I Am The Villainess With A Maxed-Out Luck Stat - Chapter 136
Only Noblemtl
136. Hidden Family History: The Female Protagonist
As Seraphine nodded silently, the man cautiously opened his mouth.
“It’s such an old story, I don’t know where to begin.”
“Take your time.”
Seraphine said, bringing the teacup to her lips.
He was calm enough to appear cold, but the tips of his fingers holding the teacup were shaking slightly.
The man, who had been choosing his words for a moment, began to speak.
“I had a woman I loved. She was a beautiful and noble woman. I had nothing, but she was a warm person who embraced even difficult situations.”
It was a story that Seraphine was also familiar with.
But when I heard the same story from a man’s mouth, it felt unfamiliar, like an old fairy tale.
“My wife’s family opposed me, a lowly person. We ran away in secret and had a small wedding in a small village.”
The southern coast seemed to be reflected in her emerald eyes as she reminisced about her youth.
These are days that can never be returned again.
Irreversible memories broke like waves.
“At that time, the empire was in ruins after being swept by war. We took in abandoned children and set up a small orphanage.”
“… … .”
“At first, I just cared for the children with a pitiful heart, but these angelic children became the pillars of our marriage. Even after we got married, we didn’t have children for a long time.”
“… … .”
“Then one day, as if by a miracle, a child was born between us. It was a lovely child who resembled half me and half my wife.”
He smiled faintly.
The excitement and joy of meeting the child for the first time spread across his wrinkled face.
“We raised that child with great care. We valued and cherished him more than life itself. He grew up healthy and lived happily ever after. With a loving wife and precious daughter, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Seraphine bit her lower lip.
My strong determination kept weakening.
She tried to speak coldly, as if she was listening to someone else’s story.
“You must have been happy.”
“I was happy, I was happy. But now… …I have to separate from my beloved family.”
A dark shadow fell over the man’s face.
“I lost everything in an accident that happened overnight. It changed the fate of my family completely.”
“… … .”
“Things were so bad. Things were so bad, I thought the only way out was to die.”
He didn’t explain the details, but Seraphine already knew the story, so there was no need for an explanation.
“So I ran away. I left my wife and daughter behind and became a coward… … .”
He looked at Seraphine quietly.
I felt so sad for the child who was once in my arms but now out of my reach.
“I lived my whole life in regret and self-blame, and then I happened to come across a newspaper article. So I came here without thinking. Even though I knew I didn’t have the right to do so… … .”
The small and innocent child in my memories had grown into a respectable young lady.
I still regret not being able to be there for you during all those moments.
“I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well.”
“… … .”
Seraphine was silent for a while.
The man looked at her for a long time, but Seraphine never met his eyes.
After a long time, a man with a tired expression stood up from his seat.
“It’s good to see you. It was nice meeting you.”
As he bowed and was about to leave, Seraphine shouted at his back.
“You shouldn’t have run away!”
“… … !”
She grumbled.
A voice full of resentment caught him.
“If you loved your family that much, you shouldn’t have abandoned them until the end. No matter how bad the situation was, you should have overcome it together!”
Large, glassy tears fell from her eyes.
Her voice, as she screamed in frustration, was filled with stale resentment, hatred, and a longing that could not be hidden.
“That’s what a father is. A father shouldn’t abandon his family.”
The moment I first saw the man, my heart started pounding like crazy.
No matter how old he got and how shabby his clothes became, it was impossible to recognize him.
Because you are the person I have been waiting for my whole life.
Because I’m someone who I can’t forget no matter how hard I try, and who I’ve come to resent.
“I, my mother, waited my whole life. My whole life, I waited for my father to come back… … How can people be so cowardly!”
The man’s eyes grew wide.
Hot tears welled up in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… … .”
In a hushed voice, the man kept repeating that he was sorry.
Regret flowed ceaselessly down his cheeks.
* * *
“Oh, that… … That kind of thing happened.”
A few days passed since then.
Seraphine, who had not been heard from for a while, came to the duke’s residence early this morning and told him what had happened so far.
