Chapter 49: 49

‘Make Benny a hero who saved the empire, not the monster, so there will be less trouble when my identity is revealed.’

Had I not been of the same race as Benny, Alan would not have blinked an eye whether the child died or not.

‘What if he fights Pedro too at this rate?’

Whether or not Alan fought with his sons had nothing to do with me, but somehow it bothered me.

Was it because I had been playing as ‘Lily’ with all my might?

In my heart, I hoped that a ‘happy family’ would be maintained.

‘Because it’s much easier to play on that side… Yes, that must be the reason.’

I rationalized to myself and looked into Pedro’s eyes with an anxious feeling.

Pedro’s thick eyebrows were seriously gathering.

“…Oh, damn it.”

Was Pedro also angry?

I lowered my head sullenly. 

Well, honestly, that was understandable…

“This beef steak is amazing. Father, can’t we bring the chef of the Imperial Palace in?”

…I was nervous for nothing.

Pedro didn’t seem to have any complaints other than the lack of beef steak.

Alan continued the conversation calmly.

“It’s probably because of the ingredients rather than the chef. The South has a very developed cattle industry.”

“I see… But the sauce is very unique and delicious. It’s a bit spicy though. Lily, what do you think?”

I swallowed the meat in my mouth and answered hastily.

“Uh… it’s delicious.”

“I’ll try to bring the chef right away.”

Alan changed his attitude as though he was flipping his palm.

“What?”

“Didn’t you just say you like it?”

It didn’t seem like a joke.

Anyway, I couldn’t even eat a bowl of soup properly in front of Alan.

The meal after that was the same as usual, except that there was no Hugo.

I struggled to stop Alan who was trying to scout the chef, while Pedro ate up a whole whole grilled calf stuffed with fruit.

“Thank you for the food!”

Pedro pushed aside the bone-filled plate and stretched cheerfully.

His eating habits were always astonishing. 

He suddenly looked into my eyes and tilted his head like a puppy.

“Did I eat too much? Lily, would you like me to roast another calf?”

I shook my head. 

The dinner provided by the Imperial House was so large there were leftovers no matter how much Pedro ate.

Alan shredded the meat of the wild duck himself and glanced at Pedro.

“Pedro, if it’s Lily, I’ll take care of it, so you go in first.”

“Huh? Father, you’re doing this to stay with Lily again!”

“That’s right.”

Alan’s answer was so cold that I had nothing to say.

Pedro grunted, but stood up obediently. He would always faithfully follow Alan’s orders.

After Pedro left, it was just me and Alan, the two of us, in the spacious dinner hall.

I asked a question that I had been holding back for a while. 

“Dad… You see…” 

“Why, Lily?”

Alan looked at me, tilted his head and shifted his gaze to the remaining dinner.

“Is the food tasteless? I didn’t take your taste into account. I’ll tell them to bring it all back to the northern style.”

You were going to have another big dinner made because of me? In the middle of the night?

Tomorrow morning, I might very well end up being known as an ‘Obnoxious Princess’.

My heart was frantic, and I hurriedly stopped Alan.

“It’s not like that… aren’t you going to tell brothers?”

“About what?”

“I am the monster that… Brother Hugo is talking about.”

I hated calling myself a monster, but I had no other way to explain it.

Alan suddenly raised his eyebrows at my words.

Even with that little frown, my heart sank.

‘Oh, was it a presumptuous interference?’

As I was nervous, Alan wiped his hand on a napkin and gently grabbed my left hand.

“Lily, you are not a monster.”

“……”

“What do you mean by monster? No one can call you that. If it’s Hugo, I’ll tell him well.”

“…No. I’m really all right.”

“Lily.”

Alan made eye contact with me. It was a very serious look.

“I’m sorry to bother you. But I don’t think it’s time to talk yet. Especially to your second brother.”

I nodded silently as I pondered Alan’s words.

I also agreed with his opinion. 

Didn’t Hugo prepare a tortured evil spirit to relieve my mood?

It wouldn’t be easy to say to such a person, ‘The little sister you cherish is like that monster.’

“Lily, when you turn 14, you will have your debutante and unlock the power of evil spirits.”

Alan brought up the topic that bothered me the most without any notice.

