˗ˏˋChoosing The Villainess As My Mother ࿐ྂ
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"What do you mean by talking about dying, Cynthia?" exclaimed the grand duke.
"What I'm talking about, Father?" replied Lady Cynthia.
"Maybe you're unaware," Lady Cynthia said, smiling.
"Hahaha. Certainly, how could I ever forget?" Lady Cynthia laughed, appearing genuinely unhinged.
"You truly don't have any idea about your own daughter, Father!" Lady Cynthia stated.
"I loved you a lot, Father, 'cause you're my family. I loved you back when I was alive," Lady Cynthia expressed.
"There was a time I loved you as my only family in this world. I used to love and hoped that if I tried again, fate might change," Lady Cynthia shared, her gaze fixed on the grand duke.
"I did, and I kept hoping," Lady Cynthia continued.
"But I'm sorry for that," she apologized, leaving the grand duke confused.
"It was my mistake, and I was mistaken about loving you. I valued everyone in my life, but..." Lady Cynthia admitted.
"But can I really forget?" Lady Cynthia questioned.
"Tell me, Father! How can I ever forget!?" Lady Cynthia exclaimed.
"I died more than a hundred times, and I still remember how you looked at me with complete disgust when I was falsely accused!" Lady Cynthia revealed.
"You didn't fight for me, Father," Lady Cynthia expressed.
"I keep going back in time, hoping that you would fight for me. But you never did," Lady Cynthia complained.
"You never fought for me, your own daughter!" Lady Cynthia raised her voice.
"And you still won't! Even now, as I've come back in time, you remain unchanged!" Lady Cynthia declared.
"I've experienced death countless times - in various ways, at different places, by different hands. But you know what's ironic?" Lady Cynthia shared.
"All of it was because of you!" Lady Cynthia revealed.
"I held myself responsible and attempted various methods, hoping and wishing for a chance that maybe... everything would change," Lady Cynthia explained.
"And you know what's the only thing that has changed in here?" Lady Cynthia asked.
"Meeting the child who fulfills my desires snd giving me what I want! And you've harmed her, Father!" Lady Cynthia exclaimed.
"You've truly lost your sanity, Cynthia! Completely out of your mind!" the grand duke declared, with Bosworth silently standing behind him.
"You're irrational! If I've told you that adopting a child is not allowed, then you must heed my words! I'm your father," the grand duke yelled.
"You? Hahahahah," Lady Cynthia laughed mockingly, dismissing the grand duke's authority.
"You? My father? Since when did you become one?" Lady Cynthia questioned, her anger evident.
"Anyone can become a father, but it takes someone special to become a dad, but you? Ha." Lady Cynthia says.
"When did you show concern for me when I nearly drowned in the lake?" Lady Cynthia asked.
"Where were you when I fell ill at seven years old? And where were you when I invited you to my tenth birthday, hoping you'd come?" Lady Cynthia asked, expressing her disappointment.
"Lastly, where were you when I died?" Lady Cynthia questioned, wearing a smile.
"Right. On the day of my death, where were you? Should I tell you? Okay, I'll enlighten you about your whereabouts that day, Father," Lady Cynthia asserted.
"You were observing and glaring at me with disdain written all over your face. It was as if I were never your daughter - you stared at me as if I were a complete stranger to you," Lady Cynthia recounted.
"Each time I return after facing death, I alter my plans, hoping and hoping... but in the end, you continue to regard me with those disdainful eyes of yours," Lady Cynthia expressed.
"Now, let me pose the question again: when did you EVER become my father? Because, for me, I won't recognize you as such. You, to me, are just a stranger from now on," Lady Cynthia stated, wearing a smile.
"You've already cast me aside, so why pretend to still be my father?" Lady Cynthia questioned.
"Is it genuinely difficult for you to bring in someone new to serve as your puppet?" Lady Cynthia questioned.
"Cynthia! Are you attempting to rebel against your own father!? Listen to me, young lady, if I say you can't, then that settles it!" the grand duke declared as Lady Cynthia raised her voice in response.
