TDGNH 04

Chapter 04…

The Villainous Heir’s Daughter!

“…!”

At his outburst, I was left speechless. The “damn old geezer” he was referring to was Duke Shurman.

The duke, who valued honor above all else, had high academic expectations for his children and grandchildren and spared no expense in their education.

Following his philosophy, the private tutors of the Shablin ducal house enforced strict Spartan discipline along with endless advanced studies.

Because of that, my cousins struggled with homework every night and were treated as geniuses.

Lucky them!

Why am I the only idiot here?

A heavy shadow fell across my face.

“Ersha, I want to be first place.”

“What?”

At my unexpectedly serious voice, the marquis turned to look at me again, his expression as if he had just heard something absurd.

“I want it, teacher.”

It was at that moment.

“Leonardo, you wretched brat!”

A thunderous roar echoed, loud enough to shake the entire building.

Before long, the voice had entered the same room.

“You got drunk again and broke someone else’s son’s front teeth?!”

Thud!

Duke Shurman Shablin entered, striking the floor with his cane. The sound was like thunder.

Sensing that nothing good would come from being noticed by grandfather, I quickly hid behind Evot.

Peeking out, I saw the servants all bowing their heads deeply, trembling like leaves.

And at the center of it all stood my father…

He’s the only one standing crooked.

The duke had stormed in with overwhelming fury, yet he alone remained completely at ease.

My life is on the line here!

I swallowed dryly and grabbed onto Evot’s clothes.

The duke soon stood face-to-face with the marquis. It was the first time I truly saw my grandfather, and I couldn’t hide my shock.

Scary…!

Though he was my grandfather, Shurman had an overwhelming and fierce presence.

He was as tall as Leo, with blazing golden eyes and neatly combed dark gray hair streaked with white. His sharp impression was further emphasized by his perfectly styled appearance.

His mustache curled slightly at the ends like commas, making him seem even more demanding.

Even at his age, he was strikingly handsome, yet exuded a savage aura.

However, the Marquis Leo standing opposite him overshadowed even the duke’s charisma with his own mysterious brilliance. He looked almost beyond human, like an elf, with perfect proportions and a cool winter tone.

Are they even the same species, not father and son?

I stared back and forth between Leo and Shurman with wide eyes. The reputation of Leo being the “mutant” of the Shablin family suddenly felt very real.

As for Ersha, who resembled Leo perfectly…

Ridiculously cute.

Just as I was admiring their appearances, Duke Shurman spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

“Is it true that you broke Count Colson’s son’s front teeth?”

His voice, like an echoing cave, made my heart tremble. Even without shouting, it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

So grandfather was this terrifying.

My heart pounded as if it would leap out of my throat.

He’s not going to throw me out all of a sudden, right?

But the marquis simply turned his head with an expression as if a dog was barking somewhere and frowned.

“He deserved it.”

“So hitting him makes you right?”

“I did nothing wrong.”

“!”

At Leo’s response, Shurman’s face turned even redder. Suppressing his anger, he spoke with difficulty.

“Do you even know who Count Colson is? If that family cancels their partnership, can you handle the losses? You can ruin your own life like a scoundrel, but how many times must I tell you not to damage this family?”

His voice was stern and severe. I couldn’t help but worry about his veins bursting from holding back so much anger.

No wonder Duke Shurman didn’t live long.

In the original story, the duke didn’t live very long. After Leonardo and Ersha were cast out and died, he suffered from regret and illness and passed away five years later.

Because of that, the male protagonist inherited the family at just eleven years old.

That was Oscar Shablin, one of my cousins.

Oscar, now six years old, was the eldest son of Freddy Shablin, the duke’s second son.

Already an exemplary student, he would survive all the family’s power struggles and become the next duke.

Right now, he was the complete opposite of me.

Though his ending was just as tragic as grandfather’s…

Anyway, this is bad.

The person my father had beaten was Joseph, the son of Count Colson. The Colson family was crucial to grandfather’s business.

In fact, because of my father, the partnership would be broken, leading to grandfather collapsing.

That was a future I had to stop.

“I’m tired of getting angry at you.”

“I said he deserved it.”

“Shut up, you brat! Ngh—”

“Your Grace!”

“Duke!”

Gasp!

I covered my mouth with both hands in shock.

Duke Shurman clutched the back of his neck and staggered backward.

The servants rushed to support him, their movements seeming slow before my eyes.

“Bring the stretcher!”

In an instant, people brought in a luxurious stretcher adorned with decorations and jewels.

Amid the chaos, the duke raised his hand weakly.

“That’s enough. I will walk out myself.”

“Yes? Are you sure?”

Despite their concern, he leaned on his cane and walked forward.

Though he looked like he might collapse at any moment, each step he took was steady and majestic.

As he and the servants left like a receding tide, an awkward silence settled over the room.

I blinked blankly.

Would grandfather be alright?

With all this strain, hadn’t his heart already suffered?

A click of the tongue suddenly sounded.

I turned my head. It was my father.

“That old man is overreacting. Go bring me a bottle of whiskey.”

The marquis casually turned away as if there was no reason to stay and left.

His father had almost collapsed, and that was his reaction…?

I was too stunned to speak.

Once again, I realized he truly was the empire’s greatest scoundrel.

That scoundrel of a father…

I narrowed my eyes and glared at his retreating back.

“Damn it!”

Inside the now-empty mansion,

Marquis Leonardo Shablin, wearing a bathrobe, hurled every bottle of alcohol he could see.

Crash! Smash!

“Damn it all!”

Today had been the worst.

As if Ersha suddenly showing up wasn’t enough, that old man had barged in too.

Strong liquor spilled from shattered bottles, soaking the carpet and filling the room with its scent.

The smell of alcohol.

That very smell irritated him.

Though he was always soaked in alcohol, today it felt especially unpleasant.

Ironically, the only thing that could suppress that discomfort was alcohol itself.

“Your Excellency!”

“Are you alright?”

Hearing the glass shatter, Helen and the servants rushed in. The room was already in ruins.

Leo staggered to a rocking chair and sank deeply into it.

Broken glass shards glimmered coldly under the moonlight.

“I told you never to let Ersha into my residence.”

“We are deeply sorry.”

“Have you all forgotten because it’s been so long?”

“It was completely unexpected. The young lady has never done anything like this before.”

“Don’t let her be seen by me. I do not want to see that child.”

Earlier, when Leo faced Ersha, it felt as though his heart had dropped.

To him, she was a child who should not exist.

Why had Ersha suddenly appeared before him?

She was the kind of child who would hide first if they ever crossed paths outside.

She had never once approached him or spoken to him first.

In a way, that made things easier.

Because she stayed out of sight, he didn’t have to feel uneasy.

He could forget that he had a daughter who pricked his conscience.

Then why