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∼Chapter 6∼
It was unexpected that the Duke, who had never once come to see me, suggested that we have breakfast together.
Hmm. This is uncomfortable. What if I get indigestion?
I remembered the Duke staring holes through me the last time we ate together.
No! This is an opportunity!
The more he saw me, the more attached he would become.
I need to get used to the Duke, too!
“Good morning, Daddy!”
I greeted him energetically as I entered the dining room.
The Duke didn’t answer.
I didn’t care and bravely went to my seat.
“Waaah, this looks delicious!”
I said it without even looking properly, just to dispel the awkwardness, but the table was actually filled with all sorts of food that looked delicious.
“I’ll enjoy my meal, Daddy. You enjoy yours, too!”
Sob, sob.
My tear-jerking effort to keep going despite receiving absolutely no response.
Being ignored this much doesn’t even tickle me anymore. Hmph.
I picked up my fork and poked at the crisp sausages, scrambled eggs, fresh seasonal fruit, and salad before eating them.
Everything was seriously delicious.
Even though it was an extremely basic breakfast, the level was completely different, from the presentation to the taste.
It was enough to make me think that all the food I had been deprived of while growing up at Marquis Tarenka’s residence was finally being compensated for.
But the most delicious thing was, of course, the custard pudding that came out for dessert.
I devoured it in an instant and was sucking sadly on the sundae spoon when something was placed in front of me.
“Eat.”
It was the custard pudding I had been lamenting over.
I raised my head and looked at the Duke.
Uh, so—
Did he give it to me because he thought I liked it?
As if he had never given up his pudding at all, he was drinking strongly brewed tea while reading the newspaper.
A cold, sharp face.
He had stared at me so intensely before that it made me uncomfortable, so why was he looking at the newspaper now?
I thought he was ignoring me.
“Hehe.”
I plunged my sundae spoon right into the middle of the pudding.
As I stared at the jiggling, rippling pudding, something seemed to ripple inside my heart, too.
I glanced at the Duke.
Would it be weird if I held out the spoon and asked him to have a bite……?
I didn’t even know whether I was really his daughter.
What am I saying? Why am I hesitating? Whether it works or not, I should just try! Didn’t I say I was going to build a bond with him?
A voice shouted inside my heart, but my hand didn’t move at all. Only my fingers fidgeted.
In the end, I couldn’t give the pudding to the Duke and brought it to my own mouth instead.
……I would have to have had a dad before to know how to do this.
“—I’ll eat well.”
Instead of the pudding, I only murmured those words softly.
It had been quite a while since I had completely finished even the pudding Duke Phaeraton had given me.
And yet, I still hadn’t been able to leave the dining room.
“…….”
Because the Duke hadn’t gotten up and was staring intently at me.
I felt awkward standing up by myself, so I had no choice but to sit there blankly.
Then the Duke’s elegant lips slowly parted.
“……Why isn’t it sticking?”
Huh?
Sticking?
What exactly was he talking about……?
It sounded like he was talking to himself, but why was he looking at me while saying it?
I tilted my head in confusion, and the Duke frowned before getting up from his seat.
Then he strode over and picked me up.
“……?!”
W-What?
Just like that, the Duke carried me toward his study.
Does he have something to discuss with me?
Was that why he had eaten breakfast with me, too?
Come to think of it, at the time I usually woke up, the Duke was already gone from the residence.
Had he deliberately stayed behind today to wait for me?
What on earth is he planning to talk about?
I nervously swallowed.
And sure enough, once we arrived at the study, the Duke sat me on his lap and then……
Looked at documents.
Yes.
Documents.
No, this isn’t right!
I flailed my arms and legs around—internally.
Whether I was doing a frantic flapping dance inside my head or not, the Duke simply signed the documents with elegant strokes of his pen.
Hmm…….
I wasn’t completely oblivious.
He had paid almost no attention to me before, yet since yesterday he had been taking me around like I was glued to him.
How could I not notice?
I had been wondering if that was really the case, but—
Is he really doing this because I said I didn’t like feeling unfamiliar with him, and that I was going to stay close to him from now on……?
I mean, I had been betrayed countless times in my life.
But what other reason could there be?
He wasn’t taking me around to hurt me.
(His expression is cold, though.)
He even gave me his pudding.
(His expression is cold, though.)
For some reason, my heart became soft and squishy, like pudding covered in an enormous amount of caramel syrup.
I could feel the heat rising in both my cheeks.
Ah, this was kind of……
I awkwardly fiddled with my fingertips and curled and uncurlled my toes.
