<span>Nos mumbled, swallowing his dry saliva.


    <span>“Newt is…”


    <span>I was appalled by what Nos said about the stone in the jewelry box.


    <span>‘This is Newt?’


    <span>When I turned blue, Nos said with an embarrassed look.


    <span>“Sorry, sir. This was not her fault, but the storage condition was not good. Otherwise, the Newt won’t suddenly be a powder.”


    <span>Nos tried hard to find excuses, but the face of the duke was not resolved.


    <span>Holding on to the hem of the skirt, I grabbed the duke’s sleeve, shivering.


    <span>“Wo,wong….i dwidnt mean to… (Wro,wrong…. i didn’t mean to….)”


    <span>However, the duke shook my hand and frowned.


    <span>A sigh flowed from his lips


    <span>“You’re bothering me.”


    <span>My whole body trembled like an aspen tree.


    <span>Instead of being favored, I had an ident.


    <span>I think I was too scared to say that my life expectancy was getting worse.


    <span>In addition, my eyes began to turn round and round, and my view narrowed.


    <span>“Don’t bother me any more and go back to your room”


    <span>“Ugh….”


    <span>As soon as I groaned, my body tilted and fell under the chair.


    <span>“Little miss!”


    <span>In my narrowing field of view, the duke had hardened with his eyes wide open.


    <span>Then came the silence.


    <span>***


    <span><Sakhaman space>


    <span>In the dark I was looking at the back of Duke of Ami Thie.


    <span>My father, who is benevolent, careful and just.


    <span>I respected and loved him dearly.


    <span>I had to give up many things to live as his daughter, but it was fine.


    <span>If only he wouldugh with me while calling my name.


    <span>But I knew. That there is a wall between us.


    <span>The Duke of Ami Thie gave me a room to stay in, taught me the mission of the nobility, and dined together, but only to that extent.


    <span>He didn’t regard me as his child.


    <span>Still, I did my best because I liked him.


    <span>I hesitated for a long time and then reached out to him


    <span>“Fath-“


    <span>“Dad!”


    <span>Mina run past me to the Duke of Ami Thie


    <span>Somehow Mina embraced his arm without qualms.


    <span>When Mina smiled with her eyes folded, the Duke of Ami Thie stroked her head and smiled.


    <span>It’s okay. It could happen.


    <span>Mina is really a child of fate.


    <span>She’s a good girl who brings rain to the drought, and gives hope to the poor and the sick.


    <span>If I work harder, my father will look after me, too.


    <span>Then the darkness around me shook.


    <span>“Stupid!”


    <span>A thunderous roar came from the air.


    <span>I was appalled at the sight of the hand sticking out of the distorted darkness.


    <span>A hand with a ring engraved with Val Lua’s name soon caught my eye.


    <span>“<span>If you’re hiding, I’m afraid I can’t find you. You’re a small rat.”


    <span>Duke of Val Lua kicked me. Without hesitation, Duchess of Val Lua, soon appeared.


    <span>“<i>This useless girl</i>.”


    <span>They came up to me little by little. I shuddered with my palms backward.


    <span>Don’t hit me.


    <span>I’m sorry.


    <span>I’m sorry ····!!


    <span>“Heuk!”


    <span>I woke up while kicking the duvet.


    <span>My back is full of cold sweat, and my hands tremble.


    <span>After seeing the familiar clock in front of me, I came back to my senses.


    <span>‘It’s a dream.’


    <span>Only the sound of rain hitting the window awakens the stillness.


    <span>There was a basin and a towel at the bedside. The chair is still warm as if someone was here for a while.


    <span>‘That’s right, I fell down.’


    <span>I couldn’t breathe when I remembered what had happened in the afternoon.


    <span>‘That Newt, what to do.’


    <span>After three deaths, I found a ce worth.


    <span>The employees of Dubblede were really friendly, and the Duke of Dubblede was all right


    <span>But when these people hate me,


    <span>The duke’s eyes will be as cold as they were at first. Lea and Nos would notugh at me either.


    <span>Suddenly thunder pounded, revealing something that had been in the dark.


    <span>***


    <span>Lea brought some new clothes for Leine, who sweated a lot in her sleep.


    <span>The maids followed her and wept.


    <span>“Is the baby all right?”


    <span>“I heard the doctor doesn’t know why. What is going on?”


    <span>Lea sighed.


    <span>“Because she gets sick for no reason. Once you’ve given her a fever reducer–“


    <span>As soon as she opened the door saying so, some clothes fell from Lea’s hand.


