Chapter 32
As they left and the meeting room door closed, the businessman began rubbing his forehead against the floor.
“Your Grace, please! Whatever it is, it’s my fault!”
“I know. Death penalty.”
“Your Grace! I-I’ll do anything!”
“Besides bribery, what are you even good at? Ah, and take this tacky ribbon with you. I have no need for such lack of class.”
The ribbon… was kind of cute, though.
Anyway, I finally climbed down from the duke’s arm and sat in the corner of the meeting room to spectate this ridiculous trial.
Is bribery and influence-peddling really a capital crime? By modern standards, the answer is definitely no.
But the fact that he dared to try and tempt me with something like a kid’s toy, and nearly interfered with the duke’s parenting—that seemed to have made things worse for him.
…To put it bluntly, he was guilty of lèse-majesté.
In the end, the businessman barely avoided execution by spilling the names of those he had bribed into high-ranking positions.
At last, the ice shackles around him melted away, and he stood up, his face soaked with tears.
“Your Grace! Thank you—thank you so much! I will never forget this grace!”
“Forget both the grace and the grudge. I have no interest in carrying such emotions.”
“A-And my lady, I apologize to you as well!”
“Take care! No more bad deeds! And give that ribbon to younger kids instead. I’m too grown up for that kind of thing!”
“Ahaha! Y-Yes, of course. My lady is—”
Hmm. That was meant as a joke.
But the moment the businessman laughed, an ice sword was at his throat.
“Hiiik!”
“What’s so funny? Are you mocking my daughter for being proud of growing up?”
“N-No! My lady is surely lovely in anything she wears, and her modesty was so charming that I couldn’t help but smile!”
Wow, quick thinking—95 points. Unfortunately, the duke didn’t seem to appreciate it.
“Charming, you say?”
“……”
Say yes, and you’re dead. Say no, and you’re also dead.
“Father, it’s cold in here. The meeting room doesn’t get sunlight. Let’s go.”
“…Very well.”
“And let the businessman go too. He has work to do, right?”
“You heard her. Get up and get out. I expect you to earn back the profit equal to the time you wasted today.”
The businessman shot to his feet, bowed repeatedly, and scurried out of the room. Idiot. That’s what you get for trying to bribe me. Still, I pulled it off!
Feeling somewhat proud of my usefulness, my mood was decent. But for some reason, the duke looked displeased.
“What’s wrong, Father?”
“…It’s clear that you’re useful in many ways.”
“That’s a good thing! So?”
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“About that ribbon earlier.”
“Yes?”
“I never imagined giving or receiving gifts on ordinary days. But perhaps I should learn to do things like that.”
“……”
“Besides carrying you around, what else should I do?”
A few things came to mind—typical daughter-fool antics from parenting romance novels.
Giving away land and titles. Transferring ownership of a gemstone mine. Procuring outrageously expensive magical items…
But aside from whether the duke would actually do that, those are definitely things we should never do!
Duke Schlieger’s “daughter-fool” behavior is meant to show off his unexpected side to others. It needs to be on public display, deliberately performed.
If he were to announce, “I’m giving the diamond mine to Sol,” in front of the territory’s citizens or guild leaders, what would they think? The rumor would be that he’s gone soft for his daughter and is ruining the domain.
And seriously, why would you go around bragging about that stuff? It just makes people feel deprived.
So our “daughter-fool” act needs to be more… trivial.
“Father, you’ve never played with your sons, right?”
“No.”
“Me neither.”
People who’ve never experienced normal family affection… What could we possibly come up with together?
Dear parenting romance novels I’ve read, give me strength! …Ugh! All I can think of is cheering when babies take their first steps!
As I furrowed my brows and agonized, the duke said,
“I’ll be heading out to inspect the territory now. Think of a good method while I’m gone.”
“Ah, okay. Have a good trip.”
“‘Have a good trip’?”
“…What?”
He picked me up again. Hey!
“You’re taking me on the inspection too? You just said earlier you were only showing me off at the meeting—”
“After seeing you there, I think I can show you off a bit more.”
“Excuse me! I’m not some wild ginseng found in a backyard—ack!”
“This is the only method I know.”
I wanted to escape from his arm.
But the duke kicked open the meeting room door, and the servants bowed before us. I had no choice but to play the cute daughter and lean into his chest.
Ugh, damn it. What’s the point of having thick arms if there’s no cushion? My back is starting to hurt!
The duke noticed and whispered,
“Your back must hurt.”
“Sitting on your arm like this for so long is tiring.”
“Hm… Shall I place a cushion on my arm next time?”
“No! Then people will say you’re not just a daughter-fool, but a daughter-maniac!”
“Got it. If it becomes too much, let me know. I’ll carry you in both arms.”
Is… is he talking about a princess carry? That’s way too far.
“Isn’t there an option where you put me down and we walk together?”
“You’re too short. You’d get in the way. I’d step on you.”
