I Returned And Gained A Son - Chapter 2
Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi
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Chapter 2
It had been a while since I’d been to the dining room. I never thought I’d walk down this corridor again. As I stood in front of the door, the servants bowed their heads in greeting. They announced my arrival and opened the door.
A familiar scene unfolded before me.
At the far end of the long table, two people were seated. The first person I noticed was my father, Marquis Bartolli, sitting at the head of the table. Seeing my father so young and healthy took my breath away.
…Why didn’t I think of this before? If I had returned, my father would have as well.
My mind was in turmoil, but thanks to my trained etiquette, I managed to greet them naturally.
“You’re late.”
Father frowned as he spoke, as if scolding me any further would be a luxury.
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
I politely respond and take my seat. Even though I tried to appear calm, my hands were slightly trembling.
Lifting my head, I see Leonie sitting opposite me.
Leonie Ta Bartolli. With her ash-blond hair and light green eyes, she was a girl who looked just like father.
My younger sister cheerfully opens her mouth.
“Hello, sister.”
“Yes, hello.”
Leonie’s eyes widened in surprise as she didn’t expect me to respond.
…Those emerald eyes.
The last thing shining in my weakened vision before I died was getting stabbed in the heart by the future Leonie.
At the thought, I could feel a pang in my chest and resisted the urge to clutch my heart.
Still, the Leonie in front of me now wasn’t the one from that time but the nineteen-year-old Leonie… my younger sister who was young, full of life, and overconfident, like she owned the world in her hands.
Having traveled back in time, I could now objectively look back on my childhood.
[ “How pathetic.” ]
[ “You’re no better than your younger sister.” ]
[ “You’re a disgrace to the Bartolli family.” ]
I spent my life fearing and yearning for love from my father, who despised me. Regardless, he never loved me for a moment until his old age and death.
[ “Live as if you’re dead. Don’t bring shame to the family.” ]
That was the last will Father left me.
Unlike my younger siblings, I couldn’t become the next empress or a genius. I was the talentless eldest daughter, unworthy of love in my father’s eyes. The more he compared me with Leonie, discriminated against me and despised me, the more I hated Leonie, and she hated me in return.
In the end, my life was dominated by Father.
I only realized this after his death. However, by then, like a runaway train, I was already set on a path I couldn’t stop.
Death was what eventually ended me.
‘The root of all these events.’
The title ‘Father’ was too good for him. Now, I should just call him that father of mine*.
[ T/N: This part is a little difficult to translate, but the word she used here is ‘애비,’ which still means father but is a slang, though it isn’t a respectful calling/rude. ]
In the meanwhile, the servants started bringing in the food.
“By the way, Leonie, what brings you home this time?”
Father’s voice was uncharacteristically tender as he addressed Leonie. In response, she coyly played along.
“So, are you upset? Was it inconvenient that I visited so suddenly?”
“No, of course not. I was just wondering what the matter was since you’re usually busy.”
Look at that.
Looking at him, it seemed that he was worried that something had gone wrong between her and the Crown Prince. It was an unfortunate situation for me at this time, but it was unlikely. The Crown Prince fell in love with my sister Leonie at first sight and ardently pursued her until they eventually married.
Leonie replied.
“It’s nothing much, just that there’s a ball coming up at the palace soon. It’s for the Empress’s birthday.”
Father nods in agreement.
“Right. And what about it? Do you need a dress or jewelry?”
“Well, no, it’s not exactly that…”
Leonie looks down as if troubled, tucking her hair behind her ear. Seeing this, my old resentment resurfaces.
Even now, upon my return, I still found her disgusting!
As if she’d lack anything! The Crown Prince himself would surely lavish her with gifts! Besides, our family is one of the most prestigious Marquisates in the empire!
“Your great-grandmother and grandmother, during their times as crown princesses, put much effort into the Empress’s birthday. It’s a good opportunity to catch the eye of the imperial family. Speak to the butler to get whatever you need.”
“Well, Father, actually…”
Leonie, having smoothly continued the conversation, glanced towards me. An ominous feeling washed over me as I recalled a distant memory from before my return.
She was certainly referring to that time…
“Father, remember the dress you gifted Sister for her engagement? The one you gave as an engagement present.”
“Oh, that.”
As Father responded nonchalantly, my heart sank.
Three years ago, at my engagement ceremony, Father gifted me a dress for the first and last time.
It was never a gift given out because he wanted to. Influenced by my grandmother’s insistence and for the sake of appearances to the Marquisate, it was a gift born out of necessity, not purity, so it was made more extravagant and beautiful.
