《Lady Baby Is a Revenge Maker》 Prologue Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 Prologue ¡ª This Contract Marriage Is on a First-Come First-Served Basis ¡ª ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Is it a beggar?¡± The existence of that child could only be described by one word, ¡®shocking¡¯. ¡°Why is such a child here?¡± Today the gates to the castle of the Remdragon Grand Duchy opened for its first banquet in a hundred years. Just like the rumors, the castle was mysterious and beautiful. The castle¡¯s chandeliers were decorated with real diamonds and silver crystal. It¡¯s walls were adorned by ancient murals, and a jeweled carpet decorated its long stairs. The only problem was the silver haired girl who was walking through the middle of the grand banquet hall with a limp. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± The child took a look around before sighing, her cheeks plump, looking as white as freshly baked bread. The child seemed to be about four or five years old at most, but her appearance was quite the contrast to the lavish banquet hall. Her hair was shaggy and disheveled. Her dress, which was originally made of a soft cotton cloth, now had its skirt torn into pieces. One foot was completely barefoot as her little white toes wiggled around. Who knew if she sold her shoes somewhere. It was pathetic. Like a stray cat who got lost and walked into the wrong place. ¡°How did she get in here?¡± ¡°How courageous! How dare she come to the Remdragon Duchy¡¯s banquet. Could it be that she smelled the food and sneaked in?¡± ¡°But, that hair color, it¡¯s unusual.¡± All the ladies who would normally occupy the center of the ball were now glued stuck to the walls. Instead of them, the center of the hall was occupied by girls aged 5 to 10 dressed in various colors. Each child wore dresses of a more vivacious color than the one before. Of course, it was because today¡¯s ball was for the five-year-old Little Young Lord of the Duchy to choose a political marriage partner. ¡°Look there. I think they¡¯re finally chasing her down!¡± ¡°Are they going to kick her out?¡± Elton, the Grand Duke¡¯s butler as well as the person in charge of the ball, approached the girl. ¡°Young Lady, are you a guest of our Grand Duke?¡± The people¡¯s ears pricked up. They all watched as the child took out a piece of paper out of her pocket. ¡°Hwere¡¯s my wetter of awkseptwance.¡± [Here¡¯s my letter of acceptance.] ¡°Did you come knowing that this was a ball to choose the Little Young Lord¡¯s fiance?¡± ¡°Yup¡­. I mween, ywes.¡± [Yup¡­. I mean, yes] The child blinked her smart-looking eyes at the butler as she carefully read his expression. Elton carefully took the letter of acceptance that the child was holding out and read it. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the youngest royal princess of the Allegro Royal Family.¡± (t/n: The ¡®Royal Princess¡¯ in here is written as ?? [wang-nyeo] which means she¡¯s a princess but could be an illegitimate one, the lowest rank among multiple princesses or the name of an unmarried woman related to the Royal Family. ?? [gong-nyeo] = ?? [wang-nyeo] but their difference is, ?? is usually used for the daughter of an Archduke/Grand Duke/Duke. Meanwhile, ?? is for the (illegitimate/the lower rank) princess of a king.) ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your name is Young Lady Sephiel.¡± He nodded his head at the child. ¡°If you received the letter of acceptance, then it means you have passed the ancestry test at the entrance, that¡¯s enough.¡± It was one of the conditions for participating in the ball. ¡®A girl aged 5 to 10 who was a descendant of the Three Monarchs, excluding the Grand Duke family.¡¯ Sephiel was a baby lady that met those conditions. ¡°You¡¯re allowed to attend the ball,¡± said Elton. Thump. Thump. Sephiel instantly felt relieved after that remark and held back her desire to collapse. ¡®Thank goodness. I have a chance.¡¯ At this moment, Sephiel had just barely escaped from hell. ¡®I have to do well here to change my life.¡¯ It was still too early to be relieved. The people who heard Elton¡¯s words thought, ¡®What? Is he really going to let her pass like this?¡¯ But there was no time left to dawdle. At that moment, the clang of a clear bell began to resound in the hall. ¡°The selection is about to begin!¡± Someone shouted. The sound of a curtain falling caught the attention of the people in the hall. Beneath the stair railing that went down from the second floor to the ballroom hall was a large stand. In an instant a translucent curtain came down it. ¡°Here comes the Grand Duke of Remdragon¡¯s Little Young Lord, Erga de Remdragon.¡± Behind the curtain, a small sound, as if a door was opening, echoed. But that was it. The Little Young Lord did not appear from behind the curtains. ¡°What is this? Does this mean he won¡¯t even show himself?¡± Regardless of the people who were buzzing around in confusion, Elton continued. ¡°For the Young Ladies who want to be the fiance of the Little Young Lord, tell us what you can do for the Grand Duchy as a condition of marriage.¡± Just once. They would only be given one opportunity to present themselves to the Little Young Lord. It was already stated in the invitation. The opportunity to marry the wealthy Grand Duke Family who had the blood of a dragon. Nobody wanted to miss such an opportunity. There was tension on the faces of all the Young Ladies. Step. Step. The beggar-looking girl, Sephiel, stood in line faster than anyone else by diligently moving her small feet. Sephiel¡¯s behavior caused some thick-headed Young Ladies to give her a reproachful glance. ¡°Looks like she doesn¡¯t even have a mother.¡± ¡°My dad told me that a stinky kid should be kicked out by the servants! Let¡¯s scold her later!¡± Sephiel flinched, but simply stood silently with her head down. As the Young Ladies¡¯ received their turns, they began courting in a dainty manner, just like the way they were taught. ¡°My family owns a gold mine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a close relative of Grand Duke Fuller, the Grand Duke of Blue.¡± ¡°My family has produced Sword Masters for generations. We have a lot of strong knights we can bring.¡± But, there was never an answer from behind the curtain. Instead, the butler, Elton shook his head relentlessly and shouted. ¡°Fail. Next!¡± Before she knew it, Sephiel¡¯s turn came. Sephiel tottered in front of the curtain and bowed down. Seemingly determined, she murmured in a serious tone, ¡°If, I¡¯m aww gwown up, you cwan divowce me anytwime.¡± [If I¡¯m all grown up, you can divorce me anytime.] Sephiel¡¯s words were spoken quietly. ¡®What did she say?¡¯ Everyone who was standing behind the girl couldn¡¯t hear a word. But, it was at that moment that the voice of the Little Young Lord rang over the curtain. ¡°Pass.¡± The five-year-old¡¯s voice was clear and firm. It wasn¡¯t at all like a five year old child¡¯s voice. It¡¯s tone was beautiful, holding the juvenile essence of a boy¡¯s voice before they went into puberty. Clap! Elton clapped his hand loudly. ¡°The Remdragon Grand Duchy¡¯s Little Young Lord¡¯s marriage partner has been decided.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± There was an uproar. ¡°The name of the person who will become the Little Young Lord¡¯s fiance is¡­.¡± The guests looked at each other breathlessly. ¡®Really? They¡¯re really going to choose his fiance this way?¡¯ ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡¯ But, Elton¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t stop. ¡°¡­the Royal Princess, Sephiel de Allegro!¡± It was the time for applause, but the hall was deathly quiet. ¡°This way. The Old Covenant, the ¡®Betrothal Promise¡¯, that was made between the Grand Duke and the United Three Monarchs will now be fulfilled.¡± Sephiel, who was appointed as the party of that marriage, moved her little lips and grinned. ¡®Yes, my plan is a big success!¡¯ At that moment if one wanted to know the feelings of Baby Sephiel it was simply, ¡®This jackpot is now all mine.¡¯ That was it. CH 1 Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 ¡°It¡¯sh shmaww!¡± [It¡¯s small!] Sephiel looked at her own hands. She could barely see the white and chubby fingers because of the lack of sunlight. No matter how much she pinched herself, reality didn¡¯t change. ¡°How did ith becwome wike thish¡­.¡± [How did it become like this¡­.] Sephiel was sitting in the middle of an underground prison. The same place where Sephiel, who had barely been weaned, was confined in until the age of fifteen. ¡®No matter how long I think about it, there¡¯s only one answer that can explain this.¡¯ Sephiel raised her head and looked at the wall. On the damp prison wall, there were five lines that were drawn by a child¡¯s fingernail. It was the markings that Sephiel made so she wouldn¡¯t forget how old she was. ¡°So I came bwack thoo when i was pibe yearsh owd..??¡± [So I came back to when I was five years old?] How come¡­. Sephiel wanted to cry. Since she knew exactly how her life would play out. *** The Four Monarchs. The Allegro Royal Family of Red, whose ancestors were from the Magic Tower. The Fuller Grand Duchy of Blue, whose ancestors were Margraves. The Sarihan Grand Duchy of Gold, who ruled the Free-City State of Volun. And The Remdragon Grand Duchy of Black, a family whose blood is mixed with dragons. The Union of Kingdoms was ruled by these four monarchs. Among them, Sephiel was born as the fourth princess of the Allegro Royal Family, the first monarch that ruled over the Magic Kingdom. The problem was that within the Allegro Royal Family, a secret prophecy was passed down. [When a child with white hair and red eyes is born into the Royal Family, bad luck will befall all those within. That child will be the Royal Family¡¯s ¡®Calamity.¡¯ If the cursed child laughs, tears of blood will flow through the Kingdom, and even when it becomes a ghost, the child will curse the Kingdom.] It was a prophecy born out-of-the-blue. ¡®And out of all, I was born as a child with white hair and red eyes.¡¯ Moreover, Sephiel was an illegitimate child. Sephiel heard from a prison guard that her mother, whose face she couldn¡¯t even remember, died a few days after giving birth to her. With her birth like this, it was like she won the lottery of unluckiness. ¡®Ah. Somebody save my five-year-old life.¡¯ Nevertheless there was one fortunate thing. The people of the Allegro Royal Family believed in superstitions to the point of insanity. Although they were now the Royal Family of the Magic Kingdom. They were originally from a very old, ancient family of lowly sorcerers. Thus, they believed in superstitions to a disgusting degree. For example, ¡®A ghost who died unjustly when it was young will cling to the family and curse them forever¡¯ these beliefs were the type they followed. The Allegro family, who was reluctant to be cursed, let Sephiel live because of this. ¡®Instead, as soon as I was born, I was destined to be confined for a lifetime.¡¯ Fortunately, the young Sephiel was a very well-behaved child. Sephiel used to spend her day blinking her big pomegranate-like red eyes, and falling asleep after washing the ends of a shabby blanket all alone. ¡®I didn¡¯t have even one toy. Nobody spoke to me kindly, and nobody gave me delicious food. They made it clear I was a child who was not loved. That was the childhood that I remembered.¡¯ The prophecy said that if Sephiel one day smiled, misfortune would come to the kingdom, so it was only natural that she was treated like that. ¡®Fortunately, they at least let me study.¡¯ Maybe, for the rest of her life, she would never be able to visit the outside world, but- She believed in chance. The Kingdom gave Sephiel the minimum amount of education she needed, afraid of what would happen if the world found out they were hiding a princess. ¡®Anyway, I¡¯m still a princess of the kingdom in name. So they wouldn¡¯t let me be in a state where I can¡¯t even write and speak, like an animal.¡¯ [Members of the Royal Family will be given minimum education under any circumstances.] That was the Allegro Royal Family¡¯s policy. ¡®In fact, this damn kingdom even gave books to prisoners on death row.¡¯ Still, thanks to it, she somehow managed to learn the alphabet. [I can¡¯t tolerate such childishness in my class. Don¡¯t even dream of thinking of calling yourself a child of the Royal Family.] Although the private tutor always gave Sephiel a scolding. Sephiel¡¯s father, Wittegar the Third (III), would also drop in sometimes. He reluctantly came once in a while to see Sephiel that was confined in prison. [Be a good child.] Wittegar always used to say that with a kind look on his face. [They all say that you¡¯re the Calamity of the Kingdom that was mentioned in the prophecy. But, you¡¯re much more normal than I thought.] He used to say that often as well. Sephiel always wanted for her father to stroke her head at least once, but every time he was in front of her, she could never say anything. When her father sometimes brought Sephiel¡¯s brothers, the Princes, to visit her, he would always stroke them on their heads and speak tenderly. ¡®That was the only thing I ever wanted¡­¡¯ Every time her father left like that, Sephiel would grasp the iron bars, and sigh, biting her lips. Somehow Sephiel managed to grow up slowly. ¡®Isn¡¯t it too much to be a genius when I¡¯m trapped in this kind of life?¡¯ Sephiel sighed. The prison where Sepiel was locked in was a royal prison. It was a dark underground space with iron bars, but¡­ ¡®There was a decent desk and even an old bed.¡¯ Although the overall hygiene was poor. There were ¡®Royals¡¯ who had previously been put in this prison, and they left behind a lot of books and writings. After learning the alphabet, one day, Sephiel began to read the materials while muttering the words out loud. It was quite fascinating. Sometimes in her dreams, she would hear someone telling her stories from the book, and after every dream she would remember something new. Sometimes it would be a math formula, and sometimes it would be a difficult concept in the book. ¡®Because I had nothing to do, I studied, reviewed, and wrote every day.¡¯ The only supplies that Sephiel was allowed to have was paper and a pen. That¡¯s how her days without sunlight passed by, and before she knew it¡­ Sephiel was already 15 years old. That year, something happened that changed Sephiel¡¯s entire life. A very huge matter. CH 2 Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 In the Allegro Kingdom, a person became an adult at sixteen. With only a year left before Sephiel entered adulthood, Sephiel became seriously ill with an unidentified disease. ¡®It hurts. I¡¯ll die soon. Anyone, please save me.¡¯ When she was about to die, the doctors came reluctantly. They all said that Sephiel wouldn¡¯t make it. [Seems like she won¡¯t make it through the night.] AD With those words, Wittegar went to see Sephiel. It was then that¨C [Haa, haa.] Wittegar discovered a shocking sight. The wall was entirely jam-packed with notes and papers she had written. [You said you wrote this? This formula. And this paper?] A child who had been locked up all her life. The only thing she could do was read and read old books again until she was sick of them. What would it be like if such an existence survived? ¡®It¡¯s probably a genius, if not, it would be a monster.¡¯ It was what a scholar said when he saw Sephiel, who had become an adult. ¡®Surprisingly, I was a genius.¡¯ Years of learning to write while being abused by the private tutor stimulated Sephiel. She wrote calculation after calculation and the papers she wrote down quickly formed a mountain in the room. Wittegar saw her figure and gulped. He said, AD [Bring her to me if she gets through the night. This kid is going to be useful.] That was the last thing she heard that night. *** Fifteen years old. In the end, Sephiel barely survived her near-death fever and soon after countless scholars came to find Sephiel. [Try to solve this, starting from this problem.] AD [This essay, was it really written by you?] Sephiel did as she was told to while trembling. The scholars who saw the results scrambled, saying that Sephiel was a genius. Witteger smiled widely. [Right, they said you were the Kingdom¡¯s calamity, but it turns out you are not an ordinary child.] The thing that she yearned for even in her dreams, her father¡¯s smile. A gentle look that looked benevolent. Sephiel felt like she was dreaming. [As expected, it¡¯s just like the legend.] Although Wittegar kept a straight face when he mumbled like that¡ª She was still happy. ¡®At that moment, it was like¡­.¡¯ A family novel in which the girl was the main character. It was at that moment when she felt like she became the main character of such a novel. ¡®I, the nuisance of the family, am being favored by my father?¡¯ Even though she didn¡¯t expect such a dream to come true¡­ ¡®I didn¡¯t know that in terms of novels, the genre of my life after that moment would soon become horror and betrayal.¡¯ A small sigh escaped her mouth. Every time she thought about her past, she felt so frustrated. ¡°Huft, I¡¯m rweally angwy¡­.¡± [Huft, I¡¯m really angry.] Father Wittegar, who had discovered Sephiel¡¯s genius, said, [From now on, if you¡¯re good at what I tell you to do, I¡¯ll let you out of prison when you become an adult. You simply have to behave.] ¡®It was impossible for the things he told me to do¡­¡¯ ¡­to be good things. AD For generations, there were people called ¡®Shadows¡¯ in the Allegro Royal Family. These shadows worked and dealt with all of the Allegro Royal Family¡¯s secrets in the background. It was a role where they were treated like consumable items. If something big happened, a Shadow would be charged with the crime and executed. Clearly, Witteger was a genius at discovering human use. Since he made Sephiel, who was only 15, become a ¡®Shadow¡¯. That¡¯s how Sephiel started making secret ledgers. And it turned out that¡­ AD [You¡¯re really a genius.] [You are practically an artist in making ledgers, even if it¡¯s just an ornamental ledger. I can¡¯t believe you can connect something like this!] That¡¯s what the secretaries said when they saw the ledger that was made by Sephiel. Making secret ledgers was not a simple accounting job. It was a job that computed income and expenditure by summing up what happened in the family and then reorganized by skillfully putting in false details. One had to memorize the family¡¯s flow of money, and not a single thing could be wrong. ¡®And, I managed everything. Time and time again.¡¯ AD Sephiel did whatever she was told to and she learned whatever she was taught. Magic, mathematics, accounting, and even literature. There was nothing that she couldn¡¯t do. Her father sometimes praised her. [You¡¯re the smartest among your siblings.] Sephiel was genuinely proud and happy. ¡®Nevertheless, Father still kept his promise. Since he took me out of the prison when I became an adult.¡¯ Sephiel was moved to a small solitary room located inside the secretariat, one that passed through Witteger¡¯s office. AD In that unusually cold storage room, Sepiel blew at her hands and did everything she was told. She was also made to use a magical tool that changed the color of her eyes and hair, so she could go outside often. ¡®Even though father only let me out so that I could do the things that I was told to do easily.¡¯ She only went out for a walk in the back garden because it was a place no one came to due to its gloomy and shady atmosphere. She was also able to get all the books she wanted, and read the newspaper as she liked. As if in a rush to eat up their generosity, once a month, they gave her the food that she wanted to eat. ¡®Although I had never once received warm food.¡¯ Even so, at that time, even if it was just a small thing, she was happy. ¡®And it turns out that that happiness was all but an illusion.¡¯ *** When Sephiel became twenty-one years old, [Hm, you¡¯ve worked really hard so far. Let¡¯s go to a nice place together today.] Her father said that to her one day, all the while giving her new clothes. Her father said he would buy her the sweet snacks that Sephiel had always drooled over. Even offering to show her around the palace. It was truly a dream-like moment. Or so she thought. When she finally saw the place where she was being taken to¡­ It was a terrifying magic lab. ¡®Yes. I was taken to a lab and became a lab rat.¡¯ It was a terrible end. It turned out that this was the truth. ¡®In the Royal Family, it was said that a child with white hair and red eyes was rarely born.¡¯ Sephiel wasn¡¯t the first ¡®child of calamity¡¯. The beginning of the Allegro Family was the source of their freakish desire to hide the children. It started with a lowly family of sorcerers. ¡®Yes. In fact, Allegro was an old sorcerer family in a land, where marriages with Demons often occurred.¡¯ Demons were evil beings that previously ruled over the Union of Kingdoms. But, that was hundreds of years ago. Now, it had been a long time since the Demons were driven away to the abyss after the [United of Kingdoms Liberation War]. ¡®Red eyes, silvery-white hair, pale skin with black nails, and a tall physique.¡¯ All of that was a demon¡¯s distinct characteristics. ¡®But, fortunately, I was an ordinary human.¡¯ The blood of the Demons had become completely diluted, but occasionally, every few decades, a child with hair and eye color similar to a demon would be born. ¡®It was like a curse that didn¡¯t go away even after generations had passed. Or, was it a type of mutancy?¡¯ Although the current Demons were now but a story-like existence that would never be encountered by ordinary people of the Union of Kingdoms. Either way a child with the appearance of Sephiel was a pain in the neck for the Allegro Royal Family. ¡®After all, their marriage with the Demons was the Allegro Royal Family¡¯s dark past.¡¯ That¡¯s why children with ¡®white hair and red eyes¡¯ were confined. They were loathed, abused and treated lower than animals. That was the Allegro Royal Family¡¯s tradition. ¡®Because of the large number of children unfairly confined like me, it had already become an unstoppable matter.¡¯ The legend that was passed down to the family was actually just an excuse to deal with children like Sephiel. ¡®Then how do kids like me usually handle it?¡¯ Having only minimal education. Having to put their life on the line and¡­. ¡®After a lifetime of confinement, when we became adults, we would be killed by poison.¡¯ [Since we fed you, and allowed you to study. Don¡¯t have any lingering regrets and die. May you never be born into our family again.] That was the end of the children¡¯s terrible lives. When she recalled that, Sephiel became even more bitter. ¡®However, my fate was a little different from the ones who were born before me.¡¯ *** At first, Wittegar was planning to do everything like tradition. He would confine Sephiel and after she had all grown up, he would kill her. However, after he saw Sephiel¡¯s genius, his heart changed. ¡®There were two reasons, he kept me alive until I passed adulthood.¡¯ ¡®Shadow¡¯. It was the name of those who had the job of dealing with the disgusting secrets of the Allegro Royal Family, and after all, they would be purged and abandoned once every few years. Sephiel was the right person for the job because she was about to die anyway. And now that Sephiel was all used up, Witteger even dared to use Sephiel as his last experimental subject. *** ¡°Phew.¡± [Phew.] Sephiel could feel her body trembling just thinking about it. ¡®The day I was taken to the lab, the memory of that day is still vivid.¡¯ She was even wearing a new dress and new shoes. [You¡¯ll now live in this lab and work to help your brothers.] At her father¡¯s words, it was impossible for Sephiel to obediently say, [Yes, I¡¯ll do it.] Sephiel wailed and tried to run away. Of course, she was caught in no time. [F-Father, I¡¯m also father¡¯s¡­ daughter. But why do you¡­ hate me like this? I¡¯ll be nicer. I¡¯ll behave. So, please¡­] That day was the first day in her entire life that Sephiel had called Wittegar ¡®Father¡¯. Wittegar looked at Sephiel as if she was but an insect and said, [Sephiel, you were born useless. You should be honored that you¡¯re sacrificing your life for our family. How can you be so selfish?] [What are you talking about¡­. Save me, please save me¡­.!] [You sure are shameless. Did you actually believe that I would take care of you and love you just because you¡¯re my daughter?] [Please¡­.] [If you¡¯re not loved, then you should apologize for not being loveable. There is no one-sided victim in this world.] In her father¡¯s mind, for a child like Sephiel¡­ There was not even a single affection for a ¡®white haired and red eyed monster¡¯. The only exception was Sephiel¡¯s endless talent and genius. He was genuinely pleased with that. [How great would it be if my sons had those talents.] Her father had long been thinking about it. So, her father started his research in order to take away Sepiel¡¯s talent and give it to her older brothers. ¡®My first older brother was stupid, the second older brother¡¯s physique was weak, and the third older brother had talent in magic, but lacked in spells. The experiment was made in order to fill in those deficiencies.¡¯ The goal was to turn Sephiel into a spirit. ¡®Looks like he¡¯s afraid that if I died and became a ghost, I¡¯ll curse the family just like the legend. So, was he going to turn me into a spirit altogether?¡¯ It was an experiment that used all sorts of technical skills from the Magic Kingdom as well as withdrawal curses from the family¡¯s lowly sorcerer days. They would tear her soul into pieces, then turn her into a spirit. ¡®Those pieces of me would then be given to my older brothers as their own personal slave. A work spirit, whose only purpose was to make up for my older brother¡¯s incompetencies.¡¯ That was her father¡¯s crazy plan. ¡®Fortunately, I was under the influence of drugs and anesthesia most of the time, so the pain wasn¡¯t severe.¡¯ Just like that, the experiment continued¡­. Her last memory was of her floating in life-sustaining fluid, locked up inside a giant test tube made of magical stones. Tears wouldn¡¯t come out inside that test tube. Every time she cried, there were only bubbles. Sephiel prayed. ¡®I want to run away. Anywhere is fine. Please, just let me leave.¡¯ That wouldn¡¯t work. ¡®Rather, please kill me. Please.¡¯ That¡¯s when she came to her senses. ¡®I¡¯m five years old?¡¯ She said she wanted to go to another world. Who said that she wanted to go back to the past? How could you simply turn back time? ¡®It hasn¡¯t changed the fact that I¡¯ll be locked up¡­¡¯ Sephiel groaned. *** It was that time. She heard the boys¡¯ footsteps. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that at the Grand Duke of Remdragon¡¯s territory, a banquet will be held? Isn¡¯t that the place mentioned in the legends?¡± ¡°Hey, then what¡¯s the point? The point is, they¡¯re going to choose a fiance for the handsome five-year-old Little Young Lord. Boys can¡¯t go, even for sightseeing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous.¡± ¡°He¡¯s putting on airs since he has the blood of the dragons. I¡¯ve heard that all Remdragons are unlucky. Although they haven¡¯t appeared to the outside world in a hundred years.