I was possessed by the villain’s daughter.

EPISODE 5

I buried my face in my hands. Darkness, darkness, endless darkness…

My whole body felt clammy. My room was so large, so lavish, filled with gold, porcelain, and jewelry, yet I still felt like I was trapped in a dark and damp side room.

My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.

“Ugh….”

I was so scared. No thunder, no pounding rain, no lightning…

My vision flashed again and I gripped the blanket tightly.

The thunder was loud like it was going to eat me.

I was afraid of thunderstorms.

The day my parents and brother died in a car accident was the day it rained so hard.

I still remember it. The road was black and muddy and puddled with rainwater. Broken umbrellas and dead flying animals washed up in the water.

Maybe the thunderstorm was so bad that my mom, dad, and brother didn’t make it to heaven.

It was a childish thought, but I was serious.

I cried a lot. When I cried, my aunt or uncle would get angry with me, like they were sick of me, so I would hide in my room and cry in secret. No one petted me anymore, but I felt like I would drown in my tears if I didn’t let them out.

I was afraid. Scared. Sick.

Lonely.

I felt like I was dying of loneliness.

“Dad…, mom…, brother….”

I groped in the darkness. I wanted to call for the maids, but I couldn’t see the strings on the bed. My vision was blurred by tears.

Why, only me.

Why me?

Why did you leave me?

Was it my fault?

I sobbed uncontrollably. In this cold, empty room. I would have rather died with him if I could, but I couldn’t.

“Please, anyone….”

Hold this hand. Save me from this horrible dream that keeps repeating forever. Don’t let me think I was alone…

I stretched out my hand at length. As always, I only caught the cold air. My eyes filled with tears and my heart was dying inside,

the door was thrown open with force.

In the bright backlight of the hallway, I couldn’t see who it was at first. But they must have seen my tear-filled face.

The long-forgotten face of my father was superimposed on his.

“Lila!”

“…!”

I blurted out.

His name was different, but the warmth of his embrace was just as familiar.

While I was catching my breath in his arms, two more people came running to the door.

“Lara!”

“Are you okay?!”

It was Edwin and Wright. Their faces were so full of worry, it looked like the world was falling apart. Esat stroked my head in sympathy as I shivered. His eyes were quivering with sympathy.

“Shhh, you were scared, weren’t you? It’s okay… You have us. That’s just a thunderstorm. It’ll pass soon.”

“Black….”

Esat continued to soothe me. I cried out incoherently, like a child who has fallen and seen blood, and only then, after a long time, did it cry out for its caretaker.

Their warmth, bright and warm as candlelight, enveloped me.

“Oh, it’s okay. It’s all right.”

“Don’t cry.”

“Lara. Don’t cry….”

Wrapped in their warmth, I think I cried even harder.

Eventually, I fell asleep that night, fainting from crying. Every so often, I’d open my eyes and one of Esat, Edwin, or Wright would be by my side. Holding my hand tightly.

Thanks to them, I was able to fall asleep again, even as the rain pounded down.

The next day was a beautiful day.

The smell of grass by the window was pleasant, and the sky was blue.

It was impossible to imagine that it had rained so hard during the night. Only the rain puddles on the mansion retained a transparent rainbow as a reminder of that rain.

As I gazed at it, I suddenly thought to myself.

Maybe it was meant for me to fall here.

I didn’t believe in God. I didn’t believe in God, because I didn’t think he would have been so in different to me.

But if there is a god of this world, perhaps it is Yue’er.

And that child would have wanted my happiness, as always,

but I no longer wanted to look at it through a glass wall.

I wanted to dive in and take it for myself.

What I wanted so badly was right in front of me. I reach out my hand and it grabs mine.

I wanted it so badly.

I wanted family, I wanted love.

I wanted it so badly that I’ve always turned away from it because I couldn’t have it… but in my heart, I always wanted it.

A family that loves me, a world where I can send a smile and get a smile back.

So now I realize that I was wasting my time by hesitating.

I turned away from the window. The maids were tidying up my room. I turned to one of them.

