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Nihil was originally not very talkative, but he became even muter after being branded. On the day the slave returned home with his branded tongue, Lady Du was unusually upset. So Adrian asked the maids to nurse Nihil with the utmost care for the few coming days.
It was clear the slave would be a companion on the way to Yogyakarta. The maids of the Du family wept for their young lady who had no choice but to choose a young slave boy who seemed worthless as a companion. Lady Du, who always disrespected her superiors, was quite popular with the maids.
The departure to Yogyakarta was two days later. She thought no one would see her off, but an unexpected person was waiting for her.
It was Barbate Du, the head of the family.
“Father.”
“Adrian.”
The middle-aged man silently scanned her, dressed in cotton and wielding only a single sword. Standing under the morning stars, his daughter had a strong smile. But instead of worrying about his daughter, he uttered harsh words.
“You lost to Kayley.”
“…”
“You need to stop siding with Prince Ethan.”
Oh, I knew you’d do this.
Adrian managed to hold back her sigh and responded.
“Do you really think I’ve lost?”
“Then have you won?”
“I haven’t won yet.”
It wasn’t a day or two that Kayley and Adrian bumped heads. Barbate left them alone because he knew that both his son and stepdaughter were incapable of being patient or losing.
His wife, the mistress of the Du family, would laugh, “How is it that the child we picked up and the child I birthed are the same! I can’t even tell who we picked up and who I birthed!” But the father knew that his son hated that joke the most.
The middle-aged man never thought he would’ve been better off if he hadn’t picked her off the street. He gave his daughter everything she wanted and did everything he could.
So he just felt sorry for his daughter. He gave nothing away with his expression, but his daughter knew it all.
“Then are you trying to hold out until you win?”
“Sometimes, holding out on the battlefield is the way to win.”
Said his daughter, who led countless battles to victory. Adrian won even in the monster-infested White Rocky Plains, where utilizing military tactics was impossible.
So perhaps, his daughter is right. She just hasn’t lost yet.
…But can she return and win?
Barbate silently looked down at her and held out something. Adrian furrowed her brows.
The Du family’s treasured sword. It was the sword Kayley had been flouncing arrogantly in the prison not too long ago.
“This…”
“Kayley cannot handle this sword properly.”
Well, considering the situation with his legs, he probably can’t even swing a sword.
Adrian held back her laughter, thinking that Kayley might really go crazy if he witnessed this scene. In front of her, Kayley always acted as if his only value was being the real biological son of the family.
But Barbate gave her this sword as if to screw with the pride of his real son.
Adrian purposely lifted her leg to Barbate. Her leg was still limp after being injured in the Battle of the White Rocky Plains and was left in prison without receiving proper treatment. It was questionable whether she could wield a sword properly now. So to her, this sword was more than she deserved. But even while inspecting her, Barbate said,
“You can handle it.”
The Du family’s sword was engraved with the words, “The last one standing wins.” It was in line with what Adrian said. Adrian stared blankly at her father.
Barbate was a man who didn’t know much about the hearts of his children. He was the cause of the bloody fight between the Du family’s two children, but he would never blame himself for it.
“Father, don’t you regret taking me in?”
“What’s the point in regretting it?”
Adrian smirked.
“An ignorant person gives an offensive answer. Like father, like son.”
But she shrugged and took the sword without further argument. Barbate was that kind of man. Instead of saying he has no regrets, he says they are useless. It made sense that Kayley had grown up in such a manner.
No, if Kayley were similar to her father, she’d definitely understand him. She straightened her back, looked at her father, and said,
“Father, I truly appreciate the kindness you have given me.”
“Yes.”
“But I despise Kayley.”
“I understand.”
Barbate looked straight at her. His child, who used to cry viciously in his arms, was now holding a determined expression, saying that she hated his firstborn son to his face. Even with such a girl as his daughter, Barbate did not regret giving her the treasured family’s sword.
“Prince Ethan will not go to get you.”
“I know.”
Adrian winked.
“People all over the country think I want to marry Prince Ethan, but you know how I feel, Father. If Prince Ethan follows me to that faraway place, I will run away.“
“…Yes.”
Knowing this, Barbate appealed to the king. Barbate knew his second daughter would be traveling to Yogyakarta ahead of time. He has ruled as Prime Minister for nearly twenty years due to his ability to predict the king’s thoughts, but he has never acknowledged that he has this skill.
The sly king was the one who would strike Barbate as presumptuous the moment he did.
But for the first time in his life, he lay face down in front of the king for his daughter. And the king said he’d be sending Barbate’s daughter to Yogyakarta, but he would cancel her marriage.
Barbate did not know what the marriage would entail, so he expressed the deepest gratitude of his life.
He pondered before speaking.
“You weren’t the type of cute, loveable, and obedient daughter that fathers often want. I couldn’t show you off to the world and say, ‘She wants to marry her father when she grows up!’”
