Chapter 2
“Interesting.”
“……”
“That something that could die with a single swing of a sword will one day become such a great being.”
I had no idea what he meant. Just standing upright was hard enough.
“Are you going to kill me?”
The duke’s sword thrummed—hummm—as if it had a will of its own.
The knight standing beside him spoke. I would later learn his name was Michael.
“Your Grace, she is the prophesied child.”
The duke’s expression twisted into one of deep displeasure. He was silent for a long time, as though weighing whether or not to kill me.
“…Fine. I suppose I can’t.”
He sheathed his sword without changing his expression. The knights approached, and I instinctively raised both hands to protect my neck.
“……”
My breathing was ragged. The silence around us was absolute.
There wasn’t a single person in the Empire who didn’t know the Duke—or rather, not just the Empire. The entire continent knew his name.
He was called the God of War. Even though he hadn’t struck me, the murderous aura that emanated from him made my skin crawl.
I barely managed to hold on to my senses.
From yesterday until now, everyone kept saying things I didn’t understand—“the prophesied child,” “adopted by the duke.” None of it made sense.
If I tried to run away, they’d probably kill me.
‘Is that man… really my father?’
I wanted to grab someone—anyone—and ask, but everyone looked terrified of him.
I realized instinctively:
That man was an absolute being.
“Are you… my family?”
I didn’t even know whether I wanted him to say yes or no. I looked up at the duke.
“Yes. I am the head of the House of Alcibiades—your guardian, according to the papers.”
There were too many difficult words for me to understand at the time.
“You will be known as Adel Alcibiades from now on. Though not for long, I suppose.”
Did that mean he’d disown me soon?
That part, at least, I understood.
‘So… he’ll only be my family for a short while.’
There were children before me who had been adopted, only to return to the orphanage months later. They’d been “disowned,” the caretakers had said.
I remembered how broken they were—too hurt to eat properly.
‘Will that happen to me too?’
The knight standing nearby spoke up in my defense.
“Your Grace, you could be a little kinder.”
“Yes, indeed. If His Grace sullies the lady’s ears, the Imperial Family will not be pleased.”
“Standing out here isn’t proper. Let’s continue this discussion inside.”
…The Imperial Family? Did he just say that?
The duke looked at me for a moment, then turned his head away. The director of the orphanage hurried ahead to guide the way.
“Haha, my lady. His Grace may seem cold, but he truly has a warm heart.”
The knight tried to comfort me with a friendly gesture.
There were several knights before me, all smiling awkwardly. They each looked different, yet somehow the same. But the only face etched clearly into my memory was the duke’s.
The duke—or rather, my family, if that word even applied. Even if temporary, he was the only family I had in this world.
‘But that killing intent just now… was real.’
We soon arrived at the headmaster’s office.
“Your Grace, please sign here.”
“So this is the form? Quite a simple document.”
The duke lifted the papers with a glance. Behind the director’s chair hung the Imperial banner, bearing the name Haspelt Empire in bold letters.
The duke’s eyes flicked toward it, clearly displeased. Then he elegantly moved his quill.
I stood near the door, quietly watching his back. When he finished writing, he set the quill down.
The director looked up and gestured toward me.
“Adel, come here and sign your name.”
I hesitated. The director handed me the quill, but the atmosphere suddenly turned tense. Even the duke, sitting opposite, seemed annoyed—though there was no killing intent this time, I could tell he was displeased.
“This child is now a lady. A mere orphanage director, a commoner, has no right to speak so familiarly. Of course, the papers haven’t yet passed through the Imperial office, but still!”
One of the knights stepped forward, hand on his sword, growling like a beast. The director flinched and quickly turned to me.
“P–Please, just sign here, my lady.”
Even the director was addressing me with honorifics now. My lady. The words didn’t feel real.
I didn’t like how loud everyone’s voices got because of me, so I hurriedly scribbled down my name.
I couldn’t read, but at least I knew how to write my name.
“Adel. Just two letters.”
‘Adel.’
I wrote my name three times in the space the director pointed out. The thick, uneven ink slowly dried and sank into the paper.
‘I wrote it.’
Below my name was the duke’s already-dried signature—elegant and perfect cursive, nothing like my clumsy scrawl.
It felt strange.
Was this man really my family?
“All done?”
“Yes, Your Grace. One copy for you, one for our orphanage, and one we’ll submit to the Imperial Office.”
The director smiled obsequiously.
“Take care of it,” the duke ordered with a glance before standing.
I stepped back instinctively as he brushed past me.
The top of my head barely reached his waist. He didn’t even glance at me as he strode toward the door.
“I’ll stop by the Morita Territory on business. Take her to the estate first.”
“Your Grace, your attendants?”
“Her escort is more important than mine. There will be many seeking her. Even with secrecy, ears are everywhere. Do not let her come to harm. Not while she’s under my protection.”
“Understood, Your Grace. I’ll stake my life to protect the young lady.”
…Stake his life?
‘You just held a sword to my neck a minute ago.’
I didn’t understand what was happening anymore.
So, like all the other adopted children before me, I simply pretended to behave in front of my new “parent.”
Before he left, the duke’s gaze met mine—cold, sharp, and blood-red.
There was no warmth in it at all.
People say eyes can’t lie.
His black hair framed a face that carried the reputation of a war demon.
I froze.
I had really become the duke’s daughter.
…Why? How?
“By the way, the reward money—ha, ha, ha—when will it… Ahem!”
The director’s voice broke through my thoughts.
One of the knights frowned, then quietly took a pouch of gold coins from his cloak. The coins jingled cheerfully.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, sir knight!”
“…Let’s go, my lady.”
“Oh dear, to think our orphanage would produce a noble lady! What an honor!”
The director clutched the pouch to his chest, grinning from ear to ear.
It seemed I was the only one afraid of this sudden change.
At least the knights seemed to be on my side.
Even though they’d stood still while the duke aimed his sword at me.
“The journey to the ducal estate will take some time.”
The knight said as he helped me into the carriage.
Well, not “helped”—he actually lifted me like a princess and set me inside.
The carriage interior was soft and luxurious. Alone, I poked the cushions curiously until I grew sleepy and laid my cheek against them.
It was quiet. Peaceful.
Before long, I fell asleep.
<Hello.>
“…Hello.”
What woke me was a fire spirit—flaring and flickering in the air.
I blinked groggily and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. There was sleep dust in the corners.
I was still inside the carriage. The door remained closed.
The lizard-shaped spirit whispered to me.
<Don’t be afraid.>
“…I’m okay.”
The spirit always appeared suddenly, talking to me like this.
I couldn’t even remember when I first started hearing its voice. At some point, it had simply become my friend.
It had stayed by me even in the isolation room, keeping me warm so I wouldn’t shiver through the night.
I wished it would be that kind to the other children too—but I never asked. Spirits had their own will, after all.
<We’ve arrived.>
And with that, the spirit vanished.
I groggily sat up, hair a tangled mess.
Soon the carriage stopped, and someone knocked on the door. When I didn’t respond, the door opened.
“Welcome, my lady. This is the Alcibiades Ducal Estate, where you will be staying. Did you rest well?”
“…Yes.”
A smiling knight stood on the carriage steps.
But beyond him—
What I saw made my breath catch.
It was enormous. Towering. Brilliant.
The marble walls gleamed golden in the setting sun, so bright it almost hurt my eyes.
I had never seen anything so beautiful.
“Wow…”
“Allow me to help you down, my lady.”
Just as when I got on, I was gently lifted in the knight’s arms as he carried me down from the carriage.
