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chapter 37
10. The Dutiful Daughter with Fire Attribute
Lirian hadn’t been in a good mood lately.
“Liri, be careful going down the stairs—slowly, slowly…”
“I can go by myself!”
That made her even more upset.
“Little brother, let’s have a contest to see who can eat fried chicken faster.”
“No.”
“Why not?!”
“…Just no. You’re small, so chew slowly—at least a hundred times.”
Shock!
There was only one reason for this.
Ever since Resa revealed himself as a fairy, the whole family had been treating Lirian like she was a fragile sugar doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.
In short: extreme overprotection.
Of course, there were moments when all that caution disappeared completely.
“Our princess, time to take your medicine—”
“Waaah! Nooo!”
Lirian ran away from Caesar, who was trying to give her medicine.
She huffed and puffed under her breath.
“I’m the strongest in the world!”
“Being strong has nothing to do with taking your medicine,” Elay said calmly, unfazed.
“…I don’t like smart Elay. Go away.”
“I got you special rainbow macarons from the chef.”
Flinch.
“I’ll give it to you if you take your medicine.”
“Can’t you just give it to me?”
“Nope.”
“Hiing…”
Elay held out a spoonful of medicine.
In the end, Lirian screwed her eyes shut and swallowed it all in one gulp.
“Elay, quick, quick!”
Her nose was stuffed from holding her breath, and Elay chuckled before handing her the macaron.
The duke and duchess looked on in amazement.
“You handle her well.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen Liri take her medicine so obediently.”
Lirian was taking the same medicine as Resa.
They hadn’t discovered a cure for corruption yet, but Caesar’s persistence hadn’t been completely in vain—he had found a medicine that could at least slow its progression.
It was a sedative made from herbs that grew only at the edge of the Arctic Sea.
Though not as effective as absorbing mana directly from the northern wilderness, it was enough to let her live her daily life.
And if her condition worsened, she could simply rest in the north.
The problem was, Lirian hated all medicine.
She wouldn’t even touch it, and not even professional babysitter Caesar’s coaxing could get her to take it.
In the duke’s mansion, full of all kinds of experts, this was one domain no one dared to challenge.
But then—
“I want another macaron.”
“After you finish your medicine.”
“Will it be a different flavor?”
“Yep, lemon this time. Open up.”
“Nom nom… Ugh, it tastes bad.”
“You held your breath, you can’t even taste it. Hurry, here’s your macaron.”
“Mm.”
Elay handled it without the slightest difficulty.
It was the knack he’d picked up from dealing with seven-year-old troublemaker Lirian—and twenty-five-year-old troublemaker, the Sword Demon—before his regression.
“A real talent, that one.”
They marveled at Elay’s ability to “handle Lirian.”
“Anyway, let’s not go overboard with the overprotection. Protection the child doesn’t want only causes stress.”
Resa spoke to the crowd that had gathered to watch the miracle of Lirian taking her medicine.
Not only the duke and the three brothers, but also the butler Sevir and even the servants were there.
“Of course, our Liri is as cute as a sugar fairy. But this sugar fairy once broke down a wall.”
Everyone recalled the time four-year-old Lirian knocked down a mansion wall while playing ball.
“True. Lady Lirian is indeed brimming with energy. Since she’s an active child, as long as she isn’t gravely ill, it’s better to let her do as she wishes.”
When Sevir said this, everyone nodded in agreement.
“All done!”
“Liri, did you finish your medicine?”
“Yep! Praise me.”
“Well done.”
At that moment, Lirian jumped up with her arms raised high.
She scampered over to Seran, who patted her on the head.
“Good work, Elay, too.”
“No, I’m fine—”
Elay grew flustered when Seran reached out to pat his head as well. But in the end, he didn’t stop him.
“All right, shall we move on?”
Caesar, smiling at the children, tidied the space.
Everyone except the servants nodded.
Today was the day of the second Ersioni family meeting.
“Having a non-Ersioni attend is a first.”
Caesar cleared his throat as he spoke.
From [Caesar (Duke)] to [Lirian (youngest)], nothing had changed from last time—except for one thing.
“…Thank you.”
[Elay (baby of the family)] had been newly added.
Elay wanted to crawl into a mouse hole when Resa so kindly placed the nameplate before him.
‘Why… this title?’
He’d been called many names before his regression, but never once this. Not even in the imperial palace.
“Well then, though we’ve introduced ourselves, let’s do it again for formality’s sake.”
At those words, everyone’s eyes—except Jeryl’s, who had fallen asleep the moment the meeting began—turned to Elay.
With the attention on him, Elay hesitated before speaking slowly.
“Elay Serevia Leonhart.”
It had been a long time since he’d spoken his full name, and it felt strangely hollow.
Though in the current timeline it had been only two years, his roots had been torn out long ago.
‘Even so, people expect you to take responsibility…’
Just because he was born into it.
To bear the empire’s burden, to guarantee their lives, their future.
Thinking this, Elay continued quietly.
“That was my name at birth, but I have no ties now. Just call me Elay.”
The duke and duchess remembered the boy when he was much younger.
He had shone, as if blessed by the gods, yet sometimes he had looked as though he was being crushed by the weight his parents forced upon him.
His beautiful appearance had been a trophy for the empress to flaunt, and his innate holy power a tool for the emperor to use.
Over time, his expressions vanished, until people whispered he was nothing but a puppet of the imperial family.
‘Even now, it’s the same…’
“No ties.”
The boy’s emotionless face reflected his lack of roots.
No resentment, no hatred.
Could a human truly be like that?
To the duke and duchess, it seemed dangerously unstable.
Squeeze.
Elay flinched.
He blinked and turned his head to see Lirian’s tiny hand gripping his own with all her strength.
“I’m Lirian!”
“…What?”
When he blinked in confusion, she said louder:
“Li.ri.an! Er.si.o.ni!”
Lirian beamed at him.
“Nice to meet you, Elay!”
She shook his hand enthusiastically, leaving him stunned.
“I’m Seran Ersioni. Call me comfortably.”
“I’m Yuri Ersioni. Glad to meet you.”
Following the youngest, the eldest and second son introduced themselves in turn.
Then Seran pointed to the third.
“That’s Jeryl. Sorry, can you understand? He’s always like that.”
“…It’s fine.”
The heavy atmosphere quickly lightened thanks to the children’s chatter.
The couple exchanged glances, then smiled.
“I’m Caesar Ersioni.”
“I’m Resa Ersioni. Call me Auntie.”
Seeing the Ersioni family unchanged from before the regression, Elay felt his heart ease.
He had thought that after two years of divergence, things might be different—but Ersioni was Ersioni.
It soothed the boy who had lived most of his life on the battlefield, always on edge.
“Elay, you said you remember before regression too, right? Back then you were twenty-seven.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
Elay had already revealed his regression to the entire Ersioni family, not just Caesar and Lirian.
The conversation seemed to finally be shifting back to its original purpose—
But then.
“Oh dear, the family tree’s gotten messy. He’s Yuri’s age, but…”
Resa said in a grave tone, as though pondering the order in which to serve snacks.
The children had already agreed among themselves to speak casually, but the adults didn’t know that.
While sipping orange juice, Yuri glanced at Elay’s nameplate.
“Elay agreed to be the baby of the family.”
“Really?”
“N-no, that’s not—!”
Elay panicked. He wanted to deny it, but what would be the point? Saying he never agreed wouldn’t change anything.
Was this really supposed to be a meeting about saving the world?
A sudden wave of doubt hit him.
“All right, attention please.”
Just then, Caesar banged the chairman’s gavel—actually one of Lirian’s toys.
Everyone fell silent and turned to him.
