Chapter 3

* * *

After leaving the 14-year-old child seated, he had his arms folded and made a terrifying face.

'You can't close your eyes at this rate. I have to show you me vomiting blood.'

Then it would not be worth riding the carriage together, making the day tick away.

Eventually I began to chatter so that he would not close his eyes.

"I've never seen Evan before. Does he know he's married?"

"I don't know."

He was such a great father.

'Hi, it's my first time seeing you in front of the Academy. My name is Laria, I am a year older than you. And by the way, actually, I'm your wife,'I was already dumbfounded thinking of it.

'I see. One day I graduated from the academy when I was thirteen, and suddenly got a wife…'

However, it was the fate of the weak to pretend to exist even if it was absurd.

"…. Well, that's quite possible."

Early marriages are not uncommon in aristocracy, but there has never been such a case where the child has not been told that they were married.

'He uses his son like a chessman for his absolute power… Maybe he'll get rid of me easily if I go against his purpose."

In the original work, Duke Icard even went beyond common sense by kidnapping a priest to fulfill his purpose.

The more I thought about it, the more I thought I should not be caught off guard by the villain.

"I hope Evan likes me."

I looked into Duke Icard's eerie red eyes and quickly added.

"I want to get along with Evan."

"Why?"

I started talking about the story and I wanted to make him feel better, so I smiled bashfully and answered.

"I thought he'd be handsome if he resembled his father."

"…"

Right, right? The corners of your mouth are up, right?

The timing was amazing, and a cough began to come up.

"I want to be happy with my father, the duke, and Evan in the duke's residence for a long time… C-cough, cough!"

Nice.

The handkerchief I hurriedly moved was stained with blood.

I'm sick! My complexion looks better than the first time you saw me, and I even gained weight, but I'm still time-limited! Please take a look!

After I stopped coughing, I looked up at Duke Icard with a wistful expression.

"Krgh…"

I sighed deliberately, turning the handkerchief over to the bloody part.

"It's not a big deal, I've been like this since I was a kid."

Duke Icard said nothing.

"I-I'm sorry."

I dropped my eyes and added quietly.

I felt it while looking in the mirror for the last few days, and although I look cute, when I put on a sullen expression, I looked quite sad and pitiful.

When Duke Icard asked if I was sick, I prepared to answer with an ill look, 'No… no.' But he said something completely different.

"Tell me."

No, usually at this point, you would ask 'are you sick' as courtesy.

"What?"

"What does it mean to be happy in the duke's residence?"

That's just saying…

"How you're going to be happy with Evan and I."

However, he was too scary to say that it was just an example of courtesy.

I desperately skimmed through my head for an answer.

"So… Cough."

Coughing was the best way to make time.

"C-cough, cough."

Having made some time, I began to list the things that a harmonious family did one by one.

"Talking about what happened during the day over dinner, taking a walk together, going on a picnic…"

"…"

I endured the silence and racked my brain desperately.

"If there's something good, we'll have a party, if there's something difficult, we'll comfort each other, if there's something fun, we'll laugh together… And we'll take care of each other."

I couldn't think of anything more.

I got it. But when I caught it, my heart became a little strange.

It was because I thought it was something that I really wanted, even though it was made on-the-fly.

I had no family in my previous life and had never done such small things with anyone.

I was unhappy in my previous life, and my possession was also destroyed.

(T/N: she is referring to the character she possessed.)

"Is that how you spent time with Count Rostry?"

Naturally, the Rostry was family was far from a family of fellowships.

My father, Count Rostry, was a playboy and indulged in such affairs instead of being home.

My brother, who turned against Count Rostry, went to study abroad in the East, which was like a deportation. It was because he was kicked out of the public academy, which was free of charge.

And the only sea route connected to the eastern continent was blocked three years ago when a monster appeared.

The sea route remained that way for more than 6 years before it was reopened.

At that time, the original male lead quickly makes a fortune from the trade, and Fred hears the news of the death of the whole family.

Anyway, I had to count my brother as a person who didn't exist in my life.

My father did all kinds of gambling and never handed me a penny.

The legacy was just full of leftover debts. It was the work of Duke Icard who paid off the debt and brought it back.

So, even if there were other public interests, he was a benefactor who, in a way, made me a princess who almost died in an orphanage.

Even if I escaped from Duke Icard right away, I had nowhere to go without a penny.

"No…"

I shook my head slowly.

"As you know, it couldn't be like that… Because my father didn't come home very often."

"I suppose so."

"So I want to live differently with my new family."

I grinned as I packed my bloodstained handkerchief.

"From the first time I saw father, I thought I wanted to see you well."

Once I began to rattle, I consistently groveled.

"My father is a benefactor to me for paying off all my debts. I'll be really good."

Duke Icard looked out of the window for a moment with saying a word and let out a small sigh.

He took something from his arms and handed it over to me.

"Father?"

I accepted my new handkerchief and blazed with confusion.

"You can't vomit blood again. It's dirty."

Oh… He had a tendency to get dirty with other people's blood.

But I couldn't help it because blood was the best way to show that I was sick.

"Thank you, Father!"

I couldn't help it even if it was cheap.

I was the weakest here, and I had to crawl on my feet, looking at the strong. And I was a very good crawler.

"I'll use it well. Thank you very much!"

"It's just a handkerchief…"

"Still."

I folded up the handkerchief I had been handed over and said, putting it in my arms.

"My father never gave me anything like this."

"… Huh."

Duke Icard said nothing until we arrived at the academy.

I also kept silent because I didn't cough anymore.

"Duke, little miss."

A servant approached and opened the carriage.

"We're here."

I'm 14 years old, but it was a little strange to hear the title 'Little miss.'

From now on, they should just call me 'Laria' no matter what…

We got out of the carriage after hearing the polite words of the servant.

Evan who was just now graduating from the academy had a shabby and smaller build than the duke.

'Rich and powerful children in the West Continent usually get a home education…'

The children of the lower nobility who could not call tutors attended the academy.

Duke Icard irresponsibly put his son in such a place.

'And on top of that he hasn't seen him for years.'

"When we return to the duchy."

At that time, Duke Icard spoke bluntly to the servant.

"Bring me a hundred high-quality handkerchiefs."

Is this… Am I supposed to vomit blood more often?