I Possessed the Villain’s Daughter – Chapter 116
Tearoha looked into the mirror.
In it stood a young man with black hair and golden eyes. He smiled faintly and greeted his reflection.
‘Hello.’
The young man in the mirror smiled back the same way, though for some reason, that smile looked a little sad.
“Your Highness Tearoha, it’s about time to leave….”
His chamberlain knocked on the door. At that voice, Tearoha stopped gazing at the mirror.
Tearoha Ulysses.
He was the second prince of the Ulysses Empire, the first child born of the legitimate empress. Noble blood flowed in his veins; he possessed both intelligence and an exceptional gift for magic. He had every condition one could ask for to live a happy childhood.
Yes—if you only looked at the conditions.
When he closed his eyes, vague memories of his childhood would surface. Though it had been more than ten years, the scars etched in his heart were still vivid.
He was born into a position anyone would envy, but his mother treated him like a nuisance, and his father had no interest in his existence at all. His only brother was his opposite in every possible way—like light and shadow.
Alteo was loved; Tearoha was not. Alteo shone wherever he went; Tearoha was always in darkness.
Resignation came early—but before that, there had been a time when Tearoha had felt deep sorrow and pain. That was when he was still young and fragile.
Back then, there was no one Tearoha could turn to. With his powerful parents indifferent to him, the maids and attendants naturally ignored him as well. Even the most basic privileges—like tutors or guards—were denied to him.
That much, he could have endured. Tearoha had no interest in wealth, nor in power or honor. All he wanted was a warm hand to hold him—a bit of the affection and attention Alteo always received from their parents.
But when he turned ten, his mother passed away.
What did Tearoha think as he looked at the empty Empress’s palace?
She had never truly been on his side, but with her gone, even the faintest spark of hope and expectation disappeared completely. Yet a small part of him had still believed that one day, she might look back at him.
His world crumbled underfoot. At the time, he didn’t even recognize it as sadness. Only later did he realize—that feeling had been sorrow.
At ten years old, Tearoha decided to leave the palace.
The throne would likely go to Alteo anyway, so why not leave and live the way he wanted? That was what he had thought—until he met her.
As Tearoha walked down the corridor, he suddenly stopped.
The two people walking before and behind him also halted.
“Tearo?”
She turned to look at him, her gemstone-green eyes fixing entirely on him. For a moment, Tearoha forgot how to speak. The silver-haired girl was just as beautiful as he remembered her—unchanged by time.
“……”
This corridor led to the reception hall.
If they kept walking, they would meet the envoys from the Kingdom of Kiel—his maternal grandparents.
“Well…”
Tearoha spoke slowly.
It was then he realized his body was tense. The sensation was almost laughable—he, who had never trembled even before ten thousand armed soldiers, was nervous over something so trivial. His comrades from the battlefield would surely mock him if they saw this.
But fear was instinctive.
The pain of being unloved had scarred him deeply.
Every time he hoped, disappointment followed—and disappointment turned into misery.
How pitiful it was, to cling to a love that would never be returned.
To his mother, Tearoha had been nothing but a useless burden.
“A child like you—no one needs!”
Her words still coiled in his heart like a curse.
As a child, he had believed he would never be loved by anyone for as long as he lived.
Even now, when surrounded by her and others, he sometimes wondered if it was all a dream—because he was too happy.
‘They’re my maternal grandparents, aren’t they?’
Tearoha sank into deep thought.
Would they curse him too?
Would they spit cruel words, saying they regretted his mother ever giving birth to him?
If so… he didn’t want to meet them at all.
As he hesitated, Laila stepped closer and extended her pure white hand. He gazed quietly at that hand.
She smiled.
It was a smile so radiant that it felt as though every flower in the world bloomed at once.
Tearoha had missed that smile for so long.
Back then, when he had no hope and no purpose, she had been his salvation. Being beside her made him feel he could do anything.
‘That’s why… yes, that’s why.’