¡± ¡°But, Older Brother, we¡¯re forbidden from going here. If father finds out, we¡¯ll get a big scolding¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. She can¡¯t tell on us because she can¡¯t even speak properly yet. It¡¯s also our job, as members of the Royal Family, to give a scolding to the ¡®Calamity¡¯ of the Kingdom.¡± It was Sephiel¡¯s second older brother, Heron¡¯s voice. The one that followed was Third Prince, Huron. ¡®The bastards are here.¡¯ Just by hearing their voices, Sephiel¡¯s hairs stood tall. Around the age of five. Originally, Witteger strictly banned the princes from approaching Sephiel. But, Heron used to sneak into the prison. ¡®On days like this, he would always beat and torment me for as long as he could.¡¯ And today¡­. ¡®He came with a sword.¡¯ He would certainly use that wooden sword to hit her. ¡®I hate being hit with a sword!¡¯ Sephiel looked around her surroundings. Then, she took something and threw it. ¡°Hey! You, come here. You¡¯re not coming?!¡± Sephiel ignored those words and hid her body under her bed. ¡°Hey! You stupid thing. Nothing¡¯s going to change even if you hide there. Even a bird brain is smarter than you!¡± Heron entered the prison triumphantly. The prison guard familiarly handed over the keys to Heron. ¡°You¡¯re not coming? Then, today I¡¯ll hit you twice as much.¡± At that moment, Heron stepped on something and fell onto the floor. It was an ink bottle. ¡°Ouch!¡± Heron gritted his teeth. He then found Sephiel who was hiding under the low bed. Sephiel wasn¡¯t shaking like she usually did. She was looking straight at Heron, rolling her big red ruby eyes. ¡°Hick!¡± Heron was secretly surprised. However, he was conscious of his younger brother behind his back, so he gritted his teeth. ¡°It looks like you need a beating so you can come to your senses! How dare you do this!? You¡¯re just begging to be killed.¡± Heron shouted loudly. ¡°Ywou are dwead.¡± [You are dead.] ¡°Huh?¡± Heron doubted his ears. ¡°You know how to speak?¡± It was at that moment. Gugh! Something stabbed the back of Heron¡¯s hand. ¡°Huaaack! Mom!¡± It was the sharp tip of a pen. ¡°B-blood!¡± Heron grabbed the back of his hand and crawled back. Sephiel held the pen and looked at Heron blankly. ¡°Hey! This damn thing!! You wanna die? How dare you!¡± Heron shouted in a loud voice. Sephiel, who wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all, looked at Heron and said. ¡°¡­A faywure swowdsman.¡± [A failure swordsman.] ¡°What?¡± At this time, Sephiel still couldn¡¯t grasp words properly. It was only after she was six years old when her private tutor came, that she began to speak properly. Before that, she used to copy parts of the words of the people who came and went, So she could only speak words such as ¡®eat, no, ok.¡¯ ¡®To think that my tongue is this short!¡¯ It was a baby¡¯s way of learning to repeat the same word for a long time in order to get used to it. ¡®However, I hardly ever spoke.¡¯ Sephiel decided to use an ancient language that was easier to pronounce. ¡°Ra mucketo ma, mu mara.¡± If those words were translated, it would say, ¡®Do you want to brag to Father, saying that you had beaten me up? This is one failure of a swordsman.¡¯ The double left-footed Heron was one who always failed at swordsmanship class, which often led to him being scolded by Father. ¡®He¡¯s already an inferior student, but what would Father say if he knew that he was beaten and even hurt by me, a five-year-old child?¡¯ The look in Sephiel¡¯s eyes contained that meaning. ¡°Shuuena mi myuuara, mu. Mya. Maara yoo ellotya?¡± [Coming here is forbidden. Do you really want me to tell Father about what you have done every day as you went in and out until now?] ¡®Then, it will be difficult for you, too.¡¯ Sephiel¡¯s chubby cheeks twitched as she looked at Heron as if criticizing him. ¡°You, what did you say just now¡­.¡± As if he saw a ghost, Heron looked at Sephiel, his hands shaking. ¡°Stwupid.¡± [Stupid.] Sephiel said. ¡°Shuu ara mu. Mara.¡± [How are you going to use your sword with such shaking hands? A failure of a swordsman.] ¡°How can you¡­. How can you know ancient language¡­¡± ¡°Mura e myamya.¡± [A ghost taught me, you bastard.] ¡°Gasp! You¡­! This Witch!¡± ¡°Dwo you want to twaste pen agwain?¡± [Do you want to taste the pen again?] Sephiel showed the bloody pen that she used. ¡°Oh my God!¡± Heron stepped back. ¡°What is the matter, Older Brother? By any chance, are you being beaten by that child?¡± Heron hurriedly hid his hand. ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing!¡± Heron tightly pressed and held it back. He even had tears in the corner of his eyes. ¡°Aish, it hurts. You! Do you think I¡¯ll forget this? Just wait and see later.¡± Sephiel silently looked at Heron and said, ¡°Whetwer youwe just swaying it or not, I dwon¡¯t cware.¡± [Whether you¡¯re just saying it or not, I don¡¯t care.] ¡°Hic!¡± Heron left the prison in anger, looking as if he was about to go crazy. Sephiel wanted to laugh. ¡®It¡¯s so easy.¡¯ In her previous life, Sephiel was like her family¡¯s personal slave, she crawled as she was cautious about everything. This is what the King, her Father from the previous life, said, [You want me to love you just because you¡¯re my daughter?] Right. She didn¡¯t know that not all children could enjoy such rights. ¡®From now on, I¡¯ll pave my path by myself.¡¯ She had been longing for affection all her life, and she had wanted to get out of her loneliness, but now, those things didn¡¯t mean anything anymore. ¡®What? If I behave nicely, you¡¯ll give me a chance?¡¯ They said it would become easier if she gave up. Sephiel had already given everything up. At that moment, peace of mind came. Filling her empty mind with¡­ Revenge. As well as a sense of freedom. ¡®I hate all of you.¡¯ Sephiel raised one corner of her mouth to make the vilest look she could. The look on her face, mixed with her chubby cheeks and tiny lips was¡­. Like a quiet growl of a cute little dog who had just learned anger. Now, I¡­. ¡®Won¡¯t hold back.¡¯ Sephiel thought. ¡®First of all, escape, then revenge.¡¯ CH 3 AD Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 If so, what was ¡®revenge¡¯? ¡®I will devote my whole life to revenge. I don¡¯t care even if my life is ruined because of it.¡¯ It was a line from an adventure novel that Sephiel liked. Even though this was mentioned before, after Sephiel learned the alphabet, she read as many books as she wanted. ¡°Yup, dwer is nofwing wike dat.¡± [Yup, there is nothing like that.] Of course, there was no loss even if she hit the heads of each of the bastard family members! However¡ª ¡®Isn¡¯t living well the best revenge?¡¯ If she wasted her life hating on her enemies and trying to retaliate, wasn¡¯t that simply secondary damage? ¡®It¡¯s called retreating for greater gains. Greater gains!¡¯ That was not Sephiel¡¯s goal. ¡®Even if I become an adult, I will live a very happy life.¡¯ In her previous life, Sephiel had a timid and cowardly personality, but she wasn¡¯t an idiot. ¡®First, I¡¯ll find my path in life. After that, I¡¯ll get my revenge.¡¯ Sephiel growled, a serious look on her face. AD ¡®Great. Now, I have to escape first.¡¯ Sephiel thought as she chewed her small lips. ¡®The Four Monarchs of the Union of Kingdoms. Among them, my family¡¯s power reached the majority of places.¡¯ The Four Monarchs. The Grand Duke of Remdragon, the King of the Magic Kingdom, the Grand Duke of Fuller, who was from Margraves, and lastly, the Sarihan Grand Duchy who ruled over the Free-City which held most of the market. The Union of the Four Monarchs, was ruled by the four heads of the monarch families. Two Duchies, one City State, and one Kingdom. The Four Monarchs who ruled over these places had an alliance relationship. A kind of coalition that shared numerous systems. Therefore, most places in the Union of Kingdoms were under the influence of Allegro. AD She would be caught quickly if she hastily ran away. ¡®My father. To escape him, I need a more powerful existence than a King.¡¯ Sephiel recalled the words Heron had said. She was sure that he said, [A grand banquet will be held to select the Little Young Lord¡¯s political marriage partner.] ¡®He said it like that.¡¯ The Remdragon Grand Duchy of Black. Daihan de Remdragon, the Grand Duke, and also King of the Duchy, which was a small country ruled by people who had blood mixed with dragons. ¡®The Remdragon family began a fearsome slaughter in the war that shook the continent 300 years ago, right?¡¯ She felt chills just thinking of it. ¡®Furthermore, they were very violent and scary people, right?¡¯ However, it was a family that met the conditions Sephiel wanted. ¡®Also, within the Union of Kingdoms, it was a family that had a bad relationship with Allegro.¡¯ Right. It was like that. And also¡­ ¡®I¡¯m sure around this time, a banquet was held to select the bride of the Little Young Lord of Remdragon!¡¯ It matched what Heron said. The conditions for attending the bride¡¯s selection banquet was for one to be a young girl, who had the blood of the Three Monarchs, even if it was just a little bit, excluding those who had Remdragon blood of course. ¡®In my previous life, a very unexpected person was selected to be the Little Young Lord¡¯s political marriage partner, right?¡¯ The Little Young Lord¡¯s marriage partner was a child called Mittara. That child was Sephiel¡¯s very distant relative. ¡®I heard that everyone was surprised when Mittara was selected. After all, it was well known that the relationship between the Remdragon Family and the Allegro Royal Family was terrible.¡¯ However, once Mittara had become an adult, she suddenly came back to the Allegro Kingdom. ¡®Right, I¡¯m sure. Mittara¡­. Not long before I was taken to the lab in my previous life. She came back after getting divorced.¡¯ The world was curious about Mittara¡¯s experience. [After you went to your husband¡¯s house, there was no news from you, why did you come back?] [I was used!] Mittara cried. [Those people, they didn¡¯t care about what kind of bride it was! As long as they could achieve their long-cherished wish. It was fine as long as the person had the blood of the Three Monarchs!] It turned out that it was true. The Remdragon Grand Duke Family. A God-like family whose blood was mixed with dragon blood. They tried to defeat their old enemy, the Demons, together with the humans 300 years ago. However, they were so strong that it was only possible to settle down in the human world only by signing peace agreements with the monarchs of the existing human world. Thus, the Remdragons made several promises with humans. Among them, the most famous promise was this kind of promise, [Will set free the Union of Kingdoms¡¯ land from the Demons.] Other than that, there was, AD [Will not invade foreign land for no reason.] ¡­etc. Although there were several peace treaties and promises. There was a last promise that they couldn¡¯t fulfill. That was the [Betrothal]. [The Grand Duchy of Remdragon¡¯s Grand Duke or his direct heir would have a political marriage with one person among the daughters of those who had the Three Monarchs bloodline.] AD That promise had always been delayed. ¡®The Remdragons¡¯ help is precious. Besides, they had much longer lifespans than humans.¡¯ No wonder, even after countless years had passed, there were only two direct descents of mixed dragon blood born inside the Remdragon Duchy. Then, finally, five years ago, a Little Young Lord was born in the Grand Duke Family of Remdragon. With that chance, Remdragon finally decided to keep their last promise. ¡®If they failed to fulfill their promises, they would be stranded in the human world.¡¯ So, just like that, they kept their last promise, and¡ª AD ¡®Farewell. We are now leaving for the world of eternal happiness. We¡¯ve been well here in the human world.¡¯ They excitedly left for the World of The Gods. Since it was said that dragons were half-divine beings, it was possible for them to live in the World of The Gods. Then, what kind of appearance did Mittara, who was abandoned by the dragons, came back with? Long story short¡­ [Everyone left me to live in a separate house. No one searched for me!] Mittara¡¯s face was shiny, and she had gained some weight. [I¡¯ve been alone for over 10 years! Although I ate the finest food for every meal, and I had hundreds of clothes¡­. I was still taken and left alone in the forest!] [Moreover, I¡¯ve never seen my husband¡¯s face. Not even once! First night? Don¡¯t even think about it!] People were shocked. Not a single tea party was held, not even once. Even a banquet wasn¡¯t held! [So it was mistreatment¡­ No, it was abuse!] [You must¡¯ve been very bored since you were all alone. As expected, the dragon mixed bloods are cruel!] Sephiel was able to attend a ball or tea party once or twice a year. The prophecy of the Allegro Royal Family and Sephiel¡¯s existence were top secrets that only direct descents of the Royal Family, and some members of the senates knew. Very few people were aware of this secret. So, at gatherings, she pretended to be an orphan brought by the King for charity. Such orphans usually served as maids. That day happened to be a New Year¡¯s banquet, but there too, she was taking care of her family members just like a maid. ¡®What kind of abuse is that?¡¯ Sephiel thought at that time. ¡®Isn¡¯t that simply the easiest task, the easiest workplace, and the greatest place that God has hidden?¡¯ Sephiel thought that if she was in that situation, she would be happy to live such a life ten times over and over. However, Mittara didn¡¯t think like that. [I¡¯m going to prepare a lawsuit. I will never forgive them. My life was ruined because of them!] Several times, Mittara dragged the people of her family to go and protest to the Grand Duke Family. Later, as a result of her loud protest, blows were exchanged between the family¡¯s knights. ¡®And in the end, Mittara¡¯s family¡­ They were ruined.¡¯ After repeatedly making a fuss, Mittara¡¯s family territory was destroyed by the hands of the dragons who were currently there. If someone dared to interfere with the dragon¡¯s departure to the world of happiness, that person¡¯s future would take a turn for the worse. ¡®There won¡¯t be any problems if I willingly got divorced, right?¡¯ In addition, Mittara¡¯s divorce was a decade later. At that time, she was big enough, and since she was alone, she was an adult who could go anywhere. [Do you think I¡¯ll step down after receiving such a huge amount of alimony? I¡¯ll make sure to get the rest of the Grand Duke Family¡¯s property.] Yes. That was what Mittara, who was leaving the Royal Palace, mumbled several times. ¡®Maybe¡­ I¡¯ll even get alimony.¡¯ Sephiel muttered the words that she had only ever seen in books. She was smarter than anyone else and had a lot of knowledge, but in some ways, she was quite naive. It¡¯s because she has no experience. The thing called alimony was¡­. ¡®So, it was divorce compensation money!¡¯ Ah. So, it was like that. That meant she could borrow the Remdragon name and then receive severance pay. There was no greater position in the world. Sephiel felt her heart pounding. ¡®How much would the amount of alimony be?¡¯ Since she had made secret ledgers for a long time, she knew the value of money and objects. However, ¡®alimony¡¯ couldn¡¯t be pictured quickly because it was an item that had never been on the ledger. If it happened to be a large amount of alimony, it could be an amount enough that would allow her to be able to eat every day when she became an adult. They said she would need money to buy clothes when she went out into the world. ¡®Maybe I can buy new clothes every season.¡¯ Maybe¡­ She could even buy a doll¡­ A doll that she had only ever imagined in her dreams. Even if it was very small and old, it would be great. In addition, she would maybe be able to buy sweets sometimes. ¡®Oh my.¡¯ Sephiel gulped. In her previous life, among her family members, Sephiel¡¯s grandmother, the Queen Mother, always said this. [Don¡¯t be greedy. Know your place and behave nicely.] [You should be thankful that we even spared your life. How can a girl be so selfish like this? So you have devoured evil!] Eat less, serve, and always be thankful. Also, live nicely. It was the phrase that Sephiel had always heard. The words as if glued stuck to her ears. Ever since Sephiel was born, she had never eaten three times a day in her entire life. She didn¡¯t even know that there was a thing called ¡®dessert¡¯ in the world. When she was young, the only meals given to her was clear porridge, and after she became a bit bigger, they gave her dried fruits and tasteless bread. She lived by soaking them in water. When she grew up, she ate less every time because she was conscious of her family and her stomach was weak. ¡®Now I¡¯m going to eat three times a day.¡¯ Shamelessly! With the remaining money! Borrowing their name under the pretext of marriage! ¡®Now I¡¯m completely evil.¡¯ She desired to eat as many as three-time meals a day. Of course, everything would no longer just be a story when her plan succeeds. *** That night, Sephiel lay on the floor trying to figure out the various ways to go in and out of the prison, scribbling it out in an old notebook. ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± She continued contemplating, unaware that her chubby butt and small head were unconsciously making slow movements. ¡®Should I steal the prison guard¡¯s key¡­ Should I pretend to be sick and then faint¡­. There¡¯s also the worst way of using the devils who will come to kidnap me a few years later.¡¯ Sephiel was confined her entire life, so she read all the books she could find. Among them, there were books full of tactics and amazing adventure stories. The ideas of applying the methods in the books popped up. ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ To strengthen her evilness, Sephiel decided to write a revenge note. Sephiel ranked and noted down the names of all the people who tormented her and those she hated. It was a kind of hit list. ¡®Yeah. From now on, let¡¯s call this thing the Death Note.¡¯ And so, the long-awaited Rank 1 of the Death Note was¡­ ¡®There¡¯s too many rank 1 candidates!¡¯ Among Sephiel¡¯s family members, it was too hard to identify the worst among them. They were all troublemakers. Furthermore, not every family member tormented Sephiel. ¡®But, as expected, the highest rank has to be my father, Wittegar the Third.¡¯ Just then, outside the prison, there was a husky shout together with a string of curse words. ¡°You bug-like thing! How dare you do that to the Prince? There will be no food for you for a while!¡± It was Sephiel¡¯s prison guard, Lotto. ¡®Oh yeah. I can¡¯t forget about you, too.¡¯ Sephiel wrote down Lotto as rank 2. And with a chubby fist the size of an acorn, she made the evilest expression she could and squeezed the pencil. ¡®The biggest factor that ruined my childhood.¡¯ Sephiel¡¯s guard and escort who often yelled and sometimes hit her. Lotto. That Lotto knocked loudly on the iron bars. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to run over here? The Second Prince asked me to punish you. I heard you were arrogant to him?¡± One side of Sephiel¡¯s lips went up. It was the small growl of a small dog. Now that I¡¯m here, I¡­ ¡®¡­don¡¯t forget my grudges.¡¯ CH 4 AD Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 Lotto, the prison guard who was in charge of Sephiel, despite his trashy personality, was a formally appointed knight. ¡®However, after falling into the rabbit hole of gambling, his life turned for the worse. His wife left their house and he was demoted to a mere prison guard because of his poor conduct.¡¯ Because of her background as a cursed child, Sephiel had no relatives willing to make bribes for her. There was no way Lotto, who was rude to people like Sephiel, would treat her well. ¡°You stupid thing! I told you to behave! You aren¡¯t going to run over here?¡± Tang! Tang! AD Sephiel¡¯s body reacted to the sound of the sword banging on the iron bars. ¡®Before I turned ten, I had thought that this sound was the most terrifying sound, right?¡¯ To a child who had just turned four or five years old, the loud noise was fatal. However, Lotto liked to surprise Sephiel like this and make her cry loudly. Moreover¡­. ¡°Do you want to eat late again?¡± The most outrageous thing was that he delayed giving Sephiel¡¯s meal for fun. It should be called a meal, but only ones with barely any nutrition came out¡­. AD Even with that, Lotto used to deliberately withhold her meals just to make Sephiel cry. How many days had she clutched onto her empty stomach and begged because of Lotto, who took away her food and refused to give her medicine? ¡®Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many cases where I got hit since I was known as a cursed child and he was reluctant.¡¯ There was also a time where she fell harshly onto the floor after running away from Lotto who was trying to hit her. At that time, she couldn¡¯t even see for a while because the way she fell down was wrong. ¡®Although it happened a few years later, it was really scary at that time.¡¯ Thinking of it again, her anger flared up. ¡°Do you think I became a knight to take care of someone like you? Why was such a disgusting wench even born, what kind of nuisance is this? Just die!¡± AD Lotto began to curse as usual. ¡®Because of that bastard, I thought my name was Wench, Fool, Idiot, and a bunch of other insults.¡¯ In other words, Lotto was a true enemy whom she felt deserved the second highest rank in her Death Note. ¡®You¡¯re dead.¡¯ Sephiel quietly measured the angle while browsing through the information that she knew. ¡®Stupid Lotto. He was a gambling addict who had a household loaded with cash and blind fate in his fortune. His addiction was too bad and he always failed his investments. Of course he¡¯d fall into some kind of pyramid scheme.¡¯ Maybe it was because of his negative attitude toward life. After multiple unfortunate events such as his mother¡¯s absurd death, being caught up in a fire, etc¡­. AD He became crazy about pseudo-religious and started to worship devils, before finally running away. After recalling all that she needed to know, Sephiel looked at Lotto motionlessly. ¡°What? What are you staring at?¡± Putting up a good front was important. Sephiel simply looked at him, mouth shut, until Lotto became uncomfortable. Then, she threw her bait. ¡°Ywou, dwers sometwing bad happwening in yow hwouse, wite?¡± [You, there¡¯s something bad happening in your house, right?] It wasn¡¯t as charismatic as she thought it would be. ¡®Using this bastard¡¯s words, how can it not work?¡¯ Aside from her short tongue. The problem was her lack of experience in speaking. A child would learn the honorific way of speaking only when someone would use it towards that child. Because Sephiel grew up listening to the hateful words of adults who treated her badly¡­ ¡®Of course, I didn¡¯t know how to use the honorific way of speaking even when I was all grown up.¡¯ Thanks to learning while being beaten, she was barely able to stop stuttering and speak according to etiquette at the age of 20. ¡®Hm. First, let¡¯s just speak comfortably.¡¯ Even if she could speak fluently thanks to her memories of her previous life, there was always a limit. Moreover, even if it was possible to suddenly speak like an adult. It would only raise suspicion. ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯ll just get used to it as I talk.¡¯ She would, however, try her hardest to make sure that at least the decisive words or the important words were clear. ¡®Then my tongue will catch up with my knowledge.¡¯ Lotto flinched at Sephiel¡¯s words. ¡°What? When the hell did you start talking?¡± ¡°Nweva mwynd. I knoq evwything. Yow mom is swick.¡± [Never mind. I know everything. Your mom is sick.] ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Her shwolders hurt hwere. Dwere¡¯s a bit of bwue, right?¡± [Her shoulders hurt here. There¡¯s a bit of blue, right?] ¡°T-that, how¡­.¡± Lotto was taken aback. AD It¡¯s all true. Sephiel was smiling inside. When Sephiel turned five. Lotto¡¯s mother, who took the fake nutritional supplements distributed on the market, died from mercury poisoning. ¡®She fell for it and was fooled.¡¯ Sephiel pondered for a bit before delivering a hook once again. ¡°You hab a beechtwee in yow hwouse, wite? The twee you pwanted when you were ten.¡± [You have a beechtree in your house, right? The tree you planted when you were ten.] ¡°That too! How do you know that?!¡± ¡®How do I know? What an idiot.¡¯ Sephiel thought. Over the years, Lotto had treated Sephiel as an emotional trash bin. AD The bastard even complained to Sephiel after he had just gone out drinking within working hours. ¡°Tsk¡­. Dwere¡¯s just some twings dat you jwust don¡¯t know!¡± [Tsk¡­. There¡¯s just some things that you just don¡¯t know!] Sephiel clicked her tongue before shutting her mouth again. Sephiel watched as Lotto¡¯s face turned pale just like magic. ¡°You finally became crazy! Indeed, as they said, you¡¯re a cursed child. It seems like you really communicate with ghosts or something!¡± As usual, Lotto banged on the iron bars to scare Sephiel. However, this time she wasn¡¯t scared at all. AD ¡°Whatebwa. I dwon¡¯t cware weder you twust mwe or not.¡± [Whatever. I don¡¯t care whether you trust me or not.] And, just like she thought¡­ A few days later Lotto came to her trembling. ¡°M-my mother¡¯s condition indeed got worse. Y-You, how did you know?¡± Sephiel indifferently lied down and scribbled on her old notebook, ignoring his words. ¡°Hey, you. Are you ignoring my words?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Royal Princess?¡± AD ¡°Royal Princess? Are you listening?¡± (t/n: he¡¯s finally using honorifics folks) It didn¡¯t take long for Lotto¡¯s tone to become increasingly desperate. Only then did Sephiel get up and shrug her little shoulders. ¡°Chwange her doctow. Dat doctow is a qwack. She has to go to the twemple.¡± [Change her doctor. That doctor is a quack. She has to go to the temple.] Sephiel replied. During this time, Lotto¡¯s old mother was prescribed the wrong medicine. Because it was diagnosed as a simple internal disease, only digestive medicine was given to them. In the end, the small disease worsened significantly and she died. That day, Lotto returned home half in doubt, but in the end, did as Sephiel said. He took his old mother to the temple for treatment. After that, things went smoothly. Sephiel began brainwashing Lotto. It took about a month to get where they were. ¡°Buy that stwock!¡± [Buy that stock!] ¡°If ywou gwo to a pwace that looks wike a wacetwack, der¡¯ll be a bwig pwoblem!¡± [If you go to a place that looks like a racetrack, there¡¯ll be a big problem!] ¡°Phew. It¡¯s gwood that I know evewy way!¡± [Phew. It¡¯s good that I know every way!] She recommended stocks to Lotto, the second highest ranking person in her Death Note, to prevent him from going to racetracks because there would be a fire accident. She gave him various advice¡­ ¡°What should we do next? Hehe. Aren¡¯t you cold? Just like you told me, I didn¡¯t say anything about the Royal Princess. Please recommend the next stock¡­. Hehe. The last stock has increased by 30 times.¡± (t/n: Pfft, Lotto changed. I guess from now on he¡¯ll be using honorifics.) Fear, contempt, and hatred were like pieces of paper. The stupid Lotto suddenly became Sephiel¡¯s follower. It had been pretty good since then. Heron, the Second Prince who got his hand stabbed by Sephiel, fortunately, didn¡¯t say anything about the incident. Instead, he gave Lotto money and ordered Lotto to torment Sephiel, but Lotto didn¡¯t follow. Furthermore, he used the money to secretly buy Sephiel an old blanket. Although sometimes she would receive bad bread, there were now times where she got an extra loaf. ¡°Royal Princess. Hehe. When will you give me the next information?