The feeling of my father’s voice filled with affection and his strong arms warmly supporting me was peaceful and comfortable, but this wasn’t right.

I shook my head and said,

“I’ll protect you, I said.”

As I listened to my father’s voice, I thought it was quite strange.

Our pure and kind father, whom I had to protect, was a very interesting person. Even though he wasn’t an examiner, he had blue veins on his hands.

Maybe it’s because he’s been farming for a long time? Or perhaps he inherited the physical abilities that the Mirmode family is known for.

I pressed one of the veins on my father’s hand and smiled broadly.

My father, who had been silent until then, spoke again as if to emphasize,

“Our daughter. You can’t even speak properly yet.”

Not being able to speak properly was only because my physical abilities were behind my peers.

But I couldn’t say such things to my father. I sighed deeply inside and shook my head.

That’s when it happened.

“Right, Sien? Isn’t that so?”

There was laughter in my father’s voice. He seemed to find this situation amusing.

It was frustrating, to say the least. I pounded my small chest with my tightly clenched fist and shouted,

“Th-that’s. All the other kids are like that too. Anyway, I’ll protect you!”

I shook my head as I answered. With each shake, my fluffy, potato-like cheeks wobbled.

Squish.

My father, standing behind me, pressed my cheek and said,

“Our daughter should just live happily like an ordinary child.”

I leaned my head against my father’s sturdy back and let out another sigh. As I watched the sigh dissipate, I could almost see our sad and pitiful future.

‘No. This is the villain family, so my kind father can’t protect me.’

Our innocent father, how will he survive in this harsh world? I looked up at my father with eyes full of worry. But my father still looked serious.

“Understand?”

“Sigh.”

I could only nod at my father’s passionate voice.

If I didn’t act like a child, my father, although he didn’t show it openly, seemed a bit glum. He probably found it difficult to see me losing my childlike innocence.

For example, it was like this. Once, I refused to eat carrots and was picky with my food. At that time, my father was very upset and gave names to each of the carrot friends. And he told me to say goodbye to those friends who were being thrown away. With a tearful voice.

‘Goodbye, carrots. Do it!’

‘…Do I really have to?’

‘Yes. If you don’t say goodbye to the carrots, they’ll say “ouch,” I tell you.’

I recalled the embarrassing memory of an adult saying goodbye to carrots to preserve my father’s innocence, and reluctantly opened my mouth.

“Okay.”

“You’re pretty, our daughter.”

It was at that very moment when we were having our conversation.

The door, which had been hanging like a dark curtain, opened slightly, and a bit of light seeped in. I blinked and looked towards the door opposite.

‘Who could it be?’

The person who opened the door and entered was a beautiful middle-aged woman who looked as if she had been carved by a master craftsman. Her hair was speckled with white, but even that looked as beautiful as if God himself had sprinkled snow on it.

She sat down in the chair opposite without saying much, with a stern expression.

And in a voice as cold as perpetual snow, she whispered,

“So you’ve come.”

“It’s been a while, Mother.”

My father answered politely. I rolled my eyes. If she was ‘Mother’, could she be my father’s birth mother? Just as I was wondering, she opened her mouth.

“So you do think of me as your birth mother.”

“Should I call you Duchess Lucella instead?”

My small body trembled from an inexplicable killing intent, but only for a moment. I opened my eyes wide at the conversation that was bouncing back and forth between the two.

Based on the context, she seemed to be his birth mother. But if she was Duchess Lucella…!

I shuddered.

‘If it follows the original storyline, she should be treated as a has-been now. But still, she was once the head of the villainous ducal family… If she’s my father’s birth mother, it would be better to make a good impression on her since we’re blood relatives. And to get help…’

While I was focused on my own thoughts, the conversation continued.

“Now that you’ve returned to the family, you know well that you can’t leave on your own.”

“…Huh?!”

“Sien.”

I let out a loud voice for a moment. Fortunately, my father soothed me gently, but my mind was in complete disarray.

I had naturally thought of making a good impression on this tiger-like grandmother to leave this castle. But…

“I know. Either become the successor, or be exiled and become a fugitive, or die. It’s one of those three, right?”

I was on the verge of fainting from the shock of my broken plan, but I barely managed to come to my senses.

‘They say even if you’re caught in a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.’

I deliberately gritted my tiny teeth, showing them while putting strength into my eyes.

The cold voice of Duchess Lucella reached my ears.

“It’s good that you know.”

Despite the simple rebuke, my father just kept his eyes down. While tightening his grip on me.

‘It’s too cold.’

It was too frigid for a conversation between a mother and son who hadn’t met in a long time, and even the atmosphere was as cold as ice.

When my father warmly wrapped his arm around my shoulders, I could finally look ahead.

The Duchess’s piercingly blue eyes met my round, glass-like eyes in the air.

“What is that?”

“Yes?”

As our eyes met, she frowned deeply and spoke.

With an expression that seemed to greatly despise me, she opened her mouth.

“What is that honey jar wrapped in rags?”

Honey jar wrapped in rags…

‘I’m not that kind of honey jar. And it’s not rags, this is what Dad beautifully sewed for me.’

I quietly recalled my memories with Dad.

‘Dad sewed pretty clothes for our Sien, how is it?’

‘Exciting!’

‘Next time, I’ll learn to use the sewing machine too. Mrs. Isabel said she’d teach me.’

‘Yes! Definitely!’

Because of the fluffy memories that came to mind of my time with Dad, I felt a bit wronged and widened my eyes. Then Duchess Lucella glared at me with a cruel expression.

“This isn’t rags. Dad made it for me.”

