TDRDH :10

CHAPTER :10

Cecilia stood in front of the dining room, her face tight with tension.

Her heart pounded erratically.

‘I can’t believe they actually called for me.’

She felt as if she were walking on clouds, her spirits soaring.

Cecilia pressed her lips together tightly, holding back a smile that threatened to slip out.

A dignified lady had to conduct herself with utmost propriety in public.

About ten minutes ago.

A sudden message had arrived from the Duchess of Lucert.

“The Duchess has requested that the Lady be brought to the main estate.”

Having received the news so unexpectedly, she had frantically prepared herself in a whirlwind of activity.

Cecilia stared at the firmly shut dining room doors, a wave of unfamiliar emotion washing over her.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever set foot in the main estate.’

Which meant…

During her entire stay at the Trancier Baronry, Cecilia had never once laid eyes on her family.

‘No, it’s alright.’

She felt a sudden pang of melancholy creeping in, but she quickly shook it off.

It was a rare occasion for them to have dinner together, after all.

She had to keep a bright smile on her face and avoid upsetting anyone.

She had to be a bright, sweet, and lovely daughter.

“My lady!”

Suddenly, Cecilia thought of Milena.

A cheerful and affectionate personality, without a single shadow.

A lovely young lady with radiant blonde hair and brilliant green eyes, just like the ‘real daughter’ whom the ducal family yearned for so deeply.

What if Cecilia had been someone like Milena?

‘Would my family have loved me then?’

No, harboring such thoughts would only make her miserable.

Brushing the thoughts aside, Cecilia cast a quick glance down at her attire.

‘Everything looks fine, right?’

She had taken the utmost care with her appearance, yet she still couldn’t ease her anxiety.

She patted down her dress skirt to smooth out any creases.

She neatly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

And she even double-checked if the earrings dangling from her earlobes were securely fastened.

“Phew.”

Taking a quiet, deep breath, Cecilia gave a small nod to the servant standing beside the dining room doors.

The servant nodded and lightly knocked on the heavy wooden door.

Knock, knock.

The door swung open.

Cecilia straightened her spine.

With her chin slightly tucked and a graceful stride she had practiced hundreds of times, she stepped softly into the dining room.

Then, she curtseyed elegantly.

“You called for me?”

“…….”

“…….”

A chilly silence fell over the room.

Feeling three pairs of eyes fixated on her, Cecilia swallowed hard.

After a brief pause,

a flat response returned.

“Yes.”

The Duke, seated at the head of the table, gestured toward an empty seat with his eyes.

“Sit down.”

“Yes, Father.”

Cecilia carefully took her seat, covertly reading the room.

The Duke of Lucert, who resembled a sharp blade.

The Duchess, still strikingly beautiful despite being middle-aged.

And Elias, the Young Duke, whose remarkable good looks were a testament to his mother.

They were, indeed, a picture-perfect family.

…So much so that she felt like a blemish just sitting among them.

‘Don’t be nervous.’

Cecilia desperately tried to steady herself.

The Duchess observed her with a look of cold disapproval.

“I heard you took in a personal maid on your own whim?”

“…….”

Cecilia’s heart sank instantly.

Elias chimed in from the side, his voice dripping with indifference.

“Madame Howard mentioned that you are coddling that maid excessively.”

“Brother, that is…”

Cecilia started to defend herself, but she bit her lower lip and stopped.

Instead, she quietly lowered her head.

“I’m sorry. I will be more careful.”

“It’s always just words with you—always ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I’ll be careful.’”

Elias scoffed, making sure his sarcasm was heard.

“Just when do you intend to carry yourself with the dignity of a Lady of Lucert?”

“……Brother.”

“Are you even aware that you are bringing shame upon our house?”

Cecilia flinched, her shoulders tensing.

At that, the Duke intervened, raising a hand in a stern voice to stop Elias.

“Elias.”

“…….”

Elias swept a disapproving look up and down Cecilia, then clicked his tongue and looked away.

Cecilia instinctively shrank her shoulders.

Sitting on a bed of thorns would have felt more comfortable than this.

Just then, the servants began serving the appetizers.

It was a refreshing salad featuring diced fruits topped with cheese and balsamic glaze.

However, the Duchess’s expression darkened as she looked down at the salad.

“……Our Chesha used to love apples so much, too.”

Chesha.

The nickname of the real daughter who should have received the name ‘Cecilia’ and been showered with the family’s love.

A name that was never once permitted to her, the fake daughter…

‘I feel sick to my stomach.’

Cecilia squeezed her fork tightly.

“I wonder where she is right now, and what she is doing.”

“My dear, do not worry so much.”

The Duke consoled his wife in a pained voice.

“If you grieve like this, our Chesha’s heart will be heavy as well.”

“Mother, please don’t be so sad. We will definitely find my sister one day.”

Elias also comforted his mother in a warm, gentle voice.

Indeed.

The House of Lucert had never once given up on the real daughter.

The only reason Cecilia had been adopted in spite of that was simple.

‘Mother needed a replacement for her daughter.’

When the real daughter vanished, the shock drove the Duchess out of her mind.

She would pace the estate aimlessly with wide, sleepless eyes every night,

or cry all day until she fainted from exhaustion.

Thus, as a temporary remedy, Cecilia was brought in as a substitute.

Following Cecilia’s adoption, the Duchess rapidly stabilized.

And yet, when the Duchess finally regained her full senses and faced Cecilia for the first time…

“……You are not my daughter.”

That trembling voice still rang vividly in her ears.

Even after the Duchess’s recovery, however, the House of Lucert did not annul Cecilia’s adoption.

It was out of guilt for having adopted her solely out of convenience.

‘But still… I could never truly become Mother’s daughter.’

Even now, the ducal house was searching far and wide for the ‘real daughter.’

Every time she recalled that fact, Cecilia felt as though she were walking on thin ice, her heart in her throat.

‘Once the real Cecilia returns, my place here will disappear forever.’

But just then,

the Duchess’s sighed mutterings broke the quiet.

“Our Chesha should have been the one sitting here…”

At that moment, Cecilia felt as if something inside her snapped.

Mother, I am the one sitting in front of you right now.

Am I truly of no worth to you?

Just because I’m a fake?

If it was going to be like this, you shouldn’t have brought me here in the first place…!

Clatter!

The dining table shook violently.

Unable to bear it any longer, Cecilia had kicked back her chair and stood up.

The Duke’s eyes widened as he raised his voice.

“Cecilia, what on earth is the meaning of this?!”

“…….”

But Cecilia had no strength left to answer his shout.

Clenching her jaw in a long, tense silence, she suddenly snapped her head up.

Her blue-green eyes were already brimming with tears.

“I…”

Her voice trembled as it escaped her lips.

During her entire time with them, she had never once felt at ease around her family.

It was as if she were serving a high and mighty superior.

She had lived in constant anxiety, always on edge, wondering when she would be scolded next.

It was no different even now.

Even though she was so sorrowful, exhausted, and desperately lonely,

she couldn’t bring herself to utter a single word.

For fear of being hated.

For fear of becoming even lonelier.

‘How incredibly pathetic.’

Cecilia directed a bitter, mocking laugh at herself.

Had she ever been loved even once?

Yet, she was pathetic enough to still cling to the hope of her family’s affection.

But…

‘Now… I really can’t take it anymore.’

Her chest heaving as she panted for breath, Cecilia spun around.

“Cecilia, where do you think you’re going!”

“Halt this instant!”

The furious shouts of her family echoed behind her, but she did not stop.

…She wished, more than anything, to vanish from this world forever.