The weight of the confrontation with her father lingered on the villainess's mind, but it only solidified her resolve. She had grown tired of living a life dictated by status, confined by the gilded walls of nobility. Love—real, raw, and beautiful—had opened her eyes to a world far richer than any title or wealth could provide.
Later that evening, she returned home to confront her father again. The grand study loomed before her, every step toward it feeling like a final test of her will. She entered, finding him seated behind his mahogany desk, his expression unreadable.
"Father," she began, her voice steady but laced with emotion. "I love him. I love him more than anything you or this world can offer me."
He looked up, his eyes hard and piercing. "You would truly throw away your title, your status, everything we've built—for him?"
"Yes," she replied, standing her ground. "I'd rather live as a commoner with him than remain bound by a life I don't desire. Love, Father—real love—is worth more than wealth or status."
Her father scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're being foolish. Do you even know what kind of life that would be? Struggling day by day, lacking the comfort and privileges you've always known? Love is fleeting. Wealth and status are everlasting."
She took a step closer, her gaze unwavering. "You may think so, Father, but to me, love is the only thing that's real. Wealth is empty without happiness. And status means nothing without freedom."
For the first time, a flicker of vulnerability crossed her father's face. "You're my only daughter…my pride and legacy. I raised you to be strong, to uphold our family name. If you choose him, everything we've built—all that you are—will be reduced to nothing."
She shook her head, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "Maybe that's what you've built, Father, but that's not who I am. I am more than my title, more than your expectations. And if I must abandon it all to be with Kai, then that's what I'll do."
"Do you even understand what love is?" he countered, his tone laced with disdain. "It's a weakness, a fleeting emotion that blinds people from the truth. The truth is, a noble's duty is to marry powerfully and secure alliances. It's not to indulge in fantasies with a commoner."
She took a deep breath, meeting his gaze with a fiery determination. "Love isn't a weakness, Father. It's the strongest thing I've ever known. I don't need wealth, and I don't need a title to know my worth. I only need him."
Her father's face contorted in frustration, but she continued, her voice unwavering. "This world may value money and status, but I value love. I am willing to live as a commoner, to give up every luxury I've known, if it means I can be by his side."
The silence that followed was heavy, her father's disbelief and anger evident as he struggled to grasp her choice. She had defied him before, but never like this. Never so boldly and with such finality.
After a tense pause, he spoke, his voice icy. "If you leave this life behind, you are no daughter of mine. I will disown you, cut you off from everything you've ever known. You'll be on your own, with nothing but the so-called 'love' you seem to cherish so much."
She took a deep breath, letting the sting of his words settle before responding. "Then so be it. I will leave behind this gilded cage if it means I can live freely, with someone who loves me for who I truly am. I may lose my title, but I will gain everything else I truly desire."
Her father's fists clenched, his face a mixture of anger and sadness. "Then go," he said finally, his voice barely more than a whisper. "You've made your choice. But don't expect me to welcome you back when reality shatters your delusions."
She nodded, a single tear escaping down her cheek, not from regret but from the pain of breaking free. "Goodbye, Father. I hope one day you'll understand."
With a final, resolute glance, she turned and left the study, leaving behind the world she once knew, stepping into the unknown but with her heart full of love and purpose. Her future with Kai lay ahead, a life that promised freedom, struggle, and boundless happiness. And in that moment, she knew she had made the right choice.