Balak was the first to explain, with quite a sturdy tone.
“Eliya. No matter what reason you give, I cannot allow it. Even if you agree, it’s impossible.”
That’s a very valid point.
No matter how much I saved Eliya, there are lines to be drawn.
I can’t let a commoner, an outsider, and a young man like me stay in my daughter’s house.
Moreover, I have already spent several days in this mansion’s annex.
Though it was for the Moon Deer, that alone is already more than I deserve.
However, Eliya’s stubbornness was unyielding.
“If I want it, then it happens.”
“It’s not something that can happen just like that. Even if this is your mansion, I can’t allow that to stay by your side.”
“Why not? Among the many male servants who do all the chores, isn’t there anyone like Judas?”
“They’re just servants. It’s different from that one.”
“Fine. Then I will hire this child as a servant in my mansion.”
…Huh?
“A trainee going to and from the training center can be a servant, right?”
Uh….
That sounds reasonable….
But it shouldn’t!
“Hah…. Eliya. You know that argument is absurd. You’re smart enough to know that.”
“I don’t know.”
Eliya, with her arms crossed, replied cheekily.
Balak rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.
He looked just like someone who has a teenage daughter.
Disgusting behavior, but outwardly, just normal.
“Stop with the nonsense!”
Lady Narcissi, who had been quiet, shouted.
“Why are you being so absurd like a child!”
That’s… well, because Eliya is a child….
I had a lot to say, but I held it in for now.
“I didn’t train you to see you like this!”
“Ah. True, Marchioness Sardis was also an excellent teacher handpicked by you.”
Narcissi bit her lips tightly.
Balak silently waited for the Duchess’s reply.
His attitude suggested he was watching to see what she would say.
I glanced at Eliya.
She was the one trembling at the incident.
Just saying her name must be painful for her, yet a chilling smile bloomed on her face.
A smile drawn like a doll.
It looks the same as usual, but could it be my imagination that it looks like a mask?
“As for that incident…! I recognize and acknowledge my mistake. But this matter and that one are separate! I cannot allow it!”
“If you can’t allow it.”
Eliya leaned back in her chair.
Crossing her legs, she arrogantly folded her arms.
With a sardonic grin, she looked down at Narcissi.
‘This posture… she’s been doing it since she was a kid.’
It was a look she often showed when she scorned others.
“What will you do? Are you going to kill me, Duchess?”
“You…!”
“I told you, Duchess. If you act complacent, you won’t achieve anything. It might be too late to kill me now….”
Eliya’s words dripped with taunting as she tilted her head slightly.
Her upturned eyes gradually took on a strange hue.
“If you want to kill me, now might be the most fitting time. Since I’m not fully acclimated to this power yet.”
Orange swirled, shimmering echoes dancing within her crimson irises.
The center of her pupils radiated golden yellow.
“Eliya—!”
Balak slammed his fist on the table, rising up.
“What the hell are you doing!”
There was a scarlet hue in his eyes too.
The two wizards glared at each other menacingly.
“I just thought I should let the Duchess know that everything has its time, and once you miss it, it’s too late. The moment you might kill me is passing by every second.”
Balak, with a tightly shut mouth, took a deep breath through his nose and sat back down.
He was angry at Eliya’s abrupt actions but responded with a sense of confusion.
I was equally confused.
Aside from supporting Balak and Narcissi, I found Eliya’s words unsettling.
I didn’t even know if it was okay for me to be part of such a conversation.
With an aggrieved look, Narcissi bit her lip and Balak ran a hand over his face with a sigh.
After a brief silence, I carefully interjected.
“Lady. I apologize, but I believe both of you are correct.”
“…What?”
“As you know, I’m a commoner. Being around me will only harm your reputation, my lady. I’m grateful for the kindness you’ve shown till now… but….”
I trailed off, shutting my mouth.
Eliya was looking at me impassively.
I felt like her gaze was piercing through me.
‘Don’t look at me with those newly awakened mad fire eyes…! It’s scary…!’
Is it okay to be scared of a 13-year-old girl?
It’s fine.
Because it’s Eliya.
The power of a wizard knows no age.
“Why?”
Eliya suddenly leaned her upper body towards me.
Repeating her question again.
“Why?”
“Y-Yes?”
“I asked why.”
“Uh, well, because what you both said….”
“What do you think?”
“Well….”
A fleeting scene flashed in my mind.
