Chapter 7

My pupils trembled like an earthquake.

That pink heart, that did not match the cold Duke’s face, looks too cute.

‘No, I think it looks good on you…’

Handsome guys are amazing. I can’t believe you pulled that off.

‘-It’s not time to think about that!’

Why did a heart appear on the Duke’s cheek for a hint?

The reason is very clear.

My numerous experiences in Rofan said.

I need to put my lips on that heart.

I mean, to put it simply-

‘Kiss that cold Duke’s cheek! ‘Smooch!!’ just like that!’

How is this a hint! Huh?

The devil’s words, “Be careful to watch your back, whether you’re sleeping or awake,” resonate in my head.

‘I shouldn’t have trusted this damn devil!’

I screamed silently.

***

“Hmm?”

The Duke looked down at me suspiciously, who had become pale.

“You have a strange complexion. It’s like a strangled frog.”

Ha. A frog?

By the way, would you like to kiss that strangled frog? Huh? Don’t you want to be careful with your mouth?!

“What’s wrong with you?”

I couldn’t answer the Duke’s question and sighed.

I know. I just got a very nice quest for me to kiss him.

But if I fail, I’ll die, hahaha!

Damn it.

What a zero star world!

‘Let’s calm down.’

A hint is a hint, but the condition had nothing to do with the kiss.

It means this hint can somehow help me persuade the Duke to give me that book.

‘The Duke is a human being, and he can talk. Let’s ignore this damn hint.’

I tried to ignore the pink hearts on the Duke’s cheek.

The dice has already been thrown.

“Oh, dad…”

Here we go, me! Persuade the Duke!

I clasped the Duke’s hem.

“I’ll touch it carefully. Can you take it out just once, just once?”

Blink, blink.

The maids looked at him with innocent eyes that were completely deceived.

But.

‘Huh?’

Somehow the Duke’s face hardened when he was looking down at me.

Even his eyes get sharper.

“Uhhhhh…”

I said no, but if you cry I’ll kill you.

It’s not like that, right? I don’t think so.

I moved my quivering lips and spoke as innocently as I possibly could.

“Um… Dad. Songs are for singing, books are for reading.”

Why?

“I feel so sorry for that book if it hasn’t been read by anyone for hundreds of years.”

I speak more. “I’ll treat the book gently, okay?”

Is his expression getting sharper?

As I’m looking at it, I feel like I’m getting stabbed in my forehead. Oh, my goodness.

‘Oh, and I think you put some pressure on your hands, too…’

It’s not just the feeling, but really the Duke’s arms, which were holding me, are getting stronger.

You’re going to crush me like this!

‘Help me, hic!’

The Duke’s eyes made my imagination run wild, and it became harder for me to smile.

‘What if I ended up dropping out of life by the hand of a Duke, not the quest?’

On top of that,

‘Hah, the hearts are increasing?!’

Since I didn’t kiss, small hearts sprang up. Not only that, but it also shines!

Poof, poof, poof!

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! 

I think I can hear an auditory hallucination from the hearts.

‘Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!’

What the hell are you thinking, you damn devil!

If I don’t kiss, I feel like I’m going to be in trouble.

“Oh, Dad!”

Persuasion is abandonment.

I bit my lips, then I raised my face to the Duke.

At the end of the cliff, you have to catch a rotten rope!

Get it!

I charged straight to the Duke’s face.

Puck!

“Oh, my!”

My nose was sour when I hit something hard.

[Control failed.]

<Balcon*> (* Balcon is a korean slang for someone who is really bad at playing games as if they were playing with their feet)

You’re Balcon, aren’t you?

No, I will do better than that even if I control it with my feet.

How could you not get it right when we kindly marked the target?

This is not like the contractor of the Great Aftanes.

What a disappointment! I’m embarrassed!! Shame on you!

‘…….?’

Why did I get this notification?

Are you here to make fun of me? It’s not helping!

The man who sent the notification seemed to be somewhere giggling right now.

I’m embarrassed.

“…what are you doing?”

A low, cool voice was heard above my head.

I rubbed my nose with my face on the Duke’s shoulder. It must have turned red even without me looking.

You have a very strong shoulder, Duke.

The Duke was looking at me with a frown on his face.

He has a really cold face, but he has a lot of hearts. He’s still handsome. That works.

“Daddy.”

It’s not because I’m a Balcon. It’s because the Duke is too tall.

As I stretched my arms out toward the Duke, he bowed his face.

What’s this? A face.

Ho-ho, look at the face of a man who doesn’t know what will happen to him.

‘No, isn’t it better to not know?’

