Chapter 4

“It’s been a long time.”

“I see you, Your Highness the Duke, I….”

Yuri lay flat on the floor and greeted the Duke. Her body was trembling like an aspen tree.

The Duke took a sip of the tea prepared in haste in the temple, and said in a cold voice.

“Get up.”

It was a voice that seemed to call for a subordinate rather than a voice calling for a daughter whom he had met for the first time after 10 years.

At his words, Yuri scrambled to get up. It was difficult to even get up as her body had not yet recovered. Yuri glanced at her father.

‘He’s a beautiful person.’

He was a frighteningly beautiful middle-aged man, though he didn’t look like Yuri. He was like the protagonist of a novel that the young girls who had him in their hearts sent a letter to the imperial palace asking them to stop his marriage.

Although he was old, his stern face, short golden hair, and purple eyes were impressive.

“Okay. It’s been a long time. Sit down.”

Yuri barely managed to sit on the chair with a cane. The duke looked at Yuri with a calm face.

‘It’s ugly. But when I think of your mother…… ’

Yuri was ugly, but if she got cleaned up and decorated like the nobles of the capital, she would have a pretty decent face. It was enough of a face to send it to the Count of the North.

“Is your leg still untreated?”

“Ah. I, that, I mean, I… … I’m lame…”

Yuri’s ears turned red as if embarrassed. She bowed her head low.

The Duke looked at Yuri from head to toe with a calm face.

‘I’m embarrassed…’

Yuri forcefully pulled the short sleeves down on her arms and tried to hide her scar-filled skin.

“Okay. Like that.”

“It’s been over 10 years since I didn’t care about you.”

“Oh, no, no, no….” Yuri spoke in a crawling voice.

“I have decided to forgive your sins.”

At the Duke’s words, Yuri covered her mouth. If she didn’t block it, she didn’t know what sound would come out. It was the words she had been waiting for her whole life. She was afraid of what would happen to her now, but at the same time, tears seemed to flow.

“Come back to the duchy.”

Yuri struggled to hold back the tears that were about to drip. The Duke stroked her hair with a rather friendly gesture.

“From now on, I will be your father.”

The tears Yuri had been holding back began to fall. She quickly wiped the tears with her sleeve and nodded her head. Seeing that, the Duke smiled bitterly.

***

Yuri got into the carriage to the Duke’s residence.

‘I’ve never seen such a pretty carriage…’

Yuri checked her clothes again. The clothes she was wearing now were the first good clothes she had ever worn in her life, but she felt as if she was polluting the carriage.

‘I thought it would be okay since he said it was a carriage…’

The only wagon Yuri knew about was the wagon used when she was transferred to the temple. There was no such thing as a soft sofa in such a carriage. There were no magic crystals to control the temperature, and there were no decorated jewels.

‘I’m scared…’

Yuri sat down cautiously, fearing that she might dirty the carriage.

“Sit comfortably.”

The Duke sat across from Yuri. Yuri lowered her head and glanced at the Duke’s face. She couldn’t remember now, but after she was sentenced, she saw him for the first time.

“It is the road to the Duke’s mansion. Do you remember?”

“Oh, no…… .”

“…I see. So, do you remember anything other than that?”

“I’m, I’m sorry……”

After being punished, Yuri lost all her memories. The first memory Yuri had was the house of her grandfather (*she called the old man ‘grandfather’), a doctor who took care of her.

“Poisonous things. poisonous things. How can they do this little child?”

Yuri remembered holding the hand of the grandfather who was saying that. When Yuri had barely recovered enough to eat the porridge, he roughly explained the situation.

“Don’t think about it.”

“Why?”

“If it is a painful memory to remember, it is better to live without it.”

“…”

But she was young. She was only an eight-year-old child. She missed her family. She felt empty as if there was a hole in her chest, and she couldn’t stand it.

Yuri tried to remember it by force, but the memory that had once disappeared never returned.

“Uh, I forgot about it when I was young……”

“Okay, I see.”

Aslan, Duke of Slevard, looked at Yuri.

Yuri’s hands were full of scars and wounds. The child had a lot more scars than the knights, and a woman with one leg crippled.

‘Oh, I’m sure he thinks I’m ugly.’

