The space belonging to Remdragon’s Grand Duke, which also served as an audience room, was always wrapped in deep silence.
—Crack!
In Daihan’s grip, the armrest of the chair was crushed.
“That little kid was a child of the Allegro royal family? Ha, she tricked me with that puppy-like obedience.”
A chilling Dragon Fear that made one’s legs go numb.
Elton flinched upon feeling it but soon spoke calmly.
“The young master calls him ‘baby raccoon.’ she scurries around everywhere, and with that fluffy tail seemingly hidden, no one knows what he’s thinking. It’s quite odd.”
“Hah.”
Daihan let out a sigh of disbelief.
“Yeah. Raccoon. That does seem fitting. But in the end, she’s still an Allegro raccoon.”
Daihan threw the broken chair armrest into the air.
—Crash
The jewel decoration on the old furniture broke.
Elton gasped in shock and quickly ducked away.
Lev also crouched down low.
“Please calm down!”
Elton and Lev just fell to their knees.
“Calm down? So, you two have been hiding that baby raccoon’s true identity from me ever since the castle wall incident? Do you think I’m so indifferent to the world these days that I wouldn’t notice?”
“No, that’s not it! I swear!” Lev pleaded.
“Silence. Bring that child to me immediately. I need to deal with her right away.”
“Yes?”
Lev turned pale.
Elton shouted seriously.
“You mustn’t, Your Grace.”
“I mustn’t? Do you really want to die?”
“Forgive me, but right now, you really can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because…..”
Elton spoke with utmost seriousness.
“Because… a human child… falls asleep after eight o’clock at night!”
Daihan glanced at the clock.
It was already 9 PM.
Lev quickly added,
“Berry read in a book that if a child under five has their sleep disrupted, it can have devastating effects on their growth.”
“Yes. That’s why everyone tries to be quiet even during Miss Baby’s nap time.”
When Elton finally spoke up, Daihan’s patience snapped.
“Oh? Is that so? I see.”
“Really?”
Lev’s face lit up with hope.
“Yes, I understand the situation now… You two are perfectly capable of living with one or two missing limbs, right?”
The chair handle fragments began to slash like knives over Lev and Elton’s bodies.
On top of that, every piece of furniture in the room began to tremble ominously.
“Aahh! Your Grace!”
It was an application of Daihan’s specialty, telekinesis.
When they were running around frantically and were on the verge of fainting, Daihan sat down on his chair.
“That child. Was he sent by the Allegro royal family?”
“Phew. You’re finally willing to listen. You’re getting more sensitive every year— Ugh!”
Eventually, Elton was hit in the back of the head with the largest piece of chair handle.
Elton rubbed his head and he muttered in frustration,
“Actually, the Miss Baby has her own circumstances!”
“Circumstances?”
“Yes!”
Lev said urgently.
After listening to the rough outline of the situation, Daihan raised an eyebrow.
“A child who grew up in confinement?”
“That too, from a very young age.”
“She’s still young now. When exactly do they imprison that child?”
“From almost the moment she was born…I think so.”
Lev said cautiously.
“Yes. According to our investigation, she has never been out into the outside world.”
“Her name is recorded in the Allegro family registry, but that’s about it. It’s a miracle she even survived.”
“What was the point of doing that?”
“Well… The Miss Baby isn’t the child of either the former queen or the current queen.”
It was common among humans to hide illegitimate children.
Since Daihan wasn’t familiar with the internal affairs of the Allegro royal family, he assumed Sephiel had been locked away because she was an illegitimate child.
“Tsk.”
Daihan clicked his tongue.
“The Allegro is unbelievable. Even among the demon clans, I’ve never seen such behavior. Even lowly creatures treasure their own offspring.”
“Yes. And how kind she is. Didn’t she even give you some star candy, my lord?”
Elton eagerly chimed in.
“She said that when she came here, it was the first time she ever tasted something sweet. And yet, she still gave her own away.”
“It seems like she really wanted to get on your good side, my lord. Wow. That’s really amazing. We’ve never even gotten a single piece of candy from her!”
“Are you telling me to keep my mouth shut just because I’ve taken a bribe?”
Daihan spat out. Then he pressed his temples.
“What exactly did that child do to make you two lose your minds like this? I’ve never seen you side with a human before.”
“That’s…..”
“That’s?”
‘Uh….’
Lev and Elton scratched their heads.
“There’s no particular reason,” Lev said seriously.
“It’s just that she’s cute….”
Daihan thought of Sephiel, who was holding onto the saddle tightly on top of the wyvern and exclaiming with her round, bread-like cheeks flushed.
