An unfamiliar figure wandered around the entrance to the mansion where Dorothea remained alone.
The shabby-dressed man opened the door with calloused hands, breathing heavily.
A shadow fell on Dorothea's bed as she fell asleep, intoxicated by the fragrant scent of flowers.
A rough but careful and gentle hand stroked the young girl's head.
The moment Dorothea woke up from her sleep, she was met with unfamiliar eyes looking down at her.
The man's extremely pale face reflected a difficult life.
She noticed him right away.
'You're a thief.'
She didn't know if they came into this shabby corner of the house because there was nothing to steal, but it was clear that they came in when no one was there.
Dorothea cautiously pursed her lips and glared at the man with wide eyes.
The man who was looking at Dorothea with vague and sorrowful eyes was just about to open his mouth.
“What are you doing!”
Wood, who was catching fish, attacked the man from behind.
Fresh fish jumped out of the basket he threw down and fluttered.
Dorothea, who saw Wood subduing the struggling man, stood up and observed the man with his chin resting.
He had a face that seemed to have been considered quite handsome when he was young.
Even a long period of hardship could not completely cover up the man's good looks. The blue eyes and blonde hair matched very well.
“Do you know each other?”
When Wood asked doubtfully, Dorothea shook her head with wide eyes.
The struggling man's eyes widened in disbelief.
Dorothea tilted her head as the gaze focused only on her as if the sky had fallen.
'Did we know each other?'
When she thought about it, it seemed like a thief would have chosen a better place to go than this old mansion.
While Dorothea hesitated, Jane returned and screamed as she saw the man being subdued.
“Master!”
Jane cried and patted Wood's frozen back.
“How can you do this? Are you not hurt? Let him go right now! What are you doing! To Lady' only father!”
Wood seemed to have come to his senses from the grinding pain in his back and relaxed his hands.
Then he looked at Dorothea with a bewildered face.
“You said it was someone you didn’t know?”
Dorothea became embarrassed by Wood's criticism of her and the man's sad and wistful gaze.
In times like these, it's best to be honest.
"I forgot."
The shock must have been so great that the body of the man who had barely stood up stumbled and fell over again.
Jane couldn't bear to speak and covered her mouth, and Wood sighed.
'They say he doesn't come often, just stops by occasionally and gives her money.'
Then she might forget it, right?
Wood said, looking at the shameless Dorothea.
“Don’t say anything. You’d better not say anything.”
“I remembered it now.”
“Is that something to brag about?”
Dorothea pursed her lips and then smiled faintly at the man who was looking at her mournfully.
If he had already said that he is her father, she would have greeted him more politely. It's a man's impudence.
As Dorothea smiled as if she had done nothing wrong, there was silence in the mansion.
The housekeeper who knocked out the owner, the maid who was worried about the girl whose memories were fading, and the owner of the mansion who was shocked by the daughter who had even forgotten her father's existence were unable to move for a while.
***
“It wasn’t intentional.”
“Even if it wasn’t intentional, it’s a problem we need to reflect on.”
While everyone was trying to keep quiet, it was Wood who was scolding Dorothea.
“Think about how your words will hurt that person before speaking.”
Dorothea raised her head and spoke to the haggard-looking man.
"Sorry."
Ben's feelings were bitter as he saw his daughter apologizing with an expression on her face that showed no apology at all.
'Have I been away from home too long?'
In order to somehow save his daughter, whose illness was getting worse day by day, he visited all the famous therapists in the country. It was a repetition of stopping by every year to make sure everything was okay and then leaving the house again.
Ben was so busy that he couldn't even make time to look at his child's face.
All of that was to save the child in front of him.
'She can't even remember faces.'
His heart ached once again.
His daughter, who still looked three or four years younger than other children her age, had a pale complexion. Her uneven breathing made him worried, but she was smiling brightly.
“Jane, give me some water.”
Dorothea's hand trembled as she held the cup to drink water.
Ben couldn't bear to see his daughter like that and closed his eyes tightly. It was understandable that she forgot her father when she was in such pain.
It was painful to know that he was a bad father and did not have the time to be by his daughter's side when she was in pain.
He turned his head and opened his mouth towards Wood, who was pouring boiled potatoes into his mouth in the corner of the room.
“Did you say you were Jane’s distant relative?”
“Yes, but...”
