Chapter 67
“I won’t forget that it was you, Duke, who took in someone like me who had nowhere to go.”
“…….”
“I’ll also never forget that I must continue to be of help to the Abner family.”
Sharon Abner blinked slowly, caught off guard by the words.
“And I’ll become independent whenever you wish.”
At those words, she had to double-check what she had heard.
“Independent?”
“Yes. If you tell me to leave the mansion, I’ll leave, and if you tell me to go far away… I’ll try my best. With the Mage Tower nearby, it should be fine, right?”
Annelia muttered to herself, as if worried about something, continuing her explanation.
“Also, I really want to take the magical formulas and potions I’ve made here with me. Even if I sell them elsewhere, I want to make sure I get my share.”
Once she had finished counting everything, Annelia lifted her head. Her large eyes sparkled.
“If you promise me just that, Duke, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll even study hard in my noble lessons.”
“…….”
“Oh, and just so you know, I don’t mean just a verbal promise. I’d like some written proof, with seals if possible, and witnesses too.”
Sharon Abner blinked slowly. She recalled the terrified look on the child’s face when she first brought up the adoption. At that time, she had worried that the child would outright refuse the adoption.
But she had never considered that the child might say such things with this kind of expression…
She didn’t know how to respond.
After a moment’s hesitation, she finally spoke.
“I… I don’t—”
“I know! You’re worried because I got hurt.”
Sharon immediately closed her mouth again.
“But that was just an accident. It wasn’t your fault, Duke.”
Whether it was truly anyone’s fault was impossible to judge. A would-be assassin might have stumbled upon the child by chance and caused harm.
Yet the child spoke with complete certainty, as if fully aware of the circumstances of her attack.
“As long as nothing like that happens again in the future, it’ll be fine. But in my opinion, becoming Lady Abner should prevent anything like that from happening.”
“…You think so?”
“Yes. That’s why I decided to become Lady Abner.”
Annelia got off the sofa, scurried over, and held out her small hands.
“I look forward to working with you!”
Sharon Abner stared blankly at her hands.
“This offer… is praise for the role you’ve played here, isn’t it?”
The child’s face was utterly serious.
“It’s praise for how I’ve been helpful to you, Duke.”
As Sharon hesitated, the child gently grabbed her hand and asked, shaking it slightly:
“So, what should I do now?”
“…….”
“Since Lady Larien said I have no noble background, should I start with noble lessons?”
Sharon Abner looked at Annelia with a complicated expression. She was relieved that the adoption proposal had been accepted, but somehow, she felt deeply unsettled.
Meanwhile, at the Longton Duke Mansion, far from the Abner main estate:
“D-D-Duke!!”
A butler, face pale as death, ran into Lambert Longton’s office.
“Th-the youngest princess… the youngest princess has returned!”
As the brief summer came to an end,
The hot Abner territory was washed by a heavy rain.
In a room with a gentle breeze, I solemnly set down the pencil I had been holding onto the desk.
Miel and Soya immediately reacted, fussing excitedly.
“Wow! Ah, Your Highness!!”
“Oh my, you wrote so well! We could frame this and keep it as a family heirloom forever!”
Their eyes were fixed on the paper in front of me.
〈Annelia Abner〉
The paper showed my name, written carefully.
“Ria, your handwriting is naturally good.”
“Of course it is!”
Miel gently rubbed my cheeks as I shrugged.
“Do you like your new name?”
“Yes. I like it.”
A new name. Since I had no family surname as an orphan, I had written only “Annelia.” Now, it was officially Annelia Abner.
This was because the adoption process had been completed just yesterday.
I was now the child of the late Sharon Abner’s daughter, Isabelle.
“Annelia Abner… even saying it again, it’s such a beautiful name. The surname and the first name go perfectly together…!”
Soya’s eyes welled with tears.
Miel and Soya were overjoyed at my adoption. Naturally, the rest of the household was too.
“Is it really true that our baby is now the youngest princess?!”
“My goodness… now we can give her six meals a day without worry, how wonderful!”
Aunt Marenes and Uncle Phil cheered as soon as they heard the news.
“Then… we can’t really scold her anymore, can we…?”
Even Owen looked pleased, though he said little.
Not everyone had fully accepted me, of course.
“A few branch family members opposed it,” I thought.
But very, very timidly.
“Adoption… as the daughter of the late Miss Isabelle? It feels so hasty… but I will respect Your Grace’s decision!”
The branch family could no longer actively oppose Sharon Abner since she had fully regained power after the council meeting.
“Somewhat amusing, really,” I thought.
The branch members copied the house rules I dictated, five times each. They spent almost three full days and nights in the council hall, eating and sleeping there, before returning home trembling.
Yet their faces were bright as they left.
“They must realize their punishment was light compared to what they did.”
Everything was forgiven, subtly, thanks to my kind and gentle nature.
And one more thing: Viscount Kaintern had disappeared.
I didn’t need to see the circumstances to know what had happened.
“Jaden must have done something. Definitely.”
Still, I had no intention of defending Kaintern, thinking of how he had spoken rudely to Sharon Abner, which still angered me.
“Your Highness, now that you’ve written your new name so beautifully, is there anything you’d like to do?”
At Miel’s question, I lifted my head.
“Something I’d like to do?”
“Yes! Like going to the marketplace for new toys, or to eat something delicious.”
I nodded, listening.
“I see.”
I currently had Logrio, the personal bodyguard assigned by Tian.
During the adoption process, Sharon Abner had added another twenty guards under Logrio’s command.
Thanks to this, I now had a small personal guard corps led by Logrio.
“Things are different now, Your Highness. You can go out anytime you want, buy anything you wish, and eat anything that won’t harm your health!”
I rolled my eyes uncomfortably.
Even in my previous life, after being adopted by the Longton Duke, I had never enjoyed such luxuries.
Though I could understand the abundance of guards given that I almost died in my sleep once…
“No. Twenty is too many. I should mention it sometime.”
I had only received the Abner surname for mutual benefit.
“So I shouldn’t get used to taking so much for granted.”
Eventually, I would leave the family and go my own way.
Thinking that, I lifted my head.
“Ria wants to do something!”
“Yes! What is it?”
“I want to have dinner with the Duke to talk about something!”
Miel and Soya’s eyes went wide.
But truly, since that previous conversation, I had never met Sharon Abner even once.
I only heard her meeting with branch family members in the main hall or happened to pass her in the garden a few times.
“Even when I try to greet her, she keeps avoiding me.”
I gently grabbed Miel’s skirt.
“Can we…?”
Miel looked momentarily flustered, then set a determined expression.
“What’s impossible now, Your Highness? You’re the Lady Abner now!”
Even Soya rolled up her sleeves.
“I’ll go ask right away!”
I watched as they marched off bravely, like soldiers heading to the battlefield.