¡± ¡°You, I twold you not to tawk to mwe befow I twalk to you.¡± [You, I told you not to talk to me before I talk to you.] ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± Hm. Brainwashing complete. ¡®Really, he is even more stupid than the Lotto from my memories.¡¯ Sephiel thought. ¡®Then, shall I move on to the next part of my plan?¡¯ *** The next day, Sephiel took a deep breath. ¡°Pheeeeewww¡­. Pitiful.¡± ¡°Yes? What does that mean?¡± ¡°You, you¡¯re very pitiful¡­.¡± Lotto¡¯s face turned white. ¡°W-What does¡­.¡± Sephiel didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Her mouth only opened to utter a few quiet words. ¡°There¡¯s not much time left now¡­.¡± At that moment, Sephiel¡¯s white skin harmonized with the gloomy prison background, making her seem like a ghost. In addition, Sephiel¡¯s pronunciation was much clearer than usual. ¡°Royal Princess. What did you say?¡± Lotto¡¯s face turned paler. Sephiel only shook her head. ¡°No. Wat would you dwo if I twold you?¡± [No. What would you do if I told you?] ¡°Please tell me. I¡¯ll die from frustration.¡± Sephiel looked at Lotto before speaking. ¡°Die soon.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°You wiw die swoon.¡± [You will die soon.] Lotto¡¯s movement stopped. As planned, starting the next day, Lotto kept asking Sephiel anxiously. ¡°Royal Princess! What do you mean I¡¯m destined to die? How can I avoid it?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Swure, der is a way, bwut¨C No, it¡¯s nwoting.¡± [Uhm¡­ Sure, there is a way, but¨C No, it¡¯s nothing.] ¡°P-please tell me.¡± Only when he begged for a few days did she answer¡­. Sephiel smiled brightly. ¡°Yes. You onwy need to do wat I tell you to dwo.¡± [Yes. You only need to do what I tell you to do.] ¡°Yes! Anything, I¡¯ll follow it all. Please save me just like you saved my mother!¡± ¡°First of all, you¡­¡± Sephiel said, ¡°¡­hab to change yow nwame.¡± [¡­have to change your name.] ¡°Name¡­. Are you talking about renaming? What should I change it to?¡± The name that Sephiel recommended to Lotto was ¡®Food¡¯. ¡®Yeah, you are my food.¡¯ In ancient language, food meant bread for one meal, but it also meant to be a pushover. For her next goal, the recruitment for the Little Young Lord of Remdragon¡¯s political marriage partner. The venue for the banquet was none other than the Grand Duke of Remdragon¡¯s Castle. Sephiel knew that the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle was not far away. It was a place she could reach if she rode a carriage all night. ¡®I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to go through much trouble to go there.¡¯ It was said that it was within the Union of Kingdoms, but it was a great fortune for Sephiel to have two of the four monarchs¡¯ castles close by. ¡°Der is onwy one way to swabe you.¡± [There is only one way to save you.] The lie that Sephiel told was obvious. In the Grand Duke of Remdragon¡¯s Castle, lived the half-dragons and dragons. And there were flowers that only grew around the dragons¡­. ¡°Dwer is sometwing cwalled the Dwagon¡¯s fwower. I¡¯ll pwick that fwower myself and fweed it to you.¡± [There is something called the Dragon¡¯s flower. I¡¯ll pick that flower myself and feed it to you.] ¡°But, Royal Princess. That¡¯s too¡­ Such a big matter¡­. If the Royal Princess is caught going out of the castle, I¡¯m dead.¡± ¡°Wat cwan I do if you dwon¡¯t want to do it? Alwight. Let¡¯s pwart ways. Now is the twime to say goodbye.¡± [What can I do if you don¡¯t want to do it? Alright. Let¡¯s part ways. Now is the time to say goodbye.] Lotto turned blue. He suffered and agonized over it for days. During this time, Sephiel was a little nervous. ¡®It¡¯s not hard to get out if I can deceive that bastard.¡¯ Sephiel knew what would happen a few years later. Lotto, who was crazy about pseudo-religions, sold Sephiel to the church. Was she around 13 back then¡­? When those people barged in under the pretext of offering Sephiel as a ¡°special¡± sacrifice in a blood ritual¡­ ¡®This prison was emptied out in an instant, right?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just Lotto that was a pushover, it was also the level of security in the prison. ¡®I heard that my father, who had completely forgotten about my existence, remembered me again after the incident.¡¯ Even worse, it was 50 pseudo-believers who invaded. ¡®To think that such a kidnapping attempt almost succeeded¡­¡¯ The excited pseudo-believers yelled as they cheered at their successful kidnapping when¡­ ¡®They were caught near the back door since their voices were so loud that the guards came running, right?¡¯ Anyway, thanks to those idiots, Sephiel was now aware that she wasn¡¯t being properly monitored. ¡®In the first place, they wouldn¡¯t even think that a five-year-old child could make a plan to run away.¡¯ So, if Lotto wanted to, he could take away Sephiel for days and days and no one would notice. After thinking for a few days, Lotto finally said. ¡°Royal Princess, is it really only one night?¡± ¡°Yup. Of cwourse. You dwon¡¯t twust mwe?¡± [Yup. Of course. You don¡¯t trust me?] ¡°Alright! Royal Princess. I, Lotto, will risk his life to do it.¡± Sephiel nodded satisfactorily. ¡®Great. The ride is secured.¡¯ Sephiel had promised to recommend stocks to Lotto, who would soon be renamed ¡®Food¡¯. Lotto rejoiced. Of course¡­ It was a stock that would collapse three months later. ¡®Yes. I don¡¯t care about the method used. As long as my goals are achieved.¡¯ CH 5 AD Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 What happened after that could only be described as a blur. As Sephiel pretended to go and pick flowers, she ran away to the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle. [You wretched thing, where do you think you¡¯re going?! As expected! You were deceiving me! No wonder they said it was weird!] Did they also happen to say that a broken watch was hit twice a day? Lotto seemed to have come to his senses at the sight of Sephiel running away. As he screamed in a loud voice, he chased after her. ¡®No matter how wicked I had become, a chase was still inevitably scary.¡¯ As she panted, her mouth agape, she barely managed to get into the castle. ¡®But still, that¡¯s goodbye to my only new outfit.¡¯ When she was imprisoned, Sephiel always looked very shabby. However, as a Royal Princess, she was provided new clothes for each season. Among them, the clothes provided during autumn were the prettiest ones. However, since the maid who did the laundry only came once every two weeks¡­ ¡®I was barely able to change after enduring wearing the same outfit¡­¡¯ She went to the castle wearing the autumn outfit and even changed into her only pair of heels, albeit they were kitten heels. As she ran away from Lotto, her clothes were caught in some branches and torn, and one shoe even flew away. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that entry was through bloodline identification.¡¯ That was the reason why Sephiel entered the hall with confidence. Originally, all four monarchs were from a prestigious sorcerer family. So, each family member had their own ¡®pattern¡¯. That¡¯s why at the entrance of the Dragon Grand Duke Family, a simple mana test was conducted to identify one¡¯s bloodline when entering. [The color of the mana stone is red. Pass.] The servant, whose face was hidden beneath his hood said before letting Sephiel in. [Well¡­ There were no separate rules about attire on the invitation. Because it¡¯s already late, please hurry up and enter.] Fortunately, the person didn¡¯t say much about her outfit. However, it was different after entering the banquet hall. Sephiel was intimidated by the eyes of the adults who were looking at her. Unlike the young ladies who were dressed in fancy ball gowns, Sephiel¡¯s appearance was too shabby. ¡®Do dragons also dislike children who wear dirty clothes, just like humans?¡¯ She thought about it for a while, and her steps faltered. ¡®No, don¡¯t think like that. I have no other place to run away to. Outside the castle, Lotto, who has a knife, is lying in wait for me. Now, it¡¯s either I live or I die.¡¯ Sephiel was still young. The thought of dying still made her feel heartbroken and scared. ¡®But now I¡¯m totally mean and evil. So, I can endure it.¡¯ Sephiel clenched her small fist as she tried to get herself together. ¡®I deserve to be here, too.¡¯ Rather than that, the most important thing now was¡­ ¡®Yes. Speed.¡¯ The idea that this political marriage was on a first-come, first-served basis, was an indisputable truth. She recalled the past once again. Mittara said that throughout the competition, although she had the blood of the Royal Family, her family was relatively small with ordinary appearances. But when Mittara was asked how she became the political marriage partner for the Grand Duke of Remdragon¡¯s Little Young Master¡­ [How on earth were you picked ten years ago at that banquet¡­ How were you chosen as the bride of the Little Young Lord who was finally born after a hundred years?] Thanks to Mittara who returned from the Remdragon Grand Duchy, people were finally able to ask what they had been curious about for a long time. Mittara sighed at them. [At the ball¡­ I was actually the last to arrive because my carriage broke down. I thought I was doomed. Moreover, the Little Young Lord saw the bride candidates without showing his face. It was no use even if you took care of your skin since you were four.] [Then¡­ how?] Everybody looked at Mittara, eagerly awaiting for her to say the main point. [However! Each family was given an opportunity to present the conditions of the political marriage one by one.] [And so?] [I simply said what my mother told me to say. If I have to die, I¡¯ll die and live if I have to live. I will obey sincerely no matter what! And then I got accepted right away.] Sephiel now knew what to say. Unconditional obedience. It was the wish of the Grand Duke to pick a woman who would follow even if ordered to divorce at any time. So, before Mittara arrived, she would say her lines first. [You can divorce me anytime you want! Even if only for the lowest alimony, so please choose me right now!] She would propose this excellent condition. That was Sephiel¡¯s small, evil plan. Nevertheless¡­. ¡°Accepted.¡± ¡­Without even mentioning the part about alimony. She was immediately selected by the Little Young Lord who took the bait. ¡®Whoa, Little Young Lord, you really don¡¯t care whoever the person is!¡¯ That¡¯s what Sephiel wanted to say, but she was so tired and intimidated that she closed her mouth. ¡®But I did it!¡¯ Accepted! They said she was accepted! The voice of the Little Young Lord, whose face she did not even know, was like the sound of a heavenly trumpet to Sephiel. It was the first ever sound of salvation she had heard in her life, and also the sound of her future changing. ¡®Finally¡­ is my life finally going to change for the better?¡¯ Her dream of eating three meals a day. Was that dream just around the corner? However, even if she succeeded with the children¡­ The adults did not fall for Sephiel¡¯s small yet evil plan. *** ¡°Does that even make sense? A girl who looks like that is the Royal Princess!?¡± ¡°This has to be a lie, right?¡± People shouted in protest. It was the butler of the Grand Duke Family who approached the hesitating Sephiel. ¡°Royal Princess. Did you hear the Little Young Lord¡¯s words?¡± ¡°Ywa¡­.¡± [Yeah¡­.] ¡°The Little Young Lord has chosen you as the Royal Princess. My name is Elton.¡± Sephiel nodded, the rest of her body frozen as she got surrounded by shouting adults. ¡°Please tell us Little Young Lord! Why did you pick that kind of ¡®thing¡¯? Show us your face at least!¡± Among them, the skinny girl wearing thin glasses and the woman behind her who stood up was the most prominent. The woman approached Sephiel with an aura that practically yelled she wanted to kill her. The girl was hesitant, holding the hem of her dress. ¡®Mittara!¡¯ Sephiel recognized the young Mittara, and the woman behind her as Mittara¡¯s mother. Elton looked at them with eyes as if he was looking at a bunch of fools. ¡°The Little Young Lord is a half-dragon. Dragons are of a higher class than ordinary humans. The lower class can not ask the upper class for answers.¡± ¡°What? There¡¯s no such thing! My kid has been preparing for today all her life! In the first place, there¡¯s no such person like that in the Allegro Royal Family! We¡¯re the true relatives of the Allegro Royal Family!¡± ¡°Huuaaaa!¡± Mittara, four years older than Sephiel, properly used her crying. ¡°She stole the other kids¡¯ chances!¡± Sephiel¡¯s mouth opened at her appearance. ¡®Decades later, you made a fuss after drinking, saying that you ruined your own life and that you shouldn¡¯t have married to the Dragon Grand Duke.¡¯ In addition, her family was also ruined. It was very explosive. In the meantime, the uproar continued. Mittara¡¯s mother was not the only one who was angry. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re mocking us! That kid, she reeks! It¡¯s so unpleasant that I almost died because of it!¡± ¡°Kick her out immediately and choose a bride again!¡± ¡°This, isn¡¯t this a scam!? Are you trying to insult the family members and relatives of the Three Monarchs?¡± The benefits for the family chosen as the political marriage partner for the Grand Duchy of Remdragon were enormous. Numerous treasures, including gold bars, and the right to develop resources in the Grand Duchy¡¯s land which was full of natural beauty. Behind the children¡¯s spirit was the adults¡¯ greed for numerous benefits. Furthermore, it had been a long time since the Grand Duchy of Remdragon, the source of many fears, opened its doors. It was a time when that fear was slowly fading in people¡¯s minds, and there were only two people from the Grand Duke Family. There was only the vassal butler and the five-year-old Little Young Lord. Therefore, the adults were more energetic and raised their voices with even more passion. To make matters worse, Mittara¡¯s mother turned her arrow to Sephiel. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mittara¡¯s mother hit Sephiel on the head and said. ¡°Say it with your own mouth. If you¡¯re really a child of the Royal Family, did you come here with your parents¡¯ permission?¡± ¡°But I¨C I weally am a woyal pwincess¡­¡± [But I¨C I really am a royal princess¡­] Albeit she was the Cursed Royal Princess whose existence was strictly top secret. ¡°Ha, how dare you lie to adults? Hey. Are you going to take responsibility for all the lives of the kids here? Do you even know what you¡¯re stealing?¡± ¡®What in the world is she talking about?!¡¯ More than that¡­ Sephiel closed her eyes tightly as Mittara¡¯s mother raised her hand again. ¡®I hate being hit.¡¯ Sephiel took a step back¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯ But the moment she closed her eyes tightly¡­ What do all children have in common? That is¡­. ¡®Compared to its body, a child¡¯s head is¡­ bigger.¡¯ Tilt. A child¡¯s body had difficulty in holding its balance for a long time. Sephiel stepped back to avoid the hit but unexpectedly fell backwards beyond the translucent curtain. She fell through the curtain that separated the people and the Little Young Lord. Thud! It was a fall that seemed to produce this kind of sound effect. ¡®Noo!¡¯ Thinking that her head would collide with the ground, she closed her eyes tightly, already imagining the pain that would soon hit her. ¡®It¡¯s soft?¡¯ Something fluffy touched her head. Sephiel slowly turned around. ¡°Hya-h!¡± She yelled out in surprise. A black puma. A slender creature that she had only seen in the Animal Encyclopedia was staring at Sephiel with its big head quietly sticking out. And in front of it¡­ Swiiiii¡ª A boy with a green snake wrapped around his hand was sitting on a chair. ¡°What¡¯s this dirty thing?¡± At that moment, only one word came to Sephiel¡¯s mind. Absolute Zero. There was one kind of theory written by a very smart scholar. It was about an absolute temperature that had neither warmth or coldness. That temperature came to her mind. ¡®Golden eyes.¡¯ It was the terrifying eyes of a predator. ¡®Heup¡­.¡¯ Sephiel was now directly seeing the child groom that Mittara, in an entire decade, had never seen before. ¡®A very, beautiful child¡­ ¡¯ Eerily, he was a boy with beautiful features. To the point where she could feel his elegance even in such a moment. [Those born between dragons and humans are called Half-Dragons. The Half-Dragons boast heavenly beauty, and aside from their outstanding beauty, they usually had the same appearance as humans when they were young. As they become a holy dragon in the future, they can switch between the humans and the dragons¡­] She remembered the materials she had read about Half-Dragons a long time ago. ¡®He¡­ A while ago his name¡­¡¯ Erga. They said his name was Erga. ¡°You, are you my fiance?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I chose you because I thought it would be great if you obediently divorced me. But, it seems like I really just chose recklessly.¡± Erga looked Sephiel¡¯s outfit up and down. ¡°Surely, it turned out well. I have to at least choose something like this to see the Old Dragons in my family get angry.¡± The moment Sephiel made eye contact with Erga, she felt her whole body tremble. Fear. It was fear like no other. ¡°Since the lower-class get scared quickly.¡± Erga chuckled. ¡®Did they say he was five years old¡­? Just like me?¡¯ At the same time, a phrase from the book about Half-Dragons she read in her previous life came to mind. [Before adulthood, it is said that the physical growth of Half-Dragons is about twice as fast as humans and the speed of intellectual development was about three times faster.] Monster. At that moment, Sephiel had that kind of thought. Above all, the boy was too big. He had a body that made him look at least ten years old. ¡®The way he talks and also his voice.¡¯ He completely looked like a fully grown-up boy. ¡°If it¡¯s your wish to see my face, then you should¡¯ve just said so.¡± Clack. The curtain was lifted up. Sitting down, Sephiel watched the nobles with wide eyes. Grrrr¡­. The black puma howled. ¡°So what about parents¡¯ permission?¡± Erga mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m plundering the daughters of the lower class, do I need a reason for it?¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! At that moment, all the windows in the banquet hall opened. It was like a scene from a horror novel that Sephiel read when she was young. Erga raised his hand and pointed somewhere. ¡°Bring me the tongue of the noisiest woman today.¡± Swiiiii¡ª! The snake with a fairly thick body attacked Mittara¡¯s mother. ¡°Little Young Lord.¡± Then the man called Elton said. ¡°You want to end her days right? If so then you should do more, such retaliation can only be considered self-defense.¡± ¡°Uhm. Yes, then it seems it can¡¯t be helped. Then.¡± Just like that, Erga was convinced. Sephiel felt it was absurd. ¡®Huh? That butler. He¡¯s not stopping him?¡¯ (t/n: No, Sephiel. He¡¯s telling Erga to torture her more since cutting biting off her tongue is not enough¡­ :¡±) With a roar the puma climbed on Mittara¡¯s mother who fell down. ¡°KYAAAKKK!¡± Mittara¡¯s mother screamed. ¡®Ki-killing¡­ Is he killing her? Really?¡¯ Sephiel collapsed in place, and the next moment¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± Sephiel¡¯s nape was grabbed and lifted up. Sephiel, who was so small he looked half his age, was lifted up in the air, her feet hanging in the air. ¡°Looking closely, it¡¯s even more interesting to look at.¡± No. I have to get myself together. I¡¯m the evil Sephiel now. I will never show my weak side. I¡¯m no longer the stupid and pure Sephiel, but the evil Sephiel right now was¡­ Even if I was scared, I had to pretend that I was not scared and lie¡­ but¡ª ¡°Heukk¡­¡± Honestly. I was so scared at that moment. [How disgusting.] [Unsightly thing. Don¡¯t come close.] [What can I do? Blame yourself for being born unlovable.] At that time, Sephiel became the pure Sephiel of the previous life. Sephiel trembled as her nape was lifted. She was barely able to laugh. In her previous life, Sephiel was scolded even more if she cried during her family¡¯s abuse, so she had a habit of forcibly laughing during times of struggle. ¡°Yup, yow awe wite. I am ugwy.¡± [Yup, you¡¯re right. I am ugly.] ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Howebwa, yow awe weally bwutiful. I mwean it.¡± [However, you are really beautiful. I mean it.] Ah, she didn¡¯t care anymore. Whether the comment was spiteful or not. ¡®Ah¡­ I¡­ Limit.¡¯ Just like that she lost consciousness. ¡°KYAAAKKK! SAVE ME! SAVE ME!¡± Behind her, there was a munching sound of something being eaten up. [Half-Dragons become true ¡®dragons¡¯ only when they become adults. What Half-Dragons and Pure Blood Dragon have in common is that their childhood emotions are unstable. This is usually referred to as the ¡®hatchling period¡¯. During this period, dragons usually cannot hide their instinct, The Vastness. Thus, as commonly said in records of dragons, Young dragons before coming of age, They say they¡¯re crazy.] ¡®Yeah, they¡¯re really crazy.¡¯ Sephiel thought as she fainted. CH 6 AD Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 ¡°Thath was cwazy¡­¡± [That was crazy¡­] Sephiel slowly opened her eyes, recalling what she saw before she fell unconscious. ¡®Where is¡­ this?¡¯ The first thing that caught her eyes was the face of an unfamiliar man. ¡°Hicc!¡± The surprised Sephiel hiccuped. AD ¡°Are you alright?¡± It took Sephiel a few seconds to remember who he was. ¡°Dith you bwecome youngwer?¡± [Did you become younger?] At her words, Elton made an ¡°Ah¡± sound before he rummaged through his chest pocket. ¡°Can you recognize me now?¡± Elton placed a fake mustache under his nose. ¡®A disguise?¡¯ Elton removed his mustache again. Then, the middle-aged man revealed a beautiful face that looked to be no more than that of a person in his early 20s. AD ¡°As you can see, because I look young, I dress up when external guests come.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sephiel had nothing to say. ¡®More than that¡­.¡¯ Sephiel slowly looked at her surroundings. Sephiel was now lying on a sofa. The image of Mittara¡¯s mother who was attacked by a predator continuously came to her mind. ¡°Are dwey dwead?¡± [Are they dead?] Without realizing it herself, Sephiel had already asked. AD ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°A while ago, at the banquet hall¡­ the person who got bitten by the black thing¡­.¡± Elton seemed to remember only then. ¡°So you¡¯re talking about Baroness Sheeran. She didn¡¯t die. People can live even without a single limb, haha.¡± Baroness Sheeran¡­ then that means it was Mittara¡¯s mom. ¡°¡­Hicc.¡± Seeing Sephiel¡¯s surprised rabbit eyes, Elton nodded calmly as if he understood. AD ¡°You must¡¯ve been surprised, right?¡± ¡°Ywesh¡­¡± [Yes¡­] ¡°Yes, it is truly a surprising thing. To think that a person who dared rebel against the Little Young Lord¡­ survived.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°In other situations, Black would have definitely made the person stop breathing. Maybe it was a little nervous because there were a lot of people. Black is now going to go into intensive training.¡± Hm. So it was like that. ¡®Turns out the employees were also crazy.¡¯ Sephiel quickly grasped the situation. ¡°Is it uswually wike that?¡± [Is it usually like that?] ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Wike that¡­. just bwiting at pweople. Is evwyone wike that?¡± [Like that¡­. just biting at people. Is everyone like that?] ¡°Ah, no. No one will get hurt unless the person rebels against the Little Young Lord. In particular, the Royal Princess is a precious person, so please do not worry. Black never defies his owner¡¯s family.¡± Elton said. ¡®Great, then as long as I¡¯m not impudent, I won¡¯t be bitten by a beast, right?¡¯ She was Sephiel, who throughout her previous life suffered just because of the fact she was born. In her mind, the groundless craziness seemed rather reasonable. Rather than that¡­ Sephiel looked at Elton¡¯s expression. ¡°But, I- I was akswepted.¡± [But, I- I was accepted.] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± Elton nodded without any hesitation. So, could she now stay here? Sephiel¡¯s heart beat fast. ¡®My three-meals-a-day dream.¡¯ The realization that her sweet dream was just around the corner, made her excited. However, Sephiel held back as she recalled the evilness inside her. AD ¡®The evil me will surely not be blinded by such small things.¡¯ If she asked if she could eat three meals a day here, they might treat her worse. ¡®The weaker the position, the heavier the mouth. In fact, there¡¯s nothing that I want, even if they give me two meals a day¡­¡¯ Since adults were nicer to a child with a guardian who took care of the child¡­ She had already determined that treatment may be worse than Mittara. ¡°There¡¯s one last procedure left.¡± The mouth that was about to twitch, curved down. ¡°Procedure¡­?¡± AD ¡°Yes. I understand that the Royal Princess passed the ancestry test when you came in, but the appearance you came in here with is a little suspicious, so our Little Young Lord said that you have to be examined.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°There are many people seeking the dragon¡¯s lineage, so the Royal Princess should not be someone who came from a person with malicious intent. But it¡¯s all formal procedures, so it¡¯ll be over soon.¡± Elton added lightly. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s if there¡¯s really no problem with the Royal Princess.¡± Sephiel clasped her small hands together, she was a little nervous. ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it right away.¡± Elton clapped his palms making Sephiel flinch. AD The door opened. And the one that crawled confidently through the door was the snake that was carried by the Little Young Lord earlier. ¡°The snake¡¯s name is Green. This snake has the ability to sense the truth.¡± Elton said. ¡°When a person wrapped in this snake tells a lie, the subject¡­¡± ¡°The subject¡­?¡± ¡°Will be bitten. Crunch.¡± Elton said without a change in his expression. Sephiel¡¯s eyes shook. ¡°Please do not worry. Since the poison injected will be an appropriate amount. You won¡¯t die immediately.¡± AD Then, is he saying I¡¯ll die slowly? ¡®That¡¯s much worse!¡¯ The body of the thick Green wrapped around Sephiel¡¯s body. Feeling the coldness, Sephiel shivered. ¡°Royal Princess. Please think carefully. Did the adults tell you to come here and do something bad?¡± It was a question that would immediately find who the person behind her was, right? Sephiel understood right away. ¡°Uhm, free will. Would you understand better if I said that? It means that I¡¯m asking if you came because you wanted to be here.¡± Fortunately, it was a question Sephiel didn¡¯t need to lie about. ¡°It¡¯s not that! I¡­ I cwame becawse I wanth to come.¡± [It¡¯s not that! I¡­ I came because I want to come.] ¡°Is there a story behind it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Sephiel was¡­ uneasy. ¡®Hiic.