Chapter 15
Episode 15
It wouldn't be strange if Count Devon were involved in this disappearance.
Honestly, when he tried to marry me, it was practically no different from attempted human trafficking.
“Then what is the Count doing now?”
“It seems he escaped while being interrogated by the Imperial family.”
“Isn’t the crime of fleeing during an investigation more serious than gambling or drug trafficking?”
“Yes, I believe he fled because he has something to hide.”
“Hmm… You’re right, it’s hard to find a more suspicious place than here.”
The Young Duke observed my appearance and cautiously began.
“Beth, how about participating in the event with me?”
“Ah, I thought that was a given. Wasn’t it?”
Wasn’t that why he showed me the newspaper?
At my reply, the Young Duke’s icy expression softened slightly.
“Then let’s have breakfast first.”
The Young Duke slowly stood up and walked towards the door.
“Excuse me, Young Duke!”
Without answering, he turned his head and looked at me with a languid gaze.
“Have we met when we were children?”
“That’s impossible.”
He drew a firm line, leaving no room for doubt.
It’s a situation anyone would find questionable…
I can’t cling to something that isn’t certain, can I?
As the Young Duke pulled the doorknob, a familiar voice was heard.
“No, you can’t act like that there!”
“Where does anyone actually speak like that!”
“Mary? Aristelle? Why are you two fighting so early in the morning?”
These two rarely raise their voices, so what is going on?
Ah, except when Aristelle is dealing with the Young Duke, of course.
“Lady Bestia! This person, they’ve never dated even at this age!”
“Mary, haven’t you only learned about love through books?”
“Both of you, calm down for a moment. What’s going on?”
After listening to their story, it turned out that…
They were supposed to pretend to be lovers and go to Owen Lake, but they couldn’t because they were too incompatible.
“He calls me his ‘most beautiful darling in the world.’ It’s so cheesy, really!”
“You said you liked it through books before. If the Master can say it, why can’t I?”
Aristelle pointed at the Young Duke with trembling hands.
But the Young Duke, with a calm expression and arms crossed, struck a blow to his core.
“My face is enough to provide plausibility, but you’re a bit…”
“That’s right! Such cheesy lines are forbidden except for the Young Duke!”
The Young Duke nodded as if it were obvious.
Those two… they get along surprisingly well.
No, but Aristelle looks like he’s about to cry?
His eyes were red, perhaps from feeling wronged by the situation.
At the Duke’s Mansion, he’s pushed around by the Duke and then by the Young Duke, and outside, he’s treated like this by Mary too. He must feel so hurt.
“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about that. The festival will be attended by the Master and the Young Duke.”
“What? But the Master and Lady Bestia don’t need to take on such troublesome tasks…”
“Aristelle, get a clue.”
“Incompetent fool.”
Mary and the Young Duke looked at him with pity, even sighing.
“Wow, I really…”
Aristelle seemed to have a lot to say but soon closed his mouth.
“But what about the child?”
“…A child?”
“Ah, did you perhaps not read this part?”
\Please note that only households with children can attend the aforementioned event.
Mary frowned and said gravely.
“If it’s the child of the Master and Lady Bestia, their appearance alone should be extraordinary. Where can we find such a child?”
“Hmm… That is also a problem.”
Does the Young Duke have another solution?
“What do you think, Young Duke….”
When I turned my head, a chilling aura enveloped me.
I know that look on the Young Duke’s face.
It’s the face he gets when he’s planning some crazy act.
He always seems to gain a vitality he doesn’t normally possess when he’s like that.
“A child of Beth and me… it seems difficult, doesn’t it?”
Oh, he’s saying something surprisingly normal.
Sorry for misunderstanding. Young Duke.
“There’s no way a creature resembling Beth exists in this world.”
“No, it’s not that extreme… If we look, there must be at least one.”
“There won’t be.”
“We’re not looking for someone who looks exactly alike, are we? Even if they resemble her a little…”
“There isn’t.There’s no need to cut me off so firmly.
“The Master is right. If Lady Bestia were just a little less beautiful…”
“My point exactly.”
I lightly ignored their words and continued.
“But the only way is to find another child.”
“There is another way. Though I don’t know if Beth will allow it.”
…Is it okay to ask what it is?
The fact that the Young Duke is speaking so indirectly means it’s not a good sign for me.
I opened my mouth, hesitated, and finally asked him.
“What is the method?”
“Beth becomes a child.”
“…What?”
What does that mean? No, seriously, what does it mean?
Was I the only one surprised, or did Aristelle ask him calmly?
“You’re not just saying that because you want to see Bestia’s childhood, are you?”
“Aristelle, get a clue. Seriously!”
Mary, who was scolding Aristelle, was the same.
