Unlike the ancient castle, which was built as a fortress by a border lord during wartime, the mansion is new and purely a living space.
It is always decorated with flowers and crafts, making it a warm and comfortable home.
But today, it was barren and desolate because everything had been moved to the engagement ceremony venue. The cold atmosphere, a stark contrast to the opulent engagement ceremony, left my parents, who were sprawled on the floor, speechless.
In the depths of the entrance hall, a vast, empty space held a single chair. An old man sat on it.
Upon confirming his presence, Lord Cyrus smiled wryly.
"Father. I didn’t expect you to come. Are you feeling well?"
"…G, Granado Duke…?"
My father’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Lord Cyrus and the old man.
Duke Alfred Granado did not respond to his son or the baron. He simply looked at me and Lord Cyrus in turn, then smiled gently—a smile identical to Lord Cyrus’s, kind and warm.
Duke Granado, a true high noble with royal blood, is one of the top five in the kingdom. I, of course, was completely overwhelmed, and my mother, originally a simple village girl, was utterly intimidated. She remained prostrate on the floor, unable to move.
However, my father had not yet trembled. Despite the old man’s presence, he shouted without hesitation.
"Granado Duke! This engagement is not yet finalized. I will take Marie back today."
In response, Lord Cyrus muttered quietly.
"…If you have a home to return to."
"What!?"
He turned to my father and thrust a single sheet of paper at him. My father looked puzzled for a moment before letting out a scream.
"A… aah…!?"
"Baron Shadaran, surely you can read the kingdom’s language. This is a list of the duties you should have performed as a lord. The items with checks are the reports written in your handwriting. …There isn’t a single one."
My father immediately tried to snatch the paper. However, there was a significant height difference between him and Lord Cyrus. Lord Cyrus easily dodged and raised the paper high. Even in this childish gesture, his gaze was as sharp as a demon’s.
"This is a detailed account of how you have neglected your duties as a lord. Of course, it also includes the documents you forced Marie to write and the tasks you pushed onto her.
You have acted as the head of the family, pushing everything onto your daughter, accumulating insurmountable debt, and finally trying to sell her!"
Lord Cyrus’s words were so severe that even I trembled. It was clear that he understood everything, and the paper was just a record.
But my father—still, he jumped up. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t even make an excuse… he just jumped desperately.
Like a frog in boiling water, he tried to snatch the single sheet of paper.
Ah… I felt drained.
Really… that’s it. My father… this man I had believed in for eighteen years.
Breathless from jumping, my father muttered.
"Give… give it to me…!"
Lord Cyrus did not raise his voice. He simply told Gregor Shadaran the truth calmly.
"—Fool."
"Hah. What a mess."
Lady Rieu Rieu shrugged. She laughed in exasperation, leaned on the chair where the duke sat, and said casually.
"As you heard, Baron. With such poor performance, you can’t be trusted with the duties of a lord. —Therefore, the Shadaran family will be dissolved, and the current Shadaran territory will be managed by the Granado family from now on."
"What nonsense! What authority do you have!"
My father shouted and approached—then shuddered and stopped.
The old man had stood up.
—He was tall. The old man with long white hair and a beard was shockingly tall. Not just in height, but in shoulder width and muscle mass, he was much larger than my father, who was a generation younger.
His deeply chiseled, handsome face, combined with the profound wisdom of his age—no, more than anything, his indescribable presence—completely intimidated my father.
"A… aah…"
The duke, with his lips trembling slightly behind his forest-like beard, said to my father.
"Marie Shadaran is my son’s wife."
He informed him.
"From today, Marie’s home will be Cyrus’s home. And Cyrus’s home will be Marie’s home. If her home is dissolved, it is only natural to help—whether it takes the form of a ‘takeover’ or not."
After saying that, he took two steps back and sat down again. Lord Cyrus and Lady Rieu Rieu burst out laughing.
"Oh, Father, I thought you had finally stood up just to say that. Haha, are you feeling well?"
"This isn’t good, hahaha. Actually, ten doctors are waiting just behind that door."
