Chapter 3

I possessed the daughter of the runaway female lead—Chapter 3 (3/171)

No matter what he said, I was engrossed in my thoughts.

Even if, by some miracle, my mother recovered, the problem would be what came next. It was all too clear that if I got caught up in a rebellion by just being near my father, our lives would be over.

So, wouldn't it be better to run away quietly with my mother as soon as she recovers?

It would be best if I could make the Duke abandon his rebellion, but someone who ignores my mother's words wouldn't listen to me. I also didn't want to risk my life to save the man who tried to kill me.

If I insist on running away, my mother will surely follow my lead. She listens to whatever I say.

But if we get caught by the Duke while running away, it will be like hell. Especially if he finds out that my mother is running away again because of me, my obsessed and cold-blooded father might really try to kill me.

A chill ran down my spine at that thought, and then I saw a large building in front of me.

"Here…"

It was none other than the Castle of Sale, the residence of the Lord of Sale.

Sale is a small town just below the territory ruled by Duke Iskars, bordering the neighboring country of Ram Empire.

My mother and I had moved around various places and settled here a year ago because there were many job opportunities near the border.

"Why here…"

But the Castle of Sale was a place I wanted to avoid as much as possible.

Seeing my bewildered expression, Jas said,

"It will be difficult to receive treatment inside the military camp. Don't worry. His Highness the Duke will bring Olivia here soon."

Currently, Duke Iskars has set up a separate military camp near Sale and is staying there. The castle is too small to accommodate his entire army.

Duke Iskars brought his army here because of the frequent appearance of monsters in the area recently.

The Iskars family has long been eliminating monsters that threaten the kingdom and blocking the provocations of the Ram Empire to the east. In a sense, they have been the shield of the Castoria Kingdom.

That's why Duke Iskars' nickname is the Shield of the North or the Dragon of Protection. The Iskars family, being of royal descent, is the most needed and the most guarded family by the royal family.

So, I was also curious about what happened after the original ending.

In the original, all conflicts are resolved with the death of Duke Iskars. The epilogue shows the main characters, the Duke and Duchess, raising their two children happily.

However, the death of Duke Iskars means that the shield of the kingdom has suddenly disappeared. I always wondered if there was no chaos afterward.

"Sir Jas Rikaind?!"

As we entered the castle, the old butler of the Castle of Sale rushed out. He looked quite flustered by the sudden arrival of the soldiers.

"What's going on?!"

"Tell the Lord that we need to use this castle temporarily due to an emergency. Also, prepare a room and a doctor for a critically ill patient who will arrive soon."

He said this as if it were nothing, but of course, the Lord of Sale couldn't refuse since the Duke had come to protect the place.

"Yes, I understand. But what about that child…"

The butler's wrinkled eyes looked directly at me, who was sitting in front of Jas.

I was already familiar with him. Since my mother fell ill, I had been coming here almost every day for about a week to get medicine and see the doctor.

Jas Rikaind, who didn't know this, seemed to ponder my position for a moment before giving a suitable response.

"She is a child who will stay here temporarily due to some circumstances. Please provide her with a room and take care of her needs."

"Ah, I understand…"

The butler answered with a somewhat perplexed expression.

It was natural. Until yesterday, I had been coming here as a 'beaten child,' and now I suddenly appeared with the Duke's knights.

After my mother fell ill, we needed money to buy medicine and see the doctor. But there was no way we could afford such a large sum with our already tight budget.

While I was considering whether to become a pickpocket, my neighbor offered me a job.

The Lord of this castle has a son, and he needed someone to take the beatings for him.

In a desperate situation, I immediately agreed. I didn't like being hurt, but at six years old, there weren't many ways for me to earn money. I was grateful for the opportunity.

However, on the first day of taking the beatings, I realized why this job had come to me.

The Lord's son was hopeless. He was as dumb as a rock and had a terrible personality. At nine years old, he still couldn't read the letters I had already mastered. His language skills were so poor that his other subjects were even worse.

Every time he got a problem wrong, I was the one who received the punishment. I wanted to quit many times, but I had to endure for my mother's treatment.

"Use this room."

A maid showed me to a room. Jas said he had some things to take care of before the Duke arrived and told me to rest in the room before leaving.

I urgently stopped the maid who was about to leave.

"Um…"

The maid turned around and looked extremely annoyed.

"What is it?! Speak quickly. I'm completely overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of the Duke's people."

"Where will the patient who is coming here stay?"

The maid thought for a moment and then said,

"They said to prepare the Lady's room, so she might use that. But what's your relationship with those people?"

When I didn't say anything, the maid sighed.

"Fine. What do I need to know? Just stay here and don't wander around. Understand? If you cause any trouble, I'll be in trouble."

The maid left the room after saying that.

The Lord's wife died two years ago while giving birth, so her room had been empty for a long time. Since they weren't prepared for unexpected guests, they decided to give me a room that was usually well-maintained.

The maid told me to stay in the room, but I couldn't do that.

I saw the Duke riding into the castle through the window, and in his arms was my mother.

I rushed out of the room. I knew where the Lord's wife's room was since I had been here many times.

When I arrived, the Duke was already inside. A doctor hurriedly entered the room after him. I tried to go in, but the guards at the door stopped me.

"Let me in! My mother is in there!"

I kept trying to get in, but I couldn't break through their solid defense.

Anger welled up inside me. It's unreasonable that I, her only family, can't go in.

What if I can't even see her face before she dies…

The doctor had already told me to prepare myself because her condition was very poor. I had to see my mother, even if it was the last time.

"Ugh!"

But I was pushed away by the soldiers. Just as I was about to get up and rush in again,

"What are you doing to that child?!"

Jas appeared and scolded the soldiers. He then helped me up from the floor.

"Are you okay?"

I quickly nodded and grabbed him, shouting,

"Uncle—no, Sir Knight, please let me in. I have to see my mother."

"That's…"

He seemed hesitant, but then the door opened.

It was Duke Iskars. I was happy to see someone who could let me in, but I soon realized that wasn't the case.

Duke Iskars glared at me with a cold, murderous look. It was the kind of look that said he wanted to kill me right away.

For the first time, I felt what people in novels often describe as 'killing intent.' It was a savage emotion that someone who truly wants to kill and can do so easily possesses.

Exposed to that gaze, I froze in terror, unable to move.

"Get 'that thing' out of here immediately."

A fierce voice rang out. He referred to me as an object, not a person, and warned the guards at the door.

"If there's any more noise outside the door, I'll start with your heads."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The Duke closed the door without even looking at me.