They were accepting this preposterous statement as if it were natural.
“I haven’t understood since earlier, but you’re saying I become a child?”
“Ah, Lady Bestia, it’s simple! The Master can use magic!”
Magic?
I have a rough idea of what’s going on.
It’s probably on a similar principle to when the Young Duke changed his eye color recently.
Magic is divided into four main categories.
Abilities that strengthen the body and increase basic strength.
Nature-based abilities that control wind, water, or fire.
And the healing category.
There’s one more, though.
Those who can use it are so rare that it’s usually not even considered a usable ability.
It’s the creation category.
Even when the Young Duke changed his eye color, I had a hunch, but…
Could he really transform into the appearance of a child?
There are very few people who can wield practical magic in the creation category.
Of course, it’s the same for other types of magic, but…
The abilities one can use vary greatly depending on the magic power one possesses.
Can he change me into the form of a child?
“Then what about you, Young Duke?”
“I can pretend to be Beth’s parent.”
“……”
“There’s no rule against a single-parent household, is there?”
“Wouldn’t there be a way for the Young Duke to become a child too?”
“If a critical situation arises, I must protect Beth immediately.”
I had no rebuttal.
“Um, if it’s the appearance of a child?”
“It’s just Beth’s childhood appearance, only the exterior changes.”
“Hmm, there’s nothing that can’t be done.”
I’m 18 years old, can I really pretend to be a child?
“Ah, and Beth.”
“Yes?”
“That…”
What is it? Why are you hesitating so frighteningly?
“Once you use the magic, you can’t revert it immediately.”
“How long does it take to return?”
“From a short day to… a few days?”
His tone sounded like a question, but it must be my imagination.
“You’re not saying I might not be able to return, are you?”
“That’s not it. Beth has to marry me.”
The Young Duke’s answer was reassuring yet strangely unsettling.
As if unaware of my worries, Mary next to me said with shining eyes.
“Bestia’s childhood… I’m so excited. What if my heart drops from how cute she’ll be?”
The Young Duke frowned at Mary’s excessive flattery.
“So you’re saying she’s not very cute now?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that.”
“Beth is already more than enough to be cute.”
“Ah, right, right. I thought I was quite good at flattery, but I can’t beat the Master.”
Why are even the servants of the Duke’s family like this?
I looked at Aristelle, the only normal person among them. Or rather, I tried to.
Huh? Where did Aristelle go?
“Master, I brought clothes for Lady Bestia to wear. Since I didn’t know, I got them in various sizes…”
He was handing a pile of clothes to Mary with a serious expression.
Everyone’s excited. I’m the only one bewildered by this situation, aren’t I?
In the end, even if they seem normal, these are people who live together every day within the Duke’s Mansion.
\ \ \
The Young Duke and I returned to the room.
It wasn’t appropriate to use magic in the middle of a village with people walking around.
I slowly blinked and admired the Young Duke’s face as he drew closer.
He meticulously tucked me in from head to toe with the blanket and drew a magic circle at my feet.
“Beth, I’ll begin now.”
“Yes!”
As the Young Duke infused magic power, a brilliant light began to emanate from the magic circle.
It’s blinding…
In an instant, my field of vision lowered drastically, and my whole body was enveloped by the blanket I was under.
Did it succeed? I casually raised my palm.
It was dark, but I could feel that my body had become significantly smaller.
“The clothes are placed beside you, so change and come out.”
With those words, I heard the Young Duke leave the room.
Though I couldn’t see well, being completely wrapped in the blanket, I fumbled to put on the clothes the Young Duke had placed beside me.
“It fits, this magic is truly cheating.”
If I could continue to use this magic, perhaps I could stay young forever?
I reached out to open the door.
No, why is the doorknob so high up?
I jumped up and down with all my might, trying to reach the doorknob.
“…Beth?”
The Young Duke, who was standing by the door, seemed to have heard the sound of me hopping and spoke in a voice filled with doubt.
“Young Duke, the door won’t open.”
“Kyaaaaaaak, Lady Bestia is already so cute. Smash the inn! Smash Aristelle too!”
“Why smash me? Ah, really, stop hitting me! You two flattery-mongers!”
“No, Mary, don’t smash anything. Please open the door…”
“I will open it for you, Beth.”
I heard the Young Duke’s voice, which sounded slightly tense, and the doorknob slowly turned.
Through the open doorway, his lower half came into view.
I knew he was tall, but… he’s really tall…
Even looking up this much, why is it so hard to see his face?
He seemed to have difficulty observing me as well, so he crouched down slightly.
We met eyes in the air without a word.
As I had guessed, the first thing he said upon seeing my younger appearance was nonsense.
“…What should we name our granddaughter later?”
To be continued in the next episode ▶
