“Then should we just settle this matter like this?”
Daihan shook his head. Something was bothering him.
“No, even a baby raccoon deserves a reward. The one who severely punished the shameless Allegro Kingdom this time was that child.”
“I don’t think Miss Baby knows that she’s going to receive a dowry. Well, should we give her some of her favorite snacks as a gift?”
“Leave that to the chefs. They seem happy to have some work to do after a long time.”
Daihan recalled that a child had the power to change the atmosphere of a household.
“……Give the Grand Duchess’ garden to the baby raccoon.”
“Are you serious…?”
Elton flinched in surprise.
After the Grand Duchess had passed away, Daihan had forbidden anyone from touching her belongings for years.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s going to be the future Grand Duchess anyway. Someday, it’ll become her space.”
Elton smiled faintly.
“The Miss Baby will be very happy. She loves picking and playing with wildflowers.”
“……..”
* * *
“Ah, I hate dreams, save me, I don’t want to go back. But I hate prison even more. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for tormenting that baby raccoon or whatever. I don’t want to have nightmares of being eaten by a raccoon anymore…”
Shabby clothes, sunken eyes, and a corpse-like appearance.
Erata left in a shabby state that was incomparable to when she came.
When she left, she boarded the same luxurious carriage she had arrived in, but her ghostly, broken figure only made her look even more miserable.
A few days later, the Grand Duke’s residence returned to peace as if nothing had happened.
And at that very moment, Sephiel was…
Rolling, rolling
“Kyahahahaha!”
She was rolling in the grass.
“This is so much fun!”
“Miss Baby! Be careful!”
“I told you, rolling on the grass is fine, but you shouldn’t be rolling down hills!”
Maybe it was because she had exposed the crimes of the Allegro royal family.
Sephiel’s treatment had improved even more.
<This garden was once used by the late Grand Duchess, but His Highness said you may play here now.>
There was a small hill in the garden, and Sepiel rolled around on it, then lay on the grass with her arms and legs spread wide.
“Oh Baby, look at all this grass on you.”
“It’s fine to play, but you must be careful not to get hurt.”
“Yes.”
Marie and Berry gently brushed off the grass from her clothes and gave her a snack.
“Here you go. Today, it’s chocolate with roses.”
Sephiel’s mouth opened slightly at the sight of the chocolate, and Berry took the chance to pop it into her mouth.
“It’s deliwcious!”
“Isn’t it?”
“Yes!”
These colorful chocolates were a new creation of the Grand Duke’s chefs.
The first time Sephiel tasted it, she was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears.
<I’ve never had anytwhing this deliwcious before. I’m so happy>
One of the chefs, touched by Sephiel’s reaction, even teared up alongside her.
Some chefs decided to travel to other regions to learn new recipes. Others began studying nutritious meals specifically for children.
Sephiel had a profoundly positive influence.
And then…
“Your Highness.”
Marie and Berry bent their knees.
Before they knew it, Daihan was looking at Sephiel.
Berry quickly removed the grass from Sephiel’s pale cheeks and straightened her hair, which stood out like chick straw.
“Why are her cheeks so red? Is she sick?”
“No. She’s just too excited.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s happy.
Sephiel grabbed the hem of Berry’s clothes and stared at Daihan.
“Gyand Duke Uncle, whvere are ywou going?”
Daihan was wearing a long cloak like he had when he came and had a sword on his waist. Sephiel noticed that Daihan was wearing traveler’s clothing.
“Hmm. I thought I should take this opportunity to inspect our territory. It’s an important matter that I’ve neglected for too long.”
“And, will ywou come back?”
“No.”
Daihan shook his head.
“After that, I have a lot of other things to do, so I probably won’t be back for a few months.”
“Hmm…”
Sephiel felt a bit disappointed.
‘It’s strange. I just met him.….I felt like we had become a little closer.’
“Take care, baby raccoon.”
“Yes….”
Then, Daihan turned to Berry and gave an order.
“Take good care of the baby raccoon.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
Berry answered firmly.
“Gyand Duke Uncle, travyel safely. I will miss ywou.”
Sephiel spoke honestly. Daihan smiled faintly.
“But… What about him?”
“Him?”
“Did ywou say goodbye to him?”
The last time she had seen him, he had been irritated in front of Erata.
Sephiel thought of Erga.
“He’s sick, wight?”
“He’s always sick. It’s a chronic disease.”
Daihan replied indifferently.
Sephiel stared at him.
“He’ll manage on his own.”
“Is he still sleeping?”
