CH 3

After meeting May, silence lingered throughout the corridor where Persis stepped. His escort followed, to the point where John was holding his breath.

Persis broke the silence.

“She called me father.”

“… She is the master’s beautiful daughter.”

“She doesn’t look anything like me.”

John did not know what to answer. Can I answer? I also had doubts. Dare to resemble the owner or not, is it okay to talk about the topic?

“I can’t even feel the power of my family.”

The owner’s face is not visible. Of course, you don’t even have to look. It won’t have any facial expressions anyway.

“Because she is still young. The power of a family is suddenly revealed before you become an adult.”

However, even with that expressionless expression, I wanted to read what my master was thinking.

“Well, neither I nor my father, nor the damn Pascal, appeared before we were five years old.”

I want to know what you mean by saying this.

Could it be that you don’t approve of your daughter?

If you don’t admit…

“Is it Floa’s work?”

“… Yes?”

John, who was lost in his thoughts for a moment, was startled.

“There’s no way I don’t know who lives in my house. That’s as long as she’s as tall as that.”

John hesitated to answer.

“That is…”

“I’m asking if Floa cast a spell on me, not knowing the existence of the little child.”

“…”

“If it’s right, say it right. You knew it when you said that little girl was my daughter.”

“…- you’re right.”

Persis stood tall as John answered in a crawling voice.

“Write a letter to Baron Tibor.”

He looked back at, and John saw his curious expression.

… It would have been better if I hadn’t seen it.

Oh, the poor little girl.

“I’m sending a girl to an orphanage.”

Even at the moment, he said that Persis looked perfectly unconcerned.

“Orphanage… ?”

Are you serious about sending her to an orphanage?

“Why, is there a problem?”

John’s heart ached at the ruthless tone.

“The young lady firmly believes that the master is her father. She will be deeply hurt when she finds out that her father is trying to send her to the orphanage.”

Originally, John was not the type to vomit at his master’s words, but at this moment he had to.

I felt so sorry for the girl who had grown up without parental care until she was 10 years old, but now has to go to an orphanage.

But it seems that it is not for Persis.

“So, are you asking me to raise a child who may or may not be my real daughter?”

“…”

At his question, John’s spirits collapsed even more.

Certainly, there is a possibility that the young lady is not the owner’s real daughter.

But.

“But the lady is pitiful…”

John lowered his head, unable to meet Persis’s eyes. Persis was still expressionless.

“Who defines pity, John?”

“That’s… ”

“There is nothing more unclear than being pitiful. By a certain standard, everyone is pitiful, and by another standard, everyone is not pitiful.”

“…”

“There is no end to understanding, consideration, and help. Just because you feel sorry for them, there is no end.”

Just like how his father, who was nothing short of a foolish idiot back then, had taken in the damned Pascal.

John was silent and could not answer anything.

“So when you have to collect someone, you have to have a specific reason to collect and a guaranteed benefit.”

It’s not that he’s wrong. But she is his daughter, and she is a helpless child.

‘Should I ask the child for reasons and interests? Is that right?’

Even if it wasn’t right, Persis seemed unwilling to give up.

As Persis looked ahead and started walking again, John lifted his head.

“I will go see Floa.”

“Are you going alone?”

“Yes. You should send a letter to Baron Tibor.”

Persis walked away with a straight, graceful stride, as always. John followed his command with a darkened face.

“… yes”

***

As I was talking with Ellen, I was lost in thought.

Floa. Flotina’s guardian deity.

The first head of Plotina gained the title of duke by contributing to the founding of the Stasia Empire, and he was the one who maintained the dignity and existence of the family until Persis became the 4th head of the family.

Floa signed a contract with the first Flotina family head to swear to obey the Flotina family for life.

‘Only words are guardian deities, in fact, slaves…’

A slave contract sounds very unfair to Floa, but in reality, it is not.

After the first Flotina family head saved Floa’s life, Floa himself decided to give his all to Flotina.

Floa became the guardian deity of the family.

Thanks to Floa’s magic, May was able to stay at the Duke’s house until she was ten years old, and now the magic has been dispelled.

How did the magic work? If the magic continues, ‘stay in this house and leave when you are old enough to live on your own!’ Wouldn’t it have been easy to achieve the goal?

I asked Ellen, feeling sorry as if I had failed to win the lottery by a difference of one number.

Why did the magic break? Wasn’t it to let go after becoming an adult?”

“I explained it before, but Mr. Floa said he would break the magic when he was sure that the master would raise the young lady.”

I put on a puzzled expression as if I couldn’t understand.

Now is the time. Looking at Persis’s face earlier, it doesn’t seem like it at all.

I didn’t understand it even more because I knew the contents of the original.

Ellen also had a worried expression, wondering if now was the right time, even though she informed me.

“Well… Do you think Floa made the wrong decision?”

“I think so too…”

Ellen smiled embarrassingly.

Now what

“Can’t we meet Floa? I guess my dad doesn’t seem to like me. I want to ask him to cast the spell again.”

“If I knew Floa’s location, I would have told you right away, but in fact, I don’t know too well… The owner might know, but…”

It’s not a situation to ask Persis. I nodded my head, saying I know what you mean.

Ellen looked at me anxiously.

The expression was not good. I guess my father didn’t like my existence.

Ellen lowered her eyebrows, took my hands and squeezed them tightly.

“Don’t worry, though, I’m sure Floa had an idea and solved the magic. It could be that the owner secretly wanted a child without us knowing.”

I looked down at Ellen’s wrapped hands.

I wish she was right, but I know she’s not, and Persis will not have any intention of raising me, as he did in the original.

Yes, he might have wanted to have a child. The desired child would be Stella, not me.

I smiled bitterly and looked out the window.

A fleetingly clear sky. There is a flower garden that I couldn’t go to even though I wanted to.

In the original work, the garden in the front yard was the first meeting place between May and Persis, so I couldn’t go even if I wanted to. Because I was afraid of meeting him.

But since we’ve already met, it doesn’t matter if we go out.

“Let’s go refresh ourselves.”

“I want to go to the garden.”

***

The garden in the front yard of Duke Plotina’s residence was so beautiful that it could not be compared to any other garden.

Colorful flowers are planted in each block with a white fence. A large marble fountain in the center.

And a pavilion nestled at the edge of the garden. In that pavilion, someone was having a leisurely tea time.

White hair that flutters as the wind blows dark gray eyes reflected sharply in the savoring tea water

The narcissistic man was Floa.

Although Floa is older, he only looked like he was in his early twenties.

As the wind brushed his pretty face once more, Persis approached.

“How many people know of the existence of that little girl?”

Floa lowered the teacup and looked up at him.

“… There are only employees living in the Duke’s residence.”

“You must have had a lot of fun teasing me, Floa.”

A slight rage crept into his eyes. He was angry, but didn’t appear to be angry.

“… It was a request from Viche.”

“Why, if you’re going to hide it, you should’ve hidden it for the rest of her life? Then, as she wished, the little girl would have eaten well and lived well in my house without me knowing.”

Floa’s answer was one beat late.

“… It was a hassle to keep the magic going for 10 years.”

Ellen guessed that it all meant something was wrong. It just doesn’t mean much, he just released it because he was tired of maintaining the magic.

Persis sat cross-legged in a seat across from Floa. His arms were crossed arrogantly.

“It’s unfortunate. I’m sending her to the orphanage. All of this has been in vain.”

Floa lowered his gaze and raised the teacup. The tea water swayed like gentle waves.

“It has nothing to do with me. I just listened to Vinche’s request.”

She begged on her knees in her pregnant body. She’s just a little pitiful.

“I don’t care what happens to her.”