# Chapter 42: 42
Rather, every word Mariel spoke was like a nail in Radis's chest.
Radis looked at the older woman with reddened eyes, then opened his lips.
—You talk too much, madam.
-That?
—You may not understand it, but there are people in this world who do not deserve to be parents.
At Radis's words, the room fell silent as if it were flooded with arctic waters.
Now it was Mariel's lips that began to tremble.
—How arrogant... Miss Radis, even if some things go wrong, it is a big mistake for you to think like that. How come they don't deserve to be parents? Parents and their children are connected by the heavens. What other qualities do they need? After carrying her in her womb, her mother gave birth to her, Miss Radis. And her father raised her until she was this age!
Mariel spoke firmly as she looked alternately between Radis and Yves with anger behind her eyes.
—He has no gratitude. Even if your parents make mistakes, even if they commit betrayal, if it is your daughter, you must forgive your parents' faults!
With his head bowed, Radis's expression hardened.
She murmured.
—…I would prefer that they commit treason.
She meant it.
If Margaret and Zade had only committed the capital crime of treason, it would be much easier to forgive them.
Radis raised his head.
—You are right, ma'am. That's what I believed too. I tried it too. But you can't imagine how much...!
A callous smile could be seen on Radis's lips.
—But, madam, sometimes there are parents who themselves drive a nail into the hearts of their children. Curiously, people don't ask those parents what reason they had for doing that. Is that acceptable? Do only children have duties towards their parents? Is there no duty that parents must fulfill towards their children?
Something that had hardened within his heart seemed to have burst.
After saying this, Radis stood there blankly for a moment.
It wasn't like her to say those words.
A great thorn that pierced his heart seemed to have loosened.
His entire body was shaking.
Radis couldn't bear to look at Mariel's face.
Mariel, who was unaware of Radis' situation, had only talked about the common notion that people believed about parents and their children.
However, those words provoked Radis' anger.
—…I apologize. I was too harsh.
He couldn't take it anymore. Radis apologized while still shaking. Then, he turned around.
—Hey...hey!
Mariel's surprised cry quickly faded into the distance.
Radis ran down the stairs.
As she passed through the hallway, it seemed as if the maids were watching her with their necks craned.
Radis was also terrified by the looks of the maids.
—Miss Radis?
Allen, who was standing near the front door, called out to her, but Radis ignored him too.
He pushed open the main door of the estate and ran towards the garden.
Just in time, the stable boy was untying the horses of a carriage.
Radis grabbed the reins of a horse and jumped on it recklessly.
—Ah!
And just like that, he disappeared like the wind.
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“To drive a nail into the hearts of one's parents like this is not the duty of a child, nor is it even the duty of any human being!”
—I just made a decision that will benefit David's future along with the Tilrod family!
Mariel and Margaret's words echoed in his mind like auditory hallucinations.
For the future of the family. For the future of his younger brother, who was the pillar of the house. Just for them, was it fair to ruin the life of the eldest daughter whom no one loved?
Was that the duty of a child? The duty of all human beings?
"If this is true, then just once is enough. Why was I given two lives? If there is a god out there, if there is a reason why I was born as the eldest daughter of the Tilrod family, that god should have let me die. Why do I need to live again? Does that mean I would have to live like this twice? It's too cruel!"
How long had he been running?
Radis stopped the horse when he felt that his neck was soaked with sweat.
His face was cold from the strong night breeze, but his body was sweating just like the horse.
Valiz