"No!" Lady Cynthia insisted.
"I've had enough of all these orders from you! I'll tell you this once - I won't and will never become your puppet, just like how you made me a hundred times!" Lady Cynthia declared emphatically.
"Do as you please, Father," Lady Cynthia remarked.
"Speak whatever you wish, but I won't heed any of your words anymore," the determined Lady Cynthia declared.
The grand duke raised his hand once again, ready to strike Lady Cynthia, but Bosworth swiftly struck the back of the duke's neck, rendering him unconscious.
"I'll attend to his grace, my lady. I'll escort him back," Bosworth assured as Lady Cynthia calmed down. She gazed into Bosworth's eyes and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Very well. Remove him from my presence before I take actions I may not regret," Lady Cynthia commanded, casting a cold gaze toward Bosworth.
"Yes, my lady," Bosworth responded.
Lady Cynthia then hurried toward the little girl who had been thrown and lay unconscious after the duke attacked her with fire. Little Fern's arms were visibly burned from the flames unleashed by the duke.
🦋⎯ Fast Forward 🦋⎯
On the bed lay Little Fern, unable to move and unconscious. Lady Cynthia, deeply concerned, had urgently called for a doctor to examine the young girl's condition.
The medical assessment revealed a broken rib, a consequence of the forceful impact caused by the duke's intense fire attack.
But the grim situation extended further; the little one endured third-degree burns, the scorching heat leaving her skin extensively harmed. The fire had left an indelible mark on the young girl's face, causing severe burns.
"Can she get better?" Lady Cynthia asked worriedly as the doctor checked the little girl.
"Sure, there's a way to help her, but the treatment might be painful. The duke didn't use a simple move to just make her pass out," the doctor explained.
"The duke used a really strong attack on this little one, meant to instantly cause harm with just one hit," the doctor shared, leaving everyone shocked and scared.
"Is my little miss going to pass away!?" Madeline, the maid, anxiously asked.
"Or will she stay asleep forever!?" Madeline added.
"Well, the child did manage to survive despite sustaining a huge damage. She could have lost her life with just one powerful attack, but let's consider her quite fortunate to have made it through," reassured the doctor.
"So, she'll be okay for now, but when she wakes up, she might feel the burning and pain throughout her body. It's important for her not to move around just yet," advised the doctor, and everyone nodded in understanding.
"I'll return to check on her and treat her if she wants to recover from her injury. As I mentioned, the process might cause some pain," the doctor assured.
"Please do come back for a visit," Lady Cynthia requested.
"You must heal my daughter's injury," Lady Cynthia insisted.
"Yes! You have to cure my little miss's injury! It's a must!" Madeline urged, and the doctor nodded, looking at the child with a thoughtful expression.
"I'll be heading out now," the doctor announced.
Inside the room with the little girl, everyone felt concerned, except for Bosworth, who maintained his stern expression.
"My lady, I'll excuse myself," Bosworth informed, and Lady Cynthia locked eyes with him.
"Yes, you have my permission to leave," Lady Cynthia granted, her gaze intense as if penetrating through Bosworth.
"I'll be taking my leave now, my lady," Bosworth said before departing from the little girl's room.
As Bosworth strolled down the hallway, maintaining his stoic expression, he proceeded directly to his own quarters, the butler's room.
Inside his room, Bosworth carefully arranged the flower accessories gifted by the little girl on the bedside table.
He then retrieved a book from under his pillow, which happened to contain a picture of Grand Duke Luk Van De Roos. Bosworth's face broke into a wide smile as he glanced at the image.
"Your grace..." Bosworth spoke, holding a portrait of Grand Duke Luk Van De Roos before setting it on fire in front of him.
Bosworth had an affinity for both fire and dark elements, granting him the ability to blend into the shadows.
"Daring to harm the little miss, begin counting your days, for soon you'll fade from this world," Bosworth cryptically cautioned, then vanished mysteriously, seemingly dissolving into the air.
Meanwhile, everyone stayed within the little girl's room.
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