Chapter 5.2

‘It’s crudely made.’

It looked like a simple ring made by a beginner artificer, roughly bending a piece of wire.

And the magic stone embedded in the center seemed to absorb all existing light, black as night.

Actually, I couldn’t even be sure if it was a magic stone.

Why would my mother leave me such a ring?

‘Should I try it on?’

Just as I was about to slip the mysterious ring onto my finger, I felt an unexpected presence behind me.

“…Well, this Dad of yours doesn’t think that’s a good idea.”

‘Shi— That surprised me!’

I barely managed to suppress a scream and awkwardly turned around.

“D-Dad?”

It was the first time I’d seen him since the funeral.

Simon Dayton, the Marquis, stood behind me, impeccably dressed despite the late hour.

“How did you…? I didn’t hear the door open…?”

My gaze reflexively shifted towards the door.

I was sure I had locked it after entering, preventing anyone else from coming in, but there was no sign of it being tampered with.

“Have you forgotten what kind of man your father is?”

Simon chuckled softly.

‘Ah, right. This is a world with magic.’

I specifically asked for such a setting and then forgot about it.

Simon Dayton was not only the head of the prestigious Dayton family but also one of the most renowned mages in the Claremont Empire, known for his pure skills.

Of course, his specialty was alchemy, which was part of the secrets of the Dayton family, but teleportation was a piece of cake for him.

“Now, give what you’re holding to Dad and go back to bed. Okay? Be a good girl.”

Simon’s tone was as soft as a feather.

Had I lived my entire life as Edith, I would have immediately trusted him and handed over the ring and the letter.

However, I had only just entered the story of seventeen-year-old Edith.

Besides…

‘Isn’t that a villain’s line?’

I had the experience of reading many stories.

Before her suspicious death, Elizabeth Dayton had left a secret message for her daughter, likely to avoid someone’s eyes.

Initially, I suspected Samuel, but a mere butler committing a grandiose crime like murdering the Duchess was improbable.

Then,

Could there be a more likely candidate than my father, Marquis Simon Dayton, who suddenly appeared at dawn, smiling benignly?

‘Crazy, this is like some ridiculous drama.’

In the meantime, the Marquis was getting closer.

Whether it was a physical fight or a magical one, my chances of winning were slim. Eventually, he would get what he wanted from me.

Looking at the ring in my hand, I hesitated for a moment before making a quick decision.

‘Oh well, let’s see.’

I pushed my ring finger into the mysterious ring.

“Edith, you…!”

The mask of the loving father, Simon, was already shattered.

He lunged towards me, violently removing the ring from my finger, and snatched the letter. I was pushed to the ground with a thud.

But whatever the Marquis was trying to prevent had already happened.

‘Something’s wrong with my body.’

I felt nauseous, as if I had drunk too much. It was a floating sensation, then suddenly, as if stepping out into the cold midwinter, I became sharply alert.

Something was being released inside me.

And,

Among the many changes happening in my body, there was one that I could see with my own eyes.

‘My hair color… it’s changing.’

The golden, lustrous blonde began to turn a deep, blood-red from the tips.

“Ha, haha! Hahaha!”

Seeing the change in me, the Marquis began to laugh as if he had lost his mind.

“Ha, Elizabeth, are you satisfied now? Are you happy? You’ve thrown a wrench into everything to the very end.”

While the Marquis alternated between laughing and shouting at the void, I struggled to get up from the floor.

An urgent warning signal was blaring in my head, telling me I needed to escape this place.

‘Please, please!’

But my body refused to obey. It was as if I had forgotten how to walk, completely drained of strength.

“Edith, Edith. My daughter. What am I to do with you now that you’re useless?”

As I tried to crawl towards the door, the Marquis turned his attention back to me.

And the next moment,

I was swept into the Marquis’ arms in the blink of an eye.

“You should have listened to your father.”

Simon Dayton, the Marquis, spoke too sweetly.

He held me with one arm and gently stroked my cheek with the other.

I struggled desperately to break free, but it was like being bound in chains, unable to move an inch.

The Marquis lifted his hand, which had been stroking my cheek, into the air. In it, he now held an opaque dagger, gleaming faintly in the dark.

“Guh, huuk…”

There was no hesitation in the Marquis’ movement as he drove the sword into the center of his daughter’s heart.

‘You said I’d be the protagonist! You said I have a chance at a happy ending!!’

That was the last memory I had, foolishly mistaking the genre of this story for a simple family drama.