Chapter 9

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Finally, we arrived at the island townhouse.

The moment I saw my father's family home, I couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Wow, it's really, really big."

Beyond the grand gate, the first thing visible was a vast green garden, which looked to be about ten thousand square meters.

A marble fountain with an angel statue holding a water bottle.

Neatly landscaped trees along an arch decorated with spring flowers.

And behind them, a majestic white mansion in the shape of a 'ㄷ' (D) stood proudly.

'Is this for real? A mansion of this size on a small island?'

I had expected it to be impressive, but the actual grandeur of the Rubenstein Manor far exceeded my meager imagination.

I thought my father, who had lived in the countryside for seven years, would be surprised too, but he looked unperturbed.

Father immediately pulled the rope attached to the gate to announce our arrival.

"Huh? Ah, Dad! Wait a moment!"

"What? Why?"

"I need to prepare myself a bit…!"

"Ahaha! Don't worry, Princess."

Doesn't Father feel nervous? After all, it's been seven years since he last saw the family.

Although they didn't appear often in the original story, I knew they were here.

The kind butler, Rem, who was very good to Father's adoptive son, Cheshire; the cheerful soldiers who practiced with Cheshire every day; and…

'Grandfather.'

Enoch Rubenstein's father, Nordic Rubenstein, who occasionally appeared with a presence that was nothing to joke about.

A noble to the core and, like Father, a capable person of the Dos class, Grandfather exuded an aura of authority even in the written word.

I was both worried and curious about meeting Grandfather, who was very kind to Cheshire in the original story.

You know, the type who pretends to be indifferent on the surface but takes care of everything behind the scenes.

'I hope he treats me kindly too. It might be tough, though.'

I felt a bit nervous.

After about three minutes, Butler Rem, accompanied by about ten maids in maid uniforms, hurriedly came to open the gate.

"Well, well, well, Young Master. You, you really… have returned."

"Hey, Rem. Long time no see."

Yes! Butler, Mr. Rem!

Rem, with his kind face, stared at Father for a while, his eyes welling up with tears.

Then he noticed me and jumped.

"Oh, my! Goodness! This, this person is the…! Oh, unbelievable!"

I swallowed my nervousness, spread the skirt of my school uniform, and greeted him like a lady.

"Hello. My name is Lilius."

"Ah! Hello. Miss Lilius. I am Remian Santos. Please call me Rem."

Rem, for some reason, was trembling like a person with a nervous disorder and looked back at the maids behind him.

Some were covering their mouths, and others were clutching their heads.

They all had similar expressions.

"My goodness. You, you look like an angel."

"You look just like the Young Master."

"You, you're so cute… Ah!"

I felt relieved seeing their reactions.

I was a bit worried, but their response seemed more positive than I expected.

"How long are you going to keep us standing outside?"

"Sorry, sorry! I'm so sorry, Young Master. I'm so sorry, Miss Lilius. This is the first time in my 50 years that I've felt such excitement."

"Stop making a fuss."

Father chuckled, took my hand, and followed Rem inside.

It took us about five minutes just to cross the enormous garden. Rem chattered non-stop.

"We received the news that the Holy Knights were sent by the royal decree to escort the Young Master, but to be honest, we, and the Master, didn't really expect it."

"Then seeing my face will be quite a shock for Father."

"Of course. He will be very pleased. Oh, I… I never thought I would see the Young Master before I die, so much."

Rem, choked up, bit his lip and sniffled.

"Right. Lady Ordia is also here."

"Big sister too?"

Father's question, which surprised him, made my mind go blank.

If "big sister" refers to Father's older sister, she was my aunt.

"Yes. In case the Young Master might return, she has been staying here with the young lords for two weeks."

I knew Father was the second of two children, a son and a daughter, but I had never heard his sister's name in the original story.

'Oh, this is really real.'

Even the characters who were only mentioned in passing are now real people to me, who has been reborn in this world!

The reality hit me as soon as I heard my aunt's name.

