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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Ducal Estate
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We finally arrived at the townhouse in the capital.
The moment I saw Dad’s family home, a gasp of awe escaped my lips.
“Whoa. It’s really, really big.”
Beyond the grand gates, the first thing I saw was a lush green garden that seemed to stretch for acres.
A marble fountain with a statue of an angel holding a water jug.
Artfully manicured trees lining a path under an arch decorated with spring flowers.
And behind it all, a magnificent white mansion built in a U-shape…
‘Is this for real? A mansion this size in the crowded capital?’
I’d imagined it would be grand, but…
The actual majesty of the Rubinstein ducal estate far surpassed my humble imagination.
I thought even Dad, who had lived in the countryside for seven years, might be surprised, but his expression was nonchalant.
Dad immediately pulled a rope attached to the gate to announce our arrival.
“Huh? D-Dad! Wait!”
“Hmm? Why?”
“I need to prepare myself mentally…!”
“Haha! Come on, there’s nothing to be nervous about, Princess.”
Wasn’t he nervous? These were family members he hadn’t seen in seven years.
They didn’t appear often in the original story, but the people who definitely existed would be here.
Like the kind butler who was so good to Dad’s adopted son, Chessier, or the cheerful private soldiers who were Chessier’s sparring partners every day, and…
‘Grandfather.’
Enoch Rubinstein’s father, Nordic Rubinstein, whose presence was overwhelming every time he appeared.
A nobleman to the core and a Dos-rank ability user like Dad, his dignity was palpable even through the written word.
The reason I was both worried and curious about meeting him was that, in the original story, he had been a very good person to Chessier.
You know the type. The kind who acts indifferent on the outside but isn't on the inside. The type who takes care of everything behind the scenes.
‘I hope he’ll be kind to me, too. But that’s probably asking too much, right?’
I trembled a little.
After waiting for about three minutes,
The butler, accompanied by about ten maids in uniform, came rushing to open the gate.
“Y-Y-Young Master. Y-You’ve, you’ve really… returned.”
“Hey, Rem. It’s been a while.”
That’s right! The butler, Mister Rem!
Rem, who had a kind face, stared at Dad for a long time, his eyes welling up with tears.
Then he noticed me and jumped in surprise.
“Oh, my. Good heavens! Th-Then, this young lady must be the Young Master’s…! Oh, unbelievable!”
I swallowed my nervousness, spread the hem of my priestess dress, and greeted him like a proper lady.
“Ah, hello. My name is Lilis.”
“Gasp! Ah, good day, Lady Lilis. My name is Remian Santos. Please, feel free to call me Rem.”
For some reason, Rem’s hands were trembling as if he had a tremor, and he looked back at the maids behind him.
Some were covering their mouths, and others were holding their heads.
They all had similar expressions.
“Goodness me. Y-You look like an angel.”
“She looks just like the Young Master, doesn’t she?”
“So, so cu… Hmph!”
Watching them, I felt a sense of relief inside.
I’d been a little worried, but their reactions seemed more favorable than I’d expected.
“Are you going to keep us standing outside forever?”
“Oh, where are my manners! My apologies, Young Master. My apologies, Lady Lilis. In all my fifty years, I’ve never experienced a moment so moving.”
“Don’t make such a fuss.”
Dad chuckled, took my hand, and followed Rem’s lead.
It took a full five minutes just to cross the vast garden. Rem chattered nonstop.
“We received word that the Holy Knights were sent to bring you back under imperial order, but to be honest, none of us, including the master, held out much hope.”
“Then I guess Father will be in for a shock when he sees my face.”
“Of course. He’ll be overjoyed. Oh, I… I never thought I’d see you again before I died, so I’m just so…”
Rem seemed to choke up, biting his lip and even sniffling.
“That’s right. Lady Ordia is here as well.”
“My sister, too?”
As Dad asked in surprise, my mind went blank.
His sister meant Dad’s biological older sister.
My aunt.
“Yes. She came in case you might return. She and the young lords have been staying here for two weeks now.”
I knew Dad was the younger of two siblings, a son and a daughter.
But his sister never made a separate appearance in the original story, so this was the first time I’d heard her name.
‘Ugh, this is really happening.’
Even those who were only mentioned in passing were now real people to me, reincarnated here, not just words on a page!
The moment I heard my aunt’s name, which I’d never known, that sense of reality hit me.
“I shall instruct the kitchen to prepare the most splendid dinner ever. Ah, I feel so motivated.”
