Chapter 11

“…You were wrong? About what?”

“…About my abiwity, fow not tewwing you…”

It was when I dropped my head.

“I don’t see why that’s considered wrong.”

Pat.

A large hand lightly landed on top of my head.

I widened my eyes and looked up to see Mr. Oliver smiling as he met my gaze.

“I suppose you wanted to hide it. Everyone has secrets they want to keep, after all.”

“…W-Weally?”

“Yes. I have one of those secrets too.”

“You do too, Uncwe?”

He nodded his head and slowly straightened his back.

“Want me to show you?”

“Huh?”

“My secret.”

Grin.

Behind his deepening smile, he brushed his hair back.

At the same time.

“…Huh?”

“W-What is that now.”

“Mother. I’ve seen so many strange things today…”

The people who had been watching us with bated breath let out exclamations of awe.

I was the same.

“Wow…”

An exclamation of admiration escaped my lips on its own.

As the large hand brushed back his hair, the brown hair vanished without a trace and brilliant silver hair was revealed.

Mr. Oliver with brown hair and blue eyes was handsome, but silver hair with blue eyes was, how should I put it.

‘It feels like the realm of the gods.’

It was a beauty that would make you believe an angel had truly descended to earth.

It seems that was Mr. Oliver’s true appearance.

‘So the brown hair was a disguise for the undercover investigation.’

Haha.

“See, I had a secret too.”

It was when he lightly laughed, his throat rumbling.

“Wait a minute. That person is…”

“Silver hair and blue eyes? Could it be-.”

“…D-D-D-Duke Panteyebe?”

Amidst the atmosphere overwhelmed by his beauty, bewildered mutterings burst out.

I widened my eyes.

‘What? The famous Duke Panteyebe came here?’

In the Empire, Duke Panteyebe was always a hot topic.

‘That’s why he appeared in every magazine and newspaper every time.’

Thanks to that, I had picked up quite a bit of information about him as well.

Contie Panteyebe.

The strongest man in the Empire’s history.

The Master of Darkness who wields shadows at will.

A peerless genius who was called a prodigy since childhood, and at the same time.

Unpredictable-.

‘The Panteyebe lunatic.’

Actually, this nickname was the most famous.

Contrary to his angelic face, a lunatic sleeps inside him-, no, I mean it’s wide awake with its eyes wide open.

‘I’ve never seen a picture of his face, but they said he was incredibly handsome.’

They definitely said he had sparkling silver hair and blue eyes with a mysterious glow-.

…Wait a minute.

‘Silver hair and blue eyes?’

I, who had been looking around to find Duke Panteyebe, stared at Mr. Oliver like a broken doll.

“A-Awe you, by any chance, Duke Panteyebe…?”

Smile.

There wasn’t a single flaw in his perfectly drawn smile.

“Correct. What a smart child.”

No, the people around me gave the answer, though.

‘…How did this happen?!’

I screamed internally.

‘Mr. Oliver is Duke Panteyebe!’

However, the surprises didn’t end there.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now-.”

The uncle, no, the Duke tilted his head and brought up something unusual.

“A brat with silver hair close to white and even an ability.”

Gulp.

…Is there some kind of problem?

I fiddled with my messy hair and looked up at the Duke.

“You, Marshmallow.”

His blue eyes rolled in a full circle and turned back to me.

My hands grew slick with sweat from the surging tension.

I could feel everyone’s attention focused on me as well.

W-What? What is it…?

Soon, his closed mouth opened once more.

“Are you my daughter?”

Aha, daughter.

‘I thought he was going to say what…’

…Huh? Daughter?

I blinked blankly.

‘What did I just hear…’

I subtly looked around, and everyone was frozen stiff.

The Duke was the only one wearing a relaxed smile.

Just like that, one second, two seconds, three seconds.

After exactly three seconds passed.

“…Whaaaaat?!”

“Huuuuuh?!”

“Whaaaaat?!”

Starting with someone’s lead, a harmony of screams echoed from everywhere.

And then.

“Hic. Hiccup.”

My slightly delayed hiccup followed.

It was truly a sudden birth secret.

