Chapter 10

Chapter 3: The Villain, Chapter 10 (10/390)

Chapter 10.

I looked at him with a flustered expression.

'How did Father come back?'

Of course, I had tried to get Father to return by having Conrad subtly stab Grandfather.

But I didn't think Father would come back so soon.

'I thought it would take a lot more time.'

Father slowly approached Uncle Decon.

Uncle Decon shouted.

"What is this at Father's birthday celebration!"

He looked quite intimidating, but I could see him taking steps backward.

To me, the uncle who had been so fierce was like a mouse in front of a cat when standing before Father.

Father's lips curled up.

'Wow, he looks so much like Grandfather.'

Especially when he sneered like that, they were almost identical.

"Decon, I told you to stop shouting without considering the situation."

"..."

"It shortens your lifespan."

"What did I do! Don't act so casually in front of your brother and Father— hic!"

As Uncle Decon was babbling, he gasped when Father placed his hand on his shoulder.

Father slapped Uncle Decon's cheek with his blood-soaked hand.

His expression was expressionless, but the aura was terrifyingly ominous.

Uncle Decon, trembling, collapsed.

'In terms of personal strength, Uncle Decon is no match for Father.'

No, there was no one in this castle who could match Father in strength.

The reason Grandfather hasn't dealt with his estranged son is that 'there's no one who can deal with him.'

"Enough."

It was Grandfather's voice.

Grandfather, who was fixing a dry gaze on Father, said.

"You haven't changed your unruly ways even after all that time on the battlefield."

"A dog can't become anything other than a dog."

A dog is a puppy.

Father is Grandfather's puppy.

Then, Grandfather is...

'Oh no!'

Father's and Grandfather's gazes fiercely clashed in the air.

As the atmosphere grew sharp, Viscount Debussy began to tidy up.

"It's getting late. Shall we end the banquet, Duke?"

Grandfather, still locking eyes with Father, replied.

"Alright."

Immediately, the maids hurried over.

"Miss, shall we go?"

"Um... yes."

I glanced at Father and left the banquet hall.

* * *

The next day.

I jumped out of bed as soon as the sun came up.

I hurried the maid to change my clothes.

"Yes, Miss. I'll get you ready right away."

The maids, who knew why I was fidgeting, chuckled.

Hilda, unbuttoning my nightgown, said,

"Sir Diamond is in the castle today, isn't he? You must be happy he's here."

I nodded obediently.

'Of course. He's my lifeline.'

Even though Grandfather now acknowledges me a little, I don't know what will happen later.

Grandfather has many talented grandchildren, and he might shift his attention to them.

Then I'll be back to being a duck egg in the Nakdong River.

'Especially if Grandfather passes away...'

A duck egg in the Nakdong River. I might end up being a boiled duck egg, chewed slowly by my relatives.

To prepare for that, I need Father's help.

'I need to make a good impression.'

Yesterday, he had just returned and had various things to handle, so I couldn't greet him.

I washed my face and changed into clean clothes.

"Are you going to see Sir Diamond? Then we should prepare to accompany you..."

"No!"

"Huh?"

"Go alone."

The maids exclaimed, "Oh!" and looked at each other, then burst into laughter.

They thought I was shy about meeting Father.

But it's not that. Hilda and Greta are from the Duke's castle.

Father doesn't trust the Duke's castle staff.

For some reason, he wouldn't have deep conversations if they were around.

The maids handed me an umbrella.

"Sir Diamond is mostly at the barracks. You need to go outside the castle, and it's supposed to rain today."

I thought it was getting warm, so spring must be coming.

"Right."

After putting on a raincoat, I waved goodbye to the maids and went outside.

'Father won't just dote on me.'

If he did, he would have sent me a letter during my time in the 12th tower.

'Besides...'

I thought about the content of "The Black Hand."

A dark night. Elyott was listening to the sounds coming from her uncle's room.

