In the dining room, three people sat together, enjoying their al.
They were an adult man, an adult woman, and a six-year-old girl.
The man was tall and well-built, with a stern face, short brown hair, and a thin beard on his chin and beneath his nose.
Although only about twenty-six, his aura of authority made it impossible for anyone to resist his presence.
Across from him, a mature woman sat with elegance and calm. Her snow-white hair was tied in a loose braid that flowed down her back.
Her purple eyes glead like finely cut sapphires, frad by long lashes, and the gentle smile on her lips carried a charm both soothing and captivating.
At the end of the table, a small girl with a short stature sat quietly. Her silver hair was styled into two braided pigtails, adorned with a butterfly-shaped ribbon in the middle.
Her round cheeks made her look cute, but her gloomy expression suggested she was having a bad day.
The woman glanced at the little girl and sighed softly.
"My dear," she called gently. "Where is rlin? Why hasn't he co to the dining room?"
The little girl trembled, lowering her head to hide the emotions on her face.
Ardhis continued eating, chewing, and swallowing lazily.
"I don't know. Maybe that damn boy is sleeping," he muttered in a disgruntled tone, stabbing a piece of at on his plate before eating it irritably.
The woman paused for a mont, then asked again, "Did you tell Maya to wake him up?"
"I did, but I'm not sure the boy will listen to Maya. After all, it's the sa every day," he replied.
Those words left the woman speechless. She stared at the delicious dishes before her, but her appetite vanished.
As a mother, Livia was deeply worried about her son, rlin. In the past, he had been obedient and kind; he never even dared to refuse her orders.
But everything changed about two years ago. For so reason, the boy had beco mischievous and defiant.
He dared to oppose both her and her husband's orders and often hurt his younger sister, Catrine. Her husband had tried many thods to punish him, hoping to make him change.
Unfortunately, all efforts were in vain. rlin only grew more rebellious.
The situation made Livia suspect that her son might be cursed. Yet after examinations by doctors and powerful mages, no trace of a curse was ever found.
Just as the atmosphere grew quiet and heavy, footsteps echoed from the dining room door.
Ardhis, Livia, and Catrine turned their heads—it was rlin.
Livia was about to greet him warmly, but Ardhis' cold stare silenced her.
She anxiously glanced at her son, biting her lower lip.
rlin entered and walked toward the table. His gaze shifted between his father and mother before stopping on the little girl, who sat at the end of the table with her head lowered in fear.
'So, that's Catrine, huh? What an adorable little girl!' ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovєlFіre
rlin felt as though an arrow had pierced his heart, nearly making him lose control. Fortunately, he managed to compose himself quickly.
To be honest, among all the heroines in The Lost Hero novel, Catrine was the one who caught his attention the most.
She was described as graceful, beautiful, and charming. But beneath that, her true nature was cold, cruel, and unforgiving—the result of rlin Clay's past cruelty.
Rembering that, rlin's hatred for the original rlin Clay reignited, and he longed to kill him right then and there.
"It's surprising that you actually ca to the dining room for breakfast. I was just about to go to your room and wake you up myself."
The cold voice, sharp as an ice spear, snapped him out of his thoughts. rlin looked up and found his father, Ardhis, staring at him with disgust.
Of course, rlin wasn't angry. He understood his father's disappointnt.
As the Clay family's hope, Ardhis had given him everything—affection, love, attention, and even luxuries. Yet all rlin ever returned were problems.
To make matters worse, the real rlin often hurt Catrine, the adopted child considered part of the family and the daughter of Ardhis' late friend.
Day after day, the disappointnts piled up until Ardhis finally gave up on him.
"All right, dear," Livia interrupted with a gentle smile. "rlin just woke up, and he must still be feeling dazed. Please don't scold him."
Ardhis rolled his eyes and sneered. "You're always defending him. Didn't you see how this brat caused trouble yesterday?"
"I know, but…" Livia began, only for rlin's voice to suddenly cut her off.
"It's okay, Mother. What Father said is true. Everything was my fault. I'm sorry to all of you."
He bowed his head to all of them, his palms clenched together.
Although he was in rlin Clay's body, he was not that bastard. He didn't want to disappoint his parents or make Catrine hate him.
In his previous world, his parents had died when he was still in elentary school. After that, he was raised by his uncle and aunt.
That was why he wanted to use this chance to gain the affection he had never received in his previous world.
Ardhis, who had been swallowing his food, suddenly choked at the sight. He quickly grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down in one go.
Once relieved, he looked at rlin with a puzzled and astonished expression.
"What did you just say?" he asked suspiciously. "Apologizing? You? Did I hear that right?"
It wasn't that he had misheard—he simply wanted to confirm whether his ears were deceiving him.
Livia was just as surprised as Ardhis. She looked at her son from head to toe, as if she were staring at a completely different person.
"You didn't hear wrong, Father," rlin said earnestly. "I want to apologize to you. Everything was my fault, and I promise I won't do it again."
Whoosh!
All of a sudden, a gust of wind brushed past rlin, carrying with it a faint, soft whisper.
"Thank you, rlin. Now, I'm truly… at peace…"
rlin's eyes widened in shock. He didn't know who the voice belonged to, but only one figure appeared in his mind.
"rlin… Clay?"
--------//Author Note--------
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