“You mean you would do the same. Getting kicked out, and abandoned by your family?”
Marquis Leroy couldn’t hide the ridicule in his eyes while she spoke, but her voice didn’t waver a bit.
Leticia didn’t avoid his gaze, and faced it head-on.
“Can’t you do that?”
Does it mean that they could abandon her, but she couldn’t abandon them?
Does it mean that she had to understand, and embrace those that threw her away?
‘No.’
Leticia swallowed her anger and bit her lip.
In fact, what she’d abandoned was affection, expectation, and regret for her family. The process of placing them aside one by one was a suffocating process, as if blood was escaping her.
But she didn’t regret it.
“I don’t like it when I’m the only one who has to understand, and sacrifice.”
“Leticia.”
“I don’t want to.”
There was no reason to understand, forgive, and sacrifice anymore.
“You’re not my family anymore. Why should I do that?”
Even if they were family, she knew better than anyone else that unilateral commitment wasn’t right. Therefore, she had no intention of going back to her family.
“You’ve been saved thanks to someone else.”
“It’s all thanks to me.”
“….”
“Answer me plainly.”
Leticia calmly raised her head, and asked.
“Don’t you ever feel ashamed of throwing me away, then wanting to take me back after I’ve gone from being useless to useful?”
“What are you saying to your father?”
Leticia smiled bitterly as the Marquis raised his voice, as if he didn’t want to listen to her.
“My question was incorrect.”
At the same time as she said that, she slowly rose from her seat, and looked down at Marquis Leroy.
“If you had the ability to feel shame, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
It was no longer worth having a conversation with him. Rather, it was a waste of time to be sitting face to face.
“I knew this would happen.”
Nevertheless, she couldn’t laugh at the behaviour that didn’t deviate from her expectations.
Marquis Leroy spoke in a commanding tone, in the midst of an awkward atmosphere where neither of them wanted to back down.
“Sit down.”
He was trying to pretend to be calm, but his eyes were burning with anger. Knowing that, Leticia looked down, then turned firmly away.
She sincerely hoped that they would never see each other again after today.
However, the words she heard behind her dragged her back.
“Keena Erebos.”
“….”
Her gaze remained unchanged, but her fingertips trembled. Leticia turned slowly, and covered her hands with her sleeves.
As soon as their eyes met, Marquis Leroy smiled crookedly.
“Oh? I guess you know each other?”
With an ominous feeling, Leticia’s face became stern. Marquis Leroy had an appearance of the utmost satisfaction, and said.
“What if there are rumors that the Achilles family is in contact with that traitorous family?”
It was a question that he already had the answer to. Leticia was feeling very nervous, and she had no intention of answering.
“There’s no way anyone would believe such a ridiculous rumor.”
“Well, if someone saw you, Erebos, and the sister of Duke Achilles together. They might rethink those rumors.”
Rather, it was clear that they would believe it was a reliable story.
“People are interested in provocative rumors. In particular, stories where they can speak ill of others’ misfortunes, and slander is bound to attract people’s attention.”
It was an obvious threat to spread false rumors about the Achilles family if she didn’t return.
Leticia clenched her teeth, and sat back down.
“Can you handle it if the rumors are found to be false?”
“Even if the truth comes out, most people won’t know. People don’t care about the truth.”
“….”
“And I’m confident I can make those rumors real.”
Leticia was so angry that her mind went blank. In the meantime, Marquis Leroy spoke in a sweet voice.
“Think it over, Leticia. What’s in it for you?”
“….”
“I think you understand what I’m trying to say.”
After saying that, Marquis Leroy got up first. His expression was triumphant, with a relaxed attitude that he believed Leticia would eventually return.
“You’ll regret it.”
It was the moment the Marquis passed her with an amused look on his face. As he lowered his head, she met his evil-filled gaze head-on.
Eyes so full of contempt that she couldn’t recall the way he’d looked at her kindly.
Rather than being confused, he really thought that he’d won.
“Regret? Won’t that be you?”
“….”
“It’s you, and not me, who will come to regret it.”
In the eyes of the Marquis, her words were only seen as a last lingering attack. He just wanted her to acknowledge her situation, and come back without wasting time.
However, Leticia didn’t back down so easily.
“Then I’ll make you regret it.”
She couldn’t hold back her anger while talking.
Leticia didn’t know he would turn out to be so cowardly and shabby. The fact that he was her biological father was so shameful.
Even more infuriating was the fact that she could clearly see the malicious intent to harm the people around her.
‘I don’t want to be still.’
She was confident that she would do whatever it took to protect the people she loved.
Even if it meant losing herself.
“I must.”
***
“I don’t know what I’m going to tell your father.”
Marquess Leroy scolded as she fiercely lowered the letter. Lately, there was a constant stream of correspondence that Emil’s performance, and Xavier’s sword skills, were not the same as before.
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