The area was a densely lined forest with trees.

Even the branches invaded each other’s territory, covering the night sky.

In the meantime, the moonlight that cleverly dug through the gap made Estin’s face shine even cooler.

The subjugation of Ursa, the man-eating beast that caused troubles while wandering around the village, was just around the corner.

Estin grabbed the sword without saying a word and looked around. The blue blade shone sharply.

“Hmm, I am not such a cautious person.”

Estin picked up his sword and made a cut through his forearm. He drew it lightly, but the blade was so sharp that it was easy to get wounded. Soon, the smell of fishy blood crossed the tip of Estin’s nose.

Ursa, having smelled his blood, soon revealed itself.

From his north, a sieving eye glowed, and soon rushed towards Estin. Without hesitation, Estin picked up the sword containing some of his mana and thrust it into Ursa’s side. And he didn’t forget to twist his wrist cleverly to prevent rehabilitation due to a large wound in the intestines.

The smell of it’s blood covered the smell of his blood.

Estin expressionlessly slapped his foot in the side of his dead body, decapitated.

If It was a high-ranking creature who could speak, he would have hidden it.

Ursa could not enter the homes of humans because a barrier was created near their colony using magic stones.

Ursa, who has no choice but to say that he has no intelligence at all, could not have harmed the absenteeism.

So, someone deliberately released the stones so that it’s magic could go wild.

Only read this at europalation (dot) wordpress (dot) com, please do not repost

“Of all things, at this point.”

If the emperor heard it, he might be laughed at for being overly self-conscious, but no matter how much he thought about it Estin found the timing of the event suspicious.

Now, his youngest daughter, who had been kidnapped from the Conler mansion, was back after nine years.

And the director of the orphanage who had his youngest daughter, disappeared without a single trace.

He searched the inside of the orphanage’s director’s office just in case, but he couldn’t find any documents related to Mary.

However, the orphanage children already knew that the child’s name was Mary.

Then, the kidnapper informed the orphanage of the child’s name, and this might have meant that he looked down on the Conler family or dreamed of a perfect crime.

‘He could be a much more troublesome opponent than I thought.’

And if this was a trick done to divert his attention by unleashing a demon like this, he would be very angry.

His black hair, which had been neatly turned over to meet the emperor,was drenched in sweat and scattered on his forehead.

Estin ruffled the hair that had fallen on his forehead roughly.

Ursa’s head, which was shaped like a bear, had already recognised the taste of slaughter and was drooling profusely, revealing it’s huge fangs.

‘……The fangs are the size of a child’s face.’

The face of the child who flew in the moonlight came to mind.

When he heard that the child had woken up through Lucas, he felt an unknown sense of relief.

Because when Estin met the child, the child was either sleeping or passed out.

On the day he went to see the sleeping child for a while, the child groaned as if in pain and he stroked the child’s head without realising

He wanted the child’s pain to disappear.

He felt like her body would break when he touched it, and his heart was in so much pain.… It wasn’t good for some reason.

He didn’t think he felt this way when he saw Helena, who was his wife.

‘She called for her grandmother.’

The child drew a curve on her lips as if the touch was quite good and brought her body closer to his hand.

Then, she called for her grandmother. Was she someone close from the orphanage?

Anyway, seeing such a series of appearances from a child, he felt like something immaterial was tightly gripping his heart.

‘Is my daughter a little different?’

He had been searching for the child for 9 years. But that wasn’t because he missed her or because of shallow parental love, but instead because he was angry that someone dared kidnap ‘Conler’s child’.

It is said that Conler’s lost human emotions in exchange for gaining intelligence and stamina through the ‘Demon’s blessing’.

Estin, the current owner of the Conler, felt so many feelings for the first time because of that child.

The child’s small complaints about why he only came now seemed to be binding him.

‘I have to catch that bastard director quickly, but I ended up having to deal with this kind of beast.’

Estin, who had been lost in thought for a moment while looking at Ursa’s body, turned around and walked towards his knights.

‘Can we go see the child now?’

The knights thought as they saw Estin walking out of the darkness wiping blood off his white cheeks.

‘He is more like a beast than a beast.’

***

Only read this at europalation (dot) wordpress (dot) com, please do not repost

I was laying down on the soft bed.

My head had been complicated ever since I heard that Great Duke Estin was coming.

No, apart from everything else, I never had the existence of ‘Dad’ in my previous life.

