TBVP 02

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Chapter 2

I’m Sorry, My Dear. Your Father Turned Out Like… That.

When she came to her senses, she had become a baby.

And the most beautiful people in the world were introduced to her as her parents.

“Oh my goodness! The baby opened her eyes!”

“Peekaboo! Smile for us, our little Janice!”

She had probably been reborn.

Even though her memories were hazy, as if covered by thick fog, the despair of being abandoned and her hatred for Min Kyung-tae remained painfully vivid.

Because of that, Janice couldn’t bring herself to trust these new “parents.”

People said that doing good deeds earned blessings in the next life.

But she had never been a particularly good person.

More importantly, her previous life had been so miserable that even a stray dog would have wanted to spit in pity.

There was no way someone with her fate could possibly be blessed with loving parents after being reborn.

So Janice doubted them.

She distrusted them.

Whenever they tried to hold her, she cried at the top of her lungs.

She threw everything within reach—baby bottles, rattles, toys.

Today they’ll get tired of me.

Tomorrow they’ll get angry.

Then they’ll hit me.

But they never did.

They were always the same.

Their life wasn’t wealthy.

True to their profession as archaeologists, the only things filling their house were dusty, mold-smelling books.

Yet they were the reason she wanted to live.

Being with them allowed her to forget the horrible father from her previous life…

And the mother whose memory was filled with nothing but tears.

“My little princess, when you grow up, will you marry Daddy?”

“Actually, Mommy loves Janice even more than Daddy. I could live without him, but I don’t think I could live without you. So let’s stay happy together forever, okay?”

Perhaps her previous life had been so full of misfortune that heaven had rewarded her with parents like these.

Janice thanked fate with all her heart.

She had no expensive dresses.

No dazzling jewels.

But every morning they greeted her with kisses and warm smiles.

Whenever a mosquito bit her, they acted as though the sky itself had fallen.

Whenever she was with them, she realized…

So this is what happiness feels like.

She laughed and cried over a single piece of candy or one cookie.

At some point, it even felt as though her mental age had become younger.

She had truly become a child again.

Little by little…

The traces of her previous life faded away.

Until the year she turned seven.

That was when she learned…

Her mother and father had died.

A man named Fernando, an old friend of her parents, came to see her.

He told her that she had another father.

Her biological father.

“Your father is sick right now. That’s why he doesn’t remember you. He may say hurtful things. But once he regains his memories, I’m sure he’ll love you.”

“You can live with me if you want. I’d gladly accept you as my daughter. I’d be so happy to have such a kind and beautiful girl.”

“But Janice… would you meet your father just once? I think… he’ll treasure you very much too.”

Whatever Fernando said…

It barely registered.

His words went in one ear and out the other.

When she finally met her biological father…

She noticed they looked remarkably alike.

For just a brief moment…

Janice allowed herself to hope.

Could someone become another family like the parents I lost?

She wasn’t trying to forget her late parents.

She was simply lonely.

She wanted someone she could lean on.

Stupid Janice… How foolish of you…

“Idiot, Fernando! You’ve obviously been scammed! Let’s do a paternity test first. Then you’ll realize you’ve been fooled.”

“I’ve never slept with a woman! I’m serious!”

Her biological father from her previous life had said exactly the same thing.

“I’ve never done anything like that.”

A man completely devoid of responsibility.

And even after the test proved she really was his daughter…

“Could she be Father’s child instead? Maybe she’s my father’s daughter instead of mine.”

He still tried to dodge responsibility.

What a piece of trash…

Janice frowned.

But what made her disgust toward Garen reach its peak…

Was the conversation taking place before her eyes.

“I’ll admit she’s a descendant of the Roman family. But what’s important is the environment she was raised in and the people who raised her. What kind of people were they? They don’t seem particularly well-off.”

“Money isn’t everything. They were good people.”

“This isn’t about good or bad. It’s about proper education and refinement. We can’t simply allow someone unqualified to bear the Roman family name.”

Garen had insulted her parents.

Janice clenched her teeth.

He could call her unworthy all he wanted.

But what was wrong with her parents?

They were kinder and more honorable than anyone she had ever known.

Far better than some irresponsible man who didn’t even recognize his own child.

She had heard words like these before.

From Min Kyung-tae.

“This is why poor people are such a problem. So what? Just because she’s my kid means I have to take responsibility?”

