Chapter 6

### Chapter 6 (6/218)

As soon as I put down the dishes, a neatly arranged table was set with sweet desserts.

There were colorful macarons, creamy cheesecakes, and a cake with bright red strawberries on top of pure white cream, along with a refreshing parfait.

The desserts, so beautifully colored that they could make one's mouth drop open, made me try hard to hide my excitement.

But I couldn't stop my face from lighting up, and my father chuckled.

"You seem to like these things."

"Me?"

"I can tell from your beaming smile."

...Did it show that much?

I quietly closed my mouth, which had opened wide.

I usually don't act like this. Maybe I got excited because I hadn't seen such things since coming here.

In my past life, I didn't often eat sweets, but I quite enjoyed them.

Especially when the patrons sent cakes for my birthday parties, I was happier than on my actual birthday.

Perhaps eating something sweet made me feel that my life could be as sweet and happy as that.

Feeling embarrassed, I stared at a painting on the wall, and my father, chuckling softly, pushed all the plates toward me.

"They're all yours, so eat as much as you like."

Embarrassed, I smiled awkwardly and carefully picked up a fork.

'Even if it's embarrassing, there's no need to not eat them.'

My stomach was full from eating a lot of meat, but there was still plenty of room for dessert.

'After all, they say the stomach for food and the stomach for dessert are separate.'

I cut a small piece of the soft cream cake.

"......!"

The cake melted in my mouth as soon as I put it in, and it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted.

Before I knew it, I had eaten more than half of it, it was so delicious.

"You like sweet things just like Serbia."

At the voice, which seemed to be tinged with nostalgia, I perked up my ears.

Serbia Krovachats.

Before marrying Aslan, her name was Serbia Vincenzo.

She was the second daughter of the Vincenzo Marquess family, Aslan's wife, and Erita's mother.

The only person the cruel and vicious Grand Duke ever loved.

In the original story, there was only a brief description of Serbia.

After all, there was hardly any narrative about the antagonist.

"Serbia, your mother, loved sweets so much that she would wake up from her sleep to have them."

"...Mom."

I rolled the word around in my mouth, a word I never thought I would say in my lifetime.

The word that was so natural for others felt very strange to me.

But I didn't dislike the strangeness. I even hoped I could get used to it.

What kind of person was Serbia?

"Can I tell you about... Serbia?"

Nodding vigorously, I answered his question, which seemed to recognize my curiosity.

If he hesitated because I had no memory of my mother, I would have asked him to tell me.

Even if she wasn't my real mother, I wanted to know.

Father's face relaxed as he began to speak slowly.

"Serbia was the most affectionate and loving person. Her eyes would curve into a beautiful smile when she laughed."

"......"

"She knew how to share the love she received, unlike me."

Father's lips curved into a smile, as if recalling something happy.

It felt like I was peeking into the love he had for Serbia.

"She was kind, even taking care of the servants despite being born and raised in a marquess's family."

I slowly drew Serbia's image in my mind as I listened to him.

A face that smiled affectionately, with eyes that curved beautifully, more beautiful than anyone else.

"But when she was pregnant with you, Serbia kept tossing and turning in her sleep. When I asked her why, she said she wanted to eat a cake made by the marquess's chef."

"......"

"I thought it would be too much for her to move in the middle of the night, so I told her we would go when it was light."

He chuckled softly, as if remembering that moment. It was a hazy smile, like recalling a cherished memory.

"But it seems that wasn't the answer she wanted. For the next four days, she ignored me completely."

"......Mom, let's go?"

"Yes. It was the first time I saw her so upset. She had never been like that before."

The first time?

I had a question, but I didn't want to interrupt.

"After that, every time she ate dessert, she would always share it with me. She never used to do that."

"Ah......"

"I still can't forget her playful face from that time."

I hoped the smile on Father's face, as he reminisced, would never fade.

As I listened to his slow, steady words, I completed the image of Serbia in my mind.

A loving and beautiful face with a playful side, a Serbia who loved Erita.

Even though I had never seen her, I knew she was warm and affectionate.

The vivid image of Serbia in my mind, as described by Father, was indeed the most loving person, and the one who loved Erita the most.

***

"Sleep well."

Father gently stroked my head and quietly left the room.

Click.

As the door closed with a soft sound, I opened my eyes.

While listening to his gentle voice and feeling his hand on my head, my eyes had started to droop, but once he left, I was wide awake again.

