CH 15

“Other people live exactly like the original, but you’re different. You’re not a daughter or a son of a duke. That’s something that can’t happen according to the original story, right?”

Stella put her arm around mine and tilted her head to the side.

Stella. It didn’t take long for me to realize that she was a girl and even a transmigrator.

“I couldn’t believe it, but today I realized it when I saw you pretending to be a son in the form of a girl.”

Ah, she is also a transmigrator.

That’s why you’ve been trying so hard to survive.

“Except for your father, no one suspected that you were not a boy, right? Well, that’s obviously because of Floa’s mental magic.”

While my voice was stuck and struggling to come out like it was thrashing around in the deep sea, Stella continued to speak fluently.

“I never thought you would live as a boy. Actually, I was feeling uncomfortable, too. How can you not be sad when a child is beaten to death?”

“…”

“But here’s the thing.”

Stella’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Did you really have to make such a foolish decision? Didn’t you consider the possibility of being kicked out after I was adopted?”

I did consider it. There was no way I wouldn’t. But if I hadn’t used this foolish means of living as a son, I would have been sent straight to the orphanage.

From the moment I entered the orphanage, I couldn’t act as I pleased. If someone wanted to adopt me, I had to go along with it obediently. Even if I didn’t want to, they would have forcibly kicked me out of the orphanage.

Even if it means being sold as a slave by a scammer.

Stella’s furrowed brow relaxed, and her eyebrows rose. It was an arrogant expression.

“If you read the original, you should know, right? The Duke only cares about me because I’m pretty and can be his heir or whatever. He’s only focused on raising me. What will happen to you then?”

“…”

“You could even be kicked out for all you know. As far as that silly father is concerned, he doesn’t need a son.”

My voice finally managed to escape my lips.

“… I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

This is my business, it’s not something for Stella to get involved in. But if she is getting involved, does that mean she wants something from me?

“You don’t need to keep suffering as a son until then.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll give you money, so go live on your own.”

“… What?”

Go live on my own? I was dumbfounded, and my eyes went blank.

“I’ve saved up a considerable amount of money. I can support your living expenses until you become an adult.”

Stella’s audacity made me furrow my brow.

“Are you serious? I’m only ten years old. How can a ten-year-old live on their own?”

“Why can’t you live? I’ll give you money.”

As the conversation progressed, the voices grew louder.

“Do you even know what public safety is like here? This isn’t 21st-century South Korea. It’s a place where kidnapping and human trafficking happen as easily as having a meal.”

“Idiot? You can buy a slave to protect you with the money I give you money to buy ten or twenty people?”

“How can you be sure that the slave will be trustworthy?”

“Why should I care about that? I’m not even telling you to go to an orphanage. Shouldn’t you be grateful that I’m giving you money?”

“That’s why I’m asking why I have to do that.”

The words, which had been coming and going like arrows, stopped at my words.

Both Stella and I took a deep breath as we glared at each other.

A moment of silence passed. It was me who broke the silence.

“Why should I do that?”

You can change it like this, There are ways to live more safely.

Why would I…

Stella’s answer was simple.

“I want to live just like in the original story.”

As the only adopted daughter of Persis, she wanted to live happily.

She didn’t want to create an unnecessary sibling with whom she had no blood relationship.

She felt like her very existence was taking away everything that was mine.

“So, go and live your life.”

Don’t mess with me

My hand, clenched in anger at the cruel order, trembled uncontrollably.

“… You’re really terrible.”

That’s when it happened. Stella glanced briefly behind me and suddenly burst into tears, burying her face in both hands.

“I’m sorry, young master…sniff.”

I was taken aback by Stella’s sudden behavior, my eyes widening in surprise.

What’s going on? Why is she crying all of a sudden?

Shouldn’t I be the one crying? Why are you crying?

As I stared at Stella as if she were strange, Heint ran up behind me.

“Stella, what’s wrong? 