A sudden atmosphere of a birth secret.

* * *

“The knights will arrive around tomorrow. Everyone keep that in mind and prepare to leave. Ah, and.”

With me tucked under his arm, the Duke gestured with his chin toward Dominic, who was lying face down.

“Tie that one’s hands and feet and lock him up somewhere. Tell him he’s dead if he comes out.”

Having said that in a refreshing voice, the Duke turned his back and left Bramchois.

And so, at present.

‘Where am I. Who am I.’

The Duke and I were sitting in a grassy field near Bramchois.

The Duke in a grassy field?

It was an absurdly unfitting combination, but it was true.

Plopping down in the grass, he sat me on his lap.

Oh, the sky is blue.

‘Ah, that’s not it.’

“…Um.”

“Yes. Why did you call me.”

“Awe you weally, Uncwe, no, Duke, Mewony’s daddy…?”

“Who knows. What do you think?”

“Huh?”

What does that mean.

‘Who knows.’ Where do you get such an ambiguous answer?

But judging by the atmosphere-.

“So you’we not Mewony’s daddy…?”

“Oh my. I’ve been caught.”

The Duke, his eyes softly curving, shrugged his shoulders and answered.

Ha, seriously.

Seriously, really!

“You shouldn’t joke about things wike that.”

I said, trying my best to make a ferocious expression.

“It wasn’t a joke, it was a sincere question.”

“…Weally?”

“Yes, really. You use an ability, you have silver hair, and you’re a pretty clever child. You resemble me in many ways. Don’t you think so too?”

That I resemble the Duke because I use an ability, have silver hair, and am clever?

“…Mm. I guess it kind of does…”

“Right. So for a moment, I thought, ‘Could she be my daughter?’ Though thinking about it, it was physically impossible.”

Because I’m not a hermaphrodite.

The Duke added quietly, then smiled brightly once again.

“So will you forgive me?”

“Fowgive…?”

The Duke nodded and pulled something out of his pocket to hand to me.

“Gasp!”

I widened my eyes in shock.

“Gasp! Awe you weally giving all of this to me?”

“Yes. Because it’s a bribe.”

What he handed over was the candy jar the Duke always carried around.

Slurp. Well, then.

“I fowgive you. Mewony was never weally mad anyways.”

“Haha. That’s a relief.”

Hmph. It’s the truth, but he doesn’t seem to believe me.

‘I really wasn’t mad.’

It wasn’t because of this bribe, no, present, I really wasn’t that mad.

It was a ridiculous story from the start.

‘As if noble blood flows through my veins.’

I’m someone who lived begging on the streets.

I didn’t really believe it from the beginning, so there’s no reason to be mad.

Ah, but…

“But what do we do now?”

“About what?”

“The sistews and bwothews in Bwamchois. They’ll misunderstand that I’m the Duke’s daughter.”

At my rational observation, the Duke tilted his head and muttered.

“…As expected, it’s fascinating. Weirdly realistic for a child.”

“Huh? What did you just say…”

“I said, what a serious problem that is-“

That’s strange.

I don’t think that’s what he said.

“Anyway, wet’s go back quickly.”

“Go back?”

“Yes. We have to go quickly and tell them it’s not twue…”

“Who knows. I don’t think there’s a need for that.”

Why?

As I widened my eyes and stared at him, the Duke’s eyes curved softly as he answered.

“Because there’s an easier way to solve it.”

“An easiew way?”

“Make it the truth before it becomes a problem.”

Make it the truth before it becomes a problem?

‘Well, that’s true. If you make it the truth, it won’t be a problem.’

…Yeah right.

“That’s impossibwe.”

“It’s not impossible. I happen to be quite talented at creating truths.”

If anyone else had said that, I would have scoffed.

‘But I totally believe him.’

If it’s Duke Panteyebe, it feels like he could truly make any lie into the truth.

“So what do you want to do?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Your opinion is important too. I’m asking what you think about becoming my daughter.”

Do you like it? Or hate it?

I agonized over the binary choice thrown at me.

Grr.

If I had to choose between liking it or hating it-.

“…I wike it.”