Sephiel tugged on Daihan’s cloak and asked.
“He always sleeps.”
“Why?”
“Because I told him to,” Daihan replied.
“That myeans he can’t like anytwhing….”
The blush on Sephiel’s pale cheeks disappeared, revealing a sullen expression.
“Exactly. That’s the point.”
“….?”
“I told him not to love anything.”
Sephiel wanted to ask why, but Daihan didn’t wait. He stood up.
“It seems you need a tutor.”
Daihan murmured.
“It’s time for you to learn properly.”
At those words, Berry and Marie’s faces brightened.
“I must take responsibility for what I said in front of the Allegro royal family.”
Sephiel blinked, not understanding the significance of a dragon caring about a human.
In the end, Sephiel even saw Daihan off.
As he flew away on a wyvern, she held Berry’s hand and walked back to her room.
“You did well, Miss Baby.”
As Sephiel sat down on the small private sofa, Berry said.
“Huh? What?”
Sephiel tilted her head.
“It seems that the Grand Duke likes you, Miss Baby.”
“But ywou told me to avoid him before…”
“That was because we were worried he might be scary. But the upper ranks of the Grand Duke’s family are always generous to those they like.”
Berry said so and gently patted Sephiel’s head.
“Winning the hearts of the Grand Duke’s family means gaining the favor of the most powerful gods in this world. It’s not easy, but it’s a great achievement.”
“Mmm…”
Sephiel nodded, relieved that she was not hated.
Berry’s expression softened into a smile.
“The Grand Duke’s castle is peaceful again, isn’t it?”
“Yes…”
Sephiel nodded.
“I hope that one day, everyone in the Grand Duke’s family will be able to live happily together without any hardships.”
Once again, Sephiel didn’t fully grasp the meaning of those words.
“Thank you, Miss Baby.”
“For what?”
“When Queen Erata ordered my wrist to be broken, you provoked her on purpose, didn’t you?”
“…..”
Sephiel had done so because she was used to being hit.
And since Sephiel was the political marriage partner of the Grand Duke’s family, she knew Erata wouldn’t kill her. That was the calculation.
“You have a remarkable talent, Miss Baby. And a kind heart.”
“Thank ywou, Beyyi. I really like Beyyi, too.”
Berry smiled slightly.
“Miss Baby, our ancestors have left this land. Marie and I are the last succubus queens left in this land.”
“Beyyi, ywou’re amazing….”
‘Or was it that she was an amazing hybrid?’
Sephiel blinked in surprise.
“Succubi and incubi always have a pair of siblings who become the queen or king.”
“Wow… Ywou were a queen?”
“Hehe, it’s not as grand as it sounds. It’s just that we’re the only ones left.”
Berry shook her head.
“Then, where did Beyyi’s ancestyors go?”
“They all left this world. The ancient dragons. Or when the other dragons left.”
“Can they leave anytime? What if Beyyi goes somewhere too?”
Berry smiled, her eyes curving into crescents as she found Sephiel adorable.
“Oh, don’t worry. We can’t just leave anytime. A portal to another world only opens once every two or three decades, on the day when the blue moon rises and magic is at its strongest.”
Sephiel paused in thought.
‘So that’s how it is…’
The day the Grand Duke leaves this world.
That’s the day the blue moon rises.
“When is that day… coming again?”
Sephiel asked carefully.
“Hmm—we can predict a time, but we won’t know for sure until just before it happens. All we know is that the next blue moon is more than ten years away.”
“Ywou won’t know uwntil just before?”
“To be precise, we can know about a year in advance. The stars will foretell it. When the star that guides the blue moon appears, we know that the portal will open within a year or two.”
“Oh, I see…”
Sephiel now had a vague idea of when it would happen.
‘Right, the time Mitara was sent back—that must have been when the guiding star appeared.’
Sephiel’s mind became complicated.
‘So, is that how long a marriage has to last for it to be enough?’
Yeah, the promise between the Grand Duke and the humans never said divorce was forbidden.
‘If they stayed married for over a decade… Yeah, Mitara must have fulfilled her role.’
Sephiel figured that, around the same time, she too would leave the Grand Duke’s Castle.
“Miss Baby?”
“H-huh?”
Berry looked at Sephiel.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing!”
Berry widened her eyes before letting out a small laugh.
Then, she removed the ring from her finger.
“Miss Baby, Give me your hand.”
Without thinking, Sephiel held out her palm. Berry placed the ring onto it.
“This is a gift.”
“What Is it?”
