* * *

“…Doesn’t even know your own name.”

Dad’s voice was strange. It sounded like it was scraping the bottom of a deep abyss.

At that moment, one of the vassals spoke up.

“Um, do you really not know your name? Or your age?”

I had only whispered to Dad, how did they know?

Embarrassing.

“Yes…”

I nodded my head, trying to hide my embarrassment, and the vassals started murmuring.

“No, then, in the meantime…….”

“What did the Marquis of Tarenka call her all these time?”

“…….”

I was left speechless.

…No one has ever called me.

Hey, there, you.

I was called like that.

But it wasn’t calling ‘me.’

It was just like kicking a stone by the roadside.

It isn’t recognizing me, it wasn’t calling my name.

‘Oh, there were times when ‘I’ was called.’

It was called ‘useless,’ ‘inadequate,’ ‘discarded trash.’

A parasite, evidence of infidelity, a disgrace to the family, a bastard.

“No need to think about it.”

A cold voice cut through my trailing thoughts.

I suddenly snapped out of it and looked up at the owner of the voice.

Dad was staring at the vassals with sharp eyes.

‘Just like back then.’

When I said I didn’t receive child support.

Back then, Dad had said, “There’s no need to say more,” and summed up the situation.

I thought Dad was questioning me back then…

‘That wasn’t it.’

He had told me not to recall painful memories from the start.

He hadn’t been questioning me from the beginning.

“I… I don’t know my name, and I don’t know my age, but still…”

I fidgeted with my hands.

But I couldn’t muster the courage to lift my head.

“I’m not embarrassed. I’m not pitiable.”

I tried to sound confident.

Because…

“Because Dad is here.”

When I looked up at Dad, he hugged me tightly.

“Yes.”

His hand on my head was a bit rough as he stroked it.

“Who dares to think of you as embarrassing or pitiable?”

But now I understood.

That’s how Dad pats me.

“Hehe.”

I smiled at Dad, and he gently flicked my cheek with his index finger.

“If life is precious to you, you won’t even think such thoughts.”

His voice was low, and his eyes scanning the vassals held a warning.

I hugged Dad’s neck tightly.

Being a reincarnated soul didn’t mean I instantly knew everything about my surroundings when I was born. It took a long time to develop clear cognitive abilities, and the time I spent awake was short.

When I began to understand language, there was no one around to call me.

By the time I learned about days, I still didn’t know how old I was. I lived without knowing my name or age.

But I wasn’t an unhappy child, at least not in this life.

“Ruatisha.”

Dad looked at me and suddenly said my name.

“……?”

“Your name.”

At that moment, a very old voice surfaced from the deepest recesses of my memory.

“Ruatisha.”

I had heard that name before.

“I love you.”

A tender voice.

“Be happy.”

A gentle touch.

“Ah…”

Memories were so fascinating.

Even as time adds weight and it seems like they’ll never resurface, the most genuine memories can rise like a gushing spring with the slightest trigger. Truly warm memories are never forgotten.

Ruatisha.

Yes, that was the name. That’s what she used to call me. She would hold me lovingly and kiss my cheek.

‘Mom.’

My eyes welled up with warmth.

“Call me again, please.”

It was a name that was both familiar and still somewhat strange and awkward. But, no, that’s why I wanted to keep hearing it.

“Ruatisha.”

“Yes!”

I smiled broadly.

Dad caressed my head and said, 

“You’ll be five years old when the new year comes.”

Oh, right. So, I’m four now. Is it because this world just a K-romance fantasy novel, that people seem to age one year on New Year’s instead of their actual birthday?

“Your birthday is on October 11th.”

I opened my eyes wide.

“It’s already passed.”

“Yeah, it has passed this year. But it’ll come again next year.”

“Okay!”

I have a day to look forward to! It’s so exciting and fantastic!

“Ruatisha, you will never forget your name from now on.”

Dad looked at me seriously and said, 

“I will call your name every day.”

“Yes!”

“And when the new year dawns, I will celebrate you turning five.”

“Wow!”

“And on your birthday, we’ll have an even grander party than the royalty.”

My heart swelled with happiness.

I tapped my fingers nervously.

“I’m happy just celebrating with you, Dad.”

Upon hearing this, Dad stared at me fixedly for a moment.

