Chapter 62
“You were the one who blew it out, you idiot. Can’t you even do one thing right?”
Sishe ground his teeth and kicked Baratheon in the shin.
Normally, Baratheon would’ve immediately fought back, but this time he just looked at me cautiously, perhaps aware of his guilt.
A full-grown man, acting this nervous just because he blew out a candle—
The sight was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help laughing. Baratheon, flustered, let out an awkward laugh to match mine.
“It’s okay if we blew it out together,” I said.
“R–Really?”
Relieved by my words, Baratheon let out a long sigh of relief and shouted around the room,
“What are you all waiting for? The little one says it’s fine! Hurry up and sing the birthday song!”
Maybe they’d rehearsed beforehand, because despite Baratheon’s loud urging, everyone joined in cheerfully and sang a powerful, unified Happy Birthday.
As the song ended and I blew out the cake’s candles with a strong puff, applause erupted from all around.
The first person to offer birthday wishes—surprisingly, considering how out of place he looked in such a lively atmosphere—was the Grand Duke.
“Happy birthday, Danaë.”
At his greeting, the room filled with voices congratulating me from every direction.
It seemed the person Marina had mentioned—the one who wanted to be the first to say happy birthday to me—had been the Grand Duke after all.
Then came the gift-giving time.
The first to hand me a present was Baratheon, who quickly passed the cake to a maid and came striding back to me.
“Here, little one! I’m the first to give you a gift!”
His gift was a packet of plant seeds.
“If you plant these, they’ll bloom into really pretty flowers. I don’t really know much about that stuff, but you said you liked flowers, right? So, give it a try!”
Baratheon—the same man who once said flowers were just a plant’s reproductive organs—was giving me flowers?
The same Baratheon who once forgot I was a mage and gifted me a random magic scroll was now giving me something I’d actually like?
This was… tremendous progress.
As I gazed at his gift with emotional gratitude, Sishe scoffed.
“Sorry, but the first gift was from me. That dress the kid’s wearing right now? That’s my present.”
“What?”
Baratheon’s face, which had been glowing with pride, instantly crumpled.
“You didn’t tell me that!”
“Would it have made a difference if I did?”
“Of course it would’ve!”
While Baratheon and Sishe bickered—or rather, while Baratheon flailed indignantly at Sishe—Lucas approached me.
“Here, this is my gift.”
He handed me a wooden box with a beautiful grain.
“I heard you’ve been writing letters lately, so I got you a quill and some ink.”
I carefully opened the box.
The custom-made quill had a violet gemstone embedded in it, the same color as my eyes.
The ink inside shimmered with a silvery-purple sheen.
“Wow! It’s so pretty! I’ll write my first letter with this—to you, Lucas!”
“Really? That’s an honor.”
Hedin gave me a gift on behalf of the Mist Knights, Marina presented one on behalf of the servants, and Jadin and Miri hadn’t forgotten either.
Now, only the Grand Duke remained.
“Danaë, this is my birthday gift to you.”
The Grand Duke handed me a golden key, ornate and gleaming.
Its design resembled the key he’d once given me for the treasure vault before my heir’s trial—but this one was much larger.
Wow, this man really loves giving out keys, I thought.
He was always handing me keys for every special occasion. Quite the… unique hobby.
“What is this a key to?” I asked.
Was it another treasure vault?
“When you’re your age, you start needing your own personal space.”
But from his explanation, this key wasn’t for any vault.
“A place where no one can bother you, no one can interfere, and you can decorate it however you like—a space that’s entirely your own.”
Just as he said, a private space was important for a girl my age.
Though, how he knew that was a mystery in itself.
“So, I’ve decided to give you the Coral Mansion on the eastern coast.”
“…Huh?”
“A mansion?”
“Yes.”
My mind went blank for a moment, unable to process what he was saying.
Wait—did he just say “mansion” like it was some kind of cottage?
Was I misunderstanding the word mansion?
“U-um, you mean like the Winter Mansion? A big house?”
I stammered, and the Grand Duke nodded calmly.
“Yes, like that. It’s a bit smaller than the Winter Mansion, but…”
He paused, seeming to mentally gauge the size, then nodded again with a faint smile.
