NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82
When Ludville had just turned five, it happened so suddenly.
“Don’t look for me. I’m sorry.”
That short note was all she left behind before vanishing without a trace.
The Duke of Sorpel looked at Ludville. His son’s expression was still detached as he gazed back at him, unflinching. Letting out a short sigh, the Duke spoke again.
“I searched for a long time.”
But he couldn’t find any trace of her.
It was as if she had never existed, as though she had truly disappeared like smoke.
“It was the only choice I had.”
In the end, he publicly declared her dead. He couldn’t let it be known that the Duchess had left her home.
He believed it would be too great a wound for Ludville.
To be known as the son of a mother who abandoned him—such a stigma was not something he could allow his son to bear.
Even after that, he discreetly continued to search for her, but it was in vain.
Time passed, and he eventually remarried Camilla’s mother, erasing all memories of Anna.
“But now…”
A daughter, out of nowhere.
If anyone was the most bewildered in this situation, it was undoubtedly the Duke of Sorpel.
If Rania truly was his daughter, then Anna must have been carrying his child when she left him.
“That’s absurd!”
For the first time since she left, the Duke felt anger.
For years, he had convinced himself she must have had her reasons, but now he could no longer bring himself to understand her actions.
“You’ll need to speak with Rania.”
“…I suppose I must.”
Watching the Duke exhale heavily, Camilla turned her gaze to Ludville.
If anyone’s shock could rival the Duke’s, it would be Ludville’s. He had spent his entire life believing his mother was dead.
“…….”
Yet Ludville remained unphased. After silently observing his father for a moment, he calmly sipped his tea again.
Then, as their eyes met, he suddenly seemed to remember something. Without a word, he rummaged through his coat and pulled something out, holding it toward Camilla.
It was a necklace, decorated with jewels that matched his hair color, clearly custom-made.
“Happy birthday.”
For a moment, Camilla couldn’t say anything.
“…Thank you, brother.”
To offer a gift and birthday wishes so casually in the middle of this chaos—
‘What is going on in his mind?’
Suppressing a sigh, Camilla forced a smile that was awkward at best.
****
“Mother has… passed away.”
Rania’s mother was no longer alive. She had died two years ago after succumbing to a severe fever.
“She never spoke about my father, not even once.”
It wasn’t until recently that Rania stumbled upon a letter her mother had left behind—one addressed to the Duke of Sorpel.
“Here.”
Rania handed over the letter. The Duke’s hands trembled slightly as he took it.
“I’m sorry.”
The first line was an apology. It explained that she had no choice and, if Rania ever came to him alone, it would mean something had gone wrong. The letter begged him to take care of her.
The Duke instantly recognized the handwriting.
Even after all these years, he could not mistake her distinctively elegant penmanship.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it either—that I had a father. I thought he had died when I was young.”
“…That bracelet. Did she give it to you?”
The Duke’s gaze landed on the bracelet Rania wore. It was the very same one he had gifted Anna so long ago.
“To my beloved wife.”
He asked for Rania’s permission to examine the bracelet, and sure enough, the inscription he had personally engraved on the inside was still there.
“Yes, Father.”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that yet.”
“I—I’m sorry.”
Watching tears well up in Rania’s eyes, the Duke let out a soft sigh. The realization that Anna, whom he had sought for so long, was truly gone filled him with sorrow.
Even more so, discovering that she had left while carrying his child—it was too much to process.
Though the evidence clearly pointed to Rania being his daughter, accepting it wasn’t easy.
“Luve.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Still, he couldn’t simply dismiss her.
Her presence at the party had already been witnessed by many. Quietly investigating or resolving the matter was no longer an option.
“Prepare a room for her.”
“Understood.”
The Duke finally gave his permission for her to stay.
“Fa—my lord! Thank you so much!”
Rania’s expression lit up instantly at the news that she wouldn’t have to leave.
Tears glistening in her eyes, she repeated her thanks over and over. The Duke could only respond with yet another sigh.
****
“Camilla…”
By the next day, news of what had happened at the party had spread far and wide.
“Are you okay?”
As expected, Camilla was met with curious and prying gazes the moment she stepped into the academy.
“What about?”
“Well, um, yesterday…”
“Yesterday, what?”
“Ah, never mind.”
Camilla knew exactly what Laila was trying to ask, and what she was worried about.
She had been bombarded with similar questions all day.
Some genuinely concerned for her well-being, but most were thinly veiled jabs.
“So the Duke’s real daughter has shown up, huh?”
“Oh no, how tragic!”
“I suppose you’ll be sent away soon. I’m so worried for you!”
“If you ever find yourself homeless, do let me know. I’d hate to turn a blind eye to someone I know.”
The general assumption was that her position in the family had become untenable with the arrival of the Duke’s biological daughter.
“Huh.”
Camilla propped her chin on her hand, tilting her head as she pondered.
“This is odd.”
Unlike everyone else, she felt nothing.
Rania being the Duke’s legitimate daughter was nearly certain at this point, yet Camilla remained unfazed.
The way others fretted about her situation almost felt surreal.
“Is this really such a big deal?”
Even she didn’t fully understand why she felt so indifferent. Objectively, she was in a precarious position—yet she couldn’t bring herself to worry.
***
“Camilla.”
Later that day, as she approached the kitchen, Camilla stopped in her tracks.
“…….”
The atmosphere inside was different from usual.
Instead of the sharp commands or loud orders typically heard, there was the sound of laughter.
To her surprise, even the head chef, Gerard, who normally forbade chatter, seemed to be part of it.
“Camilla!”
Spotting her, Rania beamed and waved enthusiastically.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was chatting with everyone! I used to work at a restaurant, you know.”
“A restaurant?”
“Yes! After my mother passed, I had to make ends meet. I was great at dishwashing—I did it every day!”
Hearing this, the kitchen staff exchanged sympathetic glances.
“Camilla,” Rania said hesitantly after a moment.
“Yes?”
“I heard… you make snacks for Father every night.”
“And?”
“Would it be okay if I did it today instead?”
Rania clasped her hands, her eyes pleading.
“I’ve always wanted to serve him something I made.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“Camilla, you might not understand because you don’t have real parents, but…”
‘Excuse me?’
Camilla blinked, momentarily taken aback.
But to her surprise, the kitchen staff seemed moved, looking at Rania with pity.
“Do whatever you want.”
“Really?”
Rania’s face lit up with joy, clapping her hands together. The kitchen staff looked on warmly as if they’d just witnessed something touching.
“Gerard.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Tell her what Father likes.”
“…Pardon?”
“We wouldn’t want her to make something he hates. After all, this is the first dish his real daughter will present to him.”
“Ah… Yes, my lady.”
The head chef looked at Camilla with a hint of surprise before nodding in agreement.