My Adorable Daughter Can't Be A Villainess

Silence lingered in the room for a long while.

The only sound was Charlotte’s breathing, uneven and faint, struggling through the slight blockage in her nose.

Chloe exchanged a glance with Eric.
In his eyes, she found the same feeling weighing heavily on her chest.

Shock.

It sat there, raw and exposed.

Finally, the elder silver-haired woman spoke, her voice low and tightly restrained.
“…How?”

Charlotte did not need to ask what her mother meant.
She paused briefly, steadying herself before answering.

“I know this will upset you, Mom. But a long time ago, I accidentally came across one of your diaries. One you were about to throw away.”

Chloe’s eyes widened a little.

Eric stiffened. The moment Charlotte mentioned a diary, he understood.

Chloe had always kept one.
No, not one. A lot.

Since her academy days, she had written relentlessly. Every single day. Sometimes several times a day. It was as if she feared that if she did not write things down, they would slip away forever. Thoughts, emotions, memories. Everything had to be recorded.

More than thirty diaries existed.

Until a few years ago.

That was when Chloe realized those pages no longer brought her comfort. They only dragged her back into a past she could not bear to relive. Slowly and quietly, she began getting rid of them. One by one, she threw them away.

Charlotte must have found one of those.
One diary that still held her past.

A past that involved—

“I knew you had someone in your life,” Charlotte continued carefully, “someone who mattered more to you than your ambition, your friends…even your parents.”

Chloe’s fingers tightened slightly.

“And when I read the name,” Charlotte swallowed, “I was shocked. There aren’t many who had names Eric Blackwood in the world. After I asked Aunt Marie about it, I knew it was him.”

She gestured toward Eric.

Eric felt his chest tighten.

Charlotte knew.
She had known far longer than he ever imagined.

Charlotte paused before speaking again.

“I didn’t say anything back then. I knew that, for some reason, you wanted to forget about him. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Her gaze dropped briefly before lifting again.

“But then someone appeared before me. Someone who rescued me. Someone who saved you.” Her voice softened. “Someone whose eyes said one thing, but whose words said something else.”

Eric exhaled slowly and lowered his gaze.

So that was it.

While Eric believed he was putting on a convincing act, Charlotte had been watching just as closely. Pretending, just like him.

Chloe reached out and held her daughter’s hand.

“Why didn’t you say anything then?” she asked quietly.

Charlotte looked at her mother, her eyes still moist.

“Because I wanted to understand what happened between you two. I knew Father mattered to you. I knew he was once your entire world. But something happened. Something that tore you apart.”

She sniffled softly before continuing.

“And a few days ago… I finally found out what that reason was.”

Eric lifted his head.

“You were awake that night.”

Charlotte nodded.

Chloe turned toward her daughter just before Charlotte spoke again.

“That night… when we returned from the picnic and Father’s mother was waiting for us.”

Chloe froze.

“You heard us?”

Though hesitant and clearly afraid of her mother’s reaction, Charlotte did not look away.

Chloe’s shoulders slumped.

There was no need for explanations anymore. No careful words or half-truths. Charlotte knew who her father was. She knew why they separated. She knew everything.

In a quieter voice, Charlotte said,

“I hated Father for what he did to you, Mom.”

Eric did not flinch.

“I still do, in a way,” she admitted. “Because I saw how you raised me alone. I saw you fight the world while struggling with your own body.”

Eric’s posture slackened, his gaze fixed on the floor. He offered no defense. There was none he could give.

Her anger was justified.
Even hatred would have been justified.

Yet, despite knowing everything, she still called him Father.

That alone told him she was giving him a chance.

“But Mom,” Charlotte continued, gently squeezing Chloe’s hand, “I think you know it too. Father regrets what happened back then. He wants to make up for it.”

Her grip tightened, not pleading, but firm.

“That’s why I didn’t make any rushed judgment. I want us to give it a chance. To give Father a chance.”

She glanced briefly at Eric before looking back at her mother.

“I don’t want to choose between you two. I don’t want to. I can’t.”

Charlotte’s voice wavered for the first time.

“Not just because I love you both,” she added, “but because I know neither Mom nor Father could truly live without the other.”

Chloe remained silent.

But her eyes had turned moist, shimmering under the weight of everything left unsaid.

Silence settled over the room. Heavy, but no longer uncomfortable.

At least, the weight on the two adults had lifted. Their daughter already knew the whole truth.

Not long after, the medic arrived to check on Charlotte and was pleasantly surprised to see her doing much better compared to that morning.

Chloe and Eric were asked to step outside while Charlotte’s bandages were changed. Since there was a chance of infection, even Chloe had to leave the room.

The two of them stood outside the door in silence, their gazes lingering on their daughter through the glass.

Finally, Eric turned toward Chloe and asked in a low voice, “What are you going to do now?”

Chloe did not look at him.
“What do you mean?”

Eric did not want to have this conversation now, but given the situation, he had to.

“We both know why Charlotte went into the forest and got herself injured. She didn’t want you to leave.”

Chloe finally met his gaze.

“Haa… I am staying. But don’t misunderstand. It’s not because I’m giving you a chance or anything. It’s solely because of Charlotte.”

The last thing Chloe expected after the heavy conversation they had in the room was a smile.

But believe it or not, when she said she would stay, a foolish smile lifted the corners of his lips.

“Hmph. What’s with that grin? Didn’t I say I’m not staying because of you?”

“Yes, yes. I heard you.”

Even so, his smile never faded.