Chapter: 622
When I returned to the mansion with that brat, the first one to greet me was…
Let me clarify. The first one to rush at me was the Clumsy Fox.
Before I even stepped into the mansion, somehow sensing my arrival, she jumped up, aiming for my face, only to be caught by the back of her neck.
“Ugh! That scent! Those sharp eyes! That electrifying feeling! It must be Lucy…!”
With the Clumsy Fox drooling and mumbling, I pulled my arm back and…
“Um? Lucy? What the hell is happening!?”
I hurled the Clumsy Fox into the air like a javelin.
If she were an ordinary creature, she’d probably fall to her doom from that height, but being the forest’s owner, she wouldn’t die that easily.
Pity. I really wish she would just drop dead.
“My daughter! Are you back?!”
“Yes, I’m back, you pathetic idiot of a father.”
I was about to scold for failing to restrain the Clumsy Fox, but I was a bit taken aback by her sharper tone than expected, realizing my emotions were pretty on edge. Must be the aftermath of reading Lucy’s memories on the island.
“Lu… Lucy?”
The moment I opened my mouth, I knew a barrage of blame was coming, so I chose silence and stepped into the parlor.
I could hear Benedict behind me, holding Karia and crying, but there was nothing I could do about it.
If I tried to explain myself, it would just lead to an all-out assault by Benedict like a typical teenage girl, and that father fool would cry for three days and nights before passing out.
It’s better to let them misunderstand freely. I settled right on top of the Clumsy Fox, resting my chin on my hand while reflecting on the chaos in my heart.
It felt similar to when I talked to Benedict in winter—those feelings, my feelings, yet they felt not entirely mine.
[The hero said what you saw at the end of the dungeon was your inner voice. Isn’t your confusion because of that?]
Inner voice.
In my case, that would be Lucy’s voice.
With how deep her voice is, has Lucy truly vanished?
Is she just stuck in a deep, deep slumber?
Since I’ve never confronted that part of Lucy within me, I can’t be sure.
However, if Lucy is still present, that would make me happy. It would imply that everything could return to where it once belonged.
[It seems the old Benedict wasn’t such a great father after all.]
‘No. He was a good father back then. I was just a bad daughter.’
If it were Lucy, she would probably say that. As I thought this, I felt a piercing gaze through the door crack.
The Clumsy Fox, taking human form, was glaring at me. Was she that annoyed by me tossing her away?
From my perspective, it was a merciful reaction. After all, you broke the promise first!
“…I’m jealous!”
Ah, she’s not mad at me.
She’s jealous of that brat under me. As I thought that, her brutish hand grabbed the Clumsy Fox away.
“Let go! I need more of Lucy’s essence!”
“Shut up! It’s all your fault Lucy’s… meannn!”
Not long after that commotion outside, the long-awaited guests returned to the Alrn family.
Joy, Arthur, and Rene. Just a few days ago, just seeing their faces felt like a chore, but the memories of Lucy I saw on the island made me feel delighted.
“Gloomy Prince, where have you been wandering off to?”
No, it’s a more complex emotion than that.
“If you keep roaming around like that after living like mold in a corner, you’ll be purified by sunlight, you know?”
I felt a twinge of embarrassment at those careless words, recalled lonely pasts that stuck to me uncomfortably, and thought of things I should not remember much about, making it awkward to deal with Rene—yet oddly glad and wanting to talk again.
“Sorry for being late, but who’s this lady lying beneath you?”
“She’s the brat who slandered me as just trash to the Gloomy Prince.”
Clearly, Rene was a precious person to Lucy. That’s why she pushed him away, wanting to prioritize his future over her own desires.
“…What? No. Wait. You mean…”
“Do you think I could easily forget a moldy human?”
The feeling that sprang from Lucy was warm.
“Didn’t you forget?”
“How naive. Do you think that makes sense?”
“But you…”
Yet the feeling rising from me was heated.
To put it simply, this guy, wallowing in self-pity over a woman who’s been taken from him, annoyed me.
“Ahaha♡ So, you’ve been pretty grumpy about it, huh?♡ How honest of you!♡”
“W-wait.”
Rene must have known that Lucy deliberately shook him off.
He couldn’t miss that!
This brat, though irritating, was genuinely capable!
Still, Rene was holed up in the palace sulking instead of going to meet Lucy again!
A guy like that should at least try making amends!
Why give up so quickly? Is that all Lucy meant to you?
“Just say it honestly, you didn’t need to come here and play coy! You really are pathetic!♡”
“…Um.”
