Chapter 74

Ragon's focus shifted to me, repeatedly blurring and sharpening.

"Ragon, I trust you. You will keep the promise you made to me."

I continued speaking calmly and patiently.

Eventually, my image was fully reflected in Ragon's eyes.

The eyes, once filled with madness, gradually became gentle.

"That's right. Good boy."

Feeling the calmness, I reached out my hand toward Ragon.

……Squawk……

"That's right, a good boy. Ragon is—"

Just as Ragon was lowering his stance to sit down,

"Kyaah—!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed from behind me.

A palace maid was screaming, her face contorted with fear.

'No, after all the effort to calm him down, what are you trying to do by provoking him now?'

While one can panic at the sight of a monster, she is a palace maid.

She must have received some training for crisis situations, yet her interference was making me frustrated.

But the problem wasn't the maid.

The knights, hearing the scream, were running toward us.

From the emblem on their armor, they were the palace knights sent to guard the royal family.

"Monster!"

The palace knights immediately went into a defensive stance upon spotting Ragon.

They began to surround Ragon as if to encircle him.

Swoosh—!

I held my breath as I saw the swords being drawn with a metallic sound.

'That's...!'

The hilt of the sword was embedded with a peculiarly glowing stone.

I recognized the stone at first glance.

A Holy Stone.

A stone used to vanquish monsters.

The moment Ragon is hit by that sword, he will be reduced to dust.

'No!'

I ran toward the knight who was about to strike Ragon with his sword raised.

"No, Ragon's mind has returned! He saw me!"

I clung to the knight's arm, pleading.

"What—"

"It's true! Ragon is only crying and not attacking at all."

"He looks very threatening to me."

"Kyaah! Monster! Ah! Ah! The monster is trying to kill me!"

The maid was still making a fuss amidst the chaos.

Ragon, who was now keeping his distance from the maid and not even looking at her.

"Sir, look. Ragon is—"

"Hey, stop being a nuisance and get away from me!"

The knight pushed me away.

"Ugh!"

Not just any adult male, but a palace knight.

Pushed by the knight, I fell to the ground.

Seeing my fall, Ragon's eyes sharpened.

Roar!

Ragon let out a roar filled with anger and instantly flew upward.

He then dove down and charged at the knight.

Bang—!

With a tremendous crash, Ragon was slammed into the ground.

Despite nothing pressing down on his body, Ragon flapped his wings as if being crushed.

'This is... Grandfather?'

When Grandfather uses his blessing of <Gravity>, it looks exactly like this.

I turned my head sharply.

Grandfather was approaching with a few nobles, relatives, and Princess Anatoly.

Viscount Debussy frowned as he looked around.

"What is this...?"

Princess Anatoly ran to the maid who was lying on the ground, sobbing.

"What happened!"

"I, I saw a strange shadow near Princess's room, so I went to check, and... sniff, the monster was there...!"

"What?"

"It attacked me as soon as it saw me... I ran away in panic and came to this forest!"

"In my room? And it attacked when it was discovered?"

Princess Anatoly frowned and turned her head.

The fact that Ragon is my monster is known to everyone who enters and leaves the duchy.

People's gazes immediately turned to me.

* * *

The duchy was in an uproar.

The royal officials (ministers who manage the duchy) were particularly agitated, raising their voices.

"How does the duchy manage safety!"

"How dare you house the royal family in a place where monsters freely enter and exit? Do you even have a mind?"

"If the one attacked was not a maid but Princess Anatoly...!"

"Why was the monster near Princess Anatoly's room in the first place?"

"It feels very deliberate, not just an accident."

"Answer us! What, are you going to remain silent in this situation?!"

It was a complete mess, as if they had found a way to make a fuss.

The situation warranted it, but more so, the joy of cornering Duke Astra seemed greater.

Valdric, who was being pressured by the officials, trembled with anger.

He glared at me, who was standing in the center.

"What did you do!"

The other uncles also looked at me disapprovingly.

"How did you manage the monster?"

"What if someone got hurt?"

"I've always been uneasy about taming a monster. I knew this would happen."

The one who reached the peak of this criticism was Aunt Bastina.

"Oh! You thought you could do anything, but I knew this day would come!"

She snorted and spoke to Grandfather in a sweet voice.

"Father, look at our Selene. Compared to that wild one, our Selene is so thoughtful and intelligent."

Then Aunt Basilie, the mother of Dione, spoke up in my defense.

"Before blaming Erilott, we should understand the full context. The monster has been well-behaved for a long time. Isn't it strange that it suddenly became violent?"

Uncle Gustav added his support.

"I agree. My youngest son said the monster was well-behaved when he approached it. He was so proud, I remember it clearly."

His son, Armand, had played with Ragon, who liked him very much.

But the royal officials raised their voices even more.

"Exactly! We are also curious about that!"

"How could a well-behaved monster suddenly become violent when the royal family arrived? Especially near where the royal family is staying!"

"It seems suspicious!"

'...They are determined.'

The officials want to use this opportunity to make Duke Astra owe them a favor.

'And I am the sacrifice in this process.'

Indeed, I was standing in the center of the hall, being treated like a criminal and receiving all kinds of criticism.

At that moment,

Someone rushed into the hall with hurried footsteps.

'Dad!'

Dad looked at me, who was clinging to his skirt.

