The Reunion That Shattered Everything
The first day of our absurd father-daughter reunion really had been about establishing discipline. Just as Senior Maid Lani had said, things became much more relaxed starting the very next day. Unlike that first day when I couldn’t even catch a breath, I was now given time to rest during work, and she would occasionally hand me delicious snacks. Of course, as the newest maid I still ended up doing all the odd jobs… but compared to that chaotic first day, it was genuinely manageable.
Three weeks flew by like a flash. Maybe my luck had simply run out on that first day, because thankfully, I hadn’t run into the Grand Duchess even once since then. My days as a maid continued—busy, but smooth. After waking up, cleaning the dining hall, and hanging the laundry out to dry, I was now sitting on the grass, staring at the sky and practically photosynthesizing.
While I was enjoying that blissful moment of spacing out, I suddenly felt something cold press against my cheek.
“It’s juice. Drink it while you rest.”
A woman with deep black hair held out a cool drink in front of me.
“Ah… thank you, Senior Lani.”
The senior who had looked after me from that very first day was named Lani Bland. She was the daughter of a baron family on the empire’s frontier. I had guessed she might be nobility from her refined manners and the consistently calm expression she wore. I’d been curious why a noble would work as a maid, but when I asked, she told me her family circumstances weren’t very good.
I took a sip from the cup she handed me. The refreshing orange juice washed away my thirst.
“Things will get a little busy starting tomorrow. The Grand Duke is returning next week.”
“Ah… it was next week already?”
“Yes. He’s usually gone for about a month.”
Arvian Valaxar, the master of the North. From what I’d heard, he led his soldiers out to the northern front lines every quarter to subjugate beasts. If he didn’t carry out these regular expeditions, the overflowing beasts could cause serious casualties in the northern territories. Since this hadn’t been mentioned in the original novel, I listened with genuine interest. The story had revolved entirely around the protagonist Lucy, so details like this were never explained.
‘Now that I think about it, what’s the protagonist up to these days?’
Lucy was probably growing up healthy and happy, living peacefully with her family. Even though she was a commoner, her parents cherished her more than anything in the world and showered her with endless love. Thanks to that, she had become a bright, sun-like woman beloved by everyone. That charm was exactly why I had fallen so deeply into the novel.
‘She really is the complete opposite of someone here.’
The parents in this place didn’t even care if their daughter ate poison or if an assassin came for her. Everyone praised Arvian Valaxar as a hero who protected the North… but I really didn’t like him. He might be a good lord, but he was definitely not a good father.
The raw potato the Grand Duchess had taken that day had been her meal. From what I’d heard, she would enter the storage room at random times and pick one ingredient at random from the many available. It was food in its completely natural state, without any cooking. In a situation where she had no idea where poison might be hidden, it was the only food she could safely choose.
I found the Grand Duke—who continued to allow this situation—extremely distasteful. This was such a crucial time for a growing child. What was he thinking, neglecting her with such indifference? If he had even a shred of sanity as a parent, he would never allow it.
With my lips pursed in a pout, I grumbled internally—until a sudden wave of awareness hit me and I let out a deep sigh.
‘…There I go meddling again.’
I shook my head vigorously, trying to empty my mind. I shouldn’t get involved. No matter the circumstances, she was a high-ranking noble with power second only to the imperial family. A mere maid like me sticking her nose in wouldn’t lead to anything good. If anything, I might get dragged into something far too big for me to handle. After all, the Northern Grand Duchess was destined to become the final boss who would crush Lucy and all her companions.
I had also heard that the Grand Duchess once had a dedicated personal maid. The shocking part was that most of them had quit within a month and left the Valaxar Duchy. One of them had been an assassin who infiltrated to poison her. Two others were found as corpses inside the mansion without anyone knowing when or how they died. After that, every maid avoided the Grand Duchess, and unless they were truly desperate, they wouldn’t even go near her.
If I meddled for no reason, I might end up as another corpse fertilizing the mansion grounds someday.
“Just think about the café… just think about the café…”
I muttered the words like a mantra. Lani, who was sitting beside me, looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“What’s a café? I’ve never heard of that.”
Faced with her curious face, I gave a small smile and answered.
“It’s a thing that exists.”
*
Another week passed after that. Just as Senior Lani had warned, the past week had been incredibly hectic. To welcome the Grand Duke returning from his subjugation, we had to clean far more thoroughly than usual and remove anything that could possibly be seen as a flaw.
Now that we had finally finished the massive spring cleaning of the enormous mansion, every servant in the Valaxar Duchy—including me—stood in front of the main gate, waiting for just one person.
After a long wait, a group of riders appeared in the distance. Knights clad in silver armor and blue cloaks embroidered with wolves. And at their head, a single man.
Even from afar, his presence was so overwhelming that you could tell who he was at a glance. A man with the same blue eyes as the Grand Duchess and pure white hair.
Arvian Valaxar.
