“Thank you─”

I bowed my head slightly and continued speaking.

“─Conrad.”

“......!”

“......!”

“......!”

“So pretty. I like Conrad.”

When I said this, clasping my hands together, Conrad laughed softly, “Ah.......”

“That was the freesia I gave you, wasn’t it? I’m glad you like it.”

Conrad looked genuinely happy at my greeting.

His eyes curved more than usual.

That’s when it happened.

“Kheuh.”

I heard a stifled sound, like someone struggling to hold back laughter.

I subtly turned my head and saw Marquis Debussy, looking like his face would burst.

He was trying to hold it in, but as soon as he glanced sideways at Grandfather, he burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Hahaha!”

I had never seen anyone laugh so wildly.

‘At first, he seemed so proper.’

It surprised me that he could laugh so loudly in front of Grandfather.

That reminded me of something I’d read in Ice. Black. Hand.

‘Grandfather is close friends with the Debussy Marquis family.’

Back in his youth, Grandfather was nothing — just the eleventh son of the previous generation.

Since then, the Debussy Marquis family had supported him steadily.

The Marquis’s older brother had even died protecting Grandfather.

‘That’s why he laughs so fearlessly.’

Debussy Marquis, laughing until his eyes glistened, said,

“Ah, to see the Duke with such an expression.”

“.......”

“I never thought I’d witness something like this in my lifetime.”

Grandfather wore a very fierce expression.

It looked like he might tear the Marquis apart at any moment.

‘The atmosphere’s tense.’

It seemed today wasn’t the right day to talk with Conrad; I’d better just do what I had to and go.

I took out the things I had brought with me from the room.

The crumpled item was a drawing I had made.

I approached Grandfather and held out the drawing.

“What’s this?”

“It’s Grandpa.” (할아버지예요.)

Lately, while spending idle time, I had drawn a lot of pictures.

I drew many people, including Grandfather.

“You know, Grandpa gives me bread and blankets.” (나 빵도 주고, 이불도 줘요.)

“.......”

“And when Grandpa is around, no one bothers me.” (할아버지가 있으면 절 아무도 안 괴롭혀요.)

“.......”

“Thank you.”

To win favor from someone important, bribery is always best.

I, having learned the dirty rules of social life, still remembered that.

Grandfather unfolded my drawing.

Though crooked and messy, it was clear I had tried hard.

He stared at the drawing and suddenly shouted,

“You should’ve given this first!”

Startled, I hid behind a maid without realizing it.

Debussy Marquis laughed wildly again, and Grandfather glared at him.

‘Why, why is he like that?’

Grandfather looked at me, frightened, then strode forward,

holding my drawing in his hand.

Conrad held my hand with a big smile.

He was walking me back to my room.

‘Now that Grandfather has left, we have time to talk.’

I checked that the maids were far away and looked at Conrad.

“Conrad.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Lots of people came today.” (오늘 사람 많이 왔어.)

“Yes, you received greetings from the cadet branch members.”

“Will many come tomorrow?”

“No. The castle will be quiet again starting tomorrow.”

“So what will happen tomorrow?”

I subtly asked Conrad about the castle’s schedule.

“You just enjoy yourself, Miss. You have a couple of months to relax.”

“Why?”

“Lessons have been delayed due to complicated circumstances.”

“.......”

“The aftermath of Marquis Tolliso’s case, and disbanding the main branch’s private army... Well, that’s probably too difficult for you to understand.”

Conrad, who liked me very much, explained things in simple terms.

Maybe because he thought I didn’t understand well.

‘Disbanded the main branch’s private army?’

That wasn’t in the novel.

Thinking quietly, I realized,

‘Ah.’

I understood that Conrad was a decoy in this incident.

He hadn’t betrayed anyone, yet the guard information was leaked.

There must be someone else who knows the guard information as well as the closest aides.

‘The Duke’s children.’

That’s why they disbanded the private army.

‘Wait, isn’t this an opportunity?’

We succeeded in entering the castle safely.

Now it was time to take the next step.

‘Save Father.’

Now was the right chance.

Since the main branch’s private army was disbanded, someone needed to fill that gap.

“Many adults and children came today.”

“Yes, cadet branch members brought their children.”

“Father is here with the children. But Erilot’s father isn’t.” (그런데 에릴로트는 아빠 엄써.)

“......!”

Conrad flinched.

He looked surprised and uneasy, then kneeled.

“Miss, you also have a father.”

He looked very sorrowful.

“He’s probably thinking of you from afar even now.”

“.......”

“You also have the Duke. The Duke thinks of you a lot.”

“.......”

“The cadet branch came to greet you today, right? The Duke ordered them to pay their respects to you.”

So that was it?

No wonder so many had come.

