She Is a Daughter Raised As the Son of a Duke

After Millo’s insistence to take a rest, they returned to Nazret.

I waited for my father, who went out, and had dinner together, followed by dessert time.

When Persis ordered the maids to bring more desserts, the table was filled to the brim with sweets.

I looked at Persis sitting next to me with a puzzled expression.

“Dad, didn’t you ask for too much?”

“I wanted you to try this once. You love sweets, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, but…”

I looked at the array of desserts on the table again.

Cookies, macarons, tarts, crepes, pound cake, tiramisu… It was filled with only sweet treats.

“Well, then I won’t refuse and enjoy it!”

I picked up a cup of ice cream with a golden spoon.

Since ice cream would melt, I decided to eat it first.

Persis just watched me eat the ice cream. He seemed pleased to see me enjoy it.

He gently stroked my long hair.

“It seems like it’s time to trim your hair.”

“Ellen said the same thing. I’m considering cutting it, so I put it on hold for now. Short hair is convenient, and long hair is pretty, so I’m not sure what to do.”

“Whatever hairstyle you choose, you’ll look beautiful.”

“By the way, Dad, you always have the same hairstyle, don’t you?”

His black hair was partly falling forward and partly brushed back.

“It’s convenient like this.”

“Dad, whatever hairstyle you have, you’ll look cool.”

I shifted my gaze to Yohan, who was standing behind him.

“Hello, Mr. Yudif!”

Yohan smiled gently.

“Thank you, Miss.”

Right at that moment, the smile disappeared from Persis’ face.

“…Why are you praising Johan?”

He seemed very dissatisfied that I was praising Yohan. He asked Johan sharply.

“Why is my daughter complimenting you? Are you trying to surpass my daughter?”

Yohan looked extremely flustered, so I answered on his behalf.

“It’s not like that! Yohan has always complimented me too. That’s why I also compliment him…”

Seeing Perseus’s expression, I wondered if it wasn’t the right thing to say.

“…Yohan.”

“Yes, master.”

“Do you still have enough energy these days? Go practice your swordsmanship twenty times in the training ground.”

“Excuse me…?”

“Right now.”

“Yes, master…”

As Yohan left, almost in tears, I glared at the sulking Persis.

“I can’t talk anyone in front of Dad.”

“It’s not because you talked him. Yohan has gained weight lately.”

“Lies.”

“The ice cream will melt.”

“Oops…!”

I quickly focused on the ice cream again. Persis seemed to smile contentedly as he watched me.

* * *

Before I knew it, it was time for bed, so I changed into my pajamas. As I lay down in bed and covered myself with the blanket, Ellen approached me.

“Miss, the master said he would tuck you in tonight.”

“Dad?”

“Yes.”

After Ellen finished speaking, Persis entered the bedroom.

Ellen bowed to him and closed the door before leaving.

“I’ve already passed the age when someone needs to tuck me in.”

“I feel sorry for not doing it when you were younger, so please understand it for tonight.”

Persis hung something sparkling on the curtain rod above the window. He easily reached it thanks to his tall height.

“Oh, is that a dreamcatcher? It catches nightmares, right?”

“I don’t believe in superstitions, but Yohan said you might like it if I gave it to you, so I brought it.”

The dreamcatcher had pastel-colored paints on its white feathers. I really liked it.

“It’s so pretty. Mr. Yudif knows how to pick… I mean, Dad is the best.”

I couldn’t bring myself to praise others in front of him after what happened earlier.

‘Mr. Yudif, thank you and I’m sorry…!’

I silently shouted to Yohan. I planned to apologize and thank him secretly when I met him later.

Persis turned off the light and sat down on the chair next to the bed where I was lying.

When he didn’t say anything, I felt awkward and recounted what happened in the dream.

“In the dream, Mirocagon gave me the eyes to see the truth.”

“Is that so?”

Even though it probably wasn’t something he was particularly curious about, Persis responded well.

“Yes. When the black energy entered my eyes, I could see the people who were taking care of me lying on the ground at that time, in mid-air.”

In the dream, Persis and Floa had been by my side.

“But when I woke up from the dream and thought about it later, the ability to see the truth is something that requires observing people. It’s not like you suddenly gain the ability and start seeing truths floating in mid-air. So, I realized that it was just a dream.”

