Chapter 50

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 50

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Up until now, Iona had been little more than an obedient doll to him.

She had never openly shown Hayden her likes or dislikes, nor had she ever rebelled against his commands.

That was because Hayden had vested absolute power in the words "father" and "family."

Thanks to that, Iona thought exactly as he intended and never strayed even an inch from the path he had laid out for her. Yet Hayden somehow felt that she resembled an inanimate object.

She demanded no reward for following his orders and accepted even violence without resistance.

How convenient—and chilling—such a being was.

But lately, she had changed as if she were an entirely different person.

She had gotten angry. She hadn't endured Nils's punches but fought back against him.

She openly displayed insolence toward Hayden, and Ivonne was constantly badmouthing her, saying Iona was growing more arrogant by the day.

Once Hayden realized she was someone who could pay back everything she had suffered in equal measure, he suddenly felt afraid.

He had committed countless atrocities against his own daughter that ordinary people would never dare to inflict. It had been fine when Iona was nothing more than his puppet.

But what if she changed her mind now, too late?

What if she finally realized the meaning of all the things he had done to her?

"Count, you said I was family, but you never treated me like your other children, not even once."

"Iona."

Hayden called out to her as if to stop her, but she continued speaking casually.

"Even so, I believed those words and worked tirelessly. So obediently that it would be hard to find anyone else like me. No reward was ever given, and I never stepped forward to demand anything, but I can't say I had no expectations at all."

"......"

"I now know I can never have it forever."

It wasn't a face filled with resentment toward him. She was simply talking about giving up.

Even so, Hayden inexplicably felt anxious.

"Even real families sometimes tally up what they've given and taken from each other. For relationships that are essentially with strangers, it's even more necessary to keep the accounts clear."

"......"

"I've spent my entire life up to now earning the position of your adopted daughter. For a bastard child to gain a foothold to become a duchess, it wasn't a bad deal, all things considered."

Iona spoke as if she held no particular regrets about that fact.

Her voice, subtly laced with sincerity, sounded even more convincing than expected.

"But from now on, whenever you demand something of me, Count, you'll have to pay an equivalent price."

"What do you......"

"It means you'll have much more to expect from me in return for the support you provide. It's fortunate for you, Count. Even if I abandon the Modroff name, that background won't completely vanish. We can mutually support each other for quite a while."

Iona knew that Hayden was desperate for a connection to the ducal family through marriage.

If she became the link tying the ducal family to the imperial family, he stood to gain more than anyone else.

Anyway, since she had already said everything she wanted—both speakable and unspeakable—to him right after her regression, it was hard to pretend she harbored no ill feelings. In that case, it was better to nail down a transactional relationship outright.

So that even if she treated him harshly, he could delude himself that it was merely to establish superiority, and that they were still in the same boat.

And sure enough, Hayden was already starting to grovel before her.

Hayden tried to hide his flustered expression as he explained.

"Iona, it's true that I've treated you differently from Nils or Ivonne. But it couldn't be helped. Once I die and Nils inherits the family, it would be hard for you to expect any more support, wouldn't it? Everything I pushed you to do was because I wanted you to succeed."

Before he knew it, Hayden was subtly portraying himself as a good man in front of her.

It wasn't that she hadn't noticed before; it simply wasn't the first time he had acted this way.

When Iona had sacrificed everything, he hadn't done this.

He had never once considered how she might take his actions. He hadn't thought of her as someone who could possibly retaliate against him.

It was only after facing Iona's hidden anger that Hayden learned to respect her.

"If you're finished, I'll take my leave."

Iona ignored his plea and rose from her seat. Hayden grabbed at her, speaking hurriedly.

"Iona, you are my daughter. That's an undeniable fact."

Strangely, his mouth felt dry, and he wet his lips with the tip of his tongue.

Iona stared down at his wavering eyes for a long moment, then lifted the corner of her mouth in a small smile.

"Keep saying that in front of others, too. It looks very good on you."

With that, she left the room without even waiting for his reply.

After Fleur's visit, Nils and Ivonne had continued to keep a cold distance from Hayden.

Hayden would have to be the first to bend if he wanted his children to soften, but the problem was that his mind was entirely elsewhere.

The conversation with Iona clearly lingered on his mind, and he was showing his eldest daughter personal attention for the first time in her life.

"What on earth did you do to him?"

Marsha, who had to witness Hayden's change in attitude head-on as Iona's personal maid, couldn't hide her bewilderment.

Iona paused while turning the page of her book and feigned ignorance.

"What do you mean?"

"Even today, the Count sent something over."

Saying this, Marsha patted the large box she had dragged in from outside.

Judging by the packaging, it seemed to contain clothes.

Yesterday, the furniture had been replaced, a new carriage delivered this morning. Now it looked like it was time to overhaul the wardrobe.

Iona clicked her tongue briefly.

"What a pointless waste."

Iona had never been particularly interested in material things since childhood.

She remembered admiring Ivonne and Nils's lavish rooms, but that was it. To the current Iona, those were distant memories from too long ago.

Hayden seemed desperate to make up for the wrongs he had committed during her youth, even now.

"The Count doesn't know a thing about your tastes, miss."

Marsha muttered abruptly as she peeled off the ribbon adorning the box.

Since she hadn't even opened the lid yet, it didn't seem like she had checked the contents. Curious, Iona asked,

"What are my tastes, then?"

"You don't like clothes like this or fancy luxuries. You like food."

"That's from when I was little, too."

Even as she denied it, Iona was inwardly impressed by Marsha's memory.

It was amazing that she still knew so much about her despite their long separation.

Especially since Iona herself had half-forgotten it.

"Thinking back on it, I was just... ugh, it makes me so upset."

Marsha let out a deep sigh and continued her lament.

"Once, I got some pastries and went to share them, but the kid tore open the bag in her hunger and spilled them all over the floor. I said I'd bring more and roughly cleaned it up, threw it in the trash, and left. But when I came back, she was picking them up and eating them again. You can imagine how that made me feel."

"Was there a time like that?"

"There were plenty more. How's a growing kid supposed to survive when you starve her whenever you're bored?"

But after the official adoption, she had no strong memories of hunger. If it got really tough, she could always sneak into the kitchens.

The worst was when she was locked away with her teacher, learning the sword.

Her teacher, who often substituted alcohol for his own meals, wouldn't have properly cared for a child's.

Around that time, Iona was always hungry. By the time she came to her senses, she had developed the habit of shoving every bit of food in front of her straight into her mouth.

Come to think of it, Iona had picked up most of her bad habits from life back then.

Getting used to handing the reins of her life to others, starting to push away approaching people out of fear of future parting—all of it dated back to that period.

'Ah, it's coming back to me again.'

Iona deftly shoved the guilt to the back of her memory. Then, as if nothing were amiss, she joked to Marsha.

"For someone raised on hunger, I've grown pretty tall, haven't I?"