I was in a sad situation. The number of hearts increased like a rush.

Okay, okay, okay!

I closed my eyes tightly.

Chu!

Unlike before, there’s a cute sound.

The Duke’s smooth cheeks were stamped with my lips.

Uh, it’s a little…

I felt strange.

Since I was born, I have never kissed someone like this in my previous life or in my present life.

This was the first time.

“…….”

I couldn’t see the Duke, so I turned my head like I was covering my right cheek.

I could see the butlers and the maids screaming.

Well, Munch created a painting called “Scream” with that same expression. I thought it was an artistic exaggeration.

The Duke, who was kissed by me, did not respond. Like a rock.

No, daddy Duke. How can a stone be as handsome as a work of art? It’s like a statue carved by God himself.

I’m glad the hearts disappeared. I almost thought you scribbled on a piece of art.

It was a moment when I tried to escape reality once again.

Crunch.

A thin sound echoed through the silence of the stone chamber.

Did I mishear it?

Crack!

This time there was a clear and definite sound.

I turned my eyes and the glass that was covering the book was cracking.

“Huh?”

As soon as I spoke, it was falling apart, like it was swept away by a shock wave… dust was scattered all over the place.

Prang! Watching the dust that was once glass scatter, I opened my mouth.

The glass tube, it exploded… it just crumbled and disappeared without a trace.

What the hell is going on here?

At that moment, a book popped up in front of me.

I stared up at the Duke, who was holding out a book to me.

“Your- Your Excellency!”

I heard the assistant’s groaning.

I came to my senses and stretched out my hand. And then –

Whip!

Just before my hand touched it, the Duke took the book back.

What, are you making fun of me?

Whether I puffed my cheeks or not, the Duke slowly turned around holding the book.

Then lightly toss it up.

I opened my mouth wide.

‘My book…’

It’s been a long time, but the book wasn’t coming down.

‘Are you having fun teasing me? You bad guy!’

He stared at the maneuver, and the book stopped in the air.

Around the book, black energy overflowed like a slow vortex.

“There’s nothing wrong.”

When the Duke was finished, black energy scattered like a lie and the book fell in his hand.

“Even if nothing is trapped now, it is a seal. I don’t know what’s left of it.”

What?

The unexpected words made my eyes blink.

I didn’t hesitate earlier because I didn’t want to damage that book.

Because you think I would be in danger?

Am I interpreting it right?

The assistant who’s been with the Duke for a long time knows better than I do.

“Your Grace, even so, it’s the heirloom that has been with the history of the Duke of Paeraton and supported the first Duke. Somehow if the Young Lady touches it…”

“Is this yours?”

The assistant choked on the words of the Duke.

The Duke… no, it’s my dad’s!

‘The owner says it’s fine. Don’t interfere, mister!’

“Wow! Dad is the best!”

I smiled broadly and stretched out my tight arms toward the book.

‘Hurry up and give it to me.’

“The best?”

The Duke stared at me with an eerie look.

No, isn’t it good to be the best?

Everything was going well, but why? You scared me.

“Yes, the best…”

I have a book in my hand, but the Duke won’t let go.

Oh, it’s so hard to get a book.

‘Should I make him into a statue again?’

I noticed earlier that my kiss was as effective as Medusa’s.

It was like a joke, but something appeared on the Duke’s cheek.

‘No way.’

When I saw a new hearts on the cheek of a cold-looking man, I laughed with joy.

‘… if this demon is caught, he’ll die in my hands.’

I took my lips to the Duke’s cheek, which somehow seemed close.

Chu.

After one more kiss, the hand of the Duke who was holding the book slowly relaxed.

No wonder the Duke’s shoulders are strained.

‘Oh?’

I opened my eyes wide.

He is pleased with his daughter’s kiss.

This is a typical tyrant to a daughter fool.

Now that I see it, I’m a little relieved… no, it’s harder than it looked.

You look really upset.

It seems that some strangled frog has touched his sacred cheek…

I think it’s because of the stress on your shoulders!

‘Oh, well, that’s true.’

Anyway, I got the book.

I happily swept the cover of the old book.

It was then.

[Acquisition of <Summon medium>.]

[Quest <Proof of Value> completed successfully]

[500 cash will be paid as compensation.]

[You have completed the quest “Best filial piety (1)]

[A 5,000 cash lottery ticket will be given as compensation.]

I got a notification.

Phew, you’re on the verge of getting out of here. There you go.

5,000 cash lottery ticket.

A smile rose by itself. No Rofan fan would mind cash.

The notification did not end there.

