Chapter 5

“Huff, huff…”

“Ledi, even if it’s hard, try to eat just a little more.”

A cool hand touched my cheek, and I instinctively nuzzled into it.

It felt like I was burning up. Father’s brow was furrowed again.

“F-father… I’m fine…”

I forced a smile.

A person with the Healing Ability doesn’t die easily. I also can’t use it on myself at will.

It only activates on its own when my condition suddenly worsens.

‘That was why my lifespan kept dropping so fast in my previous life, even though I barely used my ability.’

If left alone, I would recover. At least until the end of my lifespan.

“You are not fine.”

His quiet voice accompanied him as he sat me up halfway.

Something in a spoon touched my lips. As soon as I opened my mouth, a bitter taste spread through it.

“Ugh…”

It was disgusting.

“Shh, it’s alright. Just eat slowly, little by little.”

This is so bitter!

It’s so bitter I might die from it!

I squeezed my eyes shut and forced it down, wanting to cry. As soon as I swallowed one spoonful, another came.

“Ugh…”

“Good girl, aren’t you? My daughter. Just a little more.”

“It’s so b-bitter…”

“I’ll make it sweet next time.”

My voice wavered as I held back tears. Father patted my back to comfort me.

No, but seriously, this was bitter.

The bitterest thing I’d ever tasted. I opened my mouth again through blurry vision.

When I swallowed, Father patted my back as if he were proud.

“Good girl.”

“…Haa.”

“Good girl. Get some more sleep. You’ll feel better soon. And from now on, don’t play outside so much. Alright?”

He hugged me gently and patted my back as he spoke softly.

Was he always this kind?

My memories of being sick were always hazy, so I wasn’t sure.

Crackle, crackle. The firewood burned brightly.

Father tucked me under the blanket again and added more logs to the fire.

The gentle patting on my chest felt comforting.

With a smile, I slowly closed my eyes. Sleep overcame me in an instant.

* * *

Klein Tigreto watched his daughter fall asleep, then slowly stood up.

‘I should have some seeds stored in my old room.’

He had avoided going to the main house all this time, but he didn’t have any usable seeds left.

“No choice, then.”

He clicked his tongue, added more firewood, pulled the blanket closer around her, and left the annex.

He had been startled the previous night when his daughter came in with flushed cheeks after playing outside and started burning up with fever.

Klein had studied medicine for his daughter’s sake and read nearly every medical text available.

The fact that he could care for her himself when she was sick was a blessing.

It was far better than letting strangers examine her.

He even made the medicine himself.

‘Maybe I should add some honey next time to make it sweet.’

Honey should be fine for children.

‘She’s not a newborn, so it should be okay…’

He brushed back his loose black hair.

Beneath it, his pink eyes—just like his daughter’s—gleamed coolly.

It had been a long time since he last came to the main house. He ignored the soldiers who greeted him and stepped inside.

Upstairs, he entered his old room. It was still clean and well kept.

‘Looks like they kept cleaning it.’

He rummaged around until he pulled out a box of seeds from the back of a drawer.

They were various plant seeds he had once collected as a hobby.

His divine ability allowed him to make plants grow quickly.

People often said abilities were random, but for someone born into the prestigious Tigreto family, it was a trivial power.

Unlike his siblings, his eyes were not red either.

Because of that, he had always been an outsider in the family.

The shame of the house, unworthy of his heroic father’s name.

He wasn’t particularly talented, lacked ambition, and wasn’t warm either, so more and more people pointed fingers at him.

But for him, someone who found everything tiresome, such petty opinions didn’t matter.

The only thing given to him was his daughter and the woman he loved, who had died without even a wedding.

His position in the family grew even weaker, but all he needed was a safe place to raise his child.

Unlike his brothers who earned military achievements, he had always wandered outside.

Click—

He opened the box that had been tightly sealed. The seeds inside were more than ten years old but still intact.

He closed the old box, tucked it under his arm, and left the room.

Just then, he came face to face with someone he didn’t want to see, stepping out of a nearby bedroom.

The head of House Tigreto.

His father.

The hero recognized by the empire, Magnum Tigreto.

He remembered his brothers scrambling to win their father’s approval.

Klein glanced at him and walked past without greeting.

“…So you won’t even greet your parent now. Who said you could walk in here as you please?”

“It has been a while. I’m glad to see you’re in good health. I hope you stay that way. I only came to get something I need. It wasn’t bought with family money. I collected it myself, so there’s no need to worry.”

Klein spoke flatly, gave a brief nod, then turned and headed for the stairs.

Magnum let out a laugh of disbelief. After years, this is how his son greets him.

“Klein Tigreto.”

“What is it. I’m busy.”

He stopped and turned around.

He looked thinner than the last time Magnum had seen him, and tired too.

Magnum’s youngest son. His sore spot.

He had never once moved the way Magnum wanted and rarely showed emotion.

After coming of age, he wandered outside as he pleased. One day he left, saying he had someone he loved.

A few years later, he returned with a child of unknown origin and holed up in the annex for years.

Magnum had been willing to forgive him if he showed remorse. He deliberately treated him coldly and assigned only a few maids.

That was his way of showing mercy to his wayward son.

But after telling him not to come, Klein truly never stepped foot in the main house again.

Looking at that stubbornness now…

“How could you raise your daughter so poorly that she dared to come all the way here.”

Even now, kind words did not leave his mouth.

For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed Klein’s usually indifferent and tired eyes.

“…What are you talking about.”

“I told you not to come near the main house. Your daughter came here yesterday asking for the newspaper I was reading to be sent with the meal.”

Magnum scoffed at the sight of his son’s doll-like face showing emotion.

“How miserably are you raising her that she has to come begging for something like that. You were unfit to be a father from the start. If you’re going to raise a child of unknown origin like that…!”

He was going to tell him to either give the child up or return to the main house and live properly.

But his words caught in his throat when he saw his son’s twisted expression.

Klein was not someone who showed emotion so openly.

“…My apologies. I’ll make sure to talk to her.”

He spoke through gritted teeth, glaring at Magnum with sharp, icy eyes.

He looked hurt, furious, and frustrated all at once.

“Make sure she never sets foot here again.”

His voice was like a snarl as he turned to leave.

“Klein, how dare you talk to your father like that…!”

“Who is my father? Duke.”

“…”

“Think about how many times you told me I wasn’t your son.”

Magnum froze at the sharpness in the voice of his youngest, who was usually emotionless.

“If she ever comes here again, tell her exactly what you always told me.”

“…”

“That she is not your granddaughter and should never show her face again.”