Chapter 83

The nobles’ eyes, noses, and mouths seemed to spread wider and wider.

Apparently pleased by their reaction, Father’s nostrils flared wider as well.

“......”

I looked back and forth between the two sides, then gave Calypse a sidelong glance through eyes clouded with embarrassment.

Father. Did you really want to boast about me that badly? To think this hopeless daughter of yours could be a source of pride...

That was when it happened.

...Whether you are my blood or not, I do not care who your mother is or what purpose you were born for. You are my daughter.

Calypse’s words suddenly flashed through my mind, striking me in the back of the head.

Father was this happy that I was his daughter, regardless of where I had come from.

And yet I...

I was embarrassed merely because Father was acting like a doting fool...

A sudden wave of guilt made me close my eyes.

The more clearly I felt his affection, the more mortified and unsure of myself I became. I had instinctively pushed it away as though rejecting it, but I should not have done that.

I had to accept the love he expressed so openly and return it in kind.

This was no time for hesitation.

Father was so proud of me. As the Golden Seed, I could not simply stand there feeling embarrassed.

I will be. Father’s. Proud daughter.

“...That’s right.”

The moment I spoke, the gazes of the stunned nobles turned toward me.

I snapped my eyes wide open.

“I-I’m Father’s biological daughter!”

Then I swept the hair that had fallen over my face aside with a tiny hand like a hamster’s paw and shouted,

“Duke Calypse’s eyes are red! My eyes—Lady Aisha’s eyes—are red too! I am the child of Calypse Kreutz who returned after five years! I am Aisha Kreutz—!”

—Kreutz—!

—Kreutz—!

My declaration echoed through the hall.

The nobles gaped in shock at my roar, which sounded like that of a lion cub from The Lion King.

“What are you doing? Applaud.”

Calypse gave the order without hesitation.

The nobles jerked their heads as though coming back to their senses and immediately began clapping.

Clap, clap, clap—

“L-Lady Aisha! I knew it from the very first moment I saw you! I always thought there was something extraordinary about you...!”

“And His Grace as well! To think he recognized her even while she was under dark magic... I suppose blood truly cannot be deceived.”

“Yes, exactly. You must have been drawn to each other as if by magic! The bond between you is simply astonishing.”

The nobles continued making a tremendous fuss for some time. We watched them with satisfaction before resuming our walk.

But the boasting did not end there.

“Um, Y-Your Grace...”

“My daughter. Red eyes.”

His explanations became simpler with every encounter.

Even so, more and more nobles began peeking out to see the bizarre father-and-daughter pair, and the royal castle filled with applause.

Calypse even slipped his hands beneath my arms and lifted me above his head.

“Effective immediately, Aisha is my biological daughter. Please note the eye color.”

Dangle—

My legs swung helplessly in the air as Father made his declaration.

I felt like an apple being held up for a clearance sale, but...

Be proud of yourself.

To live up to Father’s expectations, I opened my eyes as wide as possible and displayed my red irises to everyone.

“W-What is going on? Why is Duke Calypse holding Lady Aisha up like that?”

“Apparently, the daughter he adopted turned out to be his biological daughter.”

“What?!”

“Look at Lady Aisha’s red eyes. The truth is, Duke Pose cast dark magic on her when she was still an infant...”

Whispering here. Whispering there.

At this rate, everyone in the royal palace would know I was Calypse’s biological daughter before even a day had passed.

It was a little embarrassing, but I was Father’s proud Golden Seed.

We have to spread the news faster. To even more people.

By now, that person should be appearing.

Whip, whip.

I turned my head from side to side, searching for my target.

Since I was perched on Father’s shoulders, I could clearly see even the people in the distance.

And then...

There he is!

I narrowed my eyes into grim little triangles and poked Father near the crown of his head.

“Father.”

“What.”

“There is a reporter over there.”

I had known there would be a newspaper reporter waiting for us to appear.

Calypse flinched, his expression stiffening, before giving me an order.

“Aisha.”

“Yes.”

“Eyes wide.”

“Yes!”

Wide. Open. Eyes!

Obeying his command, I used my short fingers to pull my eyelids upward.

And together, we advanced aggressively toward the reporter.

***

A few days later.

“Did you see the newspaper?”

“Of course I did. I carry a copy with me in case I meet anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.”

The vast backyard leading to the rear gate of the royal palace was packed with nobles who were accustomed to walking only on orderly stone paths or soft fields, not along a dirt road baked hard beneath the sun.

A gust of wind stirred up a light cloud of dust, but the dozens—perhaps even hundreds—of nobles continued their heated conversations without seeming to notice the discomfort.

“You cannot imagine how shocked I was. I have seen Lady Aisha in person. Only her eye color changed, yet somehow she suddenly looks remarkably like Duke Calypse...”

“So the daughter he adopted turned out to be his biological daughter?”

“My goodness. It sounds like something from a novel.”

Under the not-quite-threats of Calypse and Aisha, news of Aisha’s red eyes had taken over the front page of the newspaper.

However, there was another reason the nobles had gathered here today—

“His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Royal Consort are entering!”

At the attendant’s announcement, the whispering nobles bowed their heads toward a single point.

Argen and Grace entered while receiving their greetings and stepped onto the platform. Argen then proclaimed in a booming voice,

“At this hour, Cray Pose shall be put to death!”

It was Duke Pose’s execution.

***

Shortly before the king and the royal consort appeared.

“Oh my, that is Lady Aisha of the Kreutz family.”

“Her eyes truly are red. They were originally the exact same color as His Grace’s, but Duke Pose deliberately concealed them, did he not?”

“And they say he used dark magic forbidden throughout every kingdom. He deserves to be executed on the spot.”

Today was Duke Pose’s execution.

A platform for carrying out the sentence had been prepared in the royal palace’s backyard, and the nobles had gathered to await him...

But my back felt as though it were on fire as I sat in the front-row seats opposite the platform, which were reserved for only the highest-ranking nobles.

Everyone standing behind me was staring.

“Mmm...”

“What is it?”

When I unconsciously let out a low groan, Calypse, who was seated beside me, asked.

“...Nothing.”

Nothing. My feelings were simply complicated.

I had feared Duke Pose’s retaliation. I had feared the look Calypse would give me at the final moment. I had feared that once every truth was revealed, the way Calypse treated me would change.

And yet the man who had made me tremble in fear was about to climb the execution platform, while I sat in the very front row and watched.

People cursed him and pitied only me.

Of course they did. I had been a spy and yet not truly been one, while Duke Pose had committed every crime.

I was dazed by a reality I had never once imagined, yet I also hated Duke Pose for forcing me to endure things I never should have experienced.

What he had done to me, Ariana, and Calypse was a sin that not even his death could wash away.

But more than any of that...

“Duke Pose was not so impressive after all.”

I remembered how terrified I had been of him—so terrified that merely seeing him made me hyperventilate—and how I had despaired that I would never escape him for the rest of my life.

Yet the knights had captured him so pathetically.

The memory left me feeling hollow, wondering why I had once been so completely unable to move against him.

Even with his final moment approaching, no one was paying attention to him.

They were all watching me.

The true young lady.

Sniff.

I awkwardly rubbed my nose, and Father gave a quiet chuckle as he stroked my head.

“Of course. You never needed to come here in the first place.”

“Huh?”

“It is not too late. Go home now. Father will take you.”

“...Huh?”

My eyes widened for a moment at the rapid succession of words.