[Viscount Erkel, the Chief Aide to the Duke of Paeraton, admires you.]

[The Chief Butler of the Duke of Paeraton, Heinz, respects you.]

[A group of upper maids of the Duke of Paeraton have respect for you.]

[Your influence in the Paeraton Duchy has rising slightly.]

[500 cash will be given as reward.]

Oh?

The reward for the quest was originally a 5,000 cash lottery ticket, but I earned 500 more cash.

‘Do you get more cash when people react like this?’

I didn’t know the terms, but it was good for me.

‘But why do they admire and respect me?’

It was unknown.

But the most incomprehensible was the notification that came up below.

[Since the persuasion target Duke Paeraton has the best satisfaction, additional rewards will be given.]

‘Huh?’

I closed my eyes and checked the notification window again.

[Since the persuasion target Duke Paeraton has the best satisfaction, additional rewards will be given.]

The contents of the notification remained the same.

‘The satisfaction of the Duke is the best?’

It was unbelievable.

I think he’s still thinking about killing this frog by squishing it flat.

“Have you finished looking?”

“Yes, yes!”

I quickly answered the Duke.

I saw a new notification coming, but I’ll check it out later.

As soon as I thought this, the notification window scattered before my eyes.

The Duke went back to his office.

Just like that… I mean, while still holding me in his arms.

Unlike earlier, in the open room next to the Duke’s office, guards were waiting.

I guess it’s time to watch.

They had difficulty breathing when they saw me being held by a Duke.

‘Does the whole group have asthma?’

You did that last time too.

After receiving the Duke’s glare, they held their breath and carefully followed us into the office.

Meanwhile, someone was surprised to see the book I was holding in my arms.

“Well, that book isn’t it……!”

“Book? What book is it? Oh, my God!”

Even other retainers are surprised.

“Oh, is this even more precious than I thought?’

Even so.

It’s my book!

I hugged the book more tightly, and the retainers laughed at me. As if you were cute.

‘Oh?’

I nodded after pondering.

‘That’s right. That’s how cute a baby is.’

I thought it was cute when I saw a baby hiding chocolate behind their back.

However, I didn’t expect to be the source of that cuteness.

‘I’ve never had that kind of cuteness when I was a baby.’

In my past life, in my present life.

I wriggled my hand on the book.

For some reason, I felt ashamed to face the retainers.

***

The Duke listened to the report of the vassals with me on his lap.

‘Yeah, I’d like to go back to my room and check the cash voucher and additional compensation. I want to look at books and see if my abilities are real.’

I was looking around awkwardly, when I overheard some surprising news.

“Investors are flocking to the Mana Stone Mining Project under the Marquis of Tarenka. But the odd thing is… there’s a saying that our Duke of Paeraton invested in it. Of course, it’s not even a rumor.”

Marquis Tarenka.

“You’re not worth your meal! A girl like you needs to be hit to wake up!”

The face of Marquis Tarenka, who was whipping me, flashed through my head.

I raised my head and looked at the man that had spoken.

“If Your Excellency hadn’t instructed me to keep an eye on Marquis of Tarenka, it would have gone too far. It was just one word from the mouth of the drunken Marquis of Cherodel. The next day, after he woke up, he denied it.”

The Duke ordered you to keep an eye on the Marquis of Tarenka?

I glanced at the Duke.

“The only thing that bothers me is that mana stone mine has attracted a lot of investors despite its many variables. It was too much. Here’s the list of investors.”

Sitting on the Duke’s lap, I could see the list.

The Duke of Delvatren, the Duke of Iskamil, the Marquis of Cherodel…

The list continued for pages.

Even someone from the country who didn’t know anything about the world could see that big names were on it.

“Heavy hitters are involved.”

“Isn’t that strange? If the mana is empty in the mined mana stones, it’s just a waste of money.”

“You need to be confident that the mana stones are full of mana. And to give you that conviction–“

“It’s information that the Duke of Paeraton is investing in the mana stone mining business.”

The Duke’s voice fell low.

“Maybe the Marquis of Cherodel was under the influence of alcohol. Where did he hear that nonsense?”

“The source is unclear because the Marquis Cherodel was drunk, but when we track down the Duchy of Delvatren and Iskamil, we can see that the three invested at a similar time.”

“The Marquis Cherodel is active in parties and clubs, but the Duke of Delvatren and the Duke of Iskamil were quiet. We’ve never had any personal contact with those three people.”

‘Oh? Then it’s one of the two.’

That’s what I think, but the Duke leaned deeply in the chair and said languidly.

“Then it must be one of two.”

Did I just say that out loud?