Chapter 9

I ended up playing the role of the adopted daughter a bit too well 009

"It won't be okay, but I'll be here for you."

Tundra felt as if someone had hit her heart and head simultaneously with a large hammer.

'What?'

It was strange.

'Why...

Tears fell from her eyes.

She couldn't understand why she was crying.

Because she was being comforted?

Because the words were warm?

It wasn't that kind of feeling.

Beyond her memories, somewhere far away, the words felt strangely familiar.

'Why... am I like this?'

Meanwhile, Viola steeled her resolve.

If this were the modern world, she might have treated Tundra more kindly.

But this was the world of Bellato's shadows.

A world where kindness could easily turn into poison.

"Look at the situation clearly."

She didn't offer false hope.

"Your father and sister are dead."

"I am the one who avenged your enemies and saved your life. You know what you should do, right?"

Upon reflection, the girl's words were correct.

She was the one who had drawn the knife first and tried to take a hostage.

Viola had avenged her enemies, and she had indeed saved her life.

"How about it? Do you have the leisure to listen to me now?"

Viola slowly explained the situation.

"I wasn't originally part of the noble family."

"This is the Bellato noble family. A few days ago, I became the sixth princess, Viola Bellato."

"......What? (A few days ago? Adopted?)"

Tundra's eyes filled with disbelief.

She had thought she had been part of this family since birth.

And now she was told she had only become a princess a few days ago.

'So, you're saying I'm the youngest princess adopted by Bellato?'

Tundra knew the rumors about Bellato.

The northern conqueror who ruled the Winter Castle.

The terrifying noble family governed by the Thousand Killer Duke.

It was hard to believe.

Adopted just a few days ago.

Viola approached Tundra.

She raised her hand.

Tundra's body tensed.

It felt as if the sensation on her cheek was still lingering.

Viola loosened the restraints that bound Tundra's body and mouth.

"Is it easier to speak now?"

"...Yes."

Viola spoke softly, sharing many things.

She started with the story of her adoption.

Unlike her other siblings who had maternal relatives, she was alone.

She elaborated on what she had mentioned earlier.

"My mother and father abandoned me."

Aerin had been the same.

Viola had been the same.

Aerin had grown up in an orphanage.

Viola had grown up in the slums.

Without the protection of parents.

Viola's voice was filled with genuine sincerity.

"It seems you don't have a guardian either."

After saying this, Viola released the magical restraints (magical engineering binding tools) that were constricting Tundra.

Swish!

The magical chains automatically retracted and disappeared into a subspace.

Thud!

Tundra's body fell to the ground.

Although she still had handcuff-like restraints on her wrists and ankles, it was much more comfortable than floating in the air.

Viola extended her hand to the fallen Tundra.

"I'll help you."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

And a single phrase echoed in her heart.

Why do you want to be here for me??

It didn't make logical sense.

Suddenly offering to be there for her.

But why did those words feel comforting, she couldn't understand, and it left her confused.

"I told you. I was adopted. I don't have a strong maternal family, and I have no one to stand by me. That's why I need someone I can trust."

"I chose you to be that person."

"Why?"

"Because I like the look in your eyes."

Actually, she didn't like it.

Jung Hanjun's eyes had always been warm.

Always warm and full of life.

Different from Tundra's cold eyes.

Very different.

But she said something different.

This child was Tundra, not Jung Hanjun.

Even though she didn't like it.

She offered words of comfort to a boy who had lost his father and sister.

Just as Jung Hanjun had done for Aerin.

She repeated the same words.

"I'll be here for you."

It wasn't logical or rational, but it was a powerful statement for someone who had lost everything.

Tundra felt those words echoing in her ears.

"So, I hope you grow up well.

As my person."

Viola extended her hand.

Tundra stared at the hand for a while before finally taking it.

***

An hour passed.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes."

Tundra nodded.

Her eyes began to regain their vitality.

Viola found Tundra's resilience somewhat intriguing.

'Is he really the male lead?'

It's hard to recover from such a significant event in just an hour.

She didn't have high expectations.

Still, Tundra demonstrated the mental strength of a male lead.

Regardless of his inner turmoil, he appeared to have recovered on the surface.

Tundra's mind was working quickly.

