LILA: THE CURSED VILLAINESS

26

"Father..."

"..Father.."

"Hmm.." The marquis slowly stired awake, his face scrunching, "..What?" he squinted his eyes open.

"Father." Lila shook him more. His eyes went wide.

The marquis immediately sat up and reached for his sword that he always kept under his mattress, however he immediately froze upon realizing it was his daughter.

"Jesus.." he sighed in relief, "Lila what are you doing?"

"..." she didn't answer.

The marquis reached over to grab his glasses on his bedside table, "I can't know if you won't tell me—?" he placed them on, his pale blue eyes widening in shock as he could finally clearly look at his daughter.

She was covered in blood.

Her entire front part of her nightgown was drenched, her arms and hands were covered and smeared with it, even parts of her face was covered.

"Lila, who did this to you—!?" he yanked out the sword under his mattress and quickly threw his legs to the side of the bed to put his slippers on.

"It's not mine." She finally told him.

The marquis still held onto his sword but visibly calmed down when he looked her up and down and confirmed with his eyes that she was physically fine.

How he could see that she was truly, truly not fine.

Her eyes were puffy and red, even now a few tears were still trailing down from her eyes, she was visibly trembling like a cold leaf, her voice was hoarse and weak as if she had been crying for quite some time.

The marquis has never seen his daughter in a state like this, it was new and scary.

His daughter is strong and hard headed. He's never even seen her cry since she was a child.

For something to be able to move his daughter to this kind of state, it must've been something terrible.

"Lila honey, what happened..?" he worriedly asked, "Whose blood is this?"

"...It's Derek's.."

"D-Derek's..? Why on earth?" he mumbled in surprise. Upon questioning why, he saw Lila clearly tensed up at the question, she gripped her bloodied night gown in her small hands that he just noticed were trembling.

"...Father, I-I had too..she—!"

swish~!

"It's okay, my daughter." The marquis pulled her into a tight hug, Lila was surprised and still for a few seconds but immediately melted into her fathers arms. Lila wrapped her arms over around his large and muscular body as she silently weeped into his arms, she held onto him as tight as she could as if he might disappear.

The marquis could only hug his daughter lovingly, and rub circles on her back.

He didn't care about the blood staining his pajamas or bed, he didn't care about the awful smell, and he also didn't care about his knight.

Don't get the marquis wrong, he did care for Derek like a son, but when his daughter comes to him in this state. Derek could go to hell for all he cared.

"These bruises..Derek did them."

Scratch them, Derek could die a million times for all he cares. In fact, the marquis will kill him himself.