I Don’t Need Them Anymore — Abandoning the Family That Never Loved Me, I Find Happiness in a Neighboring Kingdom - Chapter 1

When I came to, I was lying in my own bed. As I slowly sat up, a sharp pain shot through the left side of my head. When I touched the sore spot, I found it wrapped in bandages.

—That’s right. I was knocked unconscious by an unknown man.

Looking at the clock on the wall, it was 6:00 in the morning. I seemed to have been unconscious for nearly eight hours.

When I rang the bell on the side table, the door immediately opened and a young woman in a maid’s uniform rushed in.

“Lady Dahlia! Thank goodness! You’ve awakened!”

The one asking me with teary eyes was Nana, one of my few allies. Nana was dressed in a black maid uniform, her silver-blonde hair styled in a chignon, a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes.

Since Nana was from a noble family in the Rofeus Kingdom, my parents disliked her.

They only hired her because of a recommendation from the Rofeus royal family. They probably hadn’t actually wanted to employ her.

Originally, Nana was supposed to become my older sister’s attendant, but on my father’s orders, she became my personal maid. For this, I secretly felt grateful to my father.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. I wish I had taken the night shift instead.”

The day shift maids and attendants worked until 9:00 PM, after which they’d hand over to the night shift. Since I only had soldiers standing guard outside my door during the night shift, I shook my head.

“If you did that, you’d have to work all day. Besides, if you were on night duty, you would have been caught up in this too. It’s fortunate there were no maids or attendants on night shift.”

Though I was curious about what happened to the soldier, I decided to check on my own situation first.

“I’ve been unconscious for quite some time, it seems. Could you tell me what happened, as much as you know? I remember being hit by a man, but I have no memory after that.”

“The soldier guarding your room was attacked by someone. It’s believed that the man who defeated the soldier then harmed you, Lady Dahlia.”

“Is the soldier alright?”

“He’s seriously injured, but his life isn’t in danger.”

“That’s good, but…”

Rubbing my arm, I asked Nana,

“Was I… did anything happen to me?”

Since I’d been changed into my nightclothes, it was possible the intruder had undressed me. I was afraid to ask, but it was important to confirm.

“Lady Dahlia, please rest assured. Nothing of the sort you’re worried about occurred.”

Nana gently stroked my back as she continued.

“Other guards arrived immediately and subdued the intruder.”

“What happened to the intruder?”

“He bit off his tongue on the spot.”

He would probably be tortured for interrogation, and since he’d be executed anyway, maybe he thought it was better to die now. Or was that the plan from the beginning?

…That’s right. I forgot to ask something important.

“Is my sister safe?”

“Yes. Lady Ramula was protected before the intruder could attack her.”

“…Before the intruder attacked?”

The intruder appeared while my sister and I were talking. Then it’s strange that nothing happened to her.

No, it’s highly likely my sister was in cahoots with the intruder. Otherwise, there’s no way he could have entered the castle, which should have been under ironclad security. At the very least, someone must have helped him.

“Anyway, my sister is safe.”

“Yes. But…”

Nana lowered her eyes and fell silent.

“…What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you since you’ll find out eventually, but last night Lady Ramula was extremely frightened, and despite the late hour, she summoned Lord Loin.”

“What?!”

As I tried to jump out of bed with force, Nana stopped me.

“You mustn’t! The doctor instructed that you need to rest for a while!”

“But!”

I had nothing but bad feelings. Seeing my expression, Nana’s eyebrows drooped.

“Others are aware that you’ve awakened, Lady Dahlia, so word will reach Lord Loin’s ears too.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the door knocked, and before anyone could respond, Loin entered the room.

“Dahlia! Are you alright?!”

Loin was dressed in white shirt and black trousers, the same outfit he wore when relaxing at home. His usually neat straight hair was disheveled, increasing my sense of foreboding.

“…Yes. Thank you for your concern.”

I decided to first confirm with him what Nana had told me.

“I just woke up moments ago. How were you able to come here so quickly? Were you staying in the castle’s guest room, waiting for me to wake up?”

“That…”