“Emma.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“From today on, I want to go down to the hall to eat.”

Emma paused. All of my handmaidens knew that she had been eating in her room, using the excuse that she was sick.

“So you need me to make it pretty?”

I smirked.

By now, four families had gathered for breakfast at the duke’s residence. The Duke, the two Confucius, and the Princess were at the head of the table.

They were still warm and cheerful as if nothing had happened yesterday.

Wright’s jokes were being tossed around dryly, Edwin taking them in stride, while Esart, who watched with a wry smile, made the occasional bony tackle.

I ate, glancing from one to the other of their faces.

Esart.

Edwin.

Wright.

My father, my brothers.

I finally decided to take them in.

“Father, I have a favor to ask.”

“Oh, yes. What do you want?”

My father looked at me with loving eyes and smiled at me as if he would listen to anything I said.

I looked back at the others at the table and declared.

“I want to go out!”

It was still raining.

But the rainbow was rising. The sun was shining, too.

In the novel, Esat is lynched as a traitor after the civil war, Edwin disappears after losing both his eyes in the civil war, and Wright is killed by an opposing warlord during the civil war.

I never wanted to let these men end up like that.

I will uncover the secrets of treason, and I will protect them.

They were my family, even if they were evil to some, even if they were wrong.

So, I will protect them.

#Behind

“Oh, and there’s something else I need to tell you.”

Esat gazed lovingly at his lovely lady, the Silver Fairy, and his only daughter, Laila. Laila was chirping like a silver bird. How blessed he was to have such a child as his youngest daughter.

“Tell me.”

Esat would not hesitate if she asked for the heart of a dragon, or the two eyes of a legendary giant in the far north, or the stars in the sky. If Laila asked for it, the Duchy would have a dragon expedition, a giant expedition, and a state-of-the-art astronomical laboratory and observatory in no time.

But the words that came out of her mouth were unexpected.

“From now on, I want to exercise every morning, just like big brother Yit.”

“…What?”

Esat sat up in surprise. Laila continued.

“No matter how much I think about it, I still feel like I’m a little too fat… and… you know how they say exercising makes you healthy?”

Laila was nonchalant, but Esat was indignant.

“No, no, there’s nothing to lose on you, you’re so skinny I’m afraid you’ll blow away in the wind. No, no, no. Has anyone ever told you you’re fat?”

If anyone has, I will torture them to death, and then torture them again, and send them to Gol.

In Esat’s eyes, Laila was indeed a fairy, a goddess, a goddess, a sun without equal.

But Laila was chic.

“That’s a lot to take off, isn’t it?”

“….”

“And your father, too. I was really surprised when I heard you had ten pastry chefs working on my dessert, taking turns.”

“That’s because you have a sweet tooth.”

Esat could feel himself sagging. Laila was adamant.

“No matter how much I like sweets, too much for a growing child is a sure way to ruin your body, and I’m sure you don’t want me to ruin my body, do you?”

“Moo, of course!”

Esat nodded. Then Laila laughed heartily.

“Then I’ll take it you approve of me working out at the training grounds.”

“….”

Edwin next to him was sipping his black tea, as if he hadn’t had the willpower to say no to Laila’s request in the first place, and Wright was…

“Wow, you’re working out with me? Laila, trust me. I’ll teach you slowly from one to ten!”

But Laila’s expression was… “Can this genius teach me?” she was smiling broadly.

Esat just giggled.

These innocent, adorable children were his sanctuary.

“Yes. It will work out.

Esat is the happiest man in the world: he has two adorable sons and a daughter who wouldn’t hurt to put in his eyes, his empire is at peace, and he is healthy.

As he watched Wright and Laila chat, Esat sipped his cup of tea.

‘But….’

Esat flashed a dangerous grin.

“Mr. Wright.

It would break Esat’s heart to see pretty Laila rolling around on the dance floor and get hurt.

Esat smirked to himself, thinking that he and Light would have to have a real talk when this meal was over.

The meal was coming to an end a meaningful meal in more ways than one.