‘Maybe I became noticed after the attack!’

I was excited.

But Conrad still looked heartbroken.

Again and again, he whispered,

“You’re not alone. Your father is far away.”

‘Yeah, now let Grandfather realize it too.’

My father is far away.

Far enough not to be involved in the attack incident.

So Father is the “most trustworthy among the current children,” according to Grandfather.

Conrad escorted me back to my room and left.

I rested my chin in both hands and fell deep into thought.

‘But why was Grandfather angry?’

No matter how much I thought, there was only one answer.

Because I greeted Conrad first.

I groaned and grabbed the armrest.

‘Was Grandfather really that petty?’

From the novel, he was harsh, but not that mean...

Still, thankfully, I didn’t think he would actually harm me.

When he really decided to do something, he was cold and taciturn.

‘Anyway, I should be careful for a while.’

I can’t afford to make him dislike me and ruin my plans to bring Father here.

I came to that conclusion and got off the chair.

As I reached for the door handle, Maid Hilda called out,

“Where are you going?”

“Going to play.”

“Don’t go outside the main estate, okay? The cadet branch members who came to greet you are still inside, so it might be chaotic.”

At Hilda’s words, another maid, Greta, frowned.

“Why don’t you go back?”

“Probably stalling on purpose. Trying to talk to the powerful families inside.”

“Because of the conquered Marquis Tolliso territory?”

“Yes. The person to manage that land hasn’t been decided yet. They want to get some crumbs.”

“To treat Miss like that. Shameless.”

“When were they ever conscientious?”

The maids grumbled with grim faces.

While they argued, I opened the door.

The maids finished their talk and headed toward the corridor.

I called out to them as they left.

“Take care!”

I was escorted by the maids as I stepped into the corridor.

‘I should get familiar with the castle’s layout.’

Until now, I hadn’t roamed much because of fear of the guard monsters.

If I met a monster, I didn’t know what would happen to this small body.

But today, since many people were coming and going, the monsters had apparently been moved away.

They wouldn’t attack the cadet branch.

Instead, there were a huge number of soldiers guarding the castle.

So I decided to take this chance to explore.

Exploring the castle was fun.

‘Feels like an adventure!’

It was huge and magnificent, fun to look around.

I wandered around inside the main estate.

‘Wow, an armory. It really feels like a fantasy novel.’

‘This is the kitchen. I love the smell of fresh bread!’

‘The end of the fourth-floor corridor connects to another building.’

After wandering for a while, I came out the west exit on the first floor...

“Whoa?!”

There was a stunningly beautiful garden.

A trellis covered with fresh roses blooming even in winter.

Soft grass like a carpet.

A goddess statue holding a water jar, with clear water trickling from the jar.

I ran excitedly into the garden.

It was even more beautiful inside than it looked from outside.

Pretty stones were laid around the fountain.

I thought it would be nice to pick some shiny stones and give them to the maids.

I crouched down, trying to find the prettiest stones.

‘By the way, I need a way to make Grandfather recognize Father more clearly... Ah, this one is pretty.’

Just as I was about to pick up a stone, something thumped against my head.

“Ouch─!”

It hurt so much I collapsed.

‘What was that?’

Surprised, I looked up and saw a child about five or six years old.

Apparently, I’d bumped into the top of their head.

From their luxurious clothes, they were a noble child.

I’d heard the powerful families were trying to talk, and this must be one of their children.

“Ugh, ugh...”

The child rubbed their head and whimpered.

Then,

“Waaaaah─!”

The child burst into tears.

‘Oh no.’

I was already startled °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° from the head bump.

Now that the other kid was crying so loudly, I was completely flustered.

‘This will bring the side character penalty.’

Sure enough, my lips started to pout.

My nose tingled and tears filled my eyes.

My mind was slowly becoming that of a child.

I gripped my skirt tightly.

‘I can’t cry. This is near Grandfather’s study.’

Crying kids are a nuisance.

Grandfather might think I’m bothersome.

But no matter how hard I tried to hold it in, my nose kept running.

Then, from outside the garden, an adult’s voice called,

“Julian, where are you?”

“Mom─!”

The child cried louder, and the woman hurried over.

She hugged the crying child.

“What’s wrong?”

“Waaah!”

“Did you bump into someone? Let me see.”

She looked very worried.

“Who’s so careless─”

The woman frowned and sharply turned her head toward me.

Only then did I see her face clearly.

She was the noblewoman who had greeted me earlier.

She must remember me because her eyes widened when she saw me.

“Miss.”

“.......”

She seemed unable to say anything to the Duke’s granddaughter and sighed.

“My child was rude. Please forgive us.”

“.......”

“She’s still young. Please understand.”

After picking up the child, she bowed slightly to me.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

The child kept crying even as her mother carried her away.