“Didn’t you only like me because I had money? Be honest. Fine, you were underage. And yes, I lied about being married. But if you’d been smarter, you never would’ve gotten involved with me in the first place. Now I’m supposed to raise a child brought up by a mother like you?”

Min Kyung-tae’s voice overlapped with Garen’s.

Their faces merged into one.

Something inside Janice snapped.

“Excuse me, mis-ter. Actually… should I call you Mister? Or maybe… Half-Brother?”

“Half-Brother? Hey, you little—!”

“Why? Weren’t you the one saying I’m not your daughter but your younger sister? Guess your memory isn’t very good if you’ve already forgotten what you said.”

Janice mocked him without mercy.

“Why are you getting so worked up? I’m just calling my big brother ‘big brother.’ What a strange personality. I guess money and intelligence just aren’t destined to go together.”

“Hah!”

“I really wish you were even half as wonderful as my mom and dad… Oh, my mistake! Comparing you to them would be insulting to them. My parents were smart, kind, and amazing people. Unlike certain someone.”

Garen’s face turned deathly pale.

He looked moments away from collapsing.

Janice, meanwhile, felt thoroughly satisfied.

She had avenged her parents.

The only regret she had…

Was that she had never spoken this way to Min Kyung-tae in her previous life.

As far as Janice was concerned…

There wasn’t the slightest chance she’d ever acknowledge Garen as her father.

I’d rather become a beggar than live under your roof!

Money?

Power?

They were nice.

But Janice knew there were things far more important than either.

* * *

They had started tearing into each other before they had even properly introduced themselves.

There was no chance they would suddenly start laughing together afterward.

Two men in their twenties…

And one seven-year-old girl…

Sat together in oppressive silence.

Fernando seriously wondered how he was supposed to fix this disaster.

That was when the previous Duchess—

Garen’s mother, Bianca—

Stormed into the mansion.

“My Lady!”

“Open the door!”

The commotion outside grew louder.

Then the drawing room doors burst open.

An elderly woman dressed more elegantly than anyone else entered.

“Mother!”

“Aunt!”

Because noble families were tangled together through generations of marriage, Fernando was actually one of Bianca’s distant relatives.

Both men jumped to their feet as though struck by lightning.

Without exchanging a word, they instinctively stepped in front of Janice to shield her.

“Move.”

As casually as tossing aside paper dolls, Bianca shoved both Garen and Fernando out of the way.

Then she saw the tiny little girl sitting on the sofa.

“My goodness…”

Her voice trembled as though she might faint.

“Mother, wait! It’s not what you think. Let me explain. Please, watch your blood pressure first!”

“Aunt, just a moment! Here’s what happened…”

Afraid Bianca might collapse from the shock, Garen and Fernando desperately tried to calm her down.

Meanwhile…

Janice squeezed her eyes shut.

She braced herself for the barrage she expected.

A slap.

A blow to the head.

She tensed her neck and shoulders, preparing herself.

If her own father rejected her…

There was no way his mother would welcome her.

She was certain insults were about to rain down on her.

Just then…

Bianca’s hand reached her.

But instead of the slap everyone expected…

She wrapped Janice in a warm, gentle embrace.

“My beautiful little one, lift your head. Let Grandma get a good look at your face.”

Bianca was smiling.

“…?”

“…!”

Fernando and Garen froze in astonishment.

Janice was no different.

Hesitantly, she raised her head.

Her anxious eyes met Bianca’s.

The elderly woman had platinum-blonde hair and violet eyes.

She looked almost nothing like Garen.

A sweet smile, gentle enough to melt anyone’s heart, spread across her face as she looked at Janice.

“You look exactly like Garen. Though I do hope you didn’t inherit that awful temper. Don’t worry, dear. This grandmother will teach you how to hide your personality properly.”

She spoke kindly…

Yet somehow everything she said sounded strangely off.

Listening to her, Garen suddenly came back to his senses.

“Mother! We don’t even know for certain that she’s my daughter—”

“Didn’t you perform a paternity test? Didn’t it match? Or did I hear wrong?”

“It matched, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s definitely my daughter!”

The paternity test in this world was simple.

A drop of blood from each person was placed into water mixed with medicinal herbs.

If they were related by blood, the two drops merged into one.

If they weren’t, they remained separate.

The problem was that it could only confirm a blood relationship.

Parents and children would match.