She Is a Daughter Raised As the Son of a Duke - Chapter 122-End

Episode 122

Interrupting my thoughts and attempts to console myself, a tiresome question came.

“Is it because you’ve grown to like Diego that you can’t accept my confession?”

I sighed. How much more straightforward did I need to be for him to understand?

“No, it’s not because of that. It’s because of you.”

Because of your actions, there’s no reason for me to like you anymore. Even if you change, I can’t like you again, remembering what happened in the past.

I couldn’t be any more honest. Jed seemed shocked by my words, his expression faltering briefly before he attempted to counter once again.

“But Diego—”

“At least the prince had always shown me sincerity.”

This time, I cut off his words.

“Stop comparing yourself to the prince, Jed. The more you do, the worse you come off.”

“…”

I worried if my words were too harsh, but if I didn’t speak like this, he might keep clinging on.

“So, just stop. We’re not fated to be together.”

Our relationship, which was neither friendship nor anything else, ended like this. Naturally, I had no regrets. Even if he genuinely liked me.

“I… I’ll go.”

As I tried to leave and walked down the corridor, I looked up at a shadow cast on the floor. Diego was standing a few steps ahead.

It seemed he had been searching for me and overheard my conversation with Jed.

“Why do you… disappear without a word? I found you.”

Without answering his question, I took his hand and started walking.

“Let’s go.”

Diego was startled by the sudden physical contact, his eyes widening, but when he saw Jed behind me, he furrowed his brows.

“That brat dragged you here forcibly?”

“No, he didn’t. He said he wanted to apologize, so I followed him. Otherwise, he might have kept approaching me.”

“…Next time, don’t follow him, just call for me. I’ll—well, I’ll take care of it.”

Seeing him try to soften his words, a faint smile escaped me.

“Sure, I got it.”

His ears turned red, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

Suddenly, something came to mind, and I stopped in my tracks.

“Oh, there’s something I want to ask.”

He looked down at me as if wondering what it could be.

“Will you grant my request?”

* * *

After Princess’s birthday party ended, evening fell upon the palace. Perhaps because it was entering winter, the sun had set quickly.

All the guests had left, leaving only Diego and me. We strolled toward the Dream Lake within the palace.

Facing the lake, as I enveloped my entire body with magic, Diego looked at me with concern.

“Are you really going in? What do you want to see so badly?”

My request was that if I went into the lake, he would pull me out after 10 minutes.

I focused magic from my toes upward. I had learned this technique during joint training. When hunting, there might be situations where you need to enter water. If your body gets wet, your body temperature drops, which can be dangerous. So, they taught us how to use magic to prevent our bodies from getting wet.

“The person who made me as I am now.”

“The person who made you as you are now…?”

Diego touched his chin, silently contemplating as if trying to figure out who that person might be. In the meantime, I finished preparing to enter the lake.

“I’m going in.”

Without hesitation, I leaped into the lake.

Splash—

“May!”

I heard a desperate shout of my name from behind, but it quickly faded away.

Inside the pitch-black lake, a place so dark that I could barely see my own body, mysterious ripples gathered.

Accompanying those ripples, faint lights emanated from all directions, blinding me.

When I came to my senses and opened my eyes, I found myself in a familiar yet strange world. It resembled a modern building that I might have seen in a past life, a pediatric examination room to be precise.

An unfamiliar doctor was attending to the last patient.

“Next time, don’t pick up food from the ground and eat it to avoid getting an upset stomach, understood?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

A guardian, presumably, bowed to the doctor and left the examination room with a child. Then, I heard the sound of calculating fees from outside.

I gazed at the doctor typing on the computer.

Indeed… I became a pediatrician.

I had entered the Dream Lake because I wanted to see May. The Dream Lake grants dreams of the person you want to see.

Since she didn’t look unwell and her expression was cheerful, I felt relieved, assuming she was in good health.

Then, May stood up and spoke to me, as if she knew I was there.

“So you came to see me.”

I was so surprised that I jumped. I hadn’t even thought that she could see me or talk to me in this place.

Dazed, I found myself speaking without realizing.