The image of Eliya whining and clinging to me.
I didn’t know if she remembered, but it revealed a side to her that was weak.
Above all, why does that scene come to mind first? What does it mean?
“I’m grateful but it’s too much of a position….”
“Not too much.”
Eliya cut me off.
She grabbed my hand firmly.
Her warm, small hand held mine with an odd sense of desperation.
Was it intentional force?
Or did she accidentally grip me too tightly?
Balak shot a glare at our linked hands, as if he wanted to sever my wrist.
“Eliya. Do you think there’s no way other than for me to deal with you directly?”
Balak now threatened me while grasping my safety.
I’m about to get caught in the crossfire of a whale fight.
While I was troubled, Eliya remained unfazed.
“Go ahead.”
No, please don’t. Why do you decide that…?
“If you can.”
She looked up at Balak with a bright smile.
As if to say that to kill me, he’d have to get through her first.
I was the one in the middle who was about to lose it.
Narcissi suddenly interjected.
“That’s not all! That one openly insulted me in front of everyone!”
She pointed at me.
“She should be punished for that! How could you allow a sinner to be by your side….”
“I’m not particularly concerned about the Duchess’s honor….”
“Listen here.”
I interrupted Narcissi.
Coincidentally, my response overlapped with Eliya’s, but it was too late to back down.
I had already opened my mouth.
“From earlier, I’ve been this and that, am I a thing?!”
I shot up from my seat.
The three nobles stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.
I shot a glare at Narcissi out of the three.
“And you, ma’am. Did I start the quarrel with you first? You’re the one who stuffed your nose into stinking dung and smelled it, so why are you shifting the blame to the filth?”
“W-What, dung, stuff….”
“And what about your issue with the teacher? You should be ashamed, sitting silent when you should be standing on your head muttering apologies when you’re the one who even slapped a child?”
“…!”
Narcissi’s eyes widened.
As if to ask how I knew about that.
Balak narrowed his eyes, seeming to keep a keen watch on Narcissi’s reaction.
He probably didn’t know that fact either.
That made me even angrier.
I know how much these people despise the circumstances of being a bastard.
But still, to meddle now without knowing how the child is doing beforehand…
“Hey, what are you watching like you’re exempt from this, old man?”
“…?”
Now it was Balak’s turn.
He was relatively taken aback in surprise.
He is Balak de Bevel.
Unlike the seemingly normal Narcissi, he’s a threatening wizard.
Though Eliya’s potential is remarkable, Balak’s magical prowess far outstrips hers currently.
He got to that seat with that power.
It’s sacrilegious for a commoner like me to even make eye contact.
‘So what?’
That isn’t important to me.
Duke or not, if you annoy me, I can’t stay nice either.
“Factually, I’m the one who saved the lady. No matter how lowly I am, isn’t the treatment a bit excessive?”
“Are you, now….”
“I’m not asking for gratitude or compensation. Those two can discuss and notify me about it; I don’t understand why you’re dragging me into this, repeatedly pulling people in and out.”
“You, you’re really trying to die….”
Balak and Narcissi.
Both sat there with their mouths agape, staring at me.
Their expressions were ones of cognitive dissonance.
Even their dumbfounded looks irritated me.
I kept thinking about it.
They probably don’t know what Eliya said while she cried herself to sleep.
Was it just for one day?
“Isn’t it shameful to be indifferent to how the child has been until now, and try to play the parent’s role now?”
If I didn’t say it, I felt like I’d explode from pent-up frustration someday.
I can’t keep my mouth shut due to my temperament.
Before I realized it, I had defended Eliya.
“Pfft!”
At that moment, laughter erupted next to me.
Turning to the side, Eliya held her mouth and chuckled.
What was so funny, tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed.
“Ah, this is just….”
Eliya said while pressing her fingertips to her eyes.
“An unexpected source of joy.”
She looked at me with a refreshing smile.
“I never imagined I’d see such a sight in my life.”
I was momentarily captivated by her candid and clear laughter.
“Did you hear that? Duke. Duchess.”
Eliya smiled at both of them.
Her expression radiated confidence.
“This child is mine.”
…Suddenly?
What conclusion is this coming from?
“People aren’t objects….”
“Let’s skip that. More importantly, you called me because of what happened yesterday.”
Narcissi still looked dazed, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
She looked at Balak, pleading for help.
But Balak, too, seemed in a similar situation.
