Chapter 35

The next day, while I was resting from my swordsmanship lessons because I hadn’t yet recovered from women’s magic, a letter was delivered. Even at a glance, the luxurious envelope gave off the impression that it had been sent by someone of high status.

“Ah, speaking of letters, that reminds me.”

The letter that had dropped in the dungeon where I found Ahre had a continuation.

I had thought it was the end when the letter mentioned returning to the embrace of nature, but as expected, Ahre’s mother must have truly loved her, because right up to the moment of her death, unable to let go of her worries for Ahre, she had written another request addressed to me.

[Since you might not grant my favor if I ask empty-handed, I am leaving behind my heart. A Dragon Heart is a treasure hard to find anywhere in the world, so please take it and look after Ahre well.]

My, to think she would leave behind a gift for the person who would take care of Ahre even as she died. Wasn’t she an absolute pro at navigating society? I sometimes couldn’t understand how someone so sharp and put-together could give birth to a child like Ahre. Well, I figured all the nutrients meant for her brain must have gone straight to her looks instead.

Anyway, a Dragon Heart. Since I had no other way to resolve my lacking mana capacity anyway, I figured I should boil it down into a nice health tonic for this opportunity.

“But where on earth did this kid go?”

She had clearly been clutching a large snack bag right beside me just a moment ago, but before I knew it, all that was left was an empty bag shaken completely inside out.

She had licked it so clean that even flipping the bag inside out didn’t shake loose a single common crumb.

“Hmm.”

Could she perhaps be harboring pitiful beggars inside her stomach?

However, immediately recalling Ahre’s bright, cheerful expression as she ate her snacks, I shook my head.

Even if she had eaten some beggars along with them, that was simply out of the question.

If not, then where on earth could she have gone?

“Yul.”

At my call, Yul, who had been wiping away dust with a rag, turned her head.

“Did you see where Ahre went?”

Stopping her movements as if deep in thought at my words, Yul soon found her answer and spoke.

“I suspect she is likely in the mansion’s garden by now.”

Why the garden all of a sudden? I briefly wondered if the snacks I gave her were no longer enough, driving her to go graze on grass instead.

I was genuinely worried it might be true. I hadn’t even introduced Ahre to Mother yet, and if an unfamiliar child went around devouring all of Mother’s precious flowers, I might have felt compelled to chop Ahre’s limbs off right on the spot.

Gasp! That wouldn’t do.

“Yul, let’s head to the garden right now.”

“Yes.”

I hurriedly opened the door and walked toward the garden, and just as I was almost there, the scream of an unfamiliar man echoed from the direction of the garden.

“Aack, you wretch! To think you’d devour all of that. How dare you interrupt my precious teatime. I will not forgive you.”

Hmm, it was a voice I felt like I’d heard somewhere before, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember who it belonged to. Still, I had a strong feeling Ahre was over there. If I had to name someone capable of causing trouble for others without knowing who they were, Ahre was definitely the number one suspect.

Furthermore, the part about her devouring everything made my guess practically a certified fact.

Sure enough, no sooner had the man finished speaking than Ahre’s voice rang out.

“Waaahhh, it hurts. Mister, you’re a bad mister. I’m going to tell Mom on you.”

Gasp! For Ahre to cry so sorrowfully like that.

I didn’t know who it was, but I could never forgive them. No matter how poorly mannered she might be, since I had accepted her as my daughter, to think there was someone inside this mansion daring to give Ahre a hard time. Whoever it was, their liver must have grown so big it crawled right out of their body and started roaming the sky.

“………….”

When I rushed over and arrived at the scene, the first things that caught my eye were two figures with the exact same silver hair as mine. One was naturally Ahre, and the other was my older brother—someone whose presence had been so nonexistent until now that I had completely forgotten about him. In front of my brother, the maid we had seen before was holding Ahre up by both arms while Ahre, struggling as if she couldn’t even overcome the strength of a mere maid despite being a dragon, thrashed about before bursting into tears all over again.

“Waaahhh, Mom. Save me. Mom.”

“Hmph—I don’t know who your mother is, but do you really think anyone could possibly rank higher than me? I am Heinel, the heir of the Celion ducal household. Why don’t you try calling for your mother even louder right this instant, then?”

At those words, Ahre wailed even more sorrowfully at me. Then, seemingly spotting me standing right in front of her, her eyes widened.

“Waaahhh, Mom!”

Unable to contain myself any longer, I stepped toward the maid and spoke.

“Let go of that hand. She is my daughter.”

“……….”

At my words, the maid looked flustered, alternating her gaze between me and my older brother. Frowning at her reaction, I spoke once more. It wasn’t that I held a grudge or thought it presumptuous of the maid for worrying about my brother; naturally, it was a fitting attitude for a servant, but beyond that, it was simply too hard to watch Ahre hanging there in agony any longer.

