Chapter 55

I ended up playing the role of the adopted daughter a bit too well. Chapter 55: The Chief Butler, Delpha, opened her eyes wide.

‘She really came, didn’t she?’

Although she was flustered, she decided to do her job first.

She silently ran to the door and held it open.

"Welcome, Lady."

Viola brushed past Delpha.

Delpha's body shuddered.

She had been working as a chief butler for 25 years.

During that time, she had met countless nobles and knights.

So she was quite proud of her familiarity with people who possessed mana.

‘My body is trembling.’

Viola seemed to possess a special kind of mana.

Just passing by sent shivers down her spine.

‘Is this... the rumored Killer Star?’

It was hard to look directly at the twelve-year-old girl.

This sticky aura made her forget that Viola was only twelve.

Visually, Viola was a twelve-year-old girl, but the Viola she sensed was a giant.

Meanwhile.

Viola was in a good mood.

‘Tundra is fine, they said.’

She noticed the white blanket, indicating that the bedding had been changed.

Tundra was sleeping soundly.

She was relieved to hear that Tundra was fine.

‘I just need to do my job.

She didn’t hide her good mood.

She smiled lightly and walked towards Count Zeal.

Chief Butler Delpha swallowed hard.

‘A smile?’

To Delpha, it felt like the sinister smile of a witch.

It had nothing to do with Viola’s actual expression.

In Delpha’s eyes, Viola was a grinning witch.

When they said the Duke of Thousand had brought in a witch, it didn’t seem to be a lie.

"Excuse me for the late visit."

Viola walked up to Count Zeal.

"What is it?"

"You know what it is, don’t you?"

Actually, Viola was in a slightly different state than usual.

She wasn’t as calm and couldn’t observe the situation rationally.

‘Was Uncle Hixon really that smart?’

But Hixon had told her a lot while talking to Zeon, and Viola was acting on that advice.

Thanks to Hixon, the situation became clear to her.

She had received a lot of help from Hixon.

"If you hadn’t noticed my intentions at all, I would be disappointed, Count Zeal."

Delpha, standing a distance away, swallowed hard again.

She recalled her conversation with the count.

‘The count’s words were all correct, weren’t they?’

It seemed that everything Count Zeal had deduced was right.

Until now, she had thought of Viola as just a twelve-year-old kid, but her thoughts had completely changed.

‘This lady could definitely do it.’

Viola sat down in the chair at the table, crossing her legs.

"Chief Butler."

"Yes, Lady."

"Could you bring me some warm milk, please?"

The word ‘please’ made Delpha’s ears perk up.

‘Please?’

It was a word that didn’t seem to fit Viola at all.

A request, not an order...

It was strangely courteous.

But...

The word ‘please’ felt natural.

Even though orders were more familiar to a lady like Viola.

It was natural,

and

so

much more...

She couldn’t describe the feeling she was experiencing.

Was it fear? Unfamiliarity? Oddness?

No. It was dominance.

The polite tone and the courteous attitude felt regal and natural.

She truly felt like one of the successors of a ruling family.

The word ‘please’ carried such strong power.

"With honey."

"…Understood."

Feeling even better, Viola added a bit more.

"And cookies."

"Yes, I’ll prepare them."

Delpha left the room, feeling strangely uneasy.

The atmosphere suited a ruler, but honey milk and cookies?

The contrast was intriguing to Delpha.

Count Zeal said,

"Fortunately, the companion sword will recover soon."

"I heard."

"And my hearing will recover in a day or two."

"That’s good to hear."

"Thanks to the incredibly clean cut."

The count’s eyes narrowed.

"Was that part of your intention, Lady?"

It wasn’t me, but another part of me did it.

It wasn’t my intention, but that’s how it turned out.

She hid her true thoughts and spoke calmly.

"If it wasn’t intentional, why would I use force there?"

"Indeed. Assuming everything I’ve guessed is correct, let me ask you."

"Yes."

"Did Lady Viola, the human, come here to apologize to me?"

Viola chuckled.

Her acting skills had improved.

"Apologize?"

She deliberately used informal language.

Instantly, the count’s body trembled.

He almost reached for a weapon.