Uh, hmm.
No, this meant my plan was working perfectly.
I had wanted him to see me often so that he would develop some affection from raising me.
So this was good for me.
I should ride this momentum, but……
Ah—
Why am I so embarrassed?
No, no. I have a lot to do today!
I need to find the Summoning Medium!
Just thinking about what I had to do somehow made me feel as though I were running away.
No! What do you mean, running away? I really do need to find it!
That was when a chilly voice fell over my head.
“What is it?”
I raised my head and saw the Duke looking down at me.
Apparently, my constant fidgeting while thinking about this and that had caught his attention.
Hmm.
What should I say here?
I should think about it—
“I want to see pretty things.”
No!
I told you to think first!
You impulsive little lips of mine!
The Duke raised one eyebrow.
His gaze shifted toward Anna.
Anna, who had been standing in the corner of the study like a still object, stepped forward and answered politely.
“The youngest young lady was planning to visit the Holy War Room today.”
Ack! Why would you answer like that?!
What if he asked why I was going to the room where the family heirlooms were kept when I had only been here for such a short time?
“You filthy little thief!”
Marquis Tarenka’s voice thundered through my head.
He’s not going to beat me like the Marquis did, right?
Even though I believed he wouldn’t, my limbs instinctively curled inward.
Without any reaction, the Duke simply picked me up from his lap.
And then he strode forward.
……Huh?
After swaying three times while dangling in the Duke’s arms, I finally realized where things were going.
Duke Phaeraton was taking me to the Holy War Room.
Huh?
We’re really going? He’s just going to show it to me like this?
How long had I even been here?
Was it really okay for him to casually show me the family heirlooms like this?
And besides, weren’t there piles of documents like that waiting for him?
I looked over the Duke’s shoulder at the mountain of documents piled on his desk.
……He’s more of a pushover than I thought……
No, no. I mean, maybe he’s actually a good person.
He looked so sharp on the outside, yet he was completely naïve inside.
Is this what they call “crispy on the outside, soft on the inside”?
No.
What am I even thinking?
I leaned against the Duke’s shoulder and sneakily looked up at his face.
A stiff, cold face.
Still…….
Maybe he wasn’t a villain like Marquis Tarenka, the first type of villain.
Maybe he was the second type—
“Actually, I’m a good person” villain.
Too innocent and naïve!
This world—the world of romance fantasy—is not so easy!
Haven’t you actually been disappointed and discouraged many times?
Watch your back at all times!
Never forget!
The words from the quest window kept flickering before my eyes.
Still, I relaxed my tense shoulders and entrusted myself to his solid arms.
“Woooow……!”
A gasp of admiration escaped me before I knew it.
A dark room.
Light pouring down from above.
The light reflected off the crystals, painting the floor with faint, pure patches of radiance.
The dark ink-colored banners were lavishly embroidered with the crest of House Phaeraton in gold and silver thread, while the solemn, dignified atmosphere unique to a place steeped in history filled the entire room.
It made me instinctively hold even my breath carefully.
It felt as though time itself had stopped here.
So this is the Holy War Room…….
True to its name, despite being dark, it had a noble and sacred feeling.
It wasn’t simply a room where expensive objects had been collected.
It felt like a place containing mythology, legends, and history……
Were these not merely treasures, but trophies?
Rather than paintings or sculptures, there were far more strange artifacts that looked as though legends were attached to them at first glance—swords, shields, armor, a chalice, a rosary, and so on.
Overwhelmed by the magnificent sight, I forgot my purpose entirely and blankly looked around at the treasures displayed along the walls of the circular room.
Then my gaze stopped at one place.
A magnificent console made of ivory and gold stood alone in the center of the room.
A round glass case covered the top of it.
Judging by its placement and the way it was being treated, whatever was inside was obviously the most precious object here.
What could possibly be inside?
Curious, I craned my neck forward.
The Duke strode toward it.
Oh……!
As we gradually approached the glass case, my anticipation grew higher and higher.
A mana heart said to be the heart of a dragon?
The tears of a mermaid who lived in the Seven Seas?
The Fruit of Salvation containing the power of a god?
Or perhaps a divine stone containing the spirit of a sword, embedded in the Hero’s sword?
All sorts of fantastical treasures appeared in my imagination.
Whatever it was, surely it had to be a beautiful treasure capable of stealing anyone’s gaze at first sight!
Even the console it rested on was that luxurious.
And when we finally reached the console—
“Eh……?”
—I let out a deflated sigh.
Inside the glass case was an old book that looked as though it would crumble if touched.