"Is it possible that Elyott is not the daughter of the late Sir Diamond?"

"Yes. Diamond was on the battlefield long before Elyott was born. How could he have a child on the battlefield?"

"But why did Grandfather accept Elyott?"

"They say she was born from an experiment."

"An experiment? A homunculus? That's absurd! Human creation has never succeeded. Moreover, such experiments are strictly prohibited by law!"

"That's why Father had to announce her as Diamond's daughter."

Of course, there was no evidence for this.

But it made sense. If I were a created human, it would explain why I, a noble, lack divine protection.

Father, who already has little affection for his family, might not even acknowledge me if I'm a fake daughter.

'I need to show my strengths and prove that I can be helpful.'

I walked confidently.

It was really raining outside.

'I love rainy days.'

I opened my yellow umbrella and walked through the rain.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm."

I whistled and skipped over puddles. I jumped over the larger ones.

On my way, I found something in the grass. It was a small green frog.

"Frog...! (Frog...!)"

I chased the frog as it hopped.

The tiny creature was incredibly fast.

I finally caught up and reached out my hand,

Splash!

I tripped over a rock and fell.

The frog hopped away from my face.

"Ouch."

I heard an adult's voice nearby.

I looked up and saw men holding umbrellas.

I couldn't see their faces because of the umbrellas, but the leggings on their legs revealed they were soldiers.

One of the soldiers came over and helped me up by my side.

"Why is a child falling here?"

The other soldiers gathered around.

Only then did I see their faces clearly.

'Oh.'

How could they look so fierce?

A man as big as a bear.

A man with a long scar across his eye.

A man with a face completely burned.

They were the kind of people that would scare children.

The man as big as a bear frowned.

"What's a kid doing here?"

"Look at her. She has blonde hair and red eyes."

"It's Miss Elyott, the daughter of the general."

The soldiers started chatting around me.

As a group of soldiers approached, another group came from behind.

"Miss Elyott?"

"Why is Miss Elyott at the barracks?"

"Did she know it was breakfast time?"

And another group.

"Miss Elyott for breakfast?"

"What nonsense."

I was instantly surrounded by soldiers.

They all had intimidating faces.

I clutched the handle of my umbrella tightly.

* * *

Main Castle, Duke's Office.

Duke Astra reviewed the documents Sir Diamond had presented. They were reports on the current battle situation.

As soon as the Duke finished reviewing, Sir Diamond stood up.

"I'll be going now."

"When will you return to your territory?"

"I'll get rid of the unpleasant faces by the end of this week, so don't worry."

"How long do you plan to speak like that? Don't forget that I tolerate you."

"That's very kind of you."

Their gazes fiercely clashed in the air.

Sir Diamond nodded slightly and left the room with the document stamped with the Duke's seal.

As he walked down the corridor, his adjutant Enzo, who had been waiting, followed.

"How did it go?"

Sir Diamond handed him the document stamped with the Duke's seal.

Enzo's expression hardened as he read it.

"Your territory's budget has been drastically cut! With 10,000 soldiers returning, not only did they not increase the budget, but they cut it!"

"The old man's intentions are clear. He wants to tame me by cutting off my funds."

"If he's going to treat you like this, why did he recall the general?"

As the other brothers are getting out of control, he must want to tighten the reins.

Of course, before that, to make me a well-behaved dog.

'Weak old man.'

Enzo frowned.

"What will you do now?"

"I won't be played with so easily."

Enzo sighed.

They headed straight for the barracks.

"The soldiers?"

"The 100 elite troops are at the barracks, and the rest are at the outskirts of the manor. I plan to send them to the territory as soon as the entry permit is issued."

"Make sure to keep the elite troops in check. If any trouble arises, the old man's sons will see this as an opportunity to disband my army."

"Understood."

He was particularly cautious about managing the elite troops.

The elite troops were skilled individuals Sir Diamond had gathered from various places.