‘What kind of aura...!’

Even when she saw the first lady, Medea, in her childhood, it wasn’t this intense.

The mana Viola emitted was much more cruel and sticky.

It felt like she could draw a dagger and stab her own neck at any moment.

"I judged that you are a person with upright beliefs and a rational mind. That’s why I volunteered to come here."

…Thank you for seeing me that way."

"But I’m a bit disappointed. To start with apologies."

The count’s face stiffened.

After all, the Bellato family was the enemy who had killed the count’s son.

The count was prepared to wage war.

Before the count could respond, Viola continued.

"Was the count’s son important to the Bellato family?"

"I don’t think so."

"Then why did you go through the trouble of ignoring formal procedures and condemning him to death?"

"That was because… my son violated the strict laws of Winter Castle, wasn’t it?"

"Ah. Just because the son of the count’s family violated the laws of Winter Castle, you got angry and killed him?"

Viola chuckled.

Anger boiled in Count Zeal’s chest.

Regardless of right or wrong, the lady was clearly mocking him.

The count’s voice rose slightly.

"Is that not the case?"

"Of course not."

At that moment, the chief butler brought in honey milk and coconut cookies.

Crunch!

Viola took a bite of the coconut cookie and chewed.

‘Delicious.’

Indeed, the noble families of this world were experts in baking.

The cookies were very satisfying.

The count spoke.

"I was prepared to wage war."

"I know. You’re that kind of person. Of course, the one who would die would be you."

"Because I was prepared to die, I need a clear explanation."

The count was not afraid of death.

"If there’s no clear explanation, I will declare war on Bellato right now. If you hadn’t saved my life once, I might have killed you here."

"Was that possible?"

"I don’t know."

He had seen the lady’s movements earlier.

They were not those of a twelve-year-old.

"But now, all the members of the count’s family have been freed from the poison. If our knights move, it’s possible to capture your party."

"Well, let’s assume that. But I hope you don’t actually do it. Truly, I mean it."

Honestly, she was scared.

The words ‘truly, I mean it’ were genuinely sincere.

‘Ugh. Scary.’

Even though she had lived as Viola for five years and as Han Arin for 21 years,

it would be a lie to say she wasn’t scared.

After all, there was no situation like this in South Korea.

‘But… it’s much better than dealing with my father.’

She consciously decided to be more relaxed.

"The reason for executing an unimportant person without following formal procedures is simple."

"I don’t understand. Please explain."

"Because my father looks favorably upon you."

It wasn’t a complete lie.

In the original story, Heron praises the count.

That’s why he arranged for the execution to be by hanging instead of beheading.

Later, ironically, he even supports the Zeal family.

"That… what…!"

"To protect your honor, my father took on the stigma of a tyrant.

Count Zeal looked confused.

"What does that have to do with my honor?"

"Violating the laws of Winter Castle was the pretext."

Viola clapped her hands lightly.

"Zeon."

"Yes, Lady."

Zeon, who had been waiting, immediately entered the room.

In his hand was a white cloth, and on it was a glass bottle containing red liquid.

"It’s the blood of your son. He was poisoned by black magic."

Viola continued calmly.

"If he had been in his right mind, would he have caused such a disturbance in Winter Castle? Just for an Eclair?"

Black magic confuses the mind and makes one seek instinctual pleasure.

It prioritizes emotion over reason, granting powerful magic in exchange.

However, there was a significant drawback.

If one couldn’t control the mana, their body would explode.

It meant turning into a living bomb.

"Someone injected black magic into your son’s body. But you know, it can’t be activated without his consent. Ultimately, it was what your son wanted. The blood is filled with the mana of black magic."

This content appeared in the author’s setting book.

It wasn’t deeply explored in the main story.

Jelton was just a tragic supporting character who was killed by Bichen.

"The concentration was so high that he could have exploded at any moment. First, we needed to protect the people of Winter Castle from your son, who had become a living bomb."

Viola’s eyes turned to Count Zeal.

A bit of white milk foam was on the corner of her mouth.

"Second, we needed to protect the honor of the Zeal family. That’s why you executed him."

"…"

"What were you doing while your son