A faint image flickered before his eyes—an orange-haired person saying something to him.
‘…The contract…’
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the voice that lingered like an echo.
Yesterday, Laila had told him again and again—
“It’s okay.”
Those words felt like a spell cast just for him. Hearing them made him believe that something good would surely happen.
Tearoha gripped Laila’s hand tightly. His trembling body and anxious heart slowly began to calm.
‘Yes.’
He was nervous about meeting his grandparents—because, deep down, a part of him hoped for words of love instead of curses.
Even if the pain of being unloved had long worn him down…
‘Now I have you beside me.’
Tearoha nodded.
No matter how afraid he was, he could take another step forward.
It was like a miracle. Between zero and one there’s only the smallest difference, yet just having one person by his side made him feel so comforted, so complete.
Hand in hand with Laila, Tearoha walked forward. Behind them followed his adjutant, Lyman.
At the end of the long corridor, the heavy doors of the reception hall opened.
Inside were two people surrounded by knights.
Though their hair was touched with white, both still had traces of dark black—the same color as his mother’s. Seeing them, Tearoha suddenly remembered her face—her black hair and blue eyes.
“……”
They were half in tears.
Tearoha felt his heart sink.
A graceful elderly woman approached and embraced him deeply. He somehow knew, instinctively, that she was his grandmother. His grandfather wiped away long trails of tears as he looked at him with gentle eyes.
An overwhelming emotion seized Tearoha’s chest, and he turned his head away—to where Laila stood. She smiled brightly and nodded at him.
Ah.
Tearoha’s lips curved faintly.
She had been right—her magic worked.
“…It’s an honor to meet you.”
It was something he had always wanted to say—and at last, he could.
The two elders looked at him with tearful eyes.
“…We’re sorry. We regretted sending our daughter so far away, and after she died, the pain kept us from coming here.”
“But even so—you’ve grown up so well.”
“Yes, Your Highness… just as your name means.”
“…We’ve wanted to meet you, all this time.”
They didn’t hate him. Instead, they told him they had longed to see him.
Everything felt like a dream.
Warm sunlight streamed through the windows, as if blessing this beautiful spring day.
‘I’m so glad.’
Watching the three of them—so alike—I wiped my tears without realizing it.
Tearoha had once told me he was unloved by both his parents. He said that was why he always feared no one could ever love him.
But now, the three of them standing together looked happier than anyone in the world.
‘Really… I’m so glad.’
They talked for hours, endlessly exchanging stories. Since they had never met before, there was so much to share—and just as many tears to shed.
How long had they talked? By the time their tears had dried, the chamberlain whispered softly to me.
“…Lady Laila.”
He told me it was almost time to leave for the ball. Since guests from the Kingdom of Kiel had arrived, today’s celebration would be grander and more splendid than usual.
When the chamberlain informed the two elders, their conversation reluctantly ended.
To prepare for the banquet, they went to change in the dressing room.
Soon, only Tearoha, myself, and a few attendants remained in the reception hall. After so much talking, the sudden quiet felt strange—but the silence between us was not awkward. It was peaceful.
“Tearo,” I called softly.
He looked at me and smiled gently.
“…It went well,” I whispered sincerely.
“If not for Lala, it wouldn’t have been possible,” he murmured near my ear. I blinked in surprise.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“No, it was all thanks to you.”
Then, when no one was watching, he secretly kissed my hand.
“You were the one who gave me courage—the strength to live.”
“……”
I gazed up at his golden eyes and shook my head with a smile.
“No… it’s the same for me.”
If it weren’t for him, I would never have come to love this world so much.
Tearoha had given me the strength to live here too.
We smiled at each other, sharing a quiet, secret happiness.
“Your Highness, Lady Laila….”
His grandmother’s gentle voice called to us.
“Ah, yes!”
It was time to attend the evening ball.
Tearoha and I left the room—
Hands clasped tightly together.