I heard you met your father.
Her eyes were swollen and puffy, to the point where the corners of her eyes were sunken.
‘It’s understandable to be shocked when your father, who you thought was missing and dead, suddenly shows up.’
I could roughly guess how much mental distress you must have been going through.
The biological father who suddenly came to visit disappeared again, but because of that, the suffering was entirely borne by Seraphine.
“Your Majesty, what should I do?”
She hung there crying.
I patted her on the back, but I was just as embarrassed.
‘In the original, Seraphine’s father never came to visit.’
In the first place, she didn’t even know her father was alive.
Why on earth did my missing father show up this time? Is it because Seraphine became famous?
‘No, that’s not enough.’
There was something that didn’t seem right about it being just because of fame.
In the original work, Seraphine was chosen as the crown princess and caused a stir throughout the country, but her father did not appear at that time.
Then why on earth… … .
‘Ugh.’
It was a problem that I couldn’t find an answer to no matter how much I thought about it.
First of all, the important thing was Seraphine’s will.
“What do you want to do from now on, Young-ae? Can you forgive your father?”
“I don’t know.”
Seraphine shook her head at my question.
“I hate my father. I hate him so much. I don’t even want to look at him because he abandoned his family.”
“Young-ae.”
Just thinking about her father made her eyes fill with tears, as if she was filled with resentment.
“But… … . Even though my father abandoned me and my mother, I can’t bring myself to abandon him. That’s why I feel wronged and angry.”
I patted her back without saying a word.
No words of comfort could appease her lingering resentment.
I carefully asked Seraphine, who was shedding tears.
“Can you tell me more about your mother and father?”
Seraphine nodded.
The story that came out of her mouth was one that I knew very well.
It is said that his father was a commoner and his mother was the only daughter of Viscount Blaine.
Viscount Blaine did not approve of his son-in-law’s humble origins.
But didn’t they say that there are no parents who win over their children?
At first, he was very angry when he found out that his daughter had run away with a commoner and tried to cut ties with him, but as time passed, he eventually acknowledged his son-in-law and gave him his title.
With a will to make sure his daughter is happy.
It was a fairy tale, but it may have been something the previous Viscount Blaine had no choice about.
If the title had not been passed on to even an unpopular son-in-law, the family and property would have passed on to distant relatives in the collateral line.
‘That’s all I know so far.’
The story of the Count Blaine was not much different from the information he had found out in his past life.
So next is… … .
“You said your father ran away. May I ask what happened then?”
“There was a big fire at the daycare center. The cause of the fire is unknown, but the building burned down and all the staff and children there… … .”
Seraphine trailed off, but the rest was obvious even without listening.
“I heard that among the children who lost their lives in the accident, there were some who were of high birth. They were probably children of noble families who were separated from their parents during the war.”
I nodded.
If a child from a noble family had died in a fire, her father would not have been able to avoid responsibility either.
“The matter grew bigger as your family protested strongly, and I think His Majesty the Emperor severely reprimanded our family. Since then, our family has fallen out of favor with His Majesty.”
I had been listening to her up to that point, so I stopped talking.
“Just a moment, Young Lady Seraphine.”
“Yes? Why?”
Something was strange.
Let’s say, even if we make ten concessions, that it is possible that a child from a noble family was swept up in war and ended up in an orphanage.
He may have been separated from his family in an accident, and since crimes against humanity are not uncommon during wartime, it is also possible that someone kidnapped a child from a noble family.
But when the child died in an accident, the family immediately protested, and even the emperor held Seraphine’s family accountable?
‘How do I know that the child left at the daycare is my child?’
It seems like a lot of the story was omitted in the middle.
I hesitated for a moment and then opened my mouth.
“You said that the Blaine family was based in the South? Then the orphanage would also be in the South?”
“But why?”
“… … .”
A child abandoned in the South, and a child of noble birth that even the Emperor cared about.
“I need to go check something for a moment.”
“Oh, your majesty?”
I walked straight away, leaving Seraphine behind in confusion.