Chapter 18
“Are all maids like that?”
Solphy asked, and Lariet’s eyes went wide. Solphy herself didn’t understand either.
She jumped off the swing and ran toward the maid.
“Maid unni! I’m going to see Dad today!”
“In that case, I will escort you to the knight order headquarters, not the mansion.”
“Let’s go! Mission start!”
Today was the day Teacher Serena would go to the knight order for parent education. Solphy couldn’t miss this.
“But what about the carriage?”
“It’s only a 30-minute walk. Let’s go on foot.”
“Thirty minutes? That’s really far!”
“The more you train, the stronger you become, young lady.”
Solphy hesitated for a moment. She didn’t like tiring herself out, but everyone in the mansion, including Marcelo, was always busy training whenever possible.
It must be important.
“Alright. Let’s go!”
She agreed to the maid’s suggestion.
The maid, Marion, had once been one of the knights who fought dragons alongside Marcelo.
After retiring due to injuries, she started her second chapter of life as a maid at the Freya Mansion.
Her hobby? Adoring the adorable little young lady!
‘Hehe. I won’t wash my hands today!’
Marion looked down at Solphy walking diligently, holding her hand. Watching her scamper along was endlessly adorable.
The mansion staff had once been jealous when the gardener bragged about Solphy’s handmade goods. Now, anyone who saw her holding hands with Marion would be envious.
“She’s like a doll! How can someone be this cute?”
Marion felt like putting her in her mouth and squealing with delight. In all her life, she had never seen something so small, cute, and precious.
Especially the clattering sound of Solphy’s little feet in her shiny shoes—her heart nearly skipped a beat every time!
‘Ugh! Even when dragons breathed fire, my heart didn’t race like this.’
Marion’s heart pounded, but her eyes sharpened. Danger detected ahead.
At first glance, the woman looked ordinary, like a tourist visiting the palace.
But Marion’s gaze swept the area with intent. And most importantly…
‘Smells like poison.’
Among the Freya Mansion staff, hierarchy wasn’t determined by rank—it was strength.
By raw combat, Marion was near the bottom. But her nose was sharp. She could identify monsters and their locations just by smell.
‘There she is.’
The woman, unaware she had been spotted, walked casually. Then, at the moment their paths crossed—
The woman pretended to trip, attempting to fire a poisoned needle.
But Marion’s dagger flew first.
“Gah!”
The woman collapsed limply. Marion gestured, and the knight shadowing Solphy swiftly dealt with her.
It all happened in an instant.
“Hmm? Did I just hear something strange?”
“I’ve caught a bug.”
“What kind of bug?”
“A very large and terrifying bug.”
“Eek!”
Solphy shivered, imagining a huge bug.
Marcelo had turned the capital’s dark underworld upside down. As a result, crime rates dropped drastically—but that also meant many people held grudges against him.
‘The knight commander is strong, so those scum targeted an easy little girl.’
For a while, assassins often appeared at the mansion.
Of course, to the dragon-slayers among the staff, such assassins were nothing.
“Maid unni! I’m so thankful, I’ll give you a gift.”
Solphy pulled a giraffe out of her pocket. It was made from yellow origami paper with brown spots drawn with colored pencils.
Seeing that such tiny hands had folded it herself brought tears to Marion’s eyes.
“I merely defeated a petty little bug… yet I vow my loyalty to you, young lady, forever.”
“Huh?”
Solphy, unaware of the full story, tilted her head.
“If you like it, I’ll make an even cooler giraffe next time! A sparkling, shiny giraffe!”
Marion was overjoyed that Solphy had come to the mansion.
They walked for a while, and faint sounds of clashing swords reached them. The knight order headquarters was nearby.
“Hmm? Looks like sparring.”
“You can tell just from the sound?”
“Yes. It’s a 1:20 sparring match. That sound… must be Marcelo.”
“Wow! Let’s go!”
Excited that Marcelo was sparring, Solphy tugged on Marion’s hand. Marion took the chance to lift her onto her shoulder.
“Huh?”
“I’ll get you there in one go!”
In a single stride, they entered the headquarters, where the sparring was in full swing in the open training yard.
“Waists are exposed! Discipline is slack!”
“Dad!”
Solphy cheered upon spotting Marcelo.
He was surrounded by twenty knights—but the ones looking exhausted were the knights, not him.
“Huff… huff…”
Several knights had collapsed from exhaustion.
“Oh dear. Marcelo will catch the knights.”
Marion clicked her tongue in sympathy, but Solphy jumped down.
“Young lady?”
“I need to save the knights!”
Her lively footsteps echoed through the yard.
“Daaad!”
Even Marcelo, who never diverted his gaze during sparring, looked at her.
‘Now’s my chance!’
A knight charged, but Marcelo easily blocked the attack without looking away from Solphy.
Then…
“Solphy!”
He dropped his wooden sword and ran, scooping her up in one step.