“Duke?”
He looked at me as if he had seen something grotesque and wiped his face.
He cleared his throat.
“Right, that was it. First, I have secured several pieces of evidence. To cut to the chase, Sardis is guilty. However….”
The strength returned to Balak’s gaze.
“That guy is still suspicious.”
At that moment, by sheer coincidence, I found Sardis outside the annex.
What an astonishing coincidence it was, even I thought.
“Let’s talk only about verified facts, not circumstances.”
Eliya spread her short fingers, folding them one by one.
“First, Sardis tried to harm me. Second, Judas prevented that. Third, who knows what could have happened had Judas not been there?”
Eliya stared intently at Balak, as if asking if that needed further explanation.
Balak clenched his jaw.
A distinct sound emerged.
“Eliya…. Do you really have no intention of bending your will?”
“Not at all.”
“Hah…. Hoo…. ”
Balak closed his eyes tightly and let out deep sighs.
Then slowly opened his eyes.
His sinking gaze was heavy with fatigue.
He spoke, as if it were a sigh.
“…I’ll explain yesterday’s events to the guests.”
That was effectively a declaration of defeat.
“Sure.”
Balak got up from his seat.
Narcissi followed suit.
They both exuded a reluctant atmosphere as if they recognized their inability to persuade Eliya.
No child could ever outsmart a parent.
I’m realizing that proverb in an undesired manner.
Before leaving, Balak looked down at me and spat out, “I will remember you. Always.”
Trying to pick a fight even after being defeated?
I shot back, “I envy your memory.”
At that, Eliya burst into laughter once more.
A clear laughter like a bird chirping.
Balak frowned and asked, his voice rising more than before.
“Are you really doing this because you think having Eliya beside you is a shield that will protect you?”
How absurd.
“If I’ve had a backing as dependable as the lady, I wouldn’t need anything else in life.”
I could hardly count how many senselessly troubling things I faced in my past life without a solid backing.
There were countless.
So what?
I looked defiantly at Balak.
He frowned and glared at me before sighing, just leaving.
As if I was a headache to deal with.
To be honest, I had no grounds to argue.
I owe my survival purely to Eliya.
Yet, I genuinely didn’t act out of trust in Eliya.
I would have said what I needed to, even if Eliya hadn’t been there.
I would’ve died, but I would’ve spoken.
“How fascinating.”
After a prolonged chuckle, Eliya leaned on her chin, gazing at me.
“How can you only pick events that satisfy me?”
What did I… do?
I merely sought trouble, retaliated when provoked and, got annoyed.
“It’s as if you were prepared for me.”
Should I get excited about such words from a child?
I thought it was just a show of overconfidence typical of noble talk.
But I had one question.
In this mansion. The servants here.
Although they’re bastards, they’re all prepared for her.
So why me…?
“By the way, do you happen to have several lives?”
“Not exactly.”
I just hate those who want to define and suppress me at will.
At one point, I included those close to me in that category.
Sometimes, even strangers who seemed in need of help too.
Now…
“Did you just wish to have a backing like mine?”
“…Huh? What? Ah?”
Wait a minute.
That’s not what I meant!
“I have nothing I can’t provide.”
“That’s not what I—”
“But you. You can’t leave now even if you wanted to.”
Balak and Narcissi were defeated.
In the end, I was forced to follow Eliya’s intentions.
I had no rights or powers to refuse.
‘Even if not for now, I’ll have a chance to escape. I’ll need to go out regularly while attending the training center, and it’ll be easier with the help of the information guild….’
As I tried to calm my thoughts, Eliya was staring at me intently.
I met her eyes, which still glowed with mad fire.
She scrutinized me, then suddenly smirked.
It appeared to mock my attempts at resignation.
This was just about being forced to stay here, huh?
“From now on, you’ll live here.”
I instinctively swallowed hard.
My body froze like a frog facing a snake.
It was a smile I knew too well.
A dangerous grin.
Her voice dripped with poison.
“Should you leave….”
Eliya stood up from her chair.
Stepping forward slowly, deliberately—
“Then you….”
As she stood just a foot away from me, she grinned widely.
“You’ll die.”
The delicate appearance of Eliya that had been clouding my heart vanished like it was engulfed in flames.
In her place stood the infamous villainess Eliya before my eyes.
‘Why suddenly…?!’
I didn’t know the reason, but I knew the conclusion.
‘I have to flee…!’
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