At his appearance, every person in the mansion bowed their heads. When the Grand Duke, who had approached the gate, dismounted, the knights guarding the mansion all knelt at once.
“We greet our lord.”
“Yes. You’ve all worked hard protecting the duchy in my absence.”
An elderly man in a spotless formal suit stepped forward and took his coat.
“You must be exhausted. Thanks to you, Your Grace, the people will be able to sleep soundly this year as well.”
“It’s nothing. You’re the one who’s worked hard, Steward.”
“Hehe. This old man is always the same. I’m grateful just for your kind words.”
After that, many people from the mansion came forward to welcome him, and the Grand Duke responded with pleasant words. Watching him, I thought to myself:
‘…He doesn’t seem like a completely terrible person.’
Well, in the novel he had been described as a righteous and strong hero. Seeing how warmly everyone welcomed him, it seemed that description was true.
Just as the Grand Duke, having received countless greetings, was about to enter the mansion, something small, pure white, and fluffy darted out in front of him like a cotton ball.
“Ah… Father…”
It was her—the girl I had encountered once before. What I had mistaken for a fluffy cotton ball was none other than Arvian’s only daughter, the Grand Duchess.
She looked up at her father with a trembling voice.
‘…This is the first time I’ve seen her face.’
Last time I had only caught a glimpse of her back. This was my first time seeing her face directly. Skin as white as her hair. Beautiful blue eyes that were an even deeper shade than her father’s. Even though she was still a child whose baby fat hadn’t even faded, beauty was already beginning to bloom on her face. If she grew up like this, she would surely steal the hearts of countless people. She was that lovely.
But what caught my eye wasn’t the Grand Duchess’s youthful beauty. It was her complexion, which looked so poor that it overshadowed her pretty features. There was no vitality in her blue eyes. Her lips were not only deathly pale but also cracked and dry. And more than anything, what weighed on my heart was her body shape. Because she had been eating only raw ingredients every day, her body was so frighteningly thin that it was hard to believe she was a child.
“…You’re… back…?”
The Grand Duchess looked up at her father with trembling eyes and greeted him. But Arvian simply looked down at his daughter with a cold gaze, then kicked the ground once and spoke.
“Move. Who taught you the habit of blocking the path in front of the gate?”
At the Grand Duke’s words, Adriel’s eyes shook violently. Then her face darkened even further as she lowered her gaze to the ground.
“I’m… sorry…”
I stared blankly at the reunion between father and daughter. For a moment, I couldn’t understand what I had just witnessed. But as time passed and the situation sank in, the shock vanished, replaced by uncontrollable rage.
‘What the hell is he doing right now?’
Move? Was that something you said to a daughter you hadn’t seen in a month? He had warm words for everyone else, but he couldn’t even say “I missed you” to his own daughter? While someone was eating unwashed raw potatoes because she didn’t know when she might be poisoned, he didn’t consider that any of his business?
Then why did you even have her?
If you were going to neglect and ruin a child like this, why did you bother spreading your legs? Was it just irresponsible pleasure? Did you just give birth because you couldn’t control your lust? You trash father with your dick for a brain.
I wanted to hurl every unfinished insult I’d ever wanted to throw at the author right at this bastard instead.
I had lived most of my life as an orphan. A mother who ran off with another man. A father who died of a broken heart because he couldn’t forget her. I had lost my parents at around the same age as the Grand Duchess and grown up in an orphanage. Maybe that was why I knew just how addictive familial love could be. It felt wonderful when you had it, but when you didn’t, it became a vicious drug that made your heart feel like it was being torn apart from longing.
That was why I could relate so painfully. I knew exactly what kind of hell the Grand Duchess was living through. I knew how deeply those careless, thoughtless words from that damned Grand Duke would push her into an abyss.
“If you understand, get out of the way. I’m busy.”
“…Yes.”
Watching the pitiful sight of the Grand Duchess weakly stepping aside, I ground my teeth. Ha… seriously…
“This is way too much. Calling that a parent.”
If I had transmigrated as a member of the imperial family, I would have smashed that bastard’s face in. At this moment, I resented having transmigrated as a maid more than anything. I hated myself for being so powerless that I could only curse him inside my head like this.
While I was trying to swallow down the boiling anger inside me, I suddenly noticed something strange.
‘…Why is it so quiet?’
There should have been the usual small murmurs from such a large crowd, but now I couldn’t even hear a single breath. Feeling suspicious, I slowly looked around. Every single person’s eyes were fixed on me.
“Huh?”
Senior Lani right beside me was staring at me with a look of pure shock. The head maid in the distance had her mouth hanging wide open. And strangest of all was the Grand Duchess, who had looked like she was about to cry just moments ago in front of the mansion gate. The sorrow that had been so thick on her face was completely gone. Instead, her blue eyes—shaking violently as if an earthquake had struck—were now locked directly onto me.
In a daze, I brought one hand to my mouth. I could feel my lips slightly parted.
Wait… did I… just say all of that out loud?