I looked at him with a startled expression.

“How did Father come back?”

Of course, I had probed Grandpa a little through Conrad to get Father to return.

But I never thought Father could come back so soon.

“I thought it would take much longer.”

Father slowly walked over to Uncle Decons.

Uncle Decons snapped angrily,

“What are you doing on Father’s birthday!”

He seemed quite bold, but I could see him stepping back.

Though Uncle was so harsh to me, in front of Father he looked like a mouse before a cat.

Father’s mouth curled up crookedly.

“Wow, he really looks like Grandpa.”

When he sneered like that, it was almost a carbon copy.

“Decons, I told you to stop yelling regardless of the situation.”

“......”

“You’re shortening your lifespan.”

“W-What did I do! Stop acting rashly in front of Brother and Father—hic!”

Uncle Decons babbled on, but as soon as Father put a hand on his shoulder, he took a breath.

Father tapped his cheek with his hand, stained with blood.

His face was expressionless, but his aura was terrifyingly ominous.

Uncle Decons, trembling in his legs, collapsed with a thud.

“If we look at sheer personal strength, Uncle Decons is absolutely no match for Father.”

No one in this castle could oppose Father with force.

It was said Grandpa didn’t deal with his troublesome sons because “there was no one capable of handling them.”

“That’s enough.”

It was Grandpa’s voice.

Grandpa fixed a dry gaze on Father and said,

“Even after being thrown into the battlefield for so long, your recklessness hasn’t changed.”

“A dog’s son can never be more than a dog.”

A dog’s son is a puppy.

Father is Grandpa’s son.

Then Grandpa is...

“Ugh!”

Father and Grandpa’s gazes clashed fiercely in midair.

The atmosphere sharpened, and Marquis Debussy started to bring order.

“It’s getting late. How about ending the banquet here, Your Grace?”

Grandpa, still locking eyes with Father, answered,

“Agreed.”

Immediately, the maids hurried over.

“Miss, shall we go?”

“Mm...”

I glanced at Father a few times and left the banquet hall.

The next day.

I jumped out of bed as soon as the sun rose.

And hurriedly told the maids to help me change clothes.

“Yes, Miss. We’ll get you ready quickly.”

The maids who knew why I was so flustered giggled quietly.

Hilda undid the buttons of my pajamas and said,

“Sir Daymond is still at the castle today, isn’t he? You must be happy he’s here.”

I nodded obediently.

“Of course. He’s my lifeline.”

Though Grandpa had accepted me somewhat now, I didn’t know what would happen later.

Grandpa had many grandchildren with excellent abilities; his attention might shift to them.

Then I’d be an outcast again.

“Especially if Grandpa passes away...”

What’s an outcast? I might become a boiled egg to be chewed on by those relatives.

To prepare for that, I needed Father’s help.

“I have to stay in his good graces.”

Yesterday, since Father had just returned, I had business to take care of and couldn’t greet him.

I washed my face clean and dressed neatly.

“You’re going to see Sir Daymond, right? Then we’ll prepare to accompany you...”

“No!”

“Huh?”

“I’m going alone.”

The maids gasped and glanced at each other, then burst out laughing.

They must think I’m shy about meeting Father.

That’s not it—Hilda and Greta are Daymond’s people.

Father doesn’t trust Daymond’s staff.

I don’t know why, but if Daymond’s people are nearby, we can’t have deep conversations.

The maids handed me an umbrella.

“Sir Daymond is mostly at the barracks. You have to go outside the castle, and it’s supposed to rain today.”

I thought the weather was getting warmer; spring must be coming soon.

“Yes.”

After putting on my raincoat too, I waved my hands at the maids and went outside.

“Father won’t just dote on me.”

If he had, he would have sent at least one letter while I stayed in the Twelfth Tower.

“That, and...”

I recalled the content of Ice.Black.Hand.

On a dark night, Erilot was listening outside Uncle’s room.

“Is it possible that Erilot isn’t the daughter of Uncle Daymond who passed away?”

“Yes. Daymond was at the battlefield long before Erilot was born. How could he have made a child on the battlefield?”

“But why did Grandpa accept Erilot then?”

“There’s talk that she was born as an experiment.”

“Born as an experiment? A ‘homunculus’? Impossible! Human creation has never succeeded even once. Above all, experiments like that are strictly forbidden by law!”

“That’s why Father had no choice but to officially declare her as Daymond’s daughter.”

Of course, there was no evidence for those claims.

But I could imagine it might be true. If I was an artificial human, it would explain why I had no Blessing despite being noble.

Father was already cold to family; if I was a fake daughter, he might completely ignore me.

“I have to show him I’m smart and useful.”

I walked briskly.

It was really raining outside.

‘I like rainy days.’

I opened my yellow umbrella and walked through the rain.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

Humming, I splashed through puddles. For bigger puddles, I hopped over them.

On the way, I spotted something in the grass—a tiny light-green frog.

“Froggy...!”

I chased after the hopping frog.

The little thing was incredibly fast.

Just as I barely reached out my hand—

Thud!

I tripped over a stone and fell.

Right in front of my face, the frog hopped away.

“Oh no.”

I heard an adult voice nearby.

Looking up, I saw men holding umbrellas.

Though their faces were hidden by umbrellas, their legs were wrapped in greaves—they were soldiers.

One soldier approached, grabbed my side, and helped me up.

“Why’s a kid like you lying here?”

More soldiers gathered.

Only then could I see their faces clearly.

‘Gasp.’

Why do they all look so fierce?

A man huge as a bear.

One with a long scar across his eye.

Another with a face completely burnt.

They were terrifying to a child.

The huge man frowned.

“What kid is this?”

“You should know by looking—blonde hair, red eyes.”

“She’s Miss Erilot Astra, the general’s daughter.”

