"Where's Luca?" Lark as Gilbert, who was standing beside him.
"He's waiting for you in your study."
Lark nodded and he was heading to his study to meet his eldest son. He opened the door and entered the room with a wide step. He saw Luca, who was sitting on the sofa and was waiting for him.
"You have arrived, father."
The moment he saw his father come in, he immediately stood up and bowed his head towards his father, who was the grand duke. Lark was the grand duke before his father, so he wants to respect him like everyone else does.
"Yes. I want to talk about important matters with you."
The way he treats the duke right now is like how other nobles should treat him. He thought if he did that, Lark would pay attention to him, but it seemed like he didn't care about him.
He rarely comes home. They rarely meet or talk to each other. They treat each other like strangers.
Whenever they meet, Lark just asks about the work that was entrusted to him. Lark never asks whether he's in good condition or not. He felt like Lark didn't have any interest in him.
It breaks his heart to think that Lark just saw him as the grand duke succecor and not his son. That's what he thinks Lark thinks of him. He didn't really know what the grand duke really thought of him, so he made his own assumption.
Despite that, he is still holding on to the hope that he can receive his love and care when he finds the children, since Gilbert told him that the grand duke cares about him. He just didn't know how to express it.
He know. He knows well that Lark just didn't know how to treat or talk to him, but it still offends him.
"Is it about my missing sisters?"
"Yes. I found them. And I will put their name in our family register as soon as possible."
"That's good to know. You have been trying so hard these past six years to find them."
Luca didn't look comfortable at all when talking about the twins.
They're his sisters, but for some reason he didn't feel good having them in their house. He knows this house is also belong to them, but is it selfish of him if he hates the fact he has sisters?
"I want you to help them familiarise themselves with this house and don't put pressure on them too much."
In Luca's ears, it sounds like he cares too much about those kids, even though he just met them today.
"You shouldn't say something that will hurt them."
"Then, can I ask how they have been living before?"
"No. Don't ask anything about that either. I will try to find out about how she has been living all these years, but you absolutely cannot ask her any questions about that. I hope you will treat them well. You're their brother."
It sounds like a new job for him to do. To treat his twin sisters, whom he had never met before, would be the hardest thing to do.
"I know. I'll do my best. If you don't have anything else to say, then I will go out first."
He sounds like a broken machine that only receives orders and will do them without much thought since it's an order.
Lark didn't like the way Luca looked so awkward with him. Luca seems to see him as the grand duke and not as his father or someone he can rely on.
Luca stood up and was ready to leave the room. He is 12 years old this year, but when did he become so mature like this? He didn't even realise his son had grown so much and become such a cold person.
"You don't have to be so stiff. You're my son too." He said it as if giving him permission to treat him differently.
Luca looked at him and bowed his head slightly before saying, "It's become a habit of mine. I feel like the people present here are not father and son but the grand duke and his succecor." Luca is being honest for the first time.
Lark, who didn't expect to hear that, widened his eyes in shock. He make a big mistake. He always went out and actively searched for his missing children, but he let his son grow up alone all the time he was gone.
How can he not realise it?
He didn't only have his daughter. He also has a son. How could he leave his eldest son alone in this mansion and let him handle the work he wasn't supposed to do?
At his age, he was supposed to enjoy his time as a child. Not stuck in the study room, and handle the work that adults should do. How can he overlook that?
"Luca..."
"You don't have to look at me with guilt like that. I know this is my responsibility since I'm going to become the grand duke some day, so this is not something you should feel bad about."
Lark is trying to fix the situation, but it doesn't seem to work since he doesn't know what to say.
He should say he's sorry for leaving all the work on his small shoulder. He should say that he's proud of him for being so brave and handling this thing without much problem.
But why couldn't he bring himself to say it?
Luca, get out of the room. Leaving Lark, who was still puzzled, in his place.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
When Lilian opened her eyes, she realised that she was in a different place. This is not a forest, but somewhere she didn't know where. Lizzie is still sleeping. She looked around with a stiff face.
She looked up at the ceiling of the room. A majestic chandelier studded with huge sapphires reflected in her tiny golden eyes.
