“W-What on earth is this?!”
Baron Grimaldi’s eyes widened in shock.
“D-Dear… What is this?!”
His wife, Iliana Grimaldi, also looked at Rosettine in disbelief.
The two stumbled toward her.
“When did you develop your powers this much, Rosettine?!”
“Yes! And why didn’t you tell your mother any of this?!”
Rosettine quietly retracted what she had created with an expressionless face. Then she said in a cold voice,
“Please take me to the Thanksgiving Festival this year.”
The couple’s expressions stiffened, but Baron Grimaldi quickly nodded vigorously.
“Of course! With such amazing powers, that’s the least we can do!”
“Yes, Rosettine. Let’s go pick out a dress for the festival tomorrow! It’s almost spring, so let’s find something bright and flowy, okay?”
Rosettine looked at them, bursting with excitement, then silently turned away.
The couple rushed to stop her.
“W-Wait, Rosettine! Why do you suddenly want to go to the festival? You’ve never even shown interest before…”
Rosettine turned her emotionless gaze back to them.
“There’s someone I’ve promised to meet.”
The couple’s eyes widened in surprise, but their daughter had already walked far away.
“So, you’re asking me to create a drug that will conceal the identity of a prince everyone thought disappeared ten years ago?”
Ansen ran his hand roughly through his hair, mumbling in disbelief.
I nodded calmly.
“Yes. That’s exactly it.”
“Ha… What kind of nonsense is this right after coming back?”
He stared blankly at me and Rubel, sitting across from him in the grand conference room.
Then, in a voice full of despair, he asked,
“Did Your Grace know about this?”
His gaze turned to my father, sitting at the head of the table.
“That the prince is alive—or that I’d be the one making his medicine?”
“You’re asking me that now? Of course, it’s both!”
My father, watching the flushed-faced Ansen, responded flatly.
“I knew.”
A dispassionate reply. Ansen nearly exploded.
“I won’t do it!”
My father’s brow twitched slightly. But Ansen went on without taking a breath.
“Honestly, isn’t this too much?! Ask someone else, maybe, but you’re asking me to create a drug that hides a missing prince?! You might as well ask me to hide a serial killer!”
“……”
“I didn’t even want to know about this in the first place…!”
He grabbed his head in despair.
“If word gets out about who he really is, then I’m going down with him…”
He seemed to imagine himself on the execution block. His face turned pale.
“I can’t do it. No matter how I think about it, I can’t. This is straight-up boarding a sinking ship. I just want to stay a humble alchemist!”
Unable to watch any longer, I spoke up.
“Ansen, we’re not trying to start a rebellion.”
When I said the word “rebellion,” Ansen’s face turned even paler.
“Even you, Lady, have lost your mind… I didn’t hear that. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
He jumped to his feet.
As I stared at him, Ansen grimaced and lowered his voice.
“There’s already a legitimate crown prince alive and well in the capital. Hiding a former prince, presumed dead, isn’t that treason?”
“……”
“Even if we say we didn’t mean it that way—who’s going to believe us? The moment it comes out, we’re all—”
He made a slashing motion across his neck with his thumb.
Still, he kept glancing over at Rubel.
I sighed deeply and said,
“We’re just trying to take the humane route here. What are you going to do, report him?”
I jerked my chin toward Rubel. Ansen groaned, covering his forehead.
“I mean, seriously, what did this kid do wrong? When he escaped the palace, Rubel—no, Tatio—was only ten years old.”
Peeking through his fingers, Ansen asked,
“Tatio?”
“Yeah. That’s Rubel’s new name. Think about it—if you can just hide those distinctive eye colors, there’ll be no problem. I guarantee it.”
Ansen collapsed into his chair, dumbfounded.
“You know it too. Black hair is common in the empire. It’s just golden eyes that are rare. If we just conceal those, it’ll be perfect.”
I looked into Ansen’s eyes like a salesperson pushing an insurance plan in a past life.
Then Ansen asked in a trembling voice,
“…What’s your real reason for doing this?”
“Hm?”
“There must be a reason you brought the prince out of hiding. It’s not like you were bored.”
“Ah…”
I glanced awkwardly at Rubel.
“Well…”
Everyone stared at me.
“Obviously, it’s for the family.”
“What did you say?”
I looked at my father and continued,
“Think about it. Father’s not exactly the smooth-talking type like Duke Rorang.”
