He glanced at Leonhart and Acid. Then, in a low, gentle voice, he called for the maids.

“Serve generous evening desserts to Sien’s… friends as well.”

“Huh? Then who will I eat with?”

“Sien, didn’t we agree to eat the delicious things together?”

“Huh? With Daddy…?”

“Yes, Sien. We agreed to eat together, remember?”

I ended up falling for Daddy’s sad yet innocent expression.

“Okay! Baby, Leonhart! Friends! See you later!”

‘At least Leonhart and Acid made up! I’ll create opportunities for them to meet and make them both my close confidants.’

I smiled happily and firmly grasped Daddy’s muscular arm.

‘Did Daddy eat a lot of chicken breast and sweet potatoes?’

It was a sturdy arm that even the muscular maid sisters would envy.

However…

I sighed deeply as I looked at Daddy’s lovely eyes.

While his body was strong enough to put knights to shame, he looked too kind.

I need to become an even worse person to protect Daddy.

***

Leonhart and Acid were left alone.

From Leonhart’s perspective, he no longer had any intention of tormenting Acid.

‘Come to think of it, why did I act that way? It’s almost like jealousy.’

Perhaps it started when the maids introduced that Acid fellow as someone who follows Sien around like a chestnut keychain.

He had rashly spoken up, assuming he would be the only one by Sien’s side.

‘…It was a foolish thought. As if I’m close to anyone like that.’

Such things don’t exist.

He only intended to become slightly friendly with that chestnut, Sien, because she seemed intelligent.

Leonhart stared at Acid while firmly denying his own feelings.

In any case, he intended to show magnanimity as Sien’s… friend.

At first, he felt strange seeing Acid by Sien’s side… Of course, that still bothered him a bit…

But now there was a common enemy.

He called out to Acid in warning and whispered in a low voice.

“That person is Lord Matthias Mirmode.”

“Pardon?”

Acid tilted his head in confusion.

“He’s the most powerful person here… and has no interest in mere children.”

“But he looked at Sien adoringly—”

“No.”

Leonhart had never received an ‘adoring’ look from anyone in his life. The boy was that insensitive to emotions. So Leonhart quietly whispered.

“He’s threatening Sien. I heard it directly from her.”

Sien would probably find it absurd, but Leonhart firmly believed it to be true.

At those words, the color drained from Acid’s face.

“Wh-what reason could there be to threaten a tiny baby princess?”

“Yes. It’s frightening.”

Leonhart looked at Acid with narrowed eyes.

“Sien… is walking into danger for our sake right now.”

“…What?”

“She left in our place so we wouldn’t become Lord Matthias’s prey!”

“That’s…”

As confusion clouded Acid’s eyes, Leonhart’s gaze sharpened.

“So if you’re going to stay in this mansion, protect Sien. When I can’t see her.”

Acid looked at Matthias and Sien as they entered the mansion.

Then… could he be of help to Sien, just as she had saved him?

Acid carefully clenched his fist and nodded firmly.

“Yes!”

It didn’t take long for his hunched shoulders to straighten and his expression to harden.

Their determined gazes met in the air.

And then—

“Excuse me, but we’re here too, not just you two.”

“That’s right. We’re not just sacks of barley sitting here.”

…The maids whispered to them with a yawn.

“Now, young master and little one, it’s time to go to the tea table.”

The muscular maids began escorting them, showing off their solid forearms.

And so, the four of them headed to the reception room of the mansion.

***

At the same time, I left those two behind and went to have tea time in Daddy’s study.

For some unknown reason, Daddy was despondent and nibbled at his cake, worrying me.

“Daddy, why are you like that?”

“It’s nothing… Daddy just doesn’t have an appetite…”

“Hmm? Why don’t you have an appetite?”

“Well…”

Thinking I should tell a nice story to boost Daddy’s appetite, I smiled brightly with a beaming expression.

“Oh right. Daddy, I made a friend!”

At those words, Daddy put down his fork entirely. I tilted my head at his expression, which looked even more haggard than usual.

Daddy lowered his eyes and said quietly.

“But Daddy is still the best, right?”

I grinned widely and declared to Daddy.

“Yep! If Daddy becomes just a little bit worse, he’ll be the best!”

“…”

“Let’s become worse and defeat this evil family together!”

Daddy spoke with a newly shocked expression.

“Sien, Daddy said he would make the family members nice…”

Even his voice cracked, showing he was truly shocked.

‘Daddy still has a strong aversion to becoming a bad guy.’

As I pondered deeply, my little head nearly bursting, Daddy whispered softly.

“Ah, right. Sien. I have something to tell you.”

Having almost finished the cake, I needed to remove the uncomfortable bib. Daddy looked at me solemnly and said.

“Let’s go to the together.”

“…What?”

My face turned pale in an instant.

