Chapter 9
“Gasp!”
Something—like it had wings—instantly leapt up and landed on the outer wall of the tower.
Then, just as Chloe was about to fall, it snatched her waist like a hawk.
“P-Princess! Are you alright?!”
‘I—I almost died.’
Chloe, who had nearly faced death while leaving only misunderstandings behind, unconsciously clung to the one holding her, gasping for breath.
“…Why is my daughter here?”
But as soon as she regained her senses, Chloe felt dizzy all over again.
It was Duke Leander who had saved her?
And she was even cradled in his arms right now?
“Explain. Who brought her here?”
There was no time to be flustered. The Duke’s voice was distinctly different from when he usually addressed her.
It felt as if a blade had been mixed into the air, prickling her skin.
Hesitantly raising her head, Chloe looked up at the Duke’s chiseled jaw.
It was tense, as if he were barely restraining himself.
“I thought I had told you countless times to prioritize the Princess’s safety.”
“I’m sorry. It was my fault for relying solely on the protective magic installed on the outer wall.”
Protective magic?
Chloe tilted her head slightly and looked down.
Not far below, she saw threads of light, like a spiderweb, strung across.
Above them, the railing that had just fallen was swaying, still caught on something.
So she wouldn’t have died even if she had fallen.
‘But more importantly… she jumped up here from that height?!’
As Chloe caught her breath and assessed the situation, things in front of her were rapidly worsening.
“If, even with a one-in-ten-million chance, the magical apparatus failed… or if the child had a heart attack before reaching the safety net…”
One-in-ten-million chance? Heart attack?
‘I don’t think that happened…’
“Have you considered what might have happened to this child who just returned?”
“I’m sorry. It was my thoughtlessness!”
“I will repay this sin with my life!”
Why—why is he like this? Repay what? Die for what?
“I’m fine!”
Unable to stand by as the situation escalated, Chloe tugged lightly on Lucian’s jacket.
“I begged to come up myself. Cassie and Isabelle were trying to protect me the whole time. The knights were the same.”
Before the knights, who looked moved, Lucian simply gazed down at Chloe, his expression unreadable.
Meeting his eyes—like moss in the rain—Chloe felt an inexplicable urge to run away.
‘…I can do this.’
Even if scared, now was the time to be brave.
Chloe steadied herself, swallowed once, and spoke.
“Please don’t punish the people here.”
Closing her eyes tightly, she forced the words out from the tip of her tongue.
“F-F-F… Father.”
“…….”
Though her eyes were shut, she could sense the silence that fell around her.
‘Ugh.’
Her conscience screamed that this wasn’t quite right, but Chloe kept her mouth shut, not correcting herself.
Father. An easy word for some, but not for Chloe—especially with someone she couldn’t be sure of.
‘But I had to say it.’
The fate of the Leander and Arus families in the original story had been horrifying, even brutal.
To protect her mother, uncles, and everyone here, the most important thing was to rebuild her relationship with this man.
‘Now that I know the abuse rumors were just prejudice… if I act cute and soften his heart…’
But why is it so quiet?
Chloe, planning her strategy, noticed the stillness around her and broke into a sweat alone.
‘C-Could it be he won’t accept it? Was it too much? Or maybe if I act pitiful, he’ll feel sympathy…!’
Just then, as Chloe anxiously opened her eyes, a rough but warm hand gently rested on hers.
“Your hand will hurt.”
Just like yesterday.
Curt, taciturn words. But within them, a gentle concern.
Lucian removed the jacket Chloe had unconsciously clung to and met her eyes.
“You can call me whatever you want, however you want.”
The sunset had sunk halfway, blurring the line between day and night.
Leaning against the fading orange light, Duke Leander seemed too beautiful to be merely of this world.
“There’s no need to overexert yourself.”
Chloe realized she had been tensing her whole body.
And in Lucian’s eyes, she saw the worry for a child who was trying too hard.
“Whether you call me Father or not doesn’t change the fact that I am. When you want to, when the word comes naturally, you can call me that.”
Only then did Chloe understand the words her mother had once spoken.
“He was so kind… sometimes so kind I even resented him a little.”
“I don’t need to force myself to say it now.”
She understood why her mother had cried when asked about her father—and why she had lived alone all this time.
‘Who else could I meet, leaving someone so kind and beautiful behind?’
Chloe swallowed the tears threatening to fall and nodded slowly.
Lucian reached out and gently scratched beneath her chin.
‘…?’
Chloe, caught in a weak emotional stir, looked puzzled again.
‘Usually, wouldn’t they just pat your head?’
She felt strange being scratched under her chin.
‘Do felines and big cats usually do this?’
No, it felt more like handling a dog. Chloe, momentarily debating whether to clarify that she was the daughter of the Wolf Clan, changed her mind.
“I have something to say.”
Because there was a more urgent matter that needed explaining.
“I’ve never been abused.”
The maids and knights, who had been happily observing, reddened their eyes again.
Chloe glanced at them, then spoke firmly.
“In the Wolf Territory, there were even rumors that children in the Leander lands were being abused.”
“That’s absurd…!”
“What you see is all you get, right?”
“That’s why my mother and uncles were always worried. They thought the Leander family wanted me to use me as a test subject.”
“Nonsense.”
Lucian’s brows furrowed at Chloe for the first time.
“I brought you here to protect you.”
“I know. I can tell by looking into your eyes.”
But unlike yesterday, Chloe was no longer afraid of him.
Even when he looked stern, she smiled brightly.
“So I’m telling you: it was a misunderstanding to think my mother and uncles abused me. The same ridiculous prejudice people in the Lion Clan of Wolf Territory had.”
“……”
“The Arus family must be worried too—wondering if I’m being abused here, if I’m hungry. Just like Cassie and Isabelle worried about me.”
Chloe wanted people to believe her words.
The fastest, most efficient way to prevent war between the two families was to clear up this absurd misunderstanding.
“My mother and uncles love me.”
Not just to clear up misunderstandings. Not just to prevent war.
“I love my mother and uncles too.”
Simply because it was true.
So Chloe hoped they would believe her.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I can explain everything.”
The words spilled out uncontrollably.
“The wardrobe I was locked in was to protect me. The marks on my wrists were from trying not to scream in panic during the war. And the fear I showed to the Duke—well, honestly, I was a little scared…”
Chloe watched Lucian carefully as she added softly:
“I had heard that big cats dislike children… so I was scared.”
But the child’s eyes brightened, and she spoke with determination.
“But now I know. The Duke won’t hurt me. He will protect me!”
Please believe me. It’s true. Chloe gazed at Lucian with all her heart.
For a while, their green eyes—similar in hue—glowed, reflecting each other.
“Arthur.”
Without taking his eyes off Chloe, Lucian called someone.
A particularly large man among the knights approached him.
“Did you call, my lord?”
Silently, Lucian grabbed the knight’s wrist.
Then, with a swift, threatening motion, he raised his hand.