Duke Granado narrowed his eyes at his cheerful family, saying nothing. He had the same sweet, drooping large eyes as Lord Cyrus.
—Grateful for my father-in-law’s kind words, I bowed deeply. My real father seemed to have lost all his strength and slumped to the ground.
"…I… I am a baron… I can’t just hand over the Shadaran family to someone else…"
Approaching the weakened father was Lord Cyrus.
"You can remain a baron. In practice, the Granado family will take over, but we will leave you the mansion and the title of baron. I don’t intend to send Marie back home, but in exchange, capable servants will be sent to handle translation and accounting."
My father’s face lit up.
"Then! I can still be a baron!?"
"Yes, but there is a condition."
Lord Cyrus said.
"Apologize to Marie."
"…What?"
My father was stunned. I turned to Lord Cyrus in surprise.
Ah, this person—this person is really… I felt tears welling up in my eyes. It wasn’t because he was considering my feelings. He was not doing it for me, but as the head of the Granado family and a high noble of this country, he was rightly judging my father’s true crimes. Just as I had wished. I was also happy that he had noticed.
I am glad I am marrying this person.
Feeling this strongly, I also told my father.
"Father, I agree with him."
My father looked up, as if he had forgotten my existence. His expression was blank. I no longer felt any anger. I calmly demanded.
"Apologize. …For everything you’ve done to me, say you’re sorry. For pushing the duties of a lord onto me, for brainwashing me into thinking I was ugly and incompetent."
Lady Rieu Rieu smiled. I continued.
"Apologize for everything. Admit that you’ve been lying. Acknowledge that you can’t maintain the Shadaran territory on your own. Understand that your policies were wrong. Thank me for all the help I’ve given you… and ask the Granado family for help, please.
…Say it. ‘Thank you,’ ‘I’m sorry,’ and ‘Please help me.’ …These three words are absolutely necessary for the duties of a lord, and they are what you lack."
That’s right… you can still learn. You can share the work with someone else. You don’t need to do everything alone; everyone has their weaknesses.
I am the same, and so are Lord Cyrus and Lady Rieu Rieu, and any other great person. Learn from those who know what you don’t, apologize when you make a mistake, say thank you, and correct it. Lord Cyrus has always done this with me and the servants.
I didn’t realize how important this was until I lived with them. What was missing in both my father and me, who tried to do everything alone.
I realized this while living in this castle.
We, the Shadaran father and daughter, had to face our weaknesses and the awkwardness of asking others for help.
We couldn’t run away from the fear of rejection or the hurt pride of being laughed at!
"…U… g… g…"
My father clenched his fists and groaned. He must know the truth. Just saying the word ‘help’ can bring so much. It’s really just that—just that! And yet, he knows that everything will be fine if he just says it!!
"G… g… g…!!"
"Father… please, apologize."
I waited for my father’s words with a prayerful heart.
But—
"Stop! Please stop!"
It was my mother who interrupted. She stood in front of my father, spreading her arms to protect him. She was taller than my father when she straightened her back. Looking down at my bowed father, she pleaded with us desperately.
"We are nobles. My husband is a baron. He is the head of the Shadaran family; it’s only natural that he can’t easily bow his head. Right, you!"
"…A, ah…"
"Don’t bully him. He’s a foolish man. He can’t do anything. But—"
In the next moment, my father grabbed my mother’s arm and pulled her roughly.
"Shut up!!"
—He made my mother kneel on the ground and shouted at her from a higher position.
"Who do you think you are, Elvira? Protecting me and looking down on me—"
"Wh… what… I was just…"
"Don’t defy me! You useless, peasant girl—what do you think I gave you such a thing for!"
"…!!"
My mother’s eyes widened.
At that moment, a black mass moved next to me. It was Lord Cyrus. Lord Cyrus Granado is a large man. Without any weapon or special technique, just with a single, large swing of his fist, my father was sent flying. His feet completely left the ground, and he crashed into the door he had just entered through.
He fell to the floor and didn’t move.
"Ah"
"Ah"
Lord Cyrus, still in the position of having swung his fist, did not look angry. He just seemed dazed or resigned.
