All Chapters of The Ugly Duckling: Rise of the Forsaken Wife: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Headmaster Roan chuckled, his voice trembling with emotion. “My bloodline has always been too strong. Your aunts, uncles, even their children… all of them resemble me or my wives. None bore the likeness of my beloved mother. It always saddened me. But now… now her beauty lives on in you.”Danice smiled again, and the old man, sensing it, felt even closer to her.“My child,” he whispered, voice heavy with regret, “this grandfather has wronged you. It took me seventeen years to find you. You must have suffered greatly… without parents, without family. How hard life must have been.”Danice lowered her eyes, tears threatening to spill. Among all the Roan family, it was only her grandfather who had truly wanted to find her.“It’s alright, Grandpa. I’m here now. We’re reunited. So you must stay healthy and live long. You have to make up for all the years we lost.”From his place at a respectful distance, Butler James glanced at Danice. This was their first meeting, yet she showed such coura

News of the return of the missing Third Young Miss of the Roan family had already spread. Almost a week had passed since her reappearance, yet not a single member of the family had seen her. She remained mysterious and quiet as a mouse.Some waited for the Third Young Miss to visit them, but she never appeared to make introductions. Others, growing impatient, went to the building assigned to her—but found it empty. With her whereabouts unknown, speculations arose. Some whispered that the recently found young miss had already been sent back, that she must have offended the Patriarch, and that he had rejected her.Inside the master’s bedroom, the subject of the rumors remained oblivious—Danice had just finished giving the Patriarch his medicine.“This medicine makes you drowsy, Grandpa. You should rest after this—no more stories,” Danice persuaded gently. Ever since she began telling stories about her everyday life, her grandfather had formed an interest to ask more about her past.Dani

"So your mother died on the way?" Attorney Hans— who is now called as Butler Hans—asked with a frown. "Did he say how she died?"After discovering the story of how she was lost, Danice didn’t keep it from Butler Hans. The latter immediately set up a board and added the new information—the story Danice had just uncovered.Danice shook her head. "No. I even searched the news from that time. But aside from the time and place of her death, nothing was mentioned—not even the cause. But… everyone assumed she took her own life.""Do you believe that?" Butler Hans asked.Danice looked up at the board they had just arranged. There was a newspaper clipping with a photo of a gorgeous woman in a lavender dress, smiling happily on stage. Under it was a caption: The unbeatable actress Lilith Juliet Cortez wins another Starlight Award for consecutive years!The woman’s smiling face looked exactly like Danice’s, with the same cute dimple on the side of her cheek.Before her mother married into the Ro

“What a lovely dress…”Danice twirled in front of the mirror. The soft pink gown, with its voluminous skirt, delicate off-shoulder sleeves, and embroidered lace that shimmered faintly under the light, was breathtaking. It followed her every movement, making her feel like a princess from an ancient kingdom. A dress she never imagined she would ever touch in her lifetime was now something she could actually wear.Was she really… going to live like a princess from now on?Everything felt surreal.The beauty of the dress, the elegant bedroom, and the thoughtful gifts from her grandfather made Danice momentarily forget the day she had been mocked and insulted in the hall on her first arrival. To them, she was just someone who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and they hadn’t accepted her well.But in her heart, Danice had already forgiven them. This was her real family, bound by blood. She had to be more understanding, more patient. Sooner or later, they would accept her.A maid entered an

Danice slowly made her way downstairs, filtering out the gazes on her. As she descended, she silently repeated in her mind:I am a young girl stepping into womanhood. I am calm, elegant, and not easily swayed. My role today… is to awe.Danice opened her eyes, and she had become that person. Her movements suddenly grew graceful. She had watched and observed many women in high society—each one more sophisticated and formidable than the last.Once, at a banquet hosted by Julian, she had seen a middle-aged woman who spoke little but carried a gentle smile. Her very presence commanded respect, and her graceful, understated movements made her the most admired woman in the entire hall. Danice recalled that woman’s poise and imitated it carefully from memory.Danice arrived at the stage. She smiled—not too fawningly, not too little. “I thank everyone for coming to this event. It’s my pleasure to meet all of you.”She turned to Head Master Roan, who was smiling at her proudly. “I wouldn’t be