Chapter 01

1. The Angel of House Windsorberry?

An angel had appeared in House Windsorberry.

With peach-soft cheeks and fluffy hair, and pale green eyes as clear as the first spring buds glistening with morning dew…

Everyone who saw the child found themselves agreeing that angel was the only fitting word.

But those who heard the story behind the angel’s sudden appearance often came to a different conclusion.

“Perhaps the true angels are the couple standing before us.”

“Her name is Asiel Windsorberry. We never had a daughter, so she’s truly a blessing.”

One day, the Count and Countess found an infant wrapped in swaddling cloth left in front of their estate.

Without hesitation, they decided to raise the abandoned baby as their youngest daughter.

The infant’s lips, a shade paler than her soft pink hair, barely parted as she babbled. She hardly ever cried. Even watching her tiny flour-white hands wiggle clumsily was enough to fill their hearts with pride.

The Count’s two sons, too, refused to leave their adorable little sister’s side.

When people learned of this, they prayed to their respective gods for the Windsorberry family’s happiness.

Thus, surrounded by endless love, Asiel grew up healthy and cherished.

Perhaps because she had been raised with such affection, the little girl toddling through the park while holding the Countess’s hand had become breathtakingly lovely.

“She’ll become the greatest beauty since Rite Rahar!”

For the young ladies of the Kingdom of Wensley, there was no greater compliment.

The Countess smiled proudly as she thought of Rite, who attended the same academy as her eldest son.

“Oh dear… though I doubt she’ll ever match Lady Rite’s intelligence.”

The smile disappeared from her face almost instantly.

Meeting the child’s innocent gaze, the Countess let out a quiet sigh.

Asiel was nearly three years old now, yet she could barely speak.

The Countess’s two older sons had already been speaking in complete sentences at Asiel’s age. They had both been gifted children.

She didn’t want to compare Asiel to them or place unnecessary expectations on her.

She tried not to rush the child…

But she couldn’t help worrying.

Even compared to other children, Asiel’s speech development seemed unusually slow.

“With a face like that, she’ll have no trouble finding a husband someday!”

“Even if she isn’t as clever as Lady Rite.”

Why does everyone keep bringing up Rite Rahar?

At first, the comparisons had been flattering.

But hearing them over and over again…

It no longer felt like praise.

It was unfair to Rite as well.

Rite was the same age as the Countess’s eldest son, making her ten years older than Asiel.

Ever since Asiel arrived, every compliment directed at the little girl somehow circled back to Rite Rahar.

Now the Countess finally understood why the mothers at noble gatherings turned pale every time Rite’s name came up.

“Marriage? She’s only a toddler. And besides, her father is a count.”

If Asiel truly couldn’t speak…

Then she’d simply write instead.

The Countess forced herself to think positively, knowing she was probably the one most distressed by it.

After all…

Aside from her delayed speech, Asiel was an utterly lovable child.

Whenever someone spoke to her, she seemed to understand everything.

She could even toddle over while carefully carrying her favorite storybook and ask someone to read it to her.

“Mama…”

Even now, seeing the troubled expression on the Countess’s face, Asiel gently reached up with tiny maple-leaf-like hands and stroked her cheek.

What more could anyone ask for?

She was so considerate.

So affectionate.

The Countess smiled warmly and took Asiel back to the estate.

“Mother, you’re finally back?”

“What took you so long? We’ve been waiting!”

The moment they returned from their walk, her two sons rushed toward them.

Had classes at the academy ended early today?

The Countess had barely paused before her eldest son scooped Asiel right out of her arms.

Clearly…

They hadn’t been waiting for their mother.

They’d been waiting for Asiel.

“Come play with your big brothers, Asiel?”

“Mhm!”

“Ah, she’s so adorable. Just look at these cheeks.”

“Let’s clean her up first. She just came back from outside.”

The maids looked almost unnecessary.

The brothers handled everything themselves, taking perfect care of Asiel without anyone asking.

