Chapter 4

I became the villain's lost daughter, Chapter 4 (4/218)

Held in the man's arms, I cried my heart out and, even after my tears had subsided, I still couldn't lift my head.

‘Am I crazy...?’

I didn't realize it while sobbing into his firm chest, but now I felt so embarrassed.

My body, still that of a child, often acted independently of my thoughts.

My emotional swings were probably due to that.

“Huh!”

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw my tears and... snot on the black robe.

What a terrible sight.

Startled, I carefully wiped them away with my sleeve, and a low laugh echoed.

“Have you finished crying?”

I nodded, still stiff, and buried myself back into his large embrace.

I'm completely ruined...

“Then can we get in the carriage now?”

“Yes...”

With a congested voice, I nodded, and the man, who had been stroking my head, slowly moved.

‘I must be crazy... Did I just cry outside all this time?’

If I were in bed, I might have kicked off the blanket a hundred times or even burst the pillow.

Feeling the embarrassment, I buried my head, and a moment later, I felt a floating sensation as the door closed with a click.

Carefully lifting my head, I looked around and saw that the carriage was wider than I expected.

The carriage began to move smoothly without any jolts.

Where are we going now?

Glancing at the man, who hadn't taken off his robe, I wondered how long I had been fidgeting with my fingers. As if reading my mind, the man removed his hood.

“...!”

At the sight of the man's face, my mouth dropped open.

His eyes, more vivid than rubies, his prominent nose, and his beautifully shaped lips were the most striking features I had ever seen.

But what surprised me more was his hair.

“Black...?”

The revealed hair was as black as mine.

While it was very common in my previous life, it was the first time I had seen black hair here.

Stunned, I muttered, and the man, looking down at me, smiled softly.

“Yes. The same color as yours.”

With those words, the man adjusted his hold on me, as if to face me, and after a moment of contemplation, continued.

“I had a very beautiful daughter. She was just like my wife, a lovely child.”

I stiffened, sensing the somber mood.

Why would he adopt me if he already has a daughter?

Suppressing the rising anxiety, I listened to the man.

“When she was born, I felt like I had everything in the world. Her smile when she looked at me was so beautiful.”

The man's face softened as he spoke.

His low voice was filled with unhidden affection.

...That child was truly loved.

My chest felt a pang. I was a little, maybe a lot, envious of her.

“So I made a vow. No matter what, I would protect my daughter, that lovely child.”

“...”

“However, an unexpected accident happened seven years ago. It happened before I could stop it.”

The man's jaw tightened.

His voice, filled with regret and self-blame, was strained.

“At that time, I lost my wife and my daughter.”

“...”

“But unlike my wife, who I could be with until the end, my young daughter disappeared without a trace. I searched everywhere but couldn't find her.”

The heavy story, which I hadn't anticipated, made my heart sink.

It wasn't just a story about a beloved daughter.

I couldn't fathom the pain of losing his wife and daughter in an instant.

‘...Lost daughter.’

Moreover, not knowing if the child was alive or dead was too cruel.

Thinking of the man's sad face, my body moved on its own.

When I realized, I was tightly hugging the man.

After a moment, the man smiled and gently stroked my head.

“My wife longed for her until the end. I felt the same way.”

The man's calm words made my tears threaten to spill again.

Even though it wasn't my story, I felt so sad.

“After that, I searched for years. I couldn't believe that the child was dead.”

“...”

“So I searched everywhere for a black-haired girl. ...I never thought she would be so far away.”

Only then did I understand why the man had come for me.

Even though Risen was a small and isolated place, black hair was rare.

I had caught his eye in the same way.

“But I... I'm not her.”

I released the man from my embrace.

The girl he was looking for wasn't me.

“Why do you think so?”

The faint hope I had when leaving the orphanage had long since faded.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.

“I'm the child of a slave.”

“...Did the director say that?”

I nodded slowly.

While the empire had abolished slavery, it was only for show.

In this world, I was the child of a runaway slave.

I didn't have the memories of the original owner of my body.

So, I could only accept the director's words, whether true or false.

“So I'm not... the daughter of the viscount.”

After finishing my sentence, I lowered my gaze.

The hope that had risen was now replaced by resignation.

Silence filled the air after I fell silent.

“Damn it.”

Above my head, I heard the man's low mutter.

But the voice was too soft for me to hear, so I looked up.

The man, who met my eyes, frowned as if holding back something, then sighed.

Thinking it might be my fault, I shrank back, and the man adjusted his hold on me again.

“Erita.”

I blinked at the name, which sounded like mine but wasn't.