“The one who gave me a new life… is it May?”

“Yeah. Here, I go by the name Eun-seon. Considering that they say someone gave you a new life, it seems like you met Passabea.”

A woman in a doctor’s gown approached me.

“I thought you could do it. The pride and courage that I lacked at that time seemed to shine from you. I don’t know if you heard it from Passabea, but in reality, I could have taken on the role of May again.”

However, she admitted that she didn’t have the courage to live as May again. Even if she retained her memories and returned, she felt she wouldn’t have the courage to overcome the trials that awaited her.

I told her how I had lived during her absence. When I mentioned Stella, she explained the reason behind Stella’s possession as well.

“When choosing someone to take on the role of May on my behalf, Stella was also there.”

According to her, Stella got divorced from Jed after the original story and ended up marrying him. The reason was Jed’s infidelity. After the divorce, Stella couldn’t bear the sadness and made a drastic choice.

Her life in the novel seemed so good, but it wasn’t. Still, I was relieved that the current Stella was living well.

We continued our conversation a bit more.

Gradually, my vision blurred, and drowsiness began to overcome me. It felt like the time had come for me to return.

“I think I should go now. Can I hug you one last time before I leave?”

I hugged the past version of May. The one who had been abandoned by her father, became a slave, and met a tragic end.

Despite it being a dream, I could feel a warm embrace.

“Thank you for giving me happiness.”

My first words were met with a warm response.

“I’m the one who should thank you for giving me happiness.”

Before my form completely disappeared, we exchanged our final farewells.

“Take care.”

“Goodbye, May.”

Just as my vision turned to darkness, someone embraced me.

I immediately felt a rising sensation. It seemed like they were trying to take me out of the lake.

From the arms that held my waist tightly, I could feel warmth.

Splash—

As soon as I rose to the surface of the water, I blinked my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Haah— Haah—”

Even Diego, who had brought me out of the water, was catching his breath.

“Don’t ever make this kind of request again. Even if you ask, I won’t do it.”

He warned with a stern expression.

If someone else saw him, they might think he was angry, but I knew. Diego wasn’t angry right now; he was worried.

As I looked at him, a smile formed on my lips.

“I understand.”

We came up to the land and sat down. Thanks to the magic I had cast on our bodies, our clothes and hair weren’t wet. The same was true for Diego.

“Who exactly is the person who allowed you to exist in the present? That’s why you jumped into the lake without directly seeing them?”

“Because I can only see that person in this way. You’re not angry, are you?”

“…No.”

Then, something cold fell onto Diego’s nose. After that, more began falling on his shoulders, then his palms.

He looked up at the sky.

“It’s snowing.”

I followed his gaze and looked up as well. White snowflakes were falling from the sky.

“Wow, it’s the first snow.”

As we enjoyed the gently falling snowflakes for a moment, memories of the days gone by flashed before my eyes, like a lantern illuminating the past.

There had been many events this year. I officially became a guardian knight, captured Gliw-gon, and after disguising myself, I started living as Persis’ daughter.

I was living a life completely different from the May in the novel. The life of May that only I could paint.

Although the world hasn’t allowed me to live smoothly, from now on, I will live a life surrounded by the people I love, like the waves on the beach.

Sometimes stable, sometimes adventurous. 

That’s the happiness I desire.

Stability could come from Dad or Floa, and adventure… perhaps from Diego.

Since meeting him, many unexpected things have happened. Of course, most of them were unfavorable until now, but now he likes me.

I also have… an interest in him.

How could I continue disliking a handsome and fit person who’s good to me?

So, this is my first adventure after setting a new goal.

“Your Highness.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you?”

He stared at me as if he had heard something he shouldn’t.

“Um…?”

Meeting his gaze, I leaned in and kissed him.

The falling snowflakes were cold, but his lips were warm.

As we shared a breath and then pulled away, he confessed to me with a slightly sheepish expression.

“I like you.”

And then, like a magnet, he followed up by capturing my lips again.

As if determined not to let go, he wrapped his large hand around my neck.

Even as the snow fell and accumulated on our heads and shoulders, I continued the kiss with him.

– End

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