"Is it because I took a nap earlier?"

Lying down and closing my eyes wouldn't make me fall asleep anytime soon.

After eating dessert and hearing about Serbia, I took a warm bath and, feeling relaxed, lay down on the bed.

Although the time was a bit awkward because I had just woken up, the temptation of the soft, fluffy bed was too strong.

"This bed must be super expensive."

They say a bed is not furniture but science. That's exactly right.

Even though I wasn't sleepy, I didn't want to get out of bed.

Feeling happy on the fluffy sheets, I rolled over and recalled what I had just heard.

Father, who had been patting me gently with a cozy blanket, had carefully said:

"There's something I need to tell you. We will soon be going to the Grand Duchy, which is our real home."

"The Grand Duchy?"

"Yes. Although I didn't tell you earlier, the viscount's position was just a temporary one to bring you here. I am actually the Grand Duke."

"The Grand Duke...?"

Of course, I already knew, but I pretended to be surprised and tilted my head.

It felt strange to be lying, but I had no choice. I couldn't say, "I knew because I read the original story."

"I'm sorry if it's a shock, but it's not much different."

Father looked awkward at my reaction and offered an awkward apology.

There could be hundreds of differences between a viscount and a grand duke, but I nodded to show that it was fine.

To me, the fact that we were going home was more important than his title.

"But the cruel Grand Duke in the original story is completely different from you..."

Unlike the novel's description of a man who couldn't shake off the smell of blood, Father only emitted a pleasant scent.

I didn't know the full story, but perhaps there was a reason why such a loving family man became cruel.

Maybe I was just thinking too highly of him because he was my father, but my intuition told me otherwise.

And the stories Father told about the other family members.

"By the way, when we return to the Grand Duchy, you will meet my son. His name is Eilun Krovachats. ...He really liked you, too."

Eilun Krovachats.

The heir to the Grand Duke and Erita's older brother.

And the antagonist who died with Aslan in the original story.

"I couldn't not know."

I recalled the description of Eilun, who had black hair like Aslan and blood-red eyes.

It was still surreal.

I had thought he was just an extra character, but it turned out I was Aslan Krovachats' lost daughter and Eilun's younger sister.

The fact that I, who had thought I was an orphan, was the youngest daughter of the only grand duke in the empire was too big to accept and feel real in a short time.

"It's like a Korean morning drama."

A story where an orphan turns out to be the daughter of a wealthy family.

Thinking about it made me laugh in a hollow way.

"I can't figure out why I was possessed, no matter how much I rack my brain."

I didn't know how I ended up in this story, but my presence had definitely altered the original plot.

Erita Krovachats, who lived as Rita, didn't even exist in the original story.

Or was there just one line about a lost daughter when she was young?

Based on my guess, the reason Erita didn't appear in the original story was that she would have died if I hadn't possessed her body.

A year ago, when I possessed Erita's body, I was very ill.

It might have been a minor illness, but without proper treatment, it could have been severe.

Covered in fever, I cried and pounded on the closed door, but there was only silence in response.

"I felt like I was left alone in the world..."

The only food I received was water and stale bread, placed through a door that opened once a day.

I suffered alone for a whole week before I could finally leave the room.

If my guess is correct, Erita was dying at that time.

The emaciated body of the child I first saw was enough to confirm that.

I looked down at my palm.

This body, which moves according to my will, is not mine.

"…Just a little longer."

If only she had held on a little longer. There was a father who loved her so much.

You weren't abandoned.

You were a child who was loved, Erita.

I wished for the soul of the small, frail child to rest in peace,

and to meet Serbia in the afterlife.

'Otherwise, I would feel too guilty.'

It might be a selfish wish to ease my own conscience.

It might be hypocritical for me, who took Erita's place, to say such things. It really could be.

But I sincerely hoped that the child could feel the warmth I sensed from Aslan.

I understood the heart of a child who longed for a family despite being ignored by others.

And I understood the sadness Erita must have felt in a reality that never came true.

"I'll borrow just a little of your happiness."

That's why I couldn't give up the warm touch and endless love I had wished for every day.

Selfishly, the happiness of this moment was a little more significant than the guilt of taking Erita's share.

I'm sorry. And thank you.

I made a promise.

I would definitely change the future of the father and brother you loved.

I would definitely prevent the meaningless death of the antagonist.

Feeling a mix of guilt and happiness, I eventually fell asleep.