Chapter 81
“I Came to Give You a Chance”
“Ugh, I’m so tired.”
After sleeping in late, I stretched out my arms and yawned.
Even though it was just a small one-story hut with an attic, cleaning it all alone wasn’t easy.
Of course, if this world had things like vacuum cleaners and washing machines like in modern times, it wouldn’t be such a problem. But here, I had to do everything with my own hands.
“Ah, even carrying water from the stream isn’t easy.”
I tapped my aching shoulders, feeling sore all over from the rare hard work.
Sitting on a chopped tree stump in the yard, I looked up at the clear sky and muttered:
“…Calliere doesn’t think I’m dead, right?”
At first, my plan was to make Calliere and the people of Esperos Grand Duchy believe I had died.
But when I saw how much they were already suffering from Shion’s death, I couldn’t bring myself to trick them further by pretending I was dead.
‘It’s better for me to be the bad person instead.’
They were the first people who had ever shown kindness to Rebellia Piace.
The first people who had respected me when no one else ever did.
Of course, maybe it was only because they thought I was Heidi Eliana.
“Anyway, I just hope they didn’t misunderstand.”
I should have stopped it properly. Some drops of blood had splattered on the carpet that day.
At that moment, I only prayed they hadn’t noticed those tiny drops.
I didn’t want them to worry unnecessarily.
I only wanted them to hate me completely.
I watched the slow-moving clouds, then stood up.
If I were a wealthy noble, I could just sit here and watch the clouds pass by.
But since I didn’t even have a single coin, I had to look around the area for something to eat.
Lafer had given me some food, but it wasn’t much…
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a horse snorting behind me.
I froze, remembering there were no houses nearby. Slowly, I turned around.
‘Who could it be…?’
“It’s been a long time.”
“…”
“My beloved daughter.”
The black eyes staring at me sparkled like a hunter who had found his prey.
I quickly turned my head away from his gaze and stammered:
“Y-you must be mistaken. I-I don’t even know who you are…”
“Oh, even if you were Heidi Eliana, it would only be right for me to greet you.”
“…”
“Making mistakes when surprised… that’s what careless people do.”
“…”
“Isn’t that right?”
From his calm, confident tone, I realized he had come here already knowing everything.
I didn’t know how he managed to find me so quickly, but…
“…How did you know I was here?”
“Would a father not know where his daughter is?”
His disgusting words didn’t even make me laugh bitterly.
He jumped down from his horse and slowly walked toward me.
He looked at my wavy golden hair and smirked as if amused.
“Looking at you now, you really do resemble that man’s face.”
‘That man…?’
His muttered words were too faint for me to hear clearly.
As he studied me carefully, he curved his lips into a smile.
“Don’t be so scared. I didn’t come to harm you.”
“…”
“I came to give you a chance.”
“…A chance?”
My lips twisted in disbelief.
What a ridiculous thing to say.
But then his next words froze me in place.
“Yes. A chance to save your mother, Anna Piace.”
‘The truth is, Anna didn’t abandon you and run away ten years ago.’
‘Her illness got worse, so I sent her somewhere I could take better care of her. Didn’t you also tell people that? That Anna’s health declined and she went to the countryside to recover?’
At first, I believed Mother had abandoned me and run away.
She never loved Father, so her marriage was unhappy. Because of that, she hated me, the child born from it.
That’s what I believed.
Even so, when I agreed with Father’s story, it wasn’t because I feared people would criticize her for leaving me.
It was because I couldn’t let go of a small hope—
that one day, Mother would return to this hell where I was left alone, and save me.
‘But…’
My lips trembled at something I had never even imagined.
My father’s words replayed in my head.
‘I heard the Duke of Esperos treasures you. Even now, he’s searching for you after you disappeared.’
‘…That can’t be true. Even if it were, he must be chasing me out of anger—anger toward the one who deceived him and ran away.’
‘I think differently. I believe he’s searching for you, not out of anger.’
‘…That’s nonsense. No, even more reason why I can’t accept it. The one he’s searching for isn’t me—it’s Heidi.’
‘It doesn’t matter who you are, or who you pretend to be. What matters is that the Duke is looking for you.’
The way Father spoke, it felt like he knew the secret hidden in my hair.
Not once had he called me by my real name.
‘I want only one thing.’
‘Seduce the Duke and gain the rights to mine Lemstone from him.’
‘Since you already have his attention, it won’t be hard. No matter how great a man is, he becomes a fool for the woman he loves.’
‘And if that doesn’t work, then get his will naming you as the heir of Esperos property… and kill him.’
I said nothing. Father slowly put his hands on my shoulders, leaned close, and whispered in my ear:
‘So whenever the task feels difficult, think of Anna. Think of your poor mother, who has barely survived in that cramped room for ten years just to see you again.’
Of course, I thought it was a lie.
He was only trying to use me because he knew I still hadn’t forgotten Mother.
‘N-no, I can’t believe you.’
“…”
‘I can’t follow your words until I see Mother myself.’
‘You still don’t understand, do you?’
When I narrowed my eyes at him, he took off the eyepatch decorated with Lemstone and held it before me.
‘Look carefully. This is your mother I met yesterday.’
“…”
I never imagined the Lemstone on his eyepatch could work like a vision orb.
The moment I saw Mother’s image inside, tears fell down my cheeks.
The woman in the Lemstone looked so different from my memory.
Her once-beautiful violet hair had grown dry and brittle.
Her face was lined with wrinkles.
Her eyes were hollow, her cheeks sunken from hunger.
She looked like she could die at any moment.
My heart ached unbearably.
‘To save Mother, I must do as Father says. But that means… I must use Calliere.’
This time, I had to truly use him.
Not just pretend to be Heidi in front of him—
I had to win his heart and take advantage of it.
“But Calliere doesn’t love me… he loves Heidi…”
“I finally found you.”
I lifted my head at the familiar voice, startled.
A man stood before me, closer than I realized. I gasped for breath.
“Heidi Eliana.”
“…”
“Or should I call you Rebellia Piace?”
His lips curled into a playful smile as my true name slipped from them.
In shock, I froze. The golden fragments hiding my hair fell like snowflakes to the ground.
“…Calliere Esperos.”
He looked at my hair, now glowing with its full violet color, and smiled mischievously.
“I’ve never called your name properly before, so this feels strange to say…”
“…”
“I came to take you, Rebellia.”
“…”
“So now, please stop hiding and come back with me.”
“…”
“To Esperos Grand Duchy, where you and I once stayed together.”
I didn’t know why.
But at his playful words, a single tear rolled down my cheek.