When she slightly turned her gaze to the side, she saw a gorgeous and extravagant wallpaper inlaid with golden leaf.
"Lizzie. Hey, wake up." Lilian looked at Lizzie, who was sleeping soundly. "Wake up!" Lilian slapped her hand a few times to wake her up, and Lizzie growled like a puppy before opening her eyes.
"Lilian." She called out her name.
"Hurm."
"Where is this beautiful place? Did you threaten any noble when I'm pass out?"
Lilian sighs at her words.
"Don't make your own conclusion stupid."
Lilian also fell unconscious, along with Lizzie, so how can she threaten Noble to give them a place to stay?
"Aah...!"
A woman with light brown hair entered the room and looked at Lilian and Lizzie with wide eyes. She must be a maid based on her uniform.
"Hey... Excuse me, but where are we?" Lilian asked, but she didn't answer.
"Is she okay?" Lizzie whispered to Lilian while staring at the maid.
"Y-Young lady, wake up! Your grace! Your grace!" The maid shouted and got out of the room faster than lightning.
"What the hell was that...?" Lizzie frowned and held Lilian's hand tightly.
"I don't know. Did she lose her mind or something?" Lilian, who's also clueless, didn't know what to do or what to say.
"By the way, what about the troll? Did you handle it?" Lizzie asked as she stared at Lilian.
"I did. Luckily, the magic works. If not, we would have died." Lilian replied as she tucked Lizzie's hair behind her ears.
BANG-
The door opened with great force, and it shocked Lilian and Lizzie. They looked at the open door, and they saw a man with black hair and golden eyes coming towards them.
They were hugged by him. They didn't even have time to react.
Lizzie looked at Lilian with a confused look, and Lilian did the same. Both of them have no clue what is happening now. Their body stiffened in his arms. They didn't push him away since they're smaller and weaker than him.
They were in stranger's arms, which were supposed to be uncomfortable. Although it was only for a while, they felt comfortable. Being in his arms.
"Excuse me, but who...?" Lilian asked.
This feels strange. Why is he looking at us with that kind of expression? It was as if he was scared that he might break us. It's really strange.
"I'm sorry. You guys must have been shocked, right? I'm sorry for finding you so late." He said this as he let go of them.
His eyes looked so sincere that it scared them. They were afraid that this affection would only last a short time.
"Urm... But who are you, uncle? Do you know us?" This time Lizzie asked.
"I'm your father."
If he was their father, then he must be the grand duke. So, the person who reaches out to her before Lilian passes out is this man?
"Father?" Lilian looks at Lizzie, and Lizzie looks at her too.
Both of them didn't know what to say or react in this situation. They never had a family in their original world, so they didn't know how to treat someone they called a father.
"Yes... I have been trying to find you for more than 5 years, and I finally met you again. I'm sorry for letting you guys live an unfortunate life." He said this while kissing the back of their hand.
Lizzie feels weird.
Her ex-boyfriend Anthony always kisses her and holds her hand, but why does it feel different to be held by this man? Is it because he's their father in this world? The warmth of his kiss was felt on the back of her hand. She felt affection she had never felt before, and she was sure that Lilian felt it too.
"We don't know you," Lizzie said as she hid herself behind Lilian.
Lizzie is someone who easily gives her heart to someone else, and when she starts to love, she will love hard. Not wanting to let go. So she's afraid that this man who calls himself their father would abandon them when she started to open her heart.
"It's fine. You can try to get to know me starting today." He said this while smiling softly.
Lilian stared at him with an anxious face. In the original novel, it is said that the grand duke is a cold man. So why the hell does he look so sweet right now? So sweet that she wants to be spoiled more by him.
She's different from Lizzie, who easily gave her heart to someone. She's someone who's already given up on love and won't let herself be hurt by it. That's why she didn't have a boyfriend, and she doesn't love anyone except Lizzie. She's the only person who has a place in her heart.
"Where is this place? How did you find us? What about other kids?" Lilian ask.
"The other kids are safe. So you don't have to worry. All you have to do now is rest."
"Can we really stay in this luxurious room? You know, you can give a small room to us." Lizzie interrupts without looking at Lark.
