Chapter 32

"Have you... suffered terribly from your family?"

Her mind went blank.

For a while, Amelia could only blink repeatedly, unable to move.

The indoctrination by Cedric that "if you reveal how you are treated at home, it won't end well" made Amelia's mouth move.

"...No, I—"

"The information has been verified."

Logan negated the reflexive denial that came out of Amelia's mouth. By deliberately withholding the source of the information, he significantly increased the possibility in Amelia's mind that he knew everything.

"What do you mean by 'suffered terribly'?"

"Abuse by your father and stepmother, confinement in the annex, extreme dietary restrictions, forced labor under harsh conditions... Do I need to go on?"

"No..."

Amelia sighed, as if giving up.

"...Your information-gathering skills are impressive."

"I see..."

Logan's expression became even more severe. He picked up the cup and took a sip of tea.

"I had my doubts from the beginning. The rumors I heard beforehand were far too different from your behavior and abilities. I even dismissed the rumors as unreliable... but—"

He put down the cup and looked straight at Amelia, continuing.

"You are emaciated to the point where it's hard to believe you are a viscount's daughter, and the luggage you brought from home is very minimal. Your extremely low self-esteem and the occasional fearful gestures you make... If all these stem from the fact that the Haggle family united to oppress you to elevate your half-sister Erin, everything makes sense."

"Even about Erin..."

Amelia thought that any attempt to deceive or cover up would be futile with Logan. She bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry... I should have talked to you at some point."

"Don't worry about it. You probably didn't want to talk about it. I won't ask why you kept it a secret. Most likely, the head of the household had you keep quiet."

It hit the mark. There was no room for argument.

"I have two reasons for setting up this meeting today."

Logan raised his index finger.

"One is to hear from you whether the treatment you received from the Haggle family is true."

This was achieved when Amelia admitted it earlier.

Next, he raised his middle finger.

"The other is... to understand your feelings."

"My feelings?"

Amelia looked at Logan, not understanding the intent of the question.

"Was it painful?"

A sharp pain pierced her chest.

The question, asked in a somewhat gentle voice, shook the frozen, motionless part deep inside Amelia's heart.

(Ah, this is no good...)

If she admitted it, something would break. Intuitively, Amelia felt this and smiled.

"No, it was fine."

Ignoring Logan's frown, Amelia continued.

"Of course, I was hurt and many important things were broken... but it's all over now. I could endure it, and it's in the past."

She ignored the slight tremor in her voice and the fact that she was saying something quite absurd.

As usual, Amelia smiled. The fact that her facial muscles didn't move as she intended was probably just her imagination.

Logan stared at her intently.

"Let me tell you a story about a man."

He slowly stood up and turned his face toward the garden, starting to speak.

"He was very smart. From a young age, he demonstrated his superior abilities. He never forgot anything he saw and could solve problems that his tutors hadn't even taught him."

"Once he heard something, he never forgot it."

Amelia recalled the words Logan had said earlier and realized who he was talking about.

"The people around him praised him as a prodigy and poured immense expectations and hopes for his further success. He worked hard to meet those expectations, but... he didn't actually enjoy studying."

Logan continued, his eyes distant.

"He just wanted to be recognized by two people... his parents. However, his parents, who came from a long line of martial artists, lavished their affection on his brother, who was more talented in martial arts."

Logan's fist was clenched without him realizing it.

"No matter how much he excelled in his studies, he was never recognized. No matter how much he devoted himself to something he didn't want to do, he never got what he truly desired."

Logan looked down, somewhat disappointed.

"But the people around him, other than his parents, kept imposing their expectations on him... and he continued to do something he didn't want to do... until he broke down and spent a long time in a state of apathy."

Before she knew it, Amelia was engrossed in Logan's story. Despite knowing it was a strange question, she couldn't help but ask.

"What happened to that person?"

Logan shrugged.

"Who knows? He decided to let go of the past and do what he wanted, and he's probably drinking tea somewhere."

A slight smile appeared on Logan's lips. Amelia's tension eased slightly, if only for a moment.

As he approached Amelia, Logan continued.

"Lying to yourself is the most painful thing you can do. You should only do it when absolutely necessary. When you were at home, you probably had to lie to yourself... but—"

He came to stand beside Amelia and knelt down, his eyes at the same level as hers.

"It's okay now. Everyone in this house is on your side. Sylph, Oscar, and of course, me. So—"

He had always been stern and hardly ever smiled.

But now, he smiled in a way that reassured her.

"You don't have to put on a front. Just be yourself."

His words penetrated deep into Amelia's heart, slowly but surely melting the cold, frozen lid that had been there.

—Under the melted lid, the emotions she had suppressed for so long overflowed.

Amelia could no longer form coherent words.

She knew she had to say something.

But what?

A thank you? An affirmation?

Or...

Her thoughts circled, and she couldn't gather her thoughts.

A warm sensation touched her head.

"You've done well."

Logan gently patted Amelia's head.

"You've really done well all this time."

The large palm reminded her of her mother's hand, which had once caressed her.

"U... ah..."

A voice that couldn't form words. Emotions overflowed.

Heat welled up behind her eyelids, and something damp formed at the corners of her eyes.

A long-forgotten sensation welled up inside her.

No, it's not okay.

Not here.

I can't cry.

I can't...

"It's okay to cry now."

...Plop.

"Ah... ah..."

...Plop, plop.

"...Uu... ah... ah..."

Once the emotions overflowed, they couldn't be stopped.

"Ah... uu... ah... ah... ah... hi... uh... ah... ah... ah... uh... uu... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... ah... 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