Its condition was so terrible that it was impossible to tell what color it had originally been.
No, of course old books could be precious, too.
Sure.
It could be a historically important book.
But compared to the other legendary artifacts in the room, it was rather anticlimactic.
Now that I’ve seen it, I just need to check whether one of these is a Summoning Medium…… Gasp!
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind, and I held my breath.
What had the notification window called me?
Reader, right?
And when it explained <Rush & Cash>, what had it said?
An ability perfectly suited to the Reader, it had said.
Then—
That’s it.
For some reason, I had a powerful certainty.
It was nothing more than a possibility, yet I somehow knew that it was definitely the one.
But how am I supposed to get it?
It was inside a glass case, so even touching it once would be difficult……
Hmm.
“Daddy, what is this book?”
“It is a Sealing Book.”
A Sealing Book?
Was there a demon sealed inside it or something?
There was no way I could trust that demon bastard.
Just then, the Duke suddenly tightened the arm holding me.
Naturally, I was enveloped against his broad chest.
“……?”
I looked up at him in confusion, when the aide behind us smiled kindly and said,
“It’s all right, young lady. It is a Sealing Book, but there is currently nothing sealed inside. So you don’t have to be so frightened.”
Hmm.
He seemed to have misunderstood my deteriorating expression.
……Could the Duke have misunderstood it, too?
Was that why he held me more tightly?
Either way, I’m glad there isn’t a demon sealed inside.
“If there’s nothing inside, why is it kept here?”
“Because it is the treasured heirloom of the First Duke.”
At the Duke’s answer, my eyes widened and I let out a gasp of admiration.
“Waaah, it’s really old. That’s so cool.”
I firmly hid my thief-like intentions and innocently cupped my cheeks.
“Can I touch it just once?”
“That……”
For once, Duke Phaeraton faltered.
“Can’t I?”
I unleashed my sparkling-eyed attack, but the Duke’s cold eyes didn’t budge even a little.
Hmph. I knew it wouldn’t work.
I was just trying it once.
“Haha, young lady. It’s probably because the preservation condition is poor.”
Aide, you really don’t have to comfort me like that.
What should I do?
He didn’t seem like he would give it to me easily.
For now, I should retreat and come up with another plan—
[Unexpected Quest has appeared!]
—was what I was thinking when a notification appeared.
And then the quest window popped up.
<The Best Filial Piety (1)>
Reader, you have surprisingly good instincts!
Or perhaps it is because you are the great ’s contractee?
Congratulations on discovering the !
However, it seems a great obstacle awaits you if you truly wish to obtain it.
But mountains exist to be climbed, and seas exist to be crossed!
Surely you aren’t thinking of saying something weak like, “Let’s retreat for now,” or, “Let’s think about it and try again later,” are you?
Fast progression!
A romance-fantasy reader should naturally pursue a fast-paced development!
Use every means and method available to obtain what you desire. Conquer it and seize it!
A romance-fantasy reader does not retreat in a situation like this!
Show us your ability!
-Condition: Persuade Duke Phaeraton to obtain the .
-Reward: 5,000 Cash draw ticket
-Quest refusal penalty: Game over
-Quest failure penalty: Game over
You insane……!
What do you mean, fast progression?!
My life was more important than any of that!
A person needs to be cautious!
Honestly, I don’t even know how I’m supposed to do this.
I was just about to refuse when the words quest refusal penalty caught my eye.
Game over?
I had quit novels plenty of times before, but if this meant quitting life……
Surely it doesn’t mean I’ll be quitting life itself.
It doesn’t. Right?
I wanted to deny it, but I had a feeling that was exactly what it meant.
Whether I didn’t do it or failed, I would die either way!
You demonic bastard!
I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him.
With tears streaming down inside my heart, I read the words written underneath.
-Quest acceptance benefit: A hint will be activated.
Was he seriously going to give me the disease and then the medicine?!
I wanted to angrily complain, but even so, I was grateful.
Right now, I desperately needed even the slightest clue about how to persuade that cold Duke.
But it says a hint will be activated.
Will some kind of choice appear? Or maybe an affection meter?
Either way, it was a relief.
If there’s a hint, then of course I want to get the book now!
[Quest accepted.]
[As a benefit, hints will be activated while the quest is in progress.]
All right! Give me the hint! Preferably in the form of choices!
I looked at the Duke excitedly—
And I had no choice but to gape.
No, wait, Your Grace…….
There’s something strange about your face.
More precisely, there’s something strange attached to it……
Why, why is there a heart drawn on Duke Phaeraton’s cheek……?
