Chapter 68

“Aisha, sit on Father’s lap.”

And so, here I was.

“Your Grace. The desserts you ordered are ready. We have a three-tiered tray piled high with macarons and strawberry cream cake.”

“Put the strawberry cake in front of Dandelion.”

“Young Lord Lucas? The cake was prepared for you...”

How had things ended up like this?

“What do you think matters right now?!”

Bang!

“!”

When Lucas slammed his fist into the table, the startled servants scattered in every direction.

In the end, I sat on Calypse’s lap in front of the portrait and was forced to nibble on the cake Lucas kept feeding me.

What’s the problem? What did I do wrong? ℴ

Boing.

My tense twin tails shot straight upward.

This was an emergency.

As I rolled the situation around in my mind, I thankfully managed to come up with a few theories.

First, Calypse was sensitive when it came to family.

So when I started talking about bloodlines, I must have provoked Father...

Second, Lucas had unleashed a roar.

And that must also be because I talked about bloodlines and... provoked Lucas...

Therefore, my conclusion was—

The maids had joked that I resembled the Duchess, and I had taken it too seriously, so Father and my older brother must be angry.

“......”

Then this is my fault, isn’t it?

While I was still reeling in confusion—

“Aisha. You let your hair down today, and you’re dressed so prettily. You look like Mother in that portrait, don’t you?”

I had been deep in thought when that terrifyingly low voice suddenly questioned me.

This is...

This is a test!

A question designed to distinguish between the adopted child and the true bloodline.

He was clearly probing me.

An adorable adopted daughter who knows her place. That is who I am.

Flash—

Flames blazed in my blue eyes as I opened them.

Father. Though my heart aches, I am already grateful beyond measure that you adopted me.

Since it has come to this, I shall become the greatest adopted daughter in existence!

Having steeled my resolve, I answered with conviction.

“No! I would never dare claim that I bear even the slightest resemblance to the Duchess—”

“Tsk.”

Ah. Was that not it?

“The Duchess and I come from entirely different bloodlines—”

“Tsk.”

That was not the answer either?

My eyes rolled to the side, and I answered even more emphatically.

“The Duchess, whose very birth placed her in a completely different class from me, was conceived as a noble lady, raised on a balanced and nutritious diet, and educated in the ways of the aristocracy until she became an intelligent and wise Duchess. Meanwhile, I was born in some nameless basement room, never knew who my parents were, and first held a dagger at the age of three—”

“Lucas. Stuff cake into her mouth.”

“Yes.”

“Mmmph!”

At Father’s order, Lucas launched a cake attack.

Unable to mount even a single counterattack, I collapsed beneath the merciless assault.

Ah.

That sweet and terrible scent of sugar.

In the end, I failed to resist temptation and began chewing the cake.

Munch, munch.

“...What did I even do wrong...?”

I felt wronged too.

I had merely told Calypse and Lucas what I thought they wanted to hear.

And while I was at it, I had clearly established my position.

“I was only being honest...!”

“Wipe your mouth first.”

Because my mouth was full of cake, my words came out muffled.

Father lowered his gaze and wiped the cream from the corner of my lips.

Then he spoke in a stern, quiet voice.

“You. Who am I?”

What a philosophical question.

I pushed out my lips and answered.

“My father.”

Then Father’s long, straight finger pointed toward the Duchess.

“If I am your father, then who is she?”

Gulp.

After barely swallowing the cake, I answered with crisp pronunciation.

“Duchess Ariana Kreutz.”

“And your mother.”

“What? No, that’s... I am not the Duchess’s daughter. I know my place.”

“...What?”

The faces of Calypse above me and Lucas beside me stiffened slightly.

“......?”

Why did the atmosphere suddenly feel so ominous?

Even Mai, who had been watching from a distance, had come over and was now staring at me with concern.

Did I really do something wrong?

I had not been a planned adoption.

I was simply a child who had rolled into their lives by chance.

A capable and cheerful adopted daughter who still knew where the line was.

Was that not my role?

That was what I had believed.

“No.”

A large palm covered the top of my head as the deep voice spoke with absolute certainty.

