Chapter 5

### Chapter 5 (5/218): I Became the Villain's Lost Daughter

Aslan watched Erita, who was breathing heavily, and quietly left the room to avoid waking the sleeping child. Behind him, Kyle, who had been standing in the corridor, followed closely.

“Lord, Fern has arrived at the basement.”

“Has the cleanup been done?”

“All personal and document processing has been completed.”

“Let’s go.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Aslan hurried towards the large mansion’s basement. His expression was starkly different from the one he had shown to Erita, cold and severe.

There were facts he needed to hear from the person who had done unspeakable things to his precious daughter. He intended to finish this before Erita woke up, so time was short.

***

The knights who saw Aslan bowed respectfully and stepped aside. The sound of his footsteps filled the large space. The dark basement itself was a source of fear.

“Fern.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Fern bowed at Aslan’s call. In front of him, the orphanage director, who looked disheveled as if he had been rolled on the ground, knelt. The burlap sack over his head made his vision limited, and he was trembling in fear.

“Have you started?”

“Not yet.”

With a light gesture, Aslan dismissed everyone except Fern and Kyle, then slowly approached the director. Despite not being cut or hit, the director was shaking uncontrollably, which Aslan found amusing. The thought of how the director could do such things to a child while being so afraid of this situation stirred his suppressed murderous intent.

“What did you do to make you tremble so much?”

A cold voice fell over the director’s head. After being expelled from the orphanage and being attacked by unknown assailants, the director’s fear had reached its peak. The footsteps in the damp, dark space sounded like those of a grim reaper to him.

The director, who had been trembling uncontrollably, suddenly lifted his head at the voice above him. When he heard the word "lord," he knew this person was the leader.

“Who are you to treat me like this!”

“You are not worthy to see me.”

“But, why would such a person bother with someone as insignificant as me!”

“Yes, you are insignificant.”

Aslan cut off the trembling voice that responded to Fern’s words and laughed coldly.

“You are so insignificant that I want to cut off your head and be done with it, but I am restraining myself.”

The low, cold voice was so threatening that the director, who was kneeling on the ground, stiffened. It was so chilling that he couldn’t even think it was a lie.

“Seven years ago, you took in a two-year-old girl. Her name was Rita.”

The director’s fingertips stiffened as he finally confirmed Aslan’s identity, which he had only guessed until now. The viscount who had taken away that cursed child!

As if sensing the director’s thoughts, the black cloth covering his vision was removed. When he lifted his trembling head, he saw piercing red eyes. The gaze that seemed ready to tear him apart made him instinctively bow his head to the ground.

“Please, spare me, my lord! I was blind! If you spare me, I will beg a hundred, a thousand times……!”

In the atmosphere where his neck could be severed at any moment, the director could only beg for his life. Despite having abused a child so severely, he valued his own life, bowing and begging on the ground. Aslan, seeing this, did not restrain his raging magic, which was ready to lash out.

“What is the meaning of your insincere apology?”

“Gasp, spare……”

“What sincerity can there be in an apology you only offer when facing death?”

“With sincerity, gasp, I will apologize to Rita……. Choke!”

“Dare not to mention that name with your disgusting mouth again.”

The powerful magic followed its master’s emotions, raging fiercely.

“Gulp.”

The air became so heavy that even Fern and Kyle knelt. Aslan found the director’s attempt to atone for the pain his daughter had endured for seven years by begging a hundred or a thousand times disgusting. Even if he cut his neck a hundred times and his limbs a thousand times, it wouldn’t be enough to quench his anger.

The director’s body shook convulsively, struggling for breath. The temptation to take his breath away was strong, but Aslan restrained his magic. There were facts he needed to hear.

“Gasp, gasp……”

Finally, the sound of coughing indicated that he could breathe again.

“Seven years ago, do you remember the person who left the child?”

“What do you mean……”

“The person who brought Rita to the orphanage. Do you remember?”

Without answering, the director had a dazed look. Aslan reached out to Kyle, who was standing beside him, and Kyle naturally and respectfully handed him his sword.

“You should think carefully about your answer, as the reason your insignificant life still exists.”

The trembling gaze turned to the elegant sword. The blade, which had been drawn from its scabbard, gleamed blue. The fear that it would fall on his neck at any moment was overwhelming.

“I will speak! Everything I know……!”

The words that burst out like a scream made the murderous aura from the sword disappear.

“It was winter. The person who brought the child……”

Aslan had to suppress his rising anger as the trembling voice recounted the facts.