Yuri felt Aslan’s gaze on her, so she withdrew even more and forcibly covered the back of her hand. Seeing this, Aslan said something else.

“Are you nervous?”

“Oh, no…..”

“Why are you stuttering?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I….I’ll fix it…..”

“I can’t listen because it’s frustrating.”

‘Yuri, you idiot. You should have practiced speaking more!’

She soon yelled at herself. However, this was the first time she had talked to a person for such a long time.

After Yuri was punished, she had forgotten how to speak for a while. She couldn’t remember how to speak, so I learned to speak again. After that, no one spoke to Yuri, so stuttering was natural.

“Uh, sir….just one… … May I ask?”

“Tell me.”

“I, I, you, so…… .”

For the past 10 years or so, since she found out she was being punished, she only hoped for one thing.

“Do you really forgive me…… ?”

She wanted to be forgiven. And after paying for all those sins in life, she wanted to be with her family again. The fact that there was someone who had shared her blood somewhere in the world was the only hope that existed in the world like a lamp.

She knew she was guilty, but Yuri couldn’t remember all of it. Grandfather always told Yuri was just there and that it wasn’t Yuri’s fault. Yuri decided to believe those words. However, it was natural for her family to resent her if she had committed sins, so Yuri decided to bear that much.

After asking the question, Yuri’s body slowly trembled. She was shaking so badly that she could see it.

“Ah, do you really forgive me?”

There was never a time when she didn’t miss her family just because she couldn’t remember anything. Yuri was too young to give up her only hope.

“Me too… Do I have any parents?”

“… Yes. You also have a family. You will be able to meet them again when your sins are paid.”

The priests had not yet told the young Yuri the truth. It was too cruel a reality for young Yuri to bear.

‘Everyone must be good people.’

She thought that she had a father who would carry her and a mother who would hold her. So, when she was young, she was looking forward to it. She had hope.

‘Someday they will find me.’

Thinking about it now, it was such an absurd belief.

Whether it rained or snowed, Yuri squatted at the entrance of the temple and waited. On that evening, she was whipped by the priests. Still, she always waited in front of the door crying.

She got a cold, cried and got sick, but waited patiently. Then, she dreamed, father and mother always appeared in her dreams.

“….Yes. I forgive you.”

Yuri lowered her head. The tears she thought she had forgotten began to flow slowly again. Yuri wiped her tears with her sleeve.

It was after hearing a story about herself that she stopped waiting for her mother and father, whose names and faces she did not know.

“You don’t know who your mother is? Your mother is already dead.”

“No, the priests said that my parents will come here….”

“Fuhaha, you still don’t know?”

“No, you’re wrong. My mother……”

“Your mother killed the Duke’s daughter. So you have to work here for the rest of your life and pay for your mother’s sins. Will you see your family again? It won’t happen until you die!”

How many months had she waited like that? A mercenary guarding the front door laughed at her and said so.

“Hey, don’t lie……!”

So Yuri jumped on him. The mercenary, who was drunk, got angry and released his hound. More heartbreaking than the dog’s bite, the fact that there was no one to turn to.

She couldn’t even blame anyone. Rather than hatred for mother or father, longing still took precedence.

‘It’s okay. Let’s wait. If I reflect a little more…… I’m sure they’ll come to pick me up.’

It was none other than herself that the child, who knew nothing, decided to blame. On the white skirt, gray spots began to appear. Tears come from joy, she soon replied with a big smile to the Duke.

“This, now. It’s done. I, I…”

“….”

“Even if I die, I don’t have any regret….”

“You can’t say that in front of your parents.”

Aslan looked at Yuri. He felt sorry for Yuri’s shoulders, which were shaking slightly.

Of course, Aslan hated Yuri’s mother and Yuri. Obviously, at first he wanted to kill them both. But he was the one who even pleaded with the emperor. But now, what a whim. His heart started to churn.

‘What must have been wrong with the child.’

Yuri was only eight years old then. Although she had committed a crime, she was too young to see the death of her mother before her eyes.

Aslan handed Yuri a handkerchief. Yuri received the handkerchief, but did not understand the meaning of it, so she just took the handkerchief and held it. Aslan looked at her and frowned strangely.

“We have arrived.”