“Is it true that you were unable to find a proper job in your hometown and wandered around here, hoping to find a woman to marry?”
“...That's right."
Wood's expression darkened as he answered the question in the affirmative.
Even though the story is made up, if he looks at that story, doesn't it seem like he is a public affairs bastard who is having fun and eating in moderation while also exposing women?
Wood feels like he's tarnishing his reputation by trying to wash his past.
Ben, who was staring at Wood, soon nodded with a soft sigh.
“I don’t know what the story is, but your body seems to be quite well-trained. Judging by the way you take care of the children, you don’t seem to be a bad person, and since there are no great riches here, it doesn’t matter if you stay.”
“...”
“If anyone comes into this mansion and has bad intentions, please protect the children for me.”
Wood's body flinched at the unexpected words.
When he saw Ben giving him a favor first, he became even more embarrassed. The blue bruises from when he subdued Ben were clearly visible on his arms.
Ben didn't seem to mind Wood so much and turned his attention to Dorothea.
All his attention was focused on his sick daughter.
Rough fingertips that felt like hard work touched Dorothea's soft cheek.
Dorothea raised her head and looked up at his blue-eyed, unfamiliar father. When she looked closely, it seemed that there was a part of it that resembled Dorothea's face.
'Father.'
It reminded her of a man in her past life who always asked her for something with his glossy eyes.
In return, all Jae-shin was given was a life of confinement that she didn't want, the awe and fear of people she didn't want, and the lustful gazes.
The man who took Jae-shin's life to satisfy his own greed was also a 'father'.
While she was lost in thought, Ben spoke sweetly.
“You said you were seriously ill, are you okay?”
"Yes."
Because it was the real Dorothea who was sick.
“Don’t worry. This father will definitely cure your illness. I will allow you to enjoy the same life as everyone else.”
The determined voice was filled with kindness.
Dorothea tilted her head slightly and listened to the sound of her heart, which had become unstable for some reason.
The heartbeat became faster, as if in response to the earnest voice.
She was glad to see the rough, clumsy, and extremely careful hand.
“It’s probably hard to do that, with this body. This is not a disease that can be cured.”
It was a physical problem that had been present since birth.
The reason her energy is weak is because her energy is not circulating properly in her body.
Although she was forcing herself to maintain it through all kinds of nourishment, it was clear that the more she grew, the more imbalanced her body would become.
“It’s Thea(?).”
The voice became even darker. Ben's eyes seemed to waver as if his heart ached for his little daughter's calmness.
Dorothea could see the thin rope of this body stretching as if it might break at any moment.
If sincerity filled with affection could save a life, the world would already be in a state of enlightenment.
The reason Jae-shin's soul was able to take over Dorothea's body without any problem was because the vitality of the body had already diminished.
Since the connection with the soul was blurred, it would have been easy to accept the soul of another person.
Everyone looked sadly at Dorothea, who calmly diagnosed her condition.
***
Ben returned to the mansion after a long time, and instead of leaving again, he cleaned out the next room and prepared a place to sleep.
No matter how much he did it for his daughter's sake, it seems like it was a serious shock that his daughter forgot him while he was busy running around.
There were people in Jae-shin's previous lives who worried about themselves, wondering if they would fly if they blew or if they would break if they held on.
However, if they were saved for Jae-shin's 'use value', she saw something different in Ben's eyes.
Deep affection for his daughter.
It was something she once wanted so badly that made her heartache.
It wasn't like she felt guilty for taking someone's life. Although she had a desire for life, Dorothea clearly knew that she was not in control of the situation.
It's not that someone's soul was pushed out and forcibly taken over, it's just that an empty body was acquired without one's knowledge. So there was nothing wrong.
However, seeing those affectionate eyes again now made her feel even more disturbed.
“If there was something you wanted, I would give it to you...”
Wood's sister hoped that he would no longer commit murder. So instead of cutting off his murderous intent and resolving his grudges, she accepted him as a useful bridge.
Although Jane had nowhere to go and was stuck in the mansion, there were few women who were more loyal and good than her as a maid. Dorothea planned to at least take care of the safety of Jane, who took care of her.
The transaction for exchange value is clear.
However, what Ben hoped for was not what the current ‘Dorothea’ could give.
Jae-shin suddenly became the owner of her body and could not decide how to accept the existence of her father.
"Ha...”
It was difficult because he didn't even expect anything in return.
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