Chapter 8

I possessed the daughter of the runaway female lead—Chapter 8 (8/171)

Mom nodded slightly.

"Yes, there were some circumstances, so I dressed her in boy's clothes."

Jas was momentarily dazed, then suddenly bowed his head.

"I didn't know... I'm sorry, Lord Ar. I was disrespectful to Lord Ar just now..."

No, there's no need to be so flustered. It's not like I actually undressed her like a duke.

I calmed Jas down.

"It's fine. You didn't know."

"Still... Ah, I see..."

But upon closer inspection, it seemed that Jas was not just flustered. His expression was very complicated. He seemed to be a bit regretful?

What is he regretting?

While I was wondering about this, I heard Mom's soft sigh. Seeing that her complexion wasn't good, I realized that she needed to rest.

"Mom, lie down quickly."

I quickly helped Mom lie down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. Then, just like Mom used to do when putting me to bed, I patted her gently.

"Go to sleep. Good people sleep well."

Mom laughed at my cute behavior.

"While I'm sleeping, what if Ar gets bored?"

"It's fine. I won't be bored. I'll draw pictures next to you."

"Will you draw Mom again?"

"Of course!"

One amazing thing after possession was that I had developed a talent for drawing.

It seemed to be a skill that the original owner of this body possessed. For a six-year-old, the drawings were quite good, which even surprised me.

Because of this outstanding talent, Mom was very happy when I gave her drawings. So I often drew pictures on old wooden boards with charcoal and gave them to her as gifts.

"Come to think of it, now Ar can draw freely on paper."

Mom's face looked truly happy as she said this, and I felt a bit choked up.

Why is this person so unselfish?

For a long time, she had been in a relationship with a man, but she never asked for anything from him. She didn't even care about jewels or clothes. All she wanted was his heart.

After the female lead appeared in the original story, the capital was swept up in unprecedented scandal. The two most powerful unmarried men in the kingdom, Duke Iskars and Duke Arkans, were competing for the attention of a countess.

Of course, it was the duke's scheme. Knowing that his friend, Duke Arkans, had fallen for the countess, he decided to use her.

Being cynical about human relationships, he thought he could easily win the countess's heart and started flirting with her. On the other hand, the serious duke was torn between love and friendship.

In the end, the female lead's heart went to the male lead, Duke Arkans. In the process, the duke and the female lead developed a relationship similar to friendship.

Most people agreed that the relationship between the duke and the female lead was not romantic but rather a friendship.

However, there were a few female lead fans who argued that the duke did love the female lead.

Regardless, while the duke was spreading scandal, my mother lived alone in the duke's mansion in the capital.

During the day, the duke enjoyed tea parties, walks, and horseback riding with the female lead, and in the evening, they danced together at balls.

However, the time he spent with my mother was only during the dark of night. He would come to the mansion late at night, meet my mother, and leave for bed as soon as morning came.

Mom felt great despair at the duke's behavior. Yet, she never said a word of complaint to him. In the dark room, she just suppressed her feelings and held them back.

If the female lead was a shining sun, my mother was the shadow hidden by that light.

Mom soon fell asleep. I started drawing next to her, something I hadn't done in a long time.

I drew Mom with her beautiful silver hair and clear blue eyes, shining brighter than the sun. And I drew myself holding her hand.

After drawing, I felt a wave of drowsiness. Perhaps it was because all the tension had finally eased.

I reluctantly got into bed and lay down next to Mom. I fell into a deep sleep, smelling Mom's scent for the first time in a long time.

That night, I had a slightly strange dream.

In the dream, I was an adult, not a child. I was dressed in a beautiful dress and adorned with jewels.

I was drawing a picture under a large arched window. Sunlight was pouring in, and on the white paper, a person's face was drawn.

It wasn't Mom. The person in the picture was a man with short hair. Since his hair color wasn't black, it wasn't my father either.

Who am I drawing?

As I was thinking this, someone embraced me from behind and held my hand, which was painting on the canvas. My hand, holding the brush, disappeared completely under his large hand.

Soon, laughter filled the room. The man's playful antics almost made the brush touch the wrong place.

"———."

The man called my name in a tender voice. Strangely, it wasn't my name. He clearly called me something other than 'Aradia.'

As I was wondering about this, I heard the sound of paper rustling from somewhere.

"Ugh..."

I lifted my heavy eyelids. As I struggled between reality and the dream, my vision gradually cleared.

Blinking, I saw the Duke standing in front of the table. He looked like a large statue in his black cloak, and he was looking at something in his hand.

"Huh?"

As I made a small sound, the Duke put down what he was holding and signaled for me to be quiet. Looking to the side, I saw that Mom was still sleeping.

When I turned my head again, he was already gone from the room.

The only thing left on the table was the picture I had drawn before falling asleep.