“Dreams are just dreams…”

At my words, Persis seemed to have an epiphany.

Nightmares might have tormented him all along, but they were things he couldn’t act upon in reality. As long as he wasn’t bound by them, nightmares couldn’t be more than just nightmares.

“In that dream, Dad was there too. I thought seeing his face might be the last time in that dream…”

So, I hugged him and apologized. I felt sorry for how I had coldly rejected him when he approached me wanting to become a family. Yet, he continued to think of me as his daughter and came to save me, and I was thankful for that.

“I also had that dream.”

“Huh? You also dreamed about it in the dream?”

“Looks like it.”

I was amazed and smiled.

“It seems like I missed you that much.”

“Since I met you, there hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t properly lived. Let’s be together from now on.”

I felt the same way, but suddenly the word “marriage” came to mind, so I asked about it.

“But if I get married, won’t we be apart for many days?”

It was an innocent question with no particular intention, just wanting to talk to him more, but Persis was serious. His gaze became even more somber.

“Marriage… Let’s delay it as much as possible. And I will try to persuade the Emperor to revise the law so that women can inherit the family. So, never think of living anywhere else, no matter the circumstances.”

“Okay, I won’t. I like it here.”

Persis checked the time on the wall clock.

“Now sleep. It’s already 10 o’clock.”

“I’ll go to bed too. You go after you see me asleep.”

As I closed my eyes, Persis gently stroked my hair.

“Have a good dream.”

He softly closed the door as he left, making sure not to wake me up.

* * *

The next day, I stood in front of the mirror and examined my hair from various angles before making up my mind.

“Ellen, I want to cut my hair. Since I can always grow it out short, I’ll try growing it long for now.”

“That’s a good idea. Then I’ll trim only the front bangs that might get in your eyes without cutting the back length.”

“Yes!”

As Ellen cut my front bangs with her cutting shears, Joan entered the room.

“Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince is here.”

…Diego?

After neatly cutting my bangs, I went down to the courtyard and saw Diego.

He must have noticed me because he rushed over and grabbed both of my arms, then asked me about my condition without hesitation.

“Are you okay? What did the doctor say? Are you really okay?”

I felt awkward in this situation. I didn’t expect him to come looking for me, and it was the first time I saw him at a loss like this.

“I-I’m fine. The healing magic cured everything, so there’s no problem…”

As I said that, he hugged me tightly.

“I’m relieved… I was really worried…”

How dare he hug me without permission? Has this person gone mad?

I tried to push him away in frustration, but then he showed tears.

“No, why are you crying?”

If someone sees this, they would think you’re my lover.

But his response was beyond bewildering.

“If someone you like gets hurt, won’t you shed tears?”

His bombshell remark widened the eyes of everyone in the courtyard. Ellen and Joan, who followed me, covered their mouths in shock. Murmurs of “Oh my, oh my” could be heard.

*Sigh…*

I took him by the wrist, fearing that if we continued this conversation here, it would only cause more headaches. I led him to an empty reception room. If Perseus saw us, he might misunderstand, and I wouldn’t put it past him to act coldly towards others.

Clang! I closed the door and gently pushed him against the wall.

Diego, standing right in front of me, had stopped crying by now.

I made sure he couldn’t escape and pressed my hand against the wall. My voice came out quite serious.

“Your Highness, would you like to know the biggest reason why I dislike you?”

Diego’s gaze wavered for a moment.

“I hate people who only think of themselves. That’s why I don’t like you.”

As if the words had hurt him, he lowered his eyes and looked away.

“You act based solely on your feelings, without considering others. Even now, you’re like that. Don’t you think I would feel burdened if you hug me and say you like me in front of others? You’re supposed to be the prince of the Empire.”

“….”

“Besides, it’s a problem in itself that you boldly declare your affection to the person who you caused so much pain. Even if I were to forgive you, it would still be… difficult, wouldn’t it?”

Diego once treated me like a thief, grabbed me by the neck, and poured whiskey over my head. Those memories were still vivid.

Yet he so easily expresses his feelings to me.

Diego, with tears in his eyes, stared straight at me.

“It’s difficult. It’s hard. So difficult that it’s driving me insane.”