Chapter 7

I possessed the daughter of the runaway female lead—Chapter 7 (7/171)

What? Could it be, a time for regret and reflection, or something like that?

But that was only for a moment, as he got up from his seat and said with a cold expression once again.

"That's one thing, but in any case, don't come back beaten up again."

I stared at him with my mouth open. What did he just say?

"I acknowledge you as my son, which means you must never come back beaten up. Even if the other party is royalty. You must always strike back and return home."

"……"

I was momentarily stunned by his extremely unreasonable attitude. Isn't it normal for parents to comfort their children in such situations, or at the very least, not tell them to hit others?

"I'll call a doctor, so get treated first."

Seeing him about to leave after saying that, I was even more bewildered.

"I am not your son."

I said this because I felt I had to tell him the truth.

He stopped in his tracks.

Just as I was about to add, "I'm a daughter," he slowly turned around. His face was frighteningly stiff.

"……What?"

I felt a chill run down my spine. The overwhelming aura of killing intent that emanated from him enveloped me. Was he so dissatisfied that I wasn't a son? I was dazed, thinking about this, when he spoke in a sinister voice.

"Are you saying your father is someone else?"

"What, what are you talking about? Huh! What are you thinking? I'm not a son, I'm a daughter! I mean, I'm a girl, not a boy. So, please don't just tear my clothes off next time…… Ah!"

As he quickly approached, I was startled and stepped back.

He bent down deeply and looked closely at my face. My heart pounded as if I were staring directly at a predator.

"……You're not a boy?"

I realized for the first time that his face could express emotions other than indifference and anger. His face was covered with unfamiliar expressions: surprise, confusion, and bewilderment. Emotions that didn't seem to fit him at all.

Wait a minute. He was bewildered? The Duke of Ice, bewildered because of me? That's impossible, right?

"Then, as a girl, you've been doing all these things……"

He muttered to himself, then suddenly closed his mouth. He then shouted loudly towards the door.

"Bring a doctor here immediately!"

I was a bit taken aback. When he thought I was a boy, he only got angry and told me not to come back beaten up, but now he was calling a doctor himself.

Does he care more about his daughter? It's not a bad thing from my perspective, but it's quite unexpected. After all, being a doting father doesn't fit his character at all.

Soon, the doctor who was called to the room began treating my injuries.

The Duke, who had watched the entire treatment process, nodded in relief when he heard that there would be no scars.

"I will prescribe you some medicine and ointment. Take and apply them regularly."

After the doctor left, I cautiously asked him, who still had a complicated expression.

"Um, can I stay with Mom?"

He stared at me intently, and I tried to look as pitiful as possible.

"I want to stay with Mom. I'll just sit quietly beside her, okay?"

In the original story, he disliked me being with my mother, fearing we might run away again.

So, I didn't really expect him to agree. If he said no, I could just meet her secretly.

But he seemed to think for a moment and then simply replied.

"Alright."

I was surprised again.

"……Really?"

"Just make sure your mother doesn't overexert herself, as her body is still not fully recovered."

"Yes, I will! I promise I won't let her overexert herself!"

My face lit up. In the original story, he had forcibly separated the two of us, so I didn't expect him to agree so easily this time.

"Thank you so much!"

He looked at me with a slightly strange expression. I didn't know why he looked that way, but I was so happy to be able to stay with my mother that I couldn't stop smiling.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

After being treated, I planned to go to Mom right away, but my plan changed slightly. As soon as the Duke left, Jas and a servant rushed in. The servant was carrying clothes and shoes that looked expensive.

"……What's that?"

"His Highness the Duke ordered me to prepare what you need immediately."

I looked at Jas, who suddenly changed the way he addressed me. He was smiling broadly.

"Jas?"

"His Highness the Duke ordered me to treat you properly from today. It seems he likes you very much."

Likes me? All he did was call a doctor to treat me.

"……Can I go to Mom wearing this?"

Jas laughed heartily at my question.

"Yes, and from now on, you should speak informally to me. You are the Duke's only son, after all."

