Chapter 7 Reconciliation
"What are you... saying?"
After telling him to kick me, there was a moment of silence before my father muttered those words. Lisa seemed so stunned by my statement that she froze, speechless.
"I mean it literally. If you care about the Granbell Family, I'm not the person who should be here. ...It's because of me that you and Mother are still fighting, right?"
Even as I spoke with confidence, I felt nervous, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
Truth be told, I had hoped that by getting closer to my father, I could help with his work and then bring up the idea of reconciling with my mother.
But a major problem arose.
Territory management was incredibly complicated, and I realized my plans were too naïve.
Despite my mental maturity, there was far too much to learn, and it would take years before I could manage the family's affairs properly.
So, could I push the plan forward after years of hard work? Not really.
The family dynamics had already cooled too much for that.
While I still had a chance to turn things around—while I could still claim I was 'just being mistreated'—I had to find a way to resolve it now.
I had no choice but to take some risks, pursuing a bold approach...
as long as I didn't get kicked out in the process.
I mean, being kicked out at ten years old would be impossible to survive.
"You don't need to feel responsible. This is my problem," my father dismissed, while Lisa, finally recovering, hugged me tightly.
"That's right! The young lady hasn't done anything wrong!!"
After all, it seemed my father did care about me in his own way. Whether for political reasons or out of parental affection, at least I knew that I wouldn't be kicked out right away. That was a relief.
With that in mind, I could push a little further. If this was Father's fault, why was Mother treating me this way? Is it because my existence became the trigger for the breakdown of their relationship? I finally said what had been on everyone's mind but had never been spoken aloud.
It's true that this might be Father's fault, but the moment I was brought here and treated like an outsider, I became a part of the problem too. No matter who was to blame, shifting responsibility wouldn't change anything. If we wanted things to change, we had to take action ourselves.
"I don't want to leave this house either! I don't want to be alone again! I want to be loved by Father, Elder Brother, and Mother. I want to be embraced and told that I'm a part of the family too! But... I hate seeing my family fall apart for this reason..."
Huh? Why am I crying? I hadn't planned on breaking down like this. I had just been thinking about how I could somehow arrange a discussion using my running away as leverage while staying rational. Yet, the tears came pouring out, unstoppable.
"Please... It's fine if anything happens to me... Please, make up with Mother properly..."
I must look terrible right now. My only redeeming feature is my cuteness, and I'm throwing that away myself. Even if I try to wipe away the tears, I can't hold back the sobs.
"Yumie... I..."
Father stood up from his chair, opening and closing his mouth, trying to find words. A heavy silence filled the room.
I was truly grateful that Lisa was quietly stroking and soothing me. Without her, I might have run away, unable to withstand the suffocating atmosphere.
"Haa, how pathetic. How long do you intend to stay silent while a child says all this?"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted from behind. Turning around, I saw a woman with vivid red hair—it was Mother.
"Riffia..."
Father looked confused as he saw her approach, and then Mother slapped his cheek.
"Whoa?!"
"You're still the head of the Granbell Family, even if you're a bit out of it. Get it together."
"...Sorry."
"You always do this. You can talk endlessly about work, but when it comes to anything else, you suddenly fall silent and say nothing. I've told you countless times that this is why people misunderstand you."
"...Yeah, I know."
"And it's the same with Yumie. You brought her here without any explanation and just left her with a maid. Do you have any idea how confused Neil and I were?"
"..."
"Is it because I can't have children easily? Is that why you secretly had an illegitimate child, because I couldn't fulfill my duties as the Count's wife?"
"That's not true!!"
Father stood up so suddenly that he almost knocked over his chair, then looked down in shame, realizing how loudly he had spoken. Mother sighed deeply at his reaction.
"If it's not true, then explain properly. I have the right to know... and so do the children."
Children? I turned to see Elder Brother there too. Oh no, I hadn't noticed him. Could it be that Elder Brother brought Mother here? If so, that really helped me.
Honestly, I couldn't have talked to Mother without him. But still, the way she emphasized "children" made me think Father had been silent for a reason related to us.
"...Alright, I'll talk."
Eventually, Father began speaking, as if resigning himself. He recounted how he had met the maid who had been expelled from the household—my mother, Yumie—and what happened when they first met.
"That woman seemed to always get along with me. There were too many interactions, and when I reprimanded her for it, it began affecting her work. So I tried to get rid of her... but on the last day, something happened."
"An incident?"
"...I was drugged."
At his unexpected words, Mother's eyes widened, and Elder Brother seemed confused. Wait, what? Was it... an aphrodisiac? Seriously? What had my real mother done to my father, the head of the Count family?
"In a daze, I went through with the act... and when I came to, that woman was gone. Later, I heard that a daughter was born and that the woman had died... and after that, well, you know the rest."
Wait... does that mean I'm the child of my mother seducing Father? This information was way beyond my imagination. I was so shocked that my tears stopped.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But... I wasn't sure how Riffia would treat Yumie if I told her about this ridiculous birth. That's why I couldn't tell you."
Yeah, being an illegitimate child would still be better than being an outcast. Why did you bring me into this house in the first place? Really...
"Yumie" is... a child no one wanted, huh?
Damn, now I'm about to cry again. Come on, don't cry. Mother is probably the one who wants to cry the most.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)