***

As always, the dream depicted the moments I hated the most.

Above me, sharp voices rained down as I hunched my shoulders.

“You’re like this because you’re no good. No one will ever adopt a worthless child like you.”

“The child has no charm and is too quiet. It doesn’t seem to fit with us.”

Even knowing it was a dream, I couldn’t wake up. I had to wait helplessly for this time to pass without saying anything.

“Oh, you don’t have parents? What happened to them……? What? You’re from an orphanage? Sigh, that explains it!”

At first, I tried to resist and even shouted at them, asking what they knew. But from the moment I realized that all I got in return was ridicule, I just waited quietly for this time to pass.

“Huh……”

But every time I heard it, I couldn’t help feeling miserable and sad.

“……Rita. Erita.”

How long had I been trying to hold back my tears? A low, gentle voice came from somewhere.

There was no one to watch over me in my sleep, no one to wake me from my suffering. But the first voice to seep into my nightmare was warm and comforting.

I reached out to the voice as if under a spell.

“Ah……”

At the same time, my eyes, which had been squeezed shut, opened involuntarily.

“Did you sleep well?”

The first thing I saw upon waking was not the old ceiling or the cruel face of the director, but the handsome face of a man. Still not fully out of the dream, I reached out to the man in a daze.

“What a child.”

The man, who had picked me up without giving me a chance to regain my senses, laughed softly. As I felt his hand stroking my head, the memory before I fell asleep slowly came back to me.

“Hic!”

Only then did I realize my current state. Not only had I cried myself to sleep, but I was now acting like a spoiled child upon waking. Even if I was still dazed from a terrible dream, it was too much!

Embarrassed, I let out a silent scream and slowly lifted my head to look at the man.

Then, the person who had picked me up must be……

“Viscount?”

At my call, the man looked at me without answering. His slightly furrowed brow suggested that something was bothering him.

Fidgeting with my fingers, I hesitantly opened my mouth.

“……Father?”

My uncertain call was met with a lazy smile of satisfaction. He then gently approached and kissed my forehead.

“Yes, my daughter.”

The slight unease in my heart melted away at his words.

***

“Erita.”

“……”

While the unease had disappeared, the embarrassment remained. I was still in my father’s arms, and I couldn’t bring myself to lift my face from his chest, even though I had acted spoiled.

My father laughed softly and called me again.

“Erita. Little one.”

“……Yes.”

Unable to ignore his affectionate call, I responded softly.

“No matter what happens, I will be by your side. So you have nothing to worry about.”

Though sudden, the words, filled with infinite tenderness, made my heart swell.

Though I had only met him for less than a day, he was the first person to show me the love of a family.

I nodded, small but firm.

“Yes. That’s enough. For now, that’s enough.”

With that, my father, who had been holding me, stood up. The sudden change in height made me cling to his neck, and his solid chest felt good.

But where are we going?

“We are going to the dining room. You must be hungry after crying yourself to sleep.”

The affectionate yet teasing words made my face heat up.

“That, that’s……!”

I tried to weakly defend myself, but the fact that my tears had soaked his clothes made it impossible to deny.

“Ugh……”

I bit my lip and buried my face in his broad, shaking shoulders.

By the time I had finished my embarrassing moment, my long legs had already carried me into the dining room. My father gently placed me in a chair, and I thanked him and sat up straight, opening my mouth wide.

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I told them to prepare as much as possible.”

Feel free to eat what you like, and you can leave the rest.

Even though I knew I could leave the rest, I couldn’t stop my gaze from shaking at the sight.

‘This is not just something you can leave behind……!’

The dining table, which could seat ten people, was filled with food. Shiny steaks, perfectly roasted duck, well-prepared fish, and a variety of dishes that would be impossible to count even with all my fingers and toes.

The feast of various dishes left me speechless.

“This is too much……”

“I don’t usually eat this much. Today, I told them to prepare things that children would like.”

At my muttering, my father reassured me a bit hastily. He even mentioned that the leftovers would be eaten by the servants, which made me smile.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

In the novels, even the strongest villain seemed like just a loving father when he fumbled over his recovered daughter.

“……Father, please eat too.”

The title was still awkward, but I liked the way he smiled handsomely each time I called him. As I slowly pulled the plate of meat towards me and spoke shyly, he burst into laughter and started his meal.

“Eat a lot too.”

Our first meal together, which started a bit awkwardly, ended with my occasional exclamations of amazement and his low laughter.