Cinderella Wasn’t Me - chapter 3

One night, I became the only daughter of a Duke having been the daughter of a supposedly peasant at the beginning.

Honestly, I wasn’t happy.

The time where I needed my father in my life has passed, and only the time where my mother fought for me stayed.

Raising a child without the right help was never easy.

There were more days where I cried than the days where I smiled, and more days when I was hungry than the days when I was full.

During those difficult times, I don’t know how much I cursed my biological father.

But now there was only a sudden misunderstanding, and the Duke has always been in love with my mother.

He didn’t come into contact, I didn’t believe it. But…

“I’m sorry, Lily. I’ve put you through a lot of hard times with the wrong wind.”

Suffering from guilt and not his own, my mother cried in the Duke’s arms.

The man was surprised and said it was not his fault, but hers, taking away my mother every burden of responsibility.

And my mother, she was comforted by the little words.

I couldn’t add anything else.

I was afraid that my mother would feel guilty if she resented the Duke, and it was strange to see her cry.

In front of me, a woman who had never cried before was leaning on someone with all your responsibilities.

In that natural way, I see love and trust.

That was it. Whether you accept it or not, both your jobs have been solved.

Before I believed in my biological father, I couldn’t refuse my mother’s love.

It took me some time, but I finally recognized the duke as my father biological.

However, in many ways, it was not easy.

The servants who didn’t talk behind my back weren’t familiar with me, and their extreme attitudes are also incidental.

It was also unwelcome that the environment has changed completely. And, frankly, I couldn’t afford to feel that my life had improved.

“The Duke of Rihan is crazy.”

Lying in the middle of the chimney, I muttered without understanding.

The process of getting to the north was hectic, but the schedule after that was worse.

Shortly after accepting it, this was the first thing the Duke of Rihan said.

“Then we can begin the succession classes from today.”

“What?”

“Tomorrow, come to the mist. Andorra Greenel will guide you.”

To be reasonable, it was natural for the Duke to have no other children, but it wasn’t easy to accept it.

Are you crazy now?

Succeeding the Duke? Classes?

No matter how self-taught I was, I couldn’t be good at a responsibility so heavy because I failed the Imperial Management Exam.

Even if I was forced to learn something else, fencing was really impossible.

The knights said: ‘At the latest, we teach fencing at the age of 10′.

The body is flexible and the mana is a good advantage to start when it is well received. But despite this logical rebuttal, he said:

“Don’t worry. If you start practicing 300 in the next three years, you’ll master the sword even if you start at 200, not 20.”

Is it a lifelong desire? To destroy my family?

It was an appropriate response without being honest.

After hearing that, I really didn’t have time to rest.

I learned fencing at dawn and had school in the morning.

I practiced fencing in the afternoon and studied in the evening as well.

At night I would take the test and fall asleep weakly at dawn again.

I was proud of myself for putting up with the crazy schedule, but for the Duke it seemed to be insufficient.

“After learning basic skills in three days, you can fight now.”

If there was a concept of intermediate stage in his head, I started to get involved with the knight Dalian on the fourth day.

At first, he pretended to be easy with me, but when the Duke disappeared, it became difficult.

After a full month, I was determined to rebel no matter how terrifying my opponent was.

Early this morning, I had the guts to throw my wooden sword into the fireplace.

“Since you two have a good relationship, why don’t you make a brother instead of clinging to me and tormenting me?”

“That’s ridiculous. Iz is too weak to have children. Why risk a second time when you already have a successor?”

“But I don’t want to be an incompetent like the Duke of Rihan.”

“Incompetent?”

The laughter on the way back was sinister, even though I chose the best word for the Duke.

“I’m sorry to hear that. My sins are great, because I have not prepared my mind for this.”

The Duke, who said it, made the knight withdraw and became my opponent.

And he didn’t stop until something strange came out of his body, either mana or soul.

A madman.

Crazy Rihan.

Crazy biological father.

It’s absurd that he would even think of looking for his lost daughter after 20 years.

Yeah, I’m like the accessory that comes with my mother.

Even if my mother wasn’t happy, my goal in life would’ve been to kill the Duke.

“It’s time to go to class, miss.”

I guess time flew by because I cursed inside.

I stood up and responded.

“Yes, I’m on my way.”

There’s no place you can’t keep your back, your legs and your pain.

No matter how much I think about it, I think it would be faster to become a corpse than a knight, but why bother with just the excitement?

When I staggered once off balance, Sir Greenel, the knight, helped me.

“It’s been a month since you picked up a sword.”