It was similar to my name but different.

“Erita.”

When the man called me by another name, I responded softly.

“I'm Rita...”

The man, dissatisfied, clicked his tongue and pulled me closer.

Suddenly, I found myself face-to-face with the man, and my eyes widened.

“My wife had vivid purple eyes like a violet. My daughter inherited those eyes.”

As he spoke, the man looked into my eyes, which were also purple.

...But that can't be.

“The black hair, which remains unchanged even in the light, is a trait of our family.”

My hair was also completely black.

“...”

“And the magic that resides in you. It's proof that you are my daughter.”

The man's confident words, as he stroked my hair, made my eyes tremble.

The mention of the family with black hair stuck in my mind more than the unfamiliar term of magic.

Something seemed to be surfacing in my mind.

Seeing my expression, the man spoke tenderly but firmly.

“Your name is not Rita.”

“Huh?”

“Erita Krovahats. That's your name.”

It was incomprehensible.

My name is Erita Krovahats?

As I slowly repeated the name in my mind, a forgotten fact flashed through my mind.

At the same time, the man continued.

“And my daughter, Aslan Krovahats' only daughter.”

“...”

“I am your father, Erita.”

Aslan Krovahats.

A founding hero of the Helsion Empire and the head of the Krovahats Grand Dukedom, which stood shoulder to shoulder with the royal family.

And the villain from "Aila is Lovely."

That I was the lost daughter of such a person?

I could only gape at the unexpected situation.

More than the fact that this man was the villain from the original story, the word "father" he whispered stuck in my mind.

“Father...?”

Despite the disbelief, a smile appeared on the man's face.

“Yes, Erita.”

The look on his face, as if he were truly looking at a beloved daughter, made me bite my lip.

I didn't understand the situation, but if I really had a family...

“Really, do I have a family...?”

My voice, choked with emotion, made the man pull me into a tight embrace and whisper tenderly.

“Yes. I am your family. I'm sorry for making you wait so long, my daughter.”

“...”

The wish I had been praying for so long had come true, and I could only cry in my father's arms.

***

Aslan gently held Erita's hair, who had fallen asleep after crying for a long time.

The hair, identical to his, was pitch black.

The Krovahats Grand Dukedom had passed down this black hair through generations.

The legend of having a demon ancestor in the family was somewhat true, though it was now just a myth.

The color, once called cursed, was meaningless in front of the family.

The contempt and disdain were overshadowed by the overwhelming power.

But Erita, his daughter found after seven years, had been living a life worse than a commoner, ostracized for her appearance.

Aslan couldn't forget the despair he felt when he saw her again.

The tattered clothes, the rough hands, and the child, who had become accustomed to verbal abuse, shrinking and cowering.

Thinking about the time Erita had endured, his anger flared up, wanting to destroy everything.

Taking a deep breath, Aslan gently kissed Erita's forehead, his eyes lowering.

“I will protect you now.”

The first person to pay the price was to be confined by Fern.

Aslan, careful not to wake Erita, slowly lifted her small body.

“...You need to gain some weight.”

Her body, malnourished from the orphanage, was too light.

Carrying Erita, Aslan stepped out of the carriage and into the large mansion.

A middle-aged man with graying hair bowed as they entered.

He was the only one to greet the master, who disliked fuss.

“Welcome, Master.”

“The room?”

Though his words were brief, Terban, who had been by his side since childhood, was a capable butler.

“It's prepared on the second floor.”

“Hmm, I'll go there now. Have you kept it quiet?”

“Yes, I've chosen a trustworthy child to serve her.”

Nodding at Terban's words, Aslan ascended the stairs.

Despite the short notice, the room was neatly prepared.

“It's not a long-term stay, so it's not decorated.”

“Yes. We'll go to the Grand Dukedom soon.”

Aslan nodded, and Terban bowed and left the room.

Only then did Aslan gently lay Erita on the soft bed.

“Hmm...”

Feeling the warmth leave her, Erita shifted, and Aslan reached out to hold her small hand.

“We'll go home soon. Please wait a little longer.”

Erita's face broke into a smile at Aslan's whisper.

Her small hand, rough with calluses, felt so tiny in his.

“My beloved daughter, Erita.”

Kissing her hand, Aslan looked solemn.

“I won't let go of this hand again.”

“...”

“I couldn't protect Serbia, but I will protect you.”

Erita, deeply asleep, was unaware of Aslan's vow, whose eyes shone brightly.

This was the first step in the original story being altered, as the lost youngest daughter of the Krovahats Grand Dukedom returned.