CH 02
The Duke of Clasta, Alteira, saw a child fainting while holding onto his coat hem.
As his brow furrowed in discomfort, the orphanage director quickly bowed his head.
“I-I apologize! We locked him in his room for misbehaving… How did she get out?!”
She tried to forcibly lift the child, but even in a dazed state, the child stubbornly held onto his coat hem.
“Eik!”
When the director grabbed the child’s wrist with force, only then did the child’s body detach from the Duke.
But there were still creases on the Duke’s coat hem.
‘This damn woman is no help at all!’
The director cursed inwardly, glancing at Duke Clasta’s expression.
His face, adorned with a lazy smile, didn’t seem particularly bothered, but the director couldn’t trust that expression.
Alteira Clasta, the bloodthirsty monster slayer.
The Duke of Clasta was originally a successful viscount of the empire.
However, an evil dragon killed the entire family except for the current Duke of Clasta.
Everyone said the day of the Duke’s downfall was near.
But the Duke laughed at those who said so, and with his resourcefulness and power, he raised the Clasta family to the dukedom.
Due to the loss of his entire family to demons, the Duke’s hatred towards demons and dragons was well-known.
In particular, the incident where he single-handedly killed 99 demons on the Nabara Plains shocked the empire.
With blood-soaked indigo hair and madness glinting in his golden eyes, the Duke seemed to take pleasure in killing demons, laughing uncontrollably.
His terrifying demeanor was such that for a while, women dared not even approach the vicinity of Duke Clasta.
But this morning, wouldn’t you know it, Duke Clasta suddenly showed up wanting to adopt a child.
“If the Duke adopts the child, we could receive a tremendous amount of money, but this woman ruins everything!”
The director glared menacingly at Ariel in his arms.
He had planned to hand her over to Mr. Brown as soon as she recovered a bit, but causing such a big accident like this…
“I’ll have a servant take her away immediately. Instead, bring me another child…”
“No.”
Duke Clasta’s golden eyes shifted towards Ariel, sprawled in the director’s arms.
The child with long sky-blue hair didn’t seem to be in good condition at a glance.
Her face was flushed with fever, and her arms and legs, visible through the short clothes, bore red bruises.
Gasping for breath, it seemed challenging for her to make it through the night.
For Duke Clasta, a couple of children dying in a place like this meant nothing to him.
But…
“I want to live….”
In the brief moment their eyes met, the red eyes burned with a desire for life.
A relentless determination not to give up even in the face of death ignited a small spark within his heart.
Duke Clasta opened his mouth as he looked at the child being handed over to the servant.
“I want to adopt that child.”
* * *
When I regained consciousness, I found myself on a soft bed.
“Did the orphanage have such comfortable beds?”
There was no mold, no holes in the sheets, and it even carried a pleasant fragrance.
“Is this a floral scent? How is there such a fragrance in the blanket?”
Sniffing the sheets, I heard a voice of a stranger.
“You’re awake.”
As I turned my head, a man with deep blue hair was sitting at a table, sipping tea.
I was so surprised that I froze in place.
“I couldn’t read the man’s presence.”
Even though he was so close, I had no idea there was a man in the room until he spoke.
In the past, I would have sensed it even before opening my eyes.
“I knew my abilities were gone, but it’s more inconvenient than I thought.”
It felt like paying the price of losing my entire fortune in exchange for coming back from the dead.
Come to think of it, my body felt much fresher, and the wounds were healed.
But I couldn’t let my guard down.
As I saw the man suddenly rise from his seat and approach me, I instinctively flinched.
Who is this man?
A new threat?
Contemplating whether I could grab the nearby stand and strike him on the head to escape, the man sat down on the chair beside the bed and spoke.
“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up for a whole day.”
Only now did I get a proper look at the man’s face.
“I said I want to live.”
The man’s face, smiling with curved lips, was white and smooth, handsome like a painting, but it exuded an undeniable aura of intimidation.
He wore a luxurious suit with a subtle sheen and sparkling cufflinks adorned with jewels.
Suddenly, the image of the shiny black shoes I had seen before losing consciousness came to mind.
“No way….”
“I saved you. So, what will you offer me in return?”
“What do you desire?”
In my past life, I could have been a formidable weapon.
But now, as a frail seven-year-old girl, I had nothing to offer.
“My daughter, will you not become?”
“Are you proposing to adopt me?”
Could it be that this man, with his flawless face, is also a pervert?
As I eyed him cautiously, the man chuckled softly.
“By the way, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Altaira Clasta.”
According to the memories remaining in my body, Count Clasta was a powerful figure who even knew about children living in such orphanages.
After hearing the man’s introduction, I couldn’t understand even more why he wanted to adopt me.
“Why would a count want to adopt me?”
In response, the man leaned back in his chair, making a nonchalant sound, “Hmm.”
“Just because. It’s bothersome.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to get married, nor do I want a family. It became noisy at the council like monkeys being stung by bees.”
“…”
“Now they’re all insisting on adopting their own children as heirs, and even trivial matters are causing chaos as if it’s the end of the world.”
Well, that makes sense.
If he becomes Count Clasta, his immense wealth and power will all become theirs.
