms and was heading somewhere.
The brown-haired woman followed behind, fuming.
"Father, who on earth is she?"
"Where are your brothers?"
"My eldest brother isn't here yet. You arrived earlier than planned, Father. Carius arrived a few days ago, so he'll be here soon. I heard he was drinking heavily last night."
She answered the Duke's question curtly.
Nestled in the Duke's arms, Lellia cautiously looked around.
The interior was even more magnificent than it had appeared from the outside.
Seeing the interior, decorated like the main imperial palace, Lellia was inwardly astonished.
By the time she came to her senses, she had been placed on a plush sofa.
It seemed to be a drawing room.
"Wait here for a moment."
"...Yes."
With those words, Duke Superion went somewhere.
"Father!"
The brown-haired woman huffed and followed Duke Superion.
Left alone, Lellia swallowed nervously.
*‘I've really made it this far. Without even getting caught at a checkpoint.’*
This might be the safest place from the Imperial Palace's pursuit.
After all, Emperor Perseus was wary of Duke Superion.
*‘Besides, he would never imagine that the House of Superion would hide me.’*
The thought brought her a sense of relief.
However, the House of Superion was not a place to be trifled with.
*‘I can't reveal my identity to everyone. The Emperor would find out then... But it seems Grandfather intends to tell them.’*
Lellia wondered what she should do.
But more than that, the fatigue from the journey began to wash over her.
A little time passed.
The sound of the drawing-room door opening startled Lellia, who had been dozing off, to her feet.
"..."
Entering through the open door were the brown-haired woman from before and an elderly woman she was supporting.
The moment she saw the old woman's face, Lellia's body stiffened.
Then, the rims of her eyes quickly flushed red.
"..."
The old woman, who seemed rather frail, stopped in her tracks the moment she saw Lellia.
She narrowed her eyes, as if in disbelief.
Behind them, Duke Superion also entered the drawing room.
The elderly woman, with her luscious red hair, took a sharp breath and rushed toward Lellia.
"Oh, Elizabeth... My daughter... Elizabeth..."
Then she pulled Lellia into a tight embrace.
"Elizabeth... my daughter..."
Lellia, who had been blinking blankly, could no longer hold back her tears and began to sob.
The red-haired old woman was the same.
She held Lellia tightly, her mind elsewhere, and murmured endlessly.
"My daughter... my daughter..."
"...What is going on, Father?"
The brown-haired woman, Duke Superion's youngest daughter Atias, watched them with a deeply crumpled face.
"Father...?"
Atias turned to look at Duke Superion.
She couldn't believe it. Was her father crying right now?
Duke Superion was an incredibly stoic man.
While he always showed his softer side to his wife, he never did so in front of his children.
Finding it incomprehensible, Atias looked back at the young girl her father had brought.
*‘Elizabeth…?’*
Elizabeth was her deceased older sister.
She had only seen her when she was very young, so her memory was faint.
*‘Is she a look-alike?’*
Atias tilted her head.
Her father might have intentionally found a child who resembled her.
After all, their mother was not in good health.
Her mother's health had started to decline after her sister Elizabeth, who had gone to the Imperial Palace, died.
Duchess Lisandra, who had been holding Lellia all this time, turned her head to look at the Duke.
She spoke, her voice filled with ecstasy.
"Darling, Elizabeth has returned! You see, there's no way our daughter could have died. She's come back so healthy."
Lisandra wiped the tears from her wrinkled cheeks and looked at Lellia.
And with a gentle touch, she caressed Lellia's cheek.
"My daughter, I'm so glad you've come back. So very glad. This mother of yours has no more wishes. Hmm?"
Lellia's tearful expression slowly hardened.
Lellia looked at Duke Superion with a questioning expression.
He said nothing, merely shedding silent tears.
Unable to watch any longer, Atias walked toward the Duchess.
"Calm down, Mother. Please, sit down first. The physician said getting excited isn't good for you."
"...Yes, yes, doctor. It's alright now. Everything is alright because our Elizabeth has returned."
"..."
"I'll get better now too, doctor. Right?"
The Duchess mumbled incomprehensibly.
As if used to it, Atias said, "Yes, yes," and helped her sit on the sofa.
Watching the two of them, Lellia realized.
*‘She has dementia.’*
It wasn't detailed in the original novel, so I just assumed she had already passed away.
Once again, tears welled up.
Duke Superion spoke to Atias.
"Atias. When your eldest brother arrives, send word for him to come to the main castle."
"...Yes, Father."
"Tell him to come alone, without his wife and children."
"...I understand."
Atias nodded and rose from her seat to send the letter.