So, it was the first time dealing with the existence of a ‘Dad.’

And what if that dad was the Grand Duke of the empire who was famous for having no blood or tears?

“Argh!”

I couldn’t figure out how to say hello for the first time, so I brought a pillow, put it on my face, struggled with my feet, Fuha, after making that sound I put it back down.

Even an interview wouldn’t be this nerve-wrecking.

I knew we would reunite due to the events of the novel, but I was very nervous when it was actually about to happen.

We were about to meet after a major accident.

I remembered an old friend who was the daughter of the student principal nicknamed ‘crazy dog’ from my previous life.

After playing hooky, she got caught by her dad and went home, saying, ‘I was killed by dad’.

‘Killed by my dad……’

Compared to that Crazy Dog’s cute dad, this one was scary.

When I heard a little about that day from Lucas, Grand Duke Estin personally hugged me from the director’s office to the wagon and took me to my bed in the castle.

Even though I was really, really sad, I couldn’t…… I couldn’t remember at all.

“What does he look like?”’

Lucas and Bonita said that the Grand Duke had the same hair color as me and similar eye color. They also said that he was a very cold person.

In the work… How was the Great Duke described? Since he was not a major figure, I don’t think there was any detailed description. I raised my upper body and sat on the bed, closed my eyes, and looked back on my memories.

When it comes to black hair and eye color, it’s only natural since that was the characteristic of the Conler family.….

‘It said he brought the greatest prosperity to the Britina empire……’

One of the short expressions in the book about the Grand Duke Conler was about how he was the marionette of the imperial family.

It said that the imperial family tied him down with an engagement to keep him in check while borrowing the power of the Grand House.

That’s why I was able to get engaged to the 2nd prince.….

I shook my feet covered with red shoes. Come to think of it, when did Mary get engaged to the second prince? I forgot about the male lead because I was paying too much attention to my family.

The fundamental cause of Mary’s destruction.

Only read this at europalation (dot) wordpress (dot) com, please do not repost

Well…… The male lead might have been trying to protect his love in his own way, but thinking from Mary’s point of view, it was unfair for her to lose her fiancee.

But since Astina was my precious friend at the orphanage, I think it would be right for me to yield. It’s not like I wanted the male lead’s love either.

To have a happy ending with everyone…… I know, I have no choice but to yield little by little.

‘Of course… I can never yield on a legacy or something like that.’

“Lady Mary!”

I could hear a thumping sound, and Bonita ran in with the other maids, grabbed the door, and breathed heavily.

Seeing their urgent appearance, I felt an unknown anxiety and stood up like I was possessed by something.

“You have to hurry up and get ready! The duke will arrive soon!”

This fast?

Bonita pulled my arm standing vaguely next to the bed and sat me down in a place that looked like a dressing table.

Bonita brushed my hair and began braiding it beautifully into pigtails with very urgent and meticulous hand movements.

It stung a little, but I put up with it. It was my first time having my hair braided this pretty, so I could endure this pain.

“You don’t have any decorations or clothes yet, so what should we do? The Grand Duke will probably prepare them for you when he comes.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

I was a little excited, but I closed my mouth again. It was because I remembered Mary’s deeds in the work.

Mary started to be hated by Grand Duke Estin and her brothers.… when she gained luxury. As if to compensate for the things she didn’t have, she bought luxuries like dresses and jewellery.

‘I think the source of trouble was that she coveted some necklaces.’

“It’s done!”

“……I look like a princess.”

“Just braiding your hair is everything. It’s all thanks to how beautiful our Lady Mary is.”

Mary is really…… She was cute and pretty, but because I didn’t take good care of it properly, I always had a slight wildness to my appearance, but when I tied my hair like this, it felt quite cute.

‘Hmmm, I think I could be a center idol like this?’

I held the end of the braided pigtails and lifted them slightly. I had never tried such a hairstyle in my previous life. This hair was only possible because I was at this age.

“I’m sure the Grand Duke will think it’s cute too. Since he only had sons before, how cute would meeting a daughter be like.”

I wanted to ask Bonita if that’s what she really taught, but instead just smiled.

Only read this at europalation (dot) wordpress (dot) com, please do not repost

After Dressing up, I got up from my seat and talked to Mary in the mirror.

You can do it, right?

I can do it.

Actually, I don’t know.

I just hope I don’t get hated. Please.