My Adorable Daughter Can't Be A Villainess - Chapter 2 - First Love

“Wait!” Hearing a loud yell coming from behind, the woman halted, fortunately.

The one who yelled at her was none other than me.

As she paused, I once again got to see one of the most beautiful faces looking at me in surprise.

Long platinum hair cascaded down her shoulder and reached her waist like a tranquil waterfall. Her droopy aquamarine eyes held a slight intoxication, like she was drunk. However, I knew she wasn’t.

Her body was swaying even though she hadn’t touched a drop of liquor. And her complexion… seemed pale enough to match her hair colour.

One of the most influential characters of this novel— Chloe.

“What do you want now?” Overcoming her confusion, she asked me wryly.

Her tone suggested she was upset, and truth be told, Eric had done things to deserve such treatment from the woman. Yeah… I couldn’t exactly argue with that.

“First, sit down,” I suggested while gesturing toward the bench just a few meters beside us.

She frowned; clearly unsure of my motives.

I remained silent and wordlessly persistent until she yielded and sat down.

It had been a life-changing event for me to reincarnate into this body, especially at this time when the fate of Eric Blackwood gets set in stone. I didn’t know if I was dreaming on the hospital bed or if this was actually my reality now. The thing I actually cared about was ensuring her wellbeing.

I sat down beside her and directed my gaze forward. A moment of silence was broken by my question, “So… how. How old is she now?”

My question might have sounded suspicious since I felt her narrowing gaze at me. Crap, she’s suspicious of me.

 “Why are you interested all of a sudden? Didn’t you just run away after hearing my circumstances?”

“I was overwhelmed, yes. But I didn’t run away… if I really wanted to, then I could have pretended not to know you.” I conveyed my sincerity and intentions regarding the matter.

To earn her trust, I had to be patient and actually communicate. Relationships only move forward when people talk, after all.

She remained silent. I didn’t insist on her talking immediately.

Finally, after who knows what she thought, she told me, “She is fourteen and will be joining the Academy next year.”

Fourteen? My mind stumbled. That was… way younger than I’d prepared myself for.

Hearing about her, I thought I would be frightened. After all, she is the main villain of this world and someone who would challenge the Gods while being all alone. Her might was something to be feared, especially her anger. However, despite knowing all this, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited to meet this girl with whom I share blood now. I have never been a father in my previous life, but I have always dreamt of having a family.

Maybe God was helping me live my dream life.

“So you want me to take care of her for this year until she joins the Academy?” I asked her; not revealing any details which I shouldn’t be aware of.

Chloe looked tense, her shoulders shaking as she softly nodded. Her condition worried me, but I didn’t immediately pick her up and go to a doctor. Instead, I suggested,

“I would promise you if you do one thing for me.”

She looked at me with her aquamarine eyes that showed disgust.
Well, considering how she must be perceiving my demand from her perspective, I could understand her reaction.

Regardless, I maintained an aloof front and waited for her reply.

After a short while, her strained voice rang in my ears, “What do you want me to do?”

I barely held a grin. Good, she’s listening.

***

We rode in the carriage, and I didn’t let Chloe know where we were headed. If she asked why, things could get complicated fast, maybe even end with her refusing to come. Especially now, when her breathing was getting shakier with each bump in the road.

Chloe was someone Eric Blackwood knew well. Back in their Academy days, they’d been classmates who sparred together constantly, sharing a love for both studying and fighting. Their bond had been strong enough to make others envy them.

Chloe and Eric slowly began to develop feelings for each other in between all the friendly banters and casual conversations. And they both knew each other’s feelings.

However, because of their separate circumstances, neither of them confessed.

Things had been fine, ordinary even, until graduation night. After too much alcohol, Eric and Chloe crossed the line and ended up wrapped around each other until dawn. And then Eric woke, realized what happened, and ran.

Remembering this, I felt a knot twist in my stomach. How much did that hurt her?

Without caring or purposely ignoring  what was going on with Chloe, Eric continued to live his life as he wanted. He never married anyone nor had any relationship, since in his mind he still loved Chloe and couldn’t accept anyone else. And it was the same for the girl as well.

However, they weren’t destined to reunite again and live the happy life that might’ve been theirs. Instead, the distance between them only grew, turning a single mistake into a wound neither of them ever properly faced.

“We have arrived, young master.” Thanks to the carriage driver’s call, I was able to pull myself out of my reverie.

When I opened my eyes and looked at Chloe, I found her asleep, leaning against the wooden wall of the carriage. Her face looked even paler than before, each breath a little slower, a little heavier.

Her peaceful sleeping face made me sigh in admiration. One could not define how impossibly beautiful she looked. Her flawless skin, well-suited features, and silver locks were just a perfect combination to make one fall in love with her looks alone.

And yet, the more I admired her, the heavier the guilt in my chest grew. She shouldn’t have to suffer like this… not because of me.

I didn’t have it in my heart to wake her up, but the more I prolonged it, the more her health would deteriorate.

Softly, I nudged her, “Hey, we are here.”

Her cute silver brows drew closer as she softly opened her eyes, and the prettiest shade of blue landed on me.

Okay, I might need to look away now. Great. Fantastic. I’m getting flustered over a sleeping girl. Get it together, me.

I opened the carriage door and stepped out. Offering my hand to her, I waited for her to rearrange her clothes before she took my hand and stepped out only to gasp in astonishment upon seeing the place I had brought her.

“E-Eric… this…”

The reason for her shock was the fact that I had brought her to the biggest church that exists on the continent. And to not break her expectations, I whispered to her the reason I had brought her here,

“My only demand from you is to get healed. Now let’s go.”

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