“Yes.”

“Is it really a month? Well, technically it was 34 days, but don’t ask me that.”

“When I was in the capital city, I had a hard time. It’s not as much as magic, but it costs a lot to learn fencing.”

“So you’re saying it’s a pure talent.”

Do you need talent to be beaten?

In a moment of resentment

I didn’t bother to contradict that remark.

I’m sick of the people of Whitefall having some strange fantasy about the Rihans for the last month.

No matter what I say, they’ll hear what they want to hear.

I shrugged my shoulders in moderation and went over.

* * * * *

“This is the end of the class. You don’t have to come tomorrow.”

Viscount Karthan himself, who was teaching me history, closed the book and said it.

It was sudden, but not surprising.

It wasn’t my first time.

My teachers, including those in politics, manners, dance and social studies, have already said the same thing and left.

In that order, Viscount Karthan was the last.

So far, I was surprised, but I let them go, but this being the last time I wanted to ask.

“The other teachers say the same thing. Did I do something wrong? Or is there a reason you can’t go on with the class anymore?”

“I mean, there’s no need to go any further. Because all the planned goals have been achieved.”

This is the same reason they all give.

Likewise, a lame reason.

Did I just finish my succession class in a month?

On the contrary, I wasn’t satisfied with the small job, so I it was appropriate to reject the class.

I couldn’t even think that way.

They’ve always been careful with me and have never shown any signs discontent.

It didn’t go unnoticed, so I would have noticed at least once if ten teachers wouldn’t have stopped me.

But why?

Is the North focusing on fencing instead of learning academics?

It was a place where the water was periodically infested, so I could understand that the level of learning required was low.

“It’s not that the study of the North is low, but the learning level of the lady is fast.”

I just found a good reason for this, but I decided to deny myself how I saw it.

“I just thought it was a difference in the environment, but I didn’t mean to insult him. It’s just… I failed the test of imperial care. I’m not very smart.”

“Don’t blame yourself, miss. The corruption in the Imperial Palace is not a day or two.”

“That’s…”

“What’s the point of writing ‘Bright Light’ in Hebrew? It’s a language that was lost hundreds of years ago.

I shuddered at his words.

What he said was the questions from the recent Imperial Management Exam.

Viscount Karthan was a Rihan’s man, so it would be easy to filter out problem, but the way I knew and felt it was different.

It was possible that the family was not on the heels of this power.

Even though I knew it, that’s the only way to improve my life, so the reality at that I’ve been turning a blind eye has penetrated my mind.

If I hadn’t come to Whitefall, I wouldn’t have passed the test.

I had a bitter taste.

After class, Viscount Karthan stood up and I saw my teacher at the door.

Just before leaving the room, I hesitated a little and then opened my mouth.

“If you don’t want to be a scholar, then what you need to increase is not knowledge, but self-esteem.”

“…what?”

“The lady is the little master of north. On behalf of the men of the North, I dare to ask you to consider yourself the most precious thing in the world.”

I could not answer your reverence for me.

* * * * *

Since half of the classes were gone, I got my freedom after a long time.

Still, there was nothing to do.

I came north and had no new hobbies, nor was I motivated to do anything.

I returned to the room in tatters.

When I came in, I saw something on the desk.

It was a beautifully folded handkerchief.

“Why is this here…? Ah, Cesium Daybrick.”

It was too late to remember the mess of my messy, tearful figure.

It was the handkerchief I received from his older brother Cesium while I was on my way to Jemon’s carriage and home.

“I still have it.”

I forgot it because my daily routine was busy, but someone must have washed it.

I don’t know when that was.

As I looked at the handkerchief, my thoughts flowed across the connecting bridge to my ex-boyfriend from the past.

It also fit in well with the theme I’d heard from Viscount Karthan.

Jemon Daybrick.

Originally, it wasn’t a hallucination that could have high self-esteem, but it was Jemon who brought it down.

Technically speaking, it was in the spring of two years ago that I met him.

In the library where I had been in and out of prep for the Imperial Mangaement Exam, I met Jemon for the first time and he showed interest in me.

By that time, I had already failed the exam once and was tired of living.

One day when I hid my worries from my mother, but my heart was full of fatigue and loneliness.

Jemon’s warmth seemed to comfort me.

Embarrassing me, I quickly gave him my heart.

Knowing he was the second son of a Marquis, I honestly had no expectations.

Perhaps misfortune up to that point was a fertilizer for one’s future happiness.

Innocent, foolish and young.

The cruel reality could be felt quickly.