The Duchess, who had been looking at me coldly as I tried hard to appeal, soon turned her gaze to my father.

Isn’t Dad scared of those tiger-like eyes? His hand seems to be trembling slightly. But unlike his slightly trembling hand, Dad continued to speak quite calmly and courageously.

“This is my daughter. Sien, say hello.”

I should at least greet her politely! I blinked my eyes without saying much and bowed my head politely.

“Hello!”

But in my head, information about Duchess Lucella was spinning around.

The time it took for my thoughts to end, three seconds.

I bit my lip tightly.

It was desperate that we couldn’t leave on our own, but there was one thing to be thankful for.

That the first person we met in the villain ducal family was Duchess Lucella.

Because she was Dad’s birth mother and also my biological grandmother…

‘I, I read about how to win over Duchess Lucella in the original “Melodia’s Life”!’

If I could make a good impression on her, there was a high possibility that life in the ducal family would become a bit easier.

Duchess Lucella, a woman who once bore the modifier of the Dark Lord in this dark and dangerous villain family.

This extremely dangerous person had a single weakness that wasn’t really a weakness.

‘That is…’

While I was thinking hard.

Duchess Lucella coldly looked at me and Dad. It was an intimidating presence that would have silenced an ordinary person with just one glance.

Nervous, I habitually swung my legs back and forth.

She, who had been looking at me, blurted out,

“Why did you bring that thing?”

“I wanted to show Sien to you, Mother.”

Dad’s voice was clear as a bell.

“Send that thing out and let’s talk. I have something to say about the successor issue. First, the trial for the demon incident you caused-”

“-It would be better to talk about that later.”

I pricked up my ears at the mention of the demon incident.

But before my curiosity could be satisfied, Dad cut off the Duchess’s words abruptly. Needless to say, Duchess Lucella’s expression became quite fierce.

She, who had been expressionless throughout, now looked quite angry.

Since Duchess Lucella was the first person Dad met after entering the castle, it was just my guess, but it seemed like the Duchess had lifted Dad’s exile and allowed him to return to the family.

But to cut off her words in the middle. Even if I were the Duchess, I would have been angry.

‘Dad cut off Grandma’s words in the middle. We should be trying to make a good impression!’

As I was worriedly stamping my feet, Duchess Lucella lowered her gaze slightly and muttered.

“Your insolent attitude hasn’t changed.”

I thought I heard an auditory hallucination saying ‘I want to kill you.’

I tightly clenched my plump hands.

This is dangerous.

It seems like a death flag has already been raised!

Duchess Lucella was a person who was reliable to her allies, but mercilessly killed those who irritated her. It was unthinkable to upset her mood like this.

‘Are Dad and I going to die as soon as we enter the ducal family?’

But Dad was still completely carefree.

Ignoring Duchess Lucella’s words, Dad gently stroked my head and said kindly,

“Sien. Shall we go out and see the maid sisters?”

Dad gently patted my head. I nodded, but felt that special measures were needed.

No matter how I look at it, this grandmother really dislikes both my Dad and me.

Just looking at her cold gaze that could freeze even warm water in an instant was enough to tell.

I made a serious decision.

Okay, I’ll use the strategy to win over Duchess Lucella!

“Yes, Dad. Sien just a moment!”

Watching Dad and Grandma talk, I was holding and releasing my pigtails that Dad had carefully braided, when I made up my mind.

‘Dad is surely too pure to know anything. So, I have no choice but to step up.’

I jumped down from Dad’s lap.

“I’ll call a maid to take you out.”

Grandma said, looking me over arrogantly. At that moment, I went to Grandma’s side with my tiny feet.

“Sien?”

“What are you doing?”

I heard Dad and Grandma’s voices in my ears, but I ignored them and stood right next to Grandma’s chair. Since I was a little shorter than the desk, Dad would probably only see the top of my round head.

‘I have to exploit Duchess Lucella’s weakness!’

I stood in front of my villainous grandmother to protect Dad, my only family.

I was a little, no, very little scared, but I had no choice. I put my round arms like rice cakes on my sides and glared at Grandma.

Duchess Lucella looked down at me as if annoyed and asked,

“What is it?”

“Gwandma!”

Sparkle sparkle eye beam!

I looked at Grandma with eyes sparkling like stars, as if unleashing my ultimate skill. Putting my hands together in front of me like dumplings was a bonus.

Grandma frowned and said,

“What did you say?”

I can see her gaze hardening coldly.

But I opened my eyes even rounder and shot my sparkling eye beam while opening my mouth.

“You’re Sien’s gwandma, right? I missed you!”

I deliberately dragged out the end of my words very cutely. Like a cute and harmless child!

There’s a reason I’m doing this.

During the Thieves’ Guild massacre in the novel, Duchess Lucella took the risk of releasing all the young children.

Because, surprisingly, she doesn’t dislike young children and likes cute things.

Of course, all young children were afraid of Duchess Lucella. Even the children of the villain family thought of her as an evil witch and ran away with their tails between their legs.

It was similar even now when she had already fallen to the status of a has-been.

‘Anyway, the image of a tiger who once ruled the world still remains.’

So I’m targeting a niche market! I bet Duchess Lucella has never seen a cute little kid acting adorable before. I opened my eyes wide and kept observing the expression of Duchess Lucella in front of me.

“Gwandma, don’t you want to see me?”

I smiled cutely, puffing up my cheeks like plump in-season shrimp.

With an expression that said, “Scary grandmother, I’m asking you like this! Please don’t kill our innocent Dad.”

Grandma, who was looking into my sparkling eyes, made a strange, indescribable expression.