DFCWD 56

Chapter 56

“Just wait two more days.”

Was he trying to do something serious?

Of course, I agreed.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to your good decision!”

“Naturally. Have I ever made a dangerous decision for you?”

“You’ve forgotten to make any at all. Like gifts.”

“…I truly apologize.”

“Ahaha! I’ll stop teasing you now.”

Did I go too far?

I smiled brightly at the duke.

“The dreamcatcher you gave me that day—I’m using it well. Thank you!”

The dreamcatcher he bought, mistaking the duchess’s early pregnancy symptoms as signs of a child and intending to hang it on a cradle—before she fell ill. That item still hangs above my bed, giving me sweet dreams.

Last night I even dreamed of eating grilled mackerel ribs!

The duke didn’t smile back but turned his head. Still, the hand holding mine was so warm.

In the time I had left, I decided to organize what I knew about the female lead of Rank 99.

Name: Seraphina Tylon. Daughter of Count Tylon. Two years younger than the male lead, same age as me. At this point, she was attending a dormitory school run by the temple.

Romance was the last thing on Seraphina’s mind—faith was her life’s priority. But this was a romance fantasy. Naturally, the female lead has a fateful encounter with Elber after an argument gone wrong.

Of course, that’s how love begins. Even if they start off thinking the other is annoying, they slowly get drawn to each other.

I had to become close with Seraphina first.

“What did she look like again…?”

Surely, I’d recognize her right away. Blonde hair, green eyes, a girl who smells like spring.

That color combo would match well with Elber.

…But as I tried to picture the golden-haired heroine, another face came to mind instead.

“…I wonder how Kai is doing?”

I hadn’t seen him since the festival.

Not long after it ended, I received a short letter.

Hello, Sol. It was so nice seeing you at the festival. Please give my regards to your brothers.
Spring is in full bloom here in Lafrande. I hope you enjoy the season in Flogel as well.
Your friend,
Alkaios Lafrande

That short letter was the last I heard from him.

Kai, I wonder if you’re doing well.

“Kai will probably come to the capital someday too, right?”

In the original story, Kai first appears a few years later, after the female lead is granted the title of Saintess.

If I’m still alive by then and we meet again… it’d be nice if Kai just laughed and said, “Haha, I was like that when I was ten,” when he recalled how he used to trail after me.

By then, he’d be surrounded by good people, and I wouldn’t need to be there. There probably won’t be room for me anyway.

…Though the thought, “But what if I want to be there?” surfaced later, I shook my head and brushed it away.

Exactly two days later, the duke summoned me to his office. As always, his desk was piled high with documents. I figured he called me in during a short break from work.

But as soon as I entered, he held out a thick certificate-like paper that looked suspiciously like an award. Written on it:

<God’s Hand for Children – Grunervant Academy Admission Form>

“Father. It says here I signed this, which I most certainly didn’t.”

“I forged it. Looks just like yours, doesn’t it?”

“You can’t forge my name, and it’s even worse if it looks perfect!”

“Why not?”

I take it back—he’s not improved at all from the original. Still a slightly deranged villain!

He gave a dry cough at my flabbergasted stare and moved straight into the excuse called persuasion.

“You said you wanted to learn more. A tutor has limits. Meet various experts in the capital.”

“But why a school affiliated with the temple? There’s also the Central Academy where Elber went.”

“That school is full of nobles. As someone of common birth, you might be bullied. If that happens, I will personally—”

“Okay! Understood! I don’t want to see you wreck someone’s household!”

Knowing the Duke of Shuleiger, he’d bury the bullies chest-deep behind the mountain, and turn their parents into kimchi—just not the cabbage kind. No thought of the aftermath.

As satisfying as it might be, I didn’t want things to escalate.

Then came the final justification.

“Besides, your mother’s help is essential for entering society, and that’s something I cannot provide.”

“Ah…”

“Start by making friends at school. Then you can be invited to others’ parties more easily.”

I nodded obediently.

His mention of the late duchess pricked my conscience. He didn’t show any emotion, but who knows how he truly felt inside?

“You’ll begin the enrollment process the week after next. Prepare to depart.”

“…Yes, Father.”

I walked out of his office, holding the pamphlet.

Grunervant Academy. Raising children in the name of God. A strictly gender-separated education system to help students focus on their studies.

Blah blah blah. Whatever.

This was the school the original female lead attended.

I didn’t like that the duke submitted the application without telling me, but everything seemed to be moving along smoothly—and that left me with mixed feelings.

“The week after next…”

It would take three full days by carriage to reach the capital. No way I could commute from home.

That meant I’d be away from Flogel for at least a year.

“Sigh…”

When I first arrived, this town was just pretty, not something I thought I’d grow attached to. But six years was more than enough to make Flogel my second home.

There were so many kind people.

Linda, who always looked after me. The new etiquette teacher who was gruff but kind. The various guildmasters and association heads who had come to recognize me and offered me snacks. The hardworking miners…

And most of all—

“Father…”

That title had grown so natural on my lips.

Of course, I didn’t truly believe it from the bottom of my heart. The duke was created to be a villain. He could kill me at any time.

…But still.

The moment he came charging to find me after I was kidnapped. The way he promised to protect me again. The homemade ice cream he fed me from spring bloom to autumn’s first leaf…

All those memories wrapped around me like warmth. Which is why thinking about leaving him made my heart turn cold.

The duke had to stay in Flogel. And the day he visited Albion, I’d probably feel more fear than joy.

What if all of this had been an act, and he came to kill me the moment I turned sixteen?

“…It’s fine. I still have time.”

I forced down the anxiety.

The spear tournament was in the fall. That gave me half a year. If anything seemed off before then, I could run away. As long as I had the Mana Pearl Detector, I’d find a way to survive.

Trying to calm myself, I gently stroked Lupe tucked in my pocket.

Please, let me never have to use this.

Two weeks passed in a flash.

Linda gave me a new hairband, looking as if she might cry. I hugged her tightly. The tears on her apron would dry soon enough.

But nothing was harder than parting from the Duke of Shuleiger.

Inside his office, he was still buried in paperwork.

“Father. I’ll be… I mean, I’ll be going now.”

“No need to rephrase it. Stay healthy in Albion.”

“…”

“Do you have more to say?”

His gaze didn’t waver. I didn’t expect tears, but… couldn’t he at least look a little sad?

“No, sir. You too—stay well.”

“Understood.”

“……”

Um, we won’t see each other for at least a year, you know? Isn’t this when even awkward families at least offer a hug?

But the duke buried his nose back in the documents. Fine, I shouldn’t have expected anything! No need to keep up the doting father act when no one’s watching!

Frustrated, I slammed the door on my way out.

Then began the three-day carriage ride. Even the most luxurious carriage of the ducal house couldn’t prevent fatigue after sixteen hours on the road each day.

Thanks to the pain in my hips, I forgot all about being angry at the duke. Day one was exhausting, day two was torture, and day three—complete physical collapse.

I was nodding off when the maid shook me awake.

“We’ve arrived in Albion, miss.”

“Already?”

“Yes. You’ll go through the enrollment process tomorrow, so please rest tonight.”

A servant opened the door. The sun was setting, and I didn’t even have the energy to look around.

All I needed was a bed. Who cared about sightseeing or the duke who didn’t even see me off…

As I stood before the townhouse—an exact miniature replica of the duke’s mansion—I heard a familiar voice.

“You must be tired. You did well.”

Right. The second and third brothers should be here—

…Wait, that’s not their voice.

“Huh?”

“What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”