She Is a Daughter Raised As the Son of a Duke

Thanks to Iris and Cassius, Floa regained his senses and immediately ran to where Persis was.

Lost in the thought of properly apologizing to May, he even forgot that he could teleport.

When he opened the door to Persis’s bedroom, the smell of alcohol filled the air. Persis was lying on the sofa, holding an empty bottle.

Floa approached him, grabbed his arm, and shouted, even taking away the bottle he was holding and placing it on the floor.

“There’s no time to be drunk. If May finds her real father… She might never be recognized as family again…!”

However, Persis showed no reaction. He just half-closed his eyes, looking as if he had already given up on everything, staring into space.

“Viche didn’t leave May with you in this situation.”

“….”

“You still love Viche. You love May just as much.”

Floa poured out his sincere feelings to him.

“I… want to be May’s family for a lifetime. I don’t want her to have another family that’s not Flotina. Persis, you don’t want that either.”

“She already…”

His first faltering words were filled with resignation.

“May has already met her real father.”

At that moment, Floa felt as if his heart had stopped. He had not known that fact.

“She went to see him and held hands with Marquis Kisel, and they shared eclairs on a bench.”

Comparing himself, who he had never shared dessert with even once, he regretted not making time for her despite knowing May liked desserts.

“She told me she didn’t want to go back to Flotina.”

As Persis’s eyes became moist, Floa helped him sit up, prepared for what he was about to say.

“Keep approaching May and apologize. The more time passes, the farther her heart will drift away.”

“Approaching her will only make her more unwilling. I don’t want to be selfish and stubbornly impose my feelings on her.”

“If you give up like this, then you’ll truly be remembered as selfish to May.”

Floa spoke loudly to the man in front of him, hoping he would regain his composure. He told him that  he had hurt May in the past, from now on, he had to do his best to make May happy.

For that to happen, May had to come back to Flotina.

“To us, May is still a young child. We can’t leave her alone just because she pushes us away. She is precious to us, and we need to protect her and guide her in the right direction.”

“A precious child…”

May was so precious that there were no words to describe it. He couldn’t live properly without May by his side.

“Let’s go apologize. So that May’s heart can change.”

As Persis’s eyes turned red, he finally nodded.

* * *

Persis didn’t give up and came to me every day to apologize. There was so much to apologize for – saying harsh things, not caring about my feelings, leaving me alone. The apologies seemed endless.

“I realized that making you live as a son was also forcing you. I know it’s too late. But if I get another chance, I’ll be a father who won’t force anything on you. I want to be your family for a lifetime. So, come back home after the training.”

His tone was calm, but if I focused on it, I could sense his trembling. As a prominent family’s head, apologizing was awkward and difficult for him. I knew I needed courage to give him a chance, but my heart wavered slightly, and yet my determination was firm.

Living alone outside the house had been my long-time dream.

“Please don’t come to see me anymore. Just because I come out when you call me doesn’t mean I want you to keep finding me.”

“If I say I’ll give you a chance, I won’t come to see you. You don’t have to forgive me. Just promise me that if I give you a chance, you’ll follow my decision after that. Promise that you won’t leave us, that you’ll come back home.”

“… I have to go after the break. From now on, even if you call me, I won’t come, so don’t find me.”

Ignoring his words and turning away, I couldn’t help but meet him again when he continued standing there even though it was raining.

In any case, I tried not to meet him, but when he kept standing there even in the rain, I had no choice but to meet him.

As always, he smiled at me like a beggar when I arrived. Today, he had an umbrella in one hand and a box in the other.

“I told you not to come. Are you going to keep coming until the training ends?”

Persis didn’t answer my question.

“I canceled the upper demon procurement contract and came. I also canceled all the contracts that could interfere with our time together. From now on, I can focus only on you.”

I was astonished at Persis’s words. He canceled the contracts? If he doesn’t earn money, who will support Plotina?

However, my worry subsided as soon as I heard his next words.

“Are you threatening me?”

If you don’t want to see the family go down, come back home?

Persis was surprised and quickly denied it.

“It’s not a threat. It means I’m ready to focus only on you. I neglected you so far, and now I’ll take good care of you.”

“But you still haven’t considered my thoughts. Did you ever think that your actions would be a burden to me when you canceled all the contracts and took care of me?”

“I’m sorry. But contracts can be made again at any time. I just want to spend more time with you.”

Knowing that he could make contracts again at any time, I was able to calm down. It was because I didn’t want Ellen, Joan, or Johan to lose their jobs because of me.

Persis handed me a box. It was a slightly larger white box.

“I originally planned to give it to you as a birthday present, but you left that day before I could give it to you… It’s the dress you wanted before.”

I never wanted a dress. I never asked for a dress. What kind of dress did he prepare for me?

“I won’t accept it.”

“You don’t have to accept anything else, just take this. It were so beautiful I couldn’t take my eyes off it.”

It was then that I remembered what the dress was, but I still didn’t want to accept it.

“When you came last time, you said you wouldn’t force anything, but here you are, forcing again.”

“Please, just accept this.”

“I don’t want to.”

He kept pushing the box towards me, and I took a step back. Persistent, he continued to extend the box, and I finally pushed it away with force.

“I said I won’t take it!”

With a weak force, the box fell to the ground, and the lid opened, revealing the white dress inside. The muddy puddle on the ground stained the white dress, leaving yellowish stains. Above it, the rain poured down colorlessly.

As I looked at the messy dress, my eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck. I didn’t mean to ruin the dress. I just got angry at him for persistently trying to force it on me, and my hand acted without my knowledge.

I never intended to get the dress wet in the muddy puddle…

Persis reassured me that it was okay so that I wouldn’t feel like a sinner.

“It’s okay. I can order a new one.”

However, seeing him picking up the messy dress and looking so pitiful while saying that, I felt like an utterly wretched sinner.

I didn’t want to feel this way anymore.

Maybe that’s why harsh words came out of my mouth.

“Please… don’t come again. I’m begging you.”

I ran away from there as if fleeing.

***

The day after the rain, the weather was sunny, but my mood was anything but. I felt guilty for what happened yesterday, and my emotions were complicated, but I couldn’t show it in front of Materosin who came to find me.

“I bought eclairs again because you enjoyed them last time.”

He smiled brightly and shook the dessert box with a handle.

We sat on the bench again. He placed the box between us and opened it so I could have some.

“Try it. This time, it’s strawberry cream eclair.”

The eclairs looked delicious, but I didn’t feel like eating something sweet right now.

As I sat quietly, he took an eclair out and ate it first. He showed his satisfaction with the taste on his face, as if encouraging me to eat, but I just stared at him without saying anything.

We both had platinum blonde hair and straight bangs.

If we were together, we would look like a mother and daughter to anyone. Unlike with Persis…

I found out that he’s my father, and he seems like a pretty decent person, but maybe because I’m already sixteen, it was still hard for me to accept him as my father.

He seemed to firmly believe that I would become his daughter… but I didn’t want to give him false hope. So I gathered my courage and spoke up.

“Marquis.”

“Hmm?”

Materosin, who was eating the eclair, looked at me. I couldn’t meet his gaze, so I looked ahead and spoke.

“Anyway, I think it will be difficult for me to regard the Maqruis as my father. sorry.”