Translator: Nox

Chapter 3

“And this is the annex of the Yudia Ducal Family where you will be staying from now on, Miss.”

“Eh…….”

Roden Hainer had stopped before they knew it, and Bunny’s eyes stretched wide like slits in a dead fish as she looked at the mansion he pointed to with his finger.

‘It’s not white, not shiny, and even smaller than that one over there.’

Come to think of it, the surroundings had grown much quieter, and the sparkle had died down.

“Starting today, Miss Bunny is the 52nd collateral branch member of the Yudia Ducal Family.”

“…Fifty-two?”

“Yes.”

A number?

Bunny spread out her plump, maple-leaf-like hands and counted one by one, then tilted her head with a thud.

“Roden, is fifty-two bigger than twenty?”

“Ah, it’s twenty twice, and then twelve more on top of that.”

Whoooosh—

A chilly wind swept between Bunny and Roden Hainer.

‘Twenty twice and twelve…….’

Bunny’s head spun round and round. She used up her fingers and toes, but no matter how many times she tried, it wasn’t enough.

Anyway, a super huge number!

“Bunny, Young Master… Miss……?”

“Yes, Miss Bunny is the 16th miss among the 52 misses and young masters.”

Crash!

The image of the super-strong demon daddy and laughing ha-ha ho-ho while being spun around in his arms shattered with a loud crash.

That’s weird. In fairy tales, the protagonist usually monopolizes the demon daddy’s love all alone, spends the cutest miss days tricking him, and becomes the super huge Great Demon King……

52 babies……?

Demon daddy’s back would bend……

Anyway, with 52 people, Bunny was sure to go unnoticed.

‘Bunny, life’s totally ruined……?!’

Recalling Luriel’s habit of saying this whenever things didn’t go well, Bunny plopped down to her knees on the ground.

“Miss?”

Roden Hainer, with a startled expression, rushed over and hurriedly helped Bunny stand up straight.

Bunny melted down like jelly.

* * *

“Roden.”

“Yes.”

“Bunny live there too wanna.”

Having shaken off her gloom for the moment, Bunny pointed at the shiny white mansion with her finger and said.

Roden Hainer, who had been looking into Bunny’s eyes, averted his gaze slightly and opened his mouth.

“That place… you can go there once you enter the top 5 in the rankings.”

“Rankings… 5th?”

“Yes. Since you arrived today, Miss, you’re ranked 52nd.”

“What’s that……?”

“Rankings are, um…….”

After hesitating for a moment, Roden Hainer knelt down on one knee again, matching her eye level, and spoke.

“The ranking of who studies the best.”

“Stu-dy……?”

“Yes. Here, the basics are provided… like meals, clothes, housing, and a minimal allowance. But everything else, you have to get for yourself, Miss.”

Roden Hainer cautiously opened his mouth as he checked Bunny’s spinning eyes.

Seeing the child’s wobbly appearance, he added even more carefully.

“Does that make sense?”

“Mm……. Bunny beggar so work?”

“Yes? Ah…….”

Roden Hainer paused at Bunny’s blunt words.

“No. Here, you just participate well in classes and study hard to get good test scores. If you get a lot of points and rise in the rankings… your allowance increases, and later you can even hire a personal knight and maid.”

Knight, maid!

Ducal family miss!

Bunny’s eyes sparkled as she nodded her little head repeatedly, clenching her tiny fist tight.

“Bunny smarty-pants!”

Luriel always said Bunny was a genius.

Because Bunny was a super huge genius who could do anything perfectly after seeing it just once.

That’s why Luriel always taught Bunny lots of things.

At Bunny’s sparkling, jewel-like pink eyes full of newfound courage, Roden Hainer’s stiff face finally softened into a jelly-like mess, drawing a faint smile.

“…….”

He hesitated, reached out a hand, then seemed to realize and tried to pull it back, but Bunny thrust her head forward.

“Pat pat nice!”

“Ahem. I-is that so?”

Roden Hainer gently stroked Bunny’s fluffy sky-blue hair a few times, which was trembling with excitement.

