Translator and Editor: Maru and Aki

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Chapter 29

Eventually, I returned to the child’s room after roaming around to the point that my legs hurt. It was my tenth time returning to Rere’s room, the place where the nanny and maids said that Rere didn’t come.

It was because of my small expectation that the child might return to this place even though I knew there would be no one here. The Duke, who was running around with me, had disappeared somewhere before I knew it

I thought he went to Astra’s room, but I wasn’t sure.

No, nevermind. I’m not even curious.

The most important thing to me was Rere.

But the mood in the room was strange.

Outside the room, the maids were frantically looking for Rere, but the nanny and two maids who had always stayed near Rere were in the room.

They certainly said Rere wasn’t there, but their faces were strangely calm.

“Is Rere here?”

“No. My master just came by to check and left.”

“Ahh…”

“We were also looking for her since we were worried about where she might go…”

“I’m just worried. If she gets too agitated, she might collapse again.”

The nanny sounded worried, but her eyes were directed at a pile of rabbit dolls.

Only then did I know where Rere was.

‘So you said Rere didn’t come to the room to keep it a secret from the duke?’

I approached the child slowly. Then I sat next to her.

“Hey rabbit, do you happen to know where our lovely Rere is?”

“······.”

“Her mom is worried about Rere a lot…”

It was a question filled with a lot of conviction. Sometime later, I could feel a small movement from the pile of rabbit dolls.

Not only that as the voice of the child, who had been silent, slowly leaked out.

“The rabbit says you don’t have to worry about Rere.”

There you were.

With a deep sigh of relief, I sat closer to the rabbit.

“Really? That’s a relief. Hey rabbit, can you tell her? Her mom…doesn’t want Rere to get hurt.”

My words were followed by Rere’s watery voice.

“It would have been nice if…if daddy said that…”

“…Rere.”

“Don’t worry. As always, I’ll get better tomorrow. I’ll stay here for today.”

After hearing that, I leaned against the rabbit doll.

For a long time….. A really long time.

I spent time silently until quite a long time passed. Perhaps because Rere was very distressed, she was crying alone inside without any sound.

If I followed my heart, I would’ve gone inside and hug Rere, but I waited for a long time without saying anything because I knew that wasn’t what the child wanted.

Meanwhile, the sun slowly set, and I got up from my seat.

“Rere, if mom stays here, your daddy will know where you are, so your mom will go back to the room first, okay?”

“….Okay.”

I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay here and wait until Rere spoke.

But I had to go back because I didn’t know when the Duke would attempt something outrageous again.

“…Don’t worry. Rere is…okay.”

“I’ll be right back in the morning.”

“…Yeah.”

After hearing the child’s small voice, I headed to my room.

How many wounds did she receive?

I couldn’t forget the image of Rere pouring out her feelings to the Duke.

“Haa… What should I do?”

The relationship between the two was likely to break even before the child could recover from her illness.

What should I do? What can I do to restore their relationship….

I could only sigh at those thoughts.

Perhaps their relationship became like this because I was different… Is it because I loved the child, and the child really wanted me?

Was it all because of me?

‘But it was even weirder.’

The Duke in the novel did not do these things to Rere. He was rather passionate. He did whatever the child wanted.

It was certain that the Duke of that time did not inflict any wounds to the child at all.

‘After everything passes by, the Duke will surely change, right?’

And does the next incident include Rebecca’s third mother being crippled in an accident?

Looking at the timeline, it’s probably right.

Because of that, Rere received a great wound and the duke became more devoted to the child.

I was sure that was the right storyline.

Somehow, I had a feeling of unknown anxiety despite my conclusion.

“Haa…”

At that time, someone pulled my hand tightly as I walked into the room.

“Come here.”

“What are you doing!”

It was the Duke.

He dragged me away with a very angry look.

“Let go of me!”

I made quite a ruckus, but he dragged me to his room without batting an eye.

Even when my arms were burning red, he had only let me go when he and I were in the room.