Lark feels uncomfortable with her words. A small room? They're his daughters. This room is not even enough. His child should stay in a more luxurious room than this one.
"You guys are my daughters. You guys are the grand duke daughter so don't say such word. All my wealth is for you to use since you're my child. Starting for today, this place will be your home." He said it with a soft smile.
He didn't want to put any pressure on his children. He wants them to feel comfortable with his wealth. He wants to enjoy everything he has earned because all his hard work until now has been because he wants to give his children a good life.
Lilian and Lizzie look at each other.
It's too sudden for them.
They never have someone who takes care of them, even when they're children, so this action of his is really awkward for them. They feel awkward, and they don't feel comfortable accepting this.
"Do you guys have a name?" He asked carefully.
"Yes. I was called Lilian, and she's Lizzie."
Lark smiles painfully.
The kidnapper probably uses that name to address his daughters. He still remembers how his wife told him their daughter's name. If only he weren't a little bit dumb, he probably wouldn't lose his wife.
"You don't have to be so polite. From now on, I'm your father. Ah, there is no need to rush."
Lark, who was trying to make them call him 'father', swallowed his words. Not only was he not used to it yet, but he also didn't want to force them to do anything. All of them probably needed time to accept each other.
"Make yourself comfortable."
"No...! You cannot enter yet! Your holiness!"
Gilbert's voice was heard outside of the room, and then a man wearing white clothes appeared. Lilian and Lizzie look at him with wide eyes before they look at each other again. Both of them think of the same thing.
'Silver hair with jewel blue eyes... He looks like Chevelure.'
"I'm sorry, your grace. I couldn't stop him." Gilbert expressed his regret for not being able to stop Elliora.
Lark nodded and asked Gilbert to go out. Gilbert bowed his head before he left the room.
"Elliora, I didn't give you permission to enter, did I?" The grand duke glared at the pope, Elliora.
"Oh, come on. Don't be so mean to me. I'm your friend." He said as he started to laugh out loud. "So, this is your missing daughter, right? Aren't they supposed to be eight this year? Why do they look so small?"
Elliora frowns at the image of his friend's daughters, who look too small for their age.
"I don't know. I need to investigate more to know how they end up like this."
"I see. Then, do you need my help?"
"You don't have to. I'm going to do it by myself."
"Tsk. Still arrogant as ever." Elliora clicks his tongue with a frown on his face. "Then why do you call me here?"
"Heal their wound."
"Huh? So you ask me to come all the way here just for that?"
"What else?"
"Hey...! I thought you wanted to ask for help!"
"I did. I just asked you to heal my daughters, didn't I?"
Lark knows that's not what Elliora means. Elliora wants to help him investigate what has happened to his child, and Lark knows this too well.
"Hahh. How can I be friends with someone as heartless as you?"
"I will talk more with you once Alex arrives. So use your divine power and heal my child right now."
Lilian and Lizzie only look at them without doing anything. They're still confused about why Elliora looks too much like Chevelure. Is it a coincidence? Or is there any reason for that?
"I understand. Hey, pretty baby. Can I touch your hand?" Elliora asked with a smile on his face.
Lilian stretched her hand first and let Elliora hold her hand. A bright light appears the moment their skin touches each other, and her body feels light. Lilian felt better, but Elliora didn't look good.
"What's wrong?" Lark asked, and Elliora shook her head.
"Nothing. So, can I have your hand next?" He smiles at Lizzie, who looks at him as if she will kill him if he tries to harm her. But Lizzie gave her hand to Elliora like an obedient child when Lilian glared at her. "Okay, I'm done." He said.
"Then go wait for me in my study."
"Yes. You better hurry up because I have something important to say." Elliora glances at the child before he leaves the room.
Lark looked at his two daughters with a soft smile.
"I will introduce you to your brother at dinner tonight. Make sure you get ready." He said this while he stroked their hair with a gentle touch.
"Yes." They replied like an obedient child.
He smile again before he left the room. Leaving the child that is still confused in the room.
"Why does that man resemble Chevelure so much?" Lizzie asked, and Lilian shook her head as a sign she didn't know. "It's weird... Is he the pope of the temple? If he's the pope, then it's possible to have that appearance, right?" Lizzie shook Lilian's body with a serious face.