¡¯ Swii¡ª Green opened its mouth. I¡¯m going to be bitten! Sephiel closed her eyes tightly before opening them again. ¡°My famiwy membwers wocked me up and hwit me. They said I¡¯m cuwsed¡­.¡± [My family members locked me up and hit me. They said I¡¯m cursed¡­.] Elton¡¯s gesture hardened. Swii¡ª Green remained motionless, still wrapped around Sephiel¡¯s body. It was all true. ¡°Then, did you come all the way here by yourself?¡± ¡°The wnighth who wash wathching hewped me.¡± [The knight who was watching helped me.] Because she answered too concisely, Lotto ended up being glorified. ¡°I see. So, there¡¯s a knight who helped the Royal Princess escape.¡± ¡°Yesh¡­ I don¡¯th know where he ish wite now.¡± [Yes¡­ I don¡¯t know where he is right now.] ¡°So even knights of the lower class have a certain loyalty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­ For the last ancestry test, Green will draw some blood.¡± Prick! Green bit Sephiel lightly, making Sephiel flinch. Green untangled himself from Sephiel. Then, he approached Elton and wrapped his arm around him. When Green made a swii sound, Elton nodded. ¡°The blood of the Allegro Royal Family certainly flows in you. This is an important part, so I had to check it one more time.¡± ¡°Ywesh¡­¡± [Yes¡­] ¡°The test, it¡¯s over now.¡± Elton spoke in a tone that could not be described as anything other than trustworthy. Sephiel was dumbfounded. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Yes. Now that the confirmation process is complete. Please eat something delicious and rest well.¡± Elton said kindly. ¡°Is dwis reawy the end?¡± [Is this really the end?] ¡°Yes. Why do you think otherwise?¡± ¡°You¡¯re noth going tho ashw me anymore?¡± [¡­You¡¯re not going to ask me anymore?] ¡°Ah, well. Did you get permission from your family, do you have any dowry, and what should we do with the marriage procedure or process? Are you asking about that kind of headache-inducing talk?¡± ¡°¡­Yesh.¡± [¡­Yes.] ¡°We don¡¯t need a dowry, and the rest of the circumstances don¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elton said softly. ¡°After all¡­¡± Sephiel focused. ¡°Whatever a lower-class Royal Family does, the Little Young Lord will not care. I was worried that no one would be picked today. But, haha, it turned out great.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Oh my. Is it too difficult to understand for the young Royal Princess? Simply put,¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°The Grand Duke of Remdragon Family is the strongest. Then you¡¯ll feel at ease, right?¡± At that moment, Sephiel felt that¡­ ¡®It¡¯s the best, this household.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just a matter of borrowing their title anymore. Within Sephiel, the sense of awe and respect for the Remdragon Family rose. Even if what Elton said was a bluff or not, it was good. The Allegro Royal Family, who ruined Sephiel¡¯s life so much in her previous life. It was the first time a person treated Sephiel¡¯s family like a neighbourhood puppy passing by. Swii¡ª Before she knew it, Green came closer to Sephiel, tilted its head and looked at her. ¡°You did a great job on the examination.¡± Sephiel hugged the snake at once. ¡°Oh my, you are pwetty. You aw so nice. You aw a compwetent snwake.¡± [Oh my, you are pretty. You are so nice. You are a competent snake.] Sephiel realized that snakes could also make absurd faces. ¡®Yeah, even now the change in my attitude is fast.¡¯ The snake on our side is a good snake. It¡¯s a nice snake. Salute. Salute. Sephiel loves you, Remdragon. Sephiel felt like she wanted to form a heart with both hands above her head and then spin around. ¡°Royal Princess¡­?¡± And also. Grrrowwl. The fierce sound rang from Sephiel¡¯s stomach. The dazed Elton smiled and turned his head. ¡°Please wait for a moment.¡± This time, Elton rang a bell. The door opened and maids came in. ¡°Serve the Royal Princess. Serve her since she¡¯s tired and carry her to the separate house.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The maids replied in unison before smiling kindly. ¡®They¡¯re older sisters who smell good.¡¯ Their similar appearance made Sephiel think they looked like twins. However, one had blue eyes and the other had brown. Sephiel made eye contact with them and shyly lowered her eyes. ¡°Elton, can we call this person Royal Princess?¡± ¡°Ah, Royal Princess¡ª¡± Elton hesitated, making an ¡®uhm¡¯ sound. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. She¡¯s surely the one who¡¯s going to be the madam, the new baby of the Grand Duke Family.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°But because she hasn¡¯t officially become the madam yet, she can¡¯t even be called the little madam.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t such a thing called a big madam, let alone a little madam.¡± The woman with brown eyes answered. ¡°Usually, in this case, we call them Miss or Lady, but¡­¡± ¡°But, she¡¯s totally a baby?¡± As the two maids contemplated, they looked at Sepiel and exchanged words. ¡°Then, it¡¯s Baby.¡± ¡°Yes. Since it¡¯s this house¡¯s very own and only Little Miss. The title must be Baby.¡± They nodded and said in unison. Elton seemed satisfied, too. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a good one. For the time being, call her Baby and when she officially signs her name down, then she¡¯ll become Madam.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes. Baby.¡± The maids said at the same time. Sephiel was dumbfounded. She had never been called with such an endearing title before, so her cheeks were burning. ¡°Ung!¡± The blue-eyed maid picked up Sephiel and she was carried on another maid¡¯s back. Sephiel¡¯s ears turned red. ¡®But, is this really over?¡¯ Sephiel came to her senses, the newly turned evil Sephiel was very careful. ¡°Uhm, bwut.¡± [Uhm, but.] ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°When am I gettwing mawied?¡± [When am I getting married?] Sephiel lifted her head off the maid¡¯s back. Elton¡¯s expression became strange. ¡°Do you want to quickly marry our Little Young Lord?¡± That is, of course! Sephiel wanted to shout. That way, she could finally leave the family register of that damned family. Even in her dreams and reality, Sepihel¡¯s wish was only one. It was getting rid of that damn Allegro name. ¡°Ywes, of couwse.¡± [Yes, of course.] ¡°Why? Wasn¡¯t our Little Young Lord scary?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, Sephiel recalled Erga and trembled. He¡¯s too scary. Maybe he ordered the employee to ask that question. ¡®Because he might have been disappointed because I was so ugly.¡¯ White hair and red eyes. Since she had met a boy of her age before, she remembered the Princes who looked at her with disgust, saying that she looked ominous. ¡°Bwu¡­ he¡¯s hanswome.¡± [But¡­ he¡¯s handsome.] After thinking for a while, Sephiel gave the flattering answer. ¡°¡­How did you know that the Little Young Lord was handsome? Is that why you applied?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, dwat ish.¡± [Oh, uhm, that is.] Sephiel operated her brain fully and found an excuse without difficulty. ¡°I heard abouth ith. Dwagonsh are pwetty and, I wike looksh¡± [I heard about it. Dragons are pretty and I like looks.] It was an excuse that made even her own ears turn red, but Sephiel, who resolved herself to be evil, shamelessly lied. ¡°Pfft.¡± As if he was holding something back, Elton covered his mouth with his hand. ¡°I see. If our Little Young Lord knew about this, he¡¯d be happy.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯th need to convey ith. I heard thath aww boysh know that they themsewbs aw handswome.¡± [¡­You don¡¯t need to convey it. I heard that all boys know that they themselves are handsome.] ¡°Pfft. Yes, I see.¡± When Elton nodded, the maid who carried Sephiel spoke. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll take you to the separate house.¡± When she heard a response, the maid began to move mercilessly. Just like that, Sephiel left the room. And the left behind Elton¡­ ¡°PFFT. PUAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH.¡± ¡°You¡¯re noisy.¡± Elton approached a wall. It looked like an ordinary wall, but as Elton approached, it slowly revealed what it really looked like. In fact, it was not a wall, but rather a curtain disguised as a wall with magic. As Elton walked to the curtain, Erga appeared, sitting on a chair covered with silk. His arm was raised on the armrest, holding his chin. A predator crouched beneath Erga without making a single sound. ¡°Really, you had chosen correctly. Even though it¡¯s a little small. Haha. A really interesting person came as the bride of the Grand Duke Family.¡± ¡°¡­I already said that you¡¯re noisy.¡± ¡°But, to apply because you¡¯re pretty. Whoa. Baby has an amazing eye for beauty. I can¡¯t believe a five-year-old girl is already hurrying to get married. This owner, properly¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be done as long as we lend that kid our name. When I become an adult, my family will leave this world.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°So, shut up.¡± Erga said in a cynical way. Elton quietly lowered his head after bursting into laughter. ¡°Then, Little Young Lord. What should we do with Baby¡¯s treatment?¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Erga said. ¡°Do as per Father¡¯s command.¡± ¡°Yes. First of all, she will be served at a separate house isolated from the main building.¡± ¡°¡­Give her lots of food.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯ll eat well because she looks like a raccoon.¡± ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just understand, actually go do,¡± Erga said. ¡°And work. Just like a servant.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elton bowed his head politely. CH 7 Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 ¡®Please do not let this be a dream.¡¯ It was the thought that Sephiel remembered every time she opened her eyes these days. ¡°Hoaam.¡± Sephiel yawned and got out of bed. The warm sunshine tickled her cheeks. She was in a good mood, so she rubbed her head on the bed and laughed. ¡°Have you woken up?¡± AD ¡°Ywes¡­.¡± [Yes¡­.] ¡°Here. Please drink the water here. Because you¡¯ve just woken up, you¡¯ll be thirsty.¡± The yellow chick cup with a straw in it was the first private thing Sephiel had ever had since she was born. Sephiel gulped down the water. After drinking it all, she breathed out. ¡°You¡¯ve drunk it well.¡± Berry said. Sephiel looked at Berry and smiled. Berry and Marie. Those were the names of the two maids who were placed in the separate house to take care of Sephiel. AD Among them, Berry was the one with blue eyes. And Marie was her biological older sister. To think that they looked like twins but they were just sisters. Sephiel was fascinated. ¡°Thwank you, Berry.¡± [Thank you, Berry.] ¡°Oh my. You¡¯re quite nice. It¡¯ll be a little chilly tonight, so take a bath before dinner.¡± ¡°Ywes.¡± [Yes.] ¡°Then, should we go out to the garden and play?¡± ¡°Ywes!¡± [Yes!] Sephiel nodded energetically. AD ¡®It feels so great because I can go out to the garden every day.¡¯ Sephiel was moved to a separate house after the last verification test. It was a small building for a child who would come as the bride of the Great Duke Family. Although the separate house was a well-built building¡­ Old furniture and old curtains. A gloomy floor that sometimes made creaking sounds. It was not a building that children would like. It was far from the main building and the surrounding area was a quiet forest. ¡®For Mittara, the child who was selected as the bride in my previous life, this may not be enough for her to see. After all, she was still a real noble.¡¯ AD However¡­ For Sephiel, who originally lived in a damp dungeon, this life was already a jackpot. ¡®Hm. This is my own sweet paradise.¡¯ It¡¯s clean and it doesn¡¯t smell. No one would suddenly come in and hit me dozens of times in the middle of her head. ¡®Still, I found an old and small ball in the separate house, and there are also colored pencils and sketchbooks.¡¯ Sephiel was so happy that to celebrate her success¡­ She made a new Death Note that was filled with colors, courtesy of the colored pencils. ¡®I mustn¡¯t forget my evilness even in peace.¡¯ In order to be happy, a person doesn¡¯t need to think of their past from time to time. Although it was a pity that there were no dolls. ¡®No matter how evil I become, I can¡¯t be too greedy.¡¯ Even wanting dolls, it was an ambition beyond greed. Moreover, Berry and Marie were already very nice. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to clean up again today.¡± ¡°Yeah, cwean up!¡± [Yeah, clean up!] Taught by Marie and Berry, Sephiel immersed herself in the bathtub while humming the song ¡®Let¡¯s get clean.¡¯ She lost track of time dipping in the old marble bathtub and playing with water. ¡®In the past, bathing was allowed only once every two weeks.¡¯ Come to think of it, there was no basis for them to be criticized. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t like it either. A child who¡¯s so dirty and stinky.¡¯ After thinking so, Sephiel quickly shook her head. ¡®Well, so what. From now on I¡¯ll become a clean person. Also, it wasn¡¯t even my fault too, right?¡¯ Thinking like that, the feeling of depression did not last long. ¡°Now, you¡¯re done washing.¡± AD Berry put a towel with cute bear ears on Sephiel¡¯s head and wrapped it around her whole body. ¡°Now, just shake your head.¡± When she took off her hood, she brought her to a warm room and patted her hair dry with a towel. ¡°Baby is still weak.¡± ¡°Yeah, since she can catch a cold even if she¡¯s only cold for a moment.¡± After that, she was given some soft clothes again. ¡®New clothes again!¡¯ Pulling it out from somewhere, Marie brought a white and soft new baby dress. AD ¡®There¡¯s even lace.¡¯ Sephiel reached out her small hand and touched the lace skirt hem. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Ywes, I wike the cwothes that Mawee picked out fow me.¡± [Yes, I like the clothes that Marie picked out for me.] ¡°You¡¯re the one who is pretty.¡± Ah, praise again. Sephiel asked carefully. ¡°Then, now, I don¡¯t smell, right?¡± AD Marie and Berry looked at each other and then said. ¡°Not even a bit.¡± ¡°Yeah, you smell like flowers.¡± ¡°With your white skin, and your hair, you look like a baby silver fox, so you surely are pretty.¡± ¡°But, you¡¯re too small.¡± ¡°In a book that I had read, the growth rate of human babies is much slower. So, Baby has to eat a lot and sleep well. You got it, right?¡± Sephiel nodded shyly because nobody had treated her so warmly. ¡°Then now. You¡¯re all dressed up.¡± AD In addition, Berry and Marie also told her how to say thank you and how to do greetings. ¡°Thank you for washing me.¡± Berry and Marie covered their mouths and smiled broadly, caressing Sephiel¡¯s head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be polite to us.¡± ¡°Yes. Only when you see the household adults later, please greet them.¡± ¡°Although maybe that kind of thing won¡¯t happen¡­¡± Was it because of Berry¡¯s tone at the end, that her words felt quite bitter? Sephiel tilted her head. After that was the time that Sephiel liked the most. It was mealtime! ¡®I can¡¯t believe that there¡¯s meat at every meal¡­.¡¯ Steamed chicken and roasted beef, a colorful tricolor pie and sweet seasonal fruits. ¡°Baby, please eat this too.¡± ¡°Ywes¡­.¡± [Yes¡­.] In her previous life, Sephiel had never eaten meat until full like this. When she was young, she only ate dried meat sometimes. And when she grew up¡­ ¡®Because I grew up eating less, I lived with a stomach disease when I became an adult. So if I ate a little more, I would have a stomach ache right away.¡¯ Moreover, she couldn¡¯t even touch the meat since she lived while eating the Royal Family¡¯s salt. ¡°Huaa¡­.¡± When she put the well-cooked meat overflowing with fat in her mouth, it melted beautifully. In addition, to prevent the child from being surprised by the stimulating taste there was even a little honey to weaken the liver. ¡°Is it delicious?¡± ¡°Yesh, it is weally dewicious¡­.¡± [Yes, it is really delicious¡­.] Looking at Sephiel who was eating well, Berry and Marie¡¯s gaze softened. ¡°Please eat slowly.¡± ¡°But¡­ How about Marie and Berry?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not eating?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll eat after you finish eating it all.¡± ¡°What aww you eatwing?¡± [What are you eating?] ¡°We¡¯re also having meals.¡± ¡°Is thath enuf?¡± [Is that enough?] Marie and Berry looked at each other. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us and please eat a lot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so nice.¡± ¡°Ywesh.¡± [Yes.] Sephiel nodded. At the same time, the door opened and Elton entered. ¡°Baby. How is your meal?¡± ¡°Dewicious.¡± [Delicious.] Sephiel placed down the pie she was eating. Berry gently wiped Sephiel¡¯s soft and small hands with a wet towel. At the tickling touch, Sephiel laughed a little. Elton grinned. ¡°Haa, really. Baby is cute.¡± ¡°Did you cwome heer to sway that?¡± [Did you come here to say that?] Sephiel sneakily noticed. It had already been 10 days since Sephiel came here. For the first three days, she was examined by a doctor to see if she was sick. After that, she slept to make up for all her lost energy from coming all the way here, and she ate really well. ¡°Of course not. I brought a present.¡± ¡°A present?¡± Sephiel¡¯s ears pricked up. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to sightsee the Grand Duchy?¡± Honestly, she did want to do that. After all, it was the famous Remdragon Duchy, which had never opened for nearly a hundred years. In her previous life, Sephiel was trapped in a small room working on creating tax evasion data for her older brothers and turning kingdom-confidential data into ancient language. Among those confidential data, there were some of the Remdragon Duchy¡¯s data, too¡­ ¡®Compared to the other two monarchs, the data was extremely little.¡¯ ¡°For a while, there will be not one of our Lord¡¯s, I¡¯ll show you the inside of the Grand Duchy tomorrow.¡± ¡°Lord?¡± ¡°Yes. The whole Half-Dragon family. I¡¯m referring to the direct family member of the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Bwut who is dwere?¡± [But who is there?] ¡°Uhm, first of all, there is the Grandfather, the First Grand Duke. He¡¯s very old. He usually goes sightseeing around the world and focuses on his hobby.¡± ¡°He ebwen goes twabeling?¡± [He even goes traveling?] ¡°Yes. Of course. Dragons are very interested in human affairs. And let¡¯s see. There is also the father of the Little Young Lord, Erga, the current Grand Duke. If you get married, he¡¯ll probably be your father-in-law. But that person is¡­ Just¡­¡± Elton¡¯s expression became strange. ¡°If you spot him, never¨C please never approach him. That person is¡­ uhm¡­ Anyway, he¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Ywes¡­.¡± [Yes¡­.] ¡°And then Erga. There¡¯s nothing to be further explained, right?¡± Sephiel trembled at that moment. Even though at the moment, everything in the Grand Duchy was better, she couldn¡¯t help but be scared of Erga. ¡°Ywesh, he¡¯s awight¡­.¡± [Yes, he¡¯s alright.] Elton held back his laughter. ¡°Do you like this place?¡± Sephiel nodded her head. ¡°Yes. I wike it.¡± [Yes. I like it.] ¡°Do you have any confidence to stay here continuously?¡± ¡°Ywesh.¡± [Yes.] Sephiel plucked up her courage and said. ¡°I wanth to bwe here. Continuouswy¡­.¡± [I want to be here. Continuously¡­.] Elton leaned down and looked into Sephiel¡¯s eyes. ¡°There is no special matter for Baby to do here, but there¡¯s a difficult matter.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Staying safe here until you become an adult.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°To do so, we must not push the buttons of our fickle Dragons. Finally, the most important thing is¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s listening well to the Lords¡¯ words, right?¡± ¡°Ywesh.¡± [Yes.] Sephiel nodded. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t listen to them, will they make a predator bite and kill me? Do they have a bad personality?¡± At Sephiel¡¯s innocent question, Elton laughed. ¡°No. They just can¡¯t tell the difference. With their hunting sense, people are practically the same with rabbits and deer.¡± Sephiel nodded her head. ¡°Are you not scared?¡± ¡°Scawed of whath?¡± [Scared of what?] Sephiel blinked her eyes at Elton calmly. ¡°I mwean, they¡¯re not going to kiww wabbits or deer they know for no weason.¡± [I mean, they¡¯re not going to kill rabbits or deer they know for no reason.] It¡¯s not that the dragons she had only heard of were not scary, but¡­ Sephiel was sure that she would be an existence they needed for now. ¡®They¡¯ll probably need my name!¡¯ At least, it¡¯s also because of the rule to not recklessly kill pets that were raised at home. They must think about it again first before killing the human they need. ¡°Pfft. Haha¡­.¡± As if he couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore, Elton burst into laughter. ¡°You¡¯re very intelligent. It¡¯s a wise answer to a stupid question. But if you¡¯re talking about death, that rarely happens.¡± ¡°Why is dwat?¡± [Why is that?] ¡°Because of the peace agreement of the Four Monarchs of the Union of Kingdoms. Since you are a direct descendant of Allegro, you are protected by a contract that says they will not hurt your body without a reasonable reason.¡± ¡°¡­Heeung.¡± A promise was made by the Grand Duke of Remdragon with humans. Sephiel knew that well. ¡°A Peace Contract?¡± However, Sephiel asked, pretending she didn¡¯t know. ¡°It means the pledge of the Four Monarchs. The promise of not invading each other¡¯s territory without a reasonable reason and not harming the direct lineage of the other family. It¡¯s a promise to abide by the laws of the Union of Kingdoms.¡± ¡°But, that Aunty?¡± ¡°Aunty?¡± ¡°That¡­. You know, the Aunty dwat was bwitten by Bwack. Is it okway to do thath to Aunty?¡± [That¡­. You know, the Aunty that was bitten by Black. Is it okay to do that to Aunty?] ¡°Aah. How can the status of Baby be the same as that person? Even if it¡¯s a trivial nobleman or a couple of knights, they do this for fun.¡± Kkik. Elton used his hands to gesture pretending to be thirsty. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s surely an existence that has nothing to say. It¡¯s because they are upper-class.¡± Sephiel stared at Elton and nodded her small head. ¡®Turns out Elton is also honest to me, who is a child.¡¯ Was he trying to teach her how to survive in this world? Sephiel didn¡¯t dislike that kind of Elton. ¡°Marie. Please take Baby to her room. I think she¡¯s had enough.¡± ¡°Yes. Baby. Let us go to your room and play tea party.¡± ¡°Ywes.¡± [Yes.] Sephiel obediently nodded and followed Marie back to her room. ¡®Ah, right. I left my handkerchief in the dining room.¡¯ It was a large handkerchief that she must wear around her neck because it was cold when she went outside. It was the one that had a yellow chick color and a large embroidered flower. Marie had gone to get snacks in order to play tea party with Sephiel. Sephiel walked with toddling steps as she headed back to the dining area. She raised her tiptoes to hold the doorknob and open the door. However¡ª Berry and Elton¡¯s conversation was heard through the slightly open door. ¡°¡­Baby is pitiful. If it¡¯s like this¡­¡± Elton said something as a reply but since his voice was too small she couldn¡¯t hear it well. ¡°They are not interested in human circumstances.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°At this time of year, if Baby does not receive proper education and stays alone in a separate house, she will not be able to act as a proper adult even when she grows up.¡± ¡°Usually, it¡¯s the role of the bride¡¯s parental home to send over a teacher or person to teach the bride what she needs. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But it¡¯s not a situation that can happen. She doesn¡¯t even wish for a chaperone.¡± Sephiel listened carefully to the conversation. ¡®Ah, so they¡¯re talking about me.¡¯ So, this is how my situation sounded to others. ¡®Somehow it feels strange.¡¯ Elton and Berry¡¯s conversation continued. ¡°What can we do? Baby is from the Allegro Family. So, for the time being, we have to hide Baby¡¯s existence.¡± ¡°¡­The Little Young Lord¡¯s personality is also like that. And knowing the relationship between our family and the Allegro Royal Family¡­¡± ¡°Even so, thanks to that, a very cute person came, right?¡± ¡°Ah, that is of course.¡± Berry replied seriously. ¡°Anyway. It would be great if Baby could get the servants¡¯ hearts. If the servants follow Baby, maybe¡­¡± ¡°Hm. Our servants are surely different from human servants. It would be great if she could understand that point. But, since she¡¯s still a young child, well, wouldn¡¯t it be better if we don¡¯t expect too much?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Elton, you¡¯re too carefree. It¡¯s someone else¡¯s life at stake. And she¡¯s such a nice and cute person.¡± ¡°Rather than that, be cautious when introducing the servants.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ If there¡¯s a dead person like before¡­¡± Berry and Elton¡¯s voices became slightly lower. At that time. Elton inadvertently looked toward the direction where Sephiel was. Sephiel carefully moved away from the door. Then she turned her back and returned to her room. ¡°Baby. Where have you been?¡± Marie hurriedly welcomed her. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s play immediately!¡± Sephiel said with a smile. ¡®Still, I don¡¯t think there are any mean employees here.¡¯ First, avoid the Dragons. Second, win favorability points from the employees. Sephiel smirked as she thought. ¡®This is my paradise. Please don¡¯t worry about it. I can stay well in this separate house. Rather, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll bother you.¡¯ Well, even if she doesn¡¯t study, she¡¯s already smart. Sephiel thought proudly. CH 8.1 The Duchy Kingdom, the Grand Duke of Dragon¡¯s Castle. That place that was built by the dragons of the legends had been locked and secluded for the past hundred years. ¡°Five years old?¡± ¡°Then she¡¯s the same age as our Little Young Lord.¡± ¡°No, can that even be compared? Our Little Young Lord is a dragon.¡± ¡°Since he was already able to communicate when he was two years old¡­¡± ¡°Surely he wasn¡¯t cute.¡± ¡°Moreover, she¡¯s a human, you know. To think that a pure-blooded human is in the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle?!¡± The Grand Duke¡¯s Castle was always surrounded by numerous rumors. Gold fell from the sky instead of rain. Or¡ª There is one room that is just full of human heads collected by the dragons. Most of them were false, but¡­ There was surely some truth in them. [The dragon¡¯s servants are not human. The blood flowing in them are from races that have already left the human world.] ¡°Uhm. Is there any reason to do the greetings?¡± The one who said this was one of the only werewolves left in the world, Gale. ¡°After all¡­ They must¡¯ve roughly chosen Baby to keep their promise with humans.