“You’re not a daughter-fool. You’re a daughter-villain.”
Luckily, the servants were five meters away and couldn’t hear our nonsense.
They just looked at us with expressions that said, “What on earth is His Grace doing?”
Most of the day passed with me in the duke’s arms. It was surprisingly productive. I got to follow along on his inspection of the Flugel territory and learn about the facilities.
Everyone we met widened their eyes when they saw me, and each time, the duke would awkwardly pat my head. His touch was gentler than during the meeting.
We only returned to the duke’s mansion at sunset. He didn’t look back once as he headed to his office.
I changed my shoes in my room. Despite all the walking, there wasn’t a speck of dirt on them.
I was reminded of an old tale told by the volunteer grandmother at the orphanage.
A landowner’s daughter was so pampered she never got her shoes dirty, always carried by a servant.
But is this really pampering? I didn’t even do anything and I’m exhausted!
Whatever. I’m going to bed. I proved my usefulness to the duke, so today was a success.
…Or so I thought. The day wasn’t quite over yet. Just as I lay down to sleep, the duke appeared.
“Father? What brings you here at this hour?”
“To read you a book.”
“What? A book? Why?”
“What do you mean ‘why’? I told everyone today that I read to you every night.”
That was just a passing comment!
But the duke wouldn’t back down, and from his arms, he pulled out this book:
For Efficient Territorial Management – Subjugation of Criminals
This is doomed from the start.
When I protested, he raided the village and brought back a bunch of fairy tale books, which he read to me—grudgingly.
Then my adorable older brothers came to visit, looking equally awkward.
“I’ll put you to bed. Do you want me to warm some milk or carry you on my back?”
The second son, a budding villain, suddenly winked and knelt in front of my room.
“Sol, is it too late for me to change my image…?”
The only sane member of House Schlieger, Elber, started poking at my guilt again.
Can I really survive all this?
Awkward days went by in a blur.
The most enthusiastic was Benen. Apparently, being a doting brother wasn’t that hard for him. All he had to do was stick to me and shower me with affection.
“Sol, if anyone bothers you, tell me right away. I’ll take care of them however you like—banish them forever or make them dance on their hands in front of you!”
“Are you just using affection as an excuse to be violent?”
“…Maybe. It’s like how something cute makes you want to bite it? But I wouldn’t hurt you.”
Benen’s eyes curved mischievously into a crescent.
The one who seemed to be struggling most was Elber.
“Sol! It’s not like I wanted to give you snacks or anything! I just happened to find some leftovers!”
He came in holding a plate of pastry pie.
“You’ll probably spill if you eat by yourself. I’ll feed you. Say ah.”
I felt like he’d cry if I refused.
So I opened my mouth, and Elber carefully fed me the treat he had sliced, then brushed away the crumbs from my lips. That was the third time today.
Before leaving, he whispered in my ear.
“I lied. I did want to give you snacks. And I didn’t think you’d spill. You’ve already learned proper table manners, haven’t you?”
“I know. Thank you.”
“…Thank you for knowing.”
His face flushed red as he ran off. What an angel. He’s really trying hard.
Meanwhile, our cold, expressionless villain—the Duke, Latiger Alt Schlieger…
One day, he took my hand and dragged me along for “daughter-fool” practice. The venue? The home of a subordinate in charge of equipment maintenance.
…Yes, a private residence.
The poor man, forced to host his boss at home, looked utterly terrified.
“Your Grace! What brings you to such a humble place… I-I swear, I’m not skipping work—I filed for vacation—”
“I know. I hear you have a daughter.”
“Th-That’s true, but…”
“Play with her.”
“…Pardon?”
“Don’t mind us. Just play with your daughter. If you need any resources, I’ll provide them.”
“……”
The subordinate glanced between the duke and his daughter with trembling eyes.
The girl was adorable. Fluffy golden curls like Cupid, chubby limbs, and peachy cheeks.
…Estimated age: around 3 or 4.
She pointed at the duke and asked,
“Daddy, who’s that?”
“D-Don’t point! Call him ‘Your Grace’!”
“Candy?”
“No, no! I’m so sorry!”
The duke narrowed his eyes.
“If I have to say ‘don’t mind us’ one more time—”
“A-All right! Flora, let’s go play with Daddy, hmm?”
“Okay!”
The girl immediately nodded.
Yes, better to leave than endure the duke’s glare indoors.
The subordinate knelt down.
“Flora, come here. Let’s go whoosh—whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
The girl climbed onto his back and wrapped her legs around his shoulders—a piggyback ride.
As the dad stood up, she burst into giggles. It was so pure, I couldn’t help but smile too.
As they left the small cottage, I was still smiling warmly at their retreating backs when—
“Sol.”
A foreboding voice.
I turned my head and saw…
“Get on.”
The duke’s broad shoulders, lowered and waiting for me.