Did I say something wrong?

Was it inappropriate for someone in a position like that of a Phaeraton princess?

Just as I started to panic, Dad raised his head and asked the attendants, 

“Did you hear that?”

“……”

After a brief silence.

“Yes, yes! We heard it!”

“It seems that the youngest miss is your gift, Your Excellency!”

“My son, on the other hand, is causing a ruckus, demanding presents. I envy you so much!”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Dad’s mouth.

I watched that sight with mixed feelings.

It felt like the return of the detached logic of the reincarnator who had left the house in a hurry.

“Dad, did you send me dresses for my birthday every year?”

“Yes.”

“Was the dress that Clatie wore on her birthday originally mine?”

“Yes. That ignorant lady stole it from you. How dare she.”

I see.

Dad had been remembering my birthday every year, even though he must have had a hard time on the battlefield.

“…I thought Dad hated my birthday.”

My rational side warned me to stop there, but my mouth had already started to speak.

“The day I was born is also the day Mom… became a star in the sky.”

In an instant, the air in the study turned cold.

See, I knew it would be like this.

I regretted it.

But the words that came out couldn’t be taken back, and my rationality was fading.

“You were born out of wedlock, even taking your mother’s life.”

“You committed two sins from the moment you were born! That’s why the Duke disowned you!”

No matter how curious I was, no matter how much I wanted to know, I can’t ask.

But no matter what happened, I called him my dad.

I was his daughter, after all.

And now…

“Who said that?”

Dad’s voice was cold. I swallowed my breath in the anger I felt in it.

“Uncle…”

Crack.

The desk shattered and collapsed.

I shivered in surprise.

But Dad’s hand holding me remained the same.

Instead, Dad gently stroked my head with a very soft touch and cupped my cheek.

“Your mom didn’t… didn’t become a star that day.”

It was a clear voice, as if engraving it in my head.

“She breastfed you and gave you your name herself.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Mom didn’t die because of me.

“I love you, Ruatisha. Be happy.”

Those words weren’t something she left behind while dying because of me.

The name she gave me.

I liked my name more now.

Because it’s connected to my mom.

“Mom must have really liked me.”

“Yes, she loved you very much. To the point where she wouldn’t let you go.”

Hehe.

Even without looking, I could picture my face blushing.

“Ruatisha, your birthday is a day to celebrate properly.”

Dad said, looking me in the eyes.

“From now on, there won’t be any more birthdays that just pass by.”

“Yeah!”

It would have been really nice if Mom were still alive.

How did Mom pass away?

But I didn’t have the courage to ask that question.

‘Still, because Dad is here.’

For me, who had nothing, just having him was a miracle.

“Dad.”

“Yes.”

“Call my name.”

“Ruatisha.”

“Yeah!”

“Ruatisha.”

“Yeah.”

“Ruru.”

“Yeah…”

The hand that gently stroked my hair felt comforting.

His hand was slightly rough.

But it was the biggest and warmest hand in the world.

Feeling that touch, I fell asleep without realizing it.

* * *

“Marquis Tarenka’s actions have gone too far.”

“I felt it during the last child support payment, but this is really too much, isn’t it?”

“The youngest miss doesn’t even know her own name or age!”

The vassals vented their frustrations, spitting venom.

Duke Phaeraton remained silent.

“Your Excellency, even though it’s your wife’s family, this is an issue that cannot be overlooked.”

Thud, thud.

The Duke’s fingers, which had been tapping the armrest, stopped.

“What’s the situation in Tarenka?”

“The order to cut off their funds has already been carried out. The companies operated by the marquis have lost their contracts, and those who invested in the mana stone mines are withdrawing their funds.”

“Is there a possibility that the Marquis will seek help from the former Marquis?”

“He’s avoiding it because he doesn’t want to inform the former Marquis.”

“I see.”

Duke Phaeraton leaned back in his chair, resting his hands with folded fingers on his smoothly crossed legs.

Marquis Tarenka had been economically cornered.

Now was the era of the bourgeoisie, where the wealthy bourgeois were more dominant than the impoverished nobility.

One by one, Marquis Tarenka would feel the irretrievable misery as he lost everything.

When the former Marquis learn of this fact, he would likely take even his title away.

