Chapter 41

After Knox suggested taking the baby to a Monster Lovers’ Association gathering—

our secret life living together with the baby was continuing far more smoothly than expected.

“Lady Aisha, are you awake?”

Whenever the head maid, Mai, came to greet me in the morning, I would naturally shove the fluffball beneath the blankets while only lifting my own upper body.

Whenever I ate lunch with older brother Lucas, or had dinner together with both him and mister added in, the fluffball stayed alone in the bedroom.

At first, I worried it might wander off somewhere, but the baby spent most of its time sleeping.

I got worried that maybe it was sick, so I even read a book called The Only Lifeform That Rules Over Nobles: Cats, but fortunately, it said sleeping a lot as a kitten was normal.

The problem is sending the baby to the Monster Lovers’ Association gathering.

I groaned in thought.

‘Mister Knox. But would duke mister even allow you and me to go out alone together?’

‘If he refuses, I’ll simply take the monster by myself.’

‘What if the baby hates you?’

‘Then I can put it in a wooden box and carry it there.’

Despite being a monster fanatic, Knox lacked consideration toward living creatures in certain areas.

That method probably would lower the chance of getting caught, but I still couldn’t help worrying.

What if the baby gets so scared inside the wooden box that it faints?

The delusion that began that way gradually grew bigger and bigger.

What if everyone in the Monster Lovers’ Association is an MBTI T-type like Knox?

Gasp. Then Knox would place the terrified baby on top of a table.

And then all those monster fanatics would crowd around our baby. Stare at it. Dissect it. Research it.

At the ominous thought, my starfish-like little hand spread wide.

“No!”

The moment I accidentally shouted—

“What’s not okay?”

Lucas, happily swinging his legs while eating cake, blinked his eyes.

Ah. Crap.

Only then returning to reality, I stammered before pointing at the cake.

“This! I wanted this....”

It was the last remaining slice of strawberry cake.

“Uh....”

Flustered, Lucas hesitated for a moment before handing the final slice to me for the sake of his younger sister.

“I left it on purpose to give to my younger sister. Hurry and eat it!”

Your eyes are trembling like poplar leaves for someone supposedly saying that.

“Just kidding—!”

Giggling, I snatched the fork Lucas was holding and held it up to his mouth.

“What kind of joke scares someone like that? Well, whatever. Thanks.”

Only then sighing in relief, Lucas took a huge bite of cake and smiled in satisfaction.

While Lucas proceeded to practically lick the cake plate clean, I reached a conclusion.

I need to attend that Marimo or Masamo or whatever gathering too.

I’m the baby’s guardian. I’m protecting the baby!

To do that, though, I needed duke mister’s permission.

“So Mister Knox is going to the royal palace this time? I bet the palace is suuuper shiny and fancy, right?”

Acting. Once again. Smooth everything over with cuteness.

Charging straight into the office, I squirmed into the chair across from duke mister.

Then flower pose. Glittering eyes attack.

“.......”

At the burdensome stare, Calypse removed his glasses and sighed while working.

“What is it.”

“I wanna go. I wanna go to the royal palace too.”

“No. It hasn’t even been that long since the incident during the heir selection trial. What if something dangerous happens on the way there?”

“But Knox will be there?”

“He’s weaker than you.”

“Then I’ll protect myself—”

“No.”

Flatly refusing, mister narrowed his warning triangle-eyes before abruptly turning his head back to his work.

“.......”

I puffed out my lips.

What do I do?

Cuteness wasn’t working. Duke mister’s worry was bigger than my cuteness.

In that case, in that case—

Pressing my fingers against my temples, I tightly shut my mouth.

Think. Use your brain.

And then it happened.

...Then maybe the word Father would work too.

One small memory lingering unconsciously in my mind.

A muttered whisper mister had once said to himself.

Come to think of it, Lucas gets called older brother, but I’m still just mister.

Thinking back on it now, duke mister had subtly been jealous.

Then should I try asking while calling him Father?