¡± Lef said. He was a young mixed-race Elf. He had long legs, a half-faced face, and slightly pointed ears which were different from those of humans. ¡°But, according to those who stood guard at the banquet, they said that the Baby came in looking like a beggar.¡± ¡°No matter what they said, is it really possible for a princess from a kingdom to look¡­ like that?¡± They tilted their heads. Nevertheless, Baby who appeared in front of them¡­ ¡°Please say your greetings. This is Erga¡¯s fiance. Every servant and guard of the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle, please call her Baby and treat her with courtesy. She is the one and only precious baby girl in our Grand Duke Family.¡± Elton introduced Sephiel like this. ¡°Hello, Baby. We are the soldiers guarding this forest.¡± ¡°Hewwo.¡± [Hello.] Sephiel bowed with her hand placed on her stomach. It was a polite greeting that she learned from Berry yesterday. Seeing Baby like that, they thought, ¡®She¡¯s cute!¡¯ ¡®Why is she this small?!¡¯ Her eyes like red jade were sparkling, and her hair that had ribbons finely placed on both sides of her head was a silverish white. And although she was smaller than they thought, her cheeks were red and chubby. The figure which was hiding behind Berry, looking around cutely, as if she was shy by people¡¯s eyes¡­ ¡­was truly enough to make them want to bite her. ¡°Hey! Smile. Smile.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t hurt you, Baby.¡± Perhaps their efforts worked, Sephiel smiled at the soldiers. As they made an ach, achh sound, the soldiers clutched their chests. Sephiel looked around the residence of the soldiers inside the forest. ¡°What do you men do?¡± ¡°We¡¯re tasked with the role of keeping people from entering the forest who would harm the Grand Duke Family.¡± Sephiel¡¯s face brightened. ¡®By any chance, has that Lotto bastard not gone yet?¡¯ Lotto, whom Sephiel used as a ride to come all the way here. If he went back to the Allegro Royal Family alone, he would probably be severely punished. So wouldn¡¯t he be hovering around the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle trying to catch her? The Grand Duke of Remdragon¡¯s Castle was surrounded by the natural gift of nature. There were castle walls, but the inside and outside were all forests. ¡®What if he goes over the walls and hides in the forest¡­¡¯ Sephiel looked at the soldiers¡¯ facilities with hawk eyes. ¡®Uhm. The soldiers look very strong.¡¯ Sephiel felt reassured. So, even if Lotto broke in and tried to kill her, he would freeze when he saw these soldiers. The corners of her mouth automatically went up. ¡°Thath ish cool! Thank you fow pwotecting ith!¡± [That is cool! Thank you for protecting it!] ¡°Hoho, hoho¡­.¡± The soldiers were not immune to such compliments, so their cheekbones went up like they were exploding. ¡°But why aww you all uswing helmwets? It mwust be hot.¡± [But why are you all using helmets? It must be hot.] ¡°Uhm¡­. That is¡­¡± It was to hide the elf¡¯s pointed ears¡­ ¡°Why is your whole bwody stiff? Then your handsh will sweat.¡± [Why is your whole body stiff? Then your hands will sweat.] That was to hide the werewolves¡¯ swollen hands¡­ ¡°Wook at thath! Thath stone stachu is so cwool!¡± [Look at that! That stone statue is so cool!] That¡¯s a golem which was used in war¡­ ¡°Ah! Thath thing. The wock moved! Whath I saw is wite, wite?¡± [Ah! That thing. The rock moved! What I saw is right, right?] That¡¯s a gargoyle taking a break¡­ However, all of them were things that couldn¡¯t be said aloud, so the soldiers looked at the distant mountain. It wasn¡¯t that they had decided to hide the existence of the different races from Sephiel. It was a matter of a long time ago. A noble lady was lucky to have a chance to visit the Grand Duchy. However, the person was surprised to see the werewolf soldiers, the elfs, and the vampire bloodlines and died. Therefore, everyone decided to hide their identity to protect the young baby Sephiel. Among them, Lef, the Captain of the Knights and Commander of the Elf Guard, said. ¡°Uhm¡­ Baby.¡± ¡°Ywes?¡± [Yes?] ¡°Should I give you High-High?¡± ¡°What ish thath?¡± [What is that?] Sephiel tilted her head. ¡®Somewhat, I think I got a good offer.¡¯ That thought crossed Sephiel¡¯s head. Her eyes naturally twinkled. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uhcha!¡± ¡°Kyahahahaha!¡± Sephiel was so excited that stars seemed to pop out in front of her eyes. Playing by putting his hands between her armpits and lifting her up, then going up and down was so much fun that it was enough for her to collapse. ¡°Should I give you a ride on my back?¡± The rough soldiers shyly offered one by one. Eventually, Sephiel rode the soldiers¡¯ backs and had fun as she looked around. ¡°There ish alsho a huge bwird over there!¡± [There is also a huge bird over there!] Sephiel said. Kkiik. Kkiik! The extremely large bird in the shape of a bat¨C wyvern, flying in the sky, was two meters wide when its wings were spread out. In reality, the monster that was brutal enough to make people faint was¡­ ¡®The Grand Duke Family¡¯s ride and pet.¡¯ The servants hurriedly turned Sephiel¡¯s gaze. ¡°Instead of High-High, should we play Pull-Pull?¡± ¡°What ish thath too?!¡± [What is that too?!] Pull-Pull was a tremendous game in which Sephiel was put on the side and swooped back and forth. ¡®Ah, it was a whole new world.¡¯ Sephiel was so excited that she kept making a kkyaahahahaha sound while laughing. ¡®It¡¯s my first time laughing like this.¡¯ Perhaps thanks to that, the soldiers, instead of looking proud, now looked completely melted. ¡°Look ath thaht! It¡¯s shwiny!¡± [Look at that! It¡¯s shiny!] ¡°Hoho! That¡¯s because our soldiers usually polish their swords well.¡± ¡°Thath Mister is hwandsome!¡± [That Mister is handsome!] ¡°No, that¡¯s because of our elven blood¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up, you witless bastard.¡± One of the soldiers, who tried to speak thoughtlessly, was stabbed on his side to shut his mouth. ¡°Thank you. Haha.¡± Moreover, Sephiel was friendly to the servants of the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle for her future. ¡°The dwishes of the Gwand Duchy aww the bwest in the world. Thwank you.¡± [The dishes of the Grand Duchy are the best in the world. Thank you.] ¡°I¡¯m hwappy because I¡¯m weawing pwetty clothes. Thank you.¡± [I¡¯m happy because I¡¯m wearing pretty clothes. Thank you.] In addition, Sephiel bowed to the employees who were waiting for her in front of the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle. As everyone made a kyaa, waaa, or happy smile, they looked like they were dying to stroke Sephiel¡¯s head. ¡®It¡¯s better than my previous abuse situation.¡¯ Sephiel was proud. ¡®But it turns out they still never allowed me to go in the main building.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t disappointed because she had expected it. Moreover, if she did something wrong, she may run into that kid. ¡®Because he¡¯s a bit scary¡­. It¡¯s kind of like that.¡¯ After wandering around the Grand Duchy, Berry patted Sephiel¡¯s tired head, then they came back to the separate house. ¡°But, Bewwy.¡± [But, Berry.] ¡°Yes, Baby.¡± ¡°You know, if all of the Lordsh awen¡¯t present, he¡­.Where did hwe go?¡± [You know, if all of the Lords aren¡¯t present, he¡­. Where did he go?] ¡°Are you talking about the Little Young Lord Erga?¡± ¡°Ywup.¡± [Yup.] ¡°He¡¯s sleeping now. Very deeply.¡± ¡°Evwen in the afternwoon?¡± [Even in the afternoon?] ¡°Yes. Before becoming an adult, half-dragons are unsteady in various things. That includes sleeping for a very long time. They have to lock themselves in a room made of special mana stone for a while.¡± ¡°Then, if they are all grown up?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re all grown up¡­.¡± Berry spoke kindly. ¡°You¡¯ll find the true side of him.¡± ¡°Are half-dragons different from just dragons?¡± ¡°Yes. They¡¯re different. When they¡¯re young, half-dragons are in their human form, but when they¡¯re all grown up, they become a dragon and they can switch back and forth between their human and dragon form.¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that twoo bwig? That mweans when they are all gwown up, they¡¯ll bwecome this big.¡± [¡­Isn¡¯t that too big? That means when they are all grown up, they¡¯ll become this big.] ¡°Huhu, but they¡¯re usually in their human form. It¡¯s either the Grand Duke or the Elder. That¡¯s why the First Grand Duke does that, too. It¡¯s called ¡®polymorph¡¯.¡± Sephiel nodded. There was nothing bad about listening to information about dragons who were the influential figures of this house. ¡°Cwan¡¯t you tell me mwore? Whath ish the diffewence with humansh?¡± [Can¡¯t you tell me more? What is the difference with humans?] ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± Berry continued to explain. ¡°Dragon blood is an existence which is stronger and closer to holy than humans. For example, the Little Young Lord now, his grandmother is a half-elf, and his biological mother is a human.¡± ¡°Heuung¡­. Bwut, if it is wike that, then he is not a half-dwagon.¡± [Heuung¡­. But, if it is like that, then he is not a half-dragon.] ¡®Since it¡¯s only about 1/4 of the bloodline. Then, isn¡¯t he a quarter-dragon?¡¯ Sephiel thought. ¡°That¡¯s surely what¡¯s interesting about it.¡± Berry explained kindly. ¡°Because dragon blood is always undiluted. The bloodline of dragons accepts only half of the blood of other races that is passed on. That¡¯s what being upper class means. Those whose blood is stronger than humans and elves.¡± Sephiel nodded silently. ¡°It¡¯s intwesting and fun.¡± [It¡¯s interesting and fun.] ¡°Really? Huhu. Do you want to know about the Little Young Lord?¡± ¡°¡­Well, a wittle.¡± [¡­Well, a little.] She wasn¡¯t curious about Erga, himself, but rather curious because the dragon race¡¯s story was very interesting. Sephiel replied with a little reluctance. Berry further informed that only sons were born in the Grand Duke Family. ¡°When dragons give birth to half-dragons, they only give birth to children of the same gender as them. For example, when a female dragon and a male human are combined, only a female half-dragon is born.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As expected, the dragon race is interesting. Then suddenly Sephiel remembered something. ¡®Ah, right, they did say that the Allegro Royal Family had the blood of demons, right?¡¯ And that blood is not inherited by everyone. They said that sometimes a ¡®mutant¡¯ like Sephiel is born. ¡°You know. Thwen, how abwout demonsh?¡± [You know. Then, how about demons?] ¡°¡­De¡­mons?¡± Berry¡¯s face subtly hardened. ¡°Our Baby shouldn¡¯t be interested in things like demons.¡± ¡°¡­Okaaaaay. But they aren¡¯t upper class, right?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. Demons are not upper-class. If they¡¯re not upper-class, all lineages disappear after three generations, and only humans are born after that.¡± Sephiel nodded small. There was indeed a saying like that. [Allegro and Remdragon have been in a strained relationship for 300 years. However, all dragons and demons were enemies for life.] As such, it was said that demons and dragons had a bad relationship. ¡®Although they said that my blood was so diluted that now I¡¯m just a human with a unique appearance. Still, I shouldn¡¯t get caught because I resemble the appearance of the demon race.¡¯ Sephiel thought like that. ¡®Even the people of the Grand Duke¡¯s Castle said they didn¡¯t know much about the demons because it¡¯s been a long time since they¡¯ve last seen them. It was also since demons had various appearances.¡¯ Silverish white hair and red eyes. It was said to be a characteristic of the lineage of the ¡®Demon Sorcerer¡¯ who lived in the forest in the middle of the land of the Allegro Royal Family. Sephiel was not very worried because even if they were called the servants of the Grand Duke¡¯s Family, it was still impossible for them to memorize all of the demons¡¯ appearance. And whether or not that idea was right, they didn¡¯t seem to find Sephiel¡¯s appearance strange. ¡°Yes, I know it well. Abouth the dwagon wace.¡± [Yes, I know it well. About the dragon race.] Only then did Berry¡¯s expression soften. ¡°Hoho, really. Our Baby is smart.¡± Then, she touched Sepiel¡¯s hair one more time. ¡°You did a very good job today.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Although perhaps our Baby won¡¯t ever experience a situation where you¡¯ll meet the higher ranking people of the Grand Duchy in person, you¡¯ll often encounter the servants. They are not mere employees, they are companions and vassals. If you treat them kindly, when Baby is all grown up¡­¡± Berry said. ¡°Please also be sure to remember that they will become Baby¡¯s people.¡± ¡®So it wasn¡¯t that they¡¯re just lending me their name?¡¯ Sephiel nodded obediently. She replied, ¡°Yesh.¡± [Yes.] CH 8.2 That evening. Elton lined up the soldiers and other servants in front of the front gate of the mansion. ¡°Have you all seen Baby today? I showed her face to you so that in the future, when you discover Little Baby near the separate house, you won¡¯t accidentally hurt her. Be careful. Please remember that.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The various races answered in unison. Elton nodded lightly. ¡°Everyone must have carefully hidden the thing about the mixed non-human bloodlines, right?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you got caught? Who was it? The elf warriors? The werewolves? Or the kitchen vampires?¡± Everyone raised their hands in unison. Elton felt his head starting to throb. ¡°All of us.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°But it seemed like as soon as she saw us, she knew¡­? The Baby.¡± Lef said as he scratched his head. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°So¡­ Are you saying that all your identities were completely discovered?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [But Mwister, why did you say the wyvern was a bird?] [But that¡¯s a wyvern¡­ Don¡¯t the Elf Warriors ride wyverns and go awound with it?] [The Mister Werewolves are reawwy strong! That¡¯s why you can swing a big shiny blade like that!] [Next time, show all of your cool figures!] [Thank you for working in the kitchen, even during both day and night. Mwister white vampiresh.] Elton was speechless. ¡°Just how did she¡­¡± ¡°We are also curious about that.¡± The elf soldiers scratched their heads as if deeply troubled. ¡°How does she know such information?¡± ¡°Berry and Marie will come soon.¡± ¡°When they come, I¡¯ll have to ask them about Baby¡¯s usual behavior.¡± Servant. They were the so-called lower-class species who served the dragons. But, there was no such thing as the secret of their bloodline being known to the outside world. Elton frowned. *** Sephiel was lying in bed. ¡°But, Baby.¡± Berry asked. ¡°Just how did you notice the true identity of our servants today?¡± ¡°Um¡­. Thwat is¡­.. I read ith from a bwook. That the dwagon has a servant. The content is¡­.¡± [Um¡­. That is¡­.. I read it from a book. That the dragon has a servant. The content is¡­.] Berry and Marie looked at each other at the same time. ¡°How can that kind of¡­¡± ¡°In the Magic Kingdom where I was bworn¡­ There are a lot of books¡­ And¡­ The Royal Family learns the ancient language¡­ In ancient language bwooks¡­ There are a lot of secwets¡­¡± [In the Magic Kingdom where I was born¡­ There are a lot of books¡­ And¡­ The Royal Family learns the ancient language¡­. In ancient language books¡­. There are a lot of secrets¡­.] Sephiel rubbed her constantly closing eyes with her small fist. ¡®Have you heard of it? Prior learning.¡¯ The royal prison where Sephiel was confined. Although it was a truth that she only found out later, right before she died. It was the prison where the red-eyed royal children like Sephiel lived. Among them, there was a princess who had a relatively, even though just a little, generous father. The child collected a bunch of rare books. It was also full of really rare ancient language books. ¡®Yeah, for some reason, I can read ancient demon language.¡¯ All members of the Allegro Royal Family could use the ancient official language. However, the ancient language of different races¡¯ language couldn¡¯t be used by just anyone. Only those of special bloodline could read it. But¡ª ¡®Yes. I¡¯m saying that I could read that.¡¯ The book of the demons from about 300 years ago. In it, there was a record of the Grand Duke Family¡¯s servants and the race which they belonged to. ¡®Thus, I knew well what each race liked and disliked.¡¯ For example, the elves were good-looking and they liked to be praised for their appearance. Or, what kind of elves ride and go around with wyverns. Or, the fact that werewolves are obsessed with weapons. It was true that Sephiel was expecting to meet them. She wanted to see the different races that were only mentioned in the legends, as well as the mixed-bloods in person. Unexpectedly, everyone was kind. ¡®But, was I supposed to pretend like I didn¡¯t know? Is it because I don¡¯t know how to read the mood?¡¯ However, everyone seemed to be happy. [To think that she isn¡¯t afraid of us!] There was also a Mister who openly and happily said that. So, Sephiel was satisfied. Sephiel rubbed her eyes while trying to fall asleep. ¡°But, Berry. Marie.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Berry¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°You know. Owiginally, my famiwy¡­ Gave money to the person who took care of them. But I¡­ My father¡­ I don¡¯t have any money to give to Bewwy and Mawie.¡± [You know. Originally, my family¡­. Gave money to the person who took care of them. But I¡­. My father¡­. I don¡¯t have any money to give to Berry and Marie.] She remembered the scenes she saw in her previous life. Families paid their aides, and they showed joy and loyalty. That¡¯s why, Sephiel, who had no money to give, was a headache for everyone. She was their master, but also could not be considered a master. ¡®But I, I really don¡¯t have anything to give.¡¯ Moreover, it seemed like Berry and Marie wouldn¡¯t be happy even if she gave them money. ¡°You knwow, I¡­ It is actually a secret, but¡­.¡± [You know, I¡­ It is actually a secret, but¡­.] Sephiel whispered. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to be here. So I¡¯m going to have a good dream today. That¡¯s why¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ Dreams¡­ Berry and Marie¡­ Can also watch it¡­¡± Berry¡¯s hand, which was stroking Sepiel¡¯s head, fell gently. ¡°But¡­ You can only see the best of the good dreams. It¡¯s a promise¡­¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Must eat. Must.¡± Since that was all that she could give. Peacefully. Sephiel slowly fell asleep. ¡®How did she discover our identities?¡¯ Berry and Marie looked at each other. The two sisters were descendants of the night hag. A race that was commonly referred to as succubus. Those who were mixed-blood. Because they were of mixed-blood and their blood was diluted a lot, they could live without eating human dreams. However, a happy dream was a delicacy. ¡°Umnya. Um.¡± Sephiel was sleeping with the happiest face in the world. That night, Berry and Marie peeped into Sephiel¡¯s dream. [Berry, Marie. Look at this! I can throw the ball as far as that.] Berry and Marie saw Sephiel playing in red shoes, throwing a ball as big as the moon in the garden of the separate house. After that, Sephiel approached Berry and Marie acting cutely, before giving them a hug. Berry and Marie were smiling with the kindest faces in the world. When they saw the dream, their eyes were teary. ¡°Among all the ones I¡¯ve eaten, this is the loveliest dream.¡± ¡°Thank you, Baby.¡± *** ¡°It¡¯s suspicious. I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s suspicious.¡± ¡°Berry! Marie! That Baby. Just how on earth did she discover our existence?¡± Berry and Marie belatedly put Sephiel to sleep and arrived at the place where the servants gathered. Berry and Marie were smiling happily. ¡°That person¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s a very smart person.¡± ¡°Yeah, and she has a very good heart.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a person who, even though only has very little, will still share everything she has.¡± ¡°She has the qualities of a royal princess.¡± ¡°And she deserves to be our madam.¡± Berry and Marie¡¯s expressions were as follows. ¡®Cursing our Baby is cursing me.¡¯ ¡°So in summary, the newcomer Baby is not afraid of us,¡± Lef said. ¡°And she¡¯s kind and cute.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s a person, who is so quick witted, that it¡¯s suspicious?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be great if everyone calmed down.¡± Elton reasoned with them just like the person in charge of the servants would. ¡°It¡¯s not a matter that you can think about simply. No matter how young our opponent is, we have to be fair in this situation. This may not be something we can just overlook.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Elton said, composed. ¡°Anyhow¡­¡± ¡°Anyhow?¡± Berry said. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a child prodigy?¡± Elton said seriously. ¡°To add to that, a very cute child prodigy.¡± Berry lost her words for a while, before finally adding. ¡°Then, cuteness and brains. She¡¯s a genius in two areas!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, it¡¯s an amazing talent.¡± In the end, no one was composed. CH 9 Sephiel¡¯s daily life was very satisfying. ¡°Genius Baby.¡± ¡°Are you going to have a beautiful dream tonight, too?¡± The sunlight was gentle and the wind tickled her ears pleasantly. Sephiel was sitting between Marie¡¯s legs having her hair tied in front of the mirror. ¡°Since pretty Baby can¡¯t be hurt.¡± Berry was carefully trimming Sephiel¡¯s nails. ¡®Hmm, I feel good.¡¯ Whenever she felt someone¡¯s affectionate touch it was like a drug. Sephiel fell asleep just like that. ¡°The Little Young Master is still sleeping. They said that we could go around places other than the main building because when he sleeps he¡¯s usually asleep for a few days.¡± ¡°But never enter locked places. All those are the Grand Duchy superiors¡¯ private spaces. If you touch something wrong and get caught, you¡¯ll receive a huge punishment.¡± Marie added. ¡°Yesh!¡± [Yes!] Sephiel was very happy. ¡®Hihi, I¡¯m very evil. To think that my flattery succeeded.¡¯ Sephiel was a little guilty but was also proud of herself. Marie and Berry were very surprised last night and asked question after question. [Even if the other servants were like that. How did you find out our identities? We look just like pure-blooded humans.] To that question, there was only one thing Sephiel could answer. ¡®From the beginning, I knew everything.¡¯ Succubus. Namely, the night hags. It was said that for them, siblings born from the same parents looked like twins. Moreover¡­ [Huh? That¡¯s strange. They said that a human child¡¯s tummy would bulge more.] [In addition, you don¡¯t meet the growth standard of a pure-blooded human child.] [You have to increase your growth like what the book says! Let¡¯s increase your nutritional snacks starting tomorrow.] ¡®Older Sisters made it obvious.¡¯ They thought Sephiel was deep asleep, but they would listen to her whispering, and say, ¡°Hm, ah.¡± How many times did they think inside that, ¡®Ordinary people don¡¯t use the word [pure-blooded human].¡¯ Moreover, while saying expressionlessly, ¡°Let¡¯s find out if she has a good dream.¡± They sometimes looked into Sephiel who was taking a nap¡­ ¡®Thanks to that, I succeeded in strengthening my paradise¡¯ There were also bad legends surrounding night hags and succubus, but Sephiel was not afraid of them. If it were them, she thought that it would be great even if they looked into her dream. For a succubus, a happy dream was like good alcohol. She heard that it was something that made them very excited and happy. However, there was one side effect. The dream that the person had that day would be forgotten the next day. Perhaps that¡¯s why Marie and Berry became even more affectionate towards Sephiel. ¡®That is that. And, during the mansion tour, I heard from Elton that almost all of the pure-blooded races left for different worlds. So only a small portion of the remaining servants in the Grand Duchy were pure-bloods and most of them were mixed-bloods.¡¯ She also learned that it was not wrong to call them ¡®people¡¯. Like the elf race. Although those who recognized and acted like humans were called the different races, they were also called people. ¡°To think that she saw us and wasn¡¯t afraid of us?! Our Baby is surely courageous.¡± ¡°I am not afwaid at all!¡± [I am not afraid at all!] Sephiel knew that humans could cause more harm and much scarier. ¡°But, then there¡¯s no human, wight?¡± [But, then there¡¯s no human, right?] ¡°Aah. Surely there are some. However, a lot of the people who work in the main building are mixed-blooded from different races. Ah. And there are races living in the forest over there. A handful of the pure-blooded races. They don¡¯t work directly in the Grand Duchy, but spend their time quietly in the forest.¡± Some pure-bloods who didn¡¯t work in the Grand Duchy. Berry added that those who secluded themselves in the forest were very arrogant. ¡°Then, what is Eltwon?¡± [Then, what is Elton?] ¡°Ah. That¡¯s¨C¡± Marie and Berry caressed Sephiel¡¯s hair. ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°What is it? Cwan¡¯t I guess it?¡± [What is it? Can¡¯t I guess it?] ¡°If you get it right, Mister Elton will probably faint.¡± ¡°Hm¡­.¡± Honestly, she wasn¡¯t that curious about Elton. Rather, there was something that made Sephiel happy. She didn¡¯t know why, but Marie and Berry brought her pretty red shoes. They were the finest shoes which were made of soft leather and were also decorated with beautiful decorations that they made with great care. ¡®There is even a ribbon attached, and my feet don¡¯t hurt even if I run.¡¯ Sephiel put it on the bed. No matter how much she looked at it, she was satisfied with it. ¡®I¡¯ve never worn pretty shoes since I¡¯ve never been outside when I was young.¡¯ When she was in the prison, it was either she was always bare-footed or she was only given a big shoe that didn¡¯t fit her feet. That¡¯s why the red shoes became Sephiel¡¯s treasure in an instant. ¡°Would you like to use your new shoes? You can go out and play ball.¡± ¡°No. I want to save it. It¡¯s not twoday. I will use it lwater¡­.¡± [No. I want to save it. It¡¯s not today. I will use it later¡­.] ¡°I¡¯ll tell Mister Elton and buy you more pretty shoes. When the Little Young Master wakes up¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± Sephiel was surprised and yelled. He already hated her, but if he had to pay for her shoes as well¨C ¡®He might even cut down my food.¡¯ A few days ago, she was seen eating well in the kitchen, so the vampires increased the number of pies to four at dinner! Sephiel hugged her shoes tightly and shook her head. ¡°Bewwy and Marie gave this to me, so there is no other. Surely, there is only one tweasure.¡± [Berry and Marie gave this to me, so there is no other. Surely, there is only one treasure.] ¡°Is that so?¡± Berry and Marie smiled as if their cheekbones were bursting and said. ¡°Then, shall we play ball and put our shoes out tonight?