CHAPTER 63………………………………………
“Hm, well? I’d need to know what happened first.”
It seemed like it would be a good idea to go to the library or somewhere else and find out a bit more.
“There are Uncle Naiman and Father too, but….”
She wasn’t sure they’d give her any useful information.
Esther yawned and wriggled under the blanket.
Left behind were Aaron Egbert and Dylan Egbert, who glanced around cautiously.
“Oh my, we had visitors.”
“Huh, who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
Raksasa smiled faintly at the two bold boys.
“I am Lady Esther’s butler.”
“Ah right, she did have a butler. Well, it would’ve been strange if she didn’t now that she’s the heir.”
“Tell her when she wakes up that I’ll come again tomorrow.”
At Dylan Egbert’s words, Raksasa nodded.
“I will relay that.”
“Mm, well, at least she’s not stupid. Better her than that vain idiot Niffel as heir… Maybe even better than me, or, or my little brother… ahem.”
Aaron Egbert, who had been looking serious, gave a small laugh at Dylan’s words.
“Brother, weren’t you the one who wanted to be the heir?”
“Wha—? O-of course! I’ll take it all back later anyway!”
Dylan quickly raised his voice as if caught off guard.
“Anyway, let’s head back for now.”
“Yeah.”
Dylan glanced back once, then followed after Aaron.
Raksasa slowly closed the door, narrowed his eyes, and tidied up Esther’s messy bed.
“…Something strange followed her back.”
A black grudge, one invisible without proper focus.
“What on earth have you been up to this time?”
Smiling faintly, he reached out and caught it.
That mass, wrapped in a thick black curse, clung stubbornly to Esther with no intention of letting go.
From his hand, dark-red magic coiled out, enveloping the thing until it vanished completely.
“The noble lady truly is amusing.”
How this little seed would sprout, what kind of flower it would become, and what kind of ruler she would grow into.
Raksasa lowered his lips gently to the back of the child’s hand.
“May the noble lady climb higher than anyone else.”
Everyone was waiting.
All of the Demon Realm waited with folded wings and bated breath for the day their king would soar once more.
But for that to happen….
“You must love the parents of this frail body, my lady.”
So that she might become an even stronger Demon King.
“It seems some drastic measures will be needed.”
“…Father?”
“Yes.”
“…Why are you here?”
Wasn’t he the one who always said he hated the family more than anything?
“Didn’t you say you wanted to come into the main estate? I had some matters to wrap up, so I was a bit late.”
Ah—come to think of it, she had heard something like that before.
Alright, that part made sense.
“Then… why am I here?”
Actually, him being here wasn’t much of a problem. After all, this was his house.
The question was why she herself was here.
“…I heard you seemed lonely, so I invited you to dine together. Do you dislike that?”
‘When did I ever say that?’
So it must’ve been Raksasa’s doing again, meddling unnecessarily. She understood what he was aiming for but—
‘Overstepping his bounds.’
Esther frowned in displeasure.
But was that even an invitation?
All Raksasa did was suddenly show up, say her father was waiting, and announce that dinner would be prepared.
After that, all she remembered was being dragged around until she somehow ended up here. Likely, the maids had manhandled her under Raksasa’s orders.
When she came to, she was already sitting here.
Thinking about this, Esther took a big bite out of a meat-stuffed sandwich.
“…Is it good?”
At the sound of his voice, she turned her head slightly. He was smiling faintly.
The barely lifted corners of his lips betrayed that his life had not been one filled with many smiles.
And yet, he was smiling now.
Rather gently.
“Eat as much as you want.”
His face softened completely.
“Is it tasty? You’re eating quite well.”
“Mmf… hmph… mmph!”
“Slow down, you’ll choke. There’s plenty of food, and no one’s going to take it from you. Eat as much as you’d like.”
A memory suddenly surfaced, and Esther stopped eating.
She narrowed her eyes.
Sometimes, this man prodded at Esther’s most painful memories—things she wished no one would ever touch.
With a strange feeling in her chest, she lowered her head and bit into the sandwich again.
“Do you want mine too?”
“What about you, Father?”
“I’m not fond of sandwiches.”
“Okay.”
When Esther reached out, he placed his sandwich gently in her hand.
“…Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“…I see.”
At her firm reply, Kaelos gave a bitter smile.
She devoured the extra sandwich with relish.
He reached out and wiped the crumbs off her chubby cheek with a handkerchief.
Her plump cheek squished under his touch. Esther widened her eyes at his hand as it withdrew.
“Dad… do you not hate me anymore?”
At her words, Kaelos’ hand froze midair.
“…Esther, I… I have never once hated you. Not once. I only….”
Murmuring, he slowly shook his head.
“No, I was hiding behind the excuse of protecting you, when in truth I was protecting myself. But even then—not once….”
He strode over, spread his arms, and pulled Esther into his embrace.
“Not once have I hated you.”
Esther stiffened in his firm embrace.
“Dad, the sauce!”
She wriggled, worried that the sauce at the corner of her lips would stain his spotless clothes, but he only held her tighter.
“It doesn’t matter. Clothes can always be dirtied.”
“……”
“I should have seen you sooner. I’m sorry. No matter how many times I apologize, it won’t be enough.”
He looked so pained as he said it.
Even Esther, without realizing, shut her mouth and trembled at her fingertips.
It must have been a deep trauma for him, seeing her collapse weakly and fall ill.
Which meant he had experienced something like that before.
And it wasn’t hard to guess because of whom.
“Is Mother very sick?”
“……”
At her question, he was silent for a long while.
Esther was about to give up and slip out of his arms when he finally spoke.
“Yes. As I told you before, she is from the kingdom of Surt—the last surviving descendant of its royal line.”
“Yes.”
She thought she had heard that before.
“The royal blood of Surt must never leave its land. But she left with me. Because of my selfishness….”
“Did Mother say no, but you forced her out?”
“…No, that’s not it.”
“Then why?”
At Esther’s question, even he seemed at a loss for words.
“If not for me, she would never have left that place….”
“I read in a book once that there was nothing left in Surt. Is that true?”
“…Yes. Only barren, blackened land remained.”
She had lived alone in that blackened wasteland. Growing what little food she could in a tiny garden.
Hunting the few animals that remained. Traveling far when necessary to find ingredients.
That was her life.
On a land where everything had died and everyone had left.
“But because she left, the curse was triggered. Now she can hardly stay conscious for even an hour a day.”
‘A curse…?’
Esther frowned.
She hadn’t known that about the Surt royal bloodline.
But of course he would know. He must have studied desperately to learn everything he could about that kingdom.
‘Then….’
Most likely—
“Dad, did you know? I’m actually not a Saint.”
“…I know.”
Kaelos looked at her quietly and answered firmly.
He let go of Esther and returned to sit across the table.
‘I knew it.’
Of course he knew.
That was why he reacted so coldly when everyone said the god had descended. Why he opposed her becoming a Saint so strongly.
That was why no one dragged her off even after a Saint supposedly appeared.
Instead of bothering her, the temple had kept strangely quiet.
No doubt something had been discussed at the highest level.
He knew her birth better than anyone. She was the descendant of Surt’s royal bloodline.
“I’m a demon, you know? Did you know that?”
“…Yes, I know.”
“I have wings and horns too.”
At her words, he fell silent.
“…You inherited that much demon blood?”
Kaelos’ eyes widened; even he hadn’t known that.
“Mm-hm.”
Demons are born without wings or horns to protect them at birth.
They only begin to show as the child grows. But in her case, her body had been too weak.
She hadn’t been properly nourished or grown on schedule.
“…I see. Even so, it doesn’t matter.”
He answered calmly.
