The Troublemaker Daughter of the Grand Duke Wants To Live Alone

A letter from Astina came.

It has been a long time since I received one. My head was spinning with thoughts of Demimore, not to mention when my father lost his memory and then regained it.

So I hadn’t been paying attention to Astina at all. Lately, Lucas and I have been thinking about what to do with Laminaicho.

Laminaicho boasts vibrant vitality even in the season of death.

I tried it myself when I was young. However, it felt strange to think that this could be a way to deal with the god of death.

Father suggested that we should try sprinkling pure, unrefined laminaicho on a sword, and Lucas was stunned to hear that.

As the vaguely conceived value of laminaicho began to materialize, I could see how ridiculous my father’s suggestion was.

But father doused his sword with a vial of the laminaicho potion, his face showing an unreadable resolve…….

It was obvious that the seemingly reckless boldness stemmed from the hypothesis that we might be able to deal with the God of Death using Laminaicho.

To use such a precious thing like that, without knowing what would happen? Lucas nearly fainted, and his face turned pale as I foolishly stood there with an arrow in my hand.

“What did Astina say?”

Hestia asked in a cheerful voice beside me as I read Astina’s letter almost word for word.

Hestia, who had nearly doubled the power of the Knights of Conler through training in my absence, had been offered a leave of absence with the reinstatement of the Knights Commander, but had declined.

She said she would take her leave after everything was settled.

My father said she could take a few days off now that he had his memory back, but Hestia was stubborn.

She insisted that she would take a very long vacation after everything was over.

Of course, that’s what she said, but I knew. It might be an excessive sense of responsibility, but I felt like she couldn’t leave because of me.

“She’s going to visit the Grand Duchy!”

“Really? You must be so happy.”

“It’s been so long since I saw Astina.”

Astina’s letter was a mixture of sympathy for all the hardships I faced, and resentment that I’d disappeared without a word.

Once the subtle feelings I used to have for Astina when I thought there was an original story seemed to fade somewhat. I realized that she was really a kind friend.

My lips twitched when she asked if she could visit the Grand Duchy soon, both to share the good news and to see my face.

“It’s been a while since I saw it, too.”

“Astina?”

“No. The young lady smiling so brightly.”

Hestia smiled sweetly and gave me a quick hug.

In a whisper, Hestia said that she would let Bonita know that Astina was coming to visit the Grand Duchy. She was actually worried about me since I didn’t look good even after the Grand Duke got his memory back.

Looking at Hestia’s back like that, I recalled the night when Demimore and Arsene visited.

Arsene said Demimore didn’t seem to be in such good condition.

He’d just woken up after spending a good deal of his power creating a potion to deal with X. He had fallen ill and just recently recovered when this happened.

Arsene spoke in a calm voice as if it were no big deal, but I could only hear that Demimore could have been in great danger.

“But why didn’t you stop him?”

I blurted out words that seemed to blame Arsene subtly and then covered my mouth. In any case, the decision was made by Demimore.

Demimore watched the strange war of nerves between me and Arsene. His lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he soon closed them.

Demimore clearly said that it was not only for me but also for his mother that he chased the god of death and dealt with X.

However, I kept thinking that Demimore could live a little happier and safer if it wasn’t for me.

“I told you, it’s not my fault. My father chose Demimore.”

“Why would Demimore…….”

“And he did it.”

There was awe in Arsene’s gaze as he looked at Demimore. Arsene is right. Demimore had done it.

Because he killed X, who was under the god of death. He even fell ill for three days from planning how to deal with X and eventually confronted him.

How could he believe the plan is perfect…..If he messed up, I might never see Demimore again.

I glanced at the bruise on his neck that had been bothering me since earlier.

“I’m really fine.”

It’s just a bruise, he says he doesn’t feel any pain, but what if there’s an internal injury we haven’t discovered? A curse that will reveal itself later, if not now…….

“I’m sorry I did it without consulting you.”

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“I knew you’d object if you knew I was planning something like this, but I didn’t have the courage to face that opposition.”

Do I have the courage to face someone I don’t even know? His overly cheerful face felt irritating, so I pinched his cheek.

Demimore winced in pain, yet he couldn’t hide his smile.

“Thank you, Demimore.”

“Then can you do me a favor?”

Demimore said. Well, of course, I could. I nodded my head vigorously.

If he asked me for my entire fortune, I could give it to him.

“I’ve asked Lausanne to write a novel, is that okay?”

It was something Demimore had said when she came to where I was before. As soon as I heard those words, I looked towards Arsene.

He just shrugged, like he had nothing else to say.

Demimore and Arsene had already finished talking about the novel, and it was up to me, her reincarnation, to decide.

“It’s just my desire, I want Arsene to be happy, and I hope your previous self will no longer be unhappy. I don’t want the God of Death to be feared by people anymore.”

Yeah, maybe Arsene will get his powers back.

It’s a story I don’t remember anyway, and he’s the one who owns those memories, so I don’t see why I should object.

“Tell Lausanne I’d like her to refer to the poem.”

“The poem?”

“A night with a red moon. I made a wreath of laurel and put it on my head.

Things that were obviously done by the devil. A heavy phrase mixed with love. That’s how I drown in the mirror of Larta.”

I remembered a poem I had learned in the past, as if I were sweeping the dust from an old fairy tale book I had found for a very long time in the attic.

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed fitting for her relationship with the God of Death.

“How do you know that poem?”

Luckily, Demimore knew it too, so he nodded, but it was Arsene’s reaction that was strange.

He almost flew over to me and asked how I knew the poem in an accusing tone.

“Huh? This was a popular poem on the continent…….”

“That little bastard… It was a letter he wrote to Larta.”

“Larta?”

“The name of your past life.”

“Wasn’t Larta the name of a god?”

“No……. It was the name of the saint who guarded the temple.”

Larta. I felt a little queasy at hearing my past life’s name for the first time. Perhaps the God of Death had spread the poem on purpose.

No wonder. When I first heard this poem, it was very unpleasant.

How could such unrequited love be considered love? That’s what I had thought. But to think that it was a letter from the God of Death to her.

“Larta…….”

I was taken aback because I didn’t expect to hear my previous self’s name.

But I couldn’t say anything more, because Arsene’s face was on the verge of collapse when he heard the name.

I’ve been in this state ever since Arsene and Demimore returned.

I’d better not let Astina worry when she gets here.

***

When I heard that the Marquis Bourneau’s carriage was almost there, I ran out in joy.

The Marquis of Bourneau’s carriage drove up and stopped in front of the castle. The coachman opened the door and Astina jumped out.

Astina had grown up in the years since I had seen her, and her lustrous blonde hair flowed in the breeze.

It was like looking at an illustration of a princess in the middle of a fairy tale.

“Astina!”

“Mary!”

As soon as our eyes met, we called out each other’s names and Astina practically flew to me and hugged me tightly.

Smelling Astina’s unique sweet scent made me feel a little relaxed.

“Mary, I have a present for you.”

Astina wiped the tears from her eyes and said excitedly. A gift? It would have been enough for her to just come. But still, the word “gift” brought a sense of anticipation.

“Come out quickly!”

Astina shouted at the carriage, and a man stepped out of it. He was a pale, plain-looking man.

Who could it be?

“Mary, do you remember him?”

“…….”

The way Astina said it, it sounded like I knew him.

Squinting at him, I suck in a breath at the familiar traces left all over his face.

“……Leo.”

“It’s Leo!”

Me and Astina said his name at the same time.