MMLP 05

Chapter 5

---

---

“If you had spoken honestly, you could have answered faster. Foolish thing to do.”

“Father. I did not bring this child here for battle.”

“Your tongue is long, Gilbert. You know it’s useless.”

“……”

Cutting Gilbert off with a single word, Wilhelm lowered his gaze and looked down at me.

“I will permit your adoption. Though only as a ward, I will have you treated as a lady of House Grimrore.”

To be recognized as a noble lady when I would have accepted being sent to the battlefield—this was extraordinary. I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Absolutely not!”

Kaulen jumped in place.

“She is the one who tried to harm my daughter! Instead of punishment, you would let her into the house?”

“You want punishment, then?”

“That is…”

Kaulen muttered, cowed by Wilhelm’s force.

“Isn’t that the reasonable course of action? She destroyed a vase, caused a commotion in a solemn place, and then…”

“True. You’re right. I was going to overlook it as children’s mischief, but if you press the point, then I, too, must show fairness.”

Thud. Wilhelm’s gaze dropped heavily.

Contrary to Kaulen’s expectations, Wilhelm’s head turned toward a blonde-haired girl.

“Ivmaria.”

“I-I didn’t do anything wrong! She fell all by herself!”

“If it wasn’t your fault, then why did you heal her?”

A sharp question.

That’s why—when he’s your enemy, he’s terrifying; but when he’s on your side, he’s reassuring.

Strictly speaking, is he really an enemy?

In my previous life, I was adopted into Kaulen’s household and lived crushed under his thumb. I had no direct dealings with Gilbert or Wilhelm.

When negotiations broke down and tensions at the border rose, both of them returned to the battlefield.

That’s when Kaulen completely seized control of House Grimrore.

That was also the beginning of Grimrore’s downfall. The father ruined the family, the daughter ruined the nation—they destroyed everything together.

“When the maid was injured before your eyes, you ignored her. Yet now you heal this one? Even if you are young, your behavior lacks consistency.”

“U-ugh!”

Like a leaking faucet, Ivmaria hiccupped and finally burst into sobs.

“Waaah!”

“Father, really. If something breaks, we can buy another. Why make the child cry over a trifling vase?”

So, when someone else’s child errs, it’s a heinous crime, but when your own child does it, it’s cute mischief?

I can’t allow the honor of this house to be dirtied by the likes of him.

The best successor for House Grimrore, a family of warriors, was Gilbert, skilled in swordsmanship. But Kaulen stubbornly insisted on strict primogeniture.

He advocated abandoning old-fashioned fighting and shifting the family toward business. Bit by bit, he tampered with military secrets, using the information to develop weapons and new technologies, achieving commercial success.

But a long tail is bound to be stepped on. When the secrets Kaulen leaked fell into enemy hands, enormous casualties followed.

I must prevent the disaster this time. No matter what.

The person fit to be the next head was still at the academy. Delaying Kaulen’s succession was the first priority.

Coaxing his daughter along, Kaulen slunk away down the corridor. Wilhelm, too, left at some point, silently disappearing.

Leaving without even a word, huh. Well, I’ve secured permission for adoption, so that’s enough.

Now I had a guardian.

All that was left was to win Gilbert over. But since I couldn’t convince him that I was his biological daughter, it wouldn’t be easy.

Left alone, Gilbert pressed his forehead and sighed deeply.

“Haah. What a headache.”

Injured as I was, I obediently let Gilbert carry me. Judging by his direction, he meant to entrust me to a skilled physician at the main house.

Wait. Now that I’d come this far, it would be a shame to leave empty-handed.

I tugged firmly at Gilbert’s shirt.

“Hey, mister. Can’t we take that with us?”

“The broken vase? Don’t worry. Leave it. The servants will clean it up.”

“No, I mean… if we sell it secondhand, it might fetch some money.”

“……”

Don’t look at me like that.

I have my reasons, okay?

---

My plan was simple.

[1] Be adopted by a new guardian.
[2] Find an ally with shared interests.

In this child’s body, I needed allies to handle both internal and external affairs of the house. With [1] done, the next step was to search for a useful partner.

Putting on an innocent face, I exclaimed in awe:

“Wow, amazing! It doesn’t hurt at all after the medicine!”

“I’m glad it’s effective,” the physician said proudly, tying off the bandages.

“It really doesn’t hurt?”

For some reason, Gilbert pressed down hard on my wound.

I flopped like a freshly caught fish.

“Argh! What are you doing?!”

“Seems like it still hurts.”

Is this man insane?

“…Just in case, I’ll take a few more.”

No—he’s a practical lunatic.

Seeing the way he casually pocketed more medicine, I realized he had plans of his own.

Still, it was important to leave a good impression on the main house’s people.

“Thank you for treating me, doctor. See you again!”

Even while being carried out by Gilbert, I waved desperately.

“You’re not supposed to see him again, brat.”

Gilbert pinched my cheek.

My cheeks stretched like cheese as I blinked up at him.

“What if your ugly face gets scarred, too?”

His words were harsh, but his worried expression gave him away. So, he’s a tsundere.

“Thphorry, Arhshy.”

“Hm? What?”

Realizing why, he let go of my cheek.

“Sorry, mister. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

There’s nothing more foolish than clinging to useless pride. I know when to bow my head.

But Gilbert’s response surprised me.

“So, the doctor gets called ‘sir,’ and I’m just ‘mister’?”

He grumbled. He hadn’t accepted me as his child, so what did he expect me to call him?

“Then… should I call you ‘dad’?”

…

…Wait.

He didn’t refuse?

He snapped his head away.

“The timing is awkward. I’ve got postponed work to do. Will you manage a meal alone?”

“Yes.”

I knew it was just an excuse to go take a nap, but I didn’t press the issue. I was hungry.

“I wonder what’s on the menu. Beef stew with wine, and strong coffee?”

“Meatballs and vanilla pudding. Fresh milk.”

Why not just give me baby food? Regressing is great and all, but this part is a problem.

---

I worried a little about the food being tampered with.

Eating stew with mosquito larvae or meatballs laced with horse dung, then throwing it up—that had been routine in my previous life.

Wasn’t it Ivmaria’s brother who ordered that back then?

He was at the knight-training academy now. It was the kind of place where, with enough sponsorship, you could graduate without attending classes. Hardly comparable to the academy Gilbert’s son went to.

Whatever the case, with my enemy absent, I could eat in peace.

And so, after a safe meal—

Before I could even enjoy the fullness, a faint headache stirred in my mind.

“Urgh. Not sure I can match it exactly again.”

When you’re bad with your head, your body suffers. It had worked when I tried it alone in my room, but now I could only pray luck held once more.

With tense resolve, I knocked on the office door.

Knock, knock. Despite the feeble sound, a thunderous voice boomed from inside.

“Who is it?”

D-don’t be scared. He’s not going to eat you, surely.

“Hello, my lord. It’s Revieta. If it’s not rude, may I come in?”

“You may enter.”

“Um… the door isn’t opening, could you—”

Clunk. The massive door suddenly swung open, making me stumble forward.

Luckily, I found something to cling to, so I didn’t fall.

Wait. What am I holding onto? Oh no. I was clinging to Wilhelm’s leg!

“The door was open. For you to struggle with this weight—you have a frail body.”

Please, think in human terms, not monster terms.

I politely knelt, but he didn’t even glance at me.

“Why have you come? I thought our business was concluded.”

“I have something to show you.”