Half A Month

The Count heaved a heavy sigh as if he was extremely bothered while taking about this.

"The young Archduke had come at the perfect time and you had displayed intelligence and magical prowess that didn't fit your age. It was a reckless decision and I had been restless for many nights, thinking it was a bad choice. Then this happened. I had people follow you. I don't know how it was possible but you managed to beat that young brat and rendered him unconscious. But if I had known that there would be such a heavy price, I would have immediately stopped this experiment."

Experiment? Hah...

'What a ridiculous reason.' Ellendise thought but she also could not blame the Count for harboring suspicions in his heart. Ellendise was indeed a strange child since she wasn't actually a child but someone who had reincarnated into another person's daughter.

Still, was is really fine to experiment on his own daughter just to test whether Ellendise was a threat? Whether that prophecy was real?

Ah... If she had known that there would be such a dangerous person beside her... If she had been more aware... She would have noticed that the novel really wasn't as accurate as she thought. How could she have forgotten?

In the novel, wasn't this the same man that had ignored and scorned Ellendise because of the Countess' death? Wasn't this the same man that had valued his wife more than his own daughter? Wasn't this the same man that overlooked his own daughter's existence and treated her no different than a servant? All these things had happened in the novel and this man was just as dangerous and cold hearted in real life.

'Hah... I was indeed too careless...' Ellendise concluded.

Of course, Ellendise wasn't like the protagonist of other novels where the people around her would be ignorant of her actions. They were living breathing people that could think and make their own conclusions.

This much shouldn't be a surprise since this is also reality.

Things like this would happen.

But how could Ellendise accept the fact that her own father had put her in a dangerous situation, just so he could prove a shitty prophecy and that she wouldn't be a threat to the 'family'? Did the Count forget that she was also his daughter?

Even so, you are my daughter... He told her. And he had said it to her as if he did nothing wrong and was completely innocent of all the things that had been happening to Ellendise.

Her shoulders shook. Anger was coursing through her veins.

'As Rianne, I never knew what a father was since that man died during my birth. And my mother never cared for me. But as Ellendise, I thought that my biological parents would be different.' Ellendise thought as she lowered her head to hide the cold expression on her face.

She had thought that maybe she would truly be able to experience what a real family meant. But what was this? All the shitty things that the Archduke had done to her was part of this man's plan?

Father...

He had been the only man that she called Father in both this life and the previous one.

But that word seemed so foreign right now.

'Father, your daughter could have died.' She wanted to say this to him but she was unable to bring herself to do so. This man had broken all of her trust in one single move.

Ellendise raised her head, beads of tears running down her cheeks.

"Father, are you satisfied now?"

The Count's eyes widened when he saw this.

"Ellen..."

"Please get out..."

"I--"

"GET OUT!"

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Ellendise stayed in her room for half a month before she was able to recover fully. Three meals were sent to her room every day and she only allowed Rachel and Jill to deliver them. Other than that, they were banned from staying in her room with her.

Nitense had sent her about three letters, inquiring what happened to her but they remained on her table without a written reply. Every night at the county, a violin could be heard being played for many hours. There had been gossips among the knights and the servants about Ellendise's sudden action of locking herself in her room.

Ellendise ignored any calls from the outside world. She had also stopped attending her classes. Lady Sasha had sent her a letter, inquiring about her health and condition. Even Letia and Valrug had sent her a few letters, asking about her.

They remained at the corner of her room, just like all the gifts she had received from others when she was bedridden for weeks.

Some would think that she was completely alone in her room, but there was Cestine who had been visiting her every night.

"Ellen, why do you look down? That's no good. Cestine doesn't like to see you this way!" Her winged companion repeatedly tapped her cheeks, trying to get her attention.

"Cestine wants to play with you. Ellen, come outside and play with Cestine!"

"I can't... I'm busy reading a book. I hope you won't bother me right now."

The fairy pouted and her beady blue eyes flashed with annoyance. She snatched the book from Ellendise and threw it outside the window.

"Cestine wants to play right now!" The fairy was throwing a tantrum while Ellendise was in no mood to deal with Cestine. In the end, she sighed and agreed.

"What does Cestine want to do?" She asked the fairy somewhat wearily.

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