The Beloved Youngest Daughter of the Lord Family - Chapter 14

The Black Forest on the border.

It was one of the most perilous places on the continent, rumored to house an entrance to the demon realm, which kept people from venturing near.

Indeed, due to the powerful magical barrier blanketing the entire forest, even weak demons frequently perished upon entering.

Yet for Vlad, this forest held a deeply special meaning.

It was precisely where he had first met his beloved companion, Daphne.

“A delivery? Just what message could possibly be written…?”

“…It says Benian is there. It asks that we bring him to the kingdom.”

“You mean that rare race?”

Walter seemed pleased at the thought of bringing Benian back as a fine trophy, but Vlad felt uneasy inside.

The truth was, Elga’s message contained other information as well.

[Lord. This old man has a request. In the Black Forest, you’ll find a young male Benian. Bring that child to Rose Palace. You know well your daughter is no ordinary girl. Left as she is, she’ll either suffer a magical surge or exhaust her power and die—there is no third option. I suspect you don’t truly wish for that.]

After reading this far, Vlad was seized by the impulse to crush the magic orb right then and there.

How dare she presume to judge whether or not he wanted his daughter to live?

Even he himself couldn’t decipher his own feelings.

[Even if you say no, consider doing this small favor for my sake—I’ve come to regard Sione as my own child. Surely you deserve a reward worthy of such effort? And if even that displeases you, then at least pay a brief visit while out for a walk. Who knows? In hindsight, you might find your choice was right.]

Elga’s message ended there.

As she’d said, Elga fully deserved a reward greater than this.

After all, it was Elga herself who shielded not only the monster-infested borderlands but also the vast frontier adjacent to the empire with her own magic.

She had chosen to protect her people and the kingdom, forsaking honor and status alike.

But Vlad was displeased with her request.

Equally distasteful to him was Sione, who had defied his orders and walked of her own accord into Rose Palace.

Both master and disciple irritated him like splinters under his nails.

Yet.

Elga’s words—that he might think differently in hindsight—lingered uneasily in his mind.

“…Walter, I’m entrusting command to you. Stay vigilant and don’t slacken your guard against a possible night raid.”

“You intend to visit the Black Forest? I’m aware it’s quite a distance.”

“If I travel alone under cover of night, I’ll be back before the morning dew forms. Don’t trouble yourself with arranging an escort.”

Vlad removed his armor soaked in monster blood and donned lighter gear suitable for travel.

Walter tried desperately to stop Vlad as he picked up his sword and headed alone out of the tent, but he lacked the strength to hold him back.

‘Assassins infiltrated Rose Palace.’

Even in the thick of battle, Vlad had kept himself informed of every development within the royal capital.

Moreover,

He was already conducting a separate investigation—not only into how the assassins died, but also into their backers, including aspects too difficult for Sione, in her role as a nanny, to uncover.

But as Lord, he had merely issued the obvious orders; he had taken no further action for his daughter’s safety.

Pursuing the assassins’ backers was solely for the sake of preserving the royal family’s honor and authority.

‘Do I truly wish for my daughter to die… or do I hope she lives?’

Once, he had longed for her never to awaken again.

Or better yet, to vanish as though she’d never been born—reduced to a mere handful of ash.

But when Bella, having awakened from her torpor, looked straight at him with eyes identical to Daphne’s, he realized something had gone terribly wrong.

And he grew afraid.

Daphne—the one and only love of his life, the sole being to whom he had ever given his heart.

A clear premonition gripped him: someday he would endure once more the same helpless, agonizing pain he had felt at her death.

“…Time will tell.”

He would neither save her nor kill her.

He simply intended to watch how far his daughter—the one who bore the name Bella—could grow.

If he failed to find Benian in the Black Forest tonight, he would never again intervene on her behalf.

That was the full extent of what he, in his current state, could do for his daughter.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Haaahm…”

Ugh, why am I so sleepy?

Having nearly plunged my nose into my juice glass from drowsiness in broad daylight, I rubbed my eyes roughly.

‘Lately, my body’s been feeling really off.’

Even though Sione and her master had worked hard to greatly improve the efficacy of magic-replenishing desserts, and I even possessed an artifact made from a dragon’s magic stone—

I kept dozing off at random moments, and the constant fatigue had grown excessive.