Heint grabbed Stella, who was crying uncontrollably, and looked at her with concern. Soon, Persis also approached me.

“What’s going on?”

Stella wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, the palm of her hand, and answered with sobs.

“Sniff, sob, I told the young Master that he was pretty…and he got angry… sniff, sniff. I’m sorry.”

“What?”

No, when did I do that? I was so shocked and my nose was blocked, so I just pursed my lips.

Upon hearing this, Persis looked at me with a cold expression to confirm the truth.

“May, is that true?”

Before I could even explain and deny it, my lips shut tightly.

There was no point in explaining if Stella would just throw a tantrum.

“…”

As I lowered my gaze, Persis scolded me for not answering.

“Hind is an old friend of mine. That child is his nephew. Is he that hard to get along with?”

I felt a lump in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes.

It was unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, I even had to listen to Stella’s ridiculous demand to leave the house.

However, in Persis’s eyes, I was just a bad-tempered little kid who cried easily.

What’s even sadder is that I had to be careful around him even in this situation.

I hung my head like a guilty person.

“No.”

“Apologize.”

My lips, tightly shut to hold back tears, trembled.

Even though I was the victim, I had to apologize.

I didn’t want to apologize, and there was no reason for me too, but I couldn’t let Persis’s mood be ruined any further, so I held back my tears and apologized to Stella.

“I’m sorry, Young Lady.”

“Huk, huk.”

Even though I apologized, Stella didn’t stop crying. Soon, Persis gave a cruel command.

“Until you receive an apology.”

Feeling unjust, I clenched both fists.

“I’m sorry, Young Lady.”

“Sob, h-hiccup-”

Even though her eyes were red and tears obscured her face, I continued to bow my head and apologize.

“I’m sorry, Young Lady.”

Tears gathered in my eyes and fell coldly to the ground.

“I was wrong about everything.”

The tears continued to fall one by one onto the floor.

“Please forgive me.”

“Hiccup-”

Stella didn’t stop crying after that, and I don’t know how many more times I apologized.

***

The one who welcomed me back to the mansion with a bright face was Joan.

“Did you have a good time, sir?”

She seemed to want to hear about what happened at Nazet, as this was the first time I had properly gone out.

Normally, I would have happily shared my stories, but I was too drained to do so.

“Sorry, Joan. Can we talk about it later? I just want to be alone right now.”

Jo-an looked at me with confusion before Ellen, who was quick-witted, led her out of the room.

Left alone in the room, I walked unsteadily and collapsed onto the bed, face down.

Not long after, my whole body, not just my face buried in the pillow, began to shake.

“Sob, sniffle”

The pillow became slightly damp from something. It was the tears I had been holding back at Nazet, in the carriage, and now they were finally bursting out.

“It’s not fair… How can I keep apologizing? Why is Stella crying even though I apologized…?”

Anyway, you will be adopted by the Persis family. You will be happy. You don’t have to torment someone like me, who is just a supporting character.

“Why… why is this happening… sniff.”

I cried so hard that my nose ran with mucus, feeling so unjust.

If Stella wants to, this will keep happening. Persis, who is falling more and more for Stella, will take her side, and I will just have to give in again.

Even if we end up living together at the Duchy, can I bear this pain?

The bigger problem is that Persis could kick me out.

As Stella said, in the original story, after being adopted, Persis becomes a devoted father who is never mentioned as a potential successor until the end.

After adopting Stella, he might not need a son anymore.

If he doesn’t need a son, I will end up in an orphanage.

… I can’t do that.

After I stopped crying, I slowly lifted my upper body and knelt down, resting my elbows on my knees. There were marks on the pillow shaped like eyes, nostrils, and a mouth.

I wiped away my tears with my arms and clenched my fists as if making a resolution.

If I don’t want to be kicked out, I have to become a perfect son. Even if Persis falls for Stella, I have to become a valuable talent that would be a waste to be kicked out.

If I want to survive, I have to.