"Alyssa, what are you doing here?" Father asked. That was when I realized I was found out eavesdropping on their conversation.
"F-Father…" I was in a panic but composed myself and curtsied. "I am sorry for eavesdropping."
"How far did you hear?" Father asked.
I looked down feeling guilty and fidgeted my fingers. "E-Everything."
"Haaa…" Father sighed.
"I think you need to talk to your daughter first." Doctor Christian said. "I will return later this evening to check on the duchess."
"Okay. Be safe on the road." Father said.
The doctor walked towards me and patted my head. He gave me a friendly smile and left. Looking at the young doctor, he was quite handsome. I never thought that he was in love with my mother when they were young.
'Is he still in love with her?' I thought. As I knew, the doctor is still single at his age.
"Derrick, can you please leave us for a while. I need to talk to my daughter." Father told Derrick.
"Yes, my lord." Derrick bowed and looked at me. I gave him a nod and he left while closing the door to the study.
"My daughter, are you mad at your father?" Father asked by the time we were alone.
Father looked haggard. After all of what I have heard about their past, I will also feel drained if I was at the receiving end.
I shook my head in response. "I am not angry because all of that is in the past father." I said. "Everyone would have someone they first loved. It is considered lucky if you end up with your first love."
My father looked at me seriously and sighed. He opened his arms for me. "Come here my daughter."
I jogged towards him childishly and fell into his embrace. He picked me up and let me sit on his lap.
"Sometimes I feel that you are much older than you seem to be." Father said with a smile.
I smiled awkwardly at him. 'That is because I have an adult mind inside this little body.'
"When your mother wakes up, I will tell her everything." Father said. "Our marriage might be arranged but I fell in love with her over the years. Who would not, with her kindness and beauty? It is my fault for not being clear to her."
I nodded in agreement with him. "Yes, mother is like an angel." I said childishly.
"Hahaha… you are right." Father said. "And you are our angel. I am happy that you resemble your mother rather than me."
I frowned. "But I would have wanted to have the features of the Broderick family." I said.
Actually, that was the original Alyssa's sentiment. In the novel, her father never looked at her for long and always grimaced seeing her. She thought that if she just looked more like a Broderick similar to Eric, then she would be loved by her father more.
'Now I know why the duke was like that in the novel.' I thought.
Duke Broderick was in love with the duchess. He blamed himself for her death. Alyssa who had her mother's looks, grew up to be a spitting image of her late mother. Every time the duke looked at Alyssa, he felt his conscience eating him up inside.
'This novel is full of misunderstandings.' I sighed internally.
Now that I am here, I will not let the duchess die. She is the mother that showed me kindness and love in this world. This was my way of repaying her kindness.
"Why would you want to look like me? You are more beautiful having your mother's looks." Father said with a warm smile.
"If you say I am beautiful every single day, then I will be happy." I said with a spoiled tone.
"Then I will tell you that you are beautiful every single day, you and your mother. Hahaha." Father said with genuine laughter. "After today, I will cherish you and your mother more."
"Yes father." I said and kissed his cheeks.
**
After the incident, mother was doing well. When mother woke up after she fainted that day, father let all the maids out of the room. In closed doors they talked to each other and he came out hours after. Seeing father's face after coming out of their room, I sighed in relief.
'That is one misunderstanding cleared out.' I thought to myself.
The days flew by peacefully in the estate. The ducal couple had become close to one another and has become a loving couple. After a year of the Alyssa's parents loving one another, they were blessed once more. The duchess became pregnant and birth a baby boy, my little brother Alden Chester Broderick. My brother got the Broderick features except for his hair that is dark gray in color rather than raven black.
This was news to me, the one that have read the novel in my past life. In the novel, Alyssa the villainess was an only child of the Broderick couple. Eric became the male heir to the Broderick ducal house while Alyssa was engaged to the crown prince of the Argentine kingdom. She was supposed to be the crown princess and the future queen of the kingdom, if not for the heroine Jennette, the Holy Maiden.
With this happening, I knew that Alyssa's bad ending was being diverted a little. But just to be on the safe side, I maintained a good relationship with the two possible male leads.
Eric, who was supposed to be Alyssa's adoptive brother now turned to cousin. Of course, the secret that his father was my father's half brother remained a secret, but we still accepted him into the family. He still refused to carry the family name Broderick, saying that the rightful heir is now my little brother. Eric remained in the Broderick estate as a distant relative and he became my closest friend.
Derrick on the other hand became my trustful attendant. He started to grow fast after we took him and his sisters in the Broderick estate as servants. Outside on the streets, they did not get the proper nourishment that children needed to grow up. Now that they are properly taken care of inside the Broderick estate, they grew up strong and healthy. Because Derrick was older, he surpassed Eric in height in no time.
These two years passed by in an instant and many things happened. But all in all, we are living peacefully. I grew up with Eric and Derrick by my side. I can't say that they are close to one another but as I see it, they view themselves as rivals. Since Derrick started to train for being a knight in unders father's knight order, Eric has become more strict with himself in sword training. They always spar with each other if time permits.
And just like that my little brother turned one year old. Father had prepared an extravagant feast in the Broderick estate. All the nobles in the capital are invited and the royal family as well.
"That means that I will be meeting the crown prince in this party?" I said to myself.
In the novel, Alyssa met the young crown prince for the first time when she was ten years old. It was the crown prince's twelfth birthday and celebrated in the palace. Every noble in the kingdom was invited. All of the four great ducal houses were in attendance. It was also a bride selection of some sort. Only three of the great ducal houses have daughters to be presented as bride candidates, the other ducal house only had sons.
When the crown prince turned twelve in this world earlier this year, I pretended to be sick and was not able to attend. Of course, I want to prevent becoming the crown prince's fiancée as much as possible. That will be a straight road to destruction for me. But this world is really playing with me. I tried to prevent that scenario but now this happened. It was like there is no running out on this one.
'I can't pretend to be sick now and I also do not want to. This is my little brother's first birthday.' I thought to myself.
I love my little brother so much. I followed him growing inside my mother's tummy and until he came out, I have been by his side.
"I won't miss his first birthday." I told myself. And I guess that whatever I do, I still need to go thru with this scenario.
"It's okay Alyssa, think positive." I encourage myself. "Maybe the crown prince has chosen his fiancée on his birthday party months ago." I told myself.
*knock knock*
"Come in." I said.
The door to my room opened and mother came inside. She was wearing a beautiful pink dress.
"Hi Ysa. Oh my, look at my little girl.," Mother giggled. "You look beautiful with your white and purple dress. I am sure you will be the star of this party."
"Your teasing me mother." I giggled and hugged her. "I am still a kid you know."
"Hehe, a beautiful child I might add." Mother said. "You will surely grow up to be a beautiful young lady in the future."
I smiled with mother's words. I know that Alyssa will be a beautiful maiden in her teens. She is described to be the most beautiful lady in the kingdom inside the novel, but she was the exact opposite inside. She was villainous and despicable because of her upbringing. She has done many bad things to the heroine resulting for her bad ending.
'Well I still don't know what that bad ending is, but I will do anything I can to stop it.' I thought.
"Let us go outside then. All of the guests have arrived." Mother said.
"All of the guests? Even the royal family?" I asked worriedly.
"Hmm." Mother nodded. "Are you still nervous? I know this will be your first time to meet them. I am sure you will do well. Eric will be with you."
Mother and Eric's relationship has become better over the years and now she trust him with my care.
"Yes, I am a little nervous. But as you said, Eric is with me." I smiled and held mother's hand. "Come on, let's go."
I pulled mother happily. We talked and giggled along the way.
edited by; nalyn