Sephiel looked at the ring. It was a pretty silver ring with an unknown leaf engraved on it.
“This is our family heirloom. Please cherish it.”
“But it’s precyious! Can I really take somewthing like this?”
“It’s not about whether you can take it. I’m giving it to you because you’re special.”
Berry said softly.
“Whoever wears this ring will receive our kind’s help, no matter what world they are in. It’s a gift we only give to the most precious humans.”
Though she didn’t fully understand, Sephiel nodded quietly.
‘It would be rude to refuse, right? Berry must have thought long and hard before deciding to give this to me.’
So, Sephiel bowed her head deeply.
“I’ll cherish it. Thank ywou.”
* * *
‘Hmm, I don’t really know what it is, but… If it’s from the Succubus Queen, it must be amazing, right?’
‘Since I got something like this, the flower rings I usually make aren’t enough anymore.’
This time, Sephiel decided to make a full flower crown.
The Grand Duchess’ garden was very pretty, with many wildflowers growing there…
But there are no purple flowers.
‘Berry looked great in purple.’
Sephiel felt a bit disappointed.
She wanted to make a flower crown with purple as the main color.
‘Oh, that’s right!’
Outside the castle walls, along the nearby forest path, purple flowers were in full bloom.
‘Should I go for a bit?’
She wanted to make the perfect flower crown.
Sephiel put on her new shoes and walked briskly into the forest.
“Found it!”
Humming to herself, she picked the purple flowers.
‘I have to go quickly and make a crown.’
As she rushed back, she suddenly tripped.
–Thud.
Recently, she had been wearing a blanket like a cape, a special measure from Marie and Berry to protect her clothes while she rolled around in the grass.
“Ugh… Aw…”
She fell clumsily, and the blanket flopped over her, covering her vision completely.
“What are you doing?”
Just then, she heard a voice from above.
Her body tensed up.
‘It’s him!’
Erga. It was his voice.
Sephiel tried to get up. But before she could, the blanket was thrown away.
Dazzling sunlight poured down overhead.
And right in front of her—
A breathtakingly handsome boy, about ten years old.
Sephiel had to push herself up with both arms to stand properly.
Erga looked at her as if she were a stranger.
‘Does he forget my face every time? He always looks at me like he’s seeing me for the first time.’
“From above, you just looked like a flailing white ghost.”
“……”
“Who told you to do that?”
“I did.”
Sephiel pouted as she looked at Erga.
‘The Grand Duke said I could be here!’
That thought gave her a little confidence.
‘Of course… if he says he doesn’t want me here, then that’s another story….’
Her shoulders drooped again.
“What are ywou doing here?”
Sephiel dusted off her blanket and asked.
“I came to check if you were causing any trouble.”
“…..”
“But it looks like you already did. I heard something big happened.”
‘It seemed like he was talking about Erata.’
“That was just a little thing.”
Sephiel said.
“Okay.”
Erga said.
“B-but…”
Sephiel grabbed the hem of Erga’s clothes just as he was about to turn away.
“Where do you keep appearing from?”
Erga turned his gaze. Before he knew it, Sephiel followed his gaze.
‘Oh?’
Why hadn’t she noticed it before?
Something was glinting between the trees.
‘Treehouse!’
Sephiel’s eyes sparkled.
In her previous life, her brothers had a play forest with tree houses.
By the time she got out of her ‘prison,’ her brothers had already grown up and stopped playing there.
‘I read about it in books. A secret hideout for kids. Their first home. I always wanted to see one.’
“Why? Do you want to see it?”
Erga smiled faintly.
“Ywou’re just going to say no, wight?”
Sephiel pouted.
“Shall I show you?”
Sephiel hesitated.
‘I don’t really like him…’
But she did want to see the treehouse. And if she refused outright…
‘Wouldn’t he notice that I don’t like him?’
In the end, the only answer was yes.
Sephiel followed Erga up the tree.
“Wow…..”
An old tree house, with books and snacks inside.
“So, this is where ywou’ve been…..”
There’s even a tree house.
“Ywou’re wich…..” (you are rich)
Achieving the dream of owning a proper home at this age.
‘Besides, the Grand Duke’s castle will practically become his.’
Though he might leave for the world of the gods before that happens, Sephiel still thought that Erga was somewhat amazing.
“You look stupid.”
Erga looked at Sephiel.
“Don’t tell anyone that I sleep here. It wouldn’t be fun if they knew.”
“Yes! I’m really good at keeping secyets like that.”
Sephiel answered quickly.
* * *
