Bastard Daughter - 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lucia, I don't know how fortunate I am to have you."

The words I'd wanted to hear my whole life are spoken from behind me.

A surge of emotion welled up.

How much effort had I put in to hear those words?

Coming into the Rodbel Dukedom, hailed as a prestigious magical family, as a bastard child and enduring all sorts of contempt and abuse, the only reason I could persevere was:

"I'm truly happy that you are my daughter."

Only to hear those words.

I've finally heard the words I've only dreamed of, so why am I not happy at all?

"...Huh."

Before I knew it, a hollow laugh escaped my lips.

I slowly turned my head.

A middle-aged man with white hair stood a few steps away, staring at me with indifferent eyes.

Snow-white hair, dazzling amethyst eyes, sharp eyes like a well-honed sword. My father, with whom I couldn't find a single resemblance.

Duke Ego Rodbel.

As our eyes met, he wore a soft smile as if he had never been expressionless.

A smile he had never shown me once since I entered the Rodbel Dukedom.

He always brushed past me with a cold expression and gaze, like the harsh northern winds.

That was the first smile he had ever shown me.

But, Father.

Heh...

Only a futile smile bloomed.

I realized it a moment ago.

You can act out an expression, but you can't hide a hateful gaze.

No matter how much you pretend to love me, pretend to like me, your gaze is still cold and heartless.

Queasy.

My stomach churns.

What am I doing here right now?

At that moment, a sarcastic voice was heard.

"Hey, vermin. Why don't you just finish it without wasting time? It's getting boring. Haa."

Turning my head, I saw a white-haired man yawning widely.

As our eyes met, his eyes sharpened.

"What are you looking at? You know it's no use begging for your life now, right?"

Well, if you cry and beg, I might consider it.

He laughed lowly as he said that.

Who would believe it?

Contrary to his handsome appearance, the man who only does cheap things is actually the second son of the Rodbel Dukedom and the commander of the Rodbel First Magic Knight Order, 'Banshis Rodbel'.

He was a great knight on the outside, but to me, he was the most trashy human being in the world.

If it weren't for that bastard, my Rodbel life wouldn't have been so difficult.

Banshis had to trample on me, an existence like garbage that everyone else avoided, to feel satisfied.

"That unlucky face is finally over."

I replied to Banshis's words in my mind.

Who are you to talk?

Then this time, a voice was heard from the opposite side.

"Banshis, you're in front of Father. Refrain from frivolous actions."

"Brother."

A neat and monotonous voice.

An existence that even the mighty Banshis couldn't disobey.

"And Lucia."

As my name was finally heard, I flinched and slowly turned my head.

Unlike Banshis, who had a very poor attitude, a blue-white-haired man, as well-honed as a thoroughbred horse, stared at me with emotionless eyes.

I felt a suffocating pressure just by making eye contact.

The eldest son of the Rodbel Dukedom, the youngest Sword Master, and the young successor who will lead Rodbel in the future.

Estio Rodbel.

He was not born with 'magic' like Banshis, but he showed a genius-like talent in swordsmanship.

In addition to that, he was also very intelligent, and he was receiving high expectations as the main player who would open a new golden age for Rodbel in the future.

That's why even the arrogant Duke Rodbel backed down in front of his first son, Estio. It's only natural that Banshis's momentum would be broken.

I stared at him and bit my lower lip tightly.

A light of undisguised contempt permeated above his blue-violet eyes towards me.

"Enduring any longer is a waste of time. Do you know how much of our time is being wasted because of you?"

"……Huh."

I couldn't help but burst into hollow laughter at the terribly cold and heartless words.

I muttered in a hoarse voice.

"To say that you want me to stop wasting your precious time and quickly jump and die... so casually. Brother."

"……."

I turned around.

A deep and wide pit that seemed to have no end was unfolded before my eyes.

All I could see was an darkness as black as the night sky.

Its name, resembling an abyss, is Abyssus.

It is also the source of Rodbel's power.

A secret truth that is not known to the world.

A thousand years ago, the first Rodbel sealed an evil god inside this Abyss.

The Abyss, where the evil god was sealed, granted special powers to Rodbel, and Rodbel was able to become the strongest in the empire through that power.

But there was a fatal problem.

In order to maintain that power, Rodbel's bloodline had to be offered to the Abyss once every hundred years.

Today is that 100th anniversary, and the sacrifice that will be offered to the Abyss and torn to pieces is me, Lucia Rodbel, a half-blooded Rodbel.

So how can I not laugh?

They are talking about my death as casually as complaining about the weather.

'I had a feeling.'

There was a reason why they didn't kick me out even though they hated me so much.

Recently, I thought they were suddenly being nice to me.

All of that was for this moment, to use me.

To offer me as a sacrifice in their place.

A hollow laugh flowed.

"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and finish it already?"

The laughter stopped abruptly at the voice full of annoyance.

I turned to Banshis and replied coldly.

"Then why don't you fall, you stupid pony."

"……What?"

Banshis's eyes widened as if he was surprised by the unexpected counterattack.

Haha, serves you right.

As I was laughing at his face, I heard another nonsense from the other side this time.

"With your lowly body, Rodbel will enjoy a golden age for the next hundred years. As someone who was going to live a useless life, there couldn't be more glory than this for you. Shouldn't you be proud of it?"

"……."

I was momentarily speechless.

I often feel this way, but there are times when I'm more sick of Estio, who spouts those kinds of words with a straight face, than Banshis, who runs around like a pony.

Like right now.

It's not just Estio.

Banshis, the man called Father, and everything about Rodbel that they belong to is disgustingly hateful.

So I touched their raw nerve.

"……Then how about my brothers sacrifice themselves for that proud death? If not, then instead of Miracle-"

Slap!

"How dare you mention that name with your mouth!"

The Duke exploded with fiery anger.

More than my head turning until it almost broke, more than my cheeks burning as if I had been burned, the brutally butchering words hurt more.

The sorrow that I thought had become dull surged up again.

"Why? Because she's your precious youngest daughter? But I too……."

I'm your daughter.

Even if it's only half, the same blood as you flows through me.

It was a word that had been stuck in my heart for a lifetime.

A word I wanted to spit out even once. But.

"I have never thought of you as my child even once. You are just a disgusting mutant. Did you think that someone like you could become a member of Rodbel?"

The cruel words of Duke Rodbel, who had even stopped 'pretending to be a father', were like daggers.

'I actually knew it.'

That I was lucky to be a child, that they were happy that I was their daughter.

That was all lies without a single piece of sincerity.

They were just trying to lure me in with the words I wanted to hear the most because it would be annoying if I resisted.

All of it.

'I knew it…….'

But the reality I faced was more painful than I thought, and it felt like even tearing my heart to pieces wouldn't hurt this much.

Duke Rodbel, in front of me who was wounded, said in a tiresome tone.

"There's no need to waste any more time. Hurry up and fall."

I became cold-headed instead of feeling sorrow in front of that heartlessness.

'I can't die like this.'

Even my death couldn't be used for them.

The way to escape…….

But there was no way for me, an incompetent person, to break through the three capable people and escape from this place.

What should I do?

At that time, an unexpected opportunity came.

"Father? Brothers?"

| Prev | Indx | Next |