Rem said, clenching his fists, as he led Dad and me into the enormous mansion.
‘Whoa.’
Not wanting to look like an idiot this time, I kept my gasp to myself.
‘It’s a p-palace. A palace.’
It was immense.
There was no other way to describe it.
Unlike the slightly cold white exterior, the inside of the mansion was filled with warm wood tones.
A luxurious-looking carpet covered the vast interior, and on either side, wide staircases curved upwards, creating a grand spectacle.
Tilting my head back so far my neck almost snapped, I could see each floor, the hallways adorned with expensive tapestries, paintings, and jeweled frames.
Even the golden sconces hanging between them looked expensive.
‘I-Is that real gold? It must be real gold, right?’
For some reason, I felt a little intimidated, as if I’d stepped into a place where I didn’t belong.
I squeezed the hand I was holding, and Dad looked down at me.
“What’s wrong, Princess?”
“N-Nothing.”
So, Mr. James Brown was hiding not only his power but his wealth, too…
“I’ll go ahead and inform the master…”
“Ah, it’s fine. I’ll go myself. He’s in his usual room, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Go on with your work. Thanks.”
Dad took my hand and climbed the right-hand staircase without hesitation.
‘I’m so nervous! Help me!’
I chewed on my dry lips.
Reaching the first room on the right on the second floor, Dad practically flung the door open.
“D-Dad! Wait…!”
I didn’t even have a moment to prepare myself.
The door swung wide open.
Sitting behind an elegant mahogany desk was my grandfather.
And standing next to him was a woman, deep in conversation.
Both of their heads turned toward us.
“Oh, it can’t be. Good heavens. Enoch.”
The astonished woman covered her mouth, her eyes wide.
Silver hair styled in a noble updo and blue eyes.
Anyone could see she was Dad’s sister.
She was clearly my aunt.
“I’m back, Father.”
Dad spoke as if he’d just left yesterday and returned today.
To that absurd greeting, my grandfather responded with a blank expression.
‘H-His presence is no joke.’
My grandfather, who was the spitting image of Dad, had a sturdy build despite being at least sixty years old.
With not a single hair out of place, even just sitting there, he exuded the dignity of a nobleman.
‘He’s scary.’
Unlike my aunt, who covered her mouth with teary eyes while staring at me, my grandfather was scary because his face was expressionless.
He slowly rose to his feet and approached Dad and me.
As he got closer, I could see his expression, and I realized.
His clenched jaw was trembling, and his eyes glared as if he wanted to kill someone.
And he didn’t spare me a single glance.
Unlike the others in the ducal household, it seemed my grandfather, at least, was not entirely pleased to see us.
“You…”
He must be angry. Of course, he might be happy to see him, but he must be angry, too.
Whatever the reason, Dad had forgotten his position, irresponsibly left home, and hadn’t contacted them for seven years.
“You’ve aged a lot since I last saw you. It breaks my heart.”
“You insolent whelp!”
“Father, there’s a child here!”
The moment Grandfather’s hand rose as if to strike Dad, my aunt, who was behind him, shrieked.
At that, Grandfather froze, his arm still raised in the air.
Finally, his gaze, which had not once fallen on me, slowly drifted down.
I, who had been trembling and clutching Dad’s pant leg, instinctively bowed my head low the moment our eyes met.
He was like… a tiger.
If a tiger were to take human form, wouldn’t it feel like this?
“This is the daughter?”
“What do you mean, ‘this’? To my princess?”
“You raised her well on your own, disappearing for seven years without a word as to whether you were alive or dead.”
I could tell from his cold tone.
Grandfather… just as I had worried he might, resented me.
‘I knew it… He thinks his son was separated from him for seven years because of me.’
Wealth, power, the life of a nobleman… It wasn’t hard to guess Enoch Rubinstein’s intentions when he cast all that aside and vanished without a trace.
After all, he had disappeared with his newborn daughter.
To avoid raising his daughter as an ability user.
In other words, solely for his daughter’s sake.
‘If I were him, I’d hate a kid like me, too. Well, to be honest, I did expect he might react this way, at least a little, right?’
The granddaughter who had made his son, in the prime of his life, devote seven years of his time and sever ties with his family.
To Grandfather, my existence would naturally be unwelcome.
‘Lilis, you idiot. Don’t be disappointed. It’s natural. It’s only natural. Though I don’t want to be hated.’
Feeling like I had to say something, I managed to open my trembling lips and mumble.
“I… I-I’m sorry…”