“Yes, yes.”

“Mommy...”

“Shh. You have to learn to endure pain. Only then can you go to the Twelfth Tower.”

“But it hurts. It hurts!”

The child fussed loudly, but the woman didn’t look bothered at all.

She even gently stroked the child’s head several times with affection.

“.......”

I stood quietly until the mother and child disappeared into the distance.

Then I rubbed my head with both hands.

‘Even when stroked, it still hurts.’

So I’m not jealous at all.

...Not jealous.

That’s when it happened.

“Erilot.”

A familiar voice called.

I quickly turned and saw Grandfather.

“.......”

“Hoo...”

I tried to hold back, but tears welled up.

‘I’m crazy, I’m crazy!’

I’d just resolved to be careful in front of Grandfather a few hours ago.

Despite my effort, my childlike body with side character penalties couldn’t stop crying.

I covered my eyes with my palms and sobbed.

“Daaddy...”

Mom was gone, so I could only call for Father.

‘This damn novel.’

Dahlia possessed me as an adult, but now I was stuck in this tiny child’s body, with penalties too?

It made me even sadder.

But something big landed on my head.

Like resting on a sofa armrest.

It was Grandfather’s hand.

A very awkward touch.

But.

Still...

“Waaah─!”

I cried louder, and Grandfather stiffened.

For some reason, I really wasn’t jealous of that kid anymore.

Debussy Marquis sighed.

The Duke who had left earlier, disgusted at himself for laughing all day, returned holding Erilot in his arms.

So the terrible Duke, who seemed barely bigger than his own forearm, was holding a tiny child...

It had been 30 years serving the Duke.

I never dared imagine such a thing.

Erilot was peacefully asleep in the Duke’s arms.

‘What kind of harmony is this... Wait.’

Erilot’s eyes were bloodshot.

“Did she make you cry?”

“Clear off the jacket from the sofa.”

“No place to make such a young lady cry.”

“.......”

“She’s the one who jumped off the cliff to save the Duke.”

The Duke threw his jacket at Debussy Marquis’s face.

The Marquis narrowed his brows, making a displeased noise.

“You threw something at the young lady?”

“She got hurt in the garden.”

Debussy Marquis finally nodded in understanding.

Then the Duke covered Erilot, who was lying on the sofa, with his jacket.

“What happened?”

“She seems to have bumped into a cadet branch child.”

“You’re the one who didn’t cry even after spraining your wrist from jumping off the cliff. Must be a serious injury?”

“It was more about something else than pain.”

The Duke recalled Erilot in the garden.

She had looked enviously at the cadet branch child being stroked by her mother, then stroked her own head.

“What is it?”

Debussy Marquis pressed.

The Duke clicked his tongue.

“She envied the cadet branch child with her mother.”

“.......”

Debussy Marquis quietly examined Erilot’s face.

“No wonder she feels so sad.”

“.......”

“You know it too, Duke.”

The life of Duke Astra had been terrible.

The previous Duke had been obsessed with ‘creating’ a child with a special Blessing.

The current Duke, Chronos Astra, was one of those children.

His father was ruthless.

He locked his own child away in a laboratory for all kinds of experiments.

“You once envied a child who was with her mother while you were in the lab.”

“That’s something I don’t even remember.”

The Duke sat silently in his chair.

After glancing at Erilot, he turned to Debussy Marquis.

“What about the second generation (the Duke’s children)?”

Debussy Marquis handed over papers.

It was a report investigating the whereabouts of the second generation.

The Duke’s eyes darkened as he scanned the documents.

Schemes to win over retainers.

Contacts with the royal family.

Embezzlement of the family fortune.

All sorts of offenses.

Debussy Marquis sighed.

“There are no traces related to Marquis Tolliso, but...”

“.......”

“Their actions are excessive.”

“.......”

“We need someone to keep the second generation in check.”

The Duke recalled what he heard today.

“It seems the young lady thinks she has no father. Well, he’s too far away. It would be good for her to meet him once...”

What Conrad had told me.

And,

“Daaddy...”

After a brief silence, the Duke looked at Debussy Marquis.

“Summon Daimond.”

“......!”

Debussy Marquis’s eyes grew wide.

Daimond Astra.

The Duke’s second son.

He was known by many titles.

Born with the most powerful Blessing in the Astra family.

The battlefield monster.

The undefeated knight.

He boasted being the strongest in the empire by force.

He was Erilot’s father.

‘Though he and the Duke have the worst relationship, one thing is clear.’

He probably couldn’t have been involved in the attack incident from so far away.

But it was strange.

‘Why did the Duke, who never cared about Daimond, suddenly...?’

I had no idea.

Shortly after, a messenger set off toward the north where Daimond was, carrying the recall order.