Though I occasionally feared another torpor might be coming, I carefully hid it from everyone around me.

I already troubled so many people against my will; the guilt of causing them further worry kept me from showing it.

‘This must be due to magic deficiency.’

My physical growth had long since halted, and I only studied magic to the bare minimum required.

Months had passed since I’d stopped using abilities like puppetry or spirit magic altogether, fearing they might strain my body.

But with no solution in sight and fatigue only increasing, I began to grow restless.

‘This won’t do. I’ll close my eyes and give it a try.’

What I meant by “a try” was consuming cooked monster meat.

Rose Palace’s pantry was piled high with delicious foods preserved by magic, among them monster steaks brimming with high-quality magic.

The meat was specially prepared so tender even children could eat it, and glazed with a secret sauce that made it glisten enticingly.

‘It looks just like ordinary human food.’

Sneaking into the storehouse unseen, I stared down at the steak dish, its aroma as fresh as if just baked, and swallowed hard.

‘Maybe I can handle just this much?’

With a flicker of hope, I brought the forkful of meat to my mouth—but the result was disastrous.

I couldn’t even swallow the tiniest bite and had to spit it back out, my face pale.

“Ugh! No taste at all!”

How can anyone eat something this revolting!

‘I guess it’s just impossible…’

I’d hoped perhaps my tastes might change over time.

After all, while my soul remained fully human, my body was now that of a demon.

Yet whether in the past or now, any food related to monsters triggered an immediate physical rejection.

There were times even I resented this constitution of mine, but I had no real remedy.

‘At this rate, I might actually collapse from magic deficiency.’

I returned the magically preserved steak to its place and sank down onto the floor with a sigh.

“I’m so gloomy…”

No matter how positively I tried to live, I couldn’t help disliking myself when I thought about facing such frustration over something as trivial as my inborn palate.

And it wasn’t just me suffering.

Thinking of Sione, who tirelessly sought ways to help me overcome this, and the Maid Sisters who always worried about me sincerely, made my heart sink even further.

“But I’ve gotta stay strong.”

Murmuring softly to myself like a promise, I stood up, smoothing out my crumpled pumpkin pants.

After all, sitting here idly wouldn’t fix a thing.

“Let’s go eat the snacks Tione made!”

Her desserts, packed with refined magic, always gave me strength whenever I felt drained.

Replenishing my magic while lifting my spirits with their sweetness made them the perfect treat for me right now.

Back in my room, I picked out the most tempting pastry from the dessert plate set on the table perfectly sized for me and popped it into my mouth.

“Mmm, so good!”

My current favorites were the rich, soft brownie paired with raspberry jam and the dacquoise with its delightfully airy, chewy meringue texture.

After devouring the irresistible sweets and washing it all down with cool water, I sank into the sofa and began dozing off again.

“I really should brush my teeth before bed…”

The biggest downside to replenishing magic with such sugary treats was, of course, dental health.

But according to Sione, ordinary food clashed with magic and produced little effect.

Aside from formula milk, sugary flour-based foods blended best with magic and absorbed quickly, leaving me no choice but to opt for desserts.

Thus, I was inevitably forced to brush my teeth more than six times a day—but lately, in my constant drowsiness, I often fell asleep right away.

In the end, I drifted off, snoring softly, slumped sideways on the sofa.

Unnoticed by me, the red magic stone in my pocket crackled and split apart.

[This is the timeline separator]

That same night, near the border.

Beneath a bright full moon, someone raced alone down a rugged forest path, huge tree roots jutting out everywhere.

At first glance, the figure’s elongated shadow suggested an adult, but it was actually a young boy barely past ten years old.

“Hah… hahh…”

Golden eyes gleamed through his wildly tangled black hair.

His vertically slit pupils, wary of something unseen, resembled those of a wild beast.

“Gah!”

The boy, struggling to climb over a root taller than himself, tumbled down and rolled across the ground.

“Damn it… my leg…”

Grunting in pain, the boy—his left ankle badly twisted—barely managed to sit up.

Clad in tattered rags, his body was covered in bruises as if he’d been beaten.

Deep cuts marred his arms and legs, clear evidence of severe abuse.

‘I have to run farther from here…’

The boy was being chased.

Moments later, men carrying torches began emerging one by one from the darkness.