¡± Berry told the legend that shoes could be worn for a long time if it was basked overnight in the bright moonlight. ¡°Yweah! Of course I will do it, because I will use this for a vewy vewy long time!¡± [Yeah! Of course I will do it, because I will use this for a very very long time!] *** That evening. In the main building, Erga¡¯s bedroom. Swii¡ª A snake was hovering around the sleeping Erga with its head up. And then, after a while. The boy slowly opened his eyes. ¡°The Little Young Master has woken up!¡± The Grand Duke¡¯s Castle became busy. Waking up after a long time, Erga did not feel good. Erga pressed on his temples. ¡°How is your body, Little Young Master.¡± Erga got up from his bed. On the god blessed doll¡¯s face was an expression filled with dull boredom. Totally unlike that of a child. Suddenly, Erga looked out the window. ¡°Looks like it will rain.¡± Elton looked at the sky. There was no sign in the black sky. ¡°Should I prepare the things for your hunt?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Erga rubbed around his eyes. Elton quickly prepared Erga¡¯s bow and clothes. Whoooosh! The rain began to fall. ¡°Marie and Berry seem to be firmly in love with Baby.¡± Erga¡¯s forehead wrinkled for a while. ¡°Ah. That raccoon-like¨C¡± Hearing those words, Elton thought, ¡®Hm. She does have a raccoon-like feeling.¡¯ ¡°I know. It¡¯s a raccoon with a pretty border around its eyes, who holds food preciously and runs around. Her hair is white but her eyelashes are dark black. Were you aware?¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± It seems like he roughly knew what Elton meant, so Erga¡¯s expression turned even more bitter. ¡°But when she¡¯s all grown up, she might be as sharp and pretty as a silver fox.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Erga casually replied as he looked at the bow. ¡°I¡¯m saying that that¡¯s only if she survives under the people of our household until then.¡± Erga turned his head. ¡°I want to hunt properly today. Prepare a matane gun, too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elton spoke politely. ¡°Tell everyone not to come out tonight. I¡¯ll feel better when I hit everything that is snooping around in front of me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The half-dragons were different before and after adulthood. Just like heaven and earth. When they became an adult, their emotions became calm and cool, but in childhood and adolescence, their emotions were always up and down. The ferocity of predators, such as natural carnivores, was simply additional. The days the rain fell were the days Erga hunted animals freely in the forest to relieve that ferocity. At nights like this, the people of the Grand Duchy refrained from going out. Since they could easily lose their breath if they encountered a half-dragon who was angry because they interrupted his hunting. Whoooosh! It started to rain. It was just as Erga said. Tang! Every time the matane gun was fired, birds fell down. Elton quietly made shade with his hands behind Erga and looked at the separate house. ¡®This¡­ It¡¯d be great if Baby didn¡¯t wake up.¡¯ Elton thought. *** ¡®Umnya. Umnya¡­.¡¯ Sephiel, who was hugging the pillow, slowly opened her eyes. She was thirsty. ¡®It¡¯s quiet¡­¡¯ She carefully came down from bed and looked around. ¡®Oh?¡¯ There were no signs of movement in the separate house. Sephiel was barely able to find some water and drank it with a gulp. Until now, either Berry or Marie always slept in the separate house in the room next to Sephiel. ¡®Gasp.¡¯ Sephiel realized a surprising fact. A child¡¯s body slept a lot. Sephiel also slept enough for 9 or 10 hours a day. And¡ª When she woke up in the morning, one of the two was always by her side. So she only knew that either Berry or Marie was sleeping in the next room all night. But there was no one. Did they stay only until Sephiel fell asleep? ¡®Then, does that mean that I slept alone every night?¡¯ In this huge separate house? The emotion she felt at that moment was a little disappointment. ¡®Do I have to be alone already?¡¯ In her previous life, Mittara said that there were many days where she lived alone in the separate house without anyone. Mittara said it was the most difficult part. ¡®Even though I was determined.¡¯ Maybe she¡¯ll be alone now, even during the day. ¡®As expected, good moments are always short.¡¯ Even so, since Berry and Marie were kind, she wanted to believe it wasn¡¯t true. But, even if that happened, she would not be surprised to hear it because she had known about it in advance. ¡®Uh, what should I do?¡¯ Her sleepiness was gone. ¡®Let¡¯s sleep in the living room¡­ Turn on the light and¡­¡¯ Sephiel walked up and turned on the magic stone lamp, reaching on her tiptoes. Click. Click. ¡°The light won¡¯t turn on!¡± Berry and Marie had told her. [In this castle, there are days when the magic stone lamps turn off at once. Don¡¯t be scared because everything will be okay in a few hours.] ¡®Why must it be today?!¡¯ Sephiel¡¯s heart dropped. It was a scary thing for her to be alone in a dark mansion. Sephiel¡¯s heart was pounding. ¡®It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯ll be safe here. You¡¯ve been doing well since you came here, right? Let¡¯s go back to the room¡­ ¡¯ It was that moment. ¡°Phew!¡± Sephiel freaked out. There was a shadow swaying in front of her window. Sephiel shivered and her head banged on the floor under the window. Whoooosh. The rain sound hit the window loudly. ¡®Just now¡­ It looked like Lotto.¡¯ Did she see it wrong? Lotto, the knight and guard who was in charge of Sephiel. The fact that he might be here continued to instill a subtle fear in Sephiel. ¡°I¡¯m scawed¡­.¡± [I¡¯m scared¡­.] Let¡¯s be calm. Sephiel came to a reasonable conclusion. ¡®Let¡¯s go to the main building.¡¯ Although she¡¯d be in trouble if she got caught entering the main building without permission. Would it be alright if she secretly slept in the hallway? ¡®Wait a minute¡­ Let¡¯s hide in the hallway until the rain stops.¡¯ The employees were all nice. So even if she got caught, they wouldn¡¯t hit her. ¡®And Erga is asleep.¡¯ If she gets caught by Erga. Let¡¯s just be honest and say that she is sorry. ¡®I might get hit a few times because my personality looks dirty. But I originally grew up being beaten up by my half-older brothers, so it will be fine.¡¯ The body of a child who just woke up, was in vague fear. It made Sephiel¡¯s thoughts duller than usual. ¡®I¡¯m going.¡¯ The rain got a little lighter. Sephiel made a firm decision and wrapped the sheets. The separate house and the main building were actually very close. Sephiel began to sneak along the forest path. ¡®When I passed by it last time, it was surprisingly close, right?¡¯ But, something was strange. No matter how much she walked, the main building in front of her didn¡¯t get closer. ¡°This, how did this happen¡­?¡± Sephiel was about to cry. Tuk. Tuk. Tuk. Tuk. The rain began to intensify again. ¡°Marie, Berry.¡± Sephiel wanted to cry. It was that moment. In the forest, something moved. Rustle. ¡°Huh?¡± Sephiel braced her shoulders. Growl¡­. It was a small coyote. However, in Sephiel¡¯s eyes, it looked much bigger than Black, the predator she previously saw which was Erga¡¯s pet. ¡°Grr, Growl¡­.¡± The coyote was out of breath as if it was being chased by something. Sephiel collapsed to the ground, hugging the blanket. Slowly, slowly. She stepped back. ¡®W-what did they say about what I should do when I encounter a predator?¡¯ Hit its nose? Spray dirt on its eyes? She felt dizzy, and no useful answer came out. Sephiel¡¯s whole body trembled. Kang! It was when the coyote ran to Sephiel. Puk. An arrow from somewhere penetrated the coyote¡¯s neck. ¡°Hii!¡± Another coyote behind it was also hit by an arrow. In front of the dead body of the coyote, Sephiel slowly stepped back. Tuduk. Tuduk. Heavy rain hit Sephiel on her head and ears. ¡®His¡­ eyes are strange.¡¯ In the rain, a boy twice the size of Sephiel was slowly approaching. ¡®Huep!¡¯ Sephiel felt her heart beat faster. ¡®He¡­ doesn¡¯t recognize me?¡¯ The way Erga was looking at Sephiel. It was exactly like¡­ ¡®The eyes aiming for prey.¡¯ I¡¯m going to be stabbed with a dagger! ¡°Uh, ang¡­.¡± Sephiel made a surprised sound without realizing it. Her whole body trembled. It was that moment. Erga hesitated. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Raccoon?¡± Pant. Pant. Sephiel breathed heavily and nodded fervently. ¡®Once I¡¯m too scared, my voice won¡¯t come out.¡¯ She had to say that it was her. However¡ª ¡°I came to take the breath of my last prey personally. But¡ª¡± Erga had a sharp sword in his hand. ¡°Turns out it wasn¡¯t a coyote.¡± ¡°Hiccup.¡± ¡°It was a raccoon.¡± Erga whispered. CH 10 Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 He approached Sephiel with heavy steps. ¡°Don¡¯t hit me!¡± A voice narrowly bursted out. A sense of frustration spread over Elton¡¯s face, who came running late. Erga handed the dagger to Elton and beckoned. ¡°Drag it to the main building.¡± *** ¡®But this isn¡¯t it?!¡¯ Sephiel felt her body trembling out of fear. She was literally lifted alone, caught, and taken into the castle, just like prey. [Anyone who goes against the will of our Grand Duchy¡¯s Dragons will be severely punished. So you have to be careful.] Marie¡¯s reminder sounded like an echo from afar. It was like meeting a tiger while trying to avoid Lotto. ¡°I thought it was prey and almost shot it.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°How do you all actually work?¡± Erga asked as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°Please do not be too scary, Little Young Master. She¡¯s still young.¡± ¡®No, I am the same age as him though.¡¯ Sephiel was dumbfounded and wanted to cry. Erga stared at such Sephiel. At the shining golden eyes, fear slowly crawled up Sephiel¡¯s spine. ¡°How do I usually handle the prey, Elton?¡± ¡°Take off the hide and hang it.¡± ¡°He-heu!¡± Sephiel covered her mouth and flinched. ¡®No, don¡¯t. If I scream, I might really die in his hands.¡¯ Elton carefully said while looking at Sephiel. ¡°However, Little Young Master, this person is not prey, but Little Young Master¡¯s marriage partner.¡± Thump. At that time, someone rushed into the hall with a loud noise. It was Marie who came running, gasping breathlessly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it your job to take care of this? Marie.¡± ¡°Yes. I was in charge of the night attendance for Baby in the separate house today.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to punish you. Turns out you¡¯re neglecting your work.¡± At that moment, Sephiel saw something on Marie¡¯s waist. ¡®It¡¯s my shoes!¡¯ Red shoes with a ribbon attached. That¡¯s right. While playing during the day, she and Marie went to the vacant lot in the forest and layed out her shoes to bask in the moonlight. Only then did Sephiel understand the situation. ¡®Since it¡¯s raining, you went to get my shoes!¡¯ Sephiel was moved to tears. So it wasn¡¯t that Marie and Berry were leaving Sephiel behind. ¡®Ah, I made a mess.¡¯ Sephiel wanted to stamp her feet. ¡°Punish her.¡± ¡°¡­According to the household¡¯s rules, it¡¯s whipping. However, Little Young Master, I think that¡¯s too much.¡± At Elton¡¯s words, Erga frowned slightly and said as he looked at Marie. ¡°The raccoon could¡¯ve died. Beat her to death.¡± Sephiel¡¯s brain fully activated at that moment. ¡°N-no dwon¡¯t!¡± [N-no don¡¯t!] At that moment, Sephiel grabbed Erga¡¯s collar without realizing it herself and bit down. ¡°What is it?¡± Erga said, his voice dripping with coldness. If words could stab a person to death, several people would have already died. ¡°About that¡­.¡± Sephiel gulped. ¡°I came out secwetly, without Marie knowing ith.¡± [I came out secretly, without Marie knowing it.] ¡°Why?¡± ¡°B-because I want to shee¡­.¡± [B-because I want to see¡­.] Sephiel looked at Erga and said. ¡°See what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I wanth to see you¡­.¡± [It¡¯s because I want to see you¡­.] ¡°¡­Are you saying that you wanted to see our Little Young Master?¡± Elton asked quietly. ¡°Yeshh¡­.¡± [Yess¡­.] Sephiel nodded strongly. She then released Erga¡¯s collar that she was holding. ¡°Why?¡± At that moment, Erga¡¯s movement stopped. He stared at Sephiel like he was looking at something bizarre. He clearly asked. ¡°Why do you want to see me?¡± ¡°I habb something I wanted to ask. And alsho¡­. I just¡­.¡± [I have something I wanted to ask. And also¡­. I just¡­.] ¡°¡­Just?¡± It felt like her neck was going to go flying if she said a single word wrong. Sephiel decided to be shameless. ¡°Because I wike you¡­.¡± [Because I like you¡­.] At that moment, the surrounding area became quiet. Standing behind Erga, Sephiel could see Elton at a glance. His mouth was opened blankly. Sephiel had never seen Elton, who was always smiling and relaxed, make such an expression. ¡°So you made up all these lies.¡± Erga said as if it was ridiculous. ¡°No, it is not!¡± Sephiel said. ¡°The Baroness, you twaught her a lesson fwor me.¡± [The Baroness, you taught her a lesson for me.] Sephiel said, recalling Mittara¡¯s mom. However¡­ ¡®Is it because of his mood?¡¯ Erga¡¯s golden eyes, which were as cold as absolute zero, became strange. ¡°You¡¯re so optimistic without any plans. Who said that it was because of you?¡± ¡°Then, because of who ish ith?¡± [Then, because of who is it?] Ah, I don¡¯t know anymore. Let¡¯s be shameless. Sephiel wiped her eyes with one small hand and looked at Erga brightly. ¡°That Madam curshed at me. That is why you scowlded her¡­¡± [That Madam cursed at me. That is why you scolded her¡­] Erga¡¯s demeanor eased. ¡°So I wike it. You¡­.¡± [So I like it. You¡­.] Sephiel could barely smile. ¡®Let¡¯s just smile.¡¯ If not, the atmosphere would take a hit. ¡°The thing you want to ask.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°You said that you had something you wanted to ask. What is it?¡± ¡°That ish¡­¡± [That is¡­.] Sephiel¡¯s shoulders shrank and she slyly looked at Erga. Him, has he calmed down a bit now? ¡°That ish¡­.¡± [That is¡­.] ¡°That is?¡± ¡°I was just curioush¡­.¡± [I was just curious¡­..] ¡°Just what is it?¡± ¡°W-we¡­.¡± Sephiel said, feeling anxious. ¡°When aww we going tchu get mawwied?¡± [When are we going to get married?] Ah. Really. Sephiel wanted to curse at herself, even if it was using the curses she learned in her previous life. Why did this short tongue suddenly decide to become even more useless at this kind of moment? ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Her surroundings were dyed with silence. ¡°¡­Marriage?¡± Erga asked back. He looked like he had never heard a more absurd thing in his life. Ah. Fuck. Sephiel muttered inside. Even in her previous life, she had never cursed, so it took a long time for her to think of the word. ¡°You. Are you here to determine if I¡¯ll marry you or not?¡± Erga asked with a grim look. ¡®No, no, no!¡¯ Sephiel shouted wildly inside, but nodded her head as she said, ¡°Yesh¡­.¡± To make matters worse, the surprised aftereffect made her eyes tear up. ¡®What should I do? Looks like he¡¯s really angry.¡¯ They hadn¡¯t even written a concrete engagement document yet, let alone lending the family name. ¡®Is he really going to kick me out?¡¯ I don¡¯t know anymore. Sephiel cried and said. ¡°They shaid we¡¯re getting mawwied. You picked mwe.¡± [They said we¡¯re getting married. You had picked me.] Feeling a sense of crisis, Sephiel¡¯s desperate act was¡­ ¡°Oh my¡­ It¡¯s really¡­¡± Lef, who came out to watch, gulped. ¡°How cute¡­¡± Surprisingly¡­ No one took Sephiel¡¯s remarks seriously. ¡°Just how much did 5-year-old Baby like the Little Young Master¡­.¡± If only Sephiel was a little older, they would have taken it seriously. However, even if Sephiel was young, too young, if it was by age, it was the very same with Erga. The servants just thought of her as cute. Just like how a person likes pretty flowers or jewelry, or how a person likes a brother and sister, they thought that she followed Erga here with the same intentions. ¡°Baby.¡± Elton had a really weird look on his face. It was a look that showed he didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh, worry, or be surprised. ¡°Really¡­ Turns out, you really like looks. Although it seems like you don¡¯t look at personality¡­¡± ¡­Hey. Sephiel thought about biting Elton as it was. And then, Erga¡¯s reaction was¡­ ¡°I thought it was a funny raccoon, but looking at it again, it turns out it was a crazy raccoon.¡± Erga said as if he were sighing. ¡°You, just what do you wish from me?¡± ¡®What I want is to escape from my damn family. It¡¯s your family register I want.¡¯ It was only that. Sephiel wanted to hit her chest and say it. But she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Baby.¡± Marie barely calmed down and said. ¡°If you were curious about that, you should have told us first. I was so surprised that you suddenly disappeared.¡± ¡°Marie¡­¡± Sephiel cried. Step. Step. As Erga¡¯s mood loosened a little, the distant employees approached and surrounded Sephiel. ¡°Baby.¡± Among them, there was Berry, whose face had become pale as she had arrived late. ¡°So, were you anxious?¡± ¡°The Little Young Master isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Berry and Marie comforted the sniffling Sephiel. Sephiel secretly said everything she had to say while rubbing her eyes. ¡°I know. But if he changed hish mwind¡­.¡± [I know. But if he changed his mind¡­.] ¡°So our Baby is sincerely following the Little Young Master.¡± ¡°Little Young Master. Isn¡¯t he admirable?!¡± I don¡¯t like him¡­ However, Sephiel didn¡¯t even speak and just hugged Marie, shaking her head sobbing. ¡°Heeung, sniff. Marie¡­ Berry¡­¡± Originally, it was sadder if someone comforted her. Elton barely held his breath as he talked to Erga. ¡°Baby is young. Children surely like things that stand out. No matter how it is, Little Young Master is a half-dragon so you have an appearance that stands out.¡± Elton added. ¡°Do you like me that much?¡± Sephiel gritted her teeth and nodded. ¡°Yesh! I wike you! Very very much!¡± [Yesh! I like you! Very very much!] ¡°But why are you crying.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Of course you have to smile.¡± Wow, look at the question¡¯s conscience level. Sephiel wanted to swear quickly. Erga asked boringly. ¡°What do you say makes this kid feel okay?¡± Marie and Berry gulped and said. ¡°She likes to play in the bath.¡± ¡°And she likes snacks.¡± ¡°She also lost track of time when playing ball.¡± ¡°And she likes her head to be stroked.¡± Erga looked at the trembling Sephiel. ¡°Little Young Master. You surely have to comfort Baby.¡± Elton said. ¡®I¡¯m going to be hit!¡¯ Sephiel closed her eyes tightly. And then at the next moment¡­. Erga¡¯s hand patted Sephiel¡¯s head. ¡°You.¡± Erga said as if he was whispering. The hand was so big it was hard to believe that he was the same age as her. Sephiel¡¯s pomegranate-like eyes opened wide. ¡°I¡¯m letting this go, but if you do this again, you¡¯ll really die in my father¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°Yesh¡­.¡± [Yes¡­.] Erga blinked coldly. ¡°Take her and soothe her.¡± ¡°So¡­. In what way?¡± Berry asked carefully. ¡°All of them.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Do it all and report it.¡± Erga turned his head. ¡°Pheww.¡± All the nervous family members wiped away their cold sweat. CH 11 Translated by EunEun Edited by eris421 ¡®You bad guy. So you torment people in this kind of way?¡¯ As a result, Sephiel took a bath at the time of dawn and was forcibly made to play ball while being fed with a mountain of snacks. ¡°Haiing¡­.¡± Tung. Tung. Sephiel bounced the ball without sincerity and ate the snacks she was fed from Berry¡¯s arms. ¡®So sleepy.¡¯ Marie and Berry patted Sephiel¡¯s head, who was nodding to sleep. ¡°Please drink some cocoa and then go to sleep. Since the Little Young Master has ordered it.¡± ¡°Yeshh¡­.¡± [Yess¡­.] Sephiel chewed the chocolate chips and snuggled into Berry¡¯s lap. Unfortunately, at this moment, the chocolate chip cookies burst in her mouth. ¡°Today you defended Marie, right Baby? Thank you.¡± ¡°No¡­. It was my mishtake.¡± [No¡­. It was my mistake.] ¡°You worked hard today, so you don¡¯t have to brush your teeth. But that¡¯s just for today.¡± That was very happy news. Sephiel rubbed her eyes and said. ¡°Is he that scary? That Erga¡­ He¡­¡± Marie and Berry looked at each other. ¡°He¡¯s scary and there¡¯s nothing that we can do.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°In this place, he is the God. It¡¯s like that for all of his family. Since they¡¯re part of the upper class¡­.¡± Sephiel nodded. So it was like that. ¡®If they¡¯re that kind of existence, then I should never run into them.¡¯ Since there probably won¡¯t be anything they need to meet for again. She thought that it would be done now. ¡®In the first place, it¡¯s weird that we met twice¡­.¡¯ Hoaam. Sephiel yawned. ¡®I¡¯m glad I got through it well today.¡¯ After all, it didn¡¯t reach the point where they¡¯d tell her to leave right away. It was more of a ¡®you must not take even a single step out of the separate house, just as if you were dead¡¯. ¡®My paradise.¡¯ Sephiel made up her mind seriously. ¡°But, is his pershonality originally wike that?¡± [But, is his personality originally like that?] ¡°Ah, the Little Young Master?¡± ¡°¡­Yesh.¡± [¡­Yes.] ¡°Please understand. Look, even though he¡¯s the same age as Baby, he¡¯s twice taller than you and talks like an adult.¡± ¡°¡­Right.¡± ¡°Those who have the blood of dragons are all like that. However, the abnormal rate of growth that makes them grow so rapidly puts a strain on their body and fidelity.¡± ¡°So does he lose his taste?¡± Ah. It looked like that. She shouldn¡¯t laugh, but Berry¡¯s lips twitched at the outrageous expression. ¡°There are days when they are sick, and they also do not develop their natural senses like the others. Yeah, like that.¡± Sephiel wavered. ¡®She said they didn¡¯t develop the senses that were developed by others¡­. And since she said that they¡¯re sick, aren¡¯t they a little pitiful?¡¯ However, no matter how much she thought about it, it was simply like a mouse thinking about a cat. ¡®Who cares. We don¡¯t need to be close. If we get married formally, he¡¯ll eventually leave the world.¡¯ But then, what will happen to Berry and Marie? Sephiel blinked her eyes at the two. ¡°Thath ish, do you know¡­¡± [That is, do you know¡­] ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If the Grand Duchy disappears, then where do Berry, Marie, and the people living here go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Berry said. ¡°¡­Surely we have to leave this place, too.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°In case¡­. Since there¡¯s the possibility that could happen, our Baby also needs to learn more and build up her strength. Baby is so young that maybe you¡¯ll still be a baby even after 10 or 20 years.¡± Sephiel felt a little numb. It felt like her sleepiness was running away. ¡®That¡¯s not in case. That¡¯s something that¡¯s going to happen.¡¯ Sephiel hid her thoughts and said. ¡°I will no longer be a baby at that time.¡± ¡°You are a baby. At least in our eyes.¡± Berry chuckled. ¡°Hurry up and rest.¡± Berry patted Sephiel¡¯s chest rhythmically and Sephiel¡¯s eyes slowly closed. *** The next day. ¡°Uung?¡± As Sephiel slowly opened her eyes, the sight that met her was Marie and Berry busy moving around. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Ah. Baby.¡± Berry and Marie seemed to be happy for some reason. ¡°It turned out well.¡± ¡°Whath did¡­?¡± [What did¡­?] ¡°The Little Young Master Erga felt sorry for Baby¡­ So he said that you can stay in the Main Building until the other members of the Grand Duke Family returns!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re happy, right?¡± Marie also nodded, obviously delighted. ¡°The Main Building is larger and the facilities there are good.¡± Sephiel jumped out of the bed. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± However, Sephiel¡¯s few luggage was already being packed and moved. ¡°But it ish not supposed to be wike this¡­.¡± [But it is not supposed to be like this¡­.] She just wanted to quietly borrow their name and live a carefree life. Sephiel was shocked by her dream of living in paradise slipping away from her hands. ¡°Heeuk¡­. Huaaaang¡­.¡± But she couldn¡¯t say anything, so Sephiel only hit the bed with her small fist. ¡°Phew, but there¡¯s nothing for her to be this happy!¡± ¡°I think it must¡¯ve been such a great thing that she cried.¡± ¡°Baby. There will surely be a lot more people who will love our Baby there!¡± Sephiel rubbed her eyes with her small fist. ¡®The evil me has been tricked. I surely got hit in the back of my head.¡¯ As expected, it¡¯s not easy to live a carefree life using others¡¯ money. ¡°My¡­ my paradise¡­.¡± Sephiel murmured faintly. Moreover¡­. ¡®Ah, what should I do about this misunderstanding?¡¯ However, the one-way carriage had already left. *** And like that, her luggage was carried away one by one, and¡­ only Sephiel, who held Berry¡¯s hand tightly as her last move, remained. ¡°Uhm. Ash expwected, I think it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t go. Well, they are such eshteemed pweople, like the Gwand Duke. And those people, they will alsho come back one day, wight? That¡¯s why, if they shee me living in the Main Building, those Mistersh will be angry.¡± [Uhm. As expected, I think it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t go. Well, they are such esteemed people, like the Grand Duke. And those people, they will also come back one day, right? That¡¯s why, if they see me living in the Main Building, those Misters will be angry.] ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about that. Once they leave, they won¡¯t come back for a few years! When either the First Grand Duke or the Grand Duke comes back, at that time we can just return to the separate house.¡± Ah, why are you so clueless today, Berry? Sephiel wanted to sigh. ¡®Berry. Why is life like this?¡¯ ¡°Now, here is Baby¡¯s new room.¡± Sephiel was shocked to see her room in the Main Building. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen such a nice room before.¡¯ Really, wow. She could only express herself like this. All the furniture was low and the corners were round, making it safe. The wall was covered with pastel-toned clouds and rabbit wallpaper that matched the room for a child. ¡®Furthermore, there¡¯s even a silk blanket¡­.¡¯ And the colorful toys that piled up all over the room. ¡°Ish thish really my room?¡± [Is this really my room?] They wouldn¡¯t have assigned her the wrong room and ask for her to leave, right? Sephiel was nervous. Berry smiled and said. ¡°Of course? In the enormous Grand Duke house, the only baby girl is our Baby. Now, please try lying down on the bed and rolling around on the sofa too. Since if there is any furniture that you don¡¯t like, we¡¯ll have to get a new one.¡± There¡¯s no way she didn¡¯t like it. Sephiel lay on the bed and rubbed her cheeks. ¡®When I laid down on a blanket made of linen cloth before, I thought it was the most amazing experience in the world.¡¯ But to think that this time it was a silk blanket?! It was to the point that she was afraid about whether or not she could really enjoy this luxury or not. Obviously, the sudden change in treatment was somewhat¡­ There must have been an influence of power. And there was only one class of people who had that much power in this house. It was a member of the Grand Duke Family. ¡®Erga¡­ turns out he¡¯s not just such a bad kid.