The next day, after breakfast, Kael summoned all the employees.

Although he had given an order to treat Leciel with the utmost respect as a precious guest of the grand duchy when she was first brought in, he felt it was necessary to reiterate his intentions in light of the events of the previous day.

The butler made a peculiar expression at Kael’s warning-laden words.

He had thought that Kael was unusually lenient towards the child named Leciel, but he hadn’t realized just how much Kael was paying attention to her.

‘Perhaps she isn’t just a temporary guest.’

That must be why Kael was giving another warning like this.

“And one more thing. The title <Uncle> is a pet name that the little one uses to call me.”

Kael wanted to make sure that no one would question the way Leciel addressed him.

Leciel made a strange expression at those words.

It was something that could have been overlooked, but Kael had made it clear because he cared about her.

Given how perceptive Kael was, he must have already figured out why she had suddenly tried to change the way she addressed him.

‘Honestly, with how cold he looks, you’d think he was born in the South Pole.’

In reality, Kael’s demeanor was exceedingly friendly.

He was also incredibly considerate.

In that respect, both the son and his father were exactly the same.

Outwardly, they acted indifferent and cold, but to her, they were exceptionally kind and attentive.

‘That’s why I don’t understand.’

How could this person be the villain who nearly brought the empire to ruin in the novel?

‘There must be a reason.’

Even if his relationship with the emperor was bad, it didn’t make sense for him to suddenly commit treason without any reason.

Especially considering his actions after the rebellion, it was hard to believe he was the same person.

‘Come to think of it, I need to find that out too.’

Life in the grand duchy household was so comfortable that she hadn’t found out anything while lazing around.

Even if she wanted to investigate, it wasn’t information that could be easily obtained.

‘But I shouldn’t be too impatient.’

There was no point in rushing, and there was still time before the original story began.

She would naturally find out more by spending time with Kael.

With those serious thoughts aside, after the employees had all returned to their places, Leciel, left alone with Kael, called out to him.

“By the way, Uncle.”

“What is it?”

“The title <Uncle> isn’t exactly a pet name.”

“A pet name doesn’t have to be grand. If there’s affection in it, then it’s a pet name. And you’re the only one who can call me <Uncle>.”

At Kael’s nonchalant words, Leciel made a peculiar expression.

It had been a title she had chosen without much thought, but it seemed to carry more meaning than she had expected.

Especially, his words <the only one> held significant meaning for her.

Who would have thought? It was surprising enough that an ordinary citizen from South Korea like herself would end up in this world, let alone form such a relationship with the villain of the novel she had read.

Initially, she had been worried about whether she should follow him, but now she no longer had any such concerns. Instead, she was grateful.

Even though he was a villain, he cared for her more than anyone else, being kind and a dependable protector.

Without him, she wouldn’t have been able to escape the monster forest, nor live such a comfortable life.

Kael was the first to make her feel human warmth and become family in this unfamiliar world where she had been living alone without anyone to rely on.

Life in this strange place was no longer scary or unsettling.

So, what if he was the villain of the novel? To her, he was a good person.

The original plot could be twisted however she liked.

Since the moment she was brought into this world, the original story had already deviated from its course.

Throughout that process, Leciel simply wished for a happy ending for both the villain and her.

And she would do her best to achieve that.

Because she liked Kael and Carren more than anyone.

“Well, I’ll keep calling you Uncle.”

Responding to Kael’s emotions, Leciel said with a slightly prim expression.

“If you get tired of it, you can call me <Father>.”

“… I thought you gave up on that.”

“A man shouldn’t give up so easily.”

No matter how much time passed, there seemed to be no other daughter-in-law that Kael would like as much as Leciel.

For Kael, there was no other candidate for daughter-in-law besides her.

“By the way, can I read books in the study?”

Leciel asked, changing the topic as if she hadn’t heard Kael’s words.

“There is nowhere in this place you cannot go. As long as it’s not my bedroom.”

“I don’t think I’ll have any reason to go to your bedroom.”

“You never know. You’re still a little kid, so you might get scared of sleeping alone at night.”

“I’m not that young.”

Even if she looked like a 10-year-old kid, there was no way she would seek out Kael because she was scared to sleep alone.

“Well, you look that young to me.”

No matter how mature Leciel seemed, she was still just a 10-year-old child.

Although his own son had never come to him scared to sleep alone at a younger age.

“I’m not!”

“Anyway, thinking about it, I should allow you to come to my bedroom too. So, feel free to come if you’re scared to sleep alone. Though I’ve never done it before, I can sing you a lullaby.”

“It won’t happen, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. By the way, you can read, can’t you?”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked if she could read books in the study.

‘Then when she signed the contract, she must have read it and understood it before signing.’

He had assumed that she had signed it based on his explanation.

Even those who were illiterate often knew a few letters or words.

But it seemed she could read.

This unexpected fact surprised Kael a bit.

