The Mob Noble Who Got Reincarnated in a World Where Men Are Naturally Protected—So I Trained Like Crazy to Protect Girls Instead, But Their Love Got Way Too Heavy - Chapter 40: A Father’s Betrayal

Chapter 40: A Father’s Betrayal

When Shia was young, she had been deeply doted on by her father, His Majesty the King.

That kind of thing was actually quite rare.

To most noblemen, a daughter was simply one child among many, and favoring a single one was uncommon—something you’d expect more from commoners than from nobles.

But Shia remembered being given more time than her sisters.

Whenever she went to see her father, he would often break into a smile and play with her.

Because of that, Shia had never once doubted her father’s love.

She believed, naturally, that she was loved.

And just as naturally, she believed that she herself was special.

Then one day, without warning, her marriage was decided—for a powerful noble from another country, a man far older than her.

“…Um, Father…?”

The news came out of nowhere, and of course, Shia was confused.

She understood her position as royalty.
She had never expected to freely marry someone she loved.

But still… this partner—

“About this marriage… I have heard that this duke sent his concubines to the front lines against the demons, and that many of them died…”

When Shia voiced her concern, her father replied with a deeply pained expression.

“Illucia… ah, my beloved child. I never wished to do this either. But our kingdom owes this man a great debt.”

Looking as though it hurt him deeply, her father embraced Shia and spoke.

“Please. For my sake… won’t you endure it…?”

Hearing those words, Shia nodded through her tears.

For her father’s sake—

That was what she believed. Not even ten years old yet, she half-accepted death for him.

And so, Shia’s wedding preparations moved forward without emotion.

Before she could even enroll in the academy, Shia was to be married and sent to the battlefield.

She had prepared herself for that.

She believed it was for her father, that it was the duty of royalty.

That was why, on the night before she was to leave for another country as a bride, she went to her father’s bedroom.

She wanted to hear his voice—just a little—to calm her anxious heart.

There, with the door slightly open, Shia heard her father laughing loudly.

“Now that I think about it, Illucia’s wedding is tomorrow. Hahahaha! That duke pays well. It’ll add nicely to my luxuries.”

Shia didn’t understand what he meant.

“Honestly, that queen of mine… when I tried to dip into the national treasury, she said things like, ‘That money is for governing the country. You must not touch it,’ and so on…!”

Her father spoke with irritation.

Shia froze, unable to move.

“So I decided to make up the difference with her children’s money! She did give birth to a son and secured real power, but the rest of her daughters? I’ll use them however I like!”

Saying that, her father burst into loud, ugly laughter.

Shia couldn’t believe it.

She couldn’t recognize that figure as the father who had once loved her.

With unsteady steps, she went straight to her mother.

Her mother was the queen consort who held real power in the royal family.

Always busy, unlike her father, she rarely responded properly even when spoken to.

But that night, Shia had no one else she could rely on.

Even in her bedroom, her mother was reading through several documents.

Her eyes looked exhausted.

Shia wondered if she might not listen at all.

Still, even while sounding annoyed, her mother said, “What is it at this hour?”

So Shia began carefully, saying she might have seen a hallucination, and then told her mother everything her father had said.

After hearing the story, her mother’s entire body began to tremble.

“—Thank you for telling me, Shia. I’m glad. I’m so glad it was before it became too late… truly…”

That was all her mother said.

She was told not to worry about anything, and Shia went to sleep that night.

By the next day, everything was already over.

Without being told the details, Shia’s engagement was quietly called off.

After that, she rarely saw her father again.

Only once—about a year later—did they pass each other in a hallway.

The father she saw then was a shadow of his former self.

He looked worn down, and his clothes were shabby.

As they passed each other, that father whispered something—

Something only Shia could hear.

“Damn you…! This is all your fault…! I hate you… I curse you, Illucia…!”

A chill ran through her.

Shia was so terrified she couldn’t even turn around.

That was the last image of her father that remained in her memory.

From that day on, Shia simply couldn’t bring herself to trust men.

In truth, every man she met afterward only reinforced that feeling.

Some were openly arrogant. Some treated women like disposable servants. Even men from ducal families—there was no telling what they really thought behind closed doors.

The one thing they all shared was this: They didn’t see women as people.