Then he turned to the assembly and said,

"I have received the report."

His low voice was steady.

Unsatisfied, the royal officials began to pressure Dad, using me as leverage.

"This is not a simple accident! It was an incident involving the royal family!"

"We must follow the imperial law!"

"Of course, Lady Erilott, the owner of the monster, must be escorted to the capital!"

Dad's face hardened at the suggestion of my escort.

Grandfather's eyes turned sharp, and Basilie and Gustav showed their disapproval.

The Empress, who had been quietly listening, raised an eyebrow.

Her eyes, looking at me, were full of interest.

It seemed this situation was entertaining for her.

'...If this continues, the royal family will classify me as a dangerous individual.'

As the granddaughter of Duke Astra, they won't kill me.

But I might have to live with a restriction device for the rest of my life.

'If I wear a restriction device, I can't even use my blessing freely.'

Not being able to use my blessing—this means I won't be a noble.

'Especially, I need to use my real blessing, <Reading>, to check the comments.'

Only then can I determine who is targeting me in Astra.

The Empress tilted her head, pretending to think, then put on a pained expression.

"Though it's painful for a child, the law is the law. As a royal, it is our duty to follow, maintain, and protect the law of the empire..."

The Empress stretched out her words and looked at me.

Then, with a solemn voice, she declared,

"Erilott Astra—"

"It's all my fault."

Dad stepped in front of me, as if to shield me.

"I requested permission to keep Erilott's monster in the duchy to protect my daughter."

What?

"Since it happened due to my greed, I must take responsibility."

"…!"

Unbelievable.

The person who asked for permission was me.

"This child is only ten years old. The responsibility lies with the guardian, so if anyone is to be escorted, it should be me."

"But... "

The Empress, looking troubled, clasped her cheeks.

Though she feigned difficulty, her eyes betrayed her excitement.

The idea of escorting the formidable Daemond Astra was thrilling.

The Empress and the royal family wouldn't want to miss this opportunity.

'And if I were really escorted... '

I don't know what they would do to Dad in the underground prison.

"Dad!"

I clung to Dad's clothes in a panic, but he pushed me back.

Then, to the Empress,

"Please show mercy."

—He bowed.

"…!!"

Dad, bowing.

Who is my dad?

Not just a member of the Astra family, but a man with abilities so great that he has a pride as tall as a mountain.

A man who has never bowed even to his father, Duke Astra.

'For me... '

I was so frustrated, angry, and wronged that my heart felt like it was about to burst.

At that moment,

"Stop it!"

Princess Anatoly pushed through the crowd and rushed to the center.

She embraced me protectively and glared at the royal officials.

"It's just a child's mistake! An accident that no one could have predicted!"

"But, Princess Anatoly...!"

The officials were trying to label it as a deliberate crime to find Astra's weakness.

They were taken aback by Princess Anatoly's intervention.

But they couldn't say it outright.

After all, the room was filled with not only the royal family but also the Astra family.

Noticing their silence, Princess Anatoly spoke confidently.

"Who was the one who almost got hurt?"

"No, Princess Anatoly, we must first determine the truth—"

"Did you almost get hurt?"

"…"

"I was the one who almost got hurt."

Princess Anatoly placed her hand on her chest.

"So if I'm fine, everything is fine, right? The victim says she's fine."

The faces of the royal officials turned sour.

What a missed opportunity! What a fool!

—Their expressions said.

But Princess Anatoly was undaunted.

'While her words have flaws, they can't be pointed out.'

The one who almost got hurt was the palace maid, not Princess Anatoly.

But based on the maid's testimony that the monster was near Princess Anatoly's room, the victim was changed to the princess.

The officials had exaggerated this to pressure Astra.

'So now they can't say the maid was the victim.'

'And Princess Anatoly is the emperor's favorite.'

No official would want to oppose the princess and risk the emperor's disfavor.

The Empress frowned at the situation.

Princess Anatoly, undeterred by the Empress's glare, spoke confidently.

"I will personally discuss this with my brother and resolve it."

This meant the Empress should not interfere.

The Empress let out a gasp of exasperation, but Princess Anatoly ignored her.

She knelt to meet my eyes and smiled kindly.

"Scared, Erilott? It's okay now. I believe in you."

"…"

"I told you, I find our Erilott very lovely."

Princess Anatoly stroked my head.

"Wow, what a great love."

"That's right. This is pure love!"

"Pure love that protects the child of the man she loves, even in the face of danger!"

As people marveled, Princess Anatoly, looking smug, caressed my cheek.

* * *

The matter with Ragon was left unresolved.

Princess Anatoly, who was almost the victim, had declared she would resolve it with the emperor. What could be done?

The royal officials and the Empress seemed a bit frustrated but had no choice but to back down.

And Ragon...

"Lord Decon, I leave it to you."

Lord Decon was tasked with the job.

Here, 'handling' means 'killing.'

"Though it was a simple accident, leaving a monster that tried to harm me... "

The atmosphere quickly shifted in that direction with Princess Anatoly's words.

The nobles, being very favorable to the princess who helped Astra, were almost unanimous in their support.

At that moment, Princess Anatoly was surrounded by Astra's nobles, laughing softly.

Then, our eyes met.

"Erilott."

The princess smiled and approached me.

"Don't worry too much. All misunderstandings will be cleared. I will speak to my brother."

She looked