“Please send Namete to the academy in the capital.”
The place my father took me to was in front of his older brother, Baron Rawabi.
"She's a smart kid.
Promise me.
You'll make sure she gets an education.
And with this money you can move to the capital."
My father handed the Baron an envelope, and as soon as the Baron examined the envelope, he smiled brightly and said:
“Sure, don't worry about it.”
“…I’m worried because my brother has been the worst kind of trash since we were kids.
I just hope you can become a decent human being now.”
Now that I thought about it, Dad's eyes were precise.
"Then brother, put Mia in your family registry.
She's the same age as Juan, so you can list her as his twin.
Anyway, if you go to the capital, no one will know.
Who cares if she's really a twin or not?"
It was a reasonable method.
When Juan enrolls in the academy, they will inevitably be asked: “He has a twin.” What about the other one?
Naturally, I was registered.
“I will come back, for sure.
I will come to get Namiya.”
My father looked at the Baron and said:
“So until then, please take care of my Namya.
We share the same blood, so don’t treat her carelessly.”
At that time, I was nervous when I looked at the money envelope my father handed me.
My father was literally struggling to pay the interest on the debt.
But this much money?
“No, where on earth did this money come from...”
I had a lot of questions, really.
But my father's expression seemed too sad to ask any more questions.
To pretend to be unaware of one's adult circumstances is the virtue of an early-raised child.
My father hugged me tightly and whispered.
“Daughter, please wait for me.
You know that your father loves you, right?”
I wanted to stop my father from going.
I wanted to hold on to my desire to be with my father.
But I answered with a calm smile, like I do every morning.
“Yes, Dad… I will be brave and wait for you.
I am very smart.
So don’t worry about me.
Take care, Dad.”
That was our last conversation.
“Brother, don’t forget.
Please make sure to send Mia to the academy.”
“No problem.
Don’t worry.
Remember our childhood, trust me!
Don’t be rude and cruel.”
"...I can't help but think of my childhood.
Let's write the most cruel and strict decade in existence."
Before my father left, he signed a legally binding contract with the Baron.
If he doesn't send me to the academy, he will come back and demand double the damages.
But there was something else surprising.
The next day, the lenders came to me and handed me a document.
It was a certificate that all debts in my name had been paid.
“Nonsense… wasn’t the money easily repaid?”
Even though I was free of the debt that had been stuck in my mind since birth, I was distraught.
Meanwhile, the Baron moved to the capital with the money my father gave him.
After that, he sent me to the academy with Juan according to the terms of the contract.
However, when I passed the academy entrance exam.
For the first time, the Baron slapped me.
“Why are you so ambitious?
You’re supposed to be twins with Juan?
What nonsense!
This will make Juan compare to you in every aspect in the academy!”
With a gleam in her eyes, the Baroness chimed in.
“Know your place, girl!”
After that, I mildly messed up the academy exams.
My tasks were also almost done.
I wanted to continue enrolling in the academy, but I was afraid that the Baron would break the contract.
'What if he just says he'll compensate for the damages and ban me from attending the academy?'
Just like that, a year passed.
My father didn't come back.
The Viscount's treatment of me became worse and worse.
If I do Juan's errands, I can at least eat a meal.
Of course, the Baron only sent me to the academy, and his treatment of me was a mess.
“Where did your father go?
Hmm.
Of course he told me.”
But I could not oppose the Baron at all.
“Okay… I'll tell you when the time comes.
You're still very young.
There's no need to know now.
I promised your father I wouldn't tell you until you're an adult.”
I couldn't answer that because I also had a vague guess.
The debt owed was truly enormous.
But if he could pay off this debt in one go and even bribe the baron…
‘My father is innocent and kind, but he is not a person with great talent.’
Clearly he sold himself out.
For that kind of money, it's definitely not a legitimate place.
So I waited until I was an adult and could earn money.
No matter where my father was, I wanted to go rescue him.
But after she became an adult and joined the Imperial Palace, the Baron changed his words.
“Until I become a viscount, okay?”
The Baron and his wife wanted to obtain the title of “Viscount.”
There were several ways to become a viscount, such as buying it.
But they were short of money, so they said it would be good if I gave them my salary.
It seemed that they became even greedier once they arrived in the capital.
“If we get the title of Viscount… So, when Juan proudly takes his place as Viscount’s heir, I will tell you about it then.
Okay?”
“Before that, well, I'm a little scared too.
I think your father had an accident.
We have things to attend to.
You understand, right?”
Okay…
I was also afraid to go to the information union and ask questions because I was afraid that my father would be involved in a very serious crime.
“I want to get information from the Baron as safely as possible.”
So I understood the Baron's desire to save himself so that he could live as a viscount.
But I also had no intention of compromising endlessly.
“If I give you money from now on, you have to tell me later.
Where is my father?
Okay?”
“Okay then!
Let’s write the contract!
A cruel and cruel contract just like your father did!”
“Five years.”
“Huh?”
"I will only pay you for five years.
I can't give you more."
“Five years is not enough!
Ten years, let's make it ten years!”
Ultimately, the period specified in our contract was seven years.
-If you give me 7 years' salary, I will tell you where your father went.
[Daughter, please wait for me.
You know that your father loves you, right?]
My father risked his whole life to protect me.
The childhood days I spent with my father were the most beautiful days for me.
Sometimes, when there was nowhere to leave me and the library was closed, my father would take me to where he worked.
[It's not difficult at all!
Just one look at my daughter's face gives me energy!]
My father worked hard even when I was around, but he smiled kindly and lovingly and waved his hands as he looked at me.
On my way home from work while I was looking at the dawn stars, my father caught me while I was sleeping and patted my back the entire time.
'Dad...'
Now that I am an adult, I will definitely find my father.
I wanted to rescue my father from the place he was trapped in.
‘I'm afraid I'll need a lot of money to save Dad, so I'm secretly saving my salary from overtime and annual leave compensation.
If I work overtime, I can even save dinner money…'
However, the Baron was the only one who had any idea where my father was.
Not following the Baron's words made me abandon my father.
So I lived like this until now.
[I don't know everything about your situation, but just cut ties and live your life.]
This was my situation.
Others might think a lot about it, but for me, it's something I want so badly.
With a father who dedicated his entire life to me, losing my salary for seven years was a possibility.
“If they ask for more than this, I will not remain silent, but...”
I hurried towards the Baron's house.