“So, I want to adopt you. Once I have a child, maybe they’ll stop bothering me like a bunch of chimpanzees.”
“But wouldn’t adopting a child from an orphanage as a successor face strong opposition? Wouldn’t that be even more troublesome?”
“That’s when I’ll protect you.”
Leaning back with his legs crossed, the count placed his hands on his knees.
“Let me be honest. I don’t care how you live or what you go through. What I need is not a real daughter but someone who can fill the role of a successor. Whether you get assassinated on the road or die after drinking poison, it doesn’t concern me at all. What I mean is that I won’t care about anything you do as long as you fulfill the role of my successor.”
So, I was just an excuse for the count.
“Count, adopt this kid as your successor!” might lead to a response like, “I already have a successor. Do I need a new one? If you want to change the successor, bring that kid down first.” or something similar.
“Why me?” I asked.
In response, the count displayed a satisfied smile.
“Your desire for life that you showed was very impressive. It felt like you wouldn’t die even if I killed you.”
Well, I did come back to life even after being killed.
“So, do you have any intention of becoming my daughter?”
***
“What? Really? She said she’ll consider it? Unbelievable. She didn’t sign right there on the spot. Are you really seven years old now? You’re quite cunning.”
“I told him I could be assassinated.”
“Still! Normally, becoming a noblewoman is considered a big deal, but do you think a mere assassination attempt is a big deal? Asking for some time to think is too much, isn’t it? Everyone else would agree immediately. How can a child be so calm?”
“She was calm indeed.”
Count Clasta showed a slightly surprised expression at his own words, then quickly remembered the composed demeanor of the child.
With slightly raised eye corners and tightly closed lips, the child resembled a cat.
“She might not be as cold-blooded as you, sir. Using a perfectly healthy child as a shield for your own inconvenience.”
“But she might be better than that orphanage. If she goes from orphan to noblewoman, shouldn’t she be thanking me? If she just survives, she could even become Count Clasta.”
“I’ll keep an eye on that at the council! You’d better off just adopting the grandson of the council chairman! Then you wouldn’t have to bother with disposing of a corpse!”
Count Clasta’s brow furrowed at Orwell’s words.
“I don’t want that.”
“Why not! If anyone will do anyway, why does it matter if it’s that kid?”
“He resembles the chairman, he’s ugly, and he has no manners.”
Count Clasta retorted, staring at Orwell with a fierce gaze.
As Count Clasta left the room, his subordinate, Orwell, quickly followed.
“What’s going on? Is it true? Of course, he’ll agree immediately. Going from living in an orphanage to becoming a noblewoman in an instant! Isn’t this a chance of a lifetime? You don’t even know that the position is one to die for!”
The count furrowed his brow at Orwell’s incessant chatter.
“Noisy. I said I’ll think about it, so I just brought the adoption papers for now.”
“And I have no intention of giving more power to the chairman. Whatever happens after I die doesn’t matter, but while I’m alive, I should live as I please.”
“Oh, then why not get married! If you have a proper successor carrying your bloodline, they might not make such unnecessary demands over there!”
“Now they want me to be a stud horse? I had a trusted subordinate by my side.”
“Oh, who is this guy? I’ll go get rid of him right away!”
After Orwell made a fuss, he glanced at Count Clasta’s expression and continued, “But seriously, do you really have no intention of getting married? Even if you don’t feel like it now, you might develop feelings as you live. Honestly, if you just tone down your stern demeanor and smile a bit, there will be a line of young ladies waiting outside the castle gates. It’s as if the family massacre never happened…”
“Enough.”
Count Clasta firmly interrupted Orwell’s words.
“I apologize. I spoke out of turn.”
Orwell didn’t respond further and followed Count Clasta as he moved away.
However, his worried gaze didn’t easily leave the closed door.
***
Looking at the adoption certificate, his name written next to mine caught my eye.
Altaira Clasta.
There was no hesitation in the graceful flow of his signature.
In contrast, I hesitated for a long time, holding the pen.
If I didn’t sign this document, he and I would never meet again, each going our separate ways.
Objectively speaking, getting involved with the count would bring me nothing good.
I wanted to live a long and peaceful life, and becoming the count’s daughter would only endanger my life.
But the cold sensation of the sword I felt just before I died made me hesitate.
“Sorry, but you’re the daughter of an evil dragon, right? I can’t leave behind unnecessary troubles.”
Regan became the pope.
Killing me and seizing my powers.
Despite the unfairness of having been treated like a dog under him, it seemed only fair to spare him from a stab to the heart.
But in my current situation, I couldn’t even meet Regan.
“I probably need to become the count’s noblewoman to meet Regan.”
I looked at the sentence written at the top of the adoption certificate.
“I swear to protect the child with love.”
If I signed this document, he would be my third protector.
“Just a protector in name.”
I was tired of relying on someone’s affection.
Still, considering that he had treated the injured child and seemed better than the previous two, it might be worth it.
“Yeah, as long as he doesn’t torture me.”
He needed a successor to live on for a long time, and I needed a status to approach Regan, who became the Pope.
There was no better condition than this.
I made the decision and wrote my name next to his.
And so I became Ariel Clasta, the only daughter of the Duke of Clasta.