I shouted at the duke in uncontrollable anger.

“Are you crazy? Are you treating me like this just because I came here for money?”

“It’s all your fault. Rere listened to me until you came!”

“Ha?”

“She wasn’t a child who could say those bad words until you were here!”

“What are you so upset about? Are you blaming me for your mistake?”

However, he didn’t give any answer when he was called out for his fault.

He only hit the table with his hand as if he were enraged.

He was the greatest loser among all the losers.

If only this place didn’t uphold social ranks, I would cuss on him as much as I could, but I held back my anger because I still valued my life.

“Shut up!”

It was so frustrating because I felt like I was talking to a wall. This guy wouldn’t listen no matter how much I scream.

At least I would wait until he finished saying what he wanted. So I watched him quietly as I eased my anger as much as I could.

“You, do you hate me being next to the child that much?”

“That’s right.”

“…Why the child turned her back on you is because of your own fault, yet you’re busy shifting the blame to others.”

I was filled with frustration when I saw his disorganized desk. When I looked at him belatedly, I could see his flushed face.

So this loser was an alcoholic, too?

It was no different from last time. He drank again and vented his anger on me. When I saw a big bottle of liquor, I was filled with the desire to throw it away.

He could have just used that time to visit the child instead.

If only he looked at the child’s treasure box, and if only he listened to her, this wouldn’t have happened.

Withered flowers, spoiled food, and handwritten letters were inside.

He didn’t even know it was all directed at him, and all he did was make a fuss.

Then the duke clenched his fist to the point it bled.

“It’s not my fault. It’s your fault!”

“…Ha.”

“I shouldn’t have let you in.”

“You’re saying that again.”

“Yeah, I regret it again and again. If I can turn back the time, I wouldn’t choose you.”

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Please leave now. Leave, and everything will return to normal. Please do me a favor. I’ll do anything for you. So please leave. For our sake.”

I was dumbfounded and speechless for a long time.

“Is that it? Is that what you want?”

“Yes. Rere is more precious than my life. Now, that child won’t even see me anymore. Because you are here. So please leave. Then we’ll go back to what we used to be.”

I’d prefer it if he was angry.

Making a scene like a lunatic, throwing money right at my face, and telling me to leave right away. If he had done so, I would have yelled and rebelled against him, but the current Duke looked weak.

Like he was really scared of losing the child. His eyes and behaviour seemed to convey that I was an outsider who got stuck in between their relationship.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“That’s right.”

“You said you’d do anything if I left?”

“Yes.”

Then that’s enough. I could use this chance to ask him for a favor. Since I’m sure the presence of a father was more important to Rere than me.

“Yes, yes. I’ll leave. It’s all fine if I get out of here, right?”

“Really?!”

In the end, I couldn’t overcome the frustration and expressed my innermost thoughts to him. The relationship between these two was even more broken and twisted because of my existence.

‘Maybe I’m not supposed to be part of it. Rebecca’s third stepmother in the novel is Astra, not me.’

And after a long time, I nodded.

“Yes. I’ll leave, so please do me a favor.”

“If you will say nonsense such as being with the child this time…”

“Don’t worry. It’s not that kind of favor.”

“Do you want money?”

“No. I don’t want anything financially, and I’ll leave right away. So take care. Please stop drinking…”

His eyes looked at me strangely.

It wasn’t the same violent angry gaze that he directed at me before. It was just a look that I had never seen before.

It was sad and somehow heart-wrenching. However, despite all that, there was not even a little bit of pity in his eyes.

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

“What I’m asking is, please stay with Rere just once. What the child does, and what she wants to do. Please ask her just once. That’s enough. If you promise me that, I’ll leave.”

“······.”

“It’s the adults’ fault that the child put up more and more thorns. She became the current Rere because she developed a defense to not show her vulnerable sides.”

There was no answer.

I said and said it countless times.

Please look at the child.

But he never listened.

Even now, I didn’t think he would listen to me. Nevertheless, I persuaded him with all my heart.

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