Chapter 65

In other words, Lucas had finally realized that Kyle wasn't a bad kid.

After that, he stopped shoulder-checking Kyle and glaring at him.

“Older brother Lucas. Hi.”

Whenever Kyle greeted him before class, Lucas would awkwardly scratch the back of his neck before mumbling,

“Yeah. Hi. Hi to you too, Dandelion.”

Then he'd quietly sit through the lesson.

But that wasn't the only thing that changed.

Kyle's human transformation began lasting much longer.

At first, he could only stay human for an hour or two.

Then it became half a day.

Then a full day.

Eventually, an entire week.

And so, one day, I opened the bedroom door, ready to go to sleep.

“I want to sleep too. I'm sleeping with Aisha.”

Kyle, already in his human form, trailed after me—

Only to be caught by Father.

“You little beast—no. Kyle. Come here for a second.”

Grabbing Kyle by the back of his neck, Father fell silent in thought.

Then he made his decision.

“From now on, you'll stay with Knox. You'll sleep in the room next to his.”

“I don't want to! Knox is boring! I like Aisha!”

“That doesn't matter. You're moving next to Knox.”

“...Does no one intend to ask for my opinion?”

In the end, Calypse dragged away the fiercely protesting Kyle and deposited him in the quarters where Knox lived.

Naturally, no one answered Knox's final question.

And so our peaceful daily life continued.

“See you later, Aisha.”

I'd take Kyle to class every day.

On another day, I'd clap enthusiastically while watching older brother Lucas awkwardly imitate the noble table manners he'd learned in class.

“Wow! Clap, clap, clap!”

“Dandelion! See? Table manners are easy for me now!”

On other days, I'd sit beside Father while he worked on reports in his office, drawing pictures in my sketchbook.

Especially on days like today, when neither Kyle nor older brother Lucas was around, my thoughts inevitably drifted toward the Pose family.

Which naturally reminded me of a question I'd been putting off.

What exactly are they planning to do with the madness enhancer?

The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Only a few days ago, everyone had been in an uproar over the frenzy of the monsters.

Yet Father hadn't made a single move against Duke Pose.

At first, I'd thought he'd storm over and crush him immediately.

Instead, he'd remained surprisingly quiet.

He hadn't done anything with the potion.

He hadn't even sent Duke Pose a message.

Come to think of it... Duke Pose hasn't contacted me either.

There hadn't been a single word from him since that day at the royal palace.

Did he give up on me?

...No.

That didn't seem likely.

Thanks to that woman, you've become a very interesting toy—one that must never be thrown away, no matter what.

There was definitely something.

A secret about Aisha that had never been revealed in the original novel.

And it sounds like some woman is connected to it.

Dolly had clearly said that because of that woman, I'd become such an interesting toy.

Who is she? Dorothy?

I wanted to know.

But at the same time, I didn't want to dig too deeply.

Because if the secret about me—one that didn't even exist in the original novel—were revealed...

The closer you become to the Ice Duke, the more completely he'll fall in the end.

Dolly's warning echoed through my mind.

The crayon in my hand paused over the page.

If...

If that really happened...

It felt like something irreversible would happen between Father and me.

...

Let's just bury it.

I decided to ignore the growing sense of foreboding and focus on our peaceful everyday life instead.

Then one day—

“Lucas. Aisha.”

“Yes?”

“What is it, Father?”

Father called both of us into his office.

Looking at us as we tilted our heads in confusion, he held out an invitation.

The seal, made from real melted gold, bore the shape of a lion.

“This is...”

Lucas's eyes widened.

He'd apparently learned about it during his noble studies.

Calypse nodded.

“An invitation from the royal castle. The three of us will attend the annual royal banquet this year.”

Then he paused and looked directly at me.

“There will also be someone else there.”

His voice became quiet.

“Duke Pose will be attending as well.”

Silence settled over the room.

The unwavering determination in Father's eyes, fixed solely on me, felt strangely unfamiliar.

“...Duke Pose?”

Lucas immediately stepped between us.

Ever since everything involving Marquis Lilith, he knew enough about my circumstances to look genuinely alarmed.

“But that duke's completely evil! And besides, he's a duke from another kingdom! Why would he come to a banquet in the Frozen Kingdom?”

“It hasn't been officially announced yet, but His Majesty intends to invite the highest-ranking nobles from the Kingdom of Doctia. The goal is to strengthen the relationship between our two kingdoms.”

“But then Aisha will...”

“I know.”

Father never took his eyes off me.

“That's exactly why I'm bringing Aisha with us.”

Lucas still looked unconvinced.

With a wary glance toward Father, he quietly reached over and held my hand.

His hand was warm.

So this... is what family feels like.

And—

“Aisha. Listen carefully, and don't misunderstand what Father is about to say.”

Calypse, speaking in that calm, resolute voice as he prepared to explain everything...

He was family too.

Someone I couldn't imagine living without.

“...Okay.”

I nodded carefully.

“Taking you to a place where Duke Pose will be is absolutely not because I intend to let him take you away.”

Of course.

I trusted Calypse.

“My intention is to separate you from that duke as quickly as possible.”

“How?”

“At this banquet, I'm going to bring down the Pose family.”

His words made me blink.

He walked over, knelt in front of me, and lowered himself until we were eye to eye.

“So at this banquet... even if you think of the most brilliant plan imaginable... trust Father and wait.”

Then he held out his little finger.

“In other words... please don't cause any trouble.”

Seeing the frightened look on my face, Father gave a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“......”

When I thought about it...

From Calypse's point of view, raising me must have been terrifying.

I'd disappeared out of nowhere at the royal castle.

Then I'd shown up in the middle of a monster subjugation mission.

And this time, I'd burst into tears because Kyle had vanished and run all the way to the end of the world.

...I've caused an awful lot of trouble.

It was true.

I couldn't even argue.

I'm supposed to be a former spy. Instead of becoming the perfect daughter, all I've done is make Father worry.

The moment I heard we were going to the royal palace, several ideas immediately sprang into my mind.

But—

“Okay. I promise!”

I firmly shook my head, pushed every one of those ideas away, and hooked my little finger around his.

***

At that same moment—

At the Pose estate.

Tap.

One of the pawns on the chessboard toppled beneath a long finger.

Watching several pieces collapse one after another, Duke Pose calmly asked the man beside him,

“So we failed again?”

“Yes.”

The knight standing silently like a shadow inclined his head.

“That makes nine already.”

Since becoming the head of the Pose family, Duke Pose had never before lost so many people in a single operation.

What in the world is that brat Aisha doing? Every person I send ends up dead.

When Dorothy's identity as a spy had first been exposed, he'd simply assumed she'd been unlucky.

Back then, he'd even been pleased that Aisha had told him the young lady of the Kreutz family's main line was at an orphanage in the Kingdom of Doctia.

But then another spy died.

And another.

Every single operative he sent met the same fate.

After the spy's sudden death at the royal palace, the pace only accelerated.

Spies who had once died roughly once a month were now dying every three days.

There was definitely something about Aisha.

At this point, it would have been stranger if she hadn't betrayed him.

“I told her to play the role of my adorable daughter.”

He let out a dry laugh.

“Did she actually decide to become Duke Calypse's daughter instead?”

“We can't determine the exact situation yet, but it appears she's chosen to side with the Kreutz family.”

“Tch.”

Things had become troublesome.

Duke Pose sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“What should we do, then?”

He looked toward the knight.

“Shall I simply abduct Aisha myself during the banquet?”