52 DANCE IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND

TO SAY that Zoe was shocked would be an understatement.

[I'm the real Zoanne…?]

She found it hard to believe.

Her memories as Kim Zoe were very clear in her head.

[But what would the marquis get from lying to me?]

"My lord, if you knew that the 'Zoanne' who came home to you that day wasn't your real daughter, then why didn't you confront her?" Isaak asked in a polite yet indifferent voice. "Did you give up on finding your real daughter easily?"

Zoe gasped. She could be rude at times, too. Even so, she didn't think that it was right for Isaak to berate the marquis like that. "Yeobo…"

Isaak didn't turn to her, but he held her hand and squeezed as if he was telling her to trust him.

Because it was her husband, her heart was put at ease instantly.

[Yes, Isaak is smart, unlike me. He wouldn't be rude to the marquis without a reason. Perhaps he's aiming where it hurts to divulge my father's true feelings.]

"What kind of father wouldn't want to get his real daughter back?" Marquis Hendrix Rochester snapped back at Isaak. "But I didn't have the chance to confront the 'Zoanne' that came home that day. After all, she brought Vaughn Wilson with her."

She gasped. "Why is that name coming up in this conversation?"

"Based on the background check that I ran on Zoe before, she and Vaughn Wilson worked together in the temple when the duke volunteered for charity works," Isaak said carefully. "But it seems like their relationship ran deeper than that."

The marquis just nodded. "The reason why I couldn't look for my real daughter all this time was because of Vaughn Wilson's threat."

"Threat?" Zoe asked curiously. And she was annoyed. Vaughn Wilson was a chill villain, as far as she remembered from the "novel" that she had read. But now, she could tell that he was a bigger villain than what she initially thought. "What kind of threat, Father?"

***

[A few years ago…]

"TO WHAT do I owe this visit from the successor of House Wilson?" Hendrix asked his esteemed guest. Right now, they were in the drawing room while having tea. "And why did you come home with… with my daughter?"

It was awkward to call the person who came home with Zoe's body his "daughter."

He knew very well that the soul inside that "shell" didn't belong to his real daughter, but he couldn't say it in front of a guest.

"My lord, I'm a volunteer in the temple that Lady Zoe frequents," Vaughn Wilson, who was drinking tea on the chair across from him, said. He didn't miss the fact that the young lord addressed his daughter with her nickname. "Since Lady Zoe often visits and donates to the temple, we grew closer over time."

He didn't hear anything like that from the knights that he assigned to escort his daughter.

[They need some scolding.]

"Zoanne finds solace in the temple," he said to the young lord stiffly. "I let her visit the temple as much as likes because I know it helps her cope with her mother's death. As you know, it's only been a few months since my wife passed away."

Much to his chagrin, the young lord laughed.

"Was there anything funny with what I said, Lord Vaughn?" he asked sternly.

The young lord sipped his tea first before he responded. "You called Lady Zoe 'Zoanne.' Have you already noticed that she wasn't your real daughter?"

He froze when he heard that.

Then anger rose in his chest at the same time his Mana increased. Soon enough, the entire room was shaking from the heavy weight of his aura in the air. It was meant to crush the arrogant young lord, but Vaughn Wilson remained calm.

[He's… strong.]

Perhaps stronger than him--- a war veteran.

"Calm down, Lord Rochester," Vaughn Wilson said, then he put his teacup down on the saucer. "If you want to find your real daughter, calm down and listen to me."

Those words were enough to make him stop from exploding out of anger.

He hadn't calmed down yet, but his violent aura settled down. It wasn't like he trusted the young lord. But he wanted to listen to him first, before he decided whether or not to kill Vaughn Wilson for real.

"Where's my real daughter?" he growled at the young lord. "Were you the one who brought the impersonator in order to control me?"

"My lord, it was your real daughter's ability that caused all of this mess."

He was surprised to hear that. "What do you mean by that? My daughter was born with weak Mana."

"Yes, it was true that Lady Zoe was born with weak Mana," the young lord said while nodding his head, then he smiled at him.

He didn't like that sly smile.

Now he understood why Vaughn Wilson was dubbed the 'Red Snake.'

[He looks like the type who would betray his own people while smiling brightly.]

"My lord, Lady Zoe inherited your wife's ability."

Once again, he froze after hearing the young lord's words that sounded like a threat in his ears.

[How did he know about my wife's ability?]

Tabitha's ability was supposed to be a secret.

His wife's surname was 'Evangeline' because it was the family name of the household that adopted her. But Tabitha didn't have a last name. After all, she came from a clan that had been long forgotten by the empire.

Tabitha's clan was shunned by the empire because of their strange ability that, apparently, her ancestors had used in the past to hurt the Royal Family.

"Lady Tabitha has the ability to switch her soul with someone else," Vaugh Wilson said, smiling as if he was enjoying the devastated look on his face. "Once the switch happens, Lady Tabitha and the person she switched souls with would get to use each other's bodies freely. Isn't that right?"

The young lord was correct, but that wasn't what he cared about most at the moment.

"Why do you speak like my wife is still alive?"

The young lord chuckled. "Marquis Rochester, do you honestly believe that Lady Tabitha is already dead?"

No, he never believed that his wife was already dead.

Deep in his heart, he knew that Tabitha was still alive. Thus, despite the restrictions placed upon him, he was still doing his best to look for his wife in secret.

"I need the person who stole your real daughter's body, so don't chase her away."

"Lord Vaughn–"

"Pretend that you know nothing," Vaughn Wilson said, and this time, his voice was cold and demanding. "Marquis Rochester, if you bow your head this time and live quietly, I promise you that I will help you find your wife and your real daughter in the future."

The look in Vaughn Wilson's eyes told him that he was serious.

If he didn't accept the young lord's offer at that moment, he knew that he would be killed right away.

He couldn't die, not when he hadn't found his wife and daughter yet. So, even if it would hurt his pride to bow down to a young lord, he had no choice but to accept that cruel choice.

[For my wife and my daughter.]

"I will live quietly," Hendrix promised, his voice stiff. "But I will not be patient forever, Vaughn Wilson."

"I understand, my lord," Vaughn Wilson said, then he stood up and bowed his head towards him. "The next time we meet would be the time your real daughter returns home to House Rochester."

***

NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'I Won't Let The Ghoul Duke Go Hungry!' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3