Chapter 185
Since I’m weak when it comes to cute animals, I didn’t want to disappoint this adorable little puppy.
‘We’ll probably meet again for business reasons anyway.’
I nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course.”
“For sure! Definitely! We’ll meet again!”
Abeno held my hand tightly, his eyes shining with hope.
He seemed fine, but I was starting to get scared.
‘I’ve never seen them look this fierce before.’
My father and brothers’ expressions had become so threatening that I quietly slipped my hand out of Abeno’s grasp.
Then, I walked over to Crown Prince Beleyn .
“Um, Crown Prince Beleyn .”
Before I could say more, Beleyn bent down to meet my gaze.
I leaned in close to his ear and whispered softly.
Whisper, whisper.
“The servant gave Your Highness the hypnotic to erase your memories, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Erasing his memories… doesn’t that mean the servant might be connected to the civil war?”
“That’s likely…”
Beleyn probably had already considered this.
But I had one more card up my sleeve.
“My maids told me that the person the castle servants fear the most… is the lady of the house.”
“….!”
“To bring the d**g into the castle without being caught, you’d need the help of the administrative office.”
You understand, right?
‘Your stepmother and the head of administration might be tied to the civil war.’
“Ah…”
Beleyn let out a sound that was a mix of admiration and distress.
Behind the turmoil of royal concerns, there was only a kind smile left.
Beleyn was a good-natured person, but the weight of his position caused him many hardships.
He extended his hand toward me.
“You never fail to surprise me… I’ll keep that in mind.”
I took Beleyn’s hand and shook it.
“I hope it helps.”
After shaking his hand, I took a step back and smiled brightly.
How he would use this information was Beleyn’s decision now.
I had given him everything I could.
* * *
We all spent some time exchanging farewells.
Just as the people of Aligiosa were about to leave, Beleyn turned his head to look at my father.
“By the way, does Lady Erylotte have a fiancé?”
My father’s expression twisted instantly.
His fists trembled with barely contained rage.
‘Oh no!’
I braced myself, worried about what he might do.
Thankfully, my father responded quietly.
“…She does not.”
Although…
He enunciated every single word with emphasis: “She. Does. Not.”
Crown Prince Beleyn seemed genuinely happy.
Abeno, standing beside him, lit up as he listened.
“Ho, really? There are no talks with any families?”
“None.”
“In that case—”
At that moment, my father’s red eyes glinted fiercely.
“There will never be a fiancé in Erylotte’s life.”
Beleyn’s expression showed clear surprise.
Even I, who was used to my father’s face, found it terrifying—how would Crown Prince Beleyn , who had grown up surrounded by pleasant things, feel?
“But…”
Beleyn tried to say something, but my grandfather interrupted.
“We’ve already spent too much time standing here. Please, travel safely.”
I was shocked.
He was dismissing Crown Prince Beleyn as if he was a door-to-door salesman!
And my father wasn’t stopping him—he was even joining in.
I had never seen the two of them work together so well.
“Please, off you go.”
“But I want to say goodbye to the young lady…”
“The carriage is arriving.”
“But the young lady…”
“CAR—RIAGE!”
With my father’s booming voice, Abeno’s words were completely drowned out.
I worried that the people of Aligiosa might take offense, but then I shrugged.
‘Well, it’s fine. We’ve already gotten everything we wanted.’
Regardless of how my father and grandfather treated Beleyn, I was content.
After Beleyn, Abeno, and the Aligiosa delegation left, there would surely be a mountain of paperwork to handle, but that didn’t matter to me.
‘I’m just a ten-year-old, so I don’t have to do any paperwork, right?’
That’s one of the perks of being a child.
My father was now buried in paperwork.
Surrounded by towering piles of documents, he looked like his eyes were glazing over.
He was so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of paperwork that he once even folded one into a paper airplane and sent it to me.
Humming to myself, I wandered around the duke’s castle.
‘How sweet will the power be once my father becomes the chief in charge of white crystal distribution…’
A sigh of contentment escaped me.
‘Power really is the best.’
Does my father lack power?
Not anymore!
I covered my cheeks with both hands and giggled.
* * *
A few days later, the results of this year’s annual exam were announced.
Who could be the top scorer?
‘Who else would it be?’
There were no surprises.
The top scorer was, of course, Erylotte Astra.
Naturally, it was me!
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