Yuri looked out the window at those words. She thought the biggest building was the temple, but there was a bigger building than the temple.

‘Is all this home?’

Yuri couldn’t close her mouth at the sight.

After Aslan got out of the carriage, Yuri tried to follow him down, but her legs wouldn’t move.

“Why don’t you get off?”

“Sorry, I’m sorry……that’s…., my legs are…”

“Hmmph.”

“Sir, if you wait a little…… .”

Not one of her legs moved, like a piece of wood that didn’t belong to her. Yuri tried to move her legs here and there in a hurry, but her legs were only being scratched in a mess.

“What’s wrong with this?”

Aslan approached in stride. As his shadow covered Yuri, she reflexively withdrew and covered her face with her arms. A strange silence passed.

“Ah, that, that… … … . Sir, I’m sorry!”

“… Hold on tight.”

“…!”

Aslan hugged Yuri. Yuri was startled while being held by the Duke. Seeing his slightly stiffened face, Yuri’s whole body began to tremble.

‘I’m sure I’ll be jailed.’

It was clear that if she went on like this, she would be sentenced to prison for blasphemy against the nobles. Her whole body was trembling.

“My, if you let me down….. .”

“Be quiet.”

Aslan took Yuri in his arms and moved on. Some servants were startled for a moment, but then hid their expressions. Aslan was greeted by the servants and entered the building.

“You’re here, Master.”

“How did it go?”

“Everything is ready.”

Yuri looked around the building. She tried not to move her gaze, but she had no choice but to do so. It was an open and spacious space just like a ballroom in a fairy tale. The ceiling was full of colorful paintings, and there were statues everywhere.

Aslan headed to the room in the corner of the second floor, while Yuri was busy looking at the artwork. As the servants opened the door to the room, Yuri couldn’t contain her admiration.

“Wow……”

The room was really great. The colorful cream-colored wallpaper made the room look brighter, and it was filled with luxurious cream-colored furniture to match it.

“This is the room you will be staying in from now on.”

Aslan put Yuri down on the sofa in the room. Yuri sat on the sofa with an awkward posture and listened to his words.

“Rest comfortably in your room.”

“Yes? Ha, but..… … ”

“If you need anything, I will take care of it.”

Saying so, he went out without looking back. When everyone in Yuri’s room went out, it was only then that she was able to breathe comfortably.

‘Cream color would be easy to get dirty…’

How many servants have been managing this room? Yuri looked at the sofa to see if there were dirty stains on the sofa because of her.

Because it was so clean and beautiful, it was rather burdensome. It was the first time she had ever seen a carpet laid on the floor

It was embroidered with luxurious patterns.

“Wow, that’s scary.”

Yuri gently swept the sofa with her hand. The texture of the sofa was finer than that of her skin.

‘Ah, there is no one… … ?’

Yuri looked around. Only after making sure that no one was there, Yuri sat on the floor and leaned her body against the sofa. She closed her eyes, thinking that she had never been to such a wonderful place in her life.

***

The Duke locked himself in the office. Aslan recalled Yuri in his arms. He frowned. She was unbelievably small for an 18-year-old, and she was too light.

‘What was it like when Herian was 18?’

He thought of his other son. There was a difference between a girl and a boy, but Yuri was still too light and too small.

‘The heir of Slevard’s blood is so small….’

Slevard’s children were characterized by their stature from generation to generation. Even when he was young, he had a bigger head than his peers. Aslan recalled Yuri’s purple eyes.

‘Yeah, that’s the only resemblance.’

Purple eyes. It was the only part that resembled him.

He remembered Yuri’s biological mother, Anentes. She was a terrible woman who took away the daughter he loved.

‘She looks the same as her mother.’

Pink hair, drooping eyes, and a pitiful atmosphere that catches the eye. Things that resembled Tess.

“Sir, whatever you need……”

“She needs a doctor. Send him to her room.”

“…Right away, Sir.”

Aslan didn’t like the kid. He had no intention of making her his daughter.

‘just, that kid…… .’

He just felt sorry for Yuri. It was no different from what he felt when he looked at a beggar on the street. He thought so and grabbed the papers. Work was busy. He didn’t have time to worry about something like that.

However, his heart has become more and more uncomfortable. He frowned and began to erase his thoughts about Yuri.