"I will instruct the kitchen to prepare a grand dinner for tonight. This is a moment that fills me with renewed determination."

Rem clenched his fist and led us into the enormous mansion.

'Wow.'

This time, I didn't want to look like a fool, so I kept my exclamation to myself.

'A palace, a palace.'

It was overwhelming.

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.

The vast interior was carpeted with luxurious carpets, and wide staircases on both sides curved majestically.

When I lifted my head, I could see the upper floors, where expensive tapestries, paintings, and jeweled frames adorned the corridors.

Even the golden candlesticks hanging between them looked expensive.

'Is that real gold? It must be real gold.'

I felt a bit out of place, as if I had entered a place that didn't suit me.

When I tightened my grip on Father's hand, he looked down at me.

"Why, Princess?"

"It's nothing."

James Brown, who hid not only his strength but also his wealth…

"I will go to the Master first…."

"Ah, no need. I'll go on my own. Is he in the room I used to stay in?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Go and do your work. Good job."

Father, holding my hand, confidently climbed the stairs on the right.

'I'm nervous! Help me!'

I kept biting my dry lips.

When we reached the first room on the right side of the second floor, Father literally "slammed" the door open.

"Ah, Dad! Wait…!"

I didn't have time to prepare myself.

The door swung wide open.

Grandfather, sitting at an elegant mahogany desk, and a woman standing next to him, who was talking about something, turned their heads toward us.

"Oh, unbelievable. My goodness. Enoch."

The surprised woman, covering her mouth with her hand, had wide eyes.

Her silver hair was styled like an aristocrat's, and her blue eyes made it clear that she was Father's sister.

My aunt, no doubt.

"I'm back, Father."

Father spoke as if he had just returned home after leaving yesterday.

To this absurd greeting, Grandfather replied with a blank expression.

'His presence is really something.'

Grandfather, who looked exactly like Father, was in his sixties but still had a robust build.

His neatly groomed appearance, with not a single hair out of place, and the mere posture of sitting exuded the dignity of a noble.

'I'm scared.'

Unlike my aunt, who was covering her mouth and tears, Grandfather's expressionless face was terrifying.

He slowly stood up and approached Father and me.

As he got closer, I could see his expression, and I realized:

His tightly clenched jaw and the murderous glare in his eyes.

And the fact that he didn't even glance at me.

Unlike the other members of the Rubenstein family, Grandfather didn't seem to be particularly happy to see us.

"You…."

He must be angry. Of course, he might be happy too, but he must also be angry.

For whatever reason, Father had forgotten his position and left home irresponsibly, without any contact for seven years.

"You look much older. I'm sorry."

"You!"

"Father, there's a child here!"

Just as Grandfather's hand was about to strike Father, my aunt, who was behind him, shouted.

Grandfather stopped with his arm raised in the air.

After a moment, his gaze, which had never met mine, slowly lowered.

I was clutching Father's pants, trembling, and when our eyes met, I instinctively bowed my head.

He was like… a tiger.

If a tiger could turn into a human, it would feel like this.

"Is this your daughter?"

"What do you mean? To our princess."

"You've raised her well for seven years without any contact, haven't you?"

I could feel the coldness in his tone.

Grandfather… just as I had feared, was blaming me.

'As expected… He thinks I'm the reason his son was separated from him for seven years.'

Power, nobility, the life of a noble… It wasn't hard to guess what Enoch Rubenstein's intentions were when he suddenly disappeared, leaving behind all of that.

He had taken his newborn daughter and vanished.

To prevent her from becoming a capable person.

So, solely for his daughter.

'If I were Grandfather, I would resent a child like me too. Well, to be honest, I did expect a bit of this reaction.'

A son in his prime, who spent seven years away from his family and cut ties with them.

To Grandfather, my existence would naturally not be welcome.

'Lilius, you fool. Don't be disappointed. It's natural. It's natural. I don't want to be hated, though.'

Feeling that I should say something, I forced my trembling lips to move and mumbled.

"I… I'm sorry…."