‘Cute, huh.’
Before he knew it, Daihan’s anger had subsided significantly.
His gaze fell on the star candy Lev had placed on the desk.
“Did she give this to me to eat it?”
“If you don’t want it, should I put it away?”
“That child is already using bribes.”
“……”
“If that child starts behaving like a true member of the Allegro royal family, I’ll deal with him right away.”
“Of course! There’s no question about it.”
“We will also watch her closely.”
Despite their words, Lev stole a quick glance at Elton.
“But… she really is just an innocent and adorable child.”
“She’s only five years old. How could she have picked up bad habits at the Allegro Royal family?”
“Besides, regardless of whose name she bears, keeping the engagement promise is essential for achieving the grand duke’s long-cherished wish.”
“Yes. Please just consider her a little cute and compassionate.”
Daihan lightly tapped the intact armrest of his chair.
“No way.”
“…..”
“Even if she has chubby cheeks, a bright smile, and that soft baby scent, I have no intention of going easy on her. Keep her away from me.”
“…Ah, what?”
“…..”
“Yes! Understood.”
“Yes, Master.”
Lev and Elton nodded, hoping that Daihan would change his mind.
* * *
A few days later.
<What should we do? The Grand Duke is still in the castle. Why hasn’t Elton told us to move to the annex?>
Berry said anxiously.
Sephiel had been spending all day playing in and around the room.
‘Elton?’
At that moment, Sephiel saw Elton passing by the room through the open door.
—Tap, tap, tap.
With quick little steps, Sephiel ran after him.
“Eltyon!”
“Oh, Miss Baby. What’s the matter? Where are Berry and Marie?”
‘Hm, I havve sowmethying to ask…”
Elton said as if he had realized something.
“Oh, you’re quite impatient. I already know everything.”
“Ywou know…?”
“Of course. Just wait a little. If the Mis Baby waits, won’t they naturally arrange the marriage for you? Both of you need to get a bit older before the wedding!”
‘That was it.’
Sephiel held back the anger that was almost boiling over.
“That’s not it!”
“Oh, really?”
Elton smiled broadly.
“Anyway, there’s good news for you as well.”
“What is it?”
Elton leaned forward, revealing the topmost document in the stack he was holding
<Wedding Gift List>
“What is thyis?”
“These are the assets that will be sent to your family as part of the dowry. If you’re curious, you can take a look.”
“Dowyyi?” (Dowry?)
Sephiel’s body stiffened. Elton naturally walked towards the study, and Sephiel quickly followed behind.
But a cold sweat ran down Sephiel’s back.
‘That’s right. Now that I think about it, there was such a promise.’
A grand banquet was held to select the arranged marriage partner for the young Master of the Grand Duke.
The reason why the parents had caused such a commotion at that ball…
It was because of the enormous <wedding gifts> that would be given in return for the bride.
‘Come to think of it, the Allegro royal family must have heard by now.’
A sudden sense of unease crept in.
‘Even the Allegro royal family tries their best to avoid interfering with the Remdragon Grand Duchy.’
That meant they wouldn’t act recklessly.
‘Furthermore…… My father doesn’t care about me right now.’
When she was about five years old. At that time, Wittegar simply imprisoned Sephiel according to the family tradition.
He only came to see her occasionally, as if fulfilling an obligation.
‘At that time, he never thought of using me. He thought of me as a cursed illegitimate child.’
But when Sephiel’s genius was discovered at the age of fifteen…
That was when her father’s attitude completely changed.
<That day, I saw you speaking all sorts of ancient languages and reading letters you had never been taught, I realized something. You are a truly useful child. Isn’t that wonderful? For a worthless child like you, I have given meaning to your life. You should be grateful to me.>
‘I just hope he doesn’t try to take me back.’
Sephiel asked nervously, even though she knew it probably wasn’t true.
“So… did ywou contvact Allegyo?” (So… did you contract Allegro?)
“Oh, of course. We sent a letter informing them that you’re growing up here and will be marrying the young master in a few years.”
“What did they say?”
“Hm. Strangely, there hasn’t been a reply. Perhaps we’ll receive one today.”
“……”
“Well, as long as we follow the procedure and send the money, it doesn’t really matter to us.”
Elton nodded, making a money sign with his thumb and index finger.
“For most adults, money is a cure-all. As long as you pay, problems usually don’t arise.”
Elton sure knew a lot about the way the world worked.
But Sephiel couldn’t laugh.