Like a child who realizes they’ve been caught doing something naughty, he quietly muttered.
"Ah… I did it again…"
"Ah. Well, that’s the end of the discussion."
Lady Rieu Rieu said in a flat tone. She probably knew it was already hopeless. I bowed deeply to the three members of the Granado family again.
"I’m so embarrassed. I’m very sorry. As a form of atonement, the Shadaran family will return the baron title and the manor to the state."
"Wait! What will happen to me!?"
My mother clung to me. She finally realized that her home would be gone.
"As my husband said, I am a village girl, stupid, and can’t do anything. I haven’t worked since I got married at sixteen. I’ve hardly ever left the Shadaran territory. How am I supposed to survive!?"
Well, that’s…
I looked at Lord Cyrus. He indicated with his eyes that I should decide. After a moment’s hesitation, I said very honestly.
"…Well… I think it’s best if you do as you please…"
"Wh-What!?"
My mother let out a strange cry. I turned to her and bowed slightly.
"I’m sorry. I have no interest in you or Father anymore. I don’t know how to say it… I wasn’t raised to hate or seek revenge. I don’t even feel sympathy…
I think I really, truly, have no interest in you. Whether Father is punished or Mother dies alone… I think it will just be what it is."
"Su… such a thing. I am your mother who gave birth to you…"
Hearing this, I tilted my head. Hmm… we look alike in many ways, so I’m sure I was born to her. I probably received milk from her—though I don’t remember. My daily care was handled by maids until I was old enough, and then by myself. Anastasia and Sasha grandmother read me stories, and Mother never combed my hair.
If I had at least hated her, I could have shouted that she wanted to be loved and scolded her. But I felt nothing for my mother.
"…I’m sorry, Mother. I really… don’t remember being raised by you…"
Lady Rieu Rieu laughed loudly.
"Haha, wonderful! Good job, Marie! You’re a great daughter! Well done, Shadaran lady, your child is really filial!"
"Filial!?"
The one who nodded in agreement was not Lady Rieu Rieu but Duke Granado. He said it quietly and briefly.
"As a parent, there is nothing more joyful than seeing your child grow up, become independent, and be happy. Both my son and daughter."
"…Such…"
My mother fell to her knees.
"…Is there such a thing as emptiness…? The person I admired is dead, the husband I loved betrayed me… and the daughter I oppressed doesn’t even hate me.
What was my life? There is nothing… nothing left…"
Lord Cyrus frowned at my bowed mother.
"No, you still have one important thing left."
Lord Cyrus pointed silently toward the door. Next to my unconscious father, a blonde woman in boyish attire stood there, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.
At first, my mother seemed confused. Perhaps she really didn’t recognize her.
But when Anastasia smiled, a ladylike smile, my mother let out a scream.
"A… a, a, a… Anastasia!? Anastasia!!"
Anastasia shrugged and smiled, a wild and intimidating smile that my parents had never seen.
"You’re late. We were together for days. You really only saw my hair, didn’t you?"
"Anastasia. Anastasia! Oh, my angel!?"
My mother rushed to her beloved daughter, hugging her tightly and rubbing her cheek against her. Anastasia, though now in a boyish form and with shorter hair, was still the same person. Her shining blonde hair remained. My mother knelt before Anastasia, whispering “I love you” three times.
"Ah, Anastasia, you’re alive. Even in such a pitiful state. But it’s okay, your hair will grow back, and the dresses are still at home. It’s good, my Anastasia. You’re all I have now. If you come back alive, I will be saved…!"
Anastasia narrowed her eyes.
In any form, if I add a note, my mother truly doted on my sister. I have no interest in my mother anymore, but I don’t hate her or want revenge. If my sister forgives her and wants to live with her, that’s fine too.
Before I could suggest it, Anastasia raised her palm to the sky and wiggled her fingers. Mio promptly placed an egg in her hand.
—With a light crack, Anastasia cracked the egg on her forehead…
"‘Mommy’s Anastasia’ never existed for a single second."
She said, and then dropped the raw egg on my mother’s head.
There is a super important, urgent report. Please come immediately!!