Chapter 35: The Clumsy Young Lady Gets Found Out by Father
My commoner plan has been discovered by Father.
Uwaaah! Even the plan documents I hid were taken away!
Anna, you traitorrrr!
Father didn’t throw the documents he read into the fireplace—he simply held them elegantly and burned them to cinders with magic!
No, not even cinders remained—they went whoosh and vanished completely!
“The convent plan was still better, Albert. There’s no way I’d let you live in some filthy town.
If you want something that badly, shall I build a beautiful town near the estate that suits you?”
That’s not it—that’s not it, Father!
Please don’t casually suggest something so grand like building a dollhouse-scale town… it’s terrifying because you might actually do it.
Sebas, stop nodding behind him too!
It felt like what Julius had once said might actually become reality, but I shook my head and refused.
“But…”
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, Albert, but if it’s your wish, I want to grant it.
However, anything that puts you in danger is unacceptable.”
It seems the commoner plan was completely unacceptable to Father.
He rejected it very firmly… apparently becoming a nun would still be better in his eyes.
I didn’t want to trouble him.
But his expression made it painfully clear that I had.
Those blue eyes looking at me with concern filled me with guilt.
“F-Father…”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry for worrying you… I didn’t mean to cause you trouble.”
I hunched my shoulders, lowered my head, and apologized.
Then, a warm hand rested on my head.
Even so, I knew that becoming a nun or a commoner would inevitably trouble Father.
Originally, as a noble daughter, I should marry appropriately for the prosperity of the Lattiche house—that was only natural.
The fact that I’ve been allowed to live as a shut-in this whole time is entirely due to Father’s kindness.
“My dear Albert. Your happiness is my reason for living. Please don’t make that face.”
“Father…”
The moment I lifted my head, my conscience started screaming.
Please stop… someone like me doesn’t deserve this much care…
As a hardcore father-lover, seeing Father’s beautiful face tinged with sadness absolutely wrecks my mental state.
Before I knew it, I had promised that I wouldn’t become a commoner.
…Huh?
Whaaaaat???
You idiot! My idiot self!
What are you doing getting persuaded so easily?! That resolve was for the sake of the ducal house and Father!
I got swept away by Father’s plea… yes, completely swept away…
Uwaaah! My useless self! My shut-in self!
This is exactly why Julius teases me, Kishtarial treats me like a child, and Michaelis just sighs at me!
I’ll pour all this frustration into Father’s birthday cake (practice version)! I’ll put everything into it!
…Why did it turn out better than usual though? I don’t get it.
“Miss, why are you so determined to leave the Lattiche house?
If you wish to leave, you could simply marry into another family.”
“Become someone’s wife…? Do you think I’m capable of socializing?”
“Lord Kishtarial or Count Domitrius wouldn’t mind from the start.
…Well, there are people like that even among the servants.
That man, for instance, if he married you, would probably never let you leave the house for the rest of your life.”
“…Why has it narrowed down to just those three?”
W-Well, those three are the only men who have any connection with me, a shut-in noble lady, and who treat me kindly.
They’re close in age and highly capable.
Honestly, as long as Father approves, even differences in status could be handled somehow.
Temporary adoption into another house to obtain a proper lineage—
that’s a common method for marriages across status gaps.
Even that love story between Prince Lucas and Baroness Datches would have worked if they had followed proper steps…
“With the duke’s support, status can be arranged however needed.
Adoption or the transfer of titles…
Among men you can interact with, who are of marriageable age and capable enough to stand against the duke, it naturally narrows down.
Sebas is far too old, after all.”
Ugh! I hate my extreme shyness…
Especially with men…
Anna casually said, “I will follow you wherever you marry.”
Fweeh… Anna, I love you…
Wait, this is not the time to be happy!
…Why am I even resisting in the first place?
Even though a lot of flags have already been broken…
My gaze fell on the prototype fountain pen.
It was more durable than a quill, with a specially carved nib that held ink better.
And the tip was sturdy, so there was no need to keep trimming it.