So when she met a lower noble boy named Tect, she assumed he was the same.

Sure, he was interesting.
Polite toward women.
Innocent, inexperienced, with a strangely cute side to him.

But Tect was still a man.

Someday, when it truly mattered, he would betray her. Shia was convinced of that. No matter how close they became, the day would come when he weighed profit against her—and chose to abandon her.

…And yet, she didn’t mind.

That was how much she had enjoyed the days she spent with Tect. That was why she chose to act—to attempt the curse-breaking. It would be a dangerous ritual. The curse had to be transferred onto her and forced to reveal its true nature; otherwise, no matter what they did, it would never be broken.

And that wasn’t all.

Even Shia, surrounded by many attendants, had no one she could rely on this time.

Because this curse was easy to reproduce. If its existence became known, it would endanger the entire Phantom Queen bloodline. And that bloodline was concentrated among high nobles—Nobles who would never lift a finger to help a low noble’s curse be broken.

In that case, there was only one way to perform this curse-breaking ritual—Tect and Shia would have to do it alone.

And Shia believed this would be the moment Tect betrayed her. The moment he abandoned her. 

Men had no way to fight here. Shia never intended to have him die alongside her. That was why this was a setup—one designed to gently push Tect into betraying her in the way she wanted.

If she was going to be betrayed someday in a way that truly hurt, then she would rather have it happen now—In a form she could accept.

That was why she acted the way she did. Now, countless phantom knights had risen in rebellion, their blades pointed at Shia. She had shoved Tect away. By now, he was surely running down the stairs, escaping.

That was fine. That was how it should be. After all, there was nothing Tect could do in this situation. So it couldn’t be helped.

There was no way for Shia to survive from here on. And because of that, she could die without ever knowing what kind of face Tect made as he fled.

Even if he cursed her.
Even if he laughed in relief.

Shia would never know.

—Or perhaps, he felt regret.
Perhaps he cried for her.

“…Fufu.”

Of course, that was impossible. But dying while imagining that was Shia’s privilege alone.

The blades of the phantom knights closed in. Accepting her death, Shia closed her eyes.

And she whispered—

“…For me, this life wasn’t so bad—”

“GET DOWN, SHIA!!!”

Shia’s shoulders jolted at the sudden shout.

The approaching blades hesitated for just a split second. Without understanding what was happening, Shia instinctively lowered her body.

And in the very next moment—

It happened.

“PILE—BUNKERRRRR!!!”

PAGOOOOOOON!

With a sharp metallic blast, a flower of fire bloomed in midair.

The shock sent Shia rolling across the ground. When she scrambled back up, the spreading flames had blown the phantom knights away, carving out a clear path.

And at the end of that path—Tect stood there, wrapped in flames, with unfamiliar weapons mounted on both arms.

“W-What… huh… Tect…?”

“Shia! You seriously do the craziest things when you panic!”

Tect stared straight at her with fierce eyes. Shia couldn’t look away from that gaze.

“Listen! Shia! I don’t know what kind of hell you’ve been through, or how you see the world!”

He strode forward without hesitation and grabbed Shia’s hand.

“But I’m your attendant! I’m the one who takes care of you! Did you really think I’d just abandon you!?”

At those words, Shia’s breath hitched.

She had been raised to be strong. Told that a woman who wasn’t strong was worthless. No one helped her when things got hard, so she learned to stand on her own. 

That was why she couldn’t believe it. The hand gripping hers. The boy standing there, saving her from the brink.

“T-That can’t be… I treated you unfairly, I—”

“You didn’t! This is what happened because you tried to be sincere! And anyway—if you’re gonna go sacrificing yourself over something this stupid, at least start by waking up properly in the morning!”

The phantom knights were slowly beginning to regain awareness.

But Shia no longer cared about any of that.

“B-Because…! I’m just terrible in the mornings…! And I thought… Tect secretly hated me because of it…!”

Shia cried uncontrollably, tears pouring down her face.

Tect spoke to her firmly.

“If that was enough to make me hate someone, I wouldn’t be able to like anyone! Now shut up and run! Grab on!”

Shia was pulled into Tect’s arms—And in the very next instant, she was hurled outside through the collapsed opening with overwhelming force.