    <span>Leine, who was supposed to lie in bed, was nowhere to be seen.


    <span>“What….”


    <span>As the maids panicked and muttered, Leah cried as if screaming.


    <span>“Find the baby!”


    <span>Surprised maids searched the bathroom, searched the hallway, but no Leine was seen.


    <span>The pale faced Lea delivered the news to the Duke.


    <span>At midnight, a light came on in the area of Dubblede Castle.


    <span>Everyone was busy searching for Leine.


    <span>Nos ran towards the Duke in the hallway.


    <span>“She’s not in the annex.”


    <span>“The kitchen. She might be wandering around looking for bread.”


    <span>“I’ve already looked for it.”


    <span>The duke’s face hardened. Many of these people were mobilized, but they couldn’t find a single child.


    <span>Did she get hit by an assassin who came here for Dubblede?


    <span>Or the Senate, which disapproves of the child of fate, might have used his hand.


    <span>“Mobilize the troops. Wide range of search—“


    <span>“Your Excellency!”


    <span>Then came an urgent voice from outside the window.


    <span>The butlers and gardeners were surrounding someone.


    <span>In it, Lea, who found her hair in a feverish brown color, ran as fast as she could.


    <span>“Little miss!”


    <span>Leine wriggled her hand when she saw Lea holding her.


    <span>The Duke took a step toward the child.


    <span>The guards who were stationed around the area ran out for water, and finally Leine was seen properly.


    <span>Her pajamas were covered with dust, and bare feet without shoes were messed up with scratches and dirt.


    <span>The young body, which was heavily rained on, trembled, and its lips were blue. Leine has staggered behind Lea and walks to the Duke.


    <span>“You…..”


    <span>When the Duke narrowed the middle of his forehead, Leine popped out something.


    <span>It was the red flower in the trembling hands.


    <span>“Ywo like cawnartion (you like carnation.)”


    <span>“…….”


    <span>“I’m sowwy (i’m sorry)”


    <span>When the Newt broke, Leine ,who had no idea what to do and held his sleeve, came to mind.


    <span>“Fowgive me. (Forgive me)…..”


    <span>The Duke could not give any answer. She rubbed her hands desperately to ask for forgiveness with a pale face.


    <span>The moment I coldly struck her hand, I regretted it.


    <span>***


    <span>Thanks to the thunder, I knew there was a carnation in the garden outside the window. So I hurried to find the flowers at once.


    <span>It rained cats and dogs, but it didn’t matter. I had to do something not to be hated.


    <span>I looked up at the duke with a frightened face. After a long silence, he hugged me.


    <span>‘Euagh!’


    <span>Then embarrassed Lea and Nos came running quickly.


    <span>“Ah, sir. The baby may not have made a fuss on purpose.She’s still a child, so she don’t know anything”


    <span>But the Duke carried me into the castle without hearing anything.


    <span>‘What are you going to do with me?’


    <span>I prayed my best, but it can’t be solved by a bunch of flowers that broke Newt.


    <span>However, the ce where the duke entered was the bathroom.


    <span>‘Is it a water torture?’


    <span>I was so scared that I got so stiff.


    <span>The Duke stretched out his hand after he put me in the bathtub.


    <span>‘Falling in!’


    <span>I closed my eyes reflexively. That’s strange. It wasn’t painful.


    <span>When I opened my eyes carefully, I saw the duke with one knee bent.


    <span>Soon after, he took my foot. I was amazed at what he was trying to do.


    <span>He started wiping my feet. When the water touched my feet, i flinched.


    <span>“Painful?”


    <span>“No…”


    <span>“…..”


    <span>He looked at me without a word, so I mumbled.


    <span>“A bit….”


    <span>His touch has softened.


    <span>Every time the mud and dust on my feet melted into the water and fell to the floor, the wound became clearer.


    <span>I didn’t feel pain because I was in such a hurry.


    <span>The duke’s gaze at my feet sank deeply.


    <span>“Don’t wander around the castlete at night.”


    <span>I thought I’d be in trouble now, but his mouth didn’t open any more.


    <span>‘That’s it?’It’s even more disturbing because the Duke doesn’t get angry. ‘


    <span>I wriggled my hands and murmured.


    <span>“ Dyuke, youw’re not angwy? (Duke, you’re not angry?)”


    <span>A strange silence sank into the bathroom.


    <span>He stared at me for a long time and opened his lips.


    <span>“I’m not angry.”


    <span>Really?


    <span>Are you sure?


    <span>I looked at him with a look of distrust, and he narrowed his forehead and tapped me on the forehead. It didn’t hurt at all.