Chapter 1
Just as I lay down to sleep, someone knocked on my door.
At this hour, there were only three people in the mansion who were allowed to walk around. And among them, only one had the manners to knock on someone else’s door.
I spoke toward the hallway.
“Is that you, Duke Schlaeger?”
“…Yes.”
A voice deep and resonant, like a wind instrument.
As I expected.
The man standing outside my room was Latiger Ult Schlaeger—the Duke of Schlaeger and Margrave of the border region of Flogel.
Unofficially known as the Masterless Hound, the Reaper on Horseback…
His nicknames were endless.
Most of them reeked of blood—and for good reason. But in front of me, he was a little different.
The duke’s dignified voice sharpened slightly.
“But Sol, do you really think calling me ‘Duke’ is appropriate right now?”
“A-ah, no. Father.”
“Good.”
Only then did his voice soften in satisfaction.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, it’s okay.”
I sat up in bed. The comforter, far too big and fluffy for a ten-year-old, slipped off with a thud.
The door opened.
Standing there was Latiger—my stepfather, or rather, the stepfather of the girl I’d possessed. He was over forty but looked no older than his early thirties—an undeniably handsome man.
His sky-blue eyes peered at me through unrealistically silvery-white hair, like freshly fallen snow. The irises around his pupils shimmered subtly, like stormy waves shifting light.
…Because the duke wasn’t an ordinary human.
He was the main villain of the romance-fantasy novel To Save You, and the bastard who eventually kills his stepdaughter.
I asked in a trembling voice.
“Father, is something the matter?”
“I came to read you a book.”
“Pardon? A book?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’? You said it earlier in front of everyone—remember? That I read to you every night.”
Right. That was part of my plan to convince people that “The Duke of Schlaeger is a gentle, doting father! He’s not a cold-blooded villain!”
It was my idea.
“Father, you don’t have to actually do it, though. People will believe it even if you just say it. Who’s going to barge in at night to check?”
“A maid might leak something. Or someone might ask you suddenly, ‘What book did the Duke read to you yesterday?’ You never know.”
I don’t think anyone’s that free with their time…
And besides, if you read me a book with that scary face, I’ll have nightmares!
While I was hesitating—after all, this had been my suggestion—the duke had already seated himself at the edge of the bed and opened a book.
It was definitely not a fairy tale suitable for a ten-year-old.
[“Efficient Fief Management – Criminal Control Edition”]
We’re screwed. Completely.
“Father…”
“I’ll read slowly. You can fall asleep whenever you want, my daughter.”
His tone was gentle, but those piercing eyes made me feel anything but relaxed. Save me.
Whether I was scared or not, he began reading.
“Once upon a time, there was a small rural village. The lord lived far away, so whenever there was trouble, the villagers would turn to the village chief to settle it.”
His voice was intimidating, but his wording was oddly kind. Was he trying to adjust it for a child’s level?
“Then, one day, a human hand was found in a field.”
“…”
“Someone had hidden a corpse—no, I mean, someone must’ve been playing hide-and-seek.”
Even his metaphors are twisted, Duke!
“Father. Stop! I don’t want to hear anymore!”
“Hmm? Is the story not entertaining? We haven’t even gotten to the main point yet.”
“It’s scary!”
The duke looked genuinely confused.
I hurried to explain.
“This book is too difficult for a ten-year-old. And using a murder story as an example? If someone overhears this, they’ll think, ‘The duke really is terrifying!’”
“Hm… Then what kind of book would be appropriate?”
“Don’t we have any fairy tales in the house?”
“No.”
What kind of house has multiple kids and no fairy tales? Even my youngest older brother isn’t that much older than me!
When I looked at him in disbelief, the duke furrowed his brow and said,
“The Schlaeger children are not permitted to indulge in fanciful stories. Even if there are moral lessons within them.”
“…”
“Now, I’ll continue. A corpse was found in the field. Naturally, it should have been reported to the lord. However, the villagers feared interrupting their harvest, so they kept quiet. In such a case, the lord must—”
“…”
“…Are you listening, Sol?”
“Yes.”
I nodded for now. The duke abruptly stood up.
“Father?”
“You look utterly confused. There’s no point in reading further if you understand nothing.”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll listen properly now, Dad! I mean, Father—!”