They never describe the grand duke's friend, so it's impossible for them to know about the pope of the temple. The pope of the temple only appears at the end of the story, when the world is about to be destroyed by demons.
The pope of the temple appears with the grand duke and the former magic tower master in one chapter, but the author doesn't describe how they look since all of them have their faces covered in the original.
"It would be possible since Daphne, the saintess, is the person who takes after Chevelure. If that man her bloodline then it's not impossible." Lilian replied with a low voice.
They just knew from a different book that Daphne had a child. The child who inherited her blood is the only one who can be the pope of the temple, so they assume that all Daphne's children would have the same appearance as she does.
How can these two books relate to each other?
Well, the author said so.
The author posts an announcement that Daphne and Velma's story is in the same world as OTLS. The difference is that Daphne and Velma's story didn't go into detail about romance.
They have very detailed information about the situations that happen in the empire and how they have to handle them. They have a love interest, but they didn't focus on it too much.
As readers, Lilian and Lizzie can feel the love. Even though they rarely communicate with each other, just a glance is enough to prove they love each other.
"Do we have to search for Daphne and Velma?" Lizzie asks again.
"We need to. Maybe they have some clues about this world that we don't know about."
They might read about this world, but despite that, there are a lot of things they didn't know by reading. They need to find more information.
As for Daphne and Velma, they're also from another world, and they've lived in this world longer than they did, so it would be a good move to find them first.
"What about Isdor? I don't see him here."
Isdor was supposed to be by their side, so where is he?
"I don't know. He didn't come to us when you passed out. I just heard Chevelure's voice in my head saying I can relax since someone is going to pick us up. I guess that someone is the grand duke."
"You can hear Chevelure voice? So that means he always looks at us, right?"
"I suppose so."
"Then what about Isidor? Did he really just go missing like this? I thought he was going to be with us all the time." Lizzie said this with a dissatisfied face.
"Isdor has told us to wait for him, but we went to the woods to help those children. Isn't it our fault for not listening to him?"
"But he's our guardian, so he should know where we are. It's impossible if he didn't find us."
"Let's just wait for him. He would find us soon, so don't worry too much." Lilian spoke calmly.
"Lilian."
"Hurm?"
"What are we going to do now? We're here. In a grand duke's mansion. That means we can interfere with everything that will happen to the main character starting today. But what are we going to do to prevent Neveah's death?"
"I don't know. Aren't we supposed to get close to Luca first since he will be our brother starting today?"
Luca Atara is such a lonely and broken character. The grand duke didn't hate him, but he also didn't raise him and let him grow by himself. He never cared about his son, and they never had a deep conversation with each other.
As a child, Luca always wanted to feel the love of his father, but Lark just ignored him. No matter what he did to gain his attention, Lark never looked back at his child and kept walking.
In fact, Luca never knew that Lark actually loved him. It's not like he ignored him. He just didn't know how to react whenever Luca came to show his good results in everything he did.
He always heard about his son's movements and helped him without Luca himself knowing. In the end, Luca grew up without loving his father. He didn't love his father, but he also didn't hate him.
It's a complicated feeling that Luca can't even explain. He always looked up to his father since he's such a great person, but he couldn't love him.
When Lark Jewett Atara died in the original novel, he didn't even cry. No. He just couldn't cry since he had no good memories with him.
Both of them are so pitiful.
One didn't know how to express his feelings more freely, and one is just trying hard to be loved and noticed.
"We should help them restore their relationship. It's pitiful that they can't even talk properly when they truly love and care about each other."
Lizzie made a suggestion with a serious face.
Lilian smiled at her words.
"That's a great idea. We need to change from the root so that everyone can have their happy ending."
They have made a firm decision.
Neveah and Asher would not be the only ones who could reach their happy ending. They'll need to make sure everyone has a happy ending and lives a good life so that they don't regret anything.
They will do everything in their power to change the storyline. Of course, they need to work harder, but that doesn't matter. As long as everyone ends up happy, no matter how long it takes, they will reach their goal.