“…Do you wish for that now?”
Adrian’s expression turned strange. Barbate continued without a smile.
“When His Majesty tried to arrange your marriage, I got on my hands and knees. Even as a child, you never once expressed a desire to be married. I must be a father you are proud of, considering the attitudes that other fathers often take when their grown daughters refuse to marry.”
“Oh, wow.”
She immediately understood what her father was trying to say. Barbate always confused listeners with his expressionless jokes, but Adrian never failed to laugh at her father’s jokes. Adrian smiled.
“It seems I’ve become Acela’s number one prospective bride, unbeknownst to me. Prince Ethan also proposed to me.”
Barbate raised his eyebrows.
“…That stupid bastard.”
“Uhh. Didn’t you praise Prince Ethan for being quite smart?”
“The bastards who propose to our daughters will always seem inadequate for any father.”
In the end, Adrian burst into laughter.
Barbate’s stomach clenched at the idea that this smile might be the last one she ever gives him in this life. His wife, Stein Du, cried all night and covered herself with a blanket, saying she couldn’t bear to see Adrian leave.
“…It’s possible Her Highness, Princess Della, will not let you go.”
“I bet so. Even I would gladly attempt to take away my life.”
Adrian replied in an even tone. It’d be more strange if the princess didn’t take any action against her. Princess Della had suffered severe damage to her self-esteem because of Adrian. With Kayley involved, she will have a long way to go, of course.
‘The Golden City.’
Barbate thought he must’ve done something strange in raising his children. His first son was striving to harm his second daughter, and his second daughter pitied those who wished to kill her.
Not all sons and daughters of famous families are like this.
The man tried to make them good friends with the sons and daughters of a famous family he knew but realized it was pointless. At least the children of the royal family act similarly.
Instead, he decided to look into the face of his daughter, whom he cherished and loved, even if he didn’t raise her well. Her face was pale and bruised by recent hardships, not resembling herself at all.
Barbate stared at his daughter for a long time before he spoke.
“A long time ago, I traveled there to conquer Yogyakarta.“
“…”
“Vivan-Almurk. Stop by there. Among the forgotten eyes, I too once had a vision of the Golden City.”
“You? My father?”
Adrian’s eyes widened. The Golden City was now dismissed as a false tale. Her father was the most realistic man in the world, so it was surprising that he believed such a thing. It was also unsettling to discover he traveled to Yogyakarta in the first place.
Barbate nodded.
“Your father was also a mindless little boy at some point.”
“…And I’m supposed to help look for those mindless little bastards?”
Barbate barely smiled faintly. It was a smile that only those close to him could recognize, as the corners of his mouth twitched. Adrian smiled brightly.
A girl with that smile, on her way to find something that doesn’t even exist in the world.
“Yes, so come back.”
“…”
“You’re going to come back and make this father proud.”
Adrian did not respond there. Instead, she bowed her head silently and turned.
The slave soldier with long black hair bowed silently and followed. His master was limp, and the slave’s long, drooped stature didn’t look all too bad. Barbate sighed as he watched his second daughter walk to her horse under the morning stars.
Barbate had no idea that his daughter was crying.
Adrian stepped on the stirrup and mounted the horse. The Du family’s warhorse was very gallant, but now she didn’t acknowledge it. Nihil also mounted his horse with a clumsy gesture. Without looking at Nihil, Adrian lifted the reins and lightly slapped the horse.
The horse set off with a neigh.
She knew her father was watching, so she puffed out her chest and straightened her back. Sir Alffien would’ve trembled in betrayal seeing her look so dignified when he always reprimanded her flaccid form.
But Adrian’s posture changed as soon as she left the mansion. By the time the mansion was no longer visible, she brought the horse to a stop on Acela’s roadway.
And while sitting on the horse, she rubbed the bone in the middle of her breasts. It was how she made herself cry when needed. When she pressed the area, it hurt so much that it brought tears to her eyes.
You shouldn’t cry over this.
That’s what all the knights say…
She left pretending to be fine, but she was still gripping her sword instead of securing it to her waist. She tried to guess how ridiculous she looked while holding the reins of both a horse and a sword. But before she could guess, the tears rolled down her cheeks.
When she rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her other hand, the silk material got wet. Adrian pressed harder on her chest. She looked a bit ridiculous now, but she couldn’t help it.
If rumors spread that Adrian Du cried while leaving the gates, her brother would sing with joy.
Seeing her tears, Nihil carefully held in his words. Thus the two, master and servant, stood on Acela’s roadway for a long time. Only the morning stars shone overhead.
T/N: Soooo, it’s been a while, huh  I’m so sorry for the lack of updates and no communication whatsoever. I’ve been busy with school and all that. And my mental health… let’s just say I’m somewhere better now. For the next few months, updates will be slow as I try to figure out my life. But please know this novel isn’t going anywhere! I hope you’ve all been well. <3