Chapter 64 

I stared blankly at Sharon Abner.

“Our clan was attacked while we were sleeping.
My father… barely managed to hide me beneath the central altar.”

“……”

“That night felt endless.
Under those cold stones, curled up in a space barely big enough for my body…
I trembled until morning.”

Sharon Abner’s eyes drifted someplace far away—
as if she were seeing the night her clan, the Meserian line, was wiped out.

“It was so dark that I couldn’t understand what was happening.
When the screams finally stopped… I knew everyone but me had died.”

“…”

“And the one who found me and brought me here…
was Lloyd, the former Duke Abner—my husband.”

My mouth hung open slightly.

Sharon Abner had always been a mysterious woman.

Even in my previous life, all people knew was that she came from the extinct Meserian clan.
Nothing else about her past was known.

“I grew up here with Lloyd. At first everything was unfamiliar…
but eventually, I adapted.”

“…”

“Lloyd was my only conversation partner…
the only person who treated me sincerely.
He cherished the Abner family deeply.
He wasn’t the most competent family head, but…”

I quietly listened, unable to interrupt.

“When he became heir, when he inherited the title…
I was always by his side.
When he asked me to become his wife, I tried to leave once…
But in the end, I stayed and did as he asked.”

Lloyd Abner had faced huge opposition when making Sharon his wife.

But he had protected her to the very end.

“To me, Lloyd was precious…
And because of that, Abner became precious too.
So when he died and the family began collapsing…”

She trailed off.

“…All I could think of was reviving this house.
But the problem was… I had no confidence.”

Sharon slowly met my eyes.

“The only person who gave me confidence died.
Everyone else hated me.
And when I lost my daughter… while barely hanging on…”

“…”

“I truly felt like… I was nothing but a stain here.”

Her voice carried a faint bitterness.

“When I look at the branch families… I remember losing my daughter.
I remember Lloyd dying.
And even the older memories come rushing back.”

She shook her head faintly.

“When everything around me falls apart,
I sometimes think… maybe they’re right.
Maybe everything really is my fault.”

And just like that, what I had vaguely suspected became clear.

She really does have a trauma tied to the branch families.

I was just about to say something comforting, when—

“Did you hear that all your friends have found adoptive families?”

Sharon suddenly changed the subject.

Then she stared directly at me.

“I wish to adopt you as well.
Into Abner.”

* * *

I ran and ran until I found myself in the mansion’s back garden.

Panting, I braced my hand against a tree trunk.

‘As you said, you’ve contributed more than enough to this house.
More than I ever expected.’

Sharon’s voice echoed in my head like a lingering bell.

‘But I have failed. I could not protect you properly.
Even today, you were insulted because of me.’

She meant Lady Larien’s rude remarks.

Honestly, that was nothing—really nothing at all.

‘I’ve thought about this for quite some time.
Today, I became certain.
I wish to register you as my daughter…
as Isabelle’s child.’

My insides twisted, and I blinked rapidly.

At first, I didn’t understand what she meant.

Actually—
I couldn’t understand.

I mean, sure, I saved Sharon… But how does that lead to me receiving the Abner surname?
And as Isabelle’s daughter??

‘Whatever you wish to pursue in the future—
There is no safer path than becoming a member of Abner.
There is no more secure method.’

Sharon promised she would fully support me.

She said the house had flourished thanks to me, politically and economically.

She claimed she could increase staff for magical research and start supporting Owen and me more directly in the future.

At the same time, maybe because of our first agreement,
She never pushed to test me or interrogate me.

She simply insisted—relentlessly.

‘Become my daughter, under Isabelle’s name.
Isabelle always longed for a child.
And it is the best method—
I cannot put you at Jaden’s level as his sibling.’

Becoming her adopted child—Isabelle’s adopted daughter.

No matter how many times I turned it over in my mind,
The words didn’t feel real.

I didn’t even know what Isabelle looked like.

Her portrait probably existed somewhere in the mansion.
but I’d never gone looking for it.

I only knew she was Sharon’s daughter and that she left the mansion years ago and died soon after.

Then Sharon had added one more thing—
for my sake.

‘More than anything… you need a family as well.’

Family.

‘Like the other children at Evehill Orphanage,
You need a legal, solid home.
In fact… for someone like you, it’s even more important.’

That was when my mind began spinning.

‘You are special.
But sometimes, that very “specialness” can become a blade that harms you.’

Until now, I thought I understood Sharon fairly well.

But I was wrong.

I never imagined she would say anything about adopting me.

So instead of thinking calmly…
I had bolted out of the room in a daze.

I brushed past Miel and Soya waiting outside and ran straight to the backyard.

I needed space to think—alone.

They didn’t follow me, probably because Sharon ordered them not to.

“Adoption… registration…”

The more I repeated it, the more confused I became.

My heart pounded so hard I felt dizzy.

I crouched under the tree, buried my head between my knees, and listened to the buzzing in my ears.

“Think. Calmly, Annelia.”

Was joining the Abner family a bad thing?

“No… no, it’s not.”

In fact, it was almost certainly a good thing.

Right now, I was being threatened by Longton.

If I became an Abner… a ducal daughter…

Longton wouldn’t be able to touch me easily.

Not just that—

It would make my future research much easier.
And lessen so many other worries.

“B-but…”

For some strange reason,
I simply couldn’t say “yes” right away.

I knew in my head that it was a great offer—
Yet something made my chest feel tight.

As I sat there panting—

“…Annelia?”

A quiet voice echoed through the garden.

I lifted my head with tear-filled eyes.

Someone was standing between the trees.

As he approached, the blurry outline became clear.

It was Tiaan, the Crown Prince.

“Y-your Highness?”

“What happened? Why are you crying?”

He was still in his riding coat, gloves on—
must’ve been preparing to leave.

So why had he come here?

“What are you doing he—”

“That’s not important.
Why are you crying? What happened?”

At his words, more tears started rolling down my cheeks.

I babbled nonsense.

“D-don’t ask me that… I’ll cry more if you ask…”

Tiaan looked startled.

I hurriedly wiped my wet cheeks with both hands.

Everything has felt wrong ever since I learned Mika and the others were leaving.

“I-it’s just… I’m not even that sad but…
I keep… hic…”

Trying to talk while crying made weird noises come out.

I slapped a hand over my mouth.

Tiaan’s expression turned into pure concern.

He knelt down in front of me and gently lifted my face.

“No one hurt you, right?
No one struck you?”

I quickly shook my head.

Tiaan immediately reached into his jacket and pulled something out.

It was an expensive candy—clearly imported from another country.

“Eat this first. Then talk.”

Before I could protest, he unwrapped it and pushed it into my mouth.

A sweet taste spread over the saltiness of tears.

I sniffled and muttered,

“Y-your Highness… hic…
Why do you always carry food around?”

“Me?”

“Hicc… Yes.
Even the first time we met… you shared dried meat with me.”

“Ah… well, yeah. I did.”

Tiaan scratched his head shyly.

Then he plopped down beside me.

“When something hurts your heart,
Being hungry makes it feel even worse.”