To be precise, this was like a temple stay or meditation retreat. It was a place for etiquette education to make bad children good and calm good children.

When I caused trouble in town, Daddy would take me to that academy.

If I went there, kind adults and children with nice fragrances would gather around me and…

‘Lady Sien, you’re so adorable. You were born to be loved.’

‘The world is beautiful. Everyone is a friend.’

‘Now, let’s practice emptying our bad thoughts.’

I absolutely did not want to go to that place where stained souls are purified.

I looked at Daddy and cried out loudly.

“No! I want to become the worst of the worst!”

Seeing my horrified reaction, Daddy smiled gently.

“That’s why we need to go, Sien.”

I sighed deeply and shook my head.

Becoming nice was absolutely out of the question.

I stared at Daddy with blazing eyes.

The determination I had made to give up on reforming Daddy for now and become stronger myself ignited.

‘If direct brainwashing doesn’t work, I’ll at least give him indirect villain training.’

Incidentally, I would also need to become the strongest villain to secretly protect Daddy.

I clenched my fist while inwardly sighing.

Since Daddy showed no intention of becoming a great villain, it was time to change tactics.

***

The next morning, Delphia Mirmode returned to the Mirmode family.

Unlike her usual reputation for being psychotic, she returned quietly in a carriage.

Heading to her own mansion within the duke’s estate, she irritably dismissed the panicked maids and shut herself in her room.

One maid who barely overcame her fear and approached cautiously asked Delphia.

“Shall I prepare a bath for you?”

“Bath my ass. Ask about the soldier training and inspection first. That’s your duty as my maid, isn’t it?”

The maid, who seemed too timid to be a Mirmode family maid, carefully asked.

“How… did the inspection go…?”

“I swept away all the annoying ones and left it to my adjutant. Ah, my precious taxidermy specimens are still here in my mansion, aren’t they?”

“Y-yes…”

Delphia grinned as she looked at the various taxidermy specimens hanging on her bedroom wall.

The snow leopard monster specimen she treasured most was in pristine condition, not a single hair damaged. Delphia had the bizarre hobby of killing things she liked in perfect condition and having them taxidermied.

“I’ve checked the specimens, so that’s done…”

For now, she came here because of Matthias. And also because of the little girl, Sien, who might become Matthias’s weakness.

Targeting Matthias Mirmode first would be a bit unethical, so maybe I’ll start with the child.

“I told you to gather information about Sien Mirmode before I arrived, didn’t I?”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

Delphia elegantly gazed at the well-trained maid as she plopped down in a chair and crossed her legs.

“Who in the family has had contact with Sien Mirmode?”

If she failed to provide proper information about Sien Mirmode, she would die at the hands of Delphia Mirmode, the “Mad Dog of the Wilderness.”

Keenly aware of this fact, the maid poured out information as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“The children of the retainers… Leonhart Mirmode, and Duchess Lucella.”

Duchess Lucella, is it? Delphia’s brow furrowed.

To think she’s connected to ‘that’ Duchess Lucella as well.

“Forget about the kids. As for Leonhart Mirmode…”

Leonhart Mirmode has potential that others don’t know about.

Delphia was well aware of this fact, but he was still just a baby weaker than herself.

That potential didn’t seem likely to fully bloom in this family anyway.

More importantly, Duchess Lucella was the big fish.

Though her influence had waned, it was said she withdrew voluntarily, so she was certainly not an easy opponent.

“What kind of relationship do Duchess Lucella and that little runt have?”

“L-little runt?”

“Yes. I mean Sien Mirmode.”

Perhaps due to the short time available to gather information, beads of cold sweat formed on the maid’s forehead as she hadn’t had time to probe the duchess’s mood.

“Well… I suppose it would be indifferent at best. Duchess Lucella dislikes children, and she has no affection for Young Master Matthias either.”

“Is that so? I see.”

Delphia immediately stood up.

“Y-yes. Lady Delphia, why are you suddenly standing… I prepared a bath…”

The maid broke out in a cold sweat at Delphia’s abrupt behavior.

“Why are you so obsessed with the bath?”

She shrugged and snapped at the maid.

“What’s the problem? I’m going to visit Duchess Lucella.”

I should go see Duchess Lucella and bring up the topic of Sien Mirmode.

“I can’t stand not knowing something I’m curious about.”

Delphia stretched her legs and smirked. She didn’t even pretend to hear the maid saying, ‘But you’re covered in dirt right now…’

To be honest, that girl Sien Mirmode was just bait.

‘If there’s a weakness of Matthias Mirmode, I want to grab it first.’

Matthias Mirmode.

Currently the most dangerous existence, closest to the duke’s position.

However, Delphia also wanted to become the head of the Mirmode family and the Duke of Mirmode.

There was no particular reason. It was just an interesting game.

And meeting Sien Mirmode was also intended to be a kind of game.