“It should be more than suitable for your use.”
Smaller than the Winter Mansion still meant huge!
I had thought he might give me something small, like an extra storage building—but this was completely beyond expectations.
“It’s a mansion on the eastern coast overlooking the Coral Sea. Until now, it’s been used as one of our family’s vacation homes.”
Right, I remember reading that the Ashinoff family owns several estates besides the capital’s Dawn Mansion.
Back then, it hadn’t seemed important—but now one of those estates was being handed over to me.
“From today onward, the Coral Mansion belongs not to the Ashinoff family, but to you, Danaë. Use it however you wish.”
In a daze, I extended my hands and accepted the key from him.
The sheer weight of such a gift left my mind spinning.
This is the first time I’ve ever owned a home that’s truly mine.
In my past life, I’d lived under my master’s roof. In this one, I’d been a boarder in my foster parents’ inn.
Even now, though I lived in the grand Winter Mansion, that technically belonged to the Grand Duke—not to me.
“The northern winters are harsh,” the Grand Duke said. “Why not spend the season in the warmth of the Coral Mansion? There’s already a caretaker, though it might need some repairs since it hasn’t been visited often.”
It was a suspiciously convenient suggestion.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“This winter… at the Coral Mansion?”
“Yes. You could use it as a convalescence retreat—it wouldn’t hurt to stay longer if needed.”
Convalescence?!
At that word, my foggy mind instantly cleared.
So this is how he plans to keep me from working!
I thought that issue had already been settled, but it seemed the Grand Duke had been scheming another way behind the scenes.
“Grandfather, are you sending me away? You promised not to stop me from working!”
“I’m not stopping you,” he said calmly. “I gave you the Coral Mansion as a gift, and simply entrusted you with its restoration. I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
His gentle tone easily deflected my protest.
And technically, he wasn’t wrong.
He had given me the mansion as a gift. And he had assigned me to handle its repairs.
He hadn’t directly ordered me not to work.
But in the end, it’s basically the same thing!
“Lucas! Theon! Sishe!”
I turned to the three brothers, silently begging for backup.
But none of them came to my aid.
Lucas just smiled awkwardly, Baratheon averted his eyes, and Sishe firmly shook his head.
Judging by their reactions, they must’ve known about this plan in advance.
I looked at the Grand Duke anew, surprised.
I had thought he preferred straightforward methods—“I will never allow this!”—rather than underhanded tricks.
But of course, he was the Grand Duke.
So it’s not that he can’t use cunning methods—he just doesn’t usually need to.
Sensing my dissatisfaction, he sighed softly and suddenly lifted me up in his arms.
It was the first time he’d ever carried me like this.
Startled, I widened my eyes—and sure enough, everyone around us was staring in shock.
“Even after you collapsed, you kept summoning doctors, saying you were unwell. And yet you claim you’re fit to work?”
“I… that’s…”
His voice was gentle but firm, and I faltered.
That wasn’t because I was actually sick—it was because my master refused to acknowledge me as his disciple, so I wanted to bother him!
Who would’ve thought that’d end up as evidence for “Danaë’s worsening health”?
Oh no, I walked right into my own trap!
“Take it slow, Danaë,” he said. “You’re still the little Grand Duke—and my granddaughter. That won’t change, so there’s no need to rush.”
He was right, of course.
There’s no need to rush.
I was already the young heir, and in time, I’d gain the power to control the household.
The problem is… everyone’s being too nice to me.
Even today—everyone had gathered to sincerely celebrate my birthday and give me such thoughtful gifts.
Even if their actions get in the way of my plans…
The Grand Duke had given me a mansion and told me to rest—all because he cared for his granddaughter.
If this keeps up every year, I’ll get soft-hearted in no time.
That’s why I’d wanted to gain power quickly, before I could grow attached—so I could bring down the family before affection got in the way.
But seeing this side of the Grand Duke… I hadn’t expected him to be so warm.
Honestly, who complains about being loved too much? What kind of nonsense is this?
“Danaë,”
The Grand Duke, seeing me sigh gloomily, brushed his hand gently over my cheek.
“Let’s go. There’s something I want to show you.”
