AFRPR 46

Episode 46

“How long will it take to get the test results if I give blood?”

“They said it’ll take about a week.”

A week. That was enough time.

“I’ll do the blood draw.”

“I’ll have it prepared.”

Luckily, she was already fasting.

Estelle quickly gave blood and sent Lennox alone to the dining hall.

“I’ll rest for a bit.”

“Even just a little food—”

“I’m tired from the blood draw. I just want to sleep more.”

Lennox left the bedroom slowly, as if dealing with Duren and Glessia alone was already a heavy burden.

Once she was completely alone, Estelle got up.

‘Time to sort out my secret funds.’

She began organizing the pile of jewelry and gemstones she’d bought from overspending.

Just looking at them made her feel full.

This one, she’d wear herself.
That one, she’d hide and later exchange for cash.

While sorting, one particular ring caught her eye.

“This is…”

The gemstone wasn’t large or flashy.

“This is Mother’s ring.”

Why was it here?

She quickly examined the outside of the ring.
If it really was her mother’s, it would have an engraved initial on the band.

‘There it is.’

[ S♡C ]

Her mother’s name was Selene.
She had no surname because she was a commoner.
‘C’ must be her father’s initial.

Her eyes trembled, and her hands shook.

Her mother had been cremated.

‘So this ring should have burned with her.’

But the ring had no burn marks at all—it was spotless.

Estelle carefully slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand.
It fit perfectly, as if it had been made for her.

Her certainty grew—it truly was her mother’s ring.

Then she froze.

When she looked up, the reflection in the mirror showed something strange.

Her eye color had changed—
to blue.

‘No way…’

Startled, she quickly removed the ring.
Her eyes returned to their original color.

‘It’s a magic tool.’

Her mother’s ring could change eye color.

‘Mother’s eyes were blue…’

If it really was her mother’s, that meant she had used it to hide her natural eye color all her life.

‘Magic tools are expensive, and their lifespan is usually only about a year.’

It was well-known that shady craftsmen made them poorly so people had to replace them often.

‘But this ring has lasted over ten years.’

Suspicious.

Estelle decided to put the ring on a chain and wear it as a necklace.

Then she gave an order to her maid:

“Spread the word that I’ll give a huge reward to anyone who can tell me what magic is on this ring.”

Everyone knew Estelle was rich.

They would just think she was doing another eccentric thing because she didn’t know what to do with all her money.

But this was a trap—bait for one specific person.

‘If the Tower Master I know hears about it, he’ll bite immediately.’

She was sure he would contact her within days.

“Ma’am, you’ve received a letter.”

“For me?”

It couldn’t be from the Tower Master yet.

She assumed it was just another anonymous request for sponsorship, something she could toss straight into the fireplace.

But when she saw the sender, she froze.

‘Father?’

Count Bellonsa.

After reading the letter, her face turned strange.

“Hah.”

The letter was long, but it could be summed up in one sentence:

– You’ve been spending a lot lately. Spend less.

Ha.

Estelle laughed out loud—brightly, even.

‘Worried that my inheritance will shrink when I die, are you?’

With all the gossip about her spending, he would’ve heard every detail.

Just imagining the Count’s anxious face made her feel good.

Her cheerful laughter rang through the room for a long while.

Meanwhile, someone was watching from outside the door.

‘They said she got a letter from her family…’

It was Lennox.

The meal without Estelle had been unbearable.
He had eaten barely anything before fleeing the dining hall.

Then he heard Count Bellonsa had sent her a letter.

If he’d wanted to steal it, he could have.
But he didn’t.

Instead, he naturally walked toward her room.

‘What reaction was I expecting?’

Even without blood ties, family was still family.

If she got a letter from the family who had raised her, she should’ve been happy.

‘She was originally from Bellonsa…’

The reason her laughter unsettled him for the first time was because he knew how this marriage would end.

She would return to Bellonsa.
He would destroy Bellonsa.

And now, it hit him again—
she was part of his target for revenge.

Thud.

A rock hit young Estelle on the back of her head.

[Hey! You said you don’t have a dad.]

She turned to see a group of boys smirking and glaring at her.

Their faces were oddly blurred, which made her realize this was a dream.

But the young Estelle still spoke the lines she had always said back then.

[No, I do have a dad!]
[Don’t lie. My mom said you’re from a poor fatherless home.]
[Then your mom’s the liar.]
[What?!]

Estelle had never seen her father’s face.
But her mother had begged her not to say so, so she lied.

[He only left to make money! When he comes back, he’ll bring me pretty dresses and lots of delicious food!]
[Liar, liar!]

When she talked back without fear, the boys yanked her hair.
It hurt, but she didn’t cry.
If they hit her once, she’d hit them twice.

After bravely fighting them off, she went home, where her mother rushed over in shock.

Her mother had the same lovely pink hair as Estelle,
and blue eyes like the sky.

Even with shabby clothes and dirt on her face,
to Estelle, she was the most beautiful person in the world.

[Mom! Can’t I just say I don’t have a dad?]
[No, Tia. People will look down on you.]
[But you said there are all kinds of families. So why look down?]
[…Because there are too many people who won’t accept it. Come on, let’s wash you and put on medicine.]

With sad eyes, her mother fetched water and washed her face.

On her mother’s ring finger sparkled a small gem ring.
The band was thin and the gem small,
but she never took it off, not even for a moment.

Estelle should’ve stayed quiet then.
But she was still upset from being hit, so she kept talking.

[So… did I never have a dad from the start?]
[Of course you had one.]
[Did he abandon us?]

Her mother didn’t answer.

Estelle looked at her own reflection in the rippling water.

Because her beauty drew too much attention,
young Estelle often messed up her hair and smeared dirt on her face.
That didn’t bother her—she couldn’t see herself unless she looked in a mirror.

But being treated badly just because she didn’t have a father felt unbearably unfair.

[If I had a dad, they wouldn’t think I’m weak.]
[Tia.]

At those words, her mother’s eyes filled with tears.

[I’m… I’m sorry.]

She hugged Estelle and cried.

Flustered, Estelle hugged her back.
It felt like everything was her fault—
if she hadn’t complained, her mother wouldn’t be sad.

That night, after crying for a long time,
her mother left home as if she had made up her mind.

A few days later, a luxurious noble carriage stopped in front of their house.

The man who stepped out changed their lives—
he made them reveal their hidden beauty, wear fine dresses, and eat delicious food.

It wasn’t her real father, as Estelle had once dreamed.

It was Count Bellonsa.

Naturally, her mother married the Count.