“Did you expect me to treat you kindly like before?♡ Given you’ve been cooped up in the palace, I see your social skills have dwindled~♡ You can’t be serious! Pathetic Prince♡”
Not anyone else, but not you!
Not ever would I allow a spineless man like you near Lucy!
No way! Absolutely not!
“Did you expect to get a pet that would wag its tail after leaving it for years?♡ Did you want me to bark for you?♡ Not happening!♡ That’s just something that appears in your wet dreams!♡”
The continuous derision made Rene pale, and he stumbled back, losing his balance. Arthur hurriedly steadied him, exclaiming.
“Enough! Brother’s mental strength is at its limit! If this goes on, he’ll drop dead!”
“Perfect! I really hope he dies!♡ It creeps me out that someone like him even cares about me!♡”
“…Right. It’s true. Dying would be better.”
“Brother! Calm down! Whatever happened in the past, we need to talk now!”
While Rene wallowed in despair, Arthur desperately tried to persuade him, and Joy rushed over to stop me.
Naturally, her attempt was thwarted by my hand.
“What? You want to touch me, perv? Was my skin that enticing?”
“I-I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Then what did you mean? Are you siding with that pathetic Prince instead of me?”
“No! I’m always on Lucy’s side! What happens to the First Prince isn’t my concern!? ”
“Joy!? What crazy nonsense are you spouting now?”
My feelings weren’t all that different from Arthur’s. I never expected to hear such words from Joy.
“I honestly wish the First Prince would disappear! Lucy is mine!”
“…What?”
“But please, don’t banish the First Prince until everything’s settled! It’s not the time for that now!”
Wait. What? Did Joy just say I’m hers? As I mulled over her words, shock pushed my outrage aside.
“That’s some entertaining intel! I never thought Lady Partran had such a taste.”
As Karia grinned beside me, Joy, realizing how her words sounded, flushed red and stepped back.
“No! That wasn’t what I meant! I just want Lucy to be by my side as a friend!”
“It’s fine, Lady Partran. There are quite a few among the nobility interested in that sort of thing.”
“That’s not what I mean!”
“Don’t worry! This is a secret I’ll tuck away in my heart…”
Joy, in a frenzy, conjured dozens of magic circles, and Karia quickly changed her tone.
“I was joking! Just joking! The mood was so heavy, I just wanted to lighten things up.”
“There are limits to jokes, you know!”
“I’m sorry, Lady Partran. I got too comfortable in our casual rapport with the employer. I’ll accept any punishment you deem fit.”
As Karia bowed her head, Joy began erasing her magic circles one by one.
“It’s… okay. I got overly excited for a moment.”
“Thank you for your mercy, Lady.”
With Karia lowering her head once more, she approached Rene and whispered something.
What she said was unclear, but with each word Karia spoke, Rene’s complexion improved. By the end of her words, he was back to his original self.
“I apologize. I showed you my ugly side for a moment.”
“Eh? That’s considered ugly?”
“Lady employer, let’s call it a day. We have a lot to discuss.”
Under Karia’s guidance, we gathered around the table, waiting for her to lead the conversation.
“I just heard the news, First Prince. Is it true that His Majesty the King has passed away and that the First Queen is hiding this?”
“It is true. The Fairy Queen and I witnessed it with our own eyes.”
Huh? What? The King is dead?
Already? Isn’t it way too early for that event to happen!?
Why is an event that’s supposed to happen in the third year happening now?!
Wait. So the First Queen was hiding that? Why!?
“She’s clearly losing her marbles, so we’re moving quickly to assess what she might do.”
“I’ve secured cooperation from the three Duke families.”
“That means we’ll handle the smaller matters in cooperation with the Newman family. That should be enough, right?”
Uh, hold on a second! This discussion is moving way too fast! Can we take a moment so even an outsider like me can keep up?! I don’t understand anything right now!
[Just keep quiet. They’ll explain later.]
‘But it feels like I’m being left out!’
[That’s what being an adult means; just roll with the punches.]
Quietly keeping my mouth shut per my grandfather’s advice, Karia slipped her hand under my armpit and lifted me up.
“Auntie.”
“Oh haha. I’ve always wanted to try this. Boss, why are you so light? Where did all the muscles go?”
“Do you want me to roast you?”
“Sorry!”
As she apologized and set me back down on my chair, she grabbed the hair of the brat lying beneath me.
“Lucky for me. This brat is part of the First Queen’s direct information department. She’s quite well-connected and must know a lot.”
“You’ve done well to catch her. She’s quite the cautious one when it comes to self-preservation.”
“Having a capability-er who erases such worries right beside me counts for something.”
With a smug smile, Karia slapped the Clumsy Fox’s cheek, lifting her up.
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