‘But it’s not enough.’

The gleam in Duke Phaeraton’s eyes turned a deep blue.

* * *

Ding!

Ding! Ding!

“Noisy…”

I rolled over, covering my ears with a pillow.

But the alert sound didn’t stop. It seemed to get even louder.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Let me sleep!”

Finally, I got irritated and sat up.

Even if I blocked my ears, the alarm sound was ringing inside my head, and I couldn’t ignore it.

“Babies need to get plenty of sleep! I’m only four years old! Wah! I don’t grow tall you’re going to take responsibility!”

[A new quest has arrived.]

I grumbled, but the notification window just pushed itself in front of my eyes.

I ran my fingers through my tousled hair and surveyed my surroundings.

I was in my room all of a sudden.

It looks like Dad must have moved me from his lap.

“A quest?”

?Seeking Revenge with My Own Hands! (1)?

Dear reader,

Now is not the time to be like this!

Duke Phaeraton is making plans to deal with Marquis Tarenka!

Is Dad trying to conquer the seemingly insurmountable Marquis Tarenka, even if you chew and eat it, it’s still not enough¹this idiom is used to describe a situation or thing that is so challenging, difficult, or unsatisfying that even after putting in a lot of effort or trying to deal with it, it remains unfulfilling or insufficient?

My Dad is the best!

I giggled and read the next sentence.

Surely you’re not pleased, are you?

What cider is handed to you by someone else?

Sour cider!

What cider poured by yourself?

Yes, genuine cider!

First, you relied on him to fulfill the task of kicking Clatie out to Duke Phaeraton, and now you’re going to entrust revenge against Marquis Tarenka to him?

Revenge should be done with your own hands!

Punishment should be done with your own will!

Let’s handle our own affairs, little one! ?

— Condition: Retrieving the property purchased by Marquis Tarenka using the child support

1. Ownership of Mana Stone Mine

2. Mining rights for Mana Stone

— Reward: 3000 cash lottery tickets, increase in influence within the Duchy of Phaeraton, progression on the linked quest?????

— Quest refusal penalty: Increased random chance of the penalty ?Sour Cider?.

— Quest failure penalty: Decrease in influence within the Duchy of Phaeraton.

‘No…’

I couldn’t believe it.

Of course, I, too, had hoped that the heroine would seek revenge in the novels I’ve read.

Not someone else or the male lead, but the heroine herself!

‘But!’

This was different because it was about me.

‘I’m just a baby!’

How could a four-year-old take property from Marquis Tarenka?

But the ‘refusal penalty’ was too much.

‘If I stay as a baby here, will I just keep being a baby forever?’

I already lose my sanity easily.

“Isn’t this too much? What if I turn into a baby while talking to Marquis Tarenka!”

Then I’ll fail the quest right away!

“No, I won’t! I’d rather you cut my belly!”

I lay down and struggled, and words were added at the bottom of the quest window as if asking if it was okay now.

— Quest Acceptance Benefit: The penalty will be lifted during the quest.

As if it was asking, ‘Is it okay now?’

‘Should I just go for it?’

I thought about it but gave up.

‘I know this guy’s temper. If I keep pushing here, he might even take away the benefits he gave me.’

“Ugh.”

I let out a deep sigh.

Honestly, I didn’t want to refuse after hearing the words Sour Cider.

I hate Sour Cider.

If you’re a romance novel reader, you’d all feel the same way!

“All right, let’s do it!”

[You have accepted the quest.]

[As a benefit, the penalty will be lifted during the quest.]

Good.

I crawled towards on the bouncy bed and approached the bedside table.

Then, I pulled out a book from the drawer.

The very book that has changed and become pretty.

Architus, the duchy’s heirloom.

[Would you like to summon a ‘novel’ using the ?novel rental ticket?? It’s available for rent for three days from the summoning date.]

I nodded in response to the notification that popped up.

‘Summon a romance novel and take the heroine’s abilities!’

[Please tell me the ‘novel’ you want to summon.]

After careful consideration, I spoke.

“?I Seduced Ten Men in the Reverse Harem World?.”

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  this idiom is used to describe a situation or thing that is so challenging, difficult, or unsatisfying that even after putting in a lot of effort or trying to deal with it, it remains unfulfilling or insufficient