A dress made of layers of deep green fabric resembling blue, ornately embroidered with gold threads and adorned with hundreds of sparkling yellow topazes resembling fluttering butterflies.
The only luxury I allowed myself was being obsessed with living modestly to prove myself as a worthy Empress to please Father.
[ “You don’t deserve such a thing. Remember this and act accordingly.” ]
[ “Yes, yes. I will. Thank you, Father.” ]
And to me, it was the only proof that the always-cold Marquis still loved me in some way.
But now, Leonie nonchalantly brought it up.
“Is there a need to buy a new dress when you have a good one already? The Empress prefers modesty, so perhaps she’d appreciate it more if I altered something I already have. Besides, Sister has never worn that dress.”
No, it wasn’t that I didn’t wear it, but I couldn’t bring myself to. It was too precious. It was such a waste.
‘You know this too, Leonie Ta Bartolli.’
Moreover, Leonie was shorter than me. If the dress were altered to fit her, I would no longer be able to wear it since adding fabric to a resized dress to fit my height would look unpleasant.
The thought of my younger sister taking my engagement gift was absurd. Normally, Father should have scolded Leonie for such a suggestion.
Still, I knew he would never do that.
Just as I remembered, he nodded his head in agreement and spoke kindly.
“You’re right, Leonie. How shall we make the alterations? Shall I call someone right now?”
“Father, it would be better if the palace maids do the alterations. So it could be seen that the Crown Princess-to-be is frugal. Please send it directly to the palace.”
“Alright. That seems to be the best way.”
Then, he called the butler, who was waiting in the dining room.
“Have a maid fetch the dress. Make sure Leonie can try it on as soon as she arrives at the palace.”
“Understood, Master.”
All this happened while I couldn’t utter a word.
The butler glanced at me with an apologetic look, but that was it. He simply went on to execute the given orders.
Leonie thanked Father with a loving smile.
“Thank you, Father. I’m really happy.”
The next moment, she turned to me with a smile in her eyes.
“Thanks for giving up the dress, Sister. I’ll wear it well.”
While I was left speechless, Father smiled contentedly.
“What a kind gesture.”
Of course, he wasn’t praising me, the one who had the dress taken from me, but Leonie, who had taken it. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
‘…It’s okay, Sophia, you can endure this.’
Before my return, I couldn’t hold back. I was so upset that I burst into tears right there. As I couldn’t express my anger, I just felt so wronged and speechless.
Seeing this, Father clicked his tongue, mocking whether I was really the eldest daughter. Meanwhile, Leonie exaggeratedly pretended to be sorry, saying, ‘Sister, I’m really sorry for asking this of you. I thought you would do at least this much for me. Besides, that dress suits me better than you…’ And I was swiftly kicked out from the dining table.
Even now, it makes me angry.
Anyway, the point was, I never had the right to refuse from the start.
So, instead of shedding tears, I smiled warmly at my sister.
“There’s nothing to thank me for, Leonie. I should do at least this much for my younger sister. If you liked my dress, you should have said so earlier. It will surely suit you better than me.”
Leonie’s eyes widened at my words, as did the eyes of the maids who were anxiously watching from the corner. They probably expected me to throw a tantrum or at least burst into tears. Nevertheless, compared to what I’d endured before my return, this was nothing.
I was prepared to do much more to change my fate.
Fortunately, the man called Father didn’t stay for dessert after the meal.
This meant I would have dessert time alone with Leonie, providing an opportunity to speak my mind to her. The dessert, a rich chocolate brownie topped with ice cream, was entirely to Leonie’s taste. Yet, I looked at it without any complaint, gathering my thoughts on what I wanted to say.
Just as I was about to pick up my fork after finishing my thoughts, our eyes met. Leonie hadn’t touched her spoon yet.
Why was she hesitating?
I thought the brownie addict would dive in as soon as the tea was ready. Could she possibly be waiting for me…
Just as a flicker of hope arose, Leonie asked with a blunt attitude.
“Did you put poison in it?”
“What?!”
“I don’t think you would be that careless, but…”
She then fumbled in her pocket and pulled out something. It was a silver spoon.
Unbelievable!
Regardless of my stunned expression, the infuriating younger sister dipped the silver spoon in the tea, rubbed it against the rim of the cup, and poked it into the ice cream and brownie. Only after confirming the color didn’t change did she finally eat.
So meticulous. It was infuriating!
‘Deep breath, stay calm. I just returned, and I have things to do.’
Settling my mind, I calmly shared my resolution.
“I’ve decided not to cling to the position of Empress anymore.”
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