Watching them, the Countess couldn’t help laughing.

Perhaps daughters really were precious in a family full of boys.

After changing clothes, she found the brothers playing with Asiel.

The toys scattered across the floor were Quentin’s collection of Demon King and Holy Knight figurines.

Oddly enough, Asiel preferred those to the beautiful dolls they’d recently bought her.

The Countess settled onto a nearby sofa with a piece of fabric.

It was one of Asiel’s dresses.

She thought embroidered peaches—matching the color of Asiel’s hair—would look absolutely adorable.

Then suddenly…

She froze.

“Hm.”

“Are you thirsty? I’ll get you some water.”

“Bear!”

“You want your teddy bear? Hello, Asiel! I’m Mr. Bear!”

“Hu… hug…”

“Our little angel wants a hug? Come here.”

At last…

She realized it.

The reason Asiel wasn’t learning to speak…

Was because these people granted every wish before she even finished making a sound.

A single glance from Asiel…

And someone immediately knew exactly what she wanted.

They fulfilled her every need before she had any reason to ask.

Come to think of it…

Her husband was exactly the same.

The moment he came home, he’d pick Asiel up and refuse to put her down.

Every man in this house somehow understood her from nothing more than a facial expression.

“No wonder she isn’t talking! She never has to!”

The Countess felt utterly defeated after all the worrying she’d done.

So she gave the men of House Windsorberry a strict order.

“Until Asiel says it herself… don’t do it for her!”

That evening…

The Countess sat with Asiel on her lap, reading a storybook.

Soon the little girl’s eyelids began drooping.

“Sleepy? Shall we go to bed?”

She laid Asiel gently on the soft white bed.

The child opened her mouth in an enormous yawn.

Even yawning…

How could she possibly be this adorable?

The Countess found herself staring at the child’s thick eyelashes.

They’re so long… aren’t they heavy?

I’m so glad we brought her home.

To the Countess…

Asiel truly was an angel.

Though she’d appeared one day without warning…

The Countess loved her just as much as the sons she’d given birth to.

Perhaps even more.

The Windsorberry household had already been a happy family.

But after Asiel arrived…

There seemed to be even more laughter than before.

If only she’d begin speaking.

Still…

Even as she was now, she was precious enough to repay a lifetime’s worth of filial devotion.

Whoever had abandoned her…

The Countess sincerely prayed for that person’s happiness.

What desperate circumstances must they have faced to leave behind such a lovable child?

“Our little one isn’t asleep yet?”

The Count approached, gently rubbing his wife’s shoulder.

Seeing her patting Asiel’s tiny chest, his heart swelled with contentment.

“She’s yawning, but she won’t actually fall asleep.”

“Let’s see… why won’t our little peach sleep?”

No one in the estate understood Asiel better than the Count.

He could almost tell her mood just by looking at her face.

Was she hungry?

Was something bothering her?

Asiel’s half-closed eyes blinked lazily.

Then her tiny, plump lips began moving.

The motion was so delicate that the Count felt as though his heart might stop.

“I think she’s trying to say something.”

“Go ahead, Asiel. Daddy’s listening.”

Could this be it?

Was she finally about to speak?

The Count gently poked her soft cheek with one finger.

Even if it were only meaningless baby babble…

He was prepared to listen more carefully than he would to the finest poetry.

“…Listen.”

“Hm?”

“What?”

Then…

Words far more meaningful than either parent expected emerged from the little girl’s mouth.

“I answered the summons of the Great Demon King… and came to this place.”

The Great Demon King’s summons?

She came here because she’d answered it?

The Count and Countess stared blankly at one another, wondering if they’d heard correctly.

Then…

They burst into laughter.

“So our little Asiel came because the Great Demon King called her!”

That happened when Asiel Windsorberry was three years old.

Asiel herself would grow up with no memory of the incident.

Yet the story would be retold time and time again by those who knew her.