I tried to grab his sleeve, but a ten-year-old’s arm couldn’t reach that far.
Slam!
The duke kicked open the door and stormed out.
Wh-What do I do? Did I fail to keep a straight face again? I’m panicking.
What if he comes back later with How to Raise a Proper Child – On Corporal Punishment or something?
I climbed out of bed, ready to kneel before the duke if needed, and peeked into the hallway.
…But instead, he was stopping a passing servant and saying something completely unexpected.
“Go down to the village immediately and buy every fairy tale book you can find.”
“…Pardon?”
“And make sure there’s not a single copy left on the shelves.”
The bookstore would be closed at this hour. He probably meant to kick down the door and wake the owner up.
The servants didn’t seem curious about that part.
“If I may confirm, Your Grace… If there are, say, ten copies of the same book, you want us to buy all of them?”
“Of course. If I cannot find the perfect book for my daughter tonight, then I shall make the one I do read precious by making it rare.”
“…As you command.”
What is this, some kind of satirical fable?
Of course, the servant didn’t question it. Soon after, they were galloping down the hill from the duke’s estate on horseback.
…I’m going insane. This is a public nuisance on every level. Books aren’t exactly common in this era.
And the worst part?
Am I supposed to stay awake until he gets back with the books? This body needs to be asleep by 9 PM!
The duke went down to the entrance hall to inspect the books the moment they arrived.
Finally, the area in front of my room quieted down.
That’s when two boys appeared at my door—my two older stepbrothers, from the girl I had possessed.
The second brother, Benen—the one with fox-like eyes—smiled slyly and said,
“Father really plans to keep the youngest daughter up all night.”
“No kidding…”
“Your whole ‘doting father act’ may have helped his political ventures, but he’s going way overboard in front of you.”
Despite being only fifteen, his demeanor was shockingly mature. Sometimes irritatingly so.
Yet even with that snarky tone, Benen knelt in front of me on one knee and winked.
“Is it my turn now? Want me to help you sleep? Should I warm up some milk, or carry you around?”
“I don’t need any of that…”
“But this is what ‘a brother who dotes on his sister’ is supposed to do, right?”
“Not at night!”
To fix the Schlaeger family’s infamous reputation as cold-hearted monsters, I’d asked the duke to maintain a doting father persona in public.
Naturally, his sons had to play their part too.
For Benen, I’d assigned the role of a sister-crazy older brother. That sly guy needed to look a bit more dim-witted.
But he didn’t need to do this even at home!
Benen stood up, grumbling.
But I still had one more mountain to climb.
When I turned, the youngest older brother—two years older than the body I was in—was kneeling beside Benen. The male lead of this novel.
Elber Ult Schlaeger.
Like a kitten defending its territory, he spoke sharply.
“I-It’s not like I came here because I wanted to play with you or anything!”
“….”
His arms were full of stuffed animals.
I didn’t even want to answer anymore and started to turn my head. Then Elber nervously asked,
“…Is this right? Is this what you meant by ‘tsundere little brother’? Am I doing it right?”
“Go to bed.”
“What did I do wrong?! I’ll do better next time!”
As I was drowning in my clingy brothers’ antics, I heard the commotion from downstairs. The servants were returning—well, raiding bookstores for books.
Looks like the night was far from over.
Soon, the duke returned, arms full of carefully selected fairy tales. Standing at my door, he was blocked by two sons.
“What are you two doing here?”
Benen answered first.
“We came to take care of your poor, abandoned youngest daughter.”
“I’ve returned. You may go to bed now.”
“But Father, she just asked me to warm up some milk for her. Isn’t that right, Sol?”
I never said that!
Beside him, Elber was sniffling.
“Father… I just… I want to play with Sol… but I don’t know how…”
“Don’t cry over something so trivial, Elber.”
“This isn’t fair. Benen and Father got the easy roles, and I got the hardest one… Sol, can I change my character now, please…?”
The duke’s cold stare, Benen’s smiling-yet-threatening eyes that screamed “Agree with me,” and Elber’s teary puppy-dog gaze all turned to me.
I’m the one suffering the most here!
…How did it come to this?
lmao the logic here is… interesting