All the while, she kept glancing at Lellia, as if she still couldn't understand.
"My daughter, come here. Why have you lost so much weight? Hmm?"
Lisandra pulled Lellia onto her lap.
Then she began to stroke Lellia's hair and cheeks.
After Atias left the drawing room, Duke Superion came closer and sat opposite them.
"...Grandfather."
When Lellia called to him and glanced at the Duchess, he gave a small nod.
"...Yes, she is your grandmother. She fell ill with a divine sickness after losing Elizabeth."
"A divine sickness?"
"Yes. It's an ailment that often appears in the elderly. Because it cannot be cured even with divine power, it is called a 'divine sickness,' meaning a sickness given by the gods."
"..."
Lellia narrowed her eyes.
Divine power, with its healing abilities, was not omnipotent, as she had long known.
It was difficult to resurrect the dead, regenerate severed limbs, or cure long-term illnesses.
Furthermore, it couldn't heal mental problems related to the brain, which led to the rise of heretics who doubted divine power long ago.
To deflect suspicion, the temple coined the term 'divine sickness.'
They decreed that resurrecting the dead was an act of pagans, not the will of the gods, and that the inability to regenerate limbs was also the gods' will.
Long-term illnesses that divine power couldn't cure were considered a 'punishment from the gods.'
In the same vein, mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and dementia, which were also incurable by divine power, were dismissed as a 'divine sickness.'
It's not a punishment from the gods, but an unavoidable illness bestowed by them, hence the name.
That's why among the families of those suffering from mental illness, quite a few studied or believed in alchemy. Some even truly strayed into heresy.
"I've met with many alchemists to try and cure my wife, but they had no particular methods either."
It seemed Duke Superion was no exception.
At least, as a man of great power, he would have had no trouble contacting alchemists while avoiding the temple's scrutiny.
Seeing Lellia's worried expression, Duke Superion gave her a benevolent smile, as if to say not to worry.
"...I knew my wife would recognize you at a glance."
At his words, Lellia turned her head to look at Lisandra, who was holding her.
Streaks of white showed in her red hair, and her face was lined with wrinkles. Nevertheless, she was incredibly elegant and beautiful.
Lellia gazed intently at Lisandra, searching for her mother's features.
Among the people left in this world, the Duchess was likely the one who resembled her mother the most.
Feeling a strange sense of envy and happiness, Lellia hugged Lisandra back.
"Yes, my daughter. You missed this mother of yours, didn't you? Why did it take you so long to come back, hmm?"
Lisandra, as if transported back to when Elizabeth was Lellia's age, soothed and comforted Lellia, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
For a short while, Lellia savored that happiness without a single worry.
Before long, the Duchess, still holding Lellia, fell asleep in that very position.
Lellia carefully slipped off her lap.
"She must be tired from crying so much."
Duke Superion nodded at Lellia's words.
"Um, Grandfather. Are you going to tell all of Mom's siblings the truth?"
"Yes. Do not worry. There is no chance Emperor Perseus will find out."
"..."
"...I could never send you to that man, who deserves to be neither a husband nor a father."
Duke Superion said resolutely.
It seemed he held a deep grudge against Emperor Perseus.
Lellia hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"...Grandfather. Can I perhaps stay here in this territory until I become an adult?"
"You ask the obvious. This old grandfather has no intention of sending you away, even after you become an adult."
His affectionate words put Lellia at ease.
One of the resolutions she had made when leaving the Imperial Palace had now been fulfilled.
To survive safely until she came of age.
Now, Lellia had one goal left.
To find the other half of the holy relic that the original male lead would obtain and break the geas.
After that, she wanted to find her friends, confess the truth, and ask for their forgiveness.
*‘But to do that…’*
Lellia looked at Duke Superion, who appeared stronger and more reliable than anyone.
*‘I have to change the future from the original novel.’*
Unlike the original story, she had prevented her own death, so this should be possible too.
Lellia vaguely knew the reason why the House of Superion, once called the immortal fortress, would be shattered.
Duke Superion saw the worry on Lellia's face and stroked her hair pityingly.
"Do not worry about a thing. This old man will protect you with his life."
"...Yes, Grandfather."
Lellia nodded, making a vow.
Then I will break the geas and risk my life to protect this family's future.
She wanted to change the future as quickly as possible and see her friends.
*‘Everyone, don't be too sad. Just wait a little longer. I'll be there to ask for your forgiveness, I promise.’*
Sending an unspoken message to her friends in her heart, Lellia snuggled into Duke Superion's embrace.
Her grandfather's arms, her grandmother's arms—they were all as warm as her mother's cabin. So warm it made her want to burst into tears and sob aloud.