“If you’re smart, you can climb the rankings in no time.”

“Mm! Roden Bunny’s?”

Roden Hainer nearly nodded without thinking at Bunny’s question, but caught himself.

“No. I’m like a shared knight who helps the misses and young masters ranked from 40th to 52nd whenever they need it.”

Boom!

‘Roden not Bunny’s.’

Shocked, Bunny staggered as she followed behind Roden Hainer.

‘No knight either?’

Then Bunny really was a beggar……

“This is the dining hall.”

Roden Hainer guided her through the interior of the mansion, which was a bit smaller than the white building but still quite large, helped her collect the necessary daily necessities, and took her all the way to her room on the second floor.

Along the way, she spotted several children. Most were bigger than Bunny.

“This is as far as I’ll guide you. You’ll be living on your own from now on, but if you need anything, call me anytime. Since you’re here, a dedicated maid will come to greet you soon.”

“Maid Bunny’s?”

“No, likewise for those ranked from 40th to 52nd…….”

Droop.

Before Roden Hainer could even finish, the corners of Bunny’s eyes drooped downward.

‘The path to ducal family miss is so far away…….’

Roden Hainer stopped mid-sentence. With every word he delivered, guilt pricked at him.

It wasn’t his first time bringing a collateral branch child, so he couldn’t understand why his heart stung so sharply today.

“Roden, bye-bye…….”

Bunny bowed her head politely, let out a deep sigh, and slipped through the slightly ajar door. Roden Hainer opened the half-open door a bit wider and spoke.

“Yes, it was nice meeting you. Visit anytime, and I’ll check on you often too. So rest well today. Come to the dining hall earlier for dinner at the set time.”

“Neeeng…….”

Click.

Once the door closed, Bunny pattered around the small room with her little feet.

No shiny jewels!

No sheer, pretty canopy draping over the bed!

“Sniff sniff. Stinky.”

There was some musty smell too.

Still, it was a room just for her. Back at the orphanage, she always had to share with friends, so this was actually pretty good even now.

“Hmm.”

Bunny shook her head side to side.

According to Luriel’s ‘Top 28 Romance-Fantasy Books for Young Demon Children,’ all babies who became Great Demon Kings grew up in tough environments.

And then they were discovered by the super strong demon daddy—that was the pattern.

<I Thought I Was an Orphan, But I’m Actually a Princess?!> or <It Turns Out I’m the Real Real Real One> or <Regarding How the Lowest-Ranked Demon Turned Out to Be the Great Demon King>.

“Baby, to become a Great Demon King, you have to go through lots of trials. But it’s okay. With Luriel’s notebook, you can solve any trial in one go!”

“Solve right away!”

“Yes. So Baby, you have to do well even without this Luriel.”

Good babies get head pats.

Bunny sneakily raised her short arm and patted her own head a couple times, then plopped down on the floor and spread her legs out to the sides.

‘Bunny, in the middle of trials!’

She wriggled out of her Rabbit Backpack and placed it between her legs, then opened the zipper with her small, maple-leaf hands.

From inside the bulging, muscular rabbit came the courage-boosting Great Demon King Bear Doll and the rabbit doll Toto that chased away bad dreams.

Bunny also pulled out her piggy bank shaped like an elephant hugging gold coins and lined them up.

Then, into the now much slimmer Rabbit Backpack, she plunged her arm deep and rummaged around, pulling out a children’s cutting board, kitchen knife, and Luriel’s secret notebook.

Finally, she clutched the cloth pouch she’d received along with her allowance as daily necessities.

When Bunny opened the cloth pouch, her eyes narrowed into thin slits.

She turned the pouch upside down and shook it out.

Plop, roll roll.

“…Young masters stingy.”

What rolled out was just a single gold coin.

“Bunny richer.”

Bunny lifted the elephant with both hands and shook it jingle jingle, then let out a deep sigh and shook her head side to side.

In truth, Bunny’s piggy bank was full of dingy copper coins, while the ducal family’s was shiny gold of much greater value, but still.