The soldiers surrounded me, whispering.

When one group of soldiers arrived, another group came from behind.

“Miss Erilot?”

“Why is the lady at the barracks?”

“Did she come for breakfast?”

Then another group.

“Erilot’s here for breakfast?”

“What nonsense.”

In no time, I was surrounded by soldiers with serious looks.

I gripped the umbrella handle tightly.

Main estate, Duke’s office.

Duke Astra was reviewing documents Daymond handed over. It was a report on the current war status.

As soon as the Duke finished reviewing, Daymond stood.

“If you’ve confirmed, I’ll be going now.”

“When will you return to your territory?”

“I’ll get rid of those annoying faces within this week, so don’t worry.”

“How long will you keep speaking like that? Don’t forget I’m letting you off.”

“Thanks for that.”

Their gazes clashed fiercely in midair.

Daymond bowed his head, holding the document stamped with the Duke’s seal, and left the room.

Walking down the hall, Daymond’s adjutant Enzo followed.

“What’s the situation?”

Daymond handed the stamped document to Enzo.

Enzo’s expression hardened.

“The budget for your territory was drastically cut! Ten thousand soldiers have returned, yet instead of increasing the budget, it’s been cut!”

“The old man’s intentions are obvious. He’s blocking funds to tame me.”

“If you treat him like that, why send the general back?”

The other brothers were loosening the reins, so he intended to tighten them properly.

Of course, he first needed to tame the obedient dog.

“A sly old man.”

Enzo frowned.

“What will you do now?”

“I won’t be toyed with on a palm.”

Enzo sighed.

The two headed straight to the barracks.

“What about the soldiers?”

“The hundred elite troops are at the barracks; the rest are on the estate outskirts. Once permission is granted, they’ll head to the territory.”

“Make sure to strictly control the elite troops. If any trouble arises, the old man’s sons will see this as a chance to dismantle my army.”

“Yes.”

Special care was taken managing the elite troops.

They were skilled fighters Daymond had gathered from all over.

Former slaves.

Mercenaries.

Criminals.

Even beastmen.

With just a hundred elite soldiers, they destroyed the borders of the Peligan Kingdom.

They were terrifyingly powerful.

But there was a problem...

“They’re all bottom-tier scum, so they’re ferocious beyond words.”

Wherever they went, they left ruin.

These elite soldiers were called “Beasts of Daymond’s Territory.”

“I have to return to the territory quickly.”

The leashes on the wild dogs could snap any moment.

Just as they were entering the barracks, Daymond stopped abruptly.

“What’s that?”

Enzo naturally stopped behind him.

“The training grounds? Ah, since not training for even a day makes one restless, I got permission from the estate guards to train...”

“What kind of training is that?”

Training was always the same. What could be different?

Enzo looked puzzled and stared at the training ground from behind Daymond.

The elite troops were crowded, chatting noisily.

And among them was a bright yellow chick—no, a child in a yellow raincoat.

The child trembled, scared by the fierce men.

Our eyes met; the child ran breathlessly toward me and clung tightly to my leg.

“Abammi! (Father!)”

Daymond’s expression stiffened unusually, as if surprised.

I clung to Father’s leg like a cicada.

‘I was really scared.’

I, who had only seen well-raised nobles, found these soldiers terrifying.

They still carried the harshness of the battlefield, and their appearances alone were frightening.

“Is this the general’s daughter?”

“No, it’s not ‘this,’ it’s Miss.”

“Are kids really this small?”

“I, I want to, to, to hold her.”

“Ha ha! Mosco, if it were you, I’d crush her with one hand!”

I was trembling, afraid I might really be crushed.

Then like a savior, Father appeared.

His gaze was scary, but better than a 3-meter giant with monster scales on his skin.

“Miss?”

A man behind Father spoke.

He was a likeable man with steel-blue hair.

“Oh, this is Enzo, the general’s adjutant.”

“Hello...”

“Yes, nice to meet you. But why did you come here?”

“Hilda gave me an umbrella and a raincoat. I’m going to Father. Because it’s raining.”

Startled, my speech became even more clumsy than usual.

“So, you’re saying you came to see the general...?”

I nodded.

The soldiers laughed heartily.

“Cute, so cute.”

“That’s what it’s like having kids!”

Their laughter was so hearty the barracks shook.

When Father frowned, the laughter stopped abruptly.

“You’ve relaxed since returning from the battlefield.”

The fierce-looking soldiers flinched.

Enzo hurriedly gestured, and the soldiers quickly lined up.

Father put his hand on his waist and said,

“You have ten minutes. Prepare for training and return to the training ground.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers turned pale and ran off in a rush.

Then Father looked at me.

“...How long are you going to hold on?”

Enzo smiled awkwardly.

“The soldiers look fierce, and she seems very scared. Would it be better to hold her?”

That’s a very good idea.

But I couldn’t keep acting like a spoiled child, so I quietly stepped back.

“Erilot, walk on your own...”

Enzo seemed amused by me.

After all, he had spent more than five years in the bloody battlefield; a child my age was probably cute to him.

I tiptoed after Father, holding onto his pants.

“......”

“......”

‘I might look like a spoiled child...’

I knew that, but my heart was pounding so much it was still impossible to let go completely.

Fortunately, Father only glanced at me and said nothing.

I followed him and entered a building in the barracks.

‘I need something to make up for this.’

That’s when Enzo spoke.

“Will you host a return feast for the soldiers?”

“They’re men who have ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ fought for five years. They must be expecting a return feast.”

“But with the budget cuts, it won’t be easy. No money for a feast...”

So Grandpa cut the budget.

“He’s trying to tame Father.”

When parents tame their child, the first thing they usually do is cut their territory’s budget.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head.

I shook Father’s pants.

“Erilot, there’s money.”