Actually, my parents weren't officially married, so I wasn't the Duke's official daughter, or Duchess. This meant I wasn't in a position to speak informally to Jas, who would become the Count of Rikaind.

In light novels, a Count's title might be trivial, but in reality, it's a significant status.

I realized once again how ambiguous my status was.

A high-ranking man. And his mistress's illegitimate daughter.

I couldn't fully integrate into the noble society, nor could I be considered a commoner. Especially in this world, where women have limited options.

Even among commoners, girls have a hard time, which is why my mother had me dress as a boy.

Even if I grew up safely, no nobleman would want to marry an illegitimate daughter like me. If any did, they would only be after my dowry or the Duke's power.

If I had been born a boy, I could have done the same things, but at least I could have made a living.

"Understood. No, I got it. Jas, and actually……"

Just as I was about to tell Jas that I was a girl, I saw the clothes the servant was holding. They were silk pants and a shirt.

If I revealed my gender now, Jas and the servant would have to fetch girls' clothes again.

I decided to tell them later to avoid the hassle. Besides, I had promised my mother I wouldn't reveal my gender to anyone.

"It's nothing. I'll change clothes now."

"Yes, this servant will help you change."

Jas pointed to the servant. As the servant stepped forward, I waved my hands frantically.

"I can do it myself! I'll change on my own!"

"If the servant makes you uncomfortable, then I'll help you……"

Jas stepped forward as if he was about to undress me. I finally shouted.

"Enough, both of you, get out!"

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

My status changed completely in just one day.

After changing clothes and stepping into the hallway, the Duke's knights and even the hired staff of Sale Castle were busy greeting me.

The lord even brought Ledo, panting, to apologize to me. He said it was just a joke between friends that went too far and asked me to put in a good word with the Duke.

Well, I don't know when Ledo and I became friends, but power is indeed a good thing. I even got to see the lord apologize.

After casually agreeing and dismissing the lord and his son, I finally got to see my mother.

"Mom!"

I ran into my mother's arms, who was sitting on the bed. She looked much better than yesterday, with some color returning to her pale face.

She looked surprised to see me in clean clothes.

"Ar, did His Highness give you these clothes?"

"Yep!"

When I looked at Jas standing beside the bed, he bowed deeply to my mother.

"As Ar-sama said, His Highness ordered everyone to be careful so that nothing unpleasant happens to Ar-sama from now on."

Mom put her hand to her lips. Her eyes trembled with emotion.

"Does that mean His Highness has accepted Ar?"

"Yes, didn't I tell you? Anyone who meets Ar-sama will like her. Of course, that includes her father."

"Ah……"

Mom teared up and hugged me.

"That's good. I'm so relieved, Ar."

I understood the meaning of the tears in Mom's eyes.

In the original story, Arcadia was never publicly acknowledged as the Duke's daughter. Mom was the Duke's hidden mistress, and her daughter was kept even more secret.

Arcadia had almost no role in the original story, as she wasn't the protagonist's daughter or even the daughter of a side couple. Her fate after her parents' death was not described, but she likely either died or became a slave.

In any case, this time, the Duke, who had never publicly acknowledged his daughter in the original story, was recognizing my existence. As a mother, she couldn't help but be happy, especially since he had even ordered her to get rid of the baby in her womb.

"Yep, Mom."

I patted Mom's back. This wasn't the end, and the future was still bleak, but for now, it was good to see Mom happy.

"But Ar, how did you know your father was still alive?"

Mom had always told me that my father had passed away a long time ago. So, it was natural for her to be surprised when I suddenly brought back my father with a ring.

I decided to solve this dilemma in a very simple, childlike way.

"I saw Dad in a dream. That's how I knew."

I smiled, and Mom was speechless.

"But Mom, is it okay that I told Dad I'm a girl?"

Mom smiled and stroked my head.

"You did well. I haven't had the chance to tell His Highness yet."

At that moment, Jas shouted loudly from the side.

"Wh-what? You mean Ar-sama is a girl?"