“I know exactly what you are thinking with that tiny head of yours, and it is not what you think.”

It was not?

Then what was it?

I wanted to ask, but I was afraid of provoking him further, so I merely tilted my head.

Calypse continued.

“When Father was twenty-two, I met Mother in the Kingdom of Doctia.”

His touch gently kneaded my cheek.

His soft, affectionate voice settled around my ears as though he were reading me a storybook.

My ears perked up.

“It was an event I had to attend whether I wanted to or not. A friendship banquet was being held between the Kingdom of Doctia and the Frozen Kingdom, and as a high-ranking noble, Father was required to be there.”

“Is this the story of how you and Mother first met?”

Lucas asked.

It seemed this was his first time hearing it too.

Calypse gave a faint smile and nodded, his gaze drifting into empty space as though retracing the distant past.

“I was stuck at a stiff banquet surrounded by unfamiliar foreigners, and all I wanted was to go home. So I decided to sneak away.”

Sneak away?

Father?

It was impossible to imagine, looking at the Calypse of today.

“How were you going to escape?”

“Did you escape from the Kingdom of Doctia?”

This story has all the makings of a first-rate romance fantasy.

Sparkle, sparkle—

Before we knew it, Lucas and I had become completely absorbed, our eyes shining.

Father gave another quiet laugh at the sight.

“Yes. Father was rebellious when he was young.”

Lucas snickered.

“Dandelion, maybe you take after Father.”

“Heehee. Maybe. But I could never compete with you.”

When I countered with a smile, Lucas’s lips twitched into a pout and he folded his arms.

The story continued.

“So I went into the city and ended up wandering into a strange alley.”

“A strange alley?”

“An alley full of bad people.”

Our eyes widened like startled rabbits at the low tone of his voice.

“But because I was attending the banquet, I had not brought a weapon. Someone suddenly struck the back of Father’s neck, and when I woke up, I was in an auction house.”

“Gasp.”

Our father?

Caught by such an obvious trick?!

“They were selling Father at that auction. They said I was an extremely handsome and strong slave...”

“Father! What about your power of ice?”

“I was going to use it. I was furious, so I tried to unleash my power...”

“And then?”

“And then?”

“That was when your mother appeared and bought Father.”

What?

Was this an adults-only romance fantasy?

“I was already furious about being sold, so I was planning to blow up the entire auction house. But your mother was so beautiful that...”

Snap.

I covered Father’s mouth with my tiny palm.

“Hold on. Is this story appropriate for all ages?”

“Well, look at you. You are only five and you already know what that means? It was nothing like that. As it turned out, your mother had deliberately infiltrated the place to bring down the illegal auction.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

“Amazing.”

Lucas and I returned to our roles as readers, mouths hanging open in awe.

Then Lucas’s eyes widened as though he had remembered something.

“That’s right. Mother was an incredibly righteous person. She wiped out illegal slave traders and donated to orphanages all the time.”

“Whenever your mother tore everything apart, I followed behind her and worked hard cleaning up the aftermath.”

“But you liked it, didn’t you?”

“I did. And then...”

Father stroked Lucas’s head before looking down at me.

“You two were born as sons. But your mother had always wanted a daughter.”

A daughter.

For some reason, my face grew warm at the word.

“If she could see you now, Aisha, she would have been delighted. She probably would have asked her extraordinary daughter to join her in wiping out illegal slave auctions.”

Was that true?

Would the Duchess of Kreutz really have been happy to see me?

“......”

Without a word, I turned toward the portrait.

The golden eyes of the woman seated in the chair seemed almost to be smiling at me.

***

Ten minutes before the banquet.

“The little brat?”

“...Even the final attempt failed.”

The central hall of the royal palace was already crowded with nobles.

Duke Pose stood on a secluded second-floor balcony terrace, looking down at the lavish scene below.

“So even the contingency plan failed. It cannot be helped. Prepare it.”

“Prepare what...?”

“Our counterfeit young lady insists on refusing to attend, so we will have to set it off.”

Boom.

Duke Pose shaped his hand like an explosion and stretched his lips into a grin.

And so, the banquet began.