I planned to give Father one in aquablue, the same color as his eyes.
There were three handle types: carved mineral, unicorn horn, and wood from a blue-barked tree.
The mineral one had beautiful color but was heavy.
The unicorn horn was extremely expensive.
The wooden one felt nice in weight but slightly rough.
Hmm… maybe the horn is best.
Thinking of Father made my heart grow heavy.
Kind Father.
If he found out that I had overwritten and taken the place of the original Albertina… what would he think?
This body is undoubtedly his daughter’s.
I love Father.
But his love is for “Albertina.”
My consciousness belongs to a Japanese woman whose memories are mostly gone.
I don’t even remember my past appearance or the faces of my family and friends.
Instead, my memories have blended with Albertina’s.
Father is the only father I have now.
As the years pass, my past life fades, yet the game related to this world remains vivid—
and Albertina’s tragic fate is especially clear.
My heart and the original Albertina’s emotions gradually merged through time and shared fear.
A confused adult mind in a strange body, and a child’s shattered heart.
It’s obvious which one Father wants.
The original Albertina grew into a cruel villainess, supported by Father’s overwhelming love.
A love so intense it granted all her wishes.
She rose as a monster of desire—and then fell.
I know everything.
I’m deceiving everyone.
Using others. Using love. Clinging to peace.
From Father’s perspective… which one is more detestable?
If he knew the truth, would he abandon me?
Who is Father’s beloved daughter?
Who would love someone as full of lies and cowardice as me?
Kishtarial, Julius, Michaelis—
what they know is just the “duke’s daughter” I’ve been pretending to be.
The real me is weak, useless, nothing.
That’s why I want to run.
From the people who claim to love Albertina.
Everything is a mess.
I’ve made mistakes. From the very beginning.
If only I had talked to someone sooner… apologized sooner…
Part of me wants to keep lying.
Part of me wants to tell the truth.
I don’t know which would hurt Father less.
Sometimes children get swapped.
Even in noble families.
And even if the child is innocent, they are often cast aside.
I am an anomaly of the mind.
I didn’t choose this, but I did take her place.
Can that be undone?
Maybe… this is a world of magic.
I looked into mental interference magic.
It exists—control, confusion, memory alteration.
But it’s unstable and dangerous.
Soul-level interference would be even harder—requiring sacrifices or powerful beings.
Even Father might manage it…
but failure could leave behind nothing but an empty shell.
And if the original Albertina’s soul still existed…
she’d crush me instantly.
Her memories remain within me, barely.
Just enough to recognize family and close servants.
Because of that, people think I simply changed after trauma.
I closed the magic book and collapsed onto the desk.
“…Why am I such a walking minefield?”
Past, future, present—everything is a disaster.
The heroine, Renaria Datches, probably can’t accuse me properly anymore.
Father’s bloody rampage disrupted everything.
But… I hope she’s not holding a grudge.
A vengeful heroine would be terrifying.
Originally, she was supposed to be pure and devoted…
Well, aiming for a harem route already disqualifies that.
Honestly, if she gets stabbed by someone, I wouldn’t be surprised.
The resentment from fiancées alone would be enormous.
At best, she’s under house arrest.
At worst… execution.
This world looks glamorous, but it’s cruel.
People die easily.
Even the game had many deaths hidden in simple text.
Bad endings could kill both the heroine and the target.
There were four main endings:
Bad, Normal, Good, and True.
Bad meant death or ruin.
Normal was just friendship.
Good meant a happy romance.
True was the ultimate ending.
And even a harem ending existed…
Seven main targets, and even more in later versions.
I only played the original thoroughly.
Still… aiming for seven men at once is too much.
That’s not romance—that’s predatory.
Everything I believed about the heroine has shattered.
My plan failed.
I upset Father.
And the heroine I admired turned out to be… that.
This hurts. I’m going to sleep.
Life doesn’t go as planned.
I thought I could just stay hidden in the Lattiche house…
but I’m far more deeply flawed than I thought.
Is there even a happy ending for a villainess?