I could barely hold back the hiccups as I looked up at Alan.

He had a calm expression on his face, as if he was telling a normal story.

“I think it would be good to tell Hugo at that time. There are still 4 years left, so let’s change Hugo’s mind in the meantime.”

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It didn’t seem like it would be that easy. 

Hugo treated evil spirits like pests, and he hated Benny, a mix between evil spirit and human.

‘If I run away, I can’t imagine how much Hugo will hate evil spirits in the future.’

Somehow, my heart was heavy. 

I was genuinely sorry for Hugo, who would be hurt because of my escape, not because of how I would be chased by the archmage.

‘I have to be strong to survive…’

The promise to put my life first became more and more clouded, so I pressed it down as if slapped on the cheek.

If my real dad was next to me, he would laugh at me while saying, ‘You’re soft like a rotten plum! You’re only here to eat off the Duke!’

I tried hard to erase my real father’s voice that lingered in my head.

“Dad, are you also going to tell brother Pedro about it at that time?”

“Pedro…”

Alan replied as he tapped the handle of the chair with his index finger.

“I think he will receive it well no matter when I tell him.”

That was right. Pedro’s expression from when he gave up broad-mindedly before was vivid in my eyes.

“But first, let’s keep it to ourselves.”

Alan’s suggestion was justified. But at his calm attitude, I felt a sense of dread, as if my throat was clogged.

“Let’s eat.”

“I… I’m full now.”

“I see.”

Alan wiped my mouth with a napkin. The touch on my cheek was so gentle that I felt chills.

“Oh, did you enjoy your meal, Dad?”

Alan paid no attention to his meal from the moment I arrived.

Even if he himself would starve to death, feeding me seemed more important.

He wore his usual black leather gloves and smiled softly.

“As long as you enjoy it, so do I.”

I slipped away from those affectionate glances.

***

‘Am I really just a substitute to Alan?’

Returning to the guest room, I could not sleep and tossed and turned on the bed.

The suspicion that arose on the day the circular stadium collapsed inflated with each passing day.

‘No matter how I look at it, he seems to think of me as the real Lily. He didn’t kill me even though he knew I was an evil spirit…’

I jerked my upper body up while touching the back of my neck, which was intact.

“I can’t sleep.”

Anyway, taking a nap was the problem.

There was nothing I could do other than grunt at a problem that could not be solved no matter how much I thought about it.

I jumped up and circled the room.

Thecarpet felt very soft against my bare feet, but I felt like I was walking on a dense thorny path.

“It’s strange, it really is…”

Knock, knock.

“Ahh?!”

Startled by the knocking sound, I turned around the door.

‘Who is it at night?’

No one who came in the middle of the night had ever delivered good news.

I asked carefully without opening the door right away.

“…Who are you?”

“Lily, it’s me.”

A smooth voice that resembled a particular boy’s. It was Hugo.

‘I was nervous for nothing.’

I opened the door with confidence.

Hugo stood in front of the door, restless, with hands behind his back.

Even in the dimly lit hallway, his white hair was as clear as a rope made of silver thread.

“Did I wake you up when you were sleeping?”

“No. I took a nap earlier… I’m not sleepy at all.”

Hugo was noticeably relieved at my words. I was somewhat puzzled.

‘Why are you acting like a sinner?’

Hugo continued to stare at me, then revealing what he had hidden behind his back.

“It’s an apology gift.” 

What Hugo held out was a gift box the size of his palm.

I took it abruptly and tilted my head.

“Apology?” 

“…I just showed something I shouldn’t have shown in front of Lily.”

Oh, that.

Hugo must have been very ashamed of showing his fiery feelings in front of me.

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“I’m okay.”

“Are you forgiving me?”

Hugo’s expression brightened up like a person who discovered a beacon of hope in the open sea.

I was at a loss as to how to respond.

‘He is asking for forgiveness when he should be asleep… And I’ve never been angry.’

I couldn’t say that I didn’t even think about it because I was busy with my own worries.

I kept my mouth shut and nodded my head to indicate that it was okay.

Suddenly, a gift box in my hand caught my eyes.

‘Will you be relieved if I receive this?’

I slowly opened the lid of the box. There was something unexpected in it.

“This is…”

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