Chapter 36

I overdid it with the role of the adopted daughter, Chapter 036, three years ago.

The duke had said this:

"If you don't achieve satisfactory results by the time you turn ten, we will no longer discuss your qualifications as a successor."

Three years have passed since then.

Viola said,

"By the time I turned ten, the order must have been to strip me of my qualifications as a successor or to drive me away if I didn't produce proper results, right?"

"Exactly."

"Then, how do you feel about that order now, after three years?"

"Isn't it proven by the fact that you're still alive?"

Heron Bellato maintained an attitude as if this conversation was extremely bothersome.

"It's like a scene from a picture frame, filled with peace."

Viola, who was looking at the flower bed with a much warmer gaze than usual, said,

"Actually, what I accomplished is quite remarkable. I heard that some scholars are eagerly searching for the origin of the 'Tooth Worm.' It was by chance, but I drew a line in the field of life synthesis magic engineering."

Heron frowned.

"You're taking a long time to get to the point."

"But why didn't Father make it public?"

"I thought it was an opportunity to widely announce your achievements as a Bellato."

Viola could read Heron's mind.

'Viola is the one who will become the "Black Bellato."'

The Bellato family is divided into two major forces.

The Black Bellato, responsible for military power.

The White Bellato, responsible for strategy.

What Viola achieved three years ago was closer to the role of the White Bellato than the Black Bellato.

She used life magic engineering to create a chimera and restored the natural ecosystem through it.

Instead of exterminating the wild boars, she created a better solution to achieve harmony.

However, Heron did not reveal the details.

"Father, you want me to become the Black Bellato, don't you?"

"Do you remember why I adopted you?"

"Yes, it was because of my talent."

Talent for killing.

That's why he adopted Viola and made her Viola Bellato.

Viola laughed lightly.

"But, Dad."

Viola's way of speaking was always peculiar.

She would call him 'Father' with proper respect, but at times, she would call him 'Dad.'

Heron was not used to the term 'Dad.'

But Viola's tone was natural and not awkward.

In fact, the term 'Dad' felt quite good.

It was a fundamentally different feeling from his other children.

"You recognized my talent, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"But what if my talent as a White Bellato is even more outstanding?"

"Viola, your talent as a Black Bellato is comparable to Medea's."

Heron spoke frankly about everything.

"When I brought you in, you were nutrients for my biological children. I hoped that seeing your outstanding talent would spur them on."

"I knew, but hearing it directly is quite shocking."

Actually, it wasn't shocking.

She knew from the beginning.

Being possessed was shocking, but being adopted by such a father wasn't.

"So, I want you to grow into a Black Bellato."

"Even though my talent as a White Bellato is much more outstanding?"

"From the first day of adoption, you showed remarkable prowess as a Black Bellato."

Her encounters with Zeon and Bizhen.

Her connections with Hixon and Tundra, and her performance at the welcome banquet.

"What if I defy Father's wishes and choose to become a White Bellato?"

The White Bellato is responsible for the family's strategy.

Along with strategy, they manage internal affairs, such as financial departments.

While the Black Bellato handles all external matters, the White Bellato handles all internal matters.

At first glance, both seem important, but in reality, that's not the case.

"The White Bellato is hard to consider as a legitimate heir, you know that, right?"

The Bellato family, known for its iron-blooded dukes, values military power more than strategy.

It's not an exaggeration to say that almost no one volunteers to become a White Bellato.

They accept the position of White Bellato when they lose in the succession competition or when their military power is deemed insufficient.

While they hold some power within the family, they live a tragic life, constantly ignored and looked down upon by the Black Bellato.

However, they are also given special privileges.

'You can avoid the bloody competition with your siblings.'

The Black Bellato must engage in a bloody succession competition among siblings.

The White Bellato doesn't need to.

While they might be ignored by their siblings, they won't be killed off.

'Being looked down upon is better than being killed!'

Viola continued,

"I think I have already sufficiently proven my talent and qualifications as a Black Bellato."

Heron Bellato couldn't deny it.

The memory of the welcome banquet was still vivid in Heron's mind.

"So, I don't think I'm running away from the succession competition."

This was the opposite of what the original Viola did.

In the original story, Viola clearly promised to grow into a Black Bellato.

"A great general can take the heads of many enemy commanders."

"......"

"But a great strategist can bring down a king and an army."

"......"

"If my hands and feet can kill a hundred, my mind and mouth can kill ten thousand."

The process was completely different.

But the conclusion was the same.

"Since Father is the Duke of a Thousand Kills, I can be the Lady of Ten Thousand Kills."

"Since Father is the Duke of a Thousand Kills, I can be the Lady of Ten Thousand Kills."

*****

Heron returned to his study and fell into deep thought for a long time.

I can kill ten thousand, but I can also save ten thousand of my people.

While speaking, Viola held a hibiscus flower in her hand.

It felt like a small treasure island floating in a sea of green waves.

'White Bellato.'

In history, very few people volunteered to become a White Bellato right after turning ten.

One of them was Hera, and the other was Viola.

Heron had expected Hera, but not Viola.

Heron called Zeon.

"Three years ago, you know that Viola received 200 million dalia, right?"

"Yes, of course. I already have a detailed report. Would you like it?"

At the time, Heron deliberately did not receive the report.

After she turned ten, he wanted to evaluate her properly.

It also meant he would focus on the results, not the process.

"Bring it."

Zeon, as if prepared, presented the report.

After reading the report for a long time, Heron involuntarily let out a sigh.

Over the past three years.

How Viola spent the 200 million dalia.

What actually happened as a result.

All the details were written in the report.

Zeon smiled.

"It's not because she's the lady I serve, but she really is remarkable, isn't she?"

"......Bring Viola to me."

"Understood."

Zeon found Viola's room.

Zeon noticed that Viola's hands were very dirty.

He didn't know what she had done, but her hands were covered in mud.

"Would you like me to clean them for you?"

"No, it's fine."

Viola, escorted by Zeon, headed to the duke's office.

"Did you report to Father about me?"

"Yes, the duke asked about it first."

"Right."

What was to come, has come.

She decided to recount in detail what she had done over the past three years.

Then, he wouldn't be able to oppose her becoming a White Bellato.

She had brought both the justification and the benefits.

They arrived at the duke's office.

Zeon opened the door, and Viola slowly walked up to the duke's desk.

Without even looking at Viola, the duke asked,

"What are you hiding behind your back?"

The duke was slightly annoyed.

It couldn't be a hidden weapon, and even if it was, hiding it so openly would disqualify her as a Bellato.

Viola hesitated for a moment.

The duke's gaze grew fierce.

"What are you hiding?"

The air around them felt like it had turned into needles, pricking at their skin.

"Here."

She revealed the wreath she had hidden behind her back.

It was a wreath made of hibiscus flowers.

"I thought you might like it, Dad."

It was a type of gift the duke had never received in his entire life.

He never expected to receive such a gift from his adopted daughter.

"It suits you, I think."

The atmosphere around them changed.

The needles disappeared.

"Did I make a mistake?"

The duke stared at Viola for a long time.