Tundra, who would later possess the power to surpass Viola, demonstrated his insight.

"So, I need to be your dog or toy in public, right?"

Viola nodded.

That way, he would be seen as just a princess's toy, and he wouldn't be monitored or restrained.

"Yes. My dog. Or my toy."

That's what needed to be done.

That way, there would be a reason to keep Tundra by her side in Bellato.

Tundra, who had grasped the situation, continued.

"I attacked you. We can't just let it go, right?"

"Right, you need to be disciplined."

"A dog that bites its owner needs to be properly tamed, right?"

"You're smart."

Bellato is like that.

A dog that bites its owner.

A toy that threatens its owner with a knife.

They are not forgiven easily.

Forgiveness is not a Bellato trait.

"Is that the Bellato way?"

"Yes, that's the Bellato way."

"It's kind of sad."

Tundra had learned forgiveness from her father.

' 'The most beautiful and noble thing in the world is forgiveness.

'Forgiveness is for others, but ultimately, it's for yourself.'

'So, forgive your mother.'

But forgiveness in Bellato seemed different.

Responsibility must be taken for any action, even if the person involved forgave.

"What?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, you need to discipline me in a Bellato way, right? That way, there will be a reason to forgive me?"

"Exactly."

She needed to show a Bellato-like demeanor.

Everything would be reported.

She couldn't just keep Tundra under her control.

She needed to pay the price for biting Viola.

Tundra said.

"I'm prepared."

She looked at Viola.

'But the way she looks at me...'

Tundra read the emotions in Viola's eyes.

Killer intent.

Compassion.

Anger.

Longing.

'Why does she look at me so complexly?'

It seemed like a mix of emotions that shouldn't coexist.

'Viola said she lost her parents too.'

That small girl seemed strong in some way.

She looked five years old, but her eyes were incredibly serious.

She had an oddly adult-like presence.

'I'm not okay.'

'I'll help you.'

'I'll be here for you.'

She knew these were words to use her.

Words to make her an ally.

'Certainly, they are just a mask.'

But despite knowing this, her heart raced strangely.

She felt she should take her hand.

'I'm not okay.'

Those words felt like a magic spell.

An ordinary phrase, yet it sounded so special.

It felt strangely familiar.

She lifted a thick stick made from intertwined Aishila wood, a flexible rod.

It was called the Aishila Rod.

Some people called it the Aishila Whip because it could bend like a whip.

"It will hurt a lot."

"I'm prepared."

A complex emotion she had never felt before stirred in her heart.

'Beautiful.'

It wasn't the usual kind of beauty.

Those purple eyes, shining strangely, were beautiful.

Those eyes that conveyed both killer intent and compassion.

Somehow, they didn't feel entirely unfamiliar.

"Have we met before?"

Tundra asked.

"Have we met before?"

"No, we haven't."

Viola almost said yes.

But Tundra was not Jung Hanjun.

After thinking for a while, Tundra concluded and asked.

"Your efforts to make me your ally mean you intend to rule Bellato someday, right?"

"Otherwise, there would be no reason to spend hours on an outsider like me. You became an adopted daughter of the noble family, and someone like me now isn't necessary."

The atmosphere was filled with ambition and a desire for dominance.

Yet, it retained a strange warmth.

Viola avoided a direct answer.

A smart male lead would figure it out.

"Once the situation is settled, let's go to your cottage together."

"Cottage?"

"Your father. He's there, right?"

"......"

"We should make him comfortable."

In the future, when Tundra gained her freedom, she would go to her cottage.

To bury her father.

But her father's body had already been torn apart and devoured by wild animals.

This left a lasting bruise in Tundra's heart.

"I'll go with you."

"......Thank you."

Tundra's eyes reddened.

'She's a strange girl.'

She had thought the girl in the fairy tale was just pretty.

She knew people usually said such things were pretty.

But meeting Viola changed her mind.

The strange atmosphere and aura were beautiful.

Tundra looked at the Aishila Rod in Viola's hand.

'She'll hit me with that.'

It would hurt a lot, but she wasn't afraid.

"Hit me as much as you want."

"I will."

She was aware that Zeon might be listening from the next room.

She tried to think of something that would fit Viola.

She said something she didn't really mean.

"Make me scream prettily."