But then, a question arose.

How did Leciel learn to read?

‘Could she be a noble child who was abandoned?’

Otherwise, how could a child who had been living alone in the monster forest for two years since she was eight know how to read?

Even among commoners, those who could read usually didn’t learn until around the age of ten.

Given that she couldn’t have learned to read in a forest full of monsters, it meant she must have known how to read before being abandoned there.

Even though Leciel didn’t look like a noble lady, considering she had lost her memory and knew nothing but her name, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

‘Unless her ability to read is one of the child’s special talents.’

Leciel was a very special child in many ways.

“Yes. I happen to be quite smart.”

In truth, it was likely thanks to her possession buff that she could read, but Leciel confidently pretended otherwise.

“That’s right, you are smart, just like me.”

“Everything is always like you, huh?”

Despite the grumbling tone, Leciel’s expression remained indifferent, showing she wasn’t really upset.

“It’s meant as a compliment.”

“Well, at least it doesn’t sound like an insult.”

Deliberately acting nonchalantly, Leciel waved her hand, saying she had to go read, and left the room.

Kael, having parted ways with Leciel, also headed to his office to tackle the pile of work awaiting him.

‘It’s about time I returned to the capital.’

As he mechanically reviewed the accumulated documents, Kael thought.

He had been staying at the villa for quite a while now.

Originally, he had planned to finish subjugating the monsters and return to the capital within a week, but it had been almost two weeks.

He hadn’t intended to stay this long, but circumstances forced his hand.

Recovering from the injuries sustained from falling into a trap during the monster hunt took nearly a week.

However, now he really needed to return to the capital. He couldn’t leave the grand ducal estate unattended any longer.

But before that, there was one more thing to take care of. He needed to find out who had set the trap that injured him.

He already had a suspect in mind.

‘The Emperor.’

The Emperor had always seen him as a thorn in his side, eager to crush him by any means.

In fact, the Emperor had sent Kael to dangerous places under the guise of monster hunts, hoping he would perish.

So, it was highly likely this incident was also orchestrated by the Emperor.

However, the person caught and interrogated had mentioned a different name, not the Emperor’s.

Even if it was the Emperor’s order, a knight’s testimony alone couldn’t bring the Emperor to justice.

Without irrefutable evidence, there was little Kael could do against the Emperor.

Even with such evidence, unless he was prepared to start a rebellion, Kael’s options were very limited.

‘But I can’t just let this go.’

Having nearly died in this incident, he needed to issue a stern warning to prevent such attempts in the future.

Kael pondered deeply on how to retaliate for this incident.

While he couldn’t directly challenge the Emperor based on the knight’s testimony, other noble families were fair game.

The implicated noble family, known for being pro-Emperor, had a dubious reputation.

A little investigation would likely uncover enough justification to bring them down.

Destroying that noble family would serve as a suitable warning to the Emperor.

Losing a loyal family would certainly get the Emperor’s attention.

Having made up his mind, Kael felt a strange sensation and turned to look out the window.

There, he saw Leciel and Carren talking amicably.

And then… he saw something that shouldn’t be there.

Kael’s expression hardened as he recognized the presence.

 

* * *

 

As Kael observed, Leciel was with Carren.

She had come out to the garden for a walk after getting tired of reading in the library and happened to run into Carren.

“What are you doing here, brother?”

Leciel asked, looking at Carren leaning against a large tree.

“…. just resting.”

“Then let me rest with you.”

With that, Leciel plopped down next to Carren.

“Tsk, if you’re going to rest, do it over there.”

Despite having his eyes closed, Carren sensed Leciel’s presence beside him and spoke indifferently.

“I like it here next to you!”

“… strange kid.”

Carren murmured softly.

Even though they hadn’t known each other long, she was oddly attached to him.

However, he wasn’t particularly annoyed or angry. Just sitting beside him wasn’t much of a bother.

But something seemed to bother Carren, as he frowned slightly.

“Get up.”

“I just sat down.”

“So?”

Carren, now with his eyes open, looked at Leciel with a blank expression.

“I’m too tired from coming all the way here to move anywhere else.”

“I just told you to get up.”

“Really?”

Leciel thought Carren meant for her to go away, but that wasn’t it.

She stood up cautiously, and Carren, still indifferent, took off his jacket and laid it on the ground.

“Sit.”

‘Whoa.’

Leciel made a curious face at Carren’s gesture.

So that was why he wanted her to get up?

This unexpected act of kindness brought a smile to her face.

“I just didn’t want you to get bruises sitting directly on the ground with that body of yours.”

Perhaps embarrassed by Leciel’s bright-eyed look, Carren spoke defensively.

“Thank you.”

For the consideration.

Indeed, this family was quite kind.

Just as she was feeling pleased, Leciel’s expression hardened upon noticing something.

Carren noticed it too.

What they saw were monsters that shouldn’t have been there.

Ten of them.