It’s a cheat code. This is absolutely a cheat code!

One corner of my conscience screamed that using Father for the first time for such a materialistic reason was awful, but—

This is for protecting the baby.

I squeezed my eyes shut and steeled my resolve.

Father. Father’s golden seed, for today’s greater cause, I shall become a fire-attribute seed.

Please forgive your pitiful daughter.

“Shorty.”

At that moment—

Perhaps bothered by the fact that I was still glued to the chair, Calypse looked toward me from his paperwork.

“You still haven’t left?”

“.......”

“I understand wanting to see the royal palace, but no matter what, I’m worried—”

“Father.”

The instant I muttered it in a tiny ant-like voice—

Calypse, who had been working, flinched.

Then he stared at me with eyes widened enormously, as though he couldn’t believe what he’d heard.

Hmm. Calling someone Father is more embarrassing than I expected.

Right then—

“Aisha.”

Momentarily stunned out of his senses, Calypse called my name, but I suddenly became embarrassed and fidgeted with my fingers.

“Aisha. What did you just call me?”

“F... Father.”

“What?”

He had definitely heard me, but he asked again anyway.

“I didn’t hear you. Say it again.”

As he kept asking, the corners of his mouth slowly began lifting.

“...I called you Father.”

When I answered timidly and lowered my head deeply, Calypse’s twitching lips curled upward without resistance.

“Aisha.”

“.......”

“You called me Father because you wanted to go to the royal palace?”

Father. Must you humiliate me like this?

Will you only be satisfied after turning me into a fire-attribute dutiful daughter?

I had a lot I wanted to say internally, but in reality, all I could do was nod while sticking my lips out like a duck.

“Yes.”

Answering quietly, I gathered up nonexistent courage and cautiously looked at Calypse.

But then—

Calypse was smiling.

Not only that, he was smiling brightly enough to show his white teeth.

“A real daughter really is...”

Unable to finish his sentence, he shook his head before curling his lips upward and resting his chin on one hand as he stared at me.

Then he readily agreed.

“Fine. Go with Knox.”

“...Huh?”

I thought he was laughing to tease me.

At the completely unexpected reversal, my eyes slowly widened.

“Instead, I’m sending a massive escort of knights with you, so absolutely no wandering off alone. Naturally, I’ll also give Knox strict orders. He’ll monitor you twenty-four hours a day.”

“Gasp. Y-Yes sir!”

“I’ll send advance notice to the royal family beforehand, so once you arrive at the palace, behave yourself properly. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“But in exchange.”

I shouted happily at the smoothly continuing conversation—

only for that ominous warning but in exchange to follow afterward.

My expression stiffened, and Calypse, staring intently at me, smiled meaningfully before tapping his cheek with one finger.

“A kiss on the cheek.”

Good lord.

As expected of Duke Calypse.

He never made a losing deal.

Guardedly, I asked,

“Was Father not enough?”

“A parent’s love has no end.”

Chuckling softly, Calypse lowered his gaze back to the documents.

It sounded like if I refused, I could forget all dreams of the royal palace.

Ugh. It can’t be helped.

Remove the fire-attribute part from fire-attribute dutiful daughter.

From now on, call me Filial Daughter Sim Cheong.

Squirm—

Climbing onto the chair, I awkwardly leaned my upper body forward and puckered my lips toward Calypse’s cheek.

“There. Happy?”

I asked with a dissatisfied face, and Calypse nodded while forcibly suppressing the upward curve threatening to rise at the corners of his mouth.

“Go to the royal palace.”

“Yes! Oh yeah!”

A little while later.

“Mister Knox. I did it! Father gave permission! Which means I can now legally go to the royal palace too!”

Running over to Knox, I raised my fingers into a victorious V-sign.

At my words, Knox—normally lacking in reactions—widened his eyes.

“Lady Aisha.”

“Yes?”

“Did you just say Father?”

“......?”

Ah.

Caught completely off guard by the question, I realized I had naturally referred to Calypse as Father.

Crap.

Now we really were family.