The room grew solemn. But I kept going.
“Walter told me that when we suddenly left the capital, the Emperor didn’t seem too pleased.”
Silence filled the room.
“That’s not all. The Temple hates us too. They’re probably just waiting to sink their teeth into us the moment we slip up.”
“……”
“So we have no allies in this world. Doesn’t that mean we need to be extra prepared?”
I could feel Rubel looking at me.
I glanced back and then leaned in, lowering my voice like I was revealing a huge secret.
“Have you ever thought that Tatio might become our weapon?”
Ansen looked utterly stunned.
“We just have to protect Tatio for now. It’s more of a mutual benefit situation.”
Rubel chuckled from beside me.
“Not even pretending to help out of kindness, huh?”
I gave an awkward cough. On the opposite side, I heard Ansen sigh like the world was ending.
“I should’ve stayed with the mercenary corps…”
“……”
“What riches did I expect to find, following you here…”
He looked utterly crushed. My father, watching him, murmured casually,
“Then we’ll just raise your salary.”
Ansen turned his head sharply and glared.
“I may love money, but this isn’t something money can fix—”
“Double it.”
Ansen fell silent. He stared at my father with trembling eyes.
And then asked in disbelief,
“…Seriously?”
“Yes.”
Ansen flinched, but I noticed the change in his expression.
“Double…”
He muttered, then looked at me.
His gaze was still wary, but he no longer looked like he was about to die.
I quickly offered,
“If you don’t trust us, I’ll write you a contract. That way you can feel safer.”
But Ansen’s eyes had already changed.
“If it’s double… and since you’re someone who keeps your word…”
He glanced between my father and me, then finally murmured,
“…Then I’ll at least start working on it.”
A dramatic shift.
I grinned.
“Great! Smart choice.”
But Ansen added firmly,
“But if things go sideways, I’m bolting. Don’t even try to get anything back—I won’t cooperate. Understood?”
I nodded. Just then, my father spoke.
“Then this matter is settled.”
Without hesitation, he stood up. But just as he was about to leave the conference room, he paused.
Turning to Ansen, he asked,
“…By the way. Is that enhancement drug I asked about still under development?”
I flinched mid-step.
Ansen muttered, puzzled,
“It’s already finished.”
“Then why haven’t you reported it?”
“Oh, I already sold the rights.”
Father turned fully, frowning.
I began sweating as I stood up slowly. But Ansen’s next words stopped me cold.
“Lady Selenea bought them. Quite a while ago. I thought Your Grace knew.”
I felt everyone’s stares drilling into me and laughed awkwardly.
“Haha, well…”
Scratching my head, I slowly looked up—my father was staring right at me.
But his expression was… oddly normal.
Why doesn’t he seem bothered?
“I see.”
It was true.
He muttered briefly, then left the room like it was no big deal.
I stood awkwardly for a moment before turning.
“Um… let’s go too.”
Outside the large window lining the conference hall, new buds were beginning to sprout.
Duke’s Residence – Service Hallway
“Did you ask Ansen Daniel about the enhancement drug as well?”
Walter followed behind the Duke, asking.
But Aleon shook his head.
“He said the rights were already transferred.”
“…What?!”
Walter stopped in his tracks, eyes wide.
“How could someone under Tigris sell the rights to someone other than Your Grace?”
The Duke gave no reply.
“Please explain! If the rights have been transferred, we must retrieve them—”
“They went to Selenea.”
Walter’s jaw dropped, and he stopped again.
But Aleon kept walking calmly. Walter scrambled to catch up and asked,
“W-Why would the Lady…?”
“I don’t know.”
Walter blinked at the absurd answer, then froze.
The usually expressionless Duke had raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk.
Why is he smiling in this situation?
Walter frowned in confusion. Then the Duke muttered,
“Taking relics from those filthy Temple bastards…”
“……”
“She’s been keeping an eye on both the royal family and the Temple for the sake of our house.”
Aleon’s smirk deepened.
“The more I see… my daughter is—”
“……”
“Truly brilliant.”
Walter stopped in place, stunned.
Aleon, wearing a wicked grin, murmured once more:
“…Really, she’s incredibly clever.”
Walter could only stare in shock at the Duke’s retreating figure.
Thus began the story of the Tigris family’s soon-to-be infamous “daughter-crazy” father.
