BDKHC 51

~Chapter 51~

“Ah, they’re gone.”
Esther murmured with a soulless voice, as if disappointed, before turning her head back toward the maid.
“What in the world is going on here!”
Esther’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the large cannon.
The child, as if nothing had happened, turned back with golden eyes, smiling and turning her body.
“Grandmother!”
Esther beamed.
“You said you were going to your room, so what are you doing here?”
“That maid hurt my subordinate!”
“What?”
Marianne Eggbert, standing with one leg awkwardly raised, looked at the puffed-up chiffon and frowned.
She quickly grasped the situation in a short time.
“So what do you want me to do? Whether you like it or not, you are the heir to this family. Are you telling me you want to intervene in the affairs of the lower class just to protect one maid?”
“…No, Grandmother.”
Esther smiled brightly.
“You’re not intervening in the affairs of the lower class, are you?”
“It’s not just one maid, Grandmother. The only thing I have in this family is Chiffon.”
Esther’s words caused Marianne Eggbert to pause.
In other words, except for the maid named Chiffon, she had nothing in this family.
Whether Esther was drawing a line or pointing out her past indifference was hard to tell.
It was difficult to figure out because the one speaking was only a 5-year-old child.
“I’m the heir now, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then, since my authority has been challenged, I want to punish this maid. Of course, I have received permission from her master!”
Esther’s voice was cheerful, her smile innocent, and her expression pure.
“…Punishment? What kind of punishment are you talking about?”
“Hmm, let me think.”
Esther tilted her head as if pondering the matter.
Her actions and appearance were so adorable that one could not help but feel warmth and affection.
As expected, Lacsa was trembling, almost as if wanting to hug her right away.
“Oh! How about fifty lashes! And it’s best if she can’t work as a maid anymore!”
If they meet again, I might just kill her.
Esther hid her true intentions behind her laughter.
She had a perfectly fine and excellent human subordinate, and the audacity to lay a hand on them frustrated her.
“…You speak too freely. Do you even know what fifty lashes mean? It’s too much.”
“Of course, it’s just whipping! You’re not killing her.”
“It’s excessive to give such a punishment for simply slapping another maid.”
“But, Grandmother. I believe that even a stone, if carefully selected and polished, is different from a stone on the roadside.”
Esther asked, her eyes wide.
The chilling words made Marianne Eggbert pause.
Up until now, she had thought of Esther as a foolish, helpless child with no pride.
She had always thought Esther was merely acting bratty.
But now, the child was discussing the value of objects.
“Such nonsense. Are you really comparing me to a stone? No matter how polished a stone becomes, it will still be a stone.”
“No, the problem is that the maid touched my belongings. I am special. The value of the stone I hold is incomparable to that of this maid or her master.”
Marianne Eggbert frowned.
She turned her gaze to the trembling maid, who was cowering in fear.
“You, who is your master?”
“Th-that… Young Master Niffel.”
“Niffel, the first son of Nigel?”
Looking down at Esther, Marianne Eggbert sighed.
At this point, it was clear that Niffel Eggbert was nowhere near Esther’s level.
“…It’s like looking at a monster.”
There was no guilt or superiority in her feelings, only the childlike innocence that even Marianne Eggbert could sense.
“Fifty lashes are too much. Let it be ten.”
“…Hmm, can my subordinate do it? Chiffon is sick, so it should be him.”
Esther pointed her finger at Lacsa.
Lacsa, clearly pleased to be pointed out, shivered, placed one hand over his heart, and bowed deeply.
“Greetings. I am the one introduced by Esther.”
“…….”
Marianne Eggbert sighed.
The conflicts between the servants were nothing new.
“Do as she says.”
“Yes, thank you…”
Just as Esther finished thanking her with a smile, the maid suddenly screamed.
“Ugh! No, please! Give me the fifty lashes! I’ll take the fifty lashes! Please, please, My Lady…”
The maid, who had gone pale, crawled over to Marianne Eggbert and lowered her head.
She had just experienced a horrific death. When she came to her senses, her body was unharmed.
That scared her.
If she received the ten lashes, she would surely die. Her instincts warned her.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Please, I’d rather take the fifty lashes, please! I’ll take it normally… ugh…”
The maid kept rubbing her palms together, lowering her head, and Esther savored the moment.
“Do as you wish.”
Marianne Eggbert, with a weary expression, gave her permission.
Lacsa no longer had a role to play. He sighed, looking disappointed.
The maid, now looking as though she had been saved, kept bowing her head.
Marianne Eggbert looked at her like she was a madwoman, sighing as she frowned.
“Let’s go, Chiffon.”
Esther obediently took Chiffon and left.
“You seem to have some sense.”
Lacsa murmured softly as he brushed past the maid. The maid shook and trembled in place.
“…….”
Chiffon didn’t speak at all as they walked.
“Why aren’t you speaking?”
“I thought it was something I should resolve on my own. As you said, My Lady, it’s not your place to intervene.”
“Is there something you want to say?”
Esther asked, having noticed Chiffon’s troubled expression for the past few days.
“Who are you, Esther? I don’t know… what kind of person you are…”
Chiffon asked quietly after entering the room.
[Are you planning to run away if you find out?]
Since it was easier to communicate in this language than with the clumsy human tongue, Esther switched to the other language.
“…What?”
When Chiffon questioned, Lacsa lightly snapped his fingers.
[Are you planning to run away from me once you know?]
Chiffon easily understood the strange language.
“…I don’t know.”
Esther stared at Chiffon, then snapped her fingers.
Gathering her magic, dark power surged around her. Small wings sprouted from her back. They were tiny, insignificant wings.
Her ears became sharper, and small horns sprouted from her head.
Her golden eyes were completely overtaken by blood-red, leaving no light in them.
Chiffon’s eyes widened at the sight.
[I am the last Demon King of the Demon Realm, a seed of the Demon King who is trying to descend into this world once more. My power was sealed by a curse from God due to my unjust death, and I am in the process of breaking the curse and regaining my strength by performing ‘good deeds.’]
“…Good deeds?”
Chiffon asked, sounding a little confused.
Yes, Esther understood. She too was confused.
[…That is the condition set by God for me.]
“…Doing good deeds?”
[Yes.]
“…So you helped me because of that.”
[That too, but at that time, I needed you. Even now, you’re useful.]
Chiffon clenched his fist at Esther’s words.
“Once you regain your full power and descend to this world, will my family be in danger?”
[No, I don’t intend to kill innocent humans.]
“…Then what do you intend to do?”
[God and his apostles.]
Esther had no intention of destroying ordinary humans.
She didn’t need to waste her time on such trivial things.
Her enemies were always clearly defined.
“…Then nothing will change. I’ve decided to believe in and follow you. I’ll repay you for freeing my little brother… though it may not be enough.”
Chiffon said with determination in his eyes.
“But please, tell me one thing. What happened to the original… Esther?”
Esther hesitated for a moment at those words. The child slowly raised her head, blinking slowly.
[She is dead.]
“…What?”
[I didn’t kill her. She was already dead.]
Esther stared at Chiffon, who looked stunned.
“She was dead…?”
[Yes, literally. I took her place in the dead body. Before she died, she summoned me. She prayed desperately to God and begged the demon.]
The one who had pushed the child to that point, the one who had killed her, was clear.