“I said, let go.”

Despite my growling tone, the maid still kept an eye on my brother. Since I couldn’t exactly slap the maid’s cheek over it, I forcefully reached out, grabbed Ahre, and pulled her into my arms. Seeing that I had taken matters into my own hands, the maid finally relented, quickly retreating to stand behind my brother.

Ahre buried herself in my arms and burst into loud tears.

“Waaahhh, that mister hit Ahre.”

“…What?!”

Hearing that Ahre had been struck, I glared straight at my brother. Seriously, where on earth was there any reason to hit a tiny little kid like this?! Of course, me hitting her was an expression of love, so that didn’t count. The only person in this world allowed to scold Ahre was me!

Just as I was thinking that, to think someone would dare punish Ahre—whom even Father wouldn’t dare treat carelessly—ignited my dormant fury all over again.

Meeting my eyes, my brother finally looked startled and opened his mouth.

“W-Wait… your daughter, you say. Hmm.”

As he massaged the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, he looked every bit like father. However, I had zero intention of waiting around for him to gather his thoughts.

“Brother! How could you possibly hit my daughter? What part of this cute, lovable child is even worth hitting!”

At my words, my brother let out a snort and pointed toward the set dining table. Over there, only empty plates sat in lonely isolation. They had been licked so clean that the plates practically reflected the sunlight, stinging my eyes.

“Hmph—I heard you gave up on the prince, and now it’s a daughter? You really are quite something, Armienne. And as for why I hit her, you ask? That ill-mannered brat, who takes after you to a T, devoured every single last one of the ‘Mosquito Baguette’ snacks I saved for my teatime. If anything, I should be the one furious here. Your complete lack of shame truly shows what kind of uneducated wretch you are.”

He might have said it in a refined tone, but what it ultimately boiled down to was that I was an idiot, and by extension, my daughter must be an idiot too. That was how it sounded to me. I could accept that Ahre might be an idiot, but dragging me down into it as well was unforgivable.

“Ha, getting all worked up over mere snacks. Are you a toddler? Does my dear brother still possess the palate of a five-year-old snot-nosed kid, getting this mad just because someone stole a few snacks!”

That wasn’t actually true. Mosquito Baguette snacks were so hard to come by—even I wanted to eat them given the chance—and they boasted an extraordinary flavor. But since what was gone was already gone, I decided I had to bluff my way through with absolute confidence.

Did he say I lacked shame? Then I would just have to show him a masterclass in shamelessness.

Just as I made up my mind and opened my mouth to shout another round of insults—

“Stop right there.”

“……………….”

Right on cue, having presumably returned from an outing, Mother handed her hat to a nearby maid and walked over to us.

Flinch, shrink.

The moment Mother approached, my body instinctively cringed. My brother didn’t look any different, quickly lowering his head. I couldn’t even bring myself to look up. From a brief glance, Mother’s expression wasn’t her usual benevolent smile; it was the face she wore when chewing out the household maids.

“To think that a brother and sister who should be close are fighting like this. Heinel. As an older brother, instead of treating your younger sister with warmth, you insult her—have you lost your mind? Is that how I taught you?”

“No, Mother.”

Even though the one getting chewed out was my brother, Mother’s overwhelming aura made my entire body shiver. And my brother, taking the brunt of that aura head-on, looked pale enough to faint at any second.

Right as Heinel’s legs looked like they were about to give out, Mother’s gaze shifted toward me. In that exact instant, I finally understood why Father curled up like a hedgehog caught in the middle of Siberia. And I finally realized why everyone who had ever been scolded by Mother or crossed paths with her feared her so intensely afterward.

Bones chilling to the core from pure terror? That expression fit the bill entirely. Standing there without a single word, staring at me with cold eyes, she made my whole body tremble. If it meant escaping the woman standing before me right now, I felt like I could sell my very soul to the devil.

“Armienne.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Instinctively, I knew that failing to answer would mean facing an even more horrific terror. That was why I replied in a flash.

“Do you think it’s acceptable for you to talk back to your only brother as well? Answer me.”

“No, I was wrong.”

“Very well, since you know, that is enough.”

Knowing from my experience with military life that a clean, lightning-fast apology was always the correct answer, I gave my response immediately, and Mother seemed reasonably satisfied with it, withdrawing her gaze.

At that exact moment, I felt a profound, physical appreciation for how warm the sunlight hitting my skin truly was. Ah, I’m alive. I’m actually alive. Hahahaha.

However, I soon realized that Ahre, still nestled in my arms, was about to plunge me straight back into the abyss of death. Ahre alternated her gaze between me and Mother, pointed directly at Mother with her little finger, and shouted:

“Grandma!”

Oh, holy shit. Of all the things to say.