‘More than that—when he mentioned the payment, did that mean the Grand Duke family was also giving cash?’
“Uh…. this Dowyyi, can I ryead the list?”
“Hmm. It’s a bit complicated for you to understand.”
Despite saying that, Elton handed over the documents without hesitation.
<Emerald Mine Mining Rights>
‘Huh!’
Sephiel clutched his chest.
That was an emerald mine that wouldn’t run dry for at least a hundred years.
In her previous life, that was the mine that had made the Mitara family rise to power.
<Forest Land Business Rights Certificate>
That was the certificate that Mitara’s father had presented to the royal family, earning a noble title in return!
‘The profits that the Allegro royal family would gain from this were enormous.’
Despite Allegro being known as the “Magic Kingdom,” it was actually obsessed with money. The royal family had squeezed every last bit of value from this land.
And most importantly…
<Treasure List>
“A-Are ywou ryeally givving… all of this…?” (Are you really giving all of this?)
“Of course. Would you like to see for yourself?”
Elton opened the safe without even thinking about hiding the password.
‘Wait. Did he seriously set the combination to 1234.’
Sephiel was terrified.
“Th-This… Isn’t this a bit cayrelyess?” (This, Isn’t this a bit careless?)
“Don’t worry. The security system automatically attacks intruders. It won’t harm you or anyone from our Grand Duchy. And besides, our people are just… too….”
‘Too kind?’
Sephiel perked up her ears.
“They know the Grand Duke’s dirty personality, so unless they are crazy, they wouldn’t try to steal. Those of mixed blood tend to be a bit… unhinged…”
“Oh.”
What an enlightening lesson.
‘Still… This is too much.’
Shimmering.
Dazzling.
The only way to describe the items inside is overwhelming luxury.
“With this much wealth, even you will be able to maintain some dignity in the Allegro royal family. You know, dominance.”
Elton proudly ran a finger across his throat, mimicking a slicing motion.
‘I want to hit you in the neck with the blade of my hand.’
‘Ah, why are the servants of the Grand Duke’s family sometimes so clueless?’
Sephiel gripped the corner of the desk.
Her family—those in the death note—would be overjoyed to receive such wealth.
Sephiel felt like she had discovered that even a baby’s body could have high blood pressure.
‘Calm down…’
She didn’t want to make those bastards happy.
‘But…If I don’t hand over these gifts, who knows what excuse they’ll use to come after me.’
They’d find any reason to drag her back.
At that moment, among the treasures, Sephiel noticed a book wrapped in fine silk.
“What is this?”
“Ah, this is also a gift. This is a scripture from a very old temple. A scripture of a long-extinct god.”
“Hah…”
“Miss Baby? Why are you sighing all of a sudden?”
That book… In a few years… it would become the most expensive auction item in history—an ancient scripture with gold-leafed pages.
‘I can endure this…’
‘Probably.’
Sephiel clenched her tiny fists around the hem of her clothes and barely held herself back.
At that moment, Elton spoke up.
“Ah, just in time. A reply from your family has arrived. It’s probably about the wedding arrangements and the dowry.”
Elton said as he looked through the letters.
‘What, you’re piling up letters from the royal family like that?’
He treated it like an annoying bill.
Then, as he read the contents, his expression grew… strange.
“Haha.”
Elton let out a small chuckle of disbelief and placed the letter down.
“…W-What dwoes it say?”
“No, it’s not worth reading it, Miss Baby.”
“I wyant to see it!”
It could be a letter that would ruin her marriage.
Sephiel stretched out her arms and jumped on her little feet.
“You have to be careful!”
While trying to catch Sephiel who was staggering, Elton dropped the letter.
Sephiel quickly picked it up.
“Ah. Now that I think about it, do you know how to read?”
Sephiel immediately realized why Elton’s voice was so strained with frustration.
Inside the letter, the arrangements for picking up the dowry were outlined.
But the last paragraph…
In summary:
<The Allegro family will not be sending any gifts or dowry. If this is unacceptable, feel free to abandon the child.>
Sephiel recognized that handwriting.
‘He sent this crappy letter?’
‘And he wrote it himself?’
It was the first time she had ever received a letter from her father.
That was the content.
At that moment, Sephiel’s patience snapped.
‘No….’
Sephiel swallowed hard.
‘I can’t stand it.’
A growl rumbled in her chest.
The small but fierce beast within her let out a silent roar.
‘They’re not getting a single dowry.’
She was going to ruin that dowry exchange completely.
Sephiel clenched the letter tightly in her tiny fist.
‘They’re all dead.’
* * *