“My baby lion is here? Oh, so pretty, so cute. Did you just come back from kindergarten? Worked hard today, huh? Oh? You folded flowers? Bringing something precious for Dad? To put in my hair? Of course, of course. If you made it, it should be worn. Go ahead, place it yourself.”
Marcelo smiled brightly, chattering happily.
“Is this really the commander I know? Goosebumps!”
“I thought he was a heartless monster.”
“I’ve never seen him smile like this.”
The knights, who had been suffering moments ago, were dumbfounded.
“But Dad… you smell sweaty. Put me down!”
“Alright, my princess.”
Marcelo laughed heartily and set Solphy down. Her shoes tapped the ground, and the knights barely restrained their laughter.
“I came to see you, Dad, but do I have to wait? You look busy…”
She glanced at the knights sparring with Marcelo.
“Today’s training is over. Go rest.”
“Yes, sir!”
The exhausted knights brightened instantly and ran off, grateful.
‘Our young lady… just saved the spirits of these weary knights.’
Marion smiled warmly at the father-daughter scene.
“Dad, Dad! Let’s go somewhere Saturday!”
“Hmm, where to?”
Solphy waved her hands. Marcelo sat down on the floor, letting her whisper in his ear.
“Early Education Exhibition?”
“Yes. Lots of toys, books, and things for children.”
“Oh, great! Let’s go!”
With the plan set, Solphy and Marcelo lightly bumped fists.
A passing knight recognized Solphy.
“Wow, I heard the rumors. Commander, you really are a doting dad.”
He tried to pat Solphy, but Marcelo swatted his hand away.
“Of course she’s the best! And so charming.”
Marcelo’s cheerful face instantly turned cold as ice in front of Solphy.
“Not because she’s my daughter. Even without charm, Solphy is the best.”
“Huh?”
His voice grew louder.
“Even if she were a son! Even if she weren’t human!”
“Dad… what are you saying…”
“You’re the cutest in the world!”
Marcelo’s excited declaration embarrassed Solphy, and she buried her face in her hands.
“Then, Dad. Go wash up.”
“Huh?”
“Teacher’s coming tonight. Be clean, bright, and confident!”
“O-okay.”
Marcelo rushed inside, then peeked out, shouting:
“Marion! It’s hot outside, stay indoors. Take care of Solphy’s snack too.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Marion held Solphy’s hand and led her inside. They settled on the sofa in the lounge, enjoying some fancy snacks.
“After parent education, I’m going to secretly follow Dad. He mustn’t notice. Got it?”
“Leave it to me. I’m confident in surveillance and tracking.”
Solphy ate biscuits, waiting for parent education to end, eager to scout around.
“…Zzz.”
Soon, she fell asleep so soundly no one could notice.
Marion watched the sleeping Solphy on her lap, grinning from ear to ear. Full marks for maid satisfaction.
“Dad and teacher… being nice to each other… hehe.”
“Dad and teacher?”
Marion instinctively smelled romance in the air.
Could romance really sprout from Marcelo? That Marcelo?
‘If this rumor spreads, the mansion will flip.’
Marion whistled, thinking of a colleague obsessed with romance novels.
While Solphy dreamed happily, the day passed.
Friday night.
“Solphy. Solphy?”
Marcelo knocked on her door. Hearing no response, he pressed his ear against it. Silence.
“Dad’s coming in, okay?”
Creak. Marcelo carefully opened the door.
He scanned the room and found Solphy asleep on the sofa. Clothes were scattered around—she had probably fallen asleep choosing her outfit for tomorrow.
“She’s really looking forward to going out with Dad.”
A few days ago, she had even gone to the knight order herself.
A satisfied smile spread across Marcelo’s face.
All of Solphy’s favorite clothes were out: the royal ribbon dress she wore daily, the unicorn-embroidered dress for special occasions.
“Can’t decide what to wear, huh? Let’s see… hmm. This one’s best.”
He folded the other clothes neatly into the wardrobe, leaving only one outfit out.
“Sleep comfortably on the bed.”
Marcelo moved Solphy to her bed. About to leave, he perched on the edge and stroked her hair.
‘Our brave Solphy.’
She had gone through a lot recently. The Ministry of Finance clerk had harassed her, and she had faced a firestarter not long ago.
Even so, she had become stronger and more cheerful.
‘That firestarter…’
Marcelo’s eyes narrowed. Capturing him would be easy. Guards were incapacitated, and the entire incident had been recorded by the children.
He would spend the rest of his life in a notorious prison.
‘He’s not the kind of mercenary who acts on principle. Just blinded by money.’
Marcelo had extracted info on the client but failed to track them. All accounts and names were fake.
The executor took the fall alone, and the trail went cold.
‘Why target the candy tree?’
If there had been a grudge against the candy tree’s owner, investigation would have revealed it.
Even personal grudges eventually surface.
The lack of results suggested another motive: either the kindergarten land or a vulnerable spot on the palace grounds.
This would be a long-term issue.
But for Marcelo, something even more important was—
‘How on earth did Solphy notice all this?’
