Maybe she felt like I was anxious, my grandmother furrowed her eyebrows.

“Don’t worry. Matthias will take care of everything. If you die, it’s your father’s fault.”

I looked at my grandmother, who casually mentioned death, with a wary gaze.

‘I don’t want to die!’

Remembering my father’s endlessly harmless and trembling gaze hurt my heart.

If my father takes care of it, it’s sure to end in massacre. I can’t trust my innocent father. I can only trust myself!

‘What should I do now?’

The only effective way to block Axel was to suppress him with force or remove him politically.

‘Axel uses… dark magic. Should I use white magic, or holy power?’

I clenched my fist seriously.

Unaware of my complicated heart, my grandmother murmured quietly in my ear.

“By the way, you’ll be bored for a while. The principal’s position is vacant.”

I opened my eyes wide. There’s no education for a while, so there will be free time.

“I, it’s okay!”

“…why? You’re not like a child.”

“Because I’m going to visit you all the time!”

“Really?”

I couldn’t see her expression because I was looking in the same direction in my grandmother’s arms, but it was a cold voice saying, ‘You? To me?’

So I bit my lips as if I was gambling.

There was no other way to make the countess on my side and receive her power.

I cautiously brought up the main point.

“Yes! I told the maids about you…….”

‘I’m sorry, sisters.’

Actually, it’s a lie.

“…you, you talked about me?”

“Yes.”

“What, what, what did you say?”

“Guys, I have a grandma that I like most in the world…….”

Throb.

From some point, my grandmother’s hand holding the table throbbed.

It was a vein that you could see in muscular maid sisters.

But I endured the fear and continued talking shyly, twisting my body subtly.

“…there?”

“I really admire my grandma, and I want to be strong like her…….”

I was sincere in wanting to be as strong as the countess.

Axel was coming back in a month, and if I was weak, my father would be caught without a fight. I had to grow a lot of power before then.

Unaware of my thoughts, my grandmother muttered in a low voice.

“…I.”

“Yes.”

My grandmother stammered unexpectedly with a trembling voice.

“Am I…cool…?”

She must be trying to dissect my little head.

Sitting on the stiff muscles of my grandmother’s thigh, I continued the hard conversation.

“…Yes! If I want to become an amazing person like grandma…….”

“To, to become.”
“What should I do? There are artifacts that are extremely powerful…… There’s something called white magic which is the opposite of black magic……”

Countess Lucella clenched her fists tightly.

I lifted my trembling face to sneak a peek at her, squinting my eyes.

However, Grandmother’s face was extremely distorted……

……Had I failed? I was nervously checking out the situation when Grandmother, with trembling lips, spoke.

“I also had a time like you. A time when I desired to be strong. You remind me of myself during that time.”

It seemed like she was talking in a positive way, but it strangely stung.

Grandmother punctuated her words.

“That won’t do.”

Hearing negative words was a big deal.

Had I failed? A bad thought started to creep in.

It wasn’t easy to win over a countess, the sense of defeat started to consume my mind.

It was then when I was wondering how I should treat her from now on.

A voice filled with energy reached my disappointed ears.

“Do you want to know how to become like me, Honeybun?”

I looked at Grandmother with sparkling eyes.

How, how can I become like Grandmother?

‘But Honeybun?’

It felt weird to be called ‘Honeybun’ in such a serious situation. But with the intention to listen carefully, I perked up my ears.

“I will personally teach you.”

“……Yes?”

“Don’t be too happy. I’m not doing this just because you asked.”

Grandmother stated it coldly.

“It’s all because the principal died under mysterious circumstances and there’s no one else to teach you for the time being. Also, there’s no successor to the principal, and the educational administrators are all in a mess…… I think it’s best if I teach you. Don’t you agree?”

It seemed like she really didn’t have a choice.

But it was possible that the Countess would hate me because she had to take on this task.

Concerned about the future, I carefully said,

“Well, it’s fine if you don’t.”

“Hmm.”

“……?”

“I am the only one who can educate you.”

She was adamant. And when I listened to the tone of her voice carefully, it didn’t seem like she hated the idea that much.

Then, it was actually good news for me.

‘Countess Lucella is a person in her prime. Even though she has fallen from grace, she still holds some power in the social world, and she might have the power to resist Axel even just a little bit.’

I could see hope for survival.

Countess Lucella was knowledgeable in many areas, but she especially knew how to freely use magic potions and poison since she was a highranking magician.

Decades ago, the growth potion she made for children, Kids TenTen, had spread all over the empire and was officially in use.

Was that all?

There was a rumor that she owned a lot of offensive artifacts. Of course, there were counterarguments. If the Countess had so many offensive artifacts, would she have given up control of her family so easily?

However, compared to a powerless child like me, Countess Lucella was much stronger.

Feeling like my chances of survival had increased, I laughed brightly and said,

“Wow, thank you!”

Looking down at my round eyes, Grandmother placed a hand on her mouth and coughed lightly before mumbling,

“Hmm, hmm. Yes, Bun.”

Not knowing what ‘Bun’ meant, I blinked my eyes and tilted my head.

‘Who are Honeybun and Bun?’

As I looked at the Countess with curious eyes, she averted her gaze and coldly replied,

“Now, go on. Come again tomorrow.”

“Yes. Thank you, I love it!”

After pecking on Grandmother’s hand resting on the table, I rushed out with joy.

‘I can now become a strong person!’

Standing at the door, I looked at my hands and clenched and unclenched my fists.

I already felt stronger.

‘Hee, I’m excited.’

While my heart was bouncing with excitement, I turned slightly, remembering something I had to say before leaving.

“Oh, and, thank you……”
When she turned her head, the Duchess of Lucella’s face was flaming red.

She was like a runaway train.

Moreover, she gingerly touched the back of her hand, and she seemed startled when I turned my head.

She spoke again with a cold expression.

“What?”

Despite her cold expression, her face was still flushed. It was a bit puzzling, but I, who needed to gain something, pretended not to notice and opened my mouth.

“Would you mind teaching my friend as well?”

I raised the corners of my mouth to show my upper and lower teeth clearly.

It looked incredibly awkward… but the grandmother nodded tersely.

Still, I was satisfied for today since she said she would teach us.

I bowed deeply, enough to show my round head.

“On the day of education, I’ll send a scorpion back to you.”

Thinking that it shouldn’t be too late, I closed my eyes and smiled brightly.

“Yes! I want to see the scorpion as soon as possible!”

The grandmother frowned at me.

“As soon as possible. Then today, no, today would be too burdensome.”

‘Of course! About a week later….’

“Let’s start right away tomorrow.”

‘……What?’

“Get ready.”

The grandmother spoke sternly and coldly.

I ended up nodding in surprise.