Former slaves.

Mercenaries.

Criminals.

Even prisoners.

With just 100 elite troops, they had devastated the border of the Peligan Kingdom.

They were astonishingly skilled.

However, there was a problem...

'They are so ruthless because they come from the bottom.'

Wherever they went, they left destruction in their wake.

They were called the "Beasts of Sir Diamond's territory."

'I need to return to my territory soon.'

I don't know when the leash on these wild dogs will break.

Just as they entered the barracks,

Sir Diamond stopped.

"What's that?"

Enzo, who had been following, also stopped.

"Is that the training ground? They said they couldn't stand not training for a day, so they got permission from the main castle's guards to train..."

"What kind of training is that?"

Training is always the same. What could be different?

Enzo, looking puzzled, came out from behind Sir Diamond and looked at the training ground.

The elite troops were gathered, chatting noisily.

And among them, a small yellow chick... no, a child in a raincoat was visible.

The child was trembling in fear of the fierce men.

Our eyes met, and the child, looking at a loss, ran over and clung to Sir Diamond's leg.

"Father! (Father!)"

"..."

Sir Diamond's expression rarely hardened, as if he were flustered.

* * *

I clung to Father's leg like a cicada.

'Oh, I was really scared.'

Having only seen well-bred nobles, I found these soldiers very frightening.

They still had the aura of the battlefield, and their appearance was incredibly intimidating.

"Is this the general's daughter?"

"Hey, not 'this,' but 'Miss.'"

"Are children this small?"

"I, I want to, want to hold her."

"Ha ha! Mosco, you could crush her with one hand!"

I was trembling, afraid I might really be crushed.

Then, Father appeared like a savior.

Father's gaze is also scary, but it's better than a 3-meter-tall giant with monster scales on his skin.

"Miss?"

A man behind Father asked.

He was a likable man with navy blue hair.

"I'm Enzo, the general's adjutant."

"Hello..."

"Yes, it's an honor to meet you. How did you get here?"

"Hilda gave me an umbrella and a raincoat. I came to see Father because it's raining. (Hilda gave me an umbrella and a raincoat. I came to see Father because it's raining.)"

My speech impediment was worse than usual, probably because I was so scared.

"So, you came to see the general...?"

I nodded.

The soldiers laughed heartily.

"How cute, so cute."

"Is this what it's like to have children!"

Their laughter shook the barracks.

But when Father frowned, the laughter abruptly stopped.

"You've become lax after returning from the battlefield."

The fierce-looking soldiers flinched.

Enzo quickly signaled, and the soldiers quickly lined up.

Father, with his hands on his hips, said,

"I'll give you 10 minutes. Finish your preparations and return to the training ground."

The soldiers, pale, rushed off.

Then, Father looked at me.

"How long do you plan to cling to me?"

Enzo laughed awkwardly.

"The soldiers are so fierce. She seems very scared. How about giving her a hug?"

That's a good idea.

But I can't act like a spoiled child anymore, so I reluctantly let go.

"Elyott, I can walk... (Elyott, I can walk...)"

Enzo smiled, finding me cute.

After all, having been in the bloody battlefield for over five years, a young child like me must seem cute.

I followed Father, who was walking, closely.

Holding onto the hem of his pants.

"..."

"..."

'I might look like a spoiled child...'

I know, but my heart is pounding, and I can't completely let go yet.

Fortunately, Father only glanced at me and didn't say anything.

I followed Father into a building in the barracks.

'I need to do something to make up for it.'

Just then, Enzo spoke.

"Would you like to hold a welcome party for the soldiers?"

"They've been in the war for five years. They must be looking forward to a welcome party."

"But with the budget cut, it's not easy. How can we have a party without money..."

Grandfather cut the budget.

'He's trying to tame Father.'

When parents want to tame their children, the first thing they do is cut the budget of their territory.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head.

I shook Father's pants.

"Elyott, I have money."