¡¯ Sephiel thought. ¡°Little Young Master.¡± ¡°Have you arrived?¡± Berry and Marie hurriedly greeted him. ¡®It looks like Berry and Marie are truly afraid of him¡­ Erga.¡¯ As Sephiel thought so, she got up from her seat in surprise. ¡®Did he come to torment me?¡¯ Sephiel looked at Erga with her heart pounding. Under the bright sunlight, Erga¡¯s slim nose and doll-like face were shining. And that thing that¡¯s in such Erga¡¯s arms is¡­. ¡®A fluffy pink cotton doll?¡¯ No way. To give to me? Sephiel¡¯s eyes sparkled without realizing it herself. ¡®No matter how I think about it, I guess he¡¯s just notoriously fickle.¡¯ ¡®No, it might not be mine. Let¡¯s not expect too much.¡¯ However, Sephiel couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it. ¡°Baby. Please greet him.¡± ¡°Hm, hi.¡± Sephiel greeted him carefully. Erga looked at Sepiel silently and nodded. ¡®Wow, he¡¯s crazy in a positive way today.¡¯ To think that he even accepted her greetings?!! Berry then looked at the doll in Erga¡¯s arm and said. ¡°Oh my, you must have brought a present for Baby.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pretty raccoon doll.¡± The doll was soft even at a glance. It had a chubby raccoon tail full of brushy fur, and the border around its eyes were pink. ¡°It¡¯s a doll that looks like you.¡± Erga said bluntly. Sephiel began to have doubts. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Here. Look. How is it?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Indeed. The raccoon doll was very cute. Even at first glance, it had soft-looking fur and a face that seemed to be asserting itself while saying kyuung. Maybe it¡¯s because she had never had one in her past life. And maybe it was because upon returning to a young child¡¯s body, her mind followed as well. Sephiel was misled without even realizing it. ¡°Ung¡­. Well¡­. It¡¯s okay I guessh.¡± [Ung¡­. Well¡­. It¡¯s okay I guess.] Sephiel said with caution. ¡°Look carefully.¡± The raccoon doll had a pretty ribbon on its neck. But¡ª Tuk. At Erga¡¯s swift gesture, the neck was separated. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re good, you can be cut into a cozy and cute raccoon without thinking like this.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°And this can happen if you go against the injustice of my Father or Grandfather. You got it, right?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± What is this? ¡°You said you like it, right? Then you have to receive it.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Sephiel received the doll with a teary face. ¡°Hiiing¡­.¡± Sephiel hugged the doll and burst into tears. ¡°Heeuk, huaaa!¡± ¡°Oh my, Little Young Master!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t make Baby cry!¡± ¡­You jerk. I¡¯ll get my revenge. Sephiel hugged the doll tightly and thought as she breathed hard. To think that the first doll I¡¯ve received in my life is ruined!!? *** There was a smile on Erga¡¯s mouth as he turned around and went out of the room. ¡®¡­.She¡¯s funny and.¡¯ A little bit. Cute. He thought like that. CH 12 ¡°Now, please look here. Little Young Lord Erga also sent about ten more dolls.¡± ¡°Ay, it¡¯s pretty. There¡¯s also a rabbit doll. Now, shall we play with it?¡± ¡°Forget ith.¡± [Forget it.] Sephiel said coyly. ¡°We justh habb to sew this one¡¯sh neck.¡± [We just have to sew this one¡¯s neck.] Sephiel said. Berry and Marie looked at each other and laughed. *** Before dinner that day, Sephiel finally took out her hidden death note after a long time. ¡®You¡¯re in my death note specials, you rascal.¡¯ Thinking of Erga, Sephiel wrote ¡®Erga¡¯ particularly large on a page and even drew emphasis using colored pencils. To express her anger, around it, Sephiel drew horns, fire, and a devil¡¯s tail. ¡°Oh my. Baby. You wrote the Little Young Lord¡¯s name?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Hoho, you are so cute. Are you writing the name of your favorite person in a secret diary?¡± Although she was caught by Berry right away. ¡®I won¡¯t erase it!¡¯ Let¡¯s put it aside. Sephiel eventually put away her little death note. *** Berry looked strangely at Sephiel. Berry thought that it was cute, but at the same time in her eyes, a strange worry filled them up. ¡°Marie.¡± Berry called Marie. ¡°Ask Mister Elton about the Little Young Lord¡¯s condition, and if his condition is not good, even if it¡¯s only a little bit, be extra careful so that he won¡¯t meet Baby.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand, Older Sister Berry.¡± Marie answered. The people in the Grand Duchy knew who would leave this place within a few decades. In particular, Berry and Marie, the only two remaining mixed-blood descendants of succubus in this world. So, while spending time to organize, Sephiel, a child who was sent like a gift. Her existence felt more special to Berry. ¡®Maybe in this life, it¡¯s my mission to take care of this child?¡¯ As Berry thought so, she quietly looked at Sephiel, who was playing with paintings, dying her pale cheeks red with colored pencils. ¡°By the way, it seems that the Little Young Lord has also gained vitality. It would be nice if the days continued like this even if just for a while.¡± Berry sighed a little. It was a sigh of relief that ¡®that matter¡¯ had not yet happened. *** And fortunately, for a while, there were no days when Sephiel encountered Erga. ¡°The Little Young Lord¡¯s health has worsened again. He will fall asleep for a while.¡± Berry whispered to Sephiel. ¡°Is that sho? That¡¯s tchoo bad.¡± [Is that so? That¡¯s too bad.] Sephiel hid the corners of her smiling mouth and said. ¡°Phew, you¡¯re worried, right? Please don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s just how half-dragons are.¡± ¡°Em¡­. Well. Shlowly¡­ He¡¯ll bwe fine, so yeah.¡± [Em¡­. Well. Slowly¡­ He¡¯ll be fine, so yeah.] ¡®Yeah. Please recover slowly. If possible, about a decade later.¡¯ Sephiel thought so while smiling evilly inside. Berry informed Sephiel that Erga was using the entire fourth floor of the castle, and that she should never access that place without permission. ¡°I shee. It¡¯s bery unfortunate.¡± [I see. It¡¯s very unfortunate.] Sephiel so, but in fact, she wasn¡¯t disappointed at all. Perhaps it was because of Erga¡¯s absence. Sephiel quickly adapted to her new life. In fact, life here was better except for the risk of encountering a family member of the Grand Duke Family. ¡°Hewwo.¡± [Hello.] ¡°Hello, Baby! You¡¯re cute today, too!¡± Somehow, all the servants greeted her like that. Since she greeted them by stirring around every day, she could see what the servants were doing. ¡®Moreover, I can even go to the famous Dragon¡¯s library.¡¯ There were many extremely old and rare books in the library of the Grand Duke Family. In her past life, Sephiel randomly read the books that were called ¡®books¡¯, and even then, there were many books that she could not read. The same was true for the various ancient language books that were said to be rare. ¡°Baby. Please eat this.¡± ¡°Baby.¡± Berry provided Sephiel with a small basket with a long downward and narrow snout. If she hung the basket around her waist and ran around the mansion, starting from baked cookies to pretty flowers that were just picked, and even to colorful pieces of cloth that were left in the laundry and bedroom, servants would fill it with various things. Compared to the colorless day she spent in the underground prison every day in the past, these days¡­ ¡®Every day was full of colorful and shiny stuff.¡¯ ¡°Now, today¡¯s secret snack was a new product.¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± Wow, whoaaa¡­. Sephiel couldn¡¯t hold back her mouth from opening. Porun, the mixed vampire race chef, would sometimes give Sephiel interesting snacks imported from outside. ¡°This is star candy. It¡¯s pretty, right?¡± ¡°Can I weally habb ith?¡± [Can I really have it?] Colorful and sparkly star candies moved around in the small bottle. It was like little crystals or jewels. ¡®I heard there was something like this, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen it in person.¡¯ By any chance, wouldn¡¯t it be really expensive? The items in the ledgers which she handled in the Allegro Royal Family were priced one after another, but she did not know the price of such simple baby items. ¡°Huhu, of course. Since I owe a lot to Baby, too.¡± Porun, who said so, muttered. ¡°Keke. Even in the future, I¡¯ll continue to improve steadily. And I¡¯ll surely watch your figure enjoying eating my food cutely.¡± He seemed to say something like that, Sephiel who was already blinded by the star candy didn¡¯t hear it. The moment that Sephiel liked more than going to the kitchen was¡­ It was going out to meet the soldiers who rode wyverns. Flap. Flap. Outside the window, the sound of a huge wyvern cutting through the sky was heard. ¡®Someone must be coming back from patrol!¡¯ Sephiel hurriedly left the main building and ran to the nearby castle wall. ¡°Baby, you¡¯ll get hurt! Please don¡¯t run!¡± A maid who passed by Sephiel¡¯s back shouted. There was a soldier riding a wyvern approaching from afar. ¡®My goodness! The star candy!¡¯ Sephiel tucked the basket full of today¡¯s achievements at the secret space between the castle walls she recently found. Then, she ran and approached the place where the wyvern landed. Just in time, the soldier was slowly landing on the wyvern. Whoosh. The wind of the wyverns¡¯ wings made Sephiel¡¯s small body stagger. When the wind subsided, Sephiel bowed. ¡°Hewwo. You¡¯ve worked hward.¡± [Hello. You¡¯ve worked hard.] There was a reason Sephiel came out to meet them. It was because the soldiers who had just finished flying used to give her a ride. It was only flying low and slowly over the wall, on a safe level. But for Sephiel, there was nothing more interesting in the world. Sephiel said, without even checking the face of the soldier who was getting off. ¡°Pwease give me a wyvern rwide!¡± [Please give me a wyvern ride!] When asking for a favor, one had to speak formally, politely and softly. The way to say, ¡°Please.¡± That was also a method she learned from Berry not too long ago. In her previous life, Sephiel learned to be polite just before her death. Since she spent her late childhood in language development. However¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯ The figure of the soldier who got off from the wyvern was unfamiliar. The soldier¡¯s face was mostly covered by a hood that was worn down. ¡®Those boots and cape do belong to that of the elf soldiers, but¡­.¡¯ But, what is it? This creepy feeling? Sephiel took a step back. ¡°Are you asking me to give you a ride on the wyvern?¡± The stubborn and handsome lips under the hood asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡®He¡¯s big. Including my previous life, I think he¡¯s the largest person I¡¯ve ever seen.¡¯ Sephiel stepped back reflexively. For some reason she had an ¡®this is not it¡¯ hunch. ¡°¡­Hewwo. I am Sephiel.¡± [¡­Hello. I am Sephiel.] At the same time, she bowed first and greeted him the way she had learned. Actually, Sephiel did not know all of the elf soldiers. However, she was not wary because the skill of riding a wyvern was a technique that could not be mastered by anyone else except the Grand Duke¡¯s elf soldiers. ¡°If I cwan noth, then I will gwo¡­.¡± [If I can not, then I will go¡­.] ¡°Why.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°About the wyvern ride, are you changing your mind?¡± His voice was cold. ¡®This way of speaking, from where did I hear it before? It sounds so familia-¡¯ ¡°Hee!¡± Sephiel was picked up without even being given a chance to run away. Before she knew it she was already riding on the wyvern. ¡®Who the heck are you?¡¯ However, there was no time to think about it. Flap. Flap. This is because the wyvern began to fly. Because Sephiel learned, she could barely support herself on the saddle of the wyvern. ¡°Usually¡­ who gives you a ride on a wyvern?¡± ¡°T-the wyvern rider elf Misters¡­.¡± To be exact, they were the mixed-race elf knights. However, that¡¯s what everyone called them in the castle. ¡°Hmm.¡± At that moment, the wyvern flew into the air. ¡°Ah¡­¡± At the feeling, Sephiel even forgot the situation. The cold wind swishingly hit her cheeks, and the soft cotton-like clouds brushed past her ears. And¡­. ¡®Turns out, the sky was this wide underneath.¡¯ An endless, green wave. The forest of the Grand Duke changed shape like a wave on the lake surface when the wind blew. It was a thought that came to mind in just a few seconds. Sephiel came to her senses. ¡®Come to think of it, right now the wyvern isn¡¯t flapping its wings, but we¡¯re up hanging in the air.¡¯ If it was a family member who can do something impossible like this¡­ There was exactly only one family on this continent. ¡®Besides, I keep thinking about someone.¡¯ Sephiel got goosebumps on her back. ¡°By the way¡­ Mister, who are you really¡­?¡± ¡°Looks like you asked about it quite fast.¡± ¡°Heu!¡± Sephiel¡¯s body was lifted up in the air. With her nape caught, Sephiel hung in the air. Step. Step. The man walked freely on the wyvern¡¯s back without grabbing the reins and headed toward the tail. He extended his arm away from the wyvern. ¡°Phew!¡± Sephiel swallowed her breath. Her feet were floating in the air. ¡®Are you going to throw me away?¡¯ Thump. Thump. Thump. If anything went wrong, she would die. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, this person is¡­¡¯ Perhaps because she was so scared, Sephiel¡¯s scream didn¡¯t even come out. At that moment, the wind blew and the face of the man was revealed. ¡®¡­Ah, my guess was right.¡¯ Golden eyes with black hair. Creepily sophisticated and neat features. He¡¯s exactly¡­ ¡®The adult version of Erga.¡¯ If so, then this man is¡­ ¡®The Grand Duke, Daihan de Remdragon.¡¯ The name was well known, but it was extremely rare to see his face. It was the Grand Duke of Remdragon. Daihan was staring at Sephiel. ¡®If I scream, I¡¯ll die.¡¯ At that moment, Sephiel¡¯s instinct shouted. So, Sephiel¡­ Smiled. Grin. ¡°It¡¯sh fun!¡± [It¡¯s fun!] Not stopping at that, she also reached out and tapped the man¡¯s arm with her small hand. ¡°High-High, do it more!¡± CH 13 Daihan¡¯s eyes gradually calmed down as he looked at Sephiel who was laughing. ¡°¡­Turns out you¡¯re a fearless kid.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t because Sephiel actually enjoyed it. ¡®If I beg for your help, I think I¡¯ll be killed instead.¡¯ It was simply because she had such a hunch. ¡®Yeah, if he is Erga¡¯s father, such a suspicion remains.¡¯ Her actions were the result of the full operation of her brain in an extreme situation. ¡°Yeah. Great.¡± ¡°HUUAA!¡± Just like that, Daihan threw Sephiel in the air and caught her. ¡°Should I do it higher?¡± Come to think of it, things like the sound of the wind, how come she could not hear that kind of thing, not even a single one? In the meantime, Sephiel looked sideways. Around the wyverns, there was a transparent barrier-like thing that was blocking the sunlight and sound. ¡°Yeah, Hwigh-High. It¡¯sh fun!¡± [Yeah, High-High. It¡¯s fun!] Sephiel said with a big smile. In reality, she was scared to death. ¡°Is that so?¡± Tuung. Sephiel¡¯s body bounced high before being caught by Daihan¡¯s hand. ¡°You said it¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯sh the bwest!¡± [Yeah! It¡¯s the best!] ¡®Even though I say things like it¡¯s the best¡­ I¡¯m really scared to death¨C¡¯ Sephiel shouted inside. However, when people are driven into an extreme situation, rather, people don¡¯t cry. ¡°KYAHAHA!¡± Sephiel bravely hit Daihan¡¯s arm with her small palm as she laughed out loud. At Daihan¡¯s hand, Sephiel¡¯s small body was lifted up in the air. ¡°Whoaa!¡± Sephiel raised her arms and cheered. But inside, half of her soul was already flying out of her body. ¡®High-High¡­ I have achieved the highest height in the world¡­¡¯ She would be the only one to have experienced this play, which has surpassed thrilling at this point, since the continent was created. ¡°You¡¯re quite a funny kid.¡± Daihan mumbled. ¡°Hold on tight to the saddle.¡± Then he moved the wyvern. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s sho pwetty! It¡¯sh amwazing!¡± [Wow, it¡¯s so pretty! It¡¯s amazing!] Sephiel opened her eyes wide and grasped the wyvern¡¯s saddle. It was time for the sun to set. The pouring gold sunlight made it seem like it was raining gold all over the world. Protected by Daihan¡¯s barrier, Sephiel swam here and there around the sky, before finally gracefully turning around above the Castle wall. When they landed back down to the ground under the Castle walls, the familiar elf soldiers were already lined up in groups. ¡°Grand Duke!¡± The soldiers knelt on one knee in perfect order. ¡®Ah, I¡¯m at my limit.¡¯ Sephiel, who was trembling, got off from the wyvern, embraced in Daihan¡¯s arms. ¡®Scary. I want to return to my room quickly.¡¯ Sephiel realized that if she was too scared, her child¡¯s body would also be in cold sweat. Daihan glanced at Lef and asked. ¡°What is this little kid?¡± ¡°Ah, so, this person is¡­ She is Baby who was selected as the Little Young Lord Erga¡¯s bride. In the Castle, everyone calls her ¡®Baby¡¯.¡± Hearing Lef¡¯s explanation, Daihan nodded. ¡°Somehow I thought it would be like that, so I tried to throw her off the wyvern. Haven¡¯t I always dealt with suspicious people like that?¡± ¡°Hiccup!¡± Sephiel covered her mouth. Slowly, she stepped back as she secured a safe distance away from Daihan. It was then. Daihan¡¯s blade-like eyes caught Sephiel. ¡°Why are you running away?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± The Elf Royal Guards gulped and blocked Sephiel¡¯s front. ¡°It¡¯s suspicious that your attitude has completely become different from before. Are you scared of me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Lef. I¡¯m not asking you to answer.¡± We need to protect Baby! Lef said in a hurry. ¡°Ah, uhm¨C I-it¡¯s because I was wondering if anything happened on your way here.¡± ¡°Nothing happened.¡± After saying that, Daihan suddenly spoke as if he remembered something. ¡°Ah, come to think of it, I killed one person though. Perhaps the corpse is still outside the Castle wall around here. I hate it when an unknown human corpse starts to rot in my space. Clean it up.¡± ¡°¡­Yes? Murder? Suddenly?¡± That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. Sephiel wanted to sincerely sympathize with Lef¡¯s words. ¡°By any chance, was it an intruder?¡± ¡°Do you have to ask to know? Turns out you¡¯re no different from a birdbrain.¡± ¡®So that rude way of speaking is inherited throughout the family.¡¯ Sephiel thought. ¡°¡­.¡± Anyway, Sephiel continued to step back while Daihan¡¯s interest dispersed. ¡®Let¡¯s go quickly and ask Berry to pack.¡¯ Let¡¯s run away to the separate house and never see this Mister again. That¡¯s better. Sephiel made a quick decision. ¡°I apologize. Since there was someone who was trying to break in, I¡¯ll strengthen the forest security. After all, there are times when sometimes you kill for no reason, so just in case.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t in that mood today.¡± Moreover, as Sephiel continued to listen to the conversation, her head turned blank. However, when she heard Daihan¡¯s next words, Sephiel stopped in her tracks. ¡°Come to think of it, the guy that I killed said something weird. I think it was something like ¡®I¡¯m not Food¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah. Is that so? It must be that his name is Food.¡± ¡°In addition, he was wearing the knight¡¯s uniform of the Allegro Royal Family. Although nothing would have happened because he seemed to be a deserter. Just in case, make sure it¡¯s not a spy sent by Allegro¡¯s dogs.¡± ¡°Yes. However, he¡¯s stupid for a spy. To think that he revealed his name. Hm. Come to think of it, ¡®Food¡¯ in ancient words means pushover, right? Turns out, just like the word, he¡¯s a foolish guy.¡± Lef knew how to speak the ancient language. This was commonly the case with those who had elf blood. Upon hearing that, Daihan nodded. ¡°Hm. Now that you say so, I remember. It was a very stupid guy. He swung his sword, and then ran away alone before crashing head straight into a tree, and fainting. He was so insignificant that I even doubted if he was truly a knight.¡± It was then. Sephiel began to run. It was like pressing the bomb¡¯s detonator button. Daihan¡¯s eyes became cold again, his eyebrows furrowing. ¡°I hate pretentious human children the most. Bring back that little kid here right away.¡± However, the place Sephiel was trying to go to wasn¡¯t the main building of the mansion. ¡®The groove where I hid the star candy earlier.¡¯ A secret place that only Sephiel knew. Sephiel quickly took out a basket from there and¡­ In an instant, she turned around, like a swallow, and then came back running towards Daihan. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± Sephiel looked up at him with sparkling eyes, hiding something behind her back. And she shyly held out what she was holding in her hand. ¡°Mwister Gwand Duke¡­. Here¡­.¡± [Mister Duke¡­. Here¡­.] ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my heart¡­¡± Sephiel shyly held out the sparkling star candy she received from the chef today. ¡°This ish my tweasure, but I¡¯ll gibb ith to Mwister.¡± [This is my treasure, but I¡¯ll give it to Mister.] Although it was a treasure that she got today, she was sincere without a doubt. Sephiel said with a big smile. ¡°Thank you for pwotecting mwe.¡± [Thank you for protecting me.] And then, bow, a belly button greeting. Momentarily dazed, Daihan, who received the star candy bottle, closed his mouth. The eyes of the elf soldiers that came stuck to his face. ¡®This! This is it!¡¯ The crazy guy on our side is a good guy. That was the lesson that Sephiel learned from coming here. ¡®As expected, my hunch hit the bullseye.¡¯ It¡¯s okay even if this kind of hunch is a little wrong though! Lotto, who was second in her Death Note. As expected, he didn¡¯t return either. She remembered being freaked out when she saw a shadow on a rainy night. How surprised she was, just imagining that it was Lotto. ¡®If he really did go over the Castle wall and hide¡­¡¯ Just thinking about it, Sephiel was frightened to death. ¡°This little kid¡­. Is she usually like this?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Why are you so excited that you look like you can¡¯t even tell what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Originally, she was a little good at following adults, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°No matter how I think about it, it seems that she has a good impression of the Duke because you gave her a wyvern ride.¡± Grab. Sephiel grabbed Daihan¡¯s pants and looked up at him with sparkling eyes. It was the look in her eyes that made him want to stroke her head without realizing it himself. ¡°You¡¯re, again, the first human child who doesn¡¯t get scared after seeing me.¡± Daihan said as if it were ridiculous. ¡°Actually, Baby lights up at the sight of good looks¡­¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡­ Lef. Even you. Sephiel was at a loss for words that she suddenly wanted to bite Lef. ¡®Don¡¯t spread rumors!¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s why she also follows the Little Young Lord Erga very well.¡± ¡°¡­ It is indeed hard to be liked by him with his personality.¡± Even so, it was fortunate that at least his biological father saw his son objectively. Anyway, only with Daihan handling Lotto for her, his stock price had already soared in Sephiel¡¯s mind. ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s already okay if he doesn¡¯t actually throw me under the wyvern. I¡¯m sure Mister was only going to throw me because he had something in mind.¡¯ Yeah. I love you. Remdragon. Sephiel ruminated over the heart of the first day she came here. Daihan lowered his gaze and looked at Sephiel¡¯s eyes. ¡°And again, what¡¯s with the ¡®thank you for protecting me¡¯?¡± ¡°Mwister Gwand Duke! You¡¯re the shtrongest in the world. You defeat the bad guysh, right!¡± [Mister Grand Duke! You¡¯re the strongest in the world. You defeat the bad guys, you know!] ¡°Is that so?¡± Daihan¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like a lie.¡± The only Fire Dragon in the human world. Born as a Half-Dragon but was now a complete adult Dragon. The Dragon Grand Duke, Daihan. What he, who was pursuing the path of the military and enjoying battles, hated most was lies. His favorite word was¡­ [The strongest in the world.] Score, 100 out of 100. It was that moment when Sephiel shot exactly in the very middle of Daihan¡¯s taste. CH 14 ¡°So you have no fear. You¡¯re an interesting kid.¡± Daihan threw the star candy bottle at Lef. In a moment of confusion, Lef received it. After Daihan stared at Sephiel, he pressed her chubby cheeks with both hands, and made her lips look like a beak. ¡°It feels weird. She¡¯s as big as a bean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s a human baby. This is the right rate of growth for a usual five-year-old.¡± Lef replied cautiously. When Daihan let go of his hand, Sephiel patted her own cheeks with her small hands. It was because her cheeks were tingling. ¡°Are his cheeks not like this?¡± Sephiel blinked as she thought of Erga, who was much bigger than her. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Since I¡¯ve never touched his face.¡± Daihan said indifferently. ¡®I thought he was somehow crooked.¡¯ ¡®Turns out it was because he couldn¡¯t get his father¡¯s love!¡¯ For the first time, Sephiel thought that Erga was pitiful. ¡°Did you know that I tried to throw you from the wyvern¡¯s back, Human Kid?¡± Daihan smiled with his eyes and asked. The elf soldiers swallowed their breaths. ¡°You won¡¯th do ith anyway.¡± [You won¡¯t do it anyway.] Although Sephiel flinched, she looked at Daihan without being scared. After knowing that he was a good person who took care of Lotto, she was a little less scared, and her equanimity returned. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Daihan asked as if it was interesting. ¡°Wittle Young Lord¡­ he¡­ doesn¡¯th wike having a banquet again. He¡¯s bushy sweeping.¡± [Little Young Lord¡­ he¡­ doesn¡¯t like having a banquet again. He¡¯s busy sleeping.] Daihan¡¯s expression became strange. ¡°So, are you saying that my son is too lazy to hold another banquet and pick a bride?¡± ¡°Yuph.¡± [Yup.] ¡°How does this small thing know my son so well like this?¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Lef said with an expression like he didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry in the tense situation. ¡°Baby likes the LIttle Young Lord very, very much. Since she¡¯s even looking forward to when they¡¯ll get married.¡± ¡®Lef, I won¡¯t forget it.¡¯ Sephiel promised on Lef, who had no wits today. ¡°Yeah. How impressive.¡± Daihan chuckled and said. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Send her to the separate house. Come to think of it, why was this kid loitering around the Castle wall? ¡° Obviously, Daihan was ordering them. Since no matter which child was selected as a bride, all they needed was the name. Place and leave the human baby in the separate house, and don¡¯t make it noticeable. ¡°About that¡­¡± The soldiers tried to read his thoughts. ¡°Baby is now living in the main building.¡± Stops. Daihan¡¯s eyes became cold again. ¡°At whose will?¡± ¡°It is the Little Young Lord¡¯s order.¡± Daihan glanced over Sephiel. Then he said as if he was let down. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s clear that you tried to get on my nerves and brought this little kid.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Take her away. I¡¯m talking about anywhere, to this kid¡¯s nest.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± *** ¡°I heard that you met Mister Daihan today?¡± Berry¡¯s face turned white. ¡°Oh my gosh. Nothing happened, right?¡± ¡°Yuph.¡± [Yup.] Since it was true that nothing happened, Sephiel nodded. ¡°Cwan I shtay here? [Can I stay here?] Sephiel was sitting on Marie¡¯s lap, getting her hair done. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sure Mister Elton will ask you to go to the separate house.¡± Berry murmured carefully and asked. ¡°By any chance, didn¡¯t that person ask your name?¡± ¡°Ah. Yesh. So I did what Bewwy taught me¡­. ¡®I¡¯m Sephiel¡¯, I did thath.¡± [Ah. Yes. So I did what Berry taught me¡­. ¡®I¡¯m Sephiel¡¯, I did that.] ¡°How about your last name?¡± Last name? Come to think of it, for Sephiel, a last name was a distant concept. In her past life, the household people did not recognize Sephiel as a legitimate child, and¡­ ¡®My existence was a secret externally, and even when I came out to the world while working with the ledgers after that, it was a secret that I was a royal princess.¡¯ Forget about a ¡®last name¡¯. There were barely any matters for them to call her name. ¡®Hey.¡¯ ¡®You cursed thing.¡¯ ¡®You damn thing.¡¯ Etc. She was often called by those. ¡®Right. Turns out I also have a full name.¡¯ Sephiel de Kayla Moran Schuetra Allegro. She repeated it inside once. ¡®The meaning of the name was not good either.¡¯ That was Sephiel¡¯s real name that she remembered. ¡°I didn¡¯t shay my wast name.¡± [I didn¡¯t say my last name.] ¡°Aah. You really did a good job.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Berry caressed Sephiel¡¯s hair as she said. ¡°That person hates the Allegro Royal Family people.¡± ¡°¡­Uhm.¡± Although it was her family, Sephiel had too many reasons which she had guessed. ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Look. The Union of Kingdoms is governed by the Four Monarchs, right?¡± ¡°Yesh. I know.¡± [Yes. I know.] Wittegar the Third of the Allegro Royal Family. Grand Duke Fuller of Blue, whose origin was the Margraves. Dragon Grand Duke Daihan of the Remdragon Duchy. And Mayor Morohan, who rules the Free-City of Volun on behalf of Grand Duke Sarihan. ¡®Among them, only the Allegro Kingdom was from the small kingdom, so the existence of the royal family keeps on continuing, right?¡¯ That was the general knowledge that Sephiel knew. ¡°Grand Duke Chernod Remdragon was the first Lord of this family. He set free this land from the Demons. And after that, the Allegro Kingdom¡­ He decided to abandon the name of the Kingdom and become a Dukedom.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Uhm. It¡¯s a story that is a little difficult for our Baby. But, your family worked together to win back this land from the Demons, you know right?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯sh wight.¡± [Yeah. That¡¯s right.] ¡°Other humans are not as naive and nongreedy as Baby. After they work together to bring down the enemy, they will surely find the next enemy.¡± Yup. That¡¯s why they¡¯re afraid a civil war will begin after the external enemy is gone. ¡®So that¡¯s what they were afraid of.¡¯ Sephiel was convinced. ¡®Since it was said that in the past, the land of the Union of Kingdoms used to belong to the Demons.¡¯ It is said that humans, who were suffering from the tyranny of Florenton, who was the Underground King and the Demon King, united with the dragon to set free the land and kicked out the Demon King into the Demon World. ¡°All the Four Monarchs now are the descendants of those who made great contributions in the battle against the Demon King. However, the first Lord, who was worried that there would be a dispute among the Four Monarchs, hoped that the Allegro Kingdom would give up the kingdom name and abandon the throne.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ¡°So. He wished the Four Monarchs to be given equal rights and become one Union Kingdom, and decide on big and small things through voting and discussion.¡± Sephiel also remembered the contents of the book. The first Grand Duke of Remdragon. He is¡­ ¡®He wanted a Four Dukedom system, and a republic, right?¡¯ With no king, the kingdom would be led by the Four Monarchs after discussing everything. ¡°But the Allegro Kingdom¡­ they didn¡¯t keep their promise and didn¡¯t abandon the throne. That¡¯s why the rest of the monarchs are named Duke and Grand Duke, but only the Allegro Royal Family are called the ¡®Royal Family¡¯.¡± It was different from the history that Sephiel learned. In the Allegro Kingdom, they taught that since they were the only kingdom with legitimacy, they had superior rulers than the other monarchs. And being the only ¡®Royal Family¡¯ with legitimacy, their pride was huge. In addition, Sephiel¡¯s biological father, Wittegar the Third often told the Crown Prince this¡­ [Unifying the Four Monarch¡¯s Union of Kingdoms into one Allegro Kingdom. That is the fate of our Royal Family.] ¡®Turns out since I¡¯m the child of the Allegro Royal Family with a history of getting disappointed, he told me to take good care of my life.¡¯ Then Erga, just why in the world did he pick me? ¡®Isn¡¯t he just playing a game of cat and mouse?¡¯ To think that he asked her to be careful with her throat. Sephiel crushed the pink raccoon doll in her arms and hugged it with strength. ¡°Moreover, the Allegro Royal Family behaved as if they were the head within the Union of Kingdoms. Those kinds of points are what get on the Dragons¡¯ nerves.¡± Berry said, whispering. ¡°Then, why do they just weave it awone? You know, Dwagons are shtrong.¡± [Then, why do they just leave it alone? You know, Dragons are strong] Berry flinched. ¡°First, there is a peace treaty. In the treaty, the Remdragon Grand Duke Family can¡¯t invade other countries within the Union of Kingdoms for no particular reason. Although there is a clause that says it¡¯s okay for self-defense circumstances.¡± So it means that things like keeping the Kingdom name and showing off are not enough for self-defense. She was saying that, in the end, even if Allegro does something annoying, they would never invade the border first. ¡°Ish thath all?¡± [Is that all?] ¡°And the Grand Duke¡­. Since he doesn¡¯t want to pay much attention to this world anymore. Moreover, soon.¡± Berry turned pale while talking, and then she shut her mouth. Sephiel seemed to know what Berry was trying to say. ¡®Yeah, the people from this family will pack up soon, right?¡¯ The mindset was ¡®We¡¯re leaving soon, but since we don¡¯t need to make trouble, we decided to ignore the annoying flies¡¯. ¡®Well, it¡¯s probably that.¡¯ Sephiel thought. ¡®Come to think of it.¡¯ Sephiel touched the blanket with her squirming hands. ¡®If the Dragons leave this world¡­ What will happen?¡¯ Although the Dragons were now supporting Remdragon¡­ Wouldn¡¯t the Allegro Kingdom reveal their ambition? If there is a war¡­ Is there a safe place in this Union of Kingdoms, let alone the Remdragon Dukedom? Sephiel hesitated. ¡°Baby?¡± ¡°Ah, yesh?¡± Sephiel unknowingly was letting out a groaning sound as she contemplated. The small head shook and her hair was splashing. ¡°Ey, how cute! Seems that you must have had a headache because of the difficult story?¡± It¡¯s not that, though. I understand everything. Sephiel¡¯s cheeks bulged, but she nodded gently. ¡°Yesshh.¡± [Yess.] ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand everything right now. Since there¡¯s still a lot of time¡­. But try to avoid the Grand Duke. He¡¯s a sword-like person that connects and cuts off, you know. Because he¡¯s a Fire Dragon.¡± ¡°I know. That Mister is a Red Dragon, right?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right.¡± At Berry¡¯s words, Sephiel recalled what she had read about dragons in her previous life. ¡®It said that each dragon has an attribute, and depending on it, they have a different personality, right?¡¯ Fire Dragons were belligerent and obsessed with force, but on the other hand, they hated not keeping promises and lying. ¡°Wash he owiginally born ash a Fire Dwagon?¡± [Was he originally born as a Fire Dragon?] Berry opened her eyes wide as if it was unexpected that Sephiel asked that question. ¡°No. They don¡¯t have attributes when they were born. Attributes are determined by how they are affected as they grow up.¡± ¡°Then, him¡­¡± Sephiel remembered Erga. ¡°Yes, he doesn¡¯t have any attributes right now. It will depend on how he grows up.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°So, in order for our Little Young Lord to grow into a good dragon, he has to see many good and pretty things. Since he doesn¡¯t have any friends around him, please treat him kindly if, by any chance, you have time to spare.¡± ¡°You told mwe noth to run into each other lasht twime, you know¡­¡± [You told me not to run into each other last time, you know¡­] ¡°Yes. It is surely best not to run into each other. Because he gets sick often.¡± Berry tapped Sephiel¡¯s nose. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like me, though.¡± ¡°Adults all know when we see it. He doesn¡¯t hate you. After all, he has let Baby stay in the main building.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Actually, if Erga hadn¡¯t ordered so, Sephiel might have really grown up neglected until adulthood. That¡¯s not bad either, however¡­ ¡®Yeah. I acknowledge that here is more fun.¡¯ Sephiel thought. ¡®But, as expected, my damn family members are no help.¡¯ She ran away after much trouble to live a jackpot life. However. Thanks to it, she couldn¡¯t get rid of her object of hatred until now. ¡®Yeah, as expected, I don¡¯t want to be associated with them again.¡¯ Sephiel thought she should check her Death Note tonight and meditate on her wickedness. ¡°Baby, it¡¯s snack time.¡± ¡°Yesh! I wike snacks!¡± [Yes! I like snacks!] What she meant was that she¡¯s going to eat up all the snacks today first, then do it. Sephiel hid her evil heart and nodded her head. CH 15 At the Grand Duke¡¯s room. Also used as an audience chamber, the space of Grand Duke Remdragon, who was also the Remdragon Duchy King, was always in a peaceful silence. Crack! Daihan¡¯s grip caught the armrest and broke it. ¡°You say that little kid is a child of the Allegro Royal Family? Ha, turns out she deceived me with her obedient appearance of following people, like a puppy.¡± A chilling Dragon Fear that brought one to one¡¯s knees. Getting hit by that, Elton flinched but soon spoke calmly. ¡°However, the Little Young Lord calls her ¡®Baby Raccoon¡¯. He said that as she wanders running around, as if hiding one¡¯s fine tail, her appearance which makes it hard to see what she¡¯s thinking is strange.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Daihan said as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°Indeed. Raccoon. It sure is similar. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t change that she is Allegro¡¯s Raccoon.¡± Daihan threw the armrest into the air. Crash! The jeweled ornament that was attached to the old furniture was broken. Elton hurriedly sheltered himself as he made the sound, eek. Lef also quickly cowered down. ¡°Please calm down!¡± Elton and Lef prostrated themselves. ¡°Calm down? Turns out you hid that Baby Raccoon¡¯s identity ever since that interaction from the Castle wall earlier. Since I¡¯m indifferent to worldly affairs these days, it looks like your King is now negligible, right?¡± ¡°No. I assure you that¡¯s not it!¡± Lef said. ¡°Noisy. Bring that little kid, immediately. I¡¯ll take care of her at once.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Lef turned pale. Elton shouted earnestly. ¡°Only that we can¡¯t, Grand Duke!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t? Do you really want to die?¡± ¡°I apologize. But right now, we really can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Because¡­.¡± Elton spoke as seriously as he could. ¡°The Human Baby¡­. Once it has passed 8 o¡¯clock at night, is asleep!¡± Daihan looked at the clock. It was¡­ 9 o¡¯clock at night. Lef added. ¡°Berry read a book and it said that if a child under five years old got interrupted during their sleeping time, it would have a fatal impact on their growth.¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re saying that because of that, even during Baby¡¯s nap time, everyone tries to be quiet.¡± When Elton finally added in a few more words, Daihan¡¯s patience completely snapped. ¡°Hoo, okay. I¡¯ve noted it.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± Lef¡¯s face shone with hope. ¡°Yeah. I understand the situation. You¡¯re saying that both of you can live well even without one of your arms and legs, right?¡± Above Lef and Elton¡¯s bodies, the armchair ornaments began to shoot forth like knives. Moreover, all the furniture inside the room moved up and down. ¡°Aack, Grand Duke!¡± It was the application of psychokinesis, which was Daihan¡¯s specialty. When they, who were running around frantically avoiding the knives, to the point of being on the verge of fainting, thud, Daihan sat back on a chair. ¡°¡­That little kid, is she sent by the Allegro Royal Family?¡± ¡°Phew. So now you¡¯re listening. How come you¡¯re getting more sensitive every year¡­ aw! It hurts.¡± In the end, Elton got hit once on the back of his head with the largest piece of the armchair. Elton rubbed his head as he said with a discontented face. ¡°In truth, Baby has certain circumstances!¡± ¡°¡­Circumstances?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lef hurriedly said. After a while, Daihan, who heard the situation roughly, raised his eyebrows. ¡°¡­You said she¡¯s a child who grew up being imprisoned?¡± ¡°At that, it was also from a very young age.¡± ¡°Even now she¡¯s still young, though, just how the hell did they confine her?¡± ¡°It seems¡­ it was as soon as she was born¡­. At least, it seems like that.¡± Lef said carefully. ¡°Yes. According to the investigation, it is said that she has never come out to the outside world.¡± ¡°She is on the Allegro¡¯s family register, but it seems that that¡¯s all. It¡¯s lucky that she survived.¡± ¡°Why would they bother doing that kind of thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Uhm¡­ it is said that Baby isn¡¯t a child of neither the former queen nor the current queen.¡± It was a common thing among humans to hide an illegitimate child. Knowing nothing about the Allegro Royal Family¡¯s inside story, Daihan judged that Sephiel was confined because she was an illegitimate child. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Daihan clicked his tongue. ¡°Turns out those Allegro¡¯s dogs are so amazing. I have never seen such men even among the Demons. Even small creatures cherish their kids.¡± ¡°Yes. But how commendable is she? Didn¡¯t she also give star candy to Mister Daihan?¡± Elton immediately followed up. ¡°They said that she tried sweets for the first time since she was born after she came to this place, and if she went to the extent of offering it to Mister Daihan¡­.¡± ¡°It looks like she really wanted to look good to Mister Daihan. Wow. That¡¯s really amazing. We¡¯ve never received candy from her!¡± ¡°Are you telling me to shut up because I was bribed just now?¡± Daihan spat out. He pressed down hard on his temple. ¡°¡­What did that young thing do for you guys to be bewitched like this? I¡¯ve never seen you side with humans, though.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± ¡°That?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­.¡± Lef and Elton scratched their heads. ¡°There¡¯s no particular reason.¡± Lef said seriously. ¡°¡­And I mean it¡¯s because she¡¯s cute.¡± Daihan recalled Sephiel, who held the saddle tightly on top of a wyvern and let out an exclamation as red dyed her white bread-like cheeks. ¡®She¡¯s cute, they said.¡¯ Before he knew it, Daihan¡¯s anger was eased. In no time, Daihan saw the star candy that Lef put on top of the desk. ¡°¡­Did she give me this telling me to eat it?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t need it, should we take it away?¡± ¡°¡­To think a little kid is already using bribery.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°If that little kid acts like a member of the Allegro Royal Family, you¡¯ll immediately take care of it.¡± ¡°Yes! Will there even be a room for doubt?¡± ¡°We also will keep an eye closely on her.¡± They said that, but Lef already felt a little diffident. ¡°However¡­¡± Lef mumbled. ¡°She¡¯s a really cute and innocent person.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still five years old, so there¡¯s no way she got bad habits from the Allegro Royal Family.¡± ¡°Anyway, no matter whose name she bears, won¡¯t the promise of the betrothal have to be kept to fulfill the Grand Duke Family¡¯s long-cherished desire?¡± ¡°Yes. Please tolerate it as though she is a cute and pitiful being for now.¡± Daihan, tuk tuk, tapped the unscathed armchair piece with his hand. ¡°Out of the question.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Even if she has chubby cheeks, beaming smiles, and has a soft baby smell, don¡¯t make me approach her because I don¡¯t have any thoughts of letting her off.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Yes! I understand.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lef and Elton nodded, worried that Daihan would change his mind. *** A few days later. [What to do, the Grand Duke is continuously inside the Castle. But Mister Elton doesn¡¯t tell us to move back to the separate house.] Berry said worriedly. Sephiel unintentionally spent time all day playing only in and around her room. ¡®Elton?¡¯ At that time, Sephiel saw Elton who was passing in front of the room through a crack in the open door. Step step step. Moving her small feet, Sephiel followed Elton. ¡°Elton!¡± ¡°Ah, Baby. What¡¯s the matter? Where are Berry and Marie?¡± ¡°Yesh, I habb something I want to ashk¡­.¡± [Yes, I have something I want to ask.] Elton said as if he had realized something. ¡°Huft, you sure are impatient. I know everything.¡± ¡°Yow knoww¡­?¡± [You know¡­?] ¡°Of course. Please wait a little bit. You¡¯re worried that if you wait for the Little Young Lord, he won¡¯t marry you on his own. Both of you surely need to get older so that you can get married!¡± ¡­This is just¡­ Sephiel held back from almost boiling up. ¡°It¡¯sh not datt, you know!¡± [It¡¯s not that, you know!] ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Elton smiled. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s a good thing that happened to Baby, too.¡± ¡°What ish it?¡± [What is it?] Elton leaned over and showed the very top of the pile of documents that he was holding. [Marriage Present List.] ¡°¡­What¡¯sh thish?¡± [¡­What¡¯s this?] ¡°These are the properties that¡¯ll be sent to Baby¡¯s parents¡¯ home. If you¡¯re curious by any chance, would you like to see the content?¡± ¡°¡­My parents¡¯ home?¡± Sephiel¡¯s body suddenly hardened. Elton naturally headed to the study, and Sephiel followed Elton with quick, frequent narrow steps. However, on Sephiel¡¯s back, there broke out a cold sweat. ¡®Right. Come to think of it, there was such a promise, right.¡¯ A banquet in which the Grand Duke Family selects the young groom¡¯s political marriage partner. There was a reason why the parents made a fuss at that banquet. It was because of the enormous [Wedding Presents] that would be given in exchange for receiving a bride. ¡®Come to think of it, the news that I ran away must¡¯ve become known to people of the Allegro Royal Family.¡¯ All of a sudden, anxiety spread. ¡®Even for the Allegro Royal Family, the existence which they would never try to touch is surely the Grand Duke of Remdragon Family.¡¯ So, they won¡¯t be able to act rashly. ¡®Moreover¡­. Father won¡¯t have any interest in the present me.¡¯ At the age of five. At that time, Wittegar only kept Sephiel confined as the family tradition said. Even the fact that he came to see her once in a while was out of obligation. ¡®Back then, he couldn¡¯t even think to take advantage of me, right. Since he only considered me as a cursed illegitimate child.¡¯ However, when Sephiel¡¯s genius was discovered at the age of 15. At that time, Father suddenly changed. [I realized when I saw you, who spoke all kinds of ancient languages and mastered letters that I didn¡¯t even teach you, that a child like you will truly be of great use. Aren¡¯t you happy? Didn¡¯t I give meaning to the life of a child that doesn¡¯t have any value like you? Be thankful to me.] ¡®I only hope they do not ask to return me.¡¯ Sephiel asked, feeling nervous even while knowing that perhaps it¡¯s not that. ¡°B-But. Habb you¡­ contactedth Awwegro?¡± [B-But. Have you¡­ contacted Allegro?] ¡°Ah. Of course. I¡¯ve sent a letter informing them that Baby will grow up here, and get married to the Little Young Lord in a few years.¡± ¡°¡­Whath did they shay?¡± [¡­What did they say?] ¡°Uhmm. Strangely, there was no reply. I wonder if a reply will come around today.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Well, we just have to pay as per the procedure.¡± Elton made a money shape with his thumb and index finger and nodded. ¡°Deposit is a panacea for most adults. Usually, if you give them money any particular problem will no longer be raised.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Turns out Elton knew everything. But Sephiel couldn¡¯t smile. More than that, if it was a deposit, she wondered if they would also give cash. ¡°I. The wedding preshensh¡­. That. Can I wead the wisht?¡± [I. The wedding presents¡­. That. Can I read the list?] ¡°Uhmm. For Baby¡­, its contents may be difficult to read, though.¡± Even while saying that, Elton gladly handed over the documents. [Emerald Mine Mining Rights] ¡®Gaasp!¡¯ Sephiel clutched her heart. It was an emerald mine that would not run out even for a hundred years from now. It was also the mine that raised Mittara¡¯s family in her previous life. [Forest Land Business Certificate] ¡­This is the certificate that Mittara¡¯s father presented to the Royal Family that raised his title of nobility! ¡®The profit that was received from the merchant under the Allegro Royal Family through this was tremendous¡­¡¯ In contrast to its reputation as the Kingdom of Magic, the Allegro Kingdom was crazy for money, they absolutely loved it and squandered that forest land up to the marrow. And above all¡­. [Treasure List] ¡°Y-You¡¯re gowing to gibb all of thish¡­?¡± [Y-You¡¯re going to give all of this¡­?] ¡°Of course. Now, would you like to see it yourself?¡± Not even thinking about hiding the password, Elton turned to the safe and opened it. ¡®Rather than that, it¡¯s too much for the safe dial to just be 1234, you know.¡¯ Turns out they¡¯re this careless. Sephiel was taken aback. ¡°I-isn¡¯t thath too thoughtlessh?¡± [I-isn¡¯t that too thoughtless?] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a device that attacks outsiders on its own. Although it doesn¡¯t attack our Grand Duke Family members including Baby. And our Grand Duke Family people are too¡­¡± Too nice? Sephiel pricked up her ears. ¡°¡­knows well about the Grand Duke¡¯s awful personality, so there¡¯s no way they¡¯re going to steal it unless they¡¯re crazy. Moreover, since there are a lot of mixed-blood descendant people who have a bit of a screw loose¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Yesh.¡± [¡­Yes.] It was really a lesson that became her very blood and flesh. ¡®More than that, this is too much, you know.¡¯ Sparkle sparkle. Grand grand. It really couldn¡¯t be expressed by anything other than that. ¡°At this rate, our Baby will also garner up respect in the Allegro Royal Family. You know, right? That. A head start.¡± With a proud face, Elton, queek, even made an expression of slashing his neck. ¡®I want to hit your neck one time with the edge of my hand.¡¯ Aaah, why are the servants of the Grand Duke Family so tactless like this sometimes? Sephiel grabbed the edge of the desk with force. Climbing to the Death Note¡¯s highest rank, the distinguished family members who will be delighted to receive this property. Sephiel felt like she discovered that a baby¡¯s body could also have its blood pressure go up. ¡®Let¡¯s hold back¡­.¡¯ Although she hated doing good things for those bastards. However¡­ ¡®If I don¡¯t give these properties, I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll say something and make an issue out of this.¡¯ It¡¯s the things that¡¯ll remain even if they find fault or excuses to then take Sephiel again. At that moment, Sephiel found a book wrapped in silk among the treasures. ¡°By da way, what ish thish?¡± [By the way, what is this?] ¡°Ah, this is also a wedding present. This is a very old temple¡¯s Bible. Now, this is the document of the extinct Ancient God.¡± ¡°Hah¡­.¡± ¡°Baby? Why are you suddenly sighing¡­¡± That thing. A few years later¡­. The Ancient Bible which had each page gilded, hits the highest price at an auction¡­. ¡®Yup, I can hold it this time too¡­. Maybe.¡¯ Sephiel clasped the hem of her skirt firmly with her small hands and barely managed to hold back again. ¡°Ah, just in time, a reply from Baby¡¯s parents home has arrived. It looks like the content is about the wedding procedures and wedding presents.¡± Elton said as he went through the letter. ¡®No, I mean, does he just summarize a letter from the Royal Family of a country like that?¡¯ It was as if dealing with a tiresome bill. As Elton saw the letter¡¯s content his expression became subtle. ¡°¡­.¡± Elton smirked as if he was dumbfounded and put down the letter. ¡°¡­W-Whath did they shay?¡± [¡­W-What did they say?] ¡°No. It¡¯s simply not worth it for Baby to read.¡± ¡°I- I want to see it!¡± It may be a letter that may interfere with the marriage. Sephiel stretched out her arms as she, thump thump, jumped in place with her little feet, and¡­. ¡°Baby. You have to be careful, right?¡± Elton dropped the letter as he held the faltering Sephiel. Sephiel quickly picked up the letter. ¡°¡­Ah. Come to think of it, Baby said that you know how to read, right.¡± Sephiel immediately realized the reason why dismay spread in Elton¡¯s voice. In it, a message saying that a person would be sent at a certain date to receive the wedding present was written. The problem was the last paragraph. To sum up, it was as follows. [There will not be a single wedding present sent from the Allegro side at all, and since there is also no dowry, if you don¡¯t like it, I don¡¯t care even if you throw away that child immediately.] Sephiel knew that handwriting. ¡®He sent such an offensive letter like this? It also looks like he wrote it himself?¡¯ Father¡¯s handwritten letter which Sephiel had never even once received before. That¡¯s what the content was about. Snap. At that moment, Sephiel¡¯s patience had run out. ¡®No¡­.¡¯ Sephiel gulped down her saliva. ¡®I can¡¯t stand it.¡¯ Grrroowl. A small pocket pup inside Sephiel roared. ¡®I can never give them the wedding presents.¡¯ She¡¯ll do her best to ruin